SUPPORT, Part One

I love getting the mail these days. You have all been amazing! The checks are coming in steadily and I am now over the 50% mark and I have been fundraising for less than a month. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so grateful for amazing friends. The support means the world!

The thermometer on this page is more accurate than on the 3-day site because I can include the mailed donations before they get officially posted. If you have not yet donated, please consider giving even a small amount. If you donate online, you can spread the donation out over more than one month. I know everyone is having to tighten the belt a bit more these days, but trust me, it will feel good. I cannot do this without you!

Don’t start skimming! Did you think I was just going to be funny all the time and amuse you with stories about underwear without ever hitting you up for some cash? Focus, people. That is the whole point here. Are you still reading? Good. I listen to NPR almost every day and as soon as they start laying on the fund drive guilt, I am right back to Matty in the Morning! Thanks for hanging in with me…now back to the news.

Support. It’s about time I mentioned my biggest supporter. My husband, Tommy, has also made a huge commitment to the 3-day. More than the training, the weight loss, or the shoes, he has made it possible for me to do this. Last March two crazy cool physical education teachers started a “Biggest Loser” competition at work (Courtney & Lauren – holla!). I had just started trying to get healthy and I asked my hubby to support me in joining the competition. Despite being incredibly sarcastic and an expert at picking on me, he has not complained once about the burdens that fall on him while I commit long hours to exercise, shopping for healthy food, and blogging.

For those of you who do not know him, Tommy is the most dedicated, hard working, salt of the earth type guy. His work ethic is just unbelievable. He has always been like that, since before I knew him. When we first met in the early 90’s, Tommy was on the grounds crew at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. I was a student across the street at BC. All of Tommy’s closest buddies went to BC and he was there so often that it took a lot of convincing to get me to believe he wasn’t actually a student there. One thing that he and I had in common from the start was our love of partying…first to show, last to leave, if know what I mean. But on the day after, while the rest of us were still buried deep in the covers well past noon, Tommy was at work at the crack of dawn – and not behind a desk, but out in the hot sun, knee deep in mulch, running from the bees whose nest he had hit with a hedge clipper (remind me to tell you that story some day).

So when our second child was on the way and we were not sure how we were going to afford 2 in full-time child care, Tommy decided to work nights so he could be home during the day. I went part time at Newton North (.8 actually) and almost 4 years later, we are still somehow making it work. I leave for work by 7 am as Tommy is getting the kids up and ready. He gets the big one off to 1st grade and then it’s preschool, play gym, or dance class for the little one. Some days, he can get in a nap before lunch but not all the time. I work until 12:30, head to the gym and then pick up the 1st grader and get home in time to kiss Tommy goodbye on his was out the door to work at around 2:30. He works until midnight on a good night – sometimes it is as late as 3 am – comes home, sleeps briefly, then does it again. We often joke that the kids have 2 single parents who are still married.

I complain about it all the time but Tommy keeps plugging along, knowing that he is doing what is best for our family. So on weekends when I am at the gym for hours, or when I am calling him to pick up our son for me b/c I got to the gym late, he really has NEVER complained. He knows this is important to me and therefore it has become important to him too. He always takes the time to tell me how great I look, albeit in his special, smartass, less-than-romantic way. For example, today I got a smack on the butt and a catcall. On a couple of occasions he has remarked that my “ass is like half the size it used to be.” Sometimes when he hugs me, he says, “Come on, let me powerbomb you just once cuz I could totally pick you up now.” Isn’t that so sweet? He’s all mine, ladies!

We don’t get to see a lot of each other and we have had to sacrifice some things, but I think we a re a pretty good team and I am glad he is in my corner (and not Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka-ing me from the top rope).

I love you, honey.

(puke)

Thanks for reading. More Later…