starkey hearing foundation

my humanitarian trip to toluca, mexico back in february was awesome

just see for yourself

highlights:

1- working with the kiddos the majority of the time.  it confirmed that what i've been studying in school for so many years is truly the right place for me

2- seeing masses of people and feeling overwhelmed that we wouldn't be able to get to all of them in one day only to find we actually finished earlier than any other group ever has and with more precision than any other group (go us!)

3- getting blessed by cute old ladies over and over again for giving the gift of hearing to their spouse or child

4- getting told i was "muy bonita" :)

5- working on my audiology spanish

6- getting to know my classmates and supervisors even better

7- getting kisses on the cheek from the cute old men

8- seeing the seemingly endless supply of hearing aids that were made available though generous donors

9- being told by a mom that her 3 year old child had never responded to any sounds only to have the child startle and cry when the hearing aids were put on

10- sharing tears of joy with that beautiful mother

11- fitting over 7,000 hearing aids in 5 days

12- playing my first game of soccer (football) ever with some cute little kiddos and us getting our butts kicked :)  even the young ones had some mad skills

13- meeting some of the prestigious politicians in mexico

14- going to sleep every night knowing i made a difference

i loved the opportunity to go and serve the people of mexico.  they were such gracious, happy, and genuine people and i truly felt that i got more out of serving them than anything.

if you'd like to see more pictures from our mission, go here

also, do any of you watch celebrity apprentice?

well, as of tonight i do and it was an awesome episode to catch...

tonight, marlee matlin raise $1,000,000 for the starkey hearing foundation!

running for birthdays

last week i was asked by a friend of mine if i would be able/willing to join her ragnar wasatch back relay team.  for those of you who don't know, this is a 188 mile relay from logan to park city and takes place this summer.  i've been training a lot and was thrilled that she would want me on her team.  the best part is, though, that she won a contest to be the team captain of a special VIP team.  her team would be running to support the american cancer society.  adding that component to the mix made me even more excited to run with them.  the team name is "running for birthdays" which i absolutely love.

as most of you know, cancer hits home for us.  josh's diagnosis came as a shock to us and his treatment was one of the longest and most trying situations we have had to go through.  but he's one of the lucky ones because currently he's healthy and happy.  i want more than anything to support a cause that helps other spouses be able to say that. 

aside from josh having cancer, many of my other loved ones, friends, and their family members have gone through the whole cancer process.  i truly feel for them and am grateful for the opportunity to support and honor each of them.

i have a goal of raising $400 for the american cancer society and would love and appreciate any donation you may be able to give.  even $10 would mean the world to me.  for anyone who does help sponsor, i will proudly wear the name of one or two of their loved ones who has fought the cancer battle somewhere on my body while i run the race.

i have the best family and friends in the world.  thanks for your support!!!

to donate, follow this link:

American Cancer Society