ONLY 5 DAYS UNTIL....RACE 2 CHI-TOWN!!!

MICHELLE SAID....


Whoa – how did the time get here so quickly??? I cannot believe we are just DAYS away from the big race!!! Am I ready? Probably not. Will I finish? If I have to crawl on my hands and knees I will finish! Am I excited? More than you will ever know!!! This is the big event…the culmination of all those early morning, hot, long, dreadful runs. I’m still not fast, and it won’t be pretty, but I’m going to give it my all come Sunday morning at 6:30 AM! My plan is to keep John and Susan in my sights – I will be staring at the back of their shirts for 13 miles (hopefully) but at least they’ll be close enough to hear the medics as I am wheeled off the course!!!

Even more than the race, I am nervous about leaving my kids, especially Kayla Reese. We have only left the older girls overnight for one night at a time – and we’ll be gone three nights in Chicago. And we’ve never left Kayla Reese overnight…ever! But I think this will be a great opportunity for Gregg and I to be alone for a while and remember what it feels like to be married. This year we celebrated 10 years of marriage but spent our actual anniversary weekend attending birthday parties and weddings. We plan to do some shopping, lots of eating, some resting, and maybe even a bit of pampering! The kids will be in good hands and I bet they will have even MORE fun with mommy and daddy out of sight for a few days!

Overall I am thrilled with the progress John, Susan and myself have been making on the foundation and our mission to raise awareness. I can’t wait to unveil our new logo and kick off into high gear! But we’ve got our minds on the race right now – focused and prepared. I am asking for prayers though – and lots of them! Prayers for safe travel, prayers for the loved ones taking care of our children, prayers for our children and hopes they will enjoy this time, prayers for a safe race without injury (too bad I’ve already had mine…hope it doesn’t get too bad!), and prayers for courage and strength for us to leave our children, travel to Chicago, and run the race of a lifetime. All for the love of Kayla Reese. Many, many, many thanks for your continued support and prayers. I promise I feel every one of them.

***DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE BLOG WHO YOU THINK WILL FINISH FIRST IN THE RACE!!!!!***

Nothin' Like a Little Healthy Competition....

Okay, so we're running in a race, a half marathon to be exact, next Sunday, August 2 2009. What's a race without a lil' trash talk and healthy competition??? We (Michelle, John and I) have quite a challenge ahead of us. We've got to run 13.1` miles!!! Well, I've got a challenge for you... On the right hand side of the blog, is a little poll. We want you to vote on 'who will finish first in the 'Rock n Roll' Chicago Half Marathon?' Will it be Michelle? Will it be John? Or will it be myself? Take your pick. But, here's the kicker...if you pick the winner (between the three of us), we ask that you make a small (or large)donation to 'The Kayla Reese Foundation.' It can even just be a dollar. We appreciate it and thank you for any donation. This will have to be on an honor system as we do not know who votes or who you vote for. Donate a buck and we'll get excited, I promise! So, let's have some fun with this. Exercise your right and vote today! :) All voting will be shut down after August 1 @ 11:59 pm.

Susan

Gettin' To Know 'Reesy-Piecy'...

Hey y'all! We're so excited about Kayla Reese's story that aired last night on WIS! We are even more excited about your response to the story and 'The Kayla Reese Foundation.' There is one big thing we wanted to clear up from the story. Michelle and I will be running in the 'Rock n Roll' Chicago HALF MARATHON which is 13.1 miles. We're not running in the Chicago Marathon (a completely different race) and then only running half of it. Also, some have asked about t-shirts being sold. As I write this we are working on 'tweaking' some logos to represent 'The Kayla Reese Foundation.' We're going to use that logo to print on t-shirts and sell them in the VERY NEAR future. So, keep checking back!

One more thing, Tetrasomy X is an extremely rare CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITY. We have a link on the right side of the blog, (why 'The Kayla Reese Foundation' was formed') where Michelle goes into a lot more detail about all the 'symptoms' and issues that come along with Tetrasomy X.

Now that you've gotten to meet Kayla Reese up close and personal on t.v., Michelle and I thought you might enjoy some picture of her taken throughout her first year. Enjoy! Susan

Kayla Reese News Link

Check out the news video that aired on WIS-TV tonight. Below is the video of the news story. Just know you'll have to watch a short commercial before the story about Kayla Reese starts. Starting tomorrow, we'll be posting on the blog daily all the way through next weekend when we start 'Race 2 Chi-town!'

thanks for your support!
Susan

***Update*** on Kayla Reese being on the news!

The story will now air at 7pm, instead of 6:00!!!! Change your DVRs!!!!

Kayla Reese on the News!!!!

We're so excited that Kayla Reese's story will air on WIS-TV here in Columbia TONIGHT @ 6 pm. Thanks so much to Kara Gormley for doing this story. Our hopes are to gain exposure for 'The Kayla Reese Foundation' and Tetrasomy X. It may sound crazy, but non-profit organizations take money to start and maintain. So, we're hoping exposure will help 'The Kayla Reese Foundation' raise enough funds to really get up and going and fulfill our intended purpose. So, pull up a chair tonight at 6:00 and watch Kayla Reese or be sure to set your DVRs so you can watch it later! Thank you for all your support!

Susan

Good News and more good news!

Thanks to all who bought a Kayla Reese/Race 2 Chi-town t-shirt. This was our first fundraiser and it went really well. Our goal was to sell 50 shirts and we ended up selling 53! Not too bad!

Also, we are officially a foundation. Yep, you heard right, we are now 'The Kayla Reese Foundation.' How awesome is that??? But, now for the hard (and expensive) part. We want The Kayla Reese Foundation to be a 501(c)3 or non-profit organization. The biggest thing about becoming a non-profit orgnaization is the fact that when people or businesses donate to us, they can write it off on their taxes....a big plus! To become a non-profit is going to take more time and of course, money. But, we're working on it and will keep you updated on our progress and future fundraisers!

Thanks again to all who ordered shirts this first go 'round. It has been such a good feeling when someone orders a shirt because you realize they have faith in what we're doing and I just can't put into words how grateful we all are. If you ordered, your shirt will be delivered or mailed to you this week (week of July 13).

Keep checking back for updates!
Susan

New Deadline for Shirt Orders!!!!!

We've extended the deadline for ONLINE (pay on the blog through paypal) shirt orders. You can now order your shirts as late as 8 am EST Monday, July 13th.

You can also still order shirts using the mail in form. We must receive your form and payment by the morning of Monday, July 13.

Thank you to all who have already ordered shirts. Your support helps to motivate us so much!

Susan

Vacation, Country Chronicle column and t-shirts for sale!!!!

Below is John's Country Chronicle column for the week. Just a reminder, we're taking orders for t-shirts for one more week. The last day to order is THIS FRIDAY, July 10th!!!!!


This week’s column is coming at you from Myrtle Beach while I am on vacation with the family. We are staying at Kingston Plantation where there is a great one mile loop that is perfect for running. As I write this I am less than an hour removed from a nice three mile run. Earlier in the night while I gave our two little girls their bath for the night, my wife went on her three mile run. When she returned from her run, Susan looked great and said it went great and a lot easier than her normal running loop in Lake Carolina. I then went on my run a little after 9:00 PM at night. During the day it is just too hot to run, but when we ran at night with the breeze coming off the ocean, it felt just nice and warm. Thirty plus minutes later when I was done with my three mile run, I felt like I had just jumped into the ocean and hopped out because I have sweated so much. I am starting to wonder if Susan really went for a three mile run or if she ran down to the lobby of the Embassy Suites to get a little Starbucks.

As I write this paragraph I am less than fifteen minutes removed from getting busted by my wife digging into the pantry for a late night snack. While on vacation I do not see anything wrong with a little late night snack, but my choice of snack being a small cup full of mini chocolate chips is what got me in trouble. As I was pouring the delicious mini morsels into the cup my wife unexpectedly walked in viewing the entire scene. She asked me (as if she had no clue) what was I doing. I don’t recall exactly what my response was but some stuttering was involved I am sure. My wife then in a very sarcastic, but yet serious tone, “I bet you won’t write about this in your column.” In the end, better judgment prevailed and I put back the chocolate chips and settled on a Nature Valley Trail Mix Bar. It is always good to have a voice of reason in your house.

Before we loaded up our family truckster (Google family truckster if you have no clue what I am referencing here) and headed over to the beach for our family vacation my wife and I went to Charleston for a wedding in which I was a groomsman. While in Charleston and my wife and I each had to run four miles. It was just our luck the hotel we were staying at had a fitness room that had two nice treadmills side by side. For the first time ever we decided to get a run in together. Since both of us had to run four miles I asked my wife if she would like to race. She declined the challenge, but I still decided I was going to race. I am proud to say I came out on top just seconds in front of Susan with my late surge on the treadmill. I chose to be dignified and not to boast in a wild celebratory manner. A simple double fist pump and throwing up both hands as if someone just scored a touchdown was my means of expressing my 100% meaningless victory.

In four weeks we will be in running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon in support of one year old Kayla Reese Jowers who in the past few months was diagnosed with Tetrasomy X. Tetrasomy X is an extremely rare genetic disorder. The Ridge View boys basketball team will be selling turquoise t-shirts to raise money for Madison’s Foundation in honor of Kayla Reese (www.madisonsfoundation.org). Madison’s Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of information available to parents of children with rare, life-threatening diseases, and to facilitating effective communication among parents, physicians and medical experts. Each T-shirt is $15 and 100% of the proceeds after the expenses of printing the t-shirts have been paid will go to Madison’s Foundation. Please visit our blog at www.Race2Chi-Town.blogspot.com to get information on how you can order a shirt. All t-shirt orders must be received by Friday, July 10, 2009

If you have any questions please feel free to call me, John Combs, at 803-348-2365 or e-mail: jcombs@richland2.org