Joy to the World

This picture shows the Joy my sister Kathy had not only at Christmas but every day.  

 Christmas 2010 could be viewed as bitter sweet. While it was Kathy's last Christmas here with us on earth, it was also a joyous Christmas for Kathy and those around her.  Christmas Eve started out with singing in the church choir.  She loved to use her beautiful voice to worship and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Her family finished the evening with dinner, opening gifts and a friendly board-game competition.  I still recall the joy in Kathy's voice when she told me our Aunt Irene (Kathy's Godmother)would be joining her family that night.

As you all dive into your Christmas celebration may you remember to focus on the Joy of the season.

Whether you're with family, friends or even by yourself, I pray you find Joy knowing that Jesus was born on Christmas for YOU.

Because of Kathy's Joy, 

I find Joy in making Kathy's bags.

Wishing you all a very

Merry Christmas.

and a Joyous New Year!

It's That Time of Year To Give Thanks

I am very thankful that 29 years ago this Thanksgiving day Erin Rivet blessed our lives.

As times passes I realize that the relationships we develop and the time we spend with others are things to cherish. One of my most cherished and thankful events of 2012 was this past summer when I was blessed to have three of my nieces and my two daughters join me for four days of fun and celebration at my home in Spokane.   We dedicated those four days to Kathy's memory and our kathy's bags were along for all the adventures. Here are a few glimpses of some of the fun we had over those 4 days.

Off the back deck of my home, Erin and Mary watched the sunset. 

These two are very thankful to have each other in their lives. 

Mary is a loving, caring and a supportive sister-in-law to Erin.

Kathy was not known to drink alcohol.  

But if she did, margaritas would be the drink of her choice. 

So, we made sure we did a little margarita-drinking and toasting to Kathy.

      

Ok, maybe we did more then just a little margarita drinking...

We also enjoyed four days of friendly croquet 

competition in the back yard. 

Ok, at times it was not friendly:
a Lululemon gift card for the winner was at stake!

We took a break from eating, drinking and competition, strapped on our kathy's bags and set out to see the sites of Spokane. 

A little silliness in beautiful Manito Park...

Downtown the girls joined the Bloomsday runners
for a jog in Riverside Park.

We took a stroll over Spokane Falls

I made them all climb into the world's largest Radio Flyer,
but none of them would go down the slide.

It's best not to tell Erin's dog, Corby, that our dog, Delilah, was happy to take Corby's place while Erin was  at Aunt Debbie's

As you look back on 2012 I pray
that you too will have fond memories to reflect on.

And please join me in wishing Erin a very 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Erin, you are a blessing to us all.

Birthday Adventure

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

KATHY

Kathy loved to travel but didn't have enough opportunity to do so during her short stay here on Earth. Her last dream vacation was to go to New York City for her 60th birthday with her closest girlfriends.  They took that trip for her this past spring.  

When Erin, Kathy's daughter, was visiting this past summer she  wanted to pick out some fabric for a few new kathy's bags, so we slipped away to the fabric store for some shopping. That's when I spotted the New York City fabric and knew it needed to be made into a kathy's bag, to honor Kathy's birthday. 

  I believe Kathy's spirit is with us every time we have a kathy's bag on our shoulders.  That's why I love to receive all the wonderful pictures of the adventures you take your kathy's bags on. 

For Kathy's 61st birthday, I decided to take her on an adventure much the opposite of New York City.

 Our first stop was Seattle, for the Packer-Seahawks game, which turned out to be one of the most controversial NFL games ever played.

The outcome was shocking indeed.......

but it WAS just a game.  Since games are meant to be fun, that's what my husband Ike and I focused on: having fun with each other and our son, Zachary.

 After we left the craziness of Seattle we headed to the Olympic National Park on the westside of our beautiful state of Washington.  It's a very unique place to visit.  During the next four days we were able to experience the lushness of the rainforest, the rough coastline of the Pacific Ocean, the tranquility of some of the largest lakes in Washington and the majesty of the Olympic Mountain range.

If you find yourself in Washington, it's worth a visit.

We sure enjoyed our time there, and I put my New York City kathy's bag to good use.  Here are some images of our adventure:

Kathy, thinking of you today on your birthday and everyday,

because everyday I have a kathy's bag on my shoulder!

To See Faith, You Must Have Faith

A year and a half has passed since 
Kathy left us for a better world, 
and yet my sister continues to impact our lives .

I blogged about this earlier.  
Last September 30th, I attended 

a Women of Faith conference in Milwaukee, WI, with a group of my sisters BFF's.  That date also happened 
to be her birthday.

We had our kathy's bags on our shoulders where ever we went, along with bright orange bandanas, as orange was Kathy's favorite color.  (Even as a young girl, I can recall the bright orange bedspread we had on the bed that we shared).  The women who thronged the conference and nearby hotel often asked about our bags.  One of us would chime in and tell the kathy's bag story, and add that the conference coincided with her 60th Birthday.  

Now, this is where the story of faith begins.  I realize God puts us in community of others, and sometimes the small conversations with strangers seem like chatter, and then sometimes when we least expect it that chatter comes back full circle.

Last week I received an email from Kathy's daughter, Erin, that first gave me goose bumps, then brought me to tears.  Erin was at a new friend's house when the friend's stepmother came into the house.  As they were making conversation, the stepmom commented on Erin's bag.  Of course Erin chimed in and started to tell the stepmom the kathy's bag story.  Half way through the story the stepmom stops her and says, "WAIT! I've heard this before."  As they started to piece things together, it turns out that the stepmom was at the Women of Faith conference in Milwaukee, too.  She then recalled standing outside the Bradley Center when one of her friends asked one of us about the bags we were wearing.  She also told Erin she recalled we all had something bright that we had on that caught her attention...the orange bandanna!
Some may say coincidence, I say it's all part of God's perfect plan!
To see God's perfect plan you must believe in God's perfect plan.
BELIEVE! 

Happy Dance

Most of you received an email last week from my sneaky friend Bernie, announcing I would be running my 1st marathon.  If I was successful, I promised to do a happy dance as I crossed the finish line.  

Well here it is, my HAPPY DANCE.

The good news is I will do it again. 

Yes, you read that correctly.

Oh where, oh where will the next marathon be?

Here's my BFF Kerri, standing by my side at 4am, just before we left to catch the bus that would take us to the starting line. Yes, we planned on wearing the same shirt, which her son Dusty designed for us. A quote on the back read,

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us"

My kathy's bag was not with me on the 26.2 miles 

but it was with me after the run, filled with plenty of replacement fluids.

Here I am with one of my running companions, Don Greggain, from Clarkston, Washington.  Don has several marathons under his belt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA

Independence Day and New York City seem to go hand in hand.

I've blogged about this before.  

One of Kathy's dreams was to go to New York City 

for her 60th birthday with her girlfriends.

Kathy didn't make it to New York City, but her dear friends 

made it all happen in honor of her.

They made sure they had their kathy's bags 

with them wherever they went.  

And Kathy's spirit was along for the adventure, 

guiding them through the BIG APPLE.

Time to replenish our energy with a little chocolate.

I hope they stuffed their kathy's bags 

with some of their finds at the Hershey Store!

 Now we're exhausted. This is a much bigger city 

to get around than Neenah.

If you're from Wisconsin 

you never leave the state without your 

Packer gear!

Good Job, Ladies!

Back at the hotel, after a long day of site seeing 

Surprise, Surprise! No, this good looking young man is not a celebrity.  He is Kathy's son, Brian, who just so happened to be in New York City for business the same time these ladies were in the big city for fun.

A coincidence, maybe, but we would rather think 

Kathy had it all planned out.

If you happen to run into Brian this week give him a BIG birthday shout-out! It's his birthday July 5, one of the happiest days of Kathy's life--the day she became a mother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA!

and

Happy Birthday, Brian!

You make your mother proud!

MEMORIAL DAY A DAY TO REMEMBER

Memorial Day,  a day to remember those 

who served our country and those so dear

to us that have left our sides way too early.

Emily called me Wednesday night 

as I was pulling in to the parking lot of the church 

for my Wednesday night Bible Study. 

"Do you want to hear a good story?" she asked. "I was cleaning out my car today when I came across several old plastic shopping bags.  I started scrounging through them before I threw them away when I came a cross an envelope. I opened it and there was a card from Aunt Kathy with a Starbucks gift card.

Aunt Kathy is still remembering 

me in my last two weeks at UW.

I'll be putting that Starbucks card 

to good use through finals."

That's just the kind of person Kathy was, sending Emily encouraging notes and small treats to let her know how special she was in her Aunt Kathy's eyes. 

 Not only do we remember her on this Memorial Day.

She also remember US.....

We STILL and AWAYS will MISS YOU, KATHY!

To Honor A Fabulous Mother

These beautiful young women all participated in the 

Sole Burners 5k run/walk yesterday in 

Appleton, Wisconsin, to help raise money for the 

American Cancer Society.

Note those colorful kathy's bags on their shoulders.  

It looked like a fabulous day for a run!

I'm also attaching a link to an article that  appeared in the 

Appleton Post-Crescent last week.

It features Erin.

Please take a few minutes to read how Erin honors the outstanding mother my sister Kathy was.

Her two children miss her dearly on this Mother's Day.

Sole Burner participants honor cancer 

survivors and those lost to the disease

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012305090298

DETERMINATION!

Erin Rivet, Kathy's daughter, is gearing up to run in her second 5K in memory of her mother.  If you don't know Erin personally, running probably won't make her top 10 list of things she loves to do, but honoring her mom's memory would be right at the top of that list.    

And if it takes a run to put her mother first, she would do it.  Erin was a dedicated daughter and would do just about anything for her mom.

This is a portion of an email I received from Erin last year, after her first 5K run.

"My mom was my true inspiration while I was running. I wanted to walk so bad. I just kept telling myself that my mom didn’t give up and she kept going when she wasn’t feeling the greatest. Some of my friends gave me an angel necklace after she passed. I wore the necklace at the race and held it when I felt like I wanted to stop running. It was a great feeling knowing that I finished the race for her."

I can't physically be in Wisconsin on May 12 to encourage Erin, but I can help Erin reach her goal of raising $550 toward finding a cure for cancer.  If you would like to join me in a donation to the American Cancer Society their are two ways to do so.

To donate on line 

click here

 click on donate on the left side of the page. Erin's donation page will come up.

or 

You can send a check written to the American Cancer Society, to

 Erin Rivet

1245 Kluck St.

Neenah WI 

54956

Please make all donations by 5-5-12

Just a reminder a portion of every kathy's bag goes to the 

American Cancer Society

I thank YOU for your support!

Spring Has Sprung

Ah, yes! Spring has finally sprung here in Washington.

I spent last weekend in Seattle.

And it was Seattle at its finest!

The cherry blossoms on the University of Washington campus had just peaked; the clear blue skies made the views radiant.

Emily wore-out her kathy's bag 

on her recent travels to India. 

So, I sprung this new kathy's bag on her shoulder.

 Mount Rainier is always a magnificent site when the clouds part long enough to take in its beauty.

I couldn't resist tossing 
our kathy's bags up into a cherry tree.

Here's a Spring Break story before I go...

I've blogged about Kathy's dearest friends who supported her while she endured the trials of her illness.

They had already got the ball rolling on a trip to New York City for Kathy's 60th birthday.  Kathy never made her 60th birthday, but four of these dear friends headed out today to make that trip a reality.  Kathy may not be there physically, but her spirit will be there every step of the way.  And yes, they will have their kathy's bags on their shoulders and will honor Kathy's memory in all they do.

New York City beware! The ladies are coming to the Big Apple!

To Serve Others

Inspired Smiles for the Elderly

I love hearing stories like this.

These two ladies are dental hygienists.

On Phyllis and Shelly's days off 

they fill their kathy's bags with

toothbrushes and other teeth cleaning supplies 

and head to assisted living residences in Spokane.   

Their goal is to help the elderly clean their teeth, 

which helps in their overall health.

We've all been called to serve others. 

Where have you been called to serve?

Calling All Snowbirds Back To There Nests!

 The sun is out, the sky is blue and we still have a little of that white stuff on the ground, leftover from last weekend's winter blast. But I can feel spring in the air.  Delilah (our Westie) was even stalking a robin in the front yard the other day.

Many of you have flown away from your northern nest for the winter.

I say it's time to come HOME!

I'm glad all you snowbirds have had some fun and warm adventures over the past few months and that you've taken your kathy's bag along on your shoulders.

I thought I'd share some of the pictures you've sent my way.

I know of 6 different kathy's bags that made their way to the Hawaiian Islands.

Maui seems to be the most popular.

This kathy's bag has spent 2 months on the quiet Island of Molokai.

I hope its owner is looking forward to joining me back in the gym on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

She has been missed. 

This mother daughter duo took their kathy's bag to the Bahamas.

Sedona, Arizona looks like an inviting place to spend the winter. 

It won't be long before Georgia Fern will need a kathy's bag of her own.

This elephant in Thailand is wondering how she can snag a kathy's bag of her own.

This mom is anxiously waiting the arrival of her baby girl back home.  Only two weeks to go!  Prayers for safe travels.  We'll see you in Seattle, my sweet Emily!

LOVE

You have all touched my life!

My Valentine's Day wish for you 

is that you will be showered with 

LOVE

by those close and dear to your heart.

All of you have made this kathy's bag 

adventure so dear to me.

I thank you for your support and 

your willingness to carry 

Kathy along on your shoulder wherever 

your adventures take you.

Enjoy the cookies! I made them especially for you because 

YOU ARE SO VERY SPECIAL 

TO ME!

This gal is strutting her "Love" kathy's bag

and looking for a valentine.

Any takers?