Newborn Extravaganza!

Our third round of auctions have begun at WAHMChicks and they are uh-ma-zing. It almost makes me want to have more kids just so they can wear this stuff. Check out the auctions and bid like crazy, we've got a goal to reach!


Fiber Arts Avenger July Auctions

The Shoe Fairy auctions are kind of cool. When I began training, the shoe fairy visited me and bestowed enough paypal for my shoes (three pairs=$240). The shoe fairy auctions pay her back. Donations do not go to the event, they go to the person serving as my shoe fairy. She has contributed an overwhelming amount of energy, product and time to this project and I really want to pay her back.

On Monday, Pam came over to my house with her beautiful children and we had a wonderful time putting together the auction sets and photographing them. Pam is such good people. Her kids are beautiful and sweet and the day was both productive and fun. Crazy, too. Five kids spells adventure: chalk soup on my deck turned into a shower party and a load of laundry. Violet, my eldest and Sam, Pam's eldest, hit it off like the best of friends. I've never seen my girl so taken with another kid so quickly. They were a dynamic duo, for sure.

I'm resuming walking this week after some time off to catch up on my life. The event is getting closer! I'm so excited.

Jesse

12-14

It's 6:19am and I'm off to do 12-14 miles with Frankie and Lindsay this morning. We'll be walking through downtown Tacoma and all around the city. This is the same walk I did a month or so ago, just a wee bit longer. It's hard and my legs were thrashed, but managable - especially because I now have two folks to talk to who don't think I'm totally weird. Well, maybe they do, but they don't seem to care.

I'll let you know how it goes. By the way: I was able to add the following stickers to the badge:

$2100 and $3000.

I now need: 20 miles, EXPO (don't think I'm gonna make this one), 18/15 miles (back-to-back walks), matching gift (anyone want to do a matching gift or sponsor a matching gift from the auctions? email me!), online check-in and the spirit of 3 sticker - which I won't get because I didn't get two others to do the walk. Technically, I might qualify for Lindsay signing up, but I need one other person to sign up because of me in order to get that sticker.

Gotta pack my stuff.

Jesse

You all continue to amaze me with the generous outpouring of support around the Fiber Arts Avengers. Our last round of auctions raised an incredible, amazing, fantastical amount of money:

$3526.99

That's one round, folks. I find the numbers staggering and inspiring. I would have never imagined that we could reach these heights. I'm looking toward the future and I would love to see an Avenger in every city of the 3 Day next year - wouldn't that be amazing?

I'm walking a lot but not enough. We've established a bit of a routine and try to walk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights as well as the weekends. With our recent storms (real crocodile stranglers, I tell ya), it's been a challenge. Lindsay and I braved the weather the other night and got pretty soaked but kept at it. Frankie was at outdoor camp with her students last week but is going to the Expo tomorrow. I don't think I'll attend the Expo, but I'm sure Frankie will tell me all about it.

My heel is cracked. Not the bone, just the skin. It is really painful. I guess I'm just not allowed to wear sandals or go without socks -- ever. I walked through the pain the other night because I wanted to see what that was like. I imagined myself an athlete, trying to make it across the finish line. I'm a dork. It got better after awhile, anyway.

Alrighty, just wanted to check in and offer a quick update. As my walking increases, my computer time decreases. I'm finding it challenging to fit my life in around everything else, you know? Funny, life.

Night and take care.

Jesse

And there it is!

I woke up this morning to several fantastic emails. Three of them started with "Congratulations, you just received a donation!" and the others, including one from my sister-in-law, had various exclaimations along the "Congratulations!!" line. Before I walked last night, we were a mere $13 from our goal. At present, my totals stand in the $2500 range.

How wonderful you all are. Do you realize how wonderful you are? Your efforts have not only afforded me this incredible opportunity, but have served as a beacon of hope and inspiration to everyone who hears our story. In my real, face-to-face life, I have a difficult time imparting the scope of this project to others. They look at me with puzzled glances and secretly think I'm quite odd.

Our work isn't done. I would ask that you continue to be the amazing Avengers you are and channel the fruits of our labors into the fundraising efforts of our two other team members: Frankie and Lindsay. They joined the recently established Seattle Fiber Arts Avengers team for the 3-Day and they are worthy of our support. I walk with both women regularly and they are walking for Frankie's collegue and dear friend, Linda.

You might not know Lindsay. I recently asked her to share with me why she was walking. She responded:

Hi Jesse,

I have been thinking all morning about why I am doing this three day walk.

First, is for my Mom. It hurts so bad to see my Mom hurt the way that she
did, and still is, after she lost Linda. Linda and my Mom were the best
friends that I have ever known. I hope that I am lucky enough to have a
friend like Linda in my life someday. When Linda died, I could tell that my
Mom had lost something so special to her and that she was going to need a
lot of support to get through this. This is a way that I can support my
Mom.

Secondly, I am walking for Linda. Linda treated me and my family like her
own. She was so easy to talk to. Linda was my playground supervisor when I
was in kindergarden. I used to spend all of recess hanging out with Linda
instead of playing with the other kids. We had a very special bond. When I
was in first grade, my best friend, Brenda, died from a brain tumor and
Linda gave me a teddy bear and told me that it was to remind me of Brenda.
Another time that Linda was there for me was when My father-in-law was in
the hospital because of his liver cancer. Linda happened to be there
getting a treatment and I went and sat with her during her treatment. We
talked all about her cancer and about the treatments that my father-in-law
had been doing. Here she was having treatment for this cancer that she had
been fighting for years, and she was as happy as could be. She had made
friends with all of the nurses in that department, everyone there saw that
same light in Linda that I saw when we first met. There was somethig about
her that just made everything okay.


Hopefully this helps.

Lindsay and Frankie have been a real support to me as I prepare to represent us at the Seattle event. You can feel good about supporting them now that you've made our first goal.

Next year, let's have walkers in every city! Sound good?

Here's the link to The Fiber Arts Avengers in Seattle, our maiden voyage, if you will.

Walking/Training update:

With the help of Frankie and Lindsay, I've been doing really well at walking. We have a good schedule during the week and I love our 4.5 mile loop that we walk at 7:30 3x a week. The longer walks are on the weekends. I'm feeling energized and like I'm building stamina and when I don't walk, my body aches to get moving. It sure helps that the weather has been so nice lately and it stays light out until well past 9pm.

I don't go to the Y so much anymore because I hate leaving my kids in the daycare. I'm going to cancel my membership. It's just not worth it money-wise. I feel so stressed out if I don't use it and it's $50 is too much money per month not to be going several times a week. I might have my kids keep their memberships because they really like gymnastics. I can't decide. I'm not very good as a regular schedule and it's hard for me to commit to their classes. Hm.

Alrighty. Carry on, Avengers! You are amazing and I thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you!!!!!!

~J

Team Fiber Arts Avengers

After another round of amazing auctions, I think it is appropriate to expand our original mission and extend superhero status to others walking in the 3-Day. Here's what I had to say in a letter to our generous donors at the auctions:

Dear Friend of the Fiber Arts Avengers,

I am writing to you tonight with a heart full of gratitude and awe. I am overwhelmed by the generous contributions of both the donors and the vendors for our second round of auctions benefitting my efforts in the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day.

As of this writing, I am just about $400 away from reaching the minimum to participate in the event: $2100. With the proceeds raised from auctions closing this evening and tomorrow, I will easily make the minimum and far exceed what I ever thought possible.

The amazing team of women who have organized and donated to the Fiber Arts Avengers auctions through goods and services have done so because they believe that one small act can a have tremendous effect and the proof is in the outcome of our efforts: to date, I've estimated we will bring in at least $4000, and we have one round of auctions to go next month.

I'd like to see our dollars sponsor other walkers after my minimum is met. After all, the Fiber Arts Avengers is not about me, it is about making a difference. Let's make a difference in a big way. Let's be superheroes to others who are struggling to meet their fundraising goals.

I've begun a campaign to create The Fiber Arts Avengers 3-Day Team. Each location can have a Fiber Arts Avenger team, but as of this writing the only team so far is in Seattle. I hope to organize more walkers in other cities before the next round of auctions in June and perhaps next year the Fiber Arts Avengers will sponsor walkers in all the cities participating in the 3-Day.

One of the women you'll see on our new team page is Frankie Hall. She has recently become my walking partner. Our paths have crossed for a reason, and that reason is that Frankie is a super hero herself and I needed to meet her. She is walking in honor of her dear friend and collegue, Linda, who lost her battle to breast cancer after a grueling fight. Linda and Frankie taught together for twenty years. They raised their kids together, shared their dreams, supported each other through crisis and adversity. When Linda died, she took a piece of Frankie's heart with her.

What makes Frankie a superhero is is that she is recovering from total hip replacement surgery, performed in November of 2004. That means Frankie will walk 60 miles -- just twelve miles short of three back-to-back marathons - eight months after her surgery. Frankie is carrying on Linda's fight now. Just a like a friend should.
I would encourage you to donate to Frankie's site to assit her in reaching her minimum to particpate, which is $2100. Donate directly to her site at:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=61814&lis=1&kntae61814=B48996885DC84C49B152D58EAE39D4D9&supId=69114866

Stay tuned because we will sponsor more walkers in other cities in the June Auctions! Hopefully we will have walking Avengers all across this amazing country.

With gratitude and love,

Jesse Michener

Miss Me?

I have to apologize for being so silent for so long. Lots and lots has happened and sometimes when I think, "Oh! I need to write about that!" I get overwhelmed and then have a hard time writing. That and I've been really busy knitting and walking. Such is my life!

So, lets see...two weekends ago I walked about 14 miles total. It was insane. Who in their right mind thinks that 14 miles is an okay number? As I was walking all over my freaking huge city, I just kept thinking about y'all and how I wished you were with me IRL.

I have been working on finding a safe walking route near my house and came up with a four-mile jaunt that I can do after dinner and the kids go to sleep. Now that it's lighter longer, my evenings have opened up for walking. I can do four miles in an hour easy peasy, and if I do it five times a week, that's 20 miles. Then if I do the huge walks on the weekends, I should be good to go.

By the way, I am terrified of the 3 Day. I am starting to grasp it all and the distance is really, really, really, REALLY scary. It's like walking three marathons back-to-back. Minus 12 miles.

We've got another round of auctions coming up! Check out www.fiberartsavengers.com for details.

Lastly, the route has been posted on the 3 Day site and it looks like I'll be walking in Pam's neighborhood! Yay!

Jesse

Things like this

Things like raising nearly $1200 in the first round of auctions make me kind of shake my head and close my eyes. In the past twenty-four hours I keep coming back to our totals in disbelief, wondering how I stumbled into this space of love and support. I don't know how to wrap my head around it all.

It all started when I asked my girls on Woolywonder.com if they might help me with an idea I had for knit pink ribbon keychains. They responded with swift action. Their call to assist has astounded me from the beginning. It isn't often that we face such a collective of unconditional support--and the fact that I have met only a few of the women who are behind these efforts--makes it all the more astounding.

What was once an idea I had for knit keychains has evolved into the Fiber Arts Avengers and in these first round of auctions we have far surprassed what I thought possible. I couldn't have imagined it but I welcome it. And I thank you. I don't know what else to say. Is it enough? Not right now it isn't. Right now I feel as thankful as I can feel but I struggle because what we are fighting against is still so far away to me. Superficially I get that Breast Cancer is terrible. Because I have not faced that monster myself, I will rely on learning the stories of others who are in battle in order to really get a sense of what this is all about.

Right now all I can do is walk and train so that is what I will do to show my thanks. Later, when I am walking, I promise to learn the stories and share them with you so that as we stand proudly united against this disease, we will know what it truly means to be heroes.

~J