Please excuse the appearances.

Everyone was feeling a little gamey today, so I really appreciate Ami Fox for agreeing to appear in front of the camera (Jon and Kerry didn’t have a choice).

I would say more about how excited the donations have made us, but I’m running out of words to use and my brain is angry at me for all the martinis, shots and vodka I consumed last night. So let me be brief in saying: wow, wow, WOW.

I say a few more words here:

And now, feast your ears on this story told by the fabulous Ms. Fox:

b.

PS. There are still two days left to donate, please pass the info on to others.  Let’s see how out of hand this little drive can get!

Wedding Stories…

You work hard for nine months or more to create the perfect wedding. One that everyone will remember. And no doubt, everyone will remember something about your wedding. It just might not be what you were hoping.

And a sidenote to finally find Nate & Denise’s reception, I walked into a gas station and asked, “If there was a wedding reception in this town, where would it be?” We finally found it. Also, the trashy motel…totally the inspiration for many a horror movie. And the trashy dance bar after Moose & Megann’s wedding was called Joker’s. Which says alot just in the name.

Again, we cannot stress enough how shocked and amazed and humbled by the response to this little fundraiser. We were totally intimidated (inferiority complex, much?) by the original $500 goal. I can’t believe $1000 is something we’re even considering. Thank you!

To go along with that, I got this message today from an old friend of mine and actually, she was e1’s first crush. HOW CUTE IS THAT?? So. Cute. Plus she’s a super sweet adorable little lady. Almost eight years ago, she had her twins. At the time I remember hearing that her pregnancy had complications. Today I got a message from her, and it turns out, she had Preeclampsia as well:

I had severe preeclampsia when I was pregnant with my twin daughters causing them to be born 10 weeks earlier. They weighed in at a whopping 1# 11oz. and 2# 8oz. 7 years (almost 8 in 1 wk) they are feisty as ever. But what a scary time for myself and my family. Not all were sure I was going to make it thru the night after delivery to see my daughters.

Can you imagine? Falling in and out of consciousness and wondering if you will ever wake up to see your brand new baby girls. THIS is why we’re doing this.

Sara and her girls. Super cute Preeclampsia survivors!

c.

A little note from Shelly’s Dad. (aka “stupid john”)

This little email was so funny, I just had to share it with you all.  I sent him a note asking for a little help on what exactly happened at the Warner residence that morning.  This is what he wrote back:

Gee- thanks for refreshing my memory. The Great Garage Door Debacle.

I thought the world was coming to an end! Shelly went into Save the Day mode. Except she forgot one small detail- “before backing the vehicle out of the garage, make certain garage door is open!” She had hit the door so hard (trying to drive as fast in reverse as she did forward) I had to use the tractor with the loader bucket to push it back from the outside before I could disassemble the door to get the car out. And I believe the car was the red 4-door Cavalier (You know- the one with the grass hanging from the front bumper (that’s another story)). Need any more detail?

Stupid John

And while we’re here, her little sister commented about that story and a few more on my facebook page:

Oh and I remember that morning. I remember waking up to a big bang and hearing Shelly come in the house all upset. She was not a happy camper when I came downstairs and started laughing at her silliness.

One of my fave Shelly bad driving moments was when Sarah K. told me about how she jumped the curb while driving Sarah to her bachelorette party. You know how she was always in a rush and this was pre-drinking.

I got a better one. We were driving my dads truck down Kimberly and Shelly was doing something that distracted her(big surprise). Well she didn’t notice that all the cars in front of her were stopping until I exclaimed some sort of warning. In order to avoid rear ending the car in front she had to put the truck up on the median in front of K’s.

Yep, always in a rush. Makes a lot more sense now.

b.

PS. time to raise our goal to $1,000! can you say shocked and amazed? C. will be posting soon with roll call and her story of the day.

Story #3: Driving is hard.

This week is off to a rockin’ start. Thanks so much for the donations! When c. and I were choosing a goal, we were a little intimidated by $500. The fact that we accomplished our goal in only 2.5 days is a testament to YOU all. I can’t wait to see how much we raise by the end of the week.

On with the show.  I’m not going to say “without further ado” because I seem to say that much too often. Presenting one of my favorite shelly stories:

Due to the “one take rule”, I have some corrections to make.  It was junior year of high school, not senior.  Also, I’m pretty sure “Stupid John” actually jumped into high speed mode and unhinged the garage door so Shelly could get out.  But I could be wrong on that.  Either way, ridiculous and awesome.

b.

Meet my alter ego, Coutnee

First of all, let me say that you, dear readers, are uh-mazing. For reals. In only two and a half days, you have helped us come thisclose to reaching our goal.* So close, in fact, we are raising our goal to $800!! THANK YOU! Who knew a silly little blog run by a couple of socially awkward sisters would attract such rad people. Rad people who have helped us raise an amount we thought to be pretty big in a ridiculously short amount of time. Just goes to show the power one person can have on so many people’s lives. Thanks you all so much for honoring the person Shelly was!

So, my story…bet you didn’t know I had an alter ego. Her name is Coutnee (notice the lack of an ‘r’) and she is…a little rough around the edges. And a bit vulgar. And possibly related to a cheeto-loving-head-shaving-barefoot-public-bathroom-visiting pop star.

b. will be checking in later today with a new story and a roll call of all you awesome kids who have donated so far.

Don’t forget, our fundraising push lasts all week! Here are three different ways you can contribute:

1. SmartyPig. This is our preferred option, but you will be charged a very small fee (usually less than a dollar). Also, the money is moved into the account after two days so it’d still be great if you could email us at fifty2.resolutions@gmail.com and let us know that you’ve donated. That way, our progress will be up to date.

2. Preeclampsia.org. If you choose this option, please fill it out like this:

“Tribute gift” in memory of Shelly Warner Bridgewater, in honor of Fifty2Resolutions

Also, please email us and let us know how much you donated.

3. Paypal. The only reason to use this option is if you’re donating less than $10. In this case just go to paypal.com and send funds to fifty2.resolutions@gmail.com

c.

*the Smarty Pig meter on the side is a little deceiving as it only shows how close we are to the goal using that particular donation method.

Life Story #1: Need a Rubber? (and donation stuff)

Okay, first of all…this video is bad. But we’ve limited our stories to one take. If we had more than that, all the fun of repeating ourselves over and over would be gone. If you get through this thing and don’t know what continent I was on, you crazy.

Before we get into the story, I want to clarify the donation process. There are three ways to donate:

1. SmartyPig. This is our preferred option, but you will be charged a very small fee (usually less than a dollar). Also, the money is moved into the account after two days so it’d still be great if you could email us at fifty2.resolutions@gmail.com and let us know that you’ve donated. That way, our progress will be up to date.

2. Preeclampsia.org. If you choose this option, please fill it out like this:

“Tribute gift” in memory of Shelly Warner Bridgewater, in honor of Fifty2Resolutions

Also, please email us and let us know how much you donated.

3. Paypal. The only reason to use this option is if you’re donating less than $10. In this case just go to paypal.com and send funds to fifty2.resolutions@gmail.com

Without further ado, here’s my story du jour:

b.

Smart Little Piggy.

Sorry to change things up a bit, but we want to use this fabulous little savings tool called Smarty Pig. Why? If you care the reasons are below:

1. The people who came up with the concept are from Iowa and we love Iowa.

2. They don’t charge any fees. PLUS you gain interest over time. (Ok, just found out they charge a very small fee. If the fee bugs you too much, go ahead and donate at preeclampsia.org site and make sure it’s a tribute gift in memory of Shelly Warner Bridgewater and in honor of Fifty2Resolutions. Also, let us know how much you donate so we can track).

3.  It’s an easy way to get people to contribute…cute little emails and stuff.

4.  We can display our progress right here on our blog site.

5. We’ll still get the satisfaction of handing over one big check to the Preeclampsia Foundation.

You can still donate through the preeclampsia site if you desire, just let us know so we can add it our pot of savings.

For now just click below to contribute. Eventually I’ll figure out how to get the cute little widget on our sidebar:

https://www.smartypig.com/friends-goals/bd866735-4bfa-4b65-9f93-c32a761af945

Thanks for your patience!

b.

** We’ve transferred donations we’ve already received into this account. It will show up in a few days.

First donation of the day…

came from this one:

Shelly's daughter: Hailey Bridgewater (and her friend, Santa)

Thank you Hailey (and Brad and Michelle). You’ve caused a lump in my throat that reminds me how lucky I am to have you all in my life.

The message included reads:

Hailey is giving some of her Christmas money to Mommy Shelly.

(I’ll give you a minute to wipe the tear off your cheek).

Hailey is the reason to donate. We may’ve lost Shelly, but this little girl keeps us smiling and hoping for a better answer to Preeclampsia.

Check your laundry. Any crumpled dollars in there? Donate that. Every bit counts.

Thanks,

b.

PS. UPDATE ON DONATION INFO:

Our favorite way for you to donate is Smarty Pig, click this link . With Smarty Pig, we aren’t charged any fees. It also keeps track of our goal in a cute pig form.

You can also donate here . Be sure to make it a “tribute gift” in memory of Shelly Warner Bridgewater, in honor of fifty2resolutions. And send us a copy of the receipt so we’ll know how close we are to our goal (and also how cool you are). Geez, enough bizness talk.

Resolution #51: Get rid of pocket change

So after last week’s monstrosity, it’s time to do something nice. for someone nice.

If you knew Shelly,  you most likely borrowed money from her at one time or another.  She pretty much forced it upon you. If someone was sitting in West High Cafeteria without a lunch, he/she was quickly showered with mushy fries and a burrito in the time it takes a spastic blond to walk back through the line with an extra $1.50.

Let’s give back. Sure, we all just spent our allowance on gifts for the ones we love, but how about the little loves who may not have a chance to experience a Christmas gift? I don’t wanna get too dramatic here, but even couch cushion money can help.

We’re getting down to our final two weeks and would love to feel like we’ve made some sort of difference. We’ve already had a few generous donations in the last week or so and it means the world to us.

Our Resolution:

As you know, c. and I don’t like selling things. We don’t like asking for money. And we really don’t like talking to strangers. But this week, that’s what we’ll be doing. Our goal is to raise $500 for Preeclampsia. Please help us in any way you can. Perhaps you’ll receive a nice haiku in return. Or a bundt cake.

As we’ve learned from friends like Jerry Lewis, you have to entertain people while taking their money. So to keep things fun and to celebrate what this blog is really about, we’ll be featuring our favorite stories about life each day (via youtube). You’ll hear our stories, plus the stories of our brave friends who agree to be videotaped. Hooray for everyone!

If you have one you’d like to tell us, please email: fifty2.resolutions@gmail.com

b.

Our favorite way for you to donate is Smarty Pig, click this link . With Smarty Pig, we aren’t charged any fees. It also keeps track of our goal in a cute pig form.

You can also donate here . Be sure to make it a “tribute gift” in memory of Shelly Warner Bridgewater, in honor of fifty2resolutions. And send us a copy of the receipt so we’ll know how close we are to our goal (and also how cool you are). Geez, enough bizness talk.

Billie Jean is…

the longest freaking song in the history of the world. How did I not know this? The horror just kept going and going. More on that in a bit.

When b. and I first started our list of possible resolutions so many, many weeks ago, karaoke was one of the first things that came to mind. So I kept it to myself. There was no way it was gonna be my idea to sing publicly. I thought I was in the clear until one day I was reviewing the master list and notice it had crept on. And here we are.

Much like b., I was nervous all day. It was decided that the best way to cope with the feeling of moths and caterpillars doing battle in my stomach was to hose them down. With a margarita lunch. It worked rather well for a little while. But the nerves just kept creeping back in. A couple of mid-afternoon beers took a little bit of the edge off, but as I watched the clock creep closer and closer to my nightmare, my whole body became one big ball of jitters.

Ever since we decided this would be one of the last resolutions, I’ve been brainstorming song ideas. I quickly settled on Daydream Believer. I’ve loved it since I was a kid when b., Gedean and I saw the video on vh1. We wondered who that weird-looking new band was and were mesmerized by the little dance Davy Jones did. (Axl Rose totally stole his moves from a Monkee, by the way) Yes, we thought those young shaggy kids were a new band. We also thought Chevy Chase sang “You Can Call Me Al.” As I drove home from work, I started rethinking it. Which completely freaked me out. Why would I change it up now? I’ve been planning it for months! Then Billie Jean shuffled up on my Ipod and I knew I had found my song.

Cut to later in the evening. We arrive at Hugh’s Jungle Room and beer and vodka were quickly applied to my ever-growing nervousness. I consulted with my karaoke coach, Amanda, on my song choice. She approved and filled out my paper and nicely set it in front of me. b. had warned me that I’d need someone else to turn it in for me because it would never, ever be the right time to do it. Amanda was up for that job, though I kept an eagle eye on her to make sure she didn’t go up to soon.

It took a while for the place to get going, which only prolonged my feelings of freaked-outedness. Amanda figured it was a good time to turn my sheet in. I was not pleased. But she’s good to me and made sure to tell the guy that I was not going to be the first person up there. At this point, I pretty much started hyperventilating. Like, seriously. I had to sit down and take a series of very, very deep breaths. Two songs, sang incredibly well, by the way, and now it’s my turn.

I’m a polite girl, so I immediately apologized to the entire bar for the disaster that was about to come down upon them. Now, b. gave me a couple of tips. One of them was, “there are no backup singers, so pay attention so you don’t miss the first couple of lines.” So what did I do? Well, after my awful, fake moonwalk and a kicky little ‘deal the cards’ move, I notice that I’ve completely missed the first two lines. Oops.

From there it continues to go downhill. There are a million more words in that song than I thought. Luckily the “People always told me..” and the main chorus were always there to get me back on track. And speaking of the chorus, sweet Christmas baby Jesus that thing repeats forever. And ever. (Thanks to all my rad peeps for piping in with all the MJ-style “WOOs!” and “HEYs!”) It was terrifyingly awful. And when I was done, I didn’t really even feel better. Because it was bad. So very bad. And for some crazy reason, I had already committed to posting this travesty on the internets. Needless to say, my karaoke career both began and ended all in one night.

So, here you go. Don’t let the dead-eyed Elvis tapestry, the appallingly bad singing or the stilted dance moves completely freak you out.

Special holiday high fives and chest bumps to Heather, Matt, Amanda, Tim, Denise, Nate, Hannah, George, Amber, Jeff, Chad, Jen, Amy, Nathan, Pat & Brenda for subjecting yourselves to something made of sadness and despair this close to the holidays. You are my heroes.

c.