Myeloma 5k

( Nick, Me and My Sister)
(Brother and Sister-In-Law)

( Sister and Brother-In-Law)

(My sweet husband and I)
( My Dad and Nick)

This morning we did the annual Arizona Myeloma 5k walk/run. It was a great morning to spend time with my family as well as walk for a great cause. My mom died almost 4 years ago from Myeloma(a form of blood cancer) and it has been great to honor her life and the strength she had throughout everything she was given.

The Myeloma network is working hard to cure all cancers and these walks are not only for Myeloma but also all cancers. My biggest wish is to find a cure for Cancer...I have lost two really important people in my life to Cancer and many other great people as well.

I am glad we are able to get together as a family and celebrate my mom. I know she is smiling down on all of us, proud of who we have all become because of HER!! My mom was the most important person in my life and I cherish everything she has taught me and continues to teach me.

I am honored to call her my mom and thank God everyday for giving me such an incredible person to look up to. I can't wait until the day I become a mom and love a child the way she loved her children!!

In honor of my sweet Momma, Tamara Irene Hevner 9/7/54-9/26/06

We love and miss you so much!!!

Grandpa Don

Today marked the 4 year anniversary of my grandpa Don's death. There are people that are in your life that mean so much to you, and he was this to me! He was truly one of the most important person to me. He had the strength of a superhero, and the heart of an angel. He truly was a hero in so many people's lives. He was a fireman, an EMT, a father, husband, brother and grandpa just to name a few. My grandpa was a kind, gentle, loving man, and I think of him everyday. I still remember the night before he died, I got to talk to him on the phone. He was not speaking at the time, but I remember talking to him and I heard him make a noise.... I knew he heard me talking to him. I will never forget that moment. We lost him the next day, and I was devastated, along with everyone else in the family. My grandpa and I had a special connection, nothing different than what he had with all of the other grandchildren, you see that is what made him so special, he had a special connection with each and every one of his grandchildren. He made you feel so special.

Many people may not know, but he was considered my "step-grandpa". He married my grandma when my dad and his siblings were all grown adults. I love and will always consider my grandpa Hevner my grandpa as well (my dads real dad, who died when I was a baby), but my Grandpa Don was my grandpa also from day 1. Not only did my grandpa Don marry my grandma, he also got 3 step-children along with it. My grandma had two boys and a girl, and my grandpa Don had three daughters, both from their previous marriages. These two families eventually became one, and both my grandma and grandpa (Don) considered each others children as their own. What my point is, my Grandpa considered my dad just as much as his son as his own children. He never made us feel like we were only "step-grandchildren" considering he was there for most of our births. He never treated any of his grandchildren differently. He was just amazing. There are so many other words to describe my Grandpa, but amazing sums him up!

I am thinking of him today and the impact he had on so many people's lives. I feel that I did not get to grieve the loss of my grandpa because my mom died only 5 months later. I was still grieving him when I had to start grieving my moms death. I lost two of the most important people in my life in less than half a year....2006 will forever be the worst and hardest year of my life.

Today has been hard. I got to focus my sadness and loss of my grandpa and it hit me hard. I will never forget him and impact he had on my life. I love you Grandpa Don, thank you for being so special to me and always letting me know how loved I was.

Tomorrow my family and I will be doing a 5K in honor of my Mom and Grandpa. It is the Myeloma 5k ( the type of cancer my mom had) but it it also a walk to cure all cancers. My grandpa died of cancer also....I hate that C word!!!!!!!!

I will be walking and thinking of both my Mom and Grandpa tomorrow. They both have changed my life more than I think they ever knew!!!

Tomorrow is for them, and I will be walking proud knowing I had two of the most amazing people in my life!!!

The Simple Things In Life

As I was driving this morning, on my way to spend the morning with my Niece, Addison I stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee. As I was drinking my yummy Carmel Macchiato, I sucked up a glob of the carmel and realized how happy it made me...and my taste buds... is that weird? Well it made me start to think of all the little things that make me happy..the simple things! So I thought I would make a list of the simple, little things in life that bring a smile to my face :)

~ When Bear (my sweet dog) lays next to me in bed, and has to be right up against my back!

~ Waking up to a beautiful sunny day! (don't get me wrong, I love a rainy days too, but they make me want to stay in bed!)

~ Walking OUT of the gym....I love it because that means I am DONE!!!

~ I L.O.V.E that when I get up in the morning and get out of the shower, my husband always ends up on my pillow snuggled up on my side of the bed :)

~ The smell of fresh linen, fresh grass and vanilla.

~ Waking up early on a Sunday and read all of the ads in the newspaper!

~ A warm drink on a cold day!

~ People watch...not because I am weird, but because I like to think about what kind of life that person lives!

~ The feeling of sand between my toes (and that usually that means I am at the beach, so that makes me VERY happy)

~ The sound of the key opening the front door every night (because that means Nick is home!)

~ Fresh painted nails.... a nice maincure and pedicure can do wonders!

~ Spring time in Arizona....the beautiful weather, outdoor activities...everything!!!

~ Lovin on my sweet Nieces....I have 3 of them and love them more than anything!!!

~ The smell of Jergens Original scent lotion...it will forever make me think of my Momma!!

~ Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with original lays potato chips (not on the sandwich, but as a side) Yummy :)

~ Thinking of how I met my husband and the wonderful week we had together before he left for the Army ;)

~Getting free things....okay not that I am cheap, but I love when I get a free pen, or a goody bag of some sort...I just love things ( okay, this may be my weirdest confession ;)

~I love hearing a song on the radio that I havn't heard in a while!

~Watching my husband play video games...when he is playing a game that is really intense, he makes really cute facial features and moves his mouth in a really funny way....I just love it..it makes me smile :)

Well I am going to stop there....I may continue this on another post! I could be here forever thinking of all the things in my life that I love!

I am blessed to have such a loving husband, family and friends! I have to give all my thanks to God and the road that he is leading me on... I will forever be faithful to him and trust that he knows the plans he has for me!!

How cute is this??

Isn't this bike so cute? Feeling very selfish I have not bought it, but everytime I go to target I see this bike and it just screams at me to take it home!! But I havn't....yet! I have been thinking about this pink beauty a lot lately, because the weather has been so nice I have been thinking about how I wish I had a bike to go for a bike ride with! But again I am in no situation to spend over $100.00 on something when I am not working ( because of student teaching) so until the day I can call you mine, I will just continue to walk down the target isle dreaming of the wonderful bike rides I will have someday..... and even if I don't get it, I still love how cute and pink it is :)

Student Teaching

Sorry I have been MIA the past couple of months ( not that many people read this anyways) but I have been student teaching since January, and have been BUSY!! I love what I am doing so much, but it takes up every waking moment that I have!! My 2nd graders are amazing and have blessed my life in more ways than I will ever know!! I graduate in May!! Yay!!! It's about time!! May 14th will be a glorious day!! It will be here before I know it!! Nick is busy with work and school, and I am so proud of him! He works so hard for our little family and I am so grateful for that!! I am one lucky girl! Well thats about all the excitement here in the Mallaire family! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

My Valentine

I love Valentines Day, not because of all the yummy chocolates, or the pretty flowers, or the jewlery, but because it reminds of just meeting Nick in 2003. I was a senior in high school and he was a year older than me just enrolled in the Army. He came home on leave for Christmas 2003, and that is when we met. We spent two weeks together that I will never forget ( We have our own "Dear John" story!) He took me on wonderful dates, we laughed a lot and just got to know eachother. When it was time for Nick to go, I spent that morning with him, not wanting to say goodbye, and when I finally drove home, I felt empty. But how? I was fine two weeks ago before I met him? and now I wasn't? I went home and I remember crying to my mom about not getting to see him for 3 months ( little did I know that in 3 years he would be gone for 15 months in Afghanistan, 3 months was easy). About an hour after I got home, my doorbell rang, and guess who it was? Nick. Standing on my door step with a dozen flowers. He said he needed to see my one last time! I knew at that moment what we had was real!

After Nick left for Oklahoma, we talked only once a week, on Sundays. That was the only day he could talk during bookcamp. We would write letters back and forth to fill in the days when we wouldn't talk. Then Valentines day 2004 came and he sent me a dozen flowers everyday for a week. It was amazing. I never had so many flowers in my house at one time! I was so smitten by this man!!

Now here we are 7 years later, and I love Nick more and more everyday. We are married, happy and anxious for what the future has in store for us. I am so thankful for Nick, he came in my life at a moment I really needed him, and he has gotten me through my hardest times of my life. I am so blessed, and lucky to have such a sweet Valentine!!

Five Fun Friday Facts

So I have been at a lost for things to write about lately, so I thought I would do Five Fun Friday Facts....here goes!

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate covered pretzels!

2. My husband and I have been together for 6 years and married almost 1 year :)

3. One of my favorite things to do is read a good book, especially Nicholas Sparks books!

4. My husband wants to be a Dad more than anything, and that melts my heart!!

5. I want to live near the ocean for at least one year in my lifetime!

Well thats 5 Fun (or really random) things about me, that maybe you didn't know?!?

Happy Friday!!
I am looking forward to a great weekend with the love of my life, doing the lovey dovey things you do on Valentines day! xoxo