Another great Hike!

This weekend was Snoqualmie Point. We hiked it out and back, chalking up 8.5 miles in the process. I and ibuprofen have gotten to be pretty good friends since then! Annika actually "hiked through the jungle" as she puts it on her own for a good 100 yards ;) Probably the biggest news is that Annika learned to, well....go potty...in the woods...YowZaa. This was huge, and Annika was rewarded handsomely with brownies and cookies afterward.

Here is a great shot of the Hauer crew, with Annika ensuring you can see her eyeball.

Thanks to everyone for your support. This continues to be an amazing experience and we are astounded be the response from friends and family. Of course, feel free to pass on to anyone and everyone you know. Together we can help spread the word about great fundraisers like this and get more folks involved in the process!

Love,

Michael, Sarah, and Annika

A little cross-training and inspiration

This past weekend we didn't have a group hike but we needed to continue keeping Annika's tolerance up for being confined so we did a little "cross-training" on the lake by my parents house. Kayaking was a great way to beat the heat.

Being in my hometown we also caught up with lots of family friends and we are continually amazed at the impact cancer has on all communities and how cancer does not discriminate against where you live or how old you are. A family friend from our church just learned that her older brother has leukemia - we will be hiking specifically for him this Saturday on a 10 mile hike at Snoqualmie Point.

Another family from my home church has a five year old daughter that is fighting a fierce battle against cancer. In a matter of 2 weeks they found out their daughter had bone cancer in her leg which spread to her lungs, they relocated their family to the Seattle area to be right next to Children's Hospital and she has started chemo. Mike helped my parents move a few of their bigger items up to a town home. Two months later she continues with her chemo treatments and family continues to live temporarily relocated in the Seattle area. A photographer came to their home and has posted an amazing photo tribute to their family. Here is the link http://amandamayphoto.com/Emma/

We are reminded all cancer cures start with cancer research.

Energized!

I know Mike already logged a little bit about our hike yesterday but I thought I'd just add a little. Great hike - Mike did most of the work carrying Annika - we figure 7 miles is really the farthest Annika has gone in the backpack. This week we hiked specifically for Courtney, a close friend of Molly Schultz and a University of Portland graduate who will be celebrating 5 years of remission this fall from Leukemia, and also Lisa McDonald's Aunty Kay!

Yesterday while hiking I got out of carrying Annika most of the way because I've been nursing a little twinge in my back. While I was taking care of my little achey back I began hiking with one of our teammates who just started his chemo in the last 2 weeks and this past week had been particularly crummy - I'm really not sure how he keeps trekking; needless to say I was humbled.

And with all of that to inspire us, Mike and I still found ourselves a little overhwhelmed this Sunday evening by the enormous commitment. We rode the valley of the rollercoaster for most of the evening. We finally sat down after Ani was in bed and talked out our reason's for being involved in raising money for LLS and the parts that are wearing us down. It was pretty cool to watch us get energized within an hour and anxious to get back to work.

-Sarah

Twin Falls

Today was very exciting for the Hauer clan as Sarah, Annika, and myself got to enjoy the amazing Twin Falls trail. It was an absolute beautiful day and the company (18 of us) was great!

Annika had an absolute blast...we sang songs and kept admiring the 'big water'. She really liked peering over the 100ft tall bridges we crossed.

We crossed the $1K mark last week, YEAH! But, we're only 10% to our goal and our deadline is fast approaching (September). We're working on putting on an event, but please don't hesitate if you're considering supporting us and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thanks for your amazing support!

Little Si

What a view! Our hike up Little Si this Saturday was awesome. We had a crew of 23 fundraisers, survivors, mentors, and alumni. I absolutely love talking with others in our group about why they signed up, how they are doing, sharing stories, and getting to know each other.

Next week, Twin Falls.

Thanks again to everyone for their donations!

- Mike

Here I am sporting the "Naming Necklace" which is awarded to the person that can get everyone's name right. With 23 people on this one I just announced that I knew my own name...it must have amused everyone enough that they gave it to me. I plan to add something fun to it for the next "winner". What fun!

Logistics

It's our day off and when not chasing and playing with Annika today - I've been spending time figuring out the logisitics for planning a fundraising social event, identifying business's that might be interested in donating, and figuring out how to get our check donations to count toward the total on the website. And since Ani and I won't be able to join the hike tomorrow morning we ("we" as in I hiked and Ani slept for an hour in the jogger) did some hill climbing and descending this morning for about an hour.
-Sarah

Mid-Week

It's been exciting to check the snail mail and e-mail these days. We are overhwhelmed by the stories that people are sharing that are inspiring them to donate to Leukemia and Lymphoma society. We are figuring out are weekend plans and it looks like it's Mike's turn to hike with team this weekend. The hikes are getting pretty early and long to take Annika along. This weekend is Little Si - should be great weather and always a good group.