400+ Miles for Breast Cancer Now

AKA Your husband is doing WHAT in the UK this summer?!

For those of you who don't know why I'm going to the UK this summer with my son, let me fill you in:  because we're tagging along to make sure my crazy husband Mark doesn't injure himself too badly - or cause any international incidents.  And what, you might ask, is your husband planning to do in the UK that could result in injury and/or international censure?  In all seriousness, Mark is planning to run 400+ miles across the highest peaks in Wales, England, and Scotland in order to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.  This is a cause that's close to both of our hearts as we lost Mark's mother to secondary breast cancer 13 years ago.  Other friends and family members have fought this battle as well so we're just trying to do our small part to help in any way that we can.  You can read Mark's words below:

One of the last things my mom told me was "I beat cancer 4 out of 5 times.  I think that's a winning record."

And while I've always admired her bravery, I can't help but think, "What if it had been Nancy Wood -1, Cancer -0?" What if her breast cancer had been knocked out permanently, instead of coming back as secondary, then metastasizing and spreading into her ovaries, stomach and bowel?  

How many more years together would we have had?  Would she have been there to see me marry the love of my life? Would she have had the chance to watch her eldest granddaughter grow into the amazingly talented young woman she is? Would she have been there for the birth of my son and seen herself in his goofy charm?   

Honestly, I don't know.  And I hate it.  I hate that time was taken from all of us.   I hate that there are women  right now, going through the same things she went through. I hate that there are families worried about their mothers, wives and daughters.   

But mostly? I hate that I've taken this long to act.   

I don't have much to give beyond a decent set of legs and a stubborn streak a mile long (inherited from the amazing woman above ). So, on June 20th, 2016, I'll be setting out on a 400+ mile/8 day trek through Wales, England and Scotland, tackling the highest peaks in each country, as a fund raiser for Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer research foundation. It's going to be a hell of a challenge, but  I WILL finish this run,  I'll finish it for her, for my friends working through their own struggles,  and for anyone else out there facing down breast cancer. 

All I ask is that you give what you can, and help Breast Cancer Now even the odds.

Let's go kick some ass.

To find out more or to donate to the cause, please go here:  https://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Wood27

Please note that anything donated on the Just Giving page goes to the charity Breast Cancer Now and not to Mark or me. 

Worst Travel Agent Ever?

Is it wrong to wish that the U.K. had fewer amazing things to see and do?  With approximately seven days in between when we see Mark off at Snowdon in Wales and meeting him again at Ben Nevis in Scotland, the choices are wide open but we can't do everything.  Should we rent a car and take ferries back and forth across the Irish Sea or maybe bus it or a puddle jump across?  Should we camp or do hostels?  

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe I should pick our travel destinations before deciding how to get there.  Yep, it's revolutionary ideas like that that have cemented my status as family trip planner.  Hmm, so what amazing things have I always wanted to do in Ireland?  Follow the family tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone and - bonus! - get to visit the old ancestral lands of Cork, where I've been told that everyone looks exactly like me.  (Seriously, my friend and professional Irish tourist Jonelle swears that she almost got whiplash doing double takes at all of the Marti doppelgangers there.)  Ooh, and let's not forget the Giant's Causeway in Ulster!  OK, this is starting to come together!  Except that those two things are at opposite ends of the country...  Great, back to square one.  But wait, I'm not the only one going on this pilgrimage!  I'll just ask my mini travel companion to weigh in on his preferences, which went something like this:

Me:  "Ok, buddy, I'm trying to plan what we're going to do on our trip.  What would you like to do in Ireland?"

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Ok, what do you think about going to Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone like Grandpa John and Aunt Erica?  I mean, you have dangle backwards and upside down over the castle battlements but I'm sure it's totally safe."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Or there's the Giant's Causeway!  These awesome basalt columns in the sea that were supposedly put there by giants..."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "What do you think?  Have you heard of anything in Ireland that you'd like to do?"

Eamon:  "Well, we did study Irish food in school... let me look it up on the internet and show you."

Me:  "Ok, great!"

Eamon:  [googling "Ireland + dessert"]

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Eamon:  <triumphantly> "See?!  That!"

Me:  "Do you mean the scoops of ice cream in a bowl?"

Eamon:  "Yes! <studying the website intently> It says it's at a place called Murphy's Ice Cream... and there's one in Dublin!  We're going to Dublin, right?"

Me:  "Sooo, what you're telling me is that out of the whole country of Ireland, with all of its castles and amazing natural rock formations and everything else, you choose ice cream?"

Eamon: <matter-of-factly>  "Well, yeah." 

So worst travel agent ever?  Or best?  I mean, I can't really fault the boy for choosing ice cream.  It is kind of genetic.  

What would you choose?  Seriously, I need your help with the trip planning because my little travel buddy is obviously just in it for the food!  Leave your trip suggestions in the comments section please! :) 

Worst Travel Agent Ever?

Is it wrong to wish that the U.K. had fewer amazing things to see and do?  With approximately seven days in between when we see Mark off at Snowdon in Wales and meeting him again at Ben Nevis in Scotland, the choices are wide open but we can't do everything.  Should we rent a car and take ferries back and forth across the Irish Sea or maybe bus it or a puddle jump across?  Should we camp or do hostels?  

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe I should pick our travel destinations before deciding how to get there.  Yep, it's revolutionary ideas like that that have cemented my status as family trip planner.  Hmm, so what amazing things have I always wanted to do in Ireland?  Follow the family tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone and - bonus! - get to visit the old ancestral lands of Cork, where I've been told that everyone looks exactly like me.  (Seriously, my friend and professional Irish tourist Jonelle swears that she almost got whiplash doing double takes at all of the Marti doppelgangers there.)  Ooh, and let's not forget the Giant's Causeway in Ulster!  Ok, this is starting to come together!  Except that those two things are at opposite ends of the country...  Great, back to square one.  But wait, I'm not the only one going on this pilgrimage!  I'll just ask my mini travel companion to weigh in on his preferences, which went something like this:

Me:  "Ok, buddy, I'm trying to plan what we're going to do on our trip.  What would you like to do in Ireland?"

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Ok, what do you think about going to Blarney Castle and kissing the Blarney Stone like Grandpa John and Aunt Erica?  I mean, you have dangle backwards and upside down over the castle battlements but I'm sure it's totally safe."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "Or there's the Giant's Causeway!  These awesome basalt columns in the sea that were supposedly put there by giants..."

Eamon:  "Uhhhhhh..."

Me:  "What do you think?  Have you heard of anything in Ireland that you'd like to do?"

Eamon:  "Well, we did study Irish food in school... let me look it up on the internet and show you."

Me:  "Ok, great!"

Eamon:  [googling "Ireland + dessert"]

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Eamon:  <triumphantly> "See?!  That!"

Me:  "Do you mean the scoops of ice cream in a bowl?"

Eamon:  "Yes! <studying the website intently> It says it's at a place called Murphy's Ice Cream... and there's one in Dublin!  We're going to Dublin, right?"

Me:  "Sooo, what you're telling me is that out of the whole country of Ireland, with all of its castles and amazing natural rock formations and everything else, you choose ice cream?"

Eamon: <matter-of-factly>  "Well, yeah." 

So worst travel agent ever?  Or best?  I mean, I can't really fault the boy for choosing ice cream.  It is kind of genetic.  

What would you choose?  Seriously, I need your help with the trip planning because my little travel buddy is obviously just in it for the food!  Leave your trip suggestions in the comments section please! :) 

  

Anywhere But Europe...

Time to dust off the travel blog again...

In my continuing quest to travel internationally to any other continent than Europe, I have recently purchased plane tickets to... London of course.  

I know, I KNOW!  England is most definitely considered to be part of the European continent.  But the tickets were such a good price and the flight was right out of Columbia, as opposed to having to drive to Charlotte or Atlanta.  And the UK is such a great travel destination to break Eamon in on his first international trip.  But most importantly, that crazy guy that lives in my house and drinks all the coffee will be running 400+ miles for 8 days across 3 mountains to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.  I figured we better go over with him to make sure he doesn't cause any international incidents - and to possibly drag him home in a wheelchair when his legs give out.  :)