Saying Goodbye Thrice

Tuesday, March 29, 2011:  I said goodbye to my helper of almost 8 years.

Sadness tried to stop me from letting her go but I had to set her free.

Remember the feeling of breaking it off with the person you really love, but you have to end the relationship because it isn't right?  You initiated the break-up but it still hurts just the same.

It was my decision to terminate my helper's services but for some unexplainable reason, I still felt a slight stab in my heart.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011:  I said goodbye to DELANOR Health Products Trading.

My business technically ended last Feb. 15, 2011 when I decided not to renew my contract with Starmall Las Piñas.  However, I didn't apply for closure right away  because I still had to establish "closure" to the very core of my being.

As I was sitting in the Treasurer's Office of our City Hall waiting for my turn, I still couldn't believe that I was about to say goodbye to a dream I once had -- a dream I thought I could turn into a reality which would last forever.

But the feeling of emptiness didn't last long.
I just told myself: " If I could say goodbye to my dear husband, I could say goodbye to anyone or anything."

Thursday, March 31, 2011:  I said goodbye to STI, my son's second home for 4 years (from Grade 4 to HS 1)

Dec. 15, 2010 . . . as I utter these words in opening my speech during the final recognition day of STI, I could already see tears flowing down the cheeks of my audience.
Dec. 15, 2010 was the day STI informed everybody that it will close its basic education program.  I don't know how and why I was chosen to give the inspirational talk in the culminating activity of my son's school but I'm happy I did it.

Last Wednesday, however, as I was driving from home to STI to get Gio's Form 137 and Certificate of Good Moral Character, it dawned on me that this was the very last time that I will set foot on this school. Suddenly, my heart hardened and I found it difficult to breath. It wasn't just a stab that I felt.  It was more of an elephant leg crushing my chest.  Sure, there are a lot of schools in Las Piñas but it was already inputted in my CPU that my son would finish high school in STI.

After I got the 2 envelopes, I said goodbye to the staff and teachers who were playing cards in the lobby trying to amuse themselves.  I wanted to tell them that "everything is for the best" but opted not to.

As I walked back to the car, I said a prayer for everybody.  My heart grieved for them and for a while, I forgot my own problems that were choking me for the past 3 days.

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A Quick Update

Hello everyone!  Before you think that something bad happened to me, here's a quick update of what transpired during the past 5 months that I was invisible.

1.  Tested myself if I could finish 32k without the proper training.  And the verdict is . . . YES, I can!  I joined RunRio Trilogy 3 last Nov. 21, 2010 and thanks to my cousin Jun Muego who went back for me, I survived the 32K.  Coach Rio knows that runners hit the "wall" on the 32nd km and that's exactly what happened to me.  Thank God after the 32nd km, it's the Finish line already!

What I vividly remembered about this race was the different ways my name was called.  My favorites were of course "Nora" and "Ms. Nora".  Some called me "Ma'am, Tita, Ate, Mommy" and I don't really mind being addressed as these.  But when runners and marshals ask me "Nanay, kaya nyo pa ba?"  I was almost tempted to challenge them to run 42k with me haha . . .

2.  December passed in a jiffy and I just woke up one day realizing that it was already 2011.  I thought I could hide the 10 lbs. that I gained during the holidays but anywhere I go, people would ask me "Ma'am, tumaba ho ba kayo?"

3.  In desperation to lose weight fast, I registered online for the the Condura Skyway Marathon, only to back out at the last minute when I learned that there's a 6-hr cut-off time.  With my extra 10 lbs., there's no way I could finish 42k in less than 6 hours.  So I did the most sensible thing to do:  I signed up for the half-marathon instead.  21k is my comfort zone.  It's a distance I'm confident to finish, with or without training.

This is one memorable race for out of nowhere, Bong (Pagong) Ortiz greeted me!  I couldn't believe at first because I knew that Bong lives in Canada.  I was sooh happy to finally see Bong, who's very instrumental in my humble pursuits.

4.  Last year, I wasn't able to join the RunRio Trilogy 1 because it coincided with the Happy Walk of the Down Syndrome Assn. of the Phils.  This year, there was a registration booth at the Condura Race so without thinking, I registered for 21k.

I almost decided not to go through with this race because Eia's recital was also scheduled on March 6, 2011. But the runner in me prevailed.  I ran 21k, then proceeded to the 21k booth, then ran to the car and immediately went home even without changing clothes and having breakfast.

5.  I am happy to announce that I'm back training and playing tennis.  And I have a new-found love:  Tai-Chi every Tue. and Fri.  Oh, and I have a fantastic running buddy, Pam.

See you at the takbo.ph nightfest this April 9!

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Choose To Be Happy NOW

Picture this:

You're an only child and a single mother.

You take care of your 86-year-old father whose favorite pastimes are worrying and whining.  Stress is his time-tested form of therapy.  While it is true that stress kills, stress is what makes him fully alive hehehe . . .
You long for the tender, loving, care of your mother who has been an OFW (Out For Work) for as long as you can remember.  You have been missing her since your infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood.  You desperately want to catch up with her through your golden years but at 76, she's still very much alive and active with her chosen career. You only get to feel her warmth and positive presence during Saturdays and Sundays 'coz she works and lives away from home during week days.

You battle it out with your 13-year-old son every single day.  They say God is so providential that He gave parents 12 years to develop the unconditional love for their children before they turn into monster aliens whom we call teenagers.  You may be the Judge of the Supreme Court but you won't stand a chance against my son. He's simply too smart and manipulative.

You gather all your reserved patience, strength and energy to tutor your special child everyday and bring her to therapy every Saturday.  Some parents swear that having 1 special child is equivalent to having 10 normal children.

You fantasize of having a supportive husband to share your sorrows, pain and suffering but you realize that he's only a figment of your wild imagination.

Yes, we did not choose to be alive in this world.

BUT WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY, NO MATTER WHAT LIFE BRINGS.

Hence, I will no longer wait for my father to have a change of heart before I make myself happy (but I won't stop hoping).  I choose to be happy NOW.  If I were to be a punching bag to prolong my father's life, I will be the happy punching bag.

I will no longer wait for my mother to retire in order to be happy. (There's no retirement in sales.  Contract with the company only expires in case of permanent disability or death.)   I will treasure every moment that she's with me.  I choose to be happy NOW, even if I'll never understand how she managed to survive a life away from her only daughter.

Yes, I know I will probably lose upcoming battles of wit with Gio but I will never lose my love for my only son.  I will say goodbye to hurt and misery and choose to be happy NOW.

My daughter with Down Syndrome may never finish school but that's alright with me.  I choose to be happy NOW, and not wait until she speaks clearly and know when it's New Year's Day.  (Eia can sing the whole soundtrack of HS Musical 1, 2, and 3 but couldn't remember that Jan. 1 is New Year's Day!)

Let's not wait for our dreams to come true before we can be truly happy. 

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY NOW.  (but I'll be happier if I find a partner who'll run all the way with me through eternity hah hah . . . )

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A Child's Prayer

Every night, my daughter Eia always say this prayer on top of our usual prayers:

"Jesus, heal Lolo.  Take care of Nanay in Pampanga.  Heal Mama's hand, knee and foot.  Bless Mama's work, business, tennis, marathon, fun run and Bull Run."

And last night, Eia surprised me by adding:  "Help Federer win"!

Let's Run to Read!

Last Friday, July 9, 2010, the angels took pity on me and made my impossible schedule available for the launching of the Run to Read at Max's Greenbelt 1, Makati.

It was a wonderful evening, a night that I thought could only happen in a dream. (Thank you, thank you Eric for inviting me!)

I always enjoy meeting fellow runner bloggers -- it's as if we've been friends forever! (you may find our pictures in Face Book).

Listening to Nikky (of BrandWorX), Patty (the friend-sidekick of Anne, who's the "brains and heart" of this cause), Bea (the National Book Store Foundation representative) and Eric Pasion (president of Run4Change) made me shed a bucket of tears. Here's why.

Below is one of the articles included in our kit.

Running to a better future through reading:

It's no big surprise that running marathons has become one of the most participated sports recreation events in the country. For one thing, running can easily be anybody's game, one that almost everyone is equipped to perform" no goals to kick the ball into, no rings to shoot at, no paddles to swing. One relies on his strength and power to achieve -- a common goal that everyone, runner or not shares. It's either a competitive or non-competitive sport depending on what the participant chooses to make out of the distance he runs. while running is generally a solo sport, here in the Philippines, it's become a healthy way of bonding among groups of friends, work colleagues, active families and young couples, making it an even more attractive sport to get into.

Hearts pounding, sweat dripping, soles bouncing on the pavement -- runners always get their rush when they're out on the road. There is also that fulfillment in seeing the finish line up ahead, in knowing that they've overcome themselves once more. The runners' high gets stronger though when a worthy cause is at a race's helm.

A child's ability to read and learn is by far the most important skill that will get him or her through life. Unfortunately, children all over the country suffer from having little access to books that can feed their minds and broaden their knowledge on various subjects. Public libraries supposed to be their means to learn more are ill equipped, under-funded, unmanned and simply in bad physical condition, thereby failing on their function.

The Philippines only has about 688 public libraries, less than 40% of the required minimum 1,851 libraries to serve 220 congressional districts, 136 cities and 1,495 municipalities. This affects some 40% of the population or nearly 40 million Filipinos as it unacceptably deprives our children of a resource that could spell a difference for their future. Together with National Bookstore's Buklat Aklat program, the Run to Read fun run was created to raise funds to build Leave-Behind public libraries in rural and less fortunate urban areas to offer hope for our youth's future.

Run to Read Fun Run will be held on August 15, 2010 at Bonifacio Global City. (Eric announced that this will be a new race route!) The run will be composed of 4 major distance events: 3K, 5K, 10K, 15K and a 500 meter dash for kids with their moms or dads. An informative Sports Running Clinic for new runners will be held on July 28 on the basics of running, healthy living and the great cause behind the Run to Read Fun Run.

Run to Read is an effort in participation with National Bookstore (we were told by Bea that National Bookstore will equal the amount that will be donated from the proceeds of this Run), Bonifacio Global City, The Philippine Star, Sony Ericsson (5 phones will be given away in the raffle), Moms Today, Health Today, Pocari Sweat, Toby's Sports (duffle bags as raffle prizes), Delta Airlines (2pcs of 250USD Electronic Credit Voucher to the lucky raffle winners), Tapa King (available at the venue), Yellow Cab (would you believe P10,000 worth of Yellow Cab GC is included in the raffle?), Reebok and Drypers Wee Wee DRY diapers (2000 pcs loot bags).

 Runners and interested participants who'd like to take a step in contributing to this cause can register at:

Secondwind Store QC, 88 Maginhawa St. Teachers Village, Diliman Quezon City
Secondwind Store Ortigas, Ortigas Home Depot, 1 Dona Julia Vargas Ave, Ortigas
All Terra Cyclery, Club 650 Libis, Quezon City
BrandWorX Inc Head Office, Penthouse Eurovilla 2 Bldg., V.A. Rufino St. Makati City
Runnr Store B3 Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City, Philippines
Reebok Festival Supermall, SM Megamall and TriNoma
Royal Sporting House, AliMall, Glorietta 4 and Robinsons Place Ermita

Registration may also be done online thru runnersrunner.com. And if the early bird catches the worm, registrants from July 1 - 15, 2010 get P50 off the registration fee. Registration for Run to Read Fun Run is from July 1 to August 8. Fees to participate in the run are from P350 to P500 depending on the distance.

Be up to date with Run to Read, visit run4change.com/runtoread. Facebook.com/runtoread. For inquiries email read@run4change.com.

And if the above article doesn't convince you 100% to join this heroic event, feast your eyes on their multi-colored singlets!

A singlet of your color choice! (of course I'll pick red, my favorite color)

See you August 15!

Take care, everyone!

Living the Dream In Nuvali (TBR Dream Marathon in Pictures)

With my 2 kids and our very supportive coach, Coach Jim Lafferty before the start of the race. Until now, I still couldn't believe that Gio and Eia woke up at 12 AM to accompany me to Nuvali to fulfill my dream. Maraming maraming salamat, mga anak!

Girl Power: With Ate Ella, Eia, my good friend Anna who's very lucky to have her lovely daughter Faye as pacer.

"Oh Lord. With you, everything is possible. I trust that you will not abandon me at this time of trial. You only have to will it, and the pain in my left foot will be gone. Please Lord, I only wish to finish within the 8-hour cut-off time and finish without any injury. And if it is Your will and for Your greater glory, you will grant me this wish. Thank you Lord, thank you."

And off we went!

When crossing the starting line to make the first loop, I spotted Marga holding a wonderful poster with my name on it. It was a great feeling, I actually felt lighter.

Thank you, thank you Marga and the rest of the takbo.ph cheering team. I hope to know you all personally.

Then I was all alone in the dark.

Taken before sunrise.

With the ever joyful Tessa. She may have noticed that I was the eldest in the group she told me "Ang galing galing nyo po".

My special special child Eia. Because of her and the other children with Down Syndrome that "Quitting is NOT an Option" for me.

Carlo, my dedicated Dream Chaser who stood by me through thick and thin.

Thank you, Carlo! Hope we could get-together sometime for baked oysters and ice-cold beer.

Hello there! I'm still running . . .

That's my friend Agnes on my left. They rushed to accompany me to the finish line.

Thank you Ate Ella, for the "Super Mom" poster.
Thank you kids for running with me to the finish line.

C'mon. Almost there!

At long last! Thank you Lord!

With Boy and Agnes, Jaymie and my family.

With Coach Rio, who also cheered for me when I saw him after the Second Wind Station. Thanks!

(There are still shots taken by Atty. Raymund which I hope to see.)

To anyone who still dream to run the marathon: If I can do it, you can do it better!

When Quitting is NOT an Option (My First Marathon For Children With Down Syndrome)

FLASHBACK:

It took me one solid year of training to run my first 5k race.

I was 49 when I fantasized to run 5k on my 50th birthday. Friends donated for DSAPI (Down Syndrome Assn. of the Phils. Inc.) in lieu of gifts to celebrate my golden year.

Back then, I never dreamed of running the marathon. In fact, I promised myself not to run beyond 5k because of my age and the demands of my multi-roles as an only child and solo parent.

But strange how one Jaymie Pizarro changed everything.

As Jaymie (the bull runner) metamorphosed from an ordinary newbie runner to what she is now (a world-renowned celebrity), my direction in life significantly changed as well since the time I've known her in May 2007.

So when I learned about the TBR Dream Marathon, it took me less than a second to decide not to miss this spectacular event.

Again, I sought donations for DSAPI (pls. refer to my post "My First Marathon For Children With Down Syndrome" on March 14, 2010). This time, not just for a 5k run but for a full marathon! This would be my pre-52nd birthday celebration.

I followed the training program by Coach Jim Lafferty that started Feb. 1, 2010. I attended all the Bull Circles and ran with my fellow TBR Dream Marathoners twice during the long run schedule: 2-hour run in ROX last March 27 and the 3 & 1/2-hour run in Nuvali Last May 2.

Read and reread the 5 issues of TBR mags to keep me well-informed and inspired.

To prepare myself physically and emotionally, I joined three 21k races before May 22:

1.) The Condura Race on Feb. 7, 2010
2.) The Globe Run for Home on March 21, 2010
3.) The Earth Run on April 18, 2010

When everything was running smoothly as planned, I met an accident 5 days before the Grand Event (details in my post "To Run Or Not To Run the TBR Dream Marathon" dated May 17, 2010)

I was almost tempted to quit but when the donation of blogger-runner-friend Bong (http://www.bongpagong.blogspot.com/) arrived from Canada 2 days before the Dream Marathon, I knew there was no turning back.

Pre-Race:

And so on May 21, 2010 I went to bed @ 5PM after eating a heaping plate of pansit sotanghon, 1 delicious stick of pork barbecue, 2 pieces of Goldilocks putong puti and 1 banana lakatan.

I tried to get some sleep but just couldn't. Then at 8PM and 10PM, my daughter complained of stomach ache. I gave her CARICA syrup and she dozed off to sleep.

At 11:30 PM, I decided to get up and get ready for the big challenge ahead of me.

I was not yet hungry but forced myself to eat 2 whole wheat pandesal with peanut butter, 1 mug of hot chocolate drink and 1 banana latundan.

Then I cleared my stomach and took a warm shower.

By 1:oo AM, we were already out of Philamlife Village. My mother's driver drove for me, Gio, Eia, and Ate Ella.

All this time, I was wondering if I could really make it.

1) For the past 10 days, I was only able to run for 37.5 minutes.
2) My left foot is still painful because of the accident.
3) I wasn't able to sleep even for just 1 hour!

Jaymie was happy to see me but I knew she was anxious about my condition and so after kissing and hugging each other, she told me that I could just stop whenever I feel the need to do it. I promised her I would.

I was deeply touched when a lot of runners approached me and wished me luck and advised me to just take it easy and I will surely finish it in 8 hours.

After Jim's short message was a short prayer and we were off.

Mark, my therapist-friend was supposed to run with me but couldn't make it due to a high-priority family obligation.

Anna was with her runaholic family.
Kassy was with the 5:1 group.
Baby was with her running buddy Bro J.
Mariel was too fast for me and she had her soulmate and solemate Jun C. pacing her.

I couldn't run with any of them because I wasn't even sure if I could run at all. And I didn't want to burden them with my condition.

As expected, I started very slow and easy, trying to minimize the pain on my left foot.

After crossing the main road, a runner named Liza greeted me. She told me "Di na po sana ako tatakbo ngayon kasi kulang ako sa training. Pero sinabi sa akin ni Angela, dapat makausap mo si Nora para ma-inspire ka. Na-injured siya last Monday pero tatakbo pa rin siya. 52 na siya, ikaw 42 lang."

I asked her if she's been following the training program, attending the bull circles and bull sessions. She told me "not really". Then I found out that her longest race was only 10K. I told her: "You've got lot of guts to join this marathon, Liza. Good luck. Just maintain this pace and you will arrive within 8 hours. Don't forget to apply the run-walk sequence."

Crossing the starting line twice was a celebrity-like feeling for me because of the warm cheers I received when I passed by. There was even a wonderful poster with my name on it, waved by Marga of takbo.ph. Thank you so much for the moral support. How I wished I had pictures with everybody who cheered for me.

But in a few moments, I was all alone in the dark.

Then ahead of me there was a guy in red whom I followed until we reached the dirt road going to the Bird Sanctuary. Since I couldn't see where I was going and what I was stepping on, I decided to walk very slowly, very carefully assessing where to put my left and right foot. That's where Joy (My feet feats) passed by and told me she was late for 30 minutes. I told her it's OK since she's a fast runner anyway.

While I was struggling to reach the turn-around point, I was happy to see my runner friends on their way back and they all cheered for me (thank you very much, guys!)

After the turn-around point, I took water and gatorade and headed back to the main road. That's when Carlo, a Piolo Pascual-look-alike Dream Chaser, started to run with me and kept me company for the rest of my long, winding journey.

At some point, I felt pain on my right foot which I thought was caused by the rubbing of the timing chip. A TBR volunteer transferred the chip farther so as not to cause any friction on my foot.

Passing the Second Wind station, I grabbed some apple slices and drank water.
Talking with Hector and his team somehow eased my aching nerves.

Then I saw Coach Rio who ran to me. We exchanged hugs and kisses and went our separate ways.

After the 22km mark, I drank gatorade from my own cooler in the car where my children were resting. Gio asked me how much longer and I told him 20km more.

Then we saw Tessa and said hi and we had our picture taken by photovendo. She then flew and disappeared from my sight.

It was 5:45 AM and the sun was already up. It's as if we were running at a different place because this time, we could see everything around us. We could even hear the sound of water down the brook.

We could now see the stones, mud holes and slippery part of the dirt road going to the Bird Sanctuary. When I asked for water before the turn-around point, the volunteer asked me if I was Nora the golden girl and I was proud to say that yes, I am her. She told me she read my blog and saw Jaymie's comment there. I asked for her name but just couldn't remember it now (hirap talaga ng gurang).

When we reached the main road, I told Carlo we had to find shade so I could transfer my ankle support from my left foot to my right foot which was already killing me. And so when we found one, I took the opportunity to fix my feet.

It was like watching a western movie seeing cows rushing to cross the street (tunay na bull runners hehe . . . )

I called Ate Ella and told her they could ride the dream mobile. I'm near the grassy hill where cows were having breakfast (buti pa sila, kumakain na. I also felt hungry and craved for bananas)

We met Kassy and I asked her if she had bananas. She offered me candies and chocolates and told me bananas will be at the next station. That gave me the boost to run faster.

After eating 1 whole banana and drinking gatorade, I again fixed my shoes to be more comfortable.

Going to the turn-around point was lighter because of the festive sounds that rhyme with the pounding of our feet.

But after that, with only 8 kms to go, I started to feel pain on my hips. Followed by the pain on my thighs. We asked for ice at the next water station but they didn't have any. Fortunately, the ambulance passed by and the attendant gave me an ice pack which I had to give back when we resumed running. That's when I remembered to take my Tramadol.

With 6 kms remaining, my friend Agnes called and told me they are already waiting at the finish line. I was ecstatic to know she was there with her beloved husband Boy.

The pain on my hips and thighs became intense that we had to stop and ask for ice in a plastic bag. I felt I could no longer move on if I didn't apply ice on the painful areas.

I told Carlo everything changes at the 37th km mark. Our legs begin to develop the nasty habit of disobedience. It's as if they have acquired minds of their own. They no longer follow what we want them to do. We still want to run but our legs refuse to do so.

At this point, the 5:1 sequence became 5 minutes walk and 1 minute run (Jim was right!)

The runner (forgot his name too!) with knee support inspired me to go on. He could no longer bend his left knee but left with determination in his heart, he still tried to finish the marathon. If he could do it, I could do it too! I told Carlo this runner ought to have a trophy, together with the medal because of his undying love for running. And when he told me that his greater problem was how to drive his car in going home, I couldn't help but admire this fellow.

Carlo and I noticed that every km that we ran seemed to be longer than the usual 1 km that we run. I told him that from our house to the guard house in our village is 1 km and it's just a short distance. But this time, 1 km seemed 3 kms already!

Then my phone rang. It was Ate Ella, cheering me to go on. Then it was Eia. That gave me the much-needed boost to push myself to the very end.

At the 41st km mark, Carlo blurted out -- "1 km na lang, Ma'am Nora, marathoner ka na. Congratulations!" I thanked him for staying with me all the way, that I couldn't have done it without him.

Then an unexplainable incident happened. When I pressed the latest caller in my cellphone to tell Ate Ella that there's only 1 km left, I heard my mother's voice! I didn't call her but she answered her cellphone because there was an incoming call from me. She asked me how things are and I told her there's only 1 km left to the finish line. She told my father about it and they were both relieved that I was still up and running. I glanced at my watch and it was 9:32AM.

At 9:36 AM, Ate Ella called again and I told her I was about to cross the bridge.

They all ran to the bridge and cheered for me, and I was just too happy that the pains in my body disappeared. Suddenly, I regained momentum and I couldn't believe that it only took me 7 minutes to run the last kilometer!

Eia and Ate Ella ran with me to cross the finish line, where the grand matador was waiting to give me my priceless TBR Dream Marathon medal.

Jaymie was there to congratulate me and told me to get my freebies. She whispered "Ang tigas din pala ng ulo mo, tinapos mo talaga!".

Picture taking followed. Then Brunch at Yellow Cab.

At Yellow Cab, Atty. Raymund introduced me to her better half, Ella who was all smiles in congratulating me. Raymund told me he passed by me. He was in charge of transporting runners who decide to go back. I told him how come I didn't see him and he answered: "Di na kita hinintuan. Alam ko namang tatapusin mo ang marathon." ( I wonder why he thought that way about me) Then he asked if my next target is the Milo Marathon and I immediately said NO! (but now that you mentioned it . . . hmm . . . )

Earlier that morning, Carlo and I were imagining to indulge in baked oysters, kilawin tanguige and ice-cold beer after the marathon.

Well, that didn't happen. At night time I found myself eating saluyot and dulong for dinner (I guess not all dreams come true hah hah . . . )

I dreamed of telling these in public upon receiving my medal:

Thank you, Jaymie, and to the whole TBR Dream Marathon Team, volunteers and sponsors, most especially to Carlo who never left my side. Because of you, my dream has now become a reality.

To my support group: My favorite son Gio, my favorite daughter Eia, my favorite aunt-in-law Ate Ella, my favorite kumare Agnes and darling Boy, and my favorite kumpare/driver Romy. Thank you for waking up early and bearing the heat while waiting for me.

To all who prayed and cheered for me. Thank you very much!

To takbo.ph and fellow runners and bloggers who urged me to go on, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To everybody who pledged to donate for DSAPI, thank you so much! (you can still donate up to December 2010)

And of course, I owe everything to God. Thank you Lord!

Impossible is nothing.

Defy your limits.

Never settle.

Just do it.

(pictures to follow)