Book of the Spirit

Celebrating Ashley

9/5/2018

I was so eager to celebrate Ashley's birthday this year that I started early in August and nearly every Sunday taking her flowers after buying them from the local farmers market in downtown Milwaukie. Right across from the flower vendor was one named Packer Orchards and they sold me some delicious scones and a cookie each week. I would usually eat the cookie right away (hard to resist) and save the scones for breaktime at work for the next couple of days. I continued this practice nearly every week into September and even more so by eating other foods that Ashley liked such as Red Robin French fries, Eggo waffles, and Pop Tarts. I must have gained several extra pounds during this time! But I really enjoyed it and felt like it was a way to honor Ashley's food preferences, especially the scones which I used to make for her and she enjoyed as a treat on Fridays right after coming home from school.

Pink Mum for Ashley.

This year, I wanted to make sure Ashley's monument was as clean as it could be so I spent time there on Sunday getting it polished up. I hope to continue this practice each year to keep it looking its best.

One thing that Ashley and I would enjoy doing together is to go to Barnes and Noble to shop for books. She'd usually come out of there with a wheel barrow full of books and I'd give her a bad time about it. I visited Barnes and Noble this year on Sunday and decided I'd try to get through the first book of a Game of Thrones, one of Ashley's favorite series. Since this type of fiction is not usually my thing, I'm going to try to get through the audio book first before I buy and try to read a paper copy.

On the heels of Ashley's birthday, I want to mention that September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has an informative site describing how that organization is helping cancer patients, their families and society through research and advocacy. Check it out and consider one or more ways of helping them achieve their goals.

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Light the Night 2016

10/8/2016

Thanks for helping us raise so much hope for Leukemia patients and their families. Together we contributed more than $2,200 to LLS' for helping them provide care and services that cancer patients so desparately need. Trot on over to Facebook to learn more.

Light the Night 2014

10/10/2014

Just two short weeks until the next Light the Night walk. After participating for the last couple years (2012, 2013) we really have a blast during this event. Having the opportunity to honor our daughter, Ashley, this way really means a lot to us.

It would be great if you can join us in our efforts to support Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in their quest to cure blood cancers and support patients and their families while doing so. Join our team (requires you to have or create a login) or make a financial contribution. A little help can go a long way.

Light the Night, 2013

10/19/2013

Thanks to Becky Ziemer for organizing a Light the Night team to honor our daughter Ashley and to help blood cancer patients and their families fight against this deadly disease. On Saturday October 19th we walked more than two miles and raised over $600 for LLS. It was a gorgeous night with dry, warm weather, a stunning full moon and amazing fireworks. Click through the pictures below to get a sense of the evening. Or visit a previous blog post that describes last year's event.

By the way it's not too late to make help out by making a financial contribution.

Pennies for Patients

3/8/2013

"It means hope. Ashley’s experience was unfair, but knowing that others may not have to go through what she did is reassuring." - Koreena

National Honor Society students at Oregon City High School (OCHS) recently raised $933.26 to help Leukemia and Lymphoma Society help patients who suffer from blood cancer. Ashley was named the Honored Hero for the campaign. Her life and spirit inspired the students to action. As mentioned in a recent OCHS blog post, Koreena G. Wagner, Ashley’s friend and an organizer for Pennies for Patients, said, “It means hope. Ashley’s experience was unfair, but knowing that others may not have to go through what she did is reassuring.”

Check out the flyers that were used to advertise the event.

ashley_flyer_01.pdf
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ashley_flyer_02.pdf
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Light the Night

10/18/2012

October 18th, 2012

Ashley’s school counselor invited us to join her and Ashley’s friends as they walk for Light the Night which occurs annually in downtown Portland. We previously participated in LTN during October 2010 and really enjoyed the mostly-dry walk around the Willamette River waterfront. This year was no exception. The weather stayed dry and relatively warm and we really enjoyed our time. Thanks to my coworkers Becky and Carol for joining us in the walk.

Ashley's friend's Koreena and Emily made a fantastic banner to honor her while we walked.

Thanks to Susan Boardman for making a $25 contribution to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and giving Team Ashley an enthusiasm boost. If you'd like to make a financial contribution feel free to do so here and help us help fight blood cancer.

Results of 5K Course and Video of Galloping Neigh Neighs

8/22/2011

Pineapple Classic 2011

The Galloping Neigh Neighs finished 17th out of 40 four-person teams. We enjoyed the event and raised $120 for LLS. Thanks to everyone who supported us. Please visit this link for a video of us participating in the event.

Galloping Neigh Neighs Run and Jump and Raise Money

7/28/2011

Galloping Neigh Neigh

Sara and I and Ashley's Uncle Dave and Aunt Amy are participating in a 5K event, Pineapple Classic, to raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We're calling ourselves the Galloping Neigh Neighs. Part run, part obstacle course we're inspired by Ashley's jumping and zest for life. If you'd like to help us out feel free to donate over at our team page.

Walking Again

10/10/2010

Ashley & Sara after Jogathon at McLaughlin Elementary.

Sara and I recently walked in Light the Night to raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and to honor our daughter Ashley who passed away from Leukemia in May 2009. This was a short three-mile walk in downtown Portland Oregon on Saturday October 9th. More than 3,200 other walkers joined in to raise over $300,000 to fight blood cancers like the one that Ramsay Farrar is fighting every day. Please prayerfully consider making a donation to help him and other cancer survivors get the care they need. To find out more about Light the Night please visit their online community. Thanks!

Dad Completes 1/2 Marathon Walk

5/14/2010

2010 Eugene 1/2 Marathon Walk

Thanks to everyone who helped me raise over $3700 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in rememberance of Ashley. I finished the Eugene 1/2 marathon walk with a total time of 3 hours and 40 minutes which is about 16:50 per mile pace. For me the time's not important -- the point of my participation was to raise money for cancer patients and increase public awareness of their needs.

A special thank you to my aunt Janet and cousin Abby who particpated with me and made the experience fun. They made the event even more meaningful by wearing pictues of Ashley on their backs!
Again, a shout out to everyone at Oregon City United Methodist Chuch who helped me raise more than $1100 at a recent lunch which was so successful in part by a generous donation from Oregon City Haggen Food & Pharmacy.

In all, participating with Team in Training was a great experience that I will likely do again. I encourage others to consider doing so.

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