November 5, 2022

Happy Birthday my love!

Today—November 5th, 2022, Annette would have turned 65. She died just 80 days shy of this. Birthdays, along with our anniversary, were the holidays we celebrated most. Thoughtful cards, a hike, a good meal, a glass of wine, just being together and focusing on our life with and love for each other made these days very special. I was blessed to celebrate 41 of her birthdays with her.

For these reasons and more, I think today is going to be difficult for me. Fortunately, my sister Heidi is flying in this morning, so I won’t be spending this day alone. What a terrific gift. I am surrounded by so many very thoughtful and helpful people and their kindness helps so much. Thank you!

Last year Annette and I spent her birthday in our van driving from a Seattle doctor’s appointment en route to Colorado to visit Heidi’s family. We ended up that day at a BLM campground in NE California a couple hours north of Reno. We were the only campers there that night, and we had a great time. I’ve reposted some photos and a video of Annette below celebrating this special day.

Birthday Presents:

In my post back in August a week after her passing, I said I would list some organizations Annette believed in. I know she would be honored if you were to send a donation to one or more of these as a birthday gift and in memory of her life. I’ve listed four—they are in no particular order.

ROOM TO READ. Annette was passionate about the value and importance of early childhood literacy to a lifetime of success. Room to Read envisions a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to be fulfilled and make positive change – in their families, communities and the world. Their mission is to transform the lives of millions of children through education, creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality.

UNITED WAY OF NORTH IDAHO. Annette was not just passionate, she was an active advocate of preparing children for a lifetime of success. Her work with United Way as an AmeriCorps volunteer enabled her to help create and implement evidenced-based programs teaching parents how to help their children develop the basic school readiness tools: letters and sounds, math and reasoning and social and emotional skills. Annette also authored an activity book “Launch Into Learning” that is given to parents through their 'Ready! For Kindergarten' programs. If you donate to UWNI, be sure to note that you would like the funds to go to reprinting her book and/or this program.

NATIONAL OVARIAN CANCER COALITION. The mission of the NOCC is to save lives through the prevention and cure of ovarian cancer and to improve quality of life for survivors and their caregivers. Since their beginnings in 1991, the NOCC has grown from an impassioned grassroots effort into a major force in raising awareness. They support survivors and caregivers, and fund research to advance treatment and find a cure. NOCC partners with Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Gynecologic Oncology Group and the University of Arizona Cancer Center, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to support and fund research on improving the lives and survival of those with ovarian cancer.

TEAM SURVIVOR NW. Team Survivor’s mission is to empower women who have had a cancer diagnosis to survive and thrive through fitness, health and wellness services. TSNW provides fitness and health resources at no cost to women in the Puget Sound area who have been diagnosed with cancer. Programs include certified instructor-led classes, walking and hiking opportunities, dragon boating, triathlon training, cycling, and mountain climbing. Since its inception 26 years ago, TSNW has helped thousands of women cancer survivors to not just survive, but thrive.

Through her own experience, Annette knew how valuable being active, hiking, XC skiing, cycling and more were to her own quality of life. Just eight months ago she hiked more than 100 challenging miles (slot canyons, sand dunes, cross country on slickrock) in a couple weeks, and many of you donated to her hustle for this organization. I may be doing this in her memory in the future, so you may get another chance to donate later on.

Some would say Annette lost her battle with cancer but, in reality, the opposite is true. She beat cancer by how she lived--with joy, optimism, compassion, courage, and gratitude. To her, a full life filled with purpose was more important than a long one, and she packed a lot of life into her years! Happy birthday my dear best friend! I miss you...

“It’s not the years in your life that matter, but the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln