Fundraising Friday Update

I feel like a little kid at Christmas every time I refresh my email with the anticipation of a donation notification. I call mom to tell dad all the latest updates. I am humbled daily by the notes I receive, messages, as well as many of the donations that come through.
I'll use yesterday as an example, I checked our PO Box on my way home, and to my surprise Hawaii found its way to our Dollars for Dad project :) The gentleman who mailed this donation has never met my dad; he's never met me, or anyone in my family. He merely knows a friend of mine whom she'd sent a little note to him knowing he lived in Hawaii and knowing it might be a tough state for us to get to, and without much hesitation a donation arrived (including a nice little note and memo line saying "Good Luck"), and it was for $50 (I hope they don't mind me saying that). It's amazing the generosity of people who just believe in the better of anything.

Training: I think that motivated me to run just a little bit more last tonight too….  I added a little bit to my turn around point last night as well as another circle to the end of my run going for about 7 miles for the evening.

I've been told several times as another goal for our Dollars for Dad project is to get $1 from every county in WV....so who's up for it :) I do remember from my Golden Horseshoe 8th grade days and 4th grade WV study days there are 55 counties (I hope my past teachers are proud of that knowledge) :) I also know which counties we have covered so far from my list....so for WV Pride I think we can do that as well.

The states we have represented and donations arrived so far are:
 Please note also I am still finalizing where some of the online donation people are “Located” to show representation of their location for this project.
(Also please note Canada has been represented) :)
West Virginia- Counties of (Wood, Raleigh, Boone, Ritchie, Jackson)
Connecticut
Alaska
Hawaii
Colorado
Ohio
PA
The address to mail Dollars for Dad Project is:

Team Spangler

Attention: Missy Spangler

P.O. Box 403

Ripley, WV 25271

Our Team Fox Official Website Has Donations as of now for: $2,029.84

The Website for it is (You can click on this link directly and donate via online):

Our Team Fox Team Page

We were given a donation from The Wyngate Senior Living Community in Parkersburg on behalf of a fundraiser they did for Parkinson’s Awareness month last month and have donated it to our fundraising efforts.  A big THANK YOU for that and to Larry Ice for organizing that for us.  We have mailed off their donation to Team Fox for $235 to be added to our totals.

I will be submitting Dollars for Dad funds & Greeting Cards once we get in $50 increments or after specific events.

If you would like to write a check and mail it directly to the Team Fox Please Email me at: missyspangler22@yahoo.com and I will email you a form you can use.

We have several things planned throughout our efforts until November (and continue to plan). We are looking to have representation for those past runners, friends, athletes of dad’s running in the Parkersburg Half Marathon (and maybe a team for the 2 mile), Tara’s yard will be decorated with Team Fox for when you get to the top of that leg gripping hill and  make the final turn to the last straight away to the finish J  Thank goodness she’s close to the finish line  J  Our cousin Carrie Milam is going to host a Scrapbooking Crop in October with proceeds going to our fundraising effort.  Cupcakes for A Cure will continue to go on till November. We have started to distribute "Pennies for Parkinson's " Coin jars for businesses or whoever to leave out to accept loose change.  We still have greeting cards we will be selling at different events….so we’ll keep you updated on upcoming plans.  We look to possibly have a “Pit Night for Parkinson’s” (Picnic Style Event to honor our Pit Nights we had during cross country season) Also in hopes of planning a nice dinner event with a theme “Shakin it up for Parkinson’s” I hope to plan in Parkersburg.  If anyone else wants to jump in with anything, just let me know and we'll be happy to help in any way we can as well!

So there is your Friday Fundraising Update J  Have a great weekend!

XC Newspaper Trick....

Training Update:

Monday- Embarrassing enough I hate to admit I was a little bit sore from running fast on Sunday evening to beat daylight that I ran for about 15 minutes as a lighter day to recover a little bit.

Tuesday- Ran with Holli for about 6 miles (more details to follow)

Wednesday- Ran the flat parts of the usual run on the road to avoid the hill and break up the routine of the route (ran about 5 miles).  I do have to admit, I met a new neighbor who jokingly asked if I was training for a marathon and I was able to respond with a laugh and a yes.  He said they always see me running all the time now and he asked how old I was because apparently they have been debating if I was in high school or not recently.  As mom always says I’ll appreciate it one day, and I said that I haven’t been skipping school and in fact 29 J

I was lucky enough to have Tuesday off from work (which for those who know my work-aholic ways I’m still learning how to accept government holidays off)  I’m always worried I’ll enjoy them too much and not want to come back to work.  I guess that was the thing of working ALL the time, you never knew exactly how enjoyable the days off were to ever think otherwise.  Mom needed some help with a rental property they have in town so it was the perfect excuse to visit Holli and go for a run and meet up with mom later. 

Since the weather couldn’t decide what it wanted to do Holli and I decided we didn’t care and were off to run in the rain.  We ended up running around 6 miles on a much friendlier road of slow drivers than mine, it was a nice change of scenery and nice to have company along the run.  Since I went on a run with Holli those who know the cross country stories are probably wandering if we yelled SNAKE any… for those of you “newbies”….Holli is pretty gullible J  (I shouldn’t really talk as myself HATING snakes would do the same thing)  We can pretty much guarantee no matter how many times you yell “snake”, Holli will do a quick movement resembling a jump J  I think some days we took it too far but you just can’t help but laugh J  Well, that is, until you yourself actually stepped on a snake and decided a quick sprinting workout would fit in perfectly during your run.  I have to admit as well, after I would see my first snake of the season running on the Rails to Trails growing up there were days I’d run with rocks in my hands for a quick defense upon site of one.  I suppose it is somewhat good strength training for your arms but I for one hate those slithering things.

Holli has a tough time saying “No” when you ask her to do things....  Now…Dad gets brought into this story because as you’ve discovered and continue to read, he is a very motivational person.  But….don’t think it’s just his motivation….he’s very tricky too, maybe strategic is the right descriptive word.  See… Years and Years ago (Its double digit years ago now so I can say that) I was the ONLY girl runner on the Cross Country Team (are you seeing a pattern here of my sports career growing up) BUT…. We wanted to pull together and get a full team of girls together to be able to finish in the team standings.  Therefore…dad started to review his knowledge of kids as well as my friends.  Dad’s next move was to put the little notice in the newspaper highlighting the upcoming start of cross country season.  Along with that little bit of information is a list of runners who were signed up for cross country (several of those runners didn’t sign up for ANYTHING) but Dad knew once they saw their name in the paper they would “feel bad” not doing it.  One of those names was Holli and sure enough she ran that cross country season J  Along with Melanie Jones, Megan Walker, Kylea Goff…well you get the idea…. True signs of a great coach; pick kids who can’t say no. 

Dad Coaching Holli in High School

 Holli and I were forced to be friends I suppose since our mom’s taught grade school together so we were always stuck with each other after school, faculty senate days and so forth.  Good thing we got along J Since the kindergarten years we’ve traveled the world together, ran for opposing college teams, attended cross country camps, and still love to run miles together.  I should give her a great deal of credit as well as a contributing factor of a cause and effect for a reason I live and was able to move back to WV J 

Holli and I In Paris

Holli Me and Melanie During Our College Running Days

It’s funny to think that a little trick in a newspaper now has Holli coaching the Ritchie County Cross Country team J Dad had to take early retirement due to the effects of Parkinson’s Disease and the restrictions to his mobility it was causing. Holli had been by his side the previous years and was able to step in and help fill in the need for a coach. My mom helps coach the cross country team now too and I think dad looks forward to hearing about the updates from the both of them. I might add too, Melanie Jones has volunteered as well the last few years to help coach and is guilty upon the name in the paper trick as well :) (And I have to laugh because now Holli is in her own shoes of when dad would yell SPRINT at the end of the race and wanting us to push a little bit more...and how we hated that as runners because somtimes we just didn't have ANYMORE) :) 

Dad and Holli Coaching at a Cross Country Meet

I just wanted to add a little bit to this blog post for those who don’t know.  That little trick dad played about putting the girl’s names in the newspaper…a few short years later that group of hard working girls did end up being state runners up in the WV State Cross Country Meet.  That was the start to the continuing growing “family” of Ritchie County Cross Country. 

2000 State Runner Up Cross Country Team- Ritchie County

Dad Accepting the\ WV State Runner Team Cross Country Trophy Season Year 2000

Pennsboro Cardinals Baseball

Well it’s Monday again J 

A little bit of a training update: (I forgot I updated earlier in the week last week than usual so I need to play a little catch up)

Wednesday- I ran the usual 5 mile loop on the road, nothing to up or down about this run…just the “casual” pace to get some miles logged in.  I’m thinking in another week or so I’ll start increasing at least 2 days a week the usual daily mileage total.

Thursday-  5 mile run up and back along the road.  As we say, just logging in some miles.

Friday- I ran about 5 ½ today, I pro-longed my turn around spot a little bit to enjoy the evening run and get just a tiny bit more in the run tonight.  We had some high water and I think it brought some of the “creek” creatures out to move around.  Today I discovered a lost snapping turtle on the wrong side of the road and tried to have him make his way back in the right direction.  I joked and said I passed a turtle on my run, but I really don’t think that is much to brag about.

Saturday-  I ran about 5 ½ today, I tried to switch out the route a little bit and add back and forth at another point in the run.  I think my legs are so tired as much as they are because the usual route I run has a longer then you think casual upgrade hill that just drains the energy in my legs, and I need a flatter course to work on my milage upgrade.  Today’s interesting creature was the biggest “creek” crawl dad I’ve ever seen (and I played in the creek a lot growing up).  It was almost a mini-lobster.  I had to push him back towards the creek because I didn’t think the middle of the road was a good place for him.

Sunday- We went out to have a longer run, and Brock went with me on the bike, but we got a little side tracked discovering knowing one of our neighbors we didn’t realize lived there and was chatting with them a little while.  About a mile into the run I got startled this time by a long black snake (I didn’t have my camera with me this time, nor would I get close enough or stay around long enough to take a snake’s picture).  Apparently for a little while I need to find a new route, I don’t want to know what comes after seeing a snake J  Once we turned around this time, it was quickly approaching darkness so I had to pick up the pace, so I suppose I’ll claim this run as the tempo run for the week J  It felt good to feel like a faster pace all to beat daylight to get home, so besides soreness I’m sure it was good for me.  I would have to add though, if you counted the "mileage" of having to chase the dog today who has apparently discovered the world outside our yard...then we should tack on a mile or 2 for today's training.

The last time I shared a “baseball story” I suppose it highlighted my younger tee-ball years.  Today, my most vivid memories of baseball was when I played little league.  Dad and Rick Davis coached us for the “Pennsboro Cardinals” team.  I remember my first year playing I was the only girl of course at that time in the whole county playing little league.  Dad left it up to me if I wanted to play softball or baseball, for some reason I was all about baseball. (#7 of course, which for those who know dad, it was his football number)  I don’t ever really remember thinking it was “weird” for me to play baseball and people would always ask why.  We just had fun.  From the beginning I’d jumped around several places from 2^nd base to shortstop, to first base and even attempted pitching but I’ll be honest, that wasn’t what I was made for. J  During my older years of little league dad always would tell the story of how I became a catcher.  Our usual catcher Jason Leasburg we had since I started was going to high school so we were out a catcher.  Dad asked the first day at baseball practice for that year if anyone was interested in catching.  (Dad later tells me when he said that he was thinking in his head, does anyone other than Missy want to play catcher)  I raised my hand and figured I’d give it a shot that may have been one of the few times dad was resistant of me wanting to do something.  I geared up and off to practice we went (I really should have thought though how hot that position with gear would end up being in the later months of the summer).  I actually fell in love with the position, dad learned to accept it. It took a little bit of getting use to from coming from a position you “reach out” to catch the ball as soon as you could to protect a base, to having to let the ball come to you so you didn’t get your arm ripped off from a batter swinging the bat.   

Typically, I never thought too much about being a girl until we went outside the county to play. People would always gasp when I took the catchers helmet off to catch a foul ball or something and realize I had a ponytail all knotted up and was a girl.  It actually became pretty funny.  When we would play for the traveling teams, I would usually catch for the Pennsboro pitchers.  There was an umpire who kept making the biggest deal about if I had a cup in or not (we chuckled about this story often), and we were mid inning and he asked me if I had one, I said no I didn’t need one, I’m a girl so forth.  He stopped the game for a bit calling a timeout to talk to me, and I took my helmet off and said I “don’t need one”, and he quickly realized what I’d been trying to say and resumed the game.  Nothing like causing a scene for being a girl J

I absolutely loved playing baseball (the batting part of it always made me nervous because I would stand and think at the plate all the time, but I’m sure you’d figured that by this time into the blog of how I am).  We had some of the funniest memories with the group of players we had, sometimes we’d even hope for a rain-out game because at least by that time we’d all gathered at Isahiah’s house with Jay Cronin and had created some sort of sock throwing war in the basement.  Isahiah’s mom (Nancy) always kept me hidden during the bad playing games.  She would always tease dad he was too hard on me.   We would joke about how Ryan Jones could never pitch to me, he was a great pitcher but for some reason literally every practice he’d hit me at some point during batting practice.  I think we just got use to it after a short while and kept on going. 

From champions to picnic/fishing parties at the lake celebrating the season, it’s hard not to smile thinking about the little league stories and the group we had along with how much we truly loved baseball.  Many of you may not know, but dad was really good at baseball too.  He had several opportunities to go pro, but we’ll save those stories for another day. I think being driven crazy by a bunch of kids and to be selfish, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Dad, Jeremy Ross, Isaiah Davis, Jay Cronin (hidden), Nancy

Me playing Shortstop and Ryan Jones (I think) at 2nd base