How You Can Help

We've had a few questions about the challenge we've taken on for this summer: walking 60 miles in 3 days to raise support for breast cancer research during the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the cure.

You can read as much as your heart desires on this website: http://www.the3day.org/

But here I'll break down some of the important parts.

• The Walk is Friday - Sunday, July 29-31, 2011.


• Proceeds fund global breast cancer research as well as local community programs that may support screening, treament, and education.


• We each have committed to raising at least $2300. We set our "team" goal at $5000. We are really hoping to go above and beyond that through the donations of our family and friends, and fundraising events over the next few months.


• To donate, you can access a professional page on our profile or you can send us a check or cash. We'll take care of it for you and give you a receipt to file with your records (reminder: all donations are tax-deductible).
  

Please visit the site that I linked above and search for either of our names to find our profiles. From there you can donate online with a bank card, or you can open a form and print it out, if you'd rather mail in a check. I'd like to remind you that we each have to raise a minimum of $2300, so if you can't decide which of us to sponsor, split it in two! There are no popularity contests in charity OR marriage.

Breast-savers

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do." Helen Keller

Walking 60 miles in 3 days sounded so intimidating until I read this quote a few weeks ago.

It's still daunting to think of walking 15-22 miles in one day...3 days in a row. But, as someone who has witnessed the challenge that cancer is for someone battling it, and their family and friends, I can confidently say that 60 miles will be easy.

Aaron and I will do it. Because it's something we can do, even though we are only two.

Please check in for more details on what this entails and how you can support us..or join our team!

Cabin Cold...I mean, Fever

The pair of us have both been feeling under the weather for a little while. Aaron developed a cold at the end of last weekend; he has mostly recuperated and is just working on the cough he can't quite kick. I can't say better for myself. My immune system is not as strong as his, apparantly. I got the cold a tad bit worse and I'd be happy with feeling 80% but I just don't think I'm there yet. I don't usually have a problem with coughing when I am sick, but for a week and a half I have been having fits that leave me breathless.

Everyone around us is sick or just got better, or is about to be sick, in my opinion. I am more than ready for spring time and fresh open air that isn't littered with traffic-jammed germs.

This first week of March is always encouraging for me. I know there are still long weeks of cold and even some snowfall left, but this is a turning point in my mind. It is March. It is just a few weeks away from being almost April. It is the month of Spring Break, and even though I don't really know many people anymore who actually have a Spring Break, how can you not be just a little bit encouraged by that? We're almost done; around the corner are open windows, chirping birds, bike rides, delicious produce, sunshine, and even more refreshing pages of the next chapter titled Spring. Just hang in there.

We do not have any plans anytime soon. Aaron had originally planned on going skiing this weekend but he is anticipating slush on the slopes so probably will opt out. March will be pretty uneventful, which is actually very appealing to us as we treasure the time we can find to be bums.

(Our new furniture makes that even easier - it so wonderful and comfortable and the newness of it, coupled with our crummy colds, definitely has us addicted to being bums. Pictures to come of that, by the way, when we have the energy and will to actually settle on a layout.)

I have Bo under my care again (for those of you who are unfamiliar: Bo is the 2 year old blonde lab that I often watch for the owner/founder of my company when he goes out of town). He will provide for a little bit of entertainment. I say a little bit because Bo is just not very energetic. He is actually quite mopey and looks perpetually bored, almost like a cat. It takes a lot of excitment on the human end to wear off on him, and by then you are just worn out from trying to give him some energy. He has grown into a good pup, though, and I am fond of him. Even in the times when he ignores my call to come inside (and just ignores me in general) and when he gets the notion in his head that it is okay to lounge on our new furniture. Which is not okay, and wouldn't be for any dog, either.

We're way excited about our furniture

Over the last few months we have been plotting ways to get more comfortable furniture in our living room, without adding to our debt or hindering our path to clearing that same debt. Thanks to Aaron working some extra hours and getting his yearly bonus, we found a way. Our course to pay off school debt is still right on schedule and we were extremely successful in finding really comfortable furniture at a really inexpensive price. Go, us.

We had heard about Levin's President's Day Sale last week so we headed there first on Saturday, just to check out the scene. Our living room is not conducive at all to arranging furniture as it has a strange layout to it, so we just had in mind to find a nice comfy sectional that would be placed in one spot and probably stay there for it's entire life. My criteria included deep and soft, with fabric that won't scratch from kitty claws and would be fairly easy to clean. Aaron just wanted a sectional to make for easier cuddling/tv watching.

After about an hour we had narrowed down 3 sectionals and at my insistence, a non-sectional set including a sofa, a "person and a half" chair, and an ottoman. I liked the set immediately upon brushing my fingers over the fabric. It felt like micro-fleece, and it didn't leave hand-prints in it like the suede sectionals we'd lounged on throughout the store. Eventually we had one sectional in mind and the micro-fleece set. To clear our heads, we left for a bit and went next door to Sam's Club, another item on our checklist for the weekend. When we returned, it took us another two hours to discuss and eventually decide on the micro-fleece set. We decided a sectional was the wrong choice, for the exact reasoning that it had seemed the right choice before: it would just set up shop in one spot and leave us absolutely no room for maneuverability, and make our small living room look overwhelmingly tiny. So, the set we decided on:

In the above photo you can't see the "person and half" chair (teaser to the left, peeking into the photo) and we did not buy the loveseat that is straight ahead to the left. Our set (arriving on Saturday) includes the sofa, the chair, and the ottoman. We would not have been able to fit the loveseat into our living room but the larger chair combined with ottoman will more than make up the extra seating and leg support.

Here are pictures from Aaron's phone, from the show room floor.

Notice the price tags hanging from this furniture, bragging 50% off. The President's Day Sale was 50% the "compare at price." When it came time to place the order, Aaron worked his magic and got an extra 5% off, plus a $50 gift card that they were supposedly giving away to the first 50 customers in the store last weekend. If we were one of those, they definitely did not have as great an event as they anticipated, as we were there late afternoon/early evening. I think the salesperson must have really wanted to make a sale.

Here is our new "person and a half" chair, which we both sat in for quite awhile comfortably.

We won't suggest any guests in our home share the chair (unless they want to) but we definitely love it for its wide seat. Hey, we're still newlyweds.

And the ottoman:

As if you can't tell, we are very pleased with ourselves for our bargain shopping at the end of a successful search. We've been very choosy with our financial decisions because our priority is to pay attention to debt and take care of our house, and save, save, save for a rainy day.

Our furniture delivers this Saturday. I'll make sure to post before and after photos for your viewing enjoyment.

Much love to all who read this!

The Geek's First Post

Part 1 - SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.

I was wondering how long it would take them, but they have now done it. What am I talking about? Organic cigarettes. I'm sure they've been out for a while, but I finally saw them in an ad in this month's Time (front inside cover).

I mean it was only a matter of time with all of the "natural" and "organic" products being thrown at us. I guess these technically are "better" cigarettes because they come additive free, but really?!? I had to laugh when I saw one of the warning in the ad that said "No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette" (emphasis in the original). I think we should just get to the point and label our cigarettes like the Costa Ricans (among others) do and have it read, "Cigarettes Kill!". At least it would help the environment by saving ink.

Part 2 - I am looking for a car

So on a more serious note, I'm in the market for a car. If anyone knows someone selling one that matches what I want, please forward me their info. I'm looking for a MT so that I can figure out if I would like to drive one before I get my next car. If any of the Must Have items are close, still forward it to me. Thanks.

Must Haves

Manual Transmission

Under 140k miles (<130k is preferred)

Selling price around or below $6,000

Make/Models:

-Acura Integra

-Honda Accord

-Honda Civic (Si is a plus)

-Honda Prelude

-Subaru Impreza

-Toyota Celica

-VW Jetta (under 100k and TDI only)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Yesterday on my lunch hour, I was almost the victim of a head-on collision. An offensive driver coming from the opposite direction crossed the double line to pass a defensive driver and neglected to notice the curve in the road as he was doing so. In ways I can't explain, he very, very narrowly avoided driving into the front of my car. Needless to say, it left me shaken and angry.

This morning as I passed that same spot, I noticed the sky.

Though the sunshine this week has been uplifting, the rainbow is what caught my eye. This picture does not do it justice because it's from my phone, and I was driving. Oddly, when I got another half a mile ahead, only the sun was visible. To a lot of people (myself included) the rainbow signifies a promise of faithfulness, a promise of hope. My mind instantly went to the nerve wracking incident from the day before and I elected to view the rainbow as just for me, a message that I am taken care of and watched over.

Here is another shot that I like, with the tree branches silhouetted. I caught it strangely in this one - the rainbow almost just looks like a smaller sun - but still thought I'd share it.

I hope the next driver over had reason to think it was for them, too.

Life is wonderful, enjoy it slowly.

If there was one phrase to summarize the meaning of Pura Vida, that would be it.

Other expressions it represents include:
"plenty of life"
"full of life"
"this is great"
"thank you"

and our favorite:
"this is living!"

We discovered this phrase on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, 4 months ago. Though it is not limited to that country, Costa Ricans use the term to express the philosophy of perseverence, and strong community. Urban dictionary says it's the "law of the land." Wikipedia says they also use it to remind themselves to be resilient in overcoming difficulties with a good spirit. No wonder it was stuck in our brains long after we returned to Ohio, settled into our house together, celebrated the holidays, and dove into winter.


Naturally when the idea to start a blog surfaced and soon after the discussion of what to call it, Pura Vida seemed to be more than fitting. What an inspirational way to philosophize a new marriage and life in general.


It is wonderful - enjoy it slowly - whatever difficulty comes your way, think: Pura Vida.


I can't promise this blog will always provide you with interesting, exciting, or funny reading. Some days I will be writing and there may be philosophy or general updates. Then of course, some days Aaron will be writing and he will share geeky observations and humor. Anyone who has met Aaron knows that is about 70% of his make-up.


This is our blog. Bookmark, add to favorites, and drop in unexpectedly - we'll do the rest.

Pura Vida,
-The Robinsons