Moving Forward: Life is what you make it

2013 was an interesting year for me.  Interesting is probably not the most descriptive word for it, but in complete and total honesty, "interesting" is the only word I've got.

Some truly challenging experiences took place in 2013, and though it's hard to forget some of those challenges, I can honestly say that 2013 surprised me with some absolutely incredible experiences for which I am very thankful for.

Three of my BEST friends married their sweethearts, and I was able to be with them as all of their dreams came true- reminding me of course, that heartbreak only means we are human... and I just need to trust that I, too, will find my soulmate someday.  My little brother graduated from college and got a tremendous job opportunity!  I challenged myself to run 75 miles in 30 days and accomplished my goal on day 30 when I ran 13 miles total (my longest run to date)!  My gymnastics team won their second consecutive National Championship!  Watching those girls realize their potential and knowing that I had a small part in them achieving their goals makes every second of every hour I put into that gym 200% worth it.  I can't even put into words the amount of pride I had in that moment, and every moment since.  My job at Whitewater became a full-time position.  My GymHawks club has grown tremendously and is reaching almost 200 kids per session.  I am so honored and blessed that I had the opportunity to create this program, and I thank God everyday for the kids that have been brought into my life because of it.  I also bought my first car in 2013, and though I purchased it in November... the "2014 model" made me feel even more like a grown up!  I also joined a wonderful church this year and in doing so have met some of the kindest and most wonderful people that I feel so privileged to know.  And I got a tattoo in remembrance of the sweet little gymnast who went to be with Jesus, and touched my heart so.  Psalm 121 will always mean more to me than I will ever be able to explain.

I think one of the most prominent things that stands out to me in 2013 was how much I learned about myself.  I learned how to cope with grief and how to help others do the same.  I found a courage in writing that I never dreamed I had within me.  I learned how to open up to someone, and how to fall gracefully when a dream falls out of reach.  I learned that forgiveness isn't always a reflex emotion for me... though I always considered myself an extremely forgiving person, this was something I struggled with this year.  Faith is a funny thing, because it's so easy to have it when things are going well, yet so hard to believe in it when life seems to push you down.  God helped me navigate through these challenges, and though I'd like to say I've got it figured out... I know I still have a lot to learn.  And most importantly,  this year I learned that life goes on... and it is up to us to decide HOW it goes on.

Our circumstances do not define us, and the people who walk in and out of our lives do not define us.  WE DEFINE OURSELVES...  so as you look back on 2013, wave goodbye to it and look forward.  2014 is a new year and a new chance to be who you want to be.  Make choices that will impact your life they way you want your life to be impacted.  Believe that you have the power to make a difference in your own life, because that is exactly what you have.

Happy 2014 y'all! Here's to endless possibilities!

Love True,
Allison

Love Who You Love

As I was running around like a crazy person on Friday, still exhausted from my epic State Meet weekend, feeling drained and hung over (due to a lack of sleep)... I had a moment of complete clarity.  I hadn't had one in weeks... feeling like the chalk from the gym had just settled into a permanent fog in my brain.  I was coaching my collegiate girls on beam and one of our seniors was doing her routine.  We were doing pressure sets, so everyone on our event was watching.  The song on the radio was Rascal Flatt's "Love Who You Love," and I couldn't help but smile.  It was one of those moments where nothing matters.

I was exhausted, but I didn't know it then.
I was hungry, but my stomach didn't growl.
I was missing my family, but I felt perfectly content.
There were dishes to do and laundry to fold when I got home, and yet I was at ease.

As life's frustrations had momentarily stepped out of my mind, my heart was completely overfilled with joy.  Here I was, standing in the gym that shaped me into the person I am, helping the next generation of collegiate athletes to reach their potential.  The energy was high and I felt electric, like I was in EXACTLY the right place in that moment.

So often, particularly in the rush that is this time of year, we lose sight of the little things- Like the pure joy that can be felt by sharing something you love with the people you love.  My advice for today... don't take anything or anyone for granted.  LOVE WHO YOU LOVE, AND SAY THAT YOU DO!

Love True-
Allison

Rascal Flatts- "Love Who You Love"

I should have stolen every moment
Now there's a page
With not enough on it
Where we belong
I guess I'll never understand it
Why do we take it all for granted
Until it's gone
'Cause then it's gone

Love who you love
With all that you have
And don't waste the time
That flies so fast
Love who you love
And say that you do
Hold on as tight as they'll let you
Love who you love

Give all you've got
Like it's your last day
Your heart and soul
Before it's too late
And pull them in so close
Enough that they can feel it
With every single breath that 
You're breathing
Breathe it in again and again

Love who you love
With all that you have
And don't waste the time
That flies so fast
Love who you love
And say that you do
Hold on as tight as they'll let you
Love who you love

Hold on, hold on

Yeah, love who you love
Say that you do -- yeah

Love who you love
With all that you have
And don't waste the time
That flies so fast
Love who you love
And say that you do
Hold on as tight as they'll let you
Love who you love

Yeah, love
Love who you love
Say that you do
Hold on, keep on holdin' on -- yeah
Yeah, with every single breath
You're breathing

What the @$*%???

Eating lunch at the office... because, let's face it, I rarely leave my work environment... I sometimes peruse the Twittisphere, check up on Facebook, or snap chat with my friends from all over the country. Yesterday was one of those days.  I was catching up on social media when all of a sudden, I came across a tweet from a sweet friend I met through Team True Beauty.  Brooke, is my cyber friend, and though we have never physically met, we share a bond through our devotion to writing and our passion for promoting eating disorder awareness and dispel the media's beliefs that zero is in fact a size.

Brooke's tweet was a link to an article, a disgusting, misogynistic article titled, "5 Reasons to Date a Girl with an Eating Disorder" - Yep. That's right.  Someone had to audacity to write out five reasons why he has enjoyed dating girls with an eating disorder... sick, twisted, and selfish reasons why his perverse mind thinks that this illness is a benefit to him both monetarily and sexually.  Here are his five asinine reasons- and my unfiltered initial responses to them (okay, so I filtered it a little bit):

1. Her obsession over her body will improve her overall looks.
-Because sunken cheeks, greyed skin, yellow teeth and a permanent frown help her to feel beautiful. Really? Pull your head out of your ass. 

2. She costs less money.
-Seriously, douchebag, you're going there?  Not every person with an eating disorder orders water for dinner at a restaurant.  Most people try their damn-est to act normal in public... even though it sometimes kills them on the inside.  

3. She is fragile and vulnerable.
-So are you. Clearly, you are hurting in some way and enjoy demeaning someone else's mental illness instead of facing your own demons.  

4. She probably has money of her own. 
-No, eating disorders are not white collar-female-exclusive.  Get over yourself. Just because she is sick, doesn't mean she is rich, or will buy you presents to keep you happy.  Sick, dude... sick.  

5. She's better in bed.
-"Crazy girls are better in the sack"- this doesn't even deserve a response.  Crazy... you know what's really crazy... the fact that people are actually reading the trash you post on line.  I wonder if any of the guys who read your blog, actually have significant others that can stand to be around them- I know that if I caught my husband or boyfriend taking your words seriously, he would find an express train right out of my life.  Sorry, buddy- no chick is ever going to fall for your bull shit.  

So those were my initial responses to his words.  To be honest, I struggled a little bit with a few additional four letter words tossed around here and there.  I love the freedom I feel when I am blogging, though I cannot imagine using my blog to spread a horrifying message in this way.  I spent about a day being absolutely outraged by this article, and then I realized that a man of this intelligence level, someone who runs his ignorant mouth about a disease he clearly knows nothing about, absolutely does NOT deserve one bit of my time or frustration.  He is not worth it.  Not one bit.  So, after I click the "publish" button on this blog post, I will think of him no more.  I will not get upset by him or his words and I will continue to promote a healthy body image to my athletes, and spread the wonderful words of Team True Beauty in the same ways I always have.  People like this do not deserve the attention they get, so though I have given him his 15 seconds of fame on my blog, I hope he can understand that there is such a thing as "bad press."- As a matter of fact, I think he's earned himself quite a bit of it.

So, here's to sharing a positive message of self-worth and self-respect with our girls... help them to believe they are beautiful, and to OWN their own skin... because that, my friends, is what MY blog is all about.

Love True-

Allison

Made in America

My parents were high school sweethearts.  I mean, my parents are high school sweethearts.  I grew up knowing that love was the most important thing in the world, and that honesty and trueness to one another can be a beautiful thing.

I feel the number of lasting high school sweethearts in this world is dwindling.  It's sad to me, because I have seen this kind of love and I know the power of this kind of love.  A love that starts with complete innocence and wonder... it is the stuff that dreams are made of, the kind of love we all long for.

Last week, I had the privilege of standing by one of my best friends as she married her high school sweetheart.  Their love was just as true and innocent as it was 10 years ago... when he was too afraid to put his arm around her on the couch during their first date.  ;)  -- sorry, Mike!

Flash back 9 years...

It was spring, and I had waited until the last minute to decide I would be attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for college in the fall.  I was planning to try collegiate gymnastics.  After two ACL reconstructions, I had no idea if I could hack it in college gymnastics.  I had no idea what was expected of me, and I had no idea if my body could handle it... but I couldn't wonder about it either.  I needed to know for sure.

Freshman Year at UWW. After we
received our competition leotards.

So, Whitewater it was.  I had made my decision to travel 2 hours North of my little bubble and give it my best shot.  One day, as I was working on homework, I got a phone call from a girl named Angel.  She was also planning on trying out for the gymnastics team, and wanted to know if I'd like to be her roommate.  We talked for a grand total of about 2 and a half minutes... and decided... what the hell? Let's be roommates!  I remember my mom asking me afterwards, "That's it??  Just like that, you're roommates?"  And I said, "Well, it's either Angel, or a random... at least I've heard her voice!"

And so it began... a friendship that would quickly turn into one of the tightest bonds I have ever known.  Very quickly we latched on to one another.  Angel introduced me to scary movies... and a social life, while I was there to remind her that we did have homework to do every once in a while.  She taught me a lot about life... and while I didn't have a very successful dating life in college, I had the lucky circumstance of watching her develop hers.  She and Mike went through hell and back together... LITERALLY...

Mike came to college with us, then went home, then went to bootcamp, then came home, then went to Iraq, then finally came home.  Seriously... he went to hell and back.

I've seen them together and I've seen them apart.  And I can honestly say that they are much better together... :)

I have watched them become parents and overcome one obstacle after another.  They are incredible parents, by the way.

I have been on the giving end of advice to both, and on the receiving end of advice from both... and I
can honestly say, I've been so blessed to have them by my side and on my side... and also to let me know when my side is a little off.

I guess what I am trying to say is that Angel and Mike are some pretty wonderful people, some amazing friends, and some inspiring parents.

Their wedding day was remarkable.  A beautiful, October day, with gorgeous fall leaves (thank you, Jesus) and the sun shining bright.  I have so many tremendous memories from that day... but I'm going to share just a few of my favorites.

Our 7am hair and make up call was definitely early, but the girls in red found a way to make it a blast.  Angel, Ashley and I had some fun taking selfies in front of the mirror, proving that we will never get over our college quirks, and that the roommate bond is way tighter than anyone gives it credit for!

I couldn't see Angel as she emerged to walk down the aisle.  I could, however, see Mike's face as he saw his bride at the end of the walk.  The look on his face, that grin... is something I will never forget.  I could literally see his future flash before his eyes... and it looked good.

Watching Angel's dad, Greg, give her away was also priceless.  As I expected, he was bawling... handing over his only daughter, his beautiful princess, to the man of her dreams was a moment I know he had been anxiously waiting for.  Mike has been a part of the Simonini family for years, but the beauty in this moment, watching the little girl become a wife, was truly touching.

Celebrating my beautiful friend on
the day her dreams came true! 

The rest of the ceremony, the photo ops, the dinner, the speeches, the singing (yes... we sing at Simonini events), the dancing were amazing.  Angel and Mike were simply glowing, and Dylan was having a ball celebrating his mom and dad.  But it was the last song that final knocked me over with emotion.

As Mike has spent a great deal of the last few years of his life in the Marine Corps, you can imagine the amount of patriotism that was buzzing about the room.  Decked out in his Dress Blues, the groom was the perfect image of the Corps.  When we knew it was the last song, the entire group on the dance floor huddled around this couple, showering them with love.  The DJ played "Made in America" by Toby Keith, and I lost it.

Standing there, with one of my best friends, her high school sweetheart - a US Marine- and their beautiful little boy, I couldn't help but think... This is what life is all about.  This is what it means to be blessed.  This is what it means to be loved.  This is what it means to live the American Dream.

Congratulations to my forever friend, my wonderful roommate, teammate and sister.  I love you more than I can say, and I am so happy you have found your "Happily Ever After."

Love True-
Allison

Angel, Mike and their beautiful son, Dylan.  Congratulations, Campese Family! <3

"He loves his wife and she’s that wife
That decorates on the Fourth of July
But says 'Every day's Independence Day'
She's golden rule, teaches school,
Some folks say it isn't cool
But she says the Pledge of Allegiance anyway.

He's got the red, white, and blue flyin' high on the farm
Semper Fi tattooed on his left arm
Spend a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says ‘USA’
He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix,
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudiced, he's just made in America

Born in the Heartland, raised up a family
Of King James and Uncle Sam

He's got the red, white, and blue flyin' high on the farm
Semper Fi tattooed on his left arm
Spend a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says ‘USA’
He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix,
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudiced, he's just made in America" <3 ya, Mikey! 

365 Days

My favorite picture of Avery, stolen from
Bridget's Facebook, is so beautiful. 

365 days.

It's been 365 days since our God Girl went home.
It feels like yesterday when I got the text message.  It was a Thursday, I was sitting in my 11am class.  There was a presenter giving a lecture to the 140 students that I taught each Thursday.  All the text said was, "I just sent you a terrible email."  It was from one of my GymHawks moms.  I didn't know what to make of it, so I checked my email on my phone.  The email contained a link to a newspaper article and the statement, "word is, they were coming home from gymnastics."  Confused, I clicked on the link to the article, and immediately, my world started spinning.

11 year old---Dies----Car Accident------Delavan Girl--------Hwy 89

Those words flashed through my brain like a strobe light.  AVERY.  I knew it.  Immediately, my heart stopped beating.  At least it may as well have.  I left my class mid presentation.  I couldn't breathe.  I walked to the next building over on campus, I think it took me 6 seconds to scale two flights of stairs and a 600 foot corridor.  I walked in to our registration office and (not very nicely) demanded that they bring up all Delavan residents enrolled in gymnastics on their computer.  There were three names on the list... only one fit the profile described in the article... Avery.

Her "gymnast of the month"picture
from the GymHawks Newsletter in
October 2011.

I left quickly, unable to cry, still unable to breathe, and walked back to my class.  I slipped back in the door and sat down at the back of the lecture hall, still to the world, just me and my racing mind.  I texted my boss, who has never been just a "boss" to me, she has been a coach, a mentor and a friend-- I forwarded her the email and told her what I had heard, and again, I snuck out of my classroom to pace the hallway.

The rest of the day was a blur.  There was a luncheon for athletics, (which happened to be today as well), and I remember sitting there, completely numb.  I don't remember who was there, I don't remember what was said, I just remember staring in to space.  I couldn't eat, I still couldn't breathe and I sure as hell couldn't focus on anything but seeing those blue eyes again.

We had calls in to the Whitewater police, the county police and teachers in the Delavan school district.  No one could tell me the words I knew were coming, but dreaded to hear.

Finally, a friend at the Delavan High School texted me back, and listed the names of the girls she had heard were in the car.  There it was in plain text on my phone... "Avery McCarthy."

I praise God, that my friend snapped
 this picture of us together at camp
in 2012.  She was one of the hardest
working gymnasts I've ever coached.

I don't remember the events that followed.  I went to practice with my kids... left the gym more than once to catch my breath... and sent them home to their parents.  I don't remember the collegiate practice that day.  I don't remember coming home, or going to bed, or getting up the next morning.  I don't remember leaving for the Dells (we had a team trip that weekend) or driving the 2 hours up to the Dells.   Somehow, I just arrived there.

The first thing I remember is arriving at the Wilderness resort.  I got out of my car and walked into the hotel.  I walked around the water park, the arcade, and the bar.  I seriously considered getting a drink, but thought it might ease the tears I had so forcefully been holding back.

I settled for coffee.  I sat with my cup in the lobby of the hotel, and I remember hating all of the happy families that were walking by.  With their goofy floaties, pool toys and long tickets from the arcade games, their happy faces just seemed so wrong.  Didn't they know that my heart was breaking, didn't they know about this perfect little family whose world just crumbled?  Apparently they didn't... and it frustrated me incessantly that they were able to hold their children tight, while Bridget would never hold her baby girl again.

It wasn't fair.

And then, she called me.  That sweet, ridiculously sarcastic, and all around wonderful human being, called me.  Me.  I felt (in that moment, and still to this day) so unworthy that she would call me to tell me that on the way home from gymnastics last night, Avery and Jadrian were in an accident, and "Avery didn't make it"- didn't make it... those words will be forever burned into my ears.  Not, Avery "didn't make it" to school on time, or Avery "didn't make it" to the concert she wanted to go to. No... Avery just "didn't make it."

I remember bits and pieces of that conversation, and I remember I didn't cry.  I remember thinking, Dear Lord, please watch over this wonderful Mama going through the most unimaginable pain.  And then I remember hanging up with her.  I immediately rose from my chair in the hotel lobby and made my way for the door.  It was probably only 25-30 feet from where I stood, and yet I could NOT get out of there fast enough.  I hit the cold, October air and it was like an ocean of tears washed over me.  As I ran to my car I couldn't fathom what was happening.  My brain ceased to function and all I could do was sit in the car and drown in the tears that refused to stop falling.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Avery has inspired many of my GymHawks to reach out to
the community.  Here they are with Bridget at a fundraiser
raising money for Averyday Ministries.  

Flash forward 364 days...

That little ribbon means
the world to me. It hasn't
missed a meet.

Avery is with me every single day.  I am always carrying that little girl with the bright blue eyes, and crazy curly permed hair who loved gymnastics... and Jesus, with me... AVERYday.  You see, Avery taught me so much about life, and about myself.  I've always been a dreamer, I see the best in people and have always had a hard time dealing with life's realities.  Losing Avery helped me to grow up. (and not in a bad way... the most perfect way possible)  I still don't feel old enough to comprehend the true enormity of loss, but Avery is guiding me through that.  Learning more about Avery, (through her mom's beautifully written blog) has helped me to reaffirm my faith in Christ (something I lost sight of as I was going through the darkness of my eating disorder).  I'm probably one of hundreds who have fallen on their knees and given themselves up to Jesus in the past year because of Avery's devotion.  The more we learn about her, the more we want to emulate her and the way that she lived her inspiring, yet short life.  I can't even tell you how often we speak of her at GymHawks.  When one of my girls is struggling, (particularly on bars) I always tell them to have faith because Avery is watching out for them... Avery's best event was bars.  Almost instantly, these little girls go from being afraid to radiating confidence knowing that they have an angel looking out for them.   The purple ribbon I got at her funeral comes with me to every competition and the little girls ask me frequently if they can rub it... like its their lucky rabbit's foot or something.

There is not a day that goes by where I don't think of Avery, or her mom, or her BEAUTIFUL big sister Jadrian.  They have welcomed me into their life, and I pray that they know how much that it means to me.  They will forever be in my heart, and this day... no matter how many years go by... will always be with me.

Carrying our God Girl with me &
every day she helps me grow in my faith.
"I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my
help come from? My help comes from the Lord,
 the maker of Heaven and Earth."
 Psalm 121  

I wish, with every fiber of my being, that I could be there for the balloon release tomorrow.  My heart aches knowing what the event symbolizes, and I know there are several other members of the UW-Whitewater Gymnastics family who wish the could be there as well.  I'll be sending my own message up to Avery tomorrow... and pray like crazy that she knows how much I miss her, and how her wonderful heart is living here each and every day because of what she taught us.  Averyday I give thanks for knowing her, because she has made me a better coach, a better sister, a better daughter, a better friend and a better Christian.

Thank you, God Girl, for your continued guidance and never ending comfort.  I know you are with us each and Avery day... ;) I promise, we are doing our best to live in your example.

Love True-
Allison

A Life That's Good

I love music.  Beautiful words strung together with a melody that can melt your soul is simply the perfect medicine for a rough day... or month.

Sometimes life gets hard and complicated and the stresses consume me.  I'm not the type to shake it off and roll on.  Believe me... I wish I were.  Funny thing is, many people don't know this about me.  Sometimes it feels like every little task or minor stressor is hanging like a charm bracelet- a very LARGE, and heavy charm bracelet- around my neck, just pulling me down.  For those who know me well, they can often tell when I start to reach a breaking point.  I get short tempered, I stop sleeping at night and I'm not nice (to those who know me well).  To those who don't know me well... I just seem like Al.

The past month of my life has been hard.  I'm a people pleaser to the core, and when I upset someone... and I do mean ANYONE, I turn in to mush.  Seriously, folks, if I knew the neighbors hamster had ill feelings toward me, I'd probably need a Xanax.


Through the craziness of the last month and the emotional roller coaster that I have very un-willingly stepped on, I have had a few moments of clarity.  As I sat at home tonight trying to get caught up on the pile of work that I can never seem to make a dent in, I had the TV show Nashville on in the background (DVR'd of course, because I watch everything late as HELL).  As the episode came to a resolution the two youngest characters (the Stella sisters... who are AMAZING) began to sing.  Lennon and Maisy Stella caught my undivided attention as they sang these words:

Sitting here tonight

By the fire light

It reminds me

I already have more than I should

I don't need fame

No one to know my name

At the end of the day

Lord I pray 

I have a life thats good.

Two arms around me

Heaven to ground me 

and a family that always calls me home

Four wheels to get there 

Enough love to share

And a sweet sweet sweet song

At the end of the day

Lord i pray

I have a life that's good.

Sometimes I'm hard on me

When dreams don't come easy

I wanna look back and say

I did all that I could

At the end of the day

Lord I pray

I have a life that's good.

Two arms around me 

Heaven to ground me

and a family that always calls me home

Four wheels to get there

enough love to share

and a sweet sweet sweet song

At the end of the day

Lord I pray

I Have a life that's good

At the end of the day

Lord I pray

I have a life that's good.

After hearing the song, I immediately bought it on iTunes, listened to it 5 times and started to write.  You see, I've been a little bit blocked with working as much as I have, and trying to sort through the things going on in my brain. When I'm stressed I don't sleep well, and when I don't sleep well, I don't work well, and when I don't work well, I get even more stressed... and so the cycle continues.  Tonight, that song reminded me of all of the wonderful things I have in my life; the people I have been blessed with, the opportunities I have been given, the athletes I have the privilege of working with, the fact that I am alive and able to go to work every day...

Those are all gifts to my life.  My life is good.  And though sometimes it seems like it is too much, it does me well to remember that God would not bring me to it, if He didn't believe I could get through it."  It's not always easy to remember that, especially in the day to day... but it's true.  And I thank God for that song that came at just the right moment tonight.  That song, did me a whole lot of healing... and I pray that it can help heal you too. 

Love True-

Allison

Psalm 121

"I lift my eyes to the hills-
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The maker of Heaven and Earth.

He will not let your foot slip-
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you-
The Lord is your shade at your right hand;
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm-
He will watch over your life;
The Lord will watch over your coming and going,
both now and forevermore. "

These words mean so much to me now.  So much so, that in April, I had the verse "Psalm 121" with a cross tattooed in white across my wrist.  Not many people know it is there.  In fact, I think that the majority of people I know have never even seen it.  But I know it is there.  It is a constant reminder of the little girl who led me to Jesus.  The little girl who taught me what it means to trust and what it truly means to love.  Avery would have turned 12 today... just one day before I turn 27.  We used to chat about our birthdays and compare our presents (her's were usually epic- like a perm in her hair or a whole day with her mom)  I've known a lot of people in my life who have had October 5th as a birthday, and I always felt a little special place in my heart for those "almost birthday twins."  I'm not sure why.  Avery was no exception.

Tonight I get to celebrate Avery's birthday and her life in extraordinary fashion.  Her beautiful, wonderful, amazing mother is throwing a birthday bash to top all birthday bashes!  It will be an amazing celebration of Avery's life and generosity, and will kick off The 19 Days!  For the 19 days between Avery's birthday and the anniversary of her death, her mother is asking that we all participate in 19 Random Acts of Kindness.  Give a hug, send a letter, or let someone go first in the check out line... what ever you can do to spread cheer and happiness.  Avery wanted to make the world a better place, so we're going to try to do that, one smile at a time.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Angel!  We miss you down here!

Love True,
Allison