The Pomp of Using a Graphing Calculator

With our Community Garage Sale coming up tomorrow (7AM, 412 31st Avenue, San Mateo), and our fundraising deadline coming close (T-minus 29 days until MARATHON!), I thought it was important to sit down with my spreadsheets and various donation checks to calculate the amount that geeTEAM has raised for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Sure, I could have used the calculator on my phone, or I could have gone old-school and pulled out a pencil and scratch paper. But I wanted this moment to be special; so, I reached into the depths of the boxes I stored in my closet from college and pulled out my GRAPHING CALCULATOR! I don't know how many fellow geek-azoids are out there, but my graphing calculator was King - and I missed it. I cannot lie and say that coming upon it was intentional (I am combing through all of my belongings for goodies to sell tomorrow), but I was happy to find it. And as I decided if it belonged in the "SELL" or "KEEP" pile, I thought this would be a good opportunity to calculate the amount we have raised for LLS.

A recap of our efforts: Bake Sale, Crochet Instructional Events, Bootcamp with MDSF, Bootcamp with FITCLUB Performance, Mighty Bites!, C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket, and this upcoming Community Garage Sale. That, combined with the generous donations from family, friends and fans and we have raised a grand total of ... (inserting digits on the most awesome Texas Instrument ever created) ...

$3,240.36

(Insert shock! and awe! here.)
Though we are still a ways from our goal of $5,000.00 raised for LLS, I am positive that we will be able to meet our goal this weekend. We are looking forward to a great turn out, some time to spend with family & friends on our front lawn, and a lot of generous do-gooders out-and-about on a beautiful weekend. Please drop by and show your support, we are happy to have you! If you can't make it, please consider making a donation to our effort, every dollar counts!

And a special THANK YOU to all of you that have helped me raise over $3,000 for LLS! You are my heroes and I work hard for you all! <3

stay tuned!

Community Gathers to Find a Cure - This Weekend!

We are very excited for our Community Garage Sale coming up this weekend! We have gathered the gently-used wares of all geeTEAM's family & friends, and will be selling them to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Please drop by and show your support for LLS - we will be at 412 31st Avenue, San Mateo 94403 on Saturday, May 21st, from 7AM to 3PM and again on Sunday, May 22nd, from 7AM to 12PM. See our Evite for details: http://new.evite.com/services/links/X7WPAHXTVQ.

Our goal for the weekend is to raise $1,000.00 for LLS! And we can do it - with the help from our support buttress, we will be reaching out to our Community to  raise awareness and funds to combat blood cancers. Please help us by getting the word out to that we will be selling lots of goodies - see the Garage Sale flyer here.

Jess will be missing her Team's Regional Run on Saturday morning for the Garage Sale, so please join her Saturday afternoon for a neighborhood run!

Spring is here and we are cleaning house!

Spring is here and we are cleaning house! But more importantly, we are using this opportunity to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

We are gathering our neighbors & friends and putting on a huge Community Garage Sale the weekend of May 21st and 22nd. The Community Garage Sale will take place along the 400 block of 31st Avenue, between Alameda de las Pulgas and Isabella Avenue (on 31st Avenue, between the Hillsdale Shopping Center and Hillsdale High School). Our goal is to raise $1,000 for LLS at our Weekend Garage Sale, and we need your help to make it happen!

All sales at 412 31st Avenue will be donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We need your gently-used wares, if you would like to donate, please let us know. We also need your help:

• Posting signs around your neighborhood & shopping center (color flyer, gray-scale flyer)
• Spreading the word!
• Setting up (Friday evening)
• Setting up (Saturday morning, 6am)
• Tearing down (Saturday afternoon, 3pm)
• Setting up (Sunday morning, 6am)
• Tearing down (Sunday early afternoon, 12pm)
• Bringing un-sold items to Goodwill (Sunday, 1pm)

To RSVP to the event, please see our Evite, and let us know if you can help out! We look forward to seeing you there!

stay tuned!

The Truth About the Finding Peace Within the Forest of Trees

Follow my blog with bloglovin
These last few days have been difficult for me. I have spent this week recovering from a "work" weekend, where I was pulled away from all things TNT-LLS-related, and spent three entire days working on "career"- and "work"-work. For the last few days, I have felt like a spinning top knocked off balance by a careless bump to the tabletop I have been spinning on. I have found myself dangerously close to the edge of my abilities, peering helplessly over the edge, hoping that there is enough momentum left in my wobble to bringing me back toward center.
Close to this edge, I have had a moment to see "the forest from the trees" - I have planned a lot of events for the upcoming weeks. Kick-off to our busy calendar is our Cookies for a Cure bake sale and Flex Your {Heart} Muscle events, taking place this weekend. We follow-up with a second Flex Your {Heart} Muscle event next Wednesday and culminate with our multi-locational event Write Thru the Night: where we will be hosting events at geeTEAM headquarters, virtually, and through satellite events hosted by our family, friends & fans. I am close to a panic-attack thinking about how I have backed myself into a way-to-busy corner.
I consider why I have done this to myself: why have I given myself far too much to do? Why would anyone want to do this much work? Is my investment worthwhile? Will anyone even show up?? I work full-time, I am a student part-time, I am researching graduate schools and career development, I am training for a marathon, I am trying to raise $5,000 for LLS ... I have friends and family that depend on me ... I have to eat, I have to sleep, I have to relax ... How do I expect to do all of this and be a success?
I would be lying if I said that I have not shed a tear or more over the exasperation I feel thinking about my commitments that I have and continue to accumulate. I would be lying if I said that I did not believe that my forest was much too large, filled with too many trees. At this point, I wish my commitments were a backyard orchard, not this multi-acre arboretum that I have cultivated. I am ashamed to say, there was a moment when I wanted nothing more than to give up and walk away from it all.
And then there comes perspective. Poached eggs and bacon, bitter coffee, a lecture, an email, and then a well-timed quote: 

"Doing your best means never stop trying." -- Unknown

I am doing my very best to meet the challenge: I want to make my sincerest effort to battle the devastation that blood cancers have on those affected. I am raising awareness and funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. And I have thrown myself in 156% to the (mostly uphill) battle. 
I created this effort to involve my Donors. I have created these events to involve my family, friends and fans. It is easy to get discouraged when you feel so strongly about something, when you identify your effort as a piece of yourself - C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket has become an appendage growing from my heart. And there are times when I reach out that arm to shake hands with those that are closest to me - by offering these events and other opportunities to participate with me - only to have the invitation declined and the hand brushed away. My heart is sore from the rejection.
But I cannot give up. Because I am doing this for Matt. I am doing this for Rob. I am doing this for those who need me. I do my best. I continue to do my best. My best today might not be my best yesterday, or tomorrow. But it is always my best. So, instead of holding out my arm for a handshake, I sit patiently and hold up my fingers in an offering of "peace." I hope that those who see my unflagging efforts will come and join me for a morning, afternoon, evening, hour, moment - so that I can share my inspiration and ask them to join me in holding up a sign of "peace" within this forest.
Yesterday, because I could not find the energy to do anything else, I crocheted Donor Medallions for PROJECT MATT and PROJECT ROB. I am proud to say that we have completed 50 Medallions for Matt's blanket. I am proud that we are 50% of the way to a complete blanket for our first Honoree. I am proud that even on my worst day, I can find inspiration in Matt's battle to not give up.
I look forward to the upcoming events, and hope to see you all there! Thank you for the continued support, I could not do it without you. All my love!


stay tuned!
Follow my blog with bloglovin

Contributing Unconditional Means For Research, Treatment & Support

Follow my blog with bloglovin
I saw a commercial the other day that said that the best things in life are saved for Sundays. I don't know what this particular commercial was trying to sell (blueberry pancakes?), but I took a moment to reflect on the importance of Sundays in my schedule. People are milling around working hard all week long, working hard to relax on Fridays & Saturdays, and finally get to the good stuff on Sundays. Sundays are for visiting with family and friends, reading the newspaper in the sunlight on your back porch, and laughing out loud. Being able to relax into the good things on a Sunday generally leads good people to think how they can help others - help your brother move, call your grandmother on the phone to say hello, volunteer some time for a local charity, or talk about the things that are important to you? This is where our C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket Projects get their start - on bright and blissful Sundays.
 
While recovering from one of our first long-distance regional runs (which happen on Saturdays), I could barely move from soreness and wanted to find something productive to do with my afternoon stretching and icing my legs in bed. The birth of C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket took place that Sunday afternoon, when I picked up my crochet hook and made a Chemo Cap. I continued the Sunday tradition of producing comfort items by making Donor Medallions for our Honoree blankets. 

I recently wanted to extend the opportunity to GeeTEAM to contribute to the C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket mission with an instructional event. This past Sunday (April 3rd), GeeTEAM members gathered in a sunny room in Foster City, CA to learn how to crochet Chemo Caps for our Honorees. It just so happened that all our participants were crocheting novices but picked up the basics quicker than I expected! And at the end of the day, all eight of our participants walked away with Projects to finish. Marla W. finished her Chemo Cap in the time we allotted for the event and Michelle D. sent us a photo of her finished hat on Monday! Check out our finished Project Gallery.

<<click here for Event Photos>>

This past weekend was filled with the best things in life: good food, beautiful weather, great company, and a truly worthy cause. I am blessed to be surrounded by heroes like those GeeTEAM members that came out to support our first instructional event. A special thank you to my heroes - David G., Danielle G., Max W., Trina T., Justin M., Marla W., Michelle D., Myra C., Anna-Marie M., and Brandon C. - for your contribution to the C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket mission and donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

<<Event Details>>

Our next event is coming up! Hosted by our generous friends & coaches at Mad Dawg School of Fitness (MDSF) in Redwood City, CA, our next fundraising event will prove to be epic! We will be combining our crocheting instructional events with a free CrossFit Fundamentals Bootcamp. The crochet/CrossFit double-header "Flex Your {Heart} Muscle" will take place Sunday, April 17th from 9am-2pm. C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket will be hosting instructional events, the first beginning at 9am and the second at 12pm. MDSF will be leading our participants in training in flexibility, stability and strength, followed by a vigorous workout! We want everyone who attends to "give hope and get fit!" Check out our facebook event, and RSVP! We welcome athletes and crocheters of all abilities, and look forward to having you. All proceeds and commissioned Projects donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Come enjoy a sunny Sunday afternoon filled with charity, charcoal (we will be BBQ-ing), crocheting and CrossFit! We look forward to seeing you all there!

stay tuned!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

PROJECT MATT is 100% Commissioned!

C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket is proud to announce that PROJECT MATT is now 100% commissioned!

 
On the evening of March 24, 2011, we received our final donation for PROJECT MATT - bringing our grand total of $1000.00 raised in honor of Matt Mingus for Team in Training - The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our donors have commissioned 100 Donor Medallions to assembled for a blanket for Matt, which we are working furiously to complete! To celebrate, I snuggled up in my bed on a stormy evening to complete 41 Donor Medallions, meaning there are 59 Donor Medallions in my queue to complete. But when they are completed, we will have a huge labor-of-love to deliver to Matt and his family!

Donors, thank you all for your support. Your generous hearts are the life-blood of this project, and it is your example that I look to find the motivation I need to keep working on this project!

I would like to take this time to recognize those who I have not had an opportunity to thank yet:

• Courtney Gee - I am grateful the support from my little sister! Thank you for finding the funds to make a monetary donation, even though you are a "starving" college student. Now that I have taught you how to make these Medallions, I hope that you can contribute by sending me a few "Courtney-crafted" Medallions from sunny Santa Barbara to include in one of our Projects!
• Pat & Gerry Hing - A big, big hug goes out to my grandparents, Pat & Gerry, the owners/operators of Hing Accountancy Corp. in San Mateo (best CPAs in town!). They taught me the importance of giving and sharing, and I am grateful to continually have their love and support in everything that I do. Thank you PawPaw and GoongGoong!
• Alison Hench - A soon-to-be Doctor of Osteopathy, and one of the coolest people I know, Alison sent C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket her love from her study-cubby at Touro University. Thank you to my KGD sister, my role model, and my pal Alison for your contribution & loves - the world is a better place because YOU are in it!
• Anna Ye - Easily one of the smartest people I know, Anna sent us her love from her research-cubicle at the University of Califonia, Davis. Thank you to my KGD sister and goofball buddy Anna for your support - I miss you terribly and I hope I will see you soon when I am in Davis in April!

To all of our current and future Donors, thank you for becoming GeeTEAM teammates! You make all of this possible and I am forever grateful!

Now that we have completed our first C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket project, it is time to move on to our next projects...

We are now accepting Nominations for our next Project, and are looking to our Community to nominate Honorees (blood cancer patients & survivors) to receive a commissioned C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket Project. Our goal for this season is to complete five blankets - each representing $1000 raised for LLS. Please take some time to consider how blood cancer has touched your life: perhaps you have a relative, friend, coworker, or acquaitence who is a blood cancer patient or survivor. Take this time to fill out a quick survey to nominate an Honoree for a Project!

We will announce our upcoming projects soon!
stay tuned!

Little Ideas, Big Actions

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” -George Sheehan

We all have little ideas that occur to us while we hustle/bustle about our busy days. Unfortunately, these little ideas often get scratched onto a scrap of paper, onto the back of our hands, or made into a "mental note" - and are then promptly lost in the fray. We all have greater intentions that often get suffocated under the weight of our daily responsibilities.

I don’t know that I believe we were “meant to be” anything specifically, but we all want to make the world a better place. We all want to mean something to other people. What that looks like differs for all of us, and sometimes it changes from one day, one month, and one year to the next.

But it’s up to us all individually to wake up every day and decide that those intentions are what really matter. It’s not the money, approval, acclaim, or anything else that might distract us from what we believe to be true. What matters is who we want to be, and what we do about it today.

I want to be someone who cares. I want to be someone who chooses not to cause myself pain but isn’t afraid of hurting if it’s the price of loving fully. I want to be someone who does what I believe is right, even when it’s hard. Today, I will, in action and with all my heart.

Today, I would like to encourage you (and by you, I mean you!) to invest in your little ideas by recognizing their potential to become big actions. Who do you want to be–and what will you do about it today?

Big Thanks to...

• Mike, a fellow crossfitter from Mad Dawg School of Fitness. Thank you for your donation and the tips from your wife's experience with Team in Training. Go TEAM!
• Marla Wong, my long-time friend and ya-ya sista! Many thanks for your generous donation, and best of luck kicking kung-fu butt with your staff and butterfly knives ... please don't hurt yourself! And I promise you can buy lunch next time <3

Thank you both for contributing to Project Matt - be sure to fill out your Commission form, if you have not already done so!

Project Matt update: 35% Complete
Fundraising Goal update: $355.00, 7.1% and climbing!
stay tuned!

Hiccups and The Function of the Neck

Hello All,

My sincerest apologies for my long absence from the realm of fundraising and training. I am on my way back (tortoise pace) from the world of injury and have just entered into a phase of life I like to call “Recovery and Awareness.”

Two weeks ago, I suffered a slipped disc in my cervical spine (scary!) and a subsequent muscle spasm in the left half of my neck (painful!), and was on diagnosed bed-rest and in a muscle-relaxer-induced coma for almost an entire week. Coming out of that “coma,” I have found that I have lost a lot:

• Precious time. I am surprised to find that today is the first of March. Who knew!? March, already! (Women’s History Month people – thank you mother, hug your sister, kiss your significant other, and appreciate all the women who make your existence possible and pleasurable!)
• Precious training. I looked at my marathon training schedule, and my cross-training schedule, and I was supposed to complete almost 40 miles of run-time in the two weeks I was “out of commission.” Sigh… It is hard not be feel frustrated, and daunted, by the idea of “catching up.”
• Precious fundraising. “Sidetracked” is the best way to describe the current status of my fundraising campaign. And I have a lot of ground to cover!
• Precious movement. You do not understand or appreciate the function of the neck until you no longer have a functional neck. Affected functions: essentially everything! Current movement status: 60% on a good day.

Physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, special sleeping arrangements, ergonomic everything, stretching, strengthening, pushing, pulling – it is all terribly uncomfortable, painful, and altogether frustrating.

But I cannot poo-poo on the fact that I have gained a lot from this experience:

• Precious awareness: of my body – how I have treated it in the past, how I need to treat it in the present, and what I need to be aware of as I transition our of “Recovery” and back into “Training.” I can no longer take advantage of the function of a neck, or any other body part/function – I am blessed to have a working neck and I need to be grateful to it, and thank it, every day.
• Precious awareness: of my time – lying in bed in a fog for days at a time, losing a sense of myself and time – my time is precious. It can be taken from you swiftly and without warning. I must appreciate the time I am given, and spend it wisely.
• Precious awareness: of my commitment to Team in Training. This lesson was the most difficult for me to “learn.” It has also had the largest impact. This evening, I contemplate the effect that this injury has had on me – I whine and moan about the pain and the inconvenience this injury has had on “crippling” my daily activity and longer-term goals. But it took me more than two weeks to consider how this injury pales in comparison to the struggle that blood cancer patients endure in their battle with treatment, recover, and remission. I did not choose to work with Team in Training – TNT chose me. I have met patients and survivors, have heard their stories and witnessed their struggles, and I willingly made the sacrifice to train my body (and mind) on their behalf. With my teammates at TNT, we train, endure, achieve and matter.

As I get back into the swing of things (hopefully, sooner rather than later), I need to be mindful not to give myself more than I can handle. I need to be mindful that I am doing all that I can to help those that need me. I need to be mindful that I will achieve my goals and I will do it well! I also need to be mindful that this injury is just a hiccup and that, with time and perspective, I am lucky it is not more serious.

I look forward to getting back to my training and fundraising. And I thank everyone who has been instrumental in my recovery and awareness!

Stay tuned!

Fundraising Update: First

Fundraising Update: First

Delays have inevitably postponed the release of my fundraising letters to my family and friends, mostly because the development of my main fundraising campaign has been slow-goes. I am unveiling my fundraising campaign here today, to be finalized this week. Drumroll please…

In an effort to stretch each monetary donation to reach across all aspects of gift-giving, GeeTEAM is proud to present C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket, “contributing unconditional means for research, treatment, and support.” C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket is a fund-raising effort created to provide the financial, emotional, and physical support for honored blood cancer patients and survivors. Every monetary donation will be turned into a comfort item (a handmade blanket, chemo-cap, etc.) specially made by the GeeTEAM for an honored patient or survivor.

If you know of an Honored Individual you would like to nominate to receive a C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket, please contact me directly.

Check back on the GeeTEAM fundraising page or the C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket webpage for updates and more information on how to join GeeTEAM and become a C.U.M.F.O.R.T.S. blanket Donor.

Stay tuned!
Go TEAM!
funds raised: $80.00 (2%)
fundraising goal: $5000.00

Welcome to GeeTEAM!

train, endure, achieve, matter

train.endure.achieve.matter.

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to GeeTEAM!

2011 is a new year, and the perfect time to reevaluate my goals and make a commitment to a cause. After much research (and, admittedly, trepidation), I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. With Team in Training, I will train for an endurance event, achieve the seemingly impossible by competing in a full (26.2 mile) marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on June 18th, while simultaneously achieving my larger goal of raising awareness and funds for LLS!

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing my marathon event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Join GeeTEAM and together we can raise our goal of $5000 USD this season.

I hope you will visit the GeeTEAM fund-raising website often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

go TEAM!

- jessica