Barefeet

One Day Without Shoes

So, today I joined about 300,000 other people around the the US, Canada and some other various countries around the world and went barefoot all day long (and for those of you who I know are wondering, yes, Cort did too!) This immediately brings to mind 2 questions that I'd be asking if I were you. 1) Why? and 2) How is that different than just about any other day at home for you, Erin? Well, to answer question 1, I took part in "One Day Without Shoes" to show support for a movement started by TOMS shoes to help raise awareness about the importance of shoes and how something that we all take for granted here can have such a profound impact on the health, education and lives of people across the world who have no shoes and no choice but to walk around barefoot EVERYDAY!! I'm not going to climb up on a soap box (any more than I already have) but if you stop and think about what life would be like with no shoes it is a bit overwhelming! So that's the why...I wanted to take time today to recognize those who aren't as fortunate as I am and maybe raise a little awareness about the importance of getting shoes to those in developing countries, and even here in the US, that don't have them!

Now for question 2. It is true, and those who know me will vouch...I'm a barefoot girl. I very often have VERY dirty feet and in fact I equate the dirtiness of my feet to how good of a day I've had...the dirtier the better. So, big whoop, another day without shoes! Well, I realized that because I'm a barefoot girl I'd have to step it up a notch to make my efforts legitimate on day focused on those who tough it out barefoot all day, every day, in extreme weather conditions and unsafe, unsanitary terrain. So after going to the dog park with Cort barefoot we did some typical around the house stuff, tooled around the neighborhood a bit and then this evening we went for a 3 mile run...sans shoes!

It was while I was running that I started thinking about what it would be like to be someone a world away from here knowing that somewhere 1 person, or thousands of people, are not only thinking about the challenges you face on a day to day basis but making even a small effort to experience what you experience and empathize with your situation. To me that's kind of a powerful idea. So even if one of the 600,000 pairs of shoes that TOMS has given away so far hasn't landed on their feet yet at least there is a growing awareness of the problem and lots of people supporting the cause to solve it, that has to feel a little bit good. So anyway besides all that heavy stuff, my mere 3 mile run resulted in matching holes on the ring toe of my left foot and the middle toe of my right foot. Now I'm not only aware of what people without shoes have to deal with but what Cort feels like when he rips his paws open too! My run and resulting minor wounds made me thankful that I typically run in shoes (even though I ran significantly faster without them, go figure!) and incredibly grateful that I have a house to come home to that has clean, fresh, running water, plenty of soap and some anti-biotic ointment all ready and waiting to clean up my boo-boos and help make sure my feet don't fall off! What a very lucky girl I am!

So, that was my day without shoes in a nutshell. Now I really need to go wash my feet!

For more info...

One Day Without Shoes Website

Today Show Story

TOMS

The Bugs Are Back!

Just as it's getting to the time of year where I can almost hear myself muttering that I like living in Florida I was reminded today of another reason why I don't...BUGS! Just as the weather turns GORGEOUS and the windows are open, trees and flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, I get all relaxed and happy and well everything is just as perfect as a Disney movie...the bugs come out and in! They are EVERYWHERE...all different kinds. Not scary ones, scary ones, they're inside and outside. Just when you least expect it, THERES A BUG! It's enough to make you want to just dance around with flailing hands all the time and have dreams that they're on you!!! I came across this harmless little snail minding his own business outside the front door this morning and thought, now this I can handle...except it was just the beginning of the long list of various insects I came across today...and he is by far the least gross of all of them. (There's even some winged thing flying around the office right now!!) UHG!! So next winter when you're shivering and wishing you lived in Florida...stop and think about having a big bug jump out of a basket when you're changing loads of laundry, wrap yourself up in a blanket, sip some cocoa and forget it...take it from me, it's not that great!!

**Martin and Kristin I apologize if this in anyway makes you less excited to vacation at our home next week but it is what it is! Martin you can protect us with your weapons (aka crutches)**

Side note: You may have noticed my little One Day Without Shoes logo up top this week...well the day is here! This Thursday people all over North America will be going barefoot for just one day to raise awareness of kids and adults around the world who deal everyday with the harmful effects that not wearing shoes has on their health and even their ability to work and go to school. TOMS shoes is the sponsor - they are a shoe company that operates on a one for one model. For every pair of shoes purchased a pair of shoes is given to a child somewhere in the world who doesn't have any. It's a pretty cool idea worth checking out. www.onedaywithoutshoes.com or www.toms.com And besides...dirty feet are the sign of a good day! That's my motto anyway!

Grab Bag

Because I have a lot of random tid-bits tonight, I took a random picture that kind of pertains to today...feel free to take a guess at what it is!

Alright, down to the nitty gritty!

Martin was discharged from the hospital today around 3:00ish. He's at his apartment, doing well, feeling like he was hit by a Mack truck I'm sure! (It really was a Mack truck! 2008 to be exact!) Kristin is taking wonderful care of him and hopefully now he's on his way to a super speedy recovery, only to be aided by some much deserved R&R here at hotel Myers come next week!

Next up, I washed my car today - seems somewhat insignificant I know, but it hasn't been washed since well... before Christmas! So it REALLY needed it! Between left over salt residue and the THICK layer of fresh pollen that was coating it I could almost hear my dear sweet Rendezvous thanking me!

Kyle has been SUPER busy with school and didn't get home until after 12:20 tonight. I know you're asking, "Erin, how did Kyle get home at 12:20 if this post was done at 11:59...you wouldn't know that yet! Are you psychic?" I hate to burst your bubbles people but Kyle and I tend to be night owls and there are nights when I don't post until 12:30 or even after 1:00...I need to back my times up a bit so the days line up right. Yep, I cheat! :o) It's my blog though, so I'm allowed. Anyway, point is, there's lots going on with presentations and school stuff and he's been working super hard!! I know I couldn't keep up with it all and work...and I don't know how he is, nothing less than impressive!! It's a good thing I have my Cortland to keep my company!

And I think we've reached my last order of random business for today...Cort and I took advantage of a lovely evening and went for what I'm pretty sure is the longest run I've ever gone on...8.1 miles! I'm not excited or anything! hehe!

K, that's all! Night!!

"Damn Lucky!"

Photo credit to Kristin Smith

Before I delve into all of this there are few things to note.

1) Martin is OK!!!! (So is Mr. Failure to Yield)

2) I have complete (and somewhat enthusiastic) permission for this to be today's blog entry.

3) Tim is going to need to come up with a plan B for getting a car.

4) Sit tight this is going to be a long one!

Alright...with all that said, lets begin. Today is Cort's 1 year adoptiversary!!! YAY!!!

Oh, that isn't what you wanted to hear about...my bad!

Ok, so Martin, if you couldn't tell, was in a pretty nasty car accident early this morning while driving down 23, South of Findlay, from Toledo to Columbus. The short version is Martin was headed South bound (duh) and a tanker truck turned left from a cross street and cut him off. The cab of the truck was in the right lane and when Martin switched lanes from the right into the left lane to avoid hitting it he ended up hitting the back end of the passenger side of the tank (full of mineral oil) that 1) he didn't see was attached (it was still dark out) and 2) hadn't cleared the left lane yet. He deflected off the back and ended up wedged towards the front of the tank by the cab and was dragged along for about 200 feet. He was trapped in the car (which as you can see is pretty mangled), covered in charcoal (that's what happens when you BYOG, bring your own grill), stuck under the truck with his legs pinned by the dash, ankle also pinned and a blanket over his head (placed there, not coincidentally) for about 2 hours while the rescue heroes cut him out. He was then life flighted, air lifted, med-evaced...whatever you like to say, to OSU Med Center.

I know! Pretty intense story so far!!!

Now break to me for a moment: It's about 8:56am, I'm driving down I-4 with the windows down, sunglasses on, jammin' to some music and enjoying my morning on the way to the hospital. My phone rings and it's my dad...sorry Poppy but when you call at odd hours I know nothing good is up! Anyway, he nonchalantly asks for Kristin's phone number, I give it to him, he proceeds to tell me Martin was in a crash and is in the hospital, they think he's alright but his leg hurts. Mom's on her way home, he's going to call Kristin and they're going to head to Columbus, they'll keep me posted. Okey-dokey, great! (note slight sarcasm) So naturally after hanging up with my dad, I do what all those with Keaton blood in their veins do...I fired up my branch of "the hotline"! I called Kyle, told him the story and asked him to pass the word on to Tim via Facebook (Tim didn't have his phone, yadda yadda, whole 'nother story). Then Kyle, having adopted the way of "the hotline", passed the word on as he felt necessary!

Cut back to Ohio: Kristin, (Martin's girlfriend for those who don't know) having a tough day to begin with, proceeds to work out some rides, and with her mom starts to make her way to Columbus by way of the junk yard to snap some pictures of the car for the blog...I mean pick up Martin's phone, keys, shoe, various important and surviving stuffed animals, chicken noodle soup lunch and whatever other items he so carelessly left behind when he climbed aboard his private flight to Columbus! At this point I can only imagine what "the hotline" is looking like, information is a little dicey and people are all in motion headed towards Columbus and Martin!

Back to Florida: I'm a the hospital, (Arnold Palmer, not OSU Med-center) breaking volunteer policy talking and texting with multiple parties in attempts to stay in the loop and keep others in the loop. Eventually they run out of things for me to do at the hospital and I leave about 45 minutes early.

Back to Ohio: We'll skip ahead through the rest of everyone's travel time, Martin's tests, etc. etc.,...the dust has settled a bit and here's what's up...unless my info is wrong or things have suddenly changed. If that's the case Martin will comment tomorrow to correct my errors!!

The patient has 2 (intentionally placed) staples in the back of his head (don'tcha just hate when that happens!), he has a clean break through his fibula that isn't displaced and will only require some time in a splint with 2 weeks of no weight bearing. He has some scrapes on his arm and a slightly dinged up elbow (as seen in the picture), he's going to stay in the hospital overnight for observation, he's on some good drugs and as you can see in the picture, he scored a new cup that he's pretty excited about! He will still be coming to visit us next week (Tim is convinced the staples will set off the metal detectors) but unfortunately will not be playing golf. (Doesn't mean he can't ride in the cart while the rest of us do!) Also, he now not only can, but will have to, get a new car! As for more official business; Martin received a copy of the police report via fax and the other driver said he never saw Martin's car coming and was cited for failure to yield. With all that being said, good thing Kristin took pictures of the car, because with his minor injuries and a citation for "failure to yield" no one was going to buy his story!

So there it is!

Now I know I made light of some of this, but in all seriousness I would like to make it clear that I was very concerned about my brother through today's whole ordeal and I could not be more grateful and happy that he's going to be ok and that he, as the tow truck driver so eloquently put it, is "damn lucky"! I'm also pretty grateful to GMC for making a car that can protect a person even when wedged under a tanker truck. I will admit however, that I am slightly disappointed that an OnStar operator didn't speak to him soothingly from above to let him know help was on the way. Now that doesn't mean they didn't try or that they didn't call for help, etc. but apparently if you mess your car and all it's electrical systems up bad enough you can't hear them talk to you. So no commercial opportunities there...bummer. Anyway, that's about all I have for now. It was a pretty crazy day and now that Martin is tucked safely away in what I'm sure is a superbly comfortable hospital bed, surrounded by friends, family and Wendy's, I no longer have an excuse not to clean up the kitchen, so off I go! Good night all and thanks for checking in!

OH! In all seriousness, it is Cort's 1 year adoptaversary!! And although there have been times that we questioned our decision to adopt him (specifically the first 72 or so hours) we couldn't be happier to have him as a member of our little family!!

• Short article about the accident

Breadache!

I apologize for not posting yesterday - I was exhausted from the battle of the bread yesterday, last night and well, today too! That's right...this 1 loaf of bread took 4 tries and was the only "successful" (and I use the term loosely) loaf out of 8 possible loaves! I usually do alright in the kitchen but anything with yeast tends to cause me problems...possibly because nowhere does it ever say that yeast isn't activated until it bubbles...or that if the water is too hot you can kill the yeast or that if a recipe calls for another cup of flour you don't necessarily have to use it if the dough is "velvety" enough without it...so, after allowing the first batch to "rise" (sit) for 9 hours and the second to do the same for 6 hours and the 3rd (I got the yeast right that time!) to turn into a brick because that last cup of flour wasn't needed...FINALLY today around 3:00pm I finished this gem! It tasted right but the center was too doughy, it was too crispy on the outside and overall REALLY dense. All and all not worth the 26 or so hours spent, 23 (maybe 24) cups of flour, 2 sticks of butter, 8 eggs, 4 cups of milk, 2+ cups of sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt that it took to make ALL 4 BATCHES! So, if you couldn't tell my wonderful Easter didn't go exactly as planned. For starters was the bread...then we slept too late for sunrise service this morning so we had to come up with a plan B, then, after church, while I went to the store to get MORE bread ingredients (I was determined, and a girl only keeps so much yeast and flour on hand!) Kyle looked for (and found) his Easter basket (after I requested that he not!), OYE! Anyway, the day vastly improved once we went on our family run and I found/dug into my basket full of candy that was hidden in the basket of blankets. After that we moved the napping futon out onto the patio and spent some time in the sun and then I took a wonderful nap! :o) To wrap it all up, this evening Kyle went to the Magics game with a friend and I took Cort out for a walk to enjoy the PERFECT Ohio summer style weather and he ended up playing with the dogs across the street for an hour or so. All and all the day turned out ok, after one heck of a rocky start!!! Now we'll just have to see if we can get up in time to see the shuttle launch in the morning...most likely from the backyard! Happy Easter, I hope yours was a little smoother than ours, but ended up just as nice!

Birthday Boy!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!

After a surprise cage makeover reveal this morning we had a very nice evening! Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, there was not a fancy shmancy meal with dessert awaiting when Kyle arrived home. While I do LOVE birthdays and LOVE making a big deal about them even more, time escaped a bit today and through the years I've learned that Kyle tends to be rather finicky when it comes to birthday celebrations and such. Anyway, Kyle decided that we would celebrate what was left of his birthday (after he got home from work) by going to the driving range, getting smoothies AND him getting a slice of some sort of sweet confection from the Cheesecake Factory. He decided on the most delicious option available...Lemoncello Cream Torte!!! (I've since learned that this had been decided upon at approximately 10am, but Kyle failed to share this plan with me until well after 5pm AND after avoiding all of my homemade dessert suggestions/options. It's all very clear now!)

Light It Up Blue

Tonight is "Light It Up Blue" because tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day! Soooo...just like the Empire State Building I added a blue light to our front porch! So tonight our house is blue and tomorrow I'll be blue, well wearing it anyway!! :o)