Angelversary Announcemnt

It's been a while since I've written so it's probably going to be long. I'm sorry.
Elise would be 9 this year.  That seems so old, so long ago, and it is.  It's hard because there are no new memories to hold onto.  I look at my other kids and there are things they did last week or last year to remember in addition to 5, 7, 9 years ago.  But as I've said before, with Elise, all I have is all I have, so I cling to those memories of her....in my belly, in my arms, at her memorial.
But, in a way, I do have more.  I have her angelversary every year.  I have friends and strangers offer their thoughts and support.  Some offer what memory they have of the time surrounding Elise's life and death.  Some celebrate with us, but most of all so many just remember.  And that's all I want, because Elise's life is worth remembering.
For most of the years on her angelversary I have hosted a traditional birthday party at my home for anyone who wanted to come help us celebrate.  One year I hosted that big Bingo at the American Legion, remember that?  But the last 3 years or so life has gotten in the way (of everything) so the parties stopped and April 6 was no longer a planned event.  It became a "fly by the seat of our pants" day.  We've gone to Chuck E Cheese mostly.  Sometimes other places as well but for the most part it's only been me and the kids and maybe another immediate family member or two .  This year will be no different, except today is Friday, so we're gonna celebrate alllllllllll weekend long!  Trampolines, movies, peep show, six flags, play places, maybe even a hotel stay (it's still a "fly by the seat of our pants" event)
But next year, next year will be 10 years.  That's a milestone, so I started thinking about 2 months ago that I wanted to do something bigger again.  Something more people can participate in.  Maybe even something they can participate in for their own reasons, not just for Elise, it will just be on Elise's birthday.  But that was as far as I got that first time thinking about it.
Later that night, that exact night, I got a text from Emily (my oldest daughter away at college) with a picture of a flyer she saw at her Cross Fit gym.  It was for a 5k in honor of a little boy who was stillborn to raise money for a Cuddle Cot for the local hospital.  Emily asked me if I knew anything about a Cuddle Cot.  Oddly enough, I had done some research on them not to long ago.  Someone wanted to donate one to the local hospital I volunteered at as a support group facilitator for bereaved parents.  Anyway, as we were discussing this I looked at the dates and my calendar on my phone and realized the kids and I would be able to travel to Virginia to participate in this run in late April.  That sounds like a great way for us to honor Elise.  As a matter of fact, a 5k sounds like a great idea for  next April as well!
So tonight, when the kids get home from school, before we head out to celebrate, they are getting a gift.  The gift of visiting their sister Emily at school in 2 weeks to run with her in a 5k honoring their sister Elise and a little boy named Finn Parker Urgo, whom we've never met, but I have a feeling Elise has!
I'm not anticipating anyone feeling moved enough to travel to Virginia to participate with us, but here is the link to the run in case you would like to donate to Finn's mother Lynnsey's  cause.

And keep your eyes out for info about a 5k on Saturday, April 6, 2019!

PS If anyone has ever done a 5k before and would like to help me get started, please let me know!  I need a place to have it and a place to donate the proceeds before I can really get the ball rolling!