Gift

I wanted to document some memories of our first anniversary so I can look back at them in a few years. Duke took me horseback riding on the beach on Sunday! I love, love, love horses. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. So, you can imagine how excited I was when Duke told me we were riding on the beach! I had never ridden on the beach before, but it is something I have always wanted to do! So, we got in the car, ate a yummy lunch in Coronado, then headed to San Diego! The barn was actually right on the US border. It was kind of crazy. We were probably two football fields from the fence and there were border control officers everywhere. All the horses at the barn were so cute. I rode a horse named Grace.

The ride was soooo much fun! It was the such a great gift. Well, we had plans to go to dinner and a movie last night, so I made sure that I was ready to go when Duke got off work. I had made him brownies and had gotten him two little gifts and a card. Well, you can imagine his surprise when he walked through the door and realized he hadn't gotten me a card. Haha. (Oh my gosh, he would be so mad if he knew I told somebody. Haha.) I really do not care that he did not get me a card. I feel like horseback riding on the beach pretty much took the cake. I don't really get upset about a lot of things, and Duke has always never really had a clue when it comes to things like this. Most men don't. Haha. Well, we went out to dinner, and we were sitting at the table and I saw a brochure for a charity called, "Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation." This is some info from their website.

"Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope."

Now, I have always tried to donate little amounts of money here and there to St. Jude's, so I was excited to learn about Alex's Lemonade Stand. Cancer is one of the worst things about human life. The prospect of getting cancer, the people that are affected, and the affects that fighting it has on your body. Everyone knows someone affected by cancer, but I cannot, I cannot imagine having a child that was going through cancer. So, I told Duke that I would much rather him donate money to a foundation like this than to get me a card. The whole point of getting a card is that you can put it in a box later for your children and grandchildren to see. Well, this is something better. Something you just can't put in a box. Something more. I believe that in life, you get what you give. I know how Duke feels about me, and I'd rather have that warm feeling of giving in my heart than a greeting card any day. So, every year on our anniversary, I want to donate money to some sort of charity; which is the best gift of all.

Learn more about Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation here.