So many things...
Once again I've become lazy with my blogging. I apologize. This time I do have good reason. Every night over the past week I've signed in and thought about updating, but endured what Tempa and I have recently dubbed "Blogger's Block." I just can't write. The weird thing is that it isn't a lack of ideas that hinders my writing capabilities...I have too many things to write about. I could write about political stuff going on ($50-60 million dollars on a re-inaguration? come on) I could write about school, the girl's basketball team (we picked up our second win and have a handful of winnable games coming up - so things are looking better), I could write about more personal things that I think about/struggle with. I just have too many ideas!
So, even tonight I don't have anything real good. It is just tough to put so many thoughts down into one blog that makes sense. I have been looking at the calendar though and realized it would be a good time to bring this up. At the end of February, I will be traveling to Chicago with some high school friends to run in an event called "Hustle up the Hancock" where, yes, we run up the stairs in the Hancock building. We got into this because of a guy by the name of Steve Ferkau. Steve has cystic fibrosis and recieved a lung transplant a few years back. That set of lungs came from a high school friend, Kari Westberg, that died in April of 2000. The race raises money for Lung Cancer, Cystic fibrosis, anything that the Lung Association deals with. I've made my donation with the entry fee, now I'm asking for your help too. Go to http://hustle2005.kintera.org/christiangrandgenett and you will be able to make a donation. If you feel uncomfortable about e-donations, contact me some way and we'll work something out. Thanks in advance to any donations that you are willing to give.
So, even tonight I don't have anything real good. It is just tough to put so many thoughts down into one blog that makes sense. I have been looking at the calendar though and realized it would be a good time to bring this up. At the end of February, I will be traveling to Chicago with some high school friends to run in an event called "Hustle up the Hancock" where, yes, we run up the stairs in the Hancock building. We got into this because of a guy by the name of Steve Ferkau. Steve has cystic fibrosis and recieved a lung transplant a few years back. That set of lungs came from a high school friend, Kari Westberg, that died in April of 2000. The race raises money for Lung Cancer, Cystic fibrosis, anything that the Lung Association deals with. I've made my donation with the entry fee, now I'm asking for your help too. Go to http://hustle2005.kintera.org/christiangrandgenett and you will be able to make a donation. If you feel uncomfortable about e-donations, contact me some way and we'll work something out. Thanks in advance to any donations that you are willing to give.

1 Comments:
Hey Christian!!!
I can't even begin to tell you how honored I am that you're coming out and climbing on my team... I recieved my beautiful gift in April, 2000... My donor was anonymous until around December, 2001. I had written a letter to my donor family in September, 2000 -- I knew that my donor was 17, but little else. The Westberg family wrote me back about a year after I had written... We began communicating via email shortly after that.
My princess, Laura, and I drove out to Algona in June, 2002... We met so many wonderful people out there -- Along with Kari's family, we met Ryan & Abby, Alex & Nick Redenius, and many others... Alex learned of my Hustle team in 2003 and wanted to climb in 2004 -- She (and you and Jenn and others) signed up for this year's team -- But Alex can't make it... She'll try for next year!
The first year I knew the Westbergs -- On March 7, 2002 I received a package in the mail... There was a birthday card, inside it said "Happy 19th Birthday to your lungs!!!" There were more pictures of Kari... There was an incredibly beautiful poem by Jenn Amendt... And there was a t-shirt. A t-shirt created by the Algona Volleyball Team with "Kari-ing on the Tradition" across the top -- The year they dedicated their season to Kari... That shirt is my most prized possession in the world -- I wear it when I do things I would have never, ever dreamed possible, like 5Ks and climbs like the Hustle. That shirt is incredibly special to me -- It is a little, extra connection to the precious girl and family that saved my life... With that knowledge, can you even imagine how special it is to me to have you, Katheryn, Devon and Jenn coming out from Iowa to climb with me?!?! (And knowing Alex tried to come out?)
It means an awful lot to me to be with people who cared about her, and knew Kari... It's been a long time for some of you -- but for me it was like yesterday... I didn't know of her for almost two years -- but I knew she was special... I know of her now, and I think of Kari and of her family ever single day...
If you want to know a little more about me and my story -- My wife helped build a little webpage where I tried to honor Kari...
It's at www.ClimbingForKari.org
Most special to me is that Kari's family gave me permission to post the first letters we exchanged... The letter I received from her family is an incredibly beautiful description of Kari, and of her family...
I'm proud and honored to have you on my team... We'll ROCK the Hancock! You take care... I'll see you soon...
Love,
Steve Ferkau
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