Spring's finally sprung and it's almost time for WalkAmerica 2005!

When you take your first steps in the annual fundraiser, know that you've joined more than 500,000 walkers who are committed to fighting prematurity, the leading cause of newborn death. Did you know that more than 470,998 babies have been born prematurely since April 2004?

For those of you who helped raise the $1,002 through our raffle, you're helping just as much, too. (If you'd like to make a new donation, you're fabulous! Click here - donating is easy!)

If you've happened on this site through WalkAmerica or just somewhere in la la land, consider taking those steps to help. Log onto WalkAmerica.org and find out where a walk is occuring in your area!

As for fundraising, I have another excellent idea to pass on: there are ice cream companies out there who make it easy (and yummy) for you to raise money for charity.

For instance, Bruster's has a program where you buy coupon books from them for $5 and sell them for $10 ($20 value).

Other companies have programs where you designate a certain evening "FUNDRAISING TIME" and you get a portion of the sales from every customer that comes in during that time. That event can be most successful if you have a group involved in WalkAmerica.

GOOD LUCK!

On another note, an update about my mega-walking Uncle Rich:
It is Day 20 of his walk. He has journeyed 174.6 miles. He has 1998.5 miles to go. Six people have already dropped out.

Thank you for all of your wonderful well-wishes to him. His wife, another one of my aunts, and a friend of theirs are all going to meet him in Asheville, NC this weekend and they have printed off copies of your comments to take and share with him!

Okay, how crazy is this?

Sometimes I'm so lazy that I park outside in the cold cold outdoors parking lot just so I don't have to walk two more minutes from the nice inside garage...

...as I'm doing that, my Uncle Rich is walking the Appalachian Trail. The whole thing.

He started today and plans on going until ... September? However long it takes to get to the end.

WOO HOO for that! What an incredible accomplishment to even ATTEMPT!

Post from Sneakered Prince:

What do I mean by "letting people in"? Well there are a few completely different scenarios, both of which are surprisingly similar. The first was realized while driving in rush hour the other day. Now Madison's rush hour isn't as bad as most cities, ok it's easy, but it is still equally as annoying. Why is it an art? Because there are certain rules to "letting people in" as I'll get into in more detail. The second way is letting people into your "circle, or "click" as some people call it. Since this post is long enough as is, I will be doing a follow-up post on this second part later on, depending on the success of this one.

Now, pretend you are driving down a road (wouldn't call it driving) and it's jam packed with cars, you are moving about 2 cars every minute, the stop light is lasting oh about 5 seconds letting about 3 cars through. All of a sudden a car zooms up and you say to yourself, "oh how cute, a mom and her kids just came from chuck-e-cheese," and you wave them by because that's what you do.

No matter how long you've been waiting, the people (that haven't waited at all) get to get in line for the stop light ahead of you because of some "code of the road" that is never discussed, until now. Why is this? More importantly, why do you ALWAYS feel like a jerk for not letting people in when it should be "their turn". Shouldn't they feel bad for making you wait every time you let them in? Sure they wave their hand in the air like that's going to make it all better, and of course you wave back. Why? Because if you do you feel better, like you are doing some kind of community service.

(I'm sure you are all familiar with the alternating process of letting someone in then you go, and then repeating this process until there is not one else coming out of the parking lot. I'll refer to this as "they-go, you-go.")

You move a little further and out of a jiffy lube comes a car followed by a huge truck (think Ford 350) with some semi-bald plaid-wearing person. Following the "they-go, you-go" mentality, you let the car out and let another car make that left turn when all of a sudden because of the delay of that left turning car, the truck pulls through as well. Was that an invitation buddy? What makes you think you can push through like that after I've been waiting? But of course, he waves still and you wave back. Why? Because that's what you do.

Lets try an experiment, and you can do this to the jerkiest of extremes but it is not a requirement. I want each of you NOT to follow the rules and don't let someone in when it should be "their turn." Instead, don't allow any cars in. Notice the feeling of being a jerk and most likely the look on the parking lot driver's face. If you want you can throw in a wave as if you had let them in, but I wouldn't recommend it. Secondly, try this: Allow two cars in and wave at them. Notice the amount of satisfaction you get from being nice, but notice the added frustration when they make the light and you don't, leaving you to think "Why did I let them in?" Also while you are letting them in, notice the car behind you's expression when you don't follow the rules.

Sorry for the length of this post but there is definitely a fragile art to letting people in, that if you don't follow it, could ruin your day and the days of others, but why?

Of all the little boys in children's books, the Little Prince is the greatest heartbreaker, but his tale leaves you happy-sad. Patiently, he travels from planet to planet learning grown-up ways, and just as patiently, he turns them on their head.

The characters he meets in outer space are the shards of human weakness that make up our delusions -- the conceited man who wants to be admired, the tippler who drinks to forget that he drinks, the businessman who thinks he owns the stars, the lamplighter who must light and extinguish his lamp every minute because his planet revolves so quickly.

Unfazed by extreme personalities, the Little Prince soldiers on until he reaches the earth. Here he befriends a fox and a man he finds lost in the desert. In typical Little Prince logic, the gifts they give each other cannot be seen or touched -- only felt. The Prince teaches the man to trust, leading him to a well in the heart of the Sahara. The fox teaches the Prince about attachment, begging the little boy to tame him.

No sooner do we get to know the Prince (and like anyone worthwhile, he's hard to get to know) than he has to leave. Before splitting the scene, the Prince asks us to believe that he is not dead but merely traveling back through space.

The joy of this book lies in the fact that it covers heavy ground (love, death, yearning) without being earnest or maudlin. Loike a good friend, it makes you an accomplice in a secret language and forces you to be understanding toward peculiar ways. After The Little Prince, you'll want to draw everything (no matter how clumsily) and question everything.

And you'll never see the stars the same way again.

Happiness is more than the absence of pain; it is a radical shift from one state into another; it is a radical shift from one state into another. It is a subtle transference of energy from darkness into light. It's a smell like jasmine or burnt sugar on the crust of a pie. It's the sound of a zipper on a new dress or the wet tongue of Rileydog... anything that jolts introspection and forces you up and out.

When I want to feel happy I try to change my context -- move into a beam of sunlight, thrust through the air on a swing until my toes reach clouds, read a book in a bubble bath, saucily swing dance with Sneakered Prince, or draw a picture of a place I'd rather be.

If all else fails, I reach for a stack of children's books and let them take me to that realm of lighter spirits. A good picture book makes you laugh and think and smile. They give you good impulses: to chase invisible dragons, laugh at your own bad jokes, paint autumn leaves pretty pink, wear cowboy boots and tangerine lipstick to the supermarket, or treat a pebble beach like a jewelry store and select faux diamonds and pearls for your moonstone tiara.

Sometimes being true to yourself means looking a little eccentric to the outside world. To do this you need a very supportive crcle of imaginary friends. Eloise is one of mine.

Everyone talks about finding your inner child, but what a dribbly insipid image that summons up. Better to excavate the naughtier incarnation of the inner brat. Eloise is the best brat of all because she has tangled hair, a potbelly, and a bad-girl attitude that makes a mockery of adult ways and leads us back to the sandbox where snobby airs are shed and the most important of all Very Important People is a pet turtle.

Eloise is dead sophisticated. She raises pigeons in the bathroom in the bathroom of her suite at the Plaza Hotel, wears a necklae made of champagne corks, orders one raisin and seven spoons from room service, gets her sneakers cleaned and pressed, and reads the Herald Tribune.

Despite the fact that Eloise dines at Maxim's and has had a dress designed for her by Christian Dior (sans tassels), she's no snob. She knows how to make a pair of skis out of two loaves of French bread and order up a whiskey for her nanny. The be3st thing about Eloise is that she is an uptown girl with bad hair. Her witticims sum up a life of casual swagger and a flagrant disregard for the ordinary:

ELOISEISMS
"You have to eat oatmeal or you'll dry up. Anybody knows that."
"Getting bored is not allowed."
"Paper cups are very good for talking to Mars."
"I always travel incognito."

Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about another friend of mine, The Little Prince.

There are the people you are born with and there are the people you find. They are equally important in your life.

I am very lucky that the people I was issued at birth are good people -- my parents, my brother, and my extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and family friends. This circle extends from my "Brudah" (his preferred nomenclature) to Cathy James, my Aunt Lucy's best friend who always celebrated Easter with us. These were my original people and it was a great start on the road to finding people of my own.

Being an adult has taught me that, as important as it is to maintain relationships with your original people, it is also key to find your own. Remember the Satellite Sisters I told you about? These are them. These are the people (male & female!) you identify first week of freshman year or last call at the neighborhood bar. I have found My People in the cubicle next to me, on the playground, and in the chapter room of my Alpha Omicron Pi. One evening, one friend brought another friend running and it sticks forever. Other times the funny stranger across the table at a vendor lunch is just who you need in life.

Don't get me wrong. There aren't tons of Your People out there. That's why it's important to be on the lookout. Your People are hard to find.

Except, I've got a secret to share. Blogging makes it easier. Yes, My People I met through blogging are different kinds of Your People. I will never meet these people. I will probably never even talk on the phone to these people. But, never the less, some of them have truly become My People.

I feel as though there should be an induction of sorts -- a grown-up flying-up ceremony, like moving from Brownies to Girl Scouts -- when someone becomes one of Your People. But it's kind of nice to just let it creep up on you, too -- to notice one day that when Caller ID indicates that one of these people call, that you always pick up... or that each post you leave you look forward to the comments these people leave.

Unfortunately, I can't take you all on a run with me in the hopes of introducing you to some of My People, but I can direct you to my blogroll -- go visit these people; they are truly special.

Leave a comment about some of Your People -- as later visitors come, please check some of these people out -- you never know what new connections might be created.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
These prizes are gems
and You are, too!

Thank you all so much for helping the March of Dimes last week. Whether it was through your time, a donation of a prize, the promotion of the raffle, or a monetary donation, you helped make a difference. In total, we raised (drumroll please....) $1047!!!!!!!! INCREDIBLE!

Congratulations to all the winners:
Sephora gift certificate: SuzyQ
Green Grass Grace: Jenni
ARC Book: Groovebunny
Amazon.com: Jay
Powells: Bookwoman
Best Buy: Cathy
BlueFly.com: Sara
Zappos.com: Panthergirl
iTunes: Anita
Gap: MJ
Blog Goddess: Last Girl on Earth
Creative Designz: John (Muzikdude)
Cherry: Lonna
Haemi: Christine
Shara: Helga
Blog Explosion Credits: Brandon
GrooveBunny painting: FateWineRoses
BrownGlasses prints: Christine
Flirt in a Skirt package: Dana
Cav's banner: Lizzie
Pauly D guestpost: Groovebunny
Mommy Matters guestpost: Chana
PrimaDana guestpost: Bookwoman
MJ guestpost: Bookwoman
Last Girl on Earth's cd: Kimberly
Sara's picture frames: Tara
Claire's template: Sara
Punk/Ska cd: Chana
Mamacita's stockings: Margie
BlogClicker credits: Bookwoman
Monday Showcase/Mommy Porn: Chana
My Life with Garlic: Groovebunny
Blog Clicker upgrade: Lizzie
E Webscapes banners: Tara
Principessa beauty box: Kylene
The Sense Prelude: FateWineRoses

I wish you ALL could have won!! For those who did, I'll be sending emails in the next day or two with more information. Congratulations!

The raffle is on its last day! Be sure to a)DONATE! and b)enter your raffle credits!!

Thank you to everyone who commented over at Chaos Personified yesterday! I am again touched by Sara's generosity. First, she ended up donating $2 per comment -- after 26 comments, that means $52 more dollars for WalkAmerica!

Next, she also asked that each person who commented receives the raffle credits she earned! Go over and give a great big "THANK YOU! You're WONDERFUL!" to Sara today.

The following people have two more credits:
MJ, Flirt, Denise, Christine, Brandon, Haemi, Kathie, Wetsel, Cav, Last Girl on Earth, Tara, Chana, Thumper, FateWineRoses, Miss Issues, MongaKim, MoonCake, Colleen M, Tom R, AudreySue, Daria, Zoots Mom, & Carieta.

Sara even included SP & I in the list! I am grateful; however, we would rather pass those credits on to YOU! Next person to donate $5 (or more!) gets a bonus 4 credits! Leave me a comment here if you're doing it! Just go to the WalkAmerica website... NOW! ((wink))

We have a wonderful, fabulous person who wants to KEEP ON GIVING! She's already donated a prize... she's already plugged the raffle... and she's already donated $35. But to wonderful Sara, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!

Please visit Sara over at Chaos Personified between 4pm EST and 8pm EST and leave a comment. For every comment up to 100 she receives, Sara will donate one more dollar to March of Dimes! That means if 100 of you take the minute to go over there, we could get $100 more dollars! Woo hoo!!


**To donate directly (and earn raffle credits) to March of Dimes: WalkAmerica yourself, click here**
(always) For the kids!

UPDATE: Please comment on SARA'S site to reach the 100 - not here! And you need to do it etween 4pm - 8pm EST (3pm - 7pm CST).

See that cute little boy in the striped hat to your left? CLICK ON HIM! Go donate to the March of Dimes: Walk America & earn credits to spend in the raffle!

Once you've donated...

1. Look to the left to find your name & number of credits. Please email me if you feel there is a discrepancy. Remember, if you email me proof that you are prominently linking to this raffle from your blog, I will give you one bonus entry.

2. Look below to learn more about the FANTASTIC prizes so many wonderful people have donated! Please read all the way to the bottom (you'll note the large "STOP" graphic) -- you don't want to miss ANYTHING that's up for grabs!

3. If you'd like to enter the drawing for a prize, leave a comment with the number of entries you're putting down. For instance, if you donated $10, you could:
a)Enter ten times to win one prize
b)Enter one time for ten different prizes
c)Enter any number of times between those.. adding up to ten. Email me with questions.

4. Winners will be drawn & announced on Valentine's Day -- after all, the theme of this raffle IS "Express Love. Give Hope." Remember -- this is a wonderful opportunity to win prizes, but it's really about the kids. Please take some time to visit WalkAmerica and read the stories of people who have benefited from the work of the March of Dimes.

Were you rooting for Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail? Or, have you already bookmarked B(u)y The Book? This prize is for you.

The witty and touching Brandon of One Child Left Behind has donated a $25 gift certificate to Powell's City of Books -- the legendary independent bookstore. No "Big & Nasty" for us -- or YOU, the future lucky winner!

Win a $25 BestBuy.com gift certificate from the funny Monga Kim (of the Blog I Wasn't Always Like This).

Visit Kim -- I love her family stories and there's a beautiful picture posted today of her & her oldest daughter.

Shoe Love is True Love! Miss Doxie (fellow shoe lover) is offering you a $25 gift certificate to Zappos.com.

Greg, at California Hammonds, is offering this lucky winner a $20 iTunes gift certificate.

Greg is a kind man with a sad, but inspiring and touching story. After you put your entry into this drawing, be sure to go visit him & say hello.