Summer FUN! Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hi Team,

Can you believe tomorrow is the 4th of July?  Today it actually felt like November!  Needless to say its been seven months since we first met that dark and cool night in January.  I want to thank EVERY single one of you for trusting this enthusiastic, on the verge of crazy coach of yours to lead you to run, walk, or jog a half marathon or 10K. Every single one of you dazzled me with your dedication to the fundraising goals too!  And together we built the first room of the new all girls BEADS high school! AMAZING!!!

This week Rod and I picked up the donation check from California Pizza Kitchen.  Our social gathering raised another $200.73 for BEADS! Way to go team! CPK said they love the mission of BEADS and asked us to come for another FUNdraiser anytime!

Summer is a busy and fun time for all of us!  So busy that we had a "secret" practice, meaning no one could make it last Thursday. So I want to change it up and let summer be summer, and have us gather for friendship and fun!  Here's what I'm thinking, the third Thursday of every month this summer, Run 26 offers the Mill Creek Adventure run.  Let's plan to meet and participate!  Its fun, great exercise, prizes, and even a beer garden at the finish!  And on Thursday August 23rd, please come for a night of lake life with a BBQ, swimming, boating, and great fun with a team reunited!

Here's a recap of dates for summer . . .

Mill Creek Adventure Run - - Thursday, July 19 (5:30pm @ Run 26)

Mill Creek Adventure Run - - Thursday, August 16 (5:30pm @ Run 26)

Night of Lake Life - - Thursday, August 23rd (5:30pm @ Jen & Rod's)

Have a safe and fun Independence Day!!!  May freedom of ideas, speech, love, and choice always bless our lives and this wonderful and unique country!  Boom-Boom!


 

Adventure Run & Summer Practice!

We were a small yet spirited group that ventured out for our first summer practice!  A BIG hooray to Rod MacLean, Jeannie McLam, and Cathy Grondal for getting out to exercise and have some FUN!  And boy was it fun!  The Mill Creek Adventure Run included a scavenger hunt going to businesses to retreive tickets for prize drawings, bean bag tosses and basketball shots! And a root beer and beer garden at the end for a good carbo load!

Thursday come prepared to walk or run, and for those brave enough take a swim in the lake at the end! The water has been feeling warm!!! Let's meet at 6:30pm since its staying light out later!  I will have healthy snacks waiting!

GO BEADS!!!

See you soon! :-)

Zombie's Girls & Kick Off Summer Training! Read all about it!

Zombie Girls Go Wild!!!

The call of the ZOMBIES was too much for several of our team mates to resist! I'm sure you recognize most of those crazed faces!  A shout out to Tamy Bagan, Hope Soley, Jen MacLean, Jeannie McLam, Michelle Heinemann, and our event photographer and supporter Julee Cunningham! We are all part of a very colorful bi-monthly book club!  If you're into books and fun, let me know and I will fill you in on this lively group!

Summer Training Kick-Off!

This is the week - - the wonderful week to come back and gear up for another BFE Races, summer event!  This event is a seven week training blitz and we start this Thursday June 21st!  Our first training will begin in Mill Creek for their "Monthly Adventure Run".  Let's plan to meet at Run 26 to gather and registration.  Please let me know if you will be there so that I can watch for you! The particulars are below:



Here's How It Works:

The run is similar to an urban adventure scavenger hunt, and the rules are simple:

• 5:30 – 5:45 is registration. Plan on arriving at this time to sign in.
• At 6pm 1 large map is shown that have a dozen or so checkpoints on them. This map entails downtown Mill Creek and the Town Center.
• Participants will be given an hour to hit as many checkpoints as possible by using their notes or cell phone photo taken when the map is revealed.
• When you arrive at each checkpoint you will be given a raffle ticket good for prizes from our sponsors at the end of the race. How you get there is up to you, but the more raffle tickets you collect the more chances you have of winning prizes at the raffle drawing!
• PLUS!!! BEER GARDEN AND MUSIC AFTERWARDS. ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT A LOCAL CHARITY!

Cost: FREE!

Start: Run 26, Mill Creek
Try to hit as many checkpoints as you can, but remember that the raffle drawing starts at 7:00pm whether you are there or not!
Be sure to bring a watch, good navigational skills, and great attitude

Doesn't that sound like a TON of fun???  Again please RSVP, that way we will look for you at the event!  Hope to see MANY of you!  I challenge each of you to bring a friend to join in the fun, get in shape, and meet the wonderful team!

Find Joy!!!

GO BEADS!!!!

CPK Event & Upcoming Mud Race!!!

California Pizza Kitchen Dinner!  What a BLAST!

It was so much fun seeing all of you that could make it at the CPK FUNdraiser! It was a joyful reunion connecting with all of you!  Cody the manager at CPK said she would honor the 20% donation all the way through the long weekend for BEADS!  For those of you that couldn't make it, stop in, receive great service and eat good food for a cause. Cody also threw in a 20 person table and is donating the proceeds from that table as well!  So whoever can rally and support CPK for their kindness and get a bit more of a donation for BEADS that would be AWESOME!!!

Thanks to everyone that supported the event!  Lori & Victor Navarro, Donna Vande Kieft, Bill Goodwin, Loren & Noel Jackson, Lorraine & Michael Cunningham, Erica Wolf, Rod MacLean, JR & Mary Wahl and Sam Wahl.  And Ame & Matt Parman picked up pizza's for take out!!!  In the next two or three weeks we will find out how much our donation came to!  What a simple way to raise a few dollars and have a ton of fun!

Announcing the Summer Mud Run!!! 

Mark your calendar for June 21st, truly a significant day for many reasons . . . its summer solstice, Mill Creek's Urban Adventure Run/Walk, Rod & Jen's sixteenth Anniversary AND our first practice for the upcoming mud run on August 4th.  Thought it would be FUN to launch our first practice by participating in Mill Creek Urban Adventure Run/Walk event sponsored by Run 26, and celebrating our 16th with ALL of you!!!  Below are the particulars:

How It Works:

The run is similar to an urban adventure scavenger hunt, and the rules are simple:

• 5:30 – 5:45 is registration. Plan on arriving at this time to sign in.
• At 6pm 1 large map is shown that have a dozen or so checkpoints on them. This map entails downtown Mill Creek and the Town Center.
• Participants will be given an hour to hit as many checkpoints as possible by using their notes or cell phone photo taken when the map is revealed.
• When you arrive at each checkpoint you will be given a raffle ticket good for prizes from our sponsors at the end of the race. How you get there is up to you, but the more raffle tickets you collect the more chances you have of winning prizes at the raffle drawing!
• PLUS!!! BEER GARDEN AND MUSIC AFTERWARDS. ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT A LOCAL CHARITY!

Cost: Free!
Start: Run 26, Mill Creek
Try to hit as many checkpoints as you can, but remember that the raffle drawing starts at 7:00pm whether you are there or not!
Be sure to bring a watch, good navigational skills, and great attitude



We will get to exercise, see each other, AND maybe win some COOL prizes!!! 

So far we have commitments for the Mud Run from Lorraine Cunningham, Rod MacLean, Erica Wolf, Donna Vande Kieft, Bill Goodwin, Jeannie McLam, JR & Mary Wahl and Lori Navarro!  If I left someone out or added you in without a commitment, my apology!

Here is the link to the Dirty Dash on August 4th!  The great part of the event is we all start together as a team and help each other through the mud and fun!  ALL fitness levels are welcome.

http://www.thedirtydash.com/races/seattle

The Dirty Dash is giving BEADS a generous 20% off the race fees!  So the fee to participate will be $40, and the fundraising commitment to BEADS is $100. 

Invite your friends, co-workers, and family to join the team so they can get in shape, meet new people, and help a good cause!  And let me know if your in, so I can start creating the team list!  GO BEADS!!!

Thanks everyone!!!

Find Joy!!!

Jen :-)



Our Donation!!! CPK FUNdraiser! 10K Opportunity!

Hello Team,

Must say I've missed all of you!  It was the first Thursday in sixteen weeks, (that we were in town) that we didn't have practice and a BIG pot of soup!  What an amazing sixteen weeks, and honor it was to watch each of you improve and grow in your fitness!

Our California Pizza Kitchen fundraiser is coming up Wednesday May 23 & Thursday May 24th.  What a FUN way for us all to get together again.  The Northgate CPK is graciously donating 20% of all food and beverages, when anyone brings in the flier below for dine in or take out for the entire two days!  In order for this FUNdraiser to work we all need to post this on our Facebook pages, print them up and hand them out to everyone we know, invite friends and family to dine. I figured Thursday May 24th at 6pm would be a great evening for all of us to get together, share food, and have our dining go to BEADS!  Bring your spouses, kids, and friends and lets once again celebrate! I also thought we could wear our jerseys and make an impact - - if customers ask about us, CPK will donate their check to BEADS!!!

The FUNdraising has been totalled!  We have a check . . . drum roll please, for $12,300.00 being sent to BEADS!  I hope each one of you know what an impact your hard work will make.  Just in case you missed Debby Rooney's letter to all of us I've copied it here!  Our donation will actually help open the high school EARLY!!!  Love it team!!!

Jambo FUNdracers,

Jen is so right when she says you rocked!!  And I am overjoyed with your success. 

As you know we are building a high school to provide a quality education for  our girls.  Your efforts will enable BEADS to build a classroom that will be named in your honor.  AMAZING!! Your donations will allow us to open in January 2013, the beginning of the next school year. Most of our girls are the first girl in their family to complete elementary school and now they will have the opportunity to receive a quality high school education.

In the USA,  parents move to the best school district available or send their children to private schools.  This is not an option in Kenya and the government high schools are very mediocre.  The Kenyan curriculum does not include any critical thinking skills, interactive or student centered teaching, Kenyan geography, and wildlife (which is  never mentioned in the curriculum). There are no libraries like ours that feature literature. Just to mention a few issues in the Kenyan schools that our high school will remedy. 

Our school will provide a quality education and we are now working on enhancing the curriculum and teaching methods.  Some of the first girls sponsored by BEADS for Education have graduated from college as teachers and will be among the BEADS high school teaching staff!  WOW!

OUR girls will become leaders of their families, communities and hopefully the nation.

I hope that you will come to Kenya one day and see the impact your efforts have made.

 

THANK YOU AGAIN and AGAIN,

Debby

 

Yesterday I spoke with JR Wahl and he said he loved the race, and is continuing his workouts!  I'd love to continue this team thing how about you???  I'm thinking a 10K August 4th in Arlington! Thought we could start training June 28th.  There will be a twist - - our workouts will include MANY forms of cross training!  Each week we will do different forms of training. (Canoeing, swimming, hiking, strength training, etc.) Yet most of all we will have TONS of fun!  It will be FUNdracing light, as it will be a $100 commitment to BEADS and the race is only $20.  Can't wait to see who is up for a new challenge and more fun and friendship!

 



WOW -- We ROCKED it!!!

A photo recap of our race day!!!  GO BEADS!!!

JR Hitting his Stride!

Loren, Sarah, Michelle!

Ben & Daniel in their Kenyan Clothing

Beautiful sign and artwork by Lori Navarro!

Karen Samuel

Michelle & Hope run like "puffs of wind"!!!

My two mom's and Jeannie! What a beautiful trio!

Why does everyone stand at a party?

Look at all those happy faces!!!

Satisfied SMILES!  Carol, Cathy, and Lori you al did great!

We were so lucky to have Julee's photography skills, Mitzi's voice, and Tamy leading the way on the 10k!

Hopeful and Honey! Okay he has a name, Eric!

Love this darling shot of Karen!

Two Handsome Men and a Dog!  That could be a good book title!

Jim & Scott truly rocking it!!!

This is who "spawned" me! Isn't she cute holding her grand dog?

Rick on the BONGO'S!  Yeah, baby!!!

Struts Cunningham!  Rocking it!!!

Flame On sponsors Lora & Darryl Thomas and the momma!

The Thursday Night Girls - - Spoiling me rotten! Thanks Michelle, Jeannie, Hope, Pat, Donna, Lori, and Lorraine!

Pat bringing it home!

The "pink" Nike's got me in!

Before the race frivolities!

Tanya & Jen our Associated Behavioral Health sponsors!

Donna going strong at the end of the half marathon!

GO BEADS!!!

Aren't these pictures great???  What a day full of accomplishments and JOY!!!  We all finished our races, no injuries, and had a FABULOUS Victory Party!  Thanks to ALL of you for your dedication, friendship, and fundraising! 

IMPORTANT Race Day Information!

Hi Team,

Thursday is our LAST official practice before race day!  WOW - - these last four months have been an amazing adventure!  New friendships, getting in shape, and most of all raising money and awareness for a phenomenal cause BEADS for Education!

We need you at practice this week! We have LOTS to cover about race day, logistics, and our team party! Plus we have another fun surprise awaiting you all! Let's test run your jersey's this Thursday and make for a darling photo op.

On Saturday we will have your race packets available for pick up after 5pm at our house. Since we are running as a group the race organizers asked that we pick them up all at once and distribute. If we are gone, I will leave them out on our front porch, otherwise knock and we'll get them to you. Call or email me if you need other arrangements. I'd prefer to not bring them to the race, as it may be hard to hook up and get them to you.

Again, our address is:
3805 Shelby Road
Lynnwood, WA. 98087

Please, Please, Please RSVP and let me know if you will be coming to our "Victory Party" AND if you're bringing a guest. Remember, that we ask for $15 to offset your guests meal. We have SO many fun things planned I hope you will do everything possible to come celebrate all your accomplishments!

We were so fortunate today, Tammy from BROOKS Outlet donated a gift certificate for a pair of running shoes that we will put in for a raffle drawing at the "Victory Party"!   We  have several thoughtful gifts to raffle . . . original painting, jewelry, etc. 

It has been such an honor getting to know each of you and a total privilidge to be your coach.  I cannot thank you enough for sharing your time, kindness, and resources for such a good cause!

GO BEADS!!!!

Find Joy!

Jen :-)