Pat's Run!!!

Yesterday I participated in the 6th annual Pat Tillman foundation 4.2 mile run at the ASU Sun Devils Stadium!

The Pat Tillman Foundation provides resources and educational support to veterans, active service members and their dependants.
The Tillman Military Scholars program aids all veterans and specifically the ever-growing population of veterans and dependents of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Here's a little more history about Pat Tillman:

The day after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Pat told a reporter in an interview, “At times like this you stop and think about just how good we have it, what kind of system we live in, and the freedoms we are allowed. A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars and I really haven’t done a damn thing.”

In 2002 he told the AZ Cardinals that he had decided to place his NFL career on hold to become a U.S. Army Ranger with his brother, Kevin giving up a 3.6 million dollar contract.

Pat and Kevin joined the U.S. Army in July of 2002, committing to a three-year term.

On the evening of April 22, 2004, Pat’s unit was ambushed as it traveled through the rugged, canyon terrain of eastern Afghanistan.

His heroic efforts to provide cover for fellow soldiers as they escaped from the canyon led to his tragic death via fratricide.

Here me and the boys are before the run! I ran the 4.2 mile run while the boys did the 0.42 kids run!

While his AZ Cardinals jersey number is 20, when he played for the ASU sun Devils his number was 42. This is why the run was 4.2 and the kid run was 0.42 both ending on the 42 yard line in the ASU stadium in his honor.

The had a record breaking 28,000 runners come and run yesterday! It was so much fun as we ran in down town Tempe!

Both mascot's from the Sun Devils and the Cardinals lead the race!

While seeing 28,000 people come and honor Pat Tillman what was really special was seeing the military men come and honor him!

Here is a picture of some soldiers getting ready to run wearing full gear including their packs. At one point I ended up passing them during the run and as I did I could hear and see people all around patting them on the back or saying thank you for serving our country.

The back side of our racing shirts!

Me and Adria! This was her first run and she did awesome! She now wants to run the half marathon with me in January! Our friend Kristi was there too, but because of the number of people I didn't see her until after the race! Oh well some many people and so much fun I even improved my running time!!!

When Andrew found out I was doing another race he asked if he could run too, so I signed him up for the Kids run and than of course Hunter and Parker both wanted to run as well. I am so proud of my boys for wanting to get out there and run it was a great experience for them!

They said that there were 3,000 kids signed up for the kids run which started them at the starting line like I did and took them to the same finish line in the stadium.

It was a great day, lots of fun and such a great way to honor a fallen hero.

Jambo-Rama!!!

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SCOUTING. What better way to celebrate than with a party...a Scouting party that is. Today we went to Jamb-O-Rama which had Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, and Venturers who came from all over the State of Arizona to celebrate Scouting’s Traditions, Legacy, and Future at the 2010 Grand Canyon Council Jamb-O-Rama held at Tumbleweed Park!

So almost every Troop had set up different booths where the boys got to go and try, make and do new things, like shooting cork guns, making sword and walking sticks for hiking. There was on booth where they were even making slim.
Kevin and I both were recently called to Cub Scouts, Kevin as the Cub Master and I was called as the Cub Committee Chairman. Going to these different booths gave us some really great ides for future Pack meetings!

Here Andrew and Hunter were racing boats in rain gutters, it was such a cute idea the boys had to use straws to blow their boats to the finish line!

No surprise Parker didn't want to do anything but you can see him helping Hunter blow his boat!

Andrew and Hunter walking a crossed a rope bridge made out of logs and rope!

So the Chandler Fire Dept. was there and were letting the kids climb inside the fire truck!
To bad Parker wouldn't go inside!

I'm glad we got to go and participate in the 100 year Celebration of Scouting!

Scouting was incorporated to provide a program to help build effective character, citizenship, self-reliance, courage, and resourcefulness. I love that they encourage personal values based on religious concepts helping the scouts have the desire and skills to help others. And of course they help kids understand the principles of the American social, economic, and governmental systems and become knowledgeable about and take pride in their American heritage and further more understand our nation`s role in the world and giving them the great respect for the basic rights of all people and help prepare them to participate in and give leadership to American society.

As a mother of 3 boys and a Scout leader I look forward to helping my children as well as those children I work with achieve and gain the most they possibly can from the scouting program!