As the birds chips and buds bloom

Well, it's been a while. I apologize if you have been coming here on a regular basis, looking for news or random thoughts. The main reason you haven't seen much of me lately is because I don't really have anything newsworthy to say. I have plenty of opinions and events going on in my own life, but none of them relate to Carol.

With the weather picking up (ok, maybe not this week) there will be fundraisers to plan for and information to share. I'll try to stay on top of things. For those of you involved with events, send me an email if you want anything posted.

So, we all weathered that looong, drawn out winter and have new life to look forward to. Spring is upon us and the warmth will soon be on our backs. This time of year reminds me of Carol a lot. There was a renewed energy when the days got nice and I could see Carol's smile light up the room when she walked into my office. The first thought that popped into our heads would be "what a great afternoon to be sitting outside with a bloody mary".

There still isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about Carol. I know that is the case for many. I still have times where I really need to pick up that phone to tell her something because she's the one that would understand. But, along with realizing that it's no longer an option, I also realize that it's OK. I understand that she was brought into my life for a reason. She has taught me so much about relationships, family and the priorities in life. Her knowledge and sense of humor enlightened me and changed my way of viewing things. I have learned to cherish the experiences and celebrate the gifts that Carol has given me.

Just a drop in the bucket

I recently spent some time with Tim Renzelmann, the VP of the SCCCF. You may remember this organization as being the one that Carol asked us to donate to at the time of her passing. They help out local cancer patients in time of need and have been able to really change some people's lives.

I did some database work for Tim last year, helping him track the donations and gestures that they receive. Every once in a while he calls for additional help and I'm happy to jump in where I can. I'm also making regular donations in Carol's memory. It seems like the very least I can do.

With tax season upon us I wanted to leave a gentle reminder to all that any donations made to the SCCCF are tax deductible. If you've made one in the past, or would like to make some in the future, please keep this in mind. It was important to Carol that other people in her shoes, but without the financial means, were able to find solace in the support coming from this fund.

If you'd like to remember Carol through ways of a donation, I know that Tim and the organization would greatly appreciate it. For me, I've decided to choose special days to make my donations, like her birthday, Cinco de Mayo and July 15th.

http://www.scccf.org/

Rated FG - feel good

I watched a movie last night called "Griffin & Phoenix". Absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it to those that love a 'real' story with an ending that makes you think. I thought of Carol a few times during the movie. Actually, a lot of times. Rent it...

Happy birthday dear Carol...happy birthday to you!

Mary:

I've been thinking and thinking about what I wanted to write and something that I hadn't thought about in a long time popped into my head the other day and I decided that must mean I should write about it. Being the big sister, it's sometimes hard for me to think of my younger siblings as adults. I always thought of Carol as that cute and sometimes-annoying little kid who used to tag along and get in the way and make a mess with her catalog paper dolls (there's another story...but I digress). Then came a day, probably in the late 80's sometime, when I was working in Bloomington and Carol was in the Twin Cities for some reason and she had a phone interview scheduled, so she came to my office to do the interview. I remember sitting in my office with her, sort of working, but mostly listening to her side of the interview. I remember thinking that she sounded so professional and confident, and that she had a lot of talents that I hadn't even realized she had. I think I told her when she was finished that I was really impressed and I would certainly hire her - at least I hope I told her.

Kathy:

I had a hard time coming up with one specific memory but I did want to say that I like to remember the healthy Carol who had just started dating Brian in the summer of '99. She was soooo happy and excited about what the future held. I really believe that was the happiest time in Carol's life and her joy - as always - was completely infectious. One more thing. I have this photo of Carol on my dresser (attached) and it makes me smile every time I look at it. If you haven't already chosen some photos, I'd love to share this one with those who haven't seen it. It's from the lunch she threw herself in January '06 to celebrate 5 years of survival. Some days I feel nothing but sadness about what the disease did to her, but other days I draw strength from how she handled it.

Wendy:

I have SO many memories of Carol, that I didn't know where to start. I will touch on one of them, and that is when my brother Tommy and I bowled with them on Halloween. Carol was such a cute cave woman. (Brian looked good, too!!) Tommy and I were clowns---boy did we fit the part. (That was Tommy's idea!!) I don't remember how we bowled, but all I know is that is one night I will never forget!!
I do remember all the Christmas gatherings with the family, no matter how Carol felt, she always managed to have a smile on her face, and I will cherish those smiles forever. I loved her Santa hat she wore one Christmas to keep her head warm. She was just SO festive!!
I miss her SO much and my heart aches for her. I know she is going to have a WONDERFUL Birthday & Christmas in heaven with Dad. (It's been 6 years now, and I still can't believe how much I miss him as well----I know it gets easier, but the emptiness is what is SO hard.

Denise:

Happy Birthday Carol!
There are so many moments thru the past 6 years of our friendship that I would love to share because I feel truly blessed that Carol was in my life. She truly has made a huge impact on my life and for that I want to share short memories tidbits that still bring a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling to me.
Bandana Sisters For Life! One of the first Fridays after Carol started at Muth she wore a bandana in her hair not knowing that I too had whipped one in mine. We thought that was so funny that we started wearing our bandanas every Friday together. We were branded the name “The Bandana Sisters.”
For awhile Carol and I would get our nails done together on our lunches. Those days were always one of my favorite monthly activities with her, aside from our “Girls Night Out” (GNO). I would always try to convince her to try a new nail color but her favorite was OPI “I am not really a waitress.” After she got sick and the nails came off, to cheer her up I purchased that color for her so she could ‘pretty’ her nails up.
When the days were long at work I would walk down to her office and ask if we could “Escape to the (Ford) Escape.” That phrase was used often by both of us.
A couple weeks or so before her wedding, Carol took me for a ride in her Corolla to show me the location of her wedding, which was still one of my all time favorite weddings.
After many conversations about the wedding hairdo, Carol asked if I would join her for her ‘trial run’. After 2 or so hours in the salon, we finally found the perfect style. *smiling* Carol was one beautiful bride.
In the summer months Carol and I would walk for a half hour on our lunches - occasionally she would send me an email:

From: Stecker, Carol

Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 2:06 PM

To: Morley, Denise

Subject: one foot in front of the other

Feel like taking a short walk around the block at about 2:30?

And off we would go. I think I enjoyed those walks the most because it gave us time to talk and catch up with each other.
After my husband and I purchased our house I would tell Carol about all the tulips that were blooming in our yard. She commented on how she loved tulips and wanted to plant some in her yard. So the next day I brought in some tulips to brighten up her office.
The stories could go on and on…Again, these are just some of the many memories I keep with me. Carol and I did have a lot of good laughs together. I miss her more and more every day. Happy Birthday Carol!!!!! I love you.

Sue:

One of my favorites was Christmas of '05. Dave had just been diagnosed with cancer and we were all gathering at Jerry and Bert's and pretending that we were in a festive mood. All of a sudden, from the basement of their house we heard bells jingling. Sounded just like Santa's sleigh bells. Carol bursts through the door wearing a Santa hat and jingling sleigh bells with her great bellow of "Merrry Christmas". She and Brian were to have arrived a few days later, but in true Carol style, she wanted to be with the family and offer her comfort and support to everyone. So she made the drive by herself and Brian flew in a couple of days later. That was just so like her. No matter how lousy she felt, she still took such an interest in others and in their day to day lives. I miss that so much.

Some of my other favorite memories are of when Dominic was born, and Carol allowing me to be in the delivery room with her. It was absolute hell watching her go through labor, and I swore that I would never have children of my own! But seeing that little boy come into this world is something that I will never forget. Then there are all the memories we shared when he was a babe and a toddler. We often laughed about how any times we took a trip in the car somewhere together, Dominic would ALWAYS fill his pants.

I could go on and on, and it feels good to do so. Maybe I need to start a journal and get some of these memories down. Carol always told me to write down the cute things that my kids say. She would always tell me "You think you'll remember them, but you won't". I don't ever want my wonderful memories of her to go away.

Thanks for encouraging us to remember the good times, KB. It has certainly been a rough 5 months, and I know there are many more crappy days ahead, but I do find myself dwelling more on the great times that we had, rather than just the crappy last few years. Afterall, that's what Carol would want me to do.

Bert:

My mom passed away on 12/5 so my family has been focused on that and trying to make it through the shock and sadness. I was talking with Jerry this morning about how similar my mother and Carol were: both feisty, fun-loving, smart, beautiful, strong women who had to fight a very horrible illness. As we celebrate Carol's birthday, I'll think about her in sadness but also in happiness as I remember all the gifts she gave to the world, most importantly the unending love she gave her family.

Kristi:

Where to start? Carol was my go-to gal. I shared my many problems with her and she was the first one I ran to in the morning when I had a funny story! She never judged me or my decisions. And even if she disagreed with something I did, she made me feel OK with it after we'd talk everything out. Our personalities were so similar it was scary! We loved the same foods, had common interests, shared the same wit and were both easily annoyed by poor grammar. We even finished each other's sentences at times. I opened myself up to her and never felt vulnerable.

A few key moments in our time together:

• New York. The best vacation of my life. The destination and the company I kept. And I can't thank her enough for journaling the whole adventure in her blog for me.
• Carol's new pants. She came into my office one morning, absolutely mortified! She just bought some pants (unfortunately one size bigger) and forgot to take the clear sticker off that runs down the back of the leg. Her new size was plastered for all eyes. Someone finally told her a few hours into the day. Talk about a gut-wrenching laugh over that one!
• Chili-pepper beer. We hit a local pub one night and they had club cards where you drink all these crappy cheap beers and get a Tshirt at the end. The bartender made a deal with Carol. He'd check off three cheap beers if she drank this hot pepper beer (the pepper was actually floating inside). She slammed it (with an Old Style chaser) and that was her last. She suffered all night and the next day...in many ways.
• The Unity Concert. March '07 I took Carol to the charity concert organized by the SCCCF. All of the performers were local and outstanding! I was tickled that we were able to spend that time together (our real last night "out") and that it was spent doing something so meaningful that we both enjoyed. A priceless evening for us both.

In memory of Carol Stecker. Let's all raise a glass!

Road America cancer walk stats

Sue finally received some numbers from the ACS. A note to remember: the three highest place teams are large corporations. We are a small team of people that came together on our own. I know that Carol would be impressed that we raised 1/2 the money that the giant Kohler Company did. That's commendable.

2,144 people participated in the walk/run
71 teams were involved
Carol's Crusaders was the 4th place team, in terms of money raised, coming in at $7,022
Carol's Crusaders had 51 participants
The first place team was Kohler Company with 284 participants and $15,925 raised.
(2nd place was Pentair with $9,203 and 3rd was American Orthodontics with $8,641.)

There are some great pictures on the site. What I love is that you can see Dick with his Carol sign in many of them!!!

http://photos.roadamerica.com/gallery/3935070#228483354

Any last thoughts?

I'm a little sad that I haven't received one email to celebrate Carol on her birthday this weekend. I still plan on writing about her, so if you change your mind, please send me any fond memories that you'd like to post.

Thanks.

Did you hear the one about...

Carol's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I know I'll be thinking of her that day, just like many of you. Not that I don't think of her every day that passes, but it'll be a special day of rememberance.

I'd like to celebrate her that day by sharing Carol moments with everyone. Please send me favorite stories or memories that you have of Carol. Whether they're full of emotions or good to make us laugh, I'd love to hear them all and bet others would, too.
Send to: popper53@sbcglobal.net

We bid farewell

I'm saddened to share that my boss (and once Carol's), Mike Muth, passed away yesterday morning. He was a great businessman and asset to the community. As the owner and CEO of the Muth companies, Mike had a strong presence within Muth Mirror Systems. Even as he was weaning himself slowly out of the business and nearing retirement, he always made time for his people and kept them a priority. Whenever he was in the office he would walk around and greet every employee, by name. I know Carol thought very highly of Mike. They talked often when he came in and stopped by the front office, where Carol sat.

Some of you may know Mike, or of him. Some not. Either way it's been a terrible blow to the company and one hell of a disappointing year.

http://sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/SHE0101/711150482/1973