The Haley Palmer Foundation

Well, today is the day I promised to bring all of you the good news our family has been waiting to share!! My heart is heavy writing such great news today, as we are suffering the loss of Rich's sister who passed away this morning. I first want to say thank you all so much for all the messges, calls and text and letting us (him) know how much you care. We are constantly reminded just how short life really is....

Every since Haley passed away, I knew my heart was calling me to do something in her honor. I always had a "vision" of what I wanted, but really couldn't "grasp" the concept of how to even begin to accomplish this vision. Up until a year ago, I was kind of scared to make a change of how we, our family, was doing certain things. We had been raising money for CF for 15 years, and in our eyes, it had been successful. "How could we make a change, what if we fail?"

After praying about this for a while, last January my vision became very clear to me. I had a peace about what I believed could happen and exactly how our family wanted to honor Haley. As we started checking into what it would take to start this vision...there was SO much involved. I knew the vision, I just needed the right time to persue it and the right people put in my path to help me!

As I stated recently in a caring bridge post, we are currently selling Classroom Corner. One of the main reason I have decided to move forward is to persue a dream I have had since her passing, and I feel that it is now the right time to move forward. As I stated, in another post, Opening the store was Chapter 1 to this new way of life for us, and it certainly was the beginning I needed and would not change it for anything, but now it is time for Chapter 2...., which we simply will Title:

The Haley Palmer Foundation

Rich, Brenna, myself and a wonderful group of people who make up the Board for this organization, is very proud to annouce, The Haley Palmer Foundation.

The Mission of the Haley Palmer Foundation is to provide lasting memories for families with chronically ill children. We will grant wishes at a local level and help with necessities in hopes of improving the family’s quality of life.

We are very excited to "kick off" the HPF and we are looking forward to helping ill children in the Owasso and surrounding areas. Everything will be kept at a local level so "you" can see your money at work helping other families in times of need. As parents of a chronically ill child, it was the small things done by local friends, family and complete strangers that made our last few months so special for our family. Even through very tough times, we were able to smile and make lasting memories for all of. The HP Foundation will give these families the opportunities to do things they might not have been able to do without some assistance.

I couldn't be more proud to be part of such a wonderful organization!! You will see much more information in the months to come. We are tying up all the "legal" ends such as paperwork, but I will make the announcement when we can start taking direct "tax deductible" donations! We do know that our 1st Official Fundaraiser will be our "Haley Palmer Bunco Night" that will be held in April or May. I will announce the date a soon as it is set!!

Thank you all for your continued support. The application process will probably not begin until the end of the year. I will keep everyone posted as things progress.

As soon as things are taken care of at the store, I will be able to dedicate all the time needed to make this as successful as possible. My passion and desire for this is none that can be explained.

Looking forward sharing this new path with all of you watching as we are able to bring happiness to others.

I have a Dream...

I thought today would be the perfect day to stop by my blog and remember the words of someone who made a difference in the lives of so many with his dedication, passion, and love of people and peace...that he was willing to take a stand when the odds were not in his favor! Today I honor him for folling his heart and his dream!



I HAVE A DREAM!



So many people have dreams. The questions is....what do they do with those dreams?? Many people dream, and never follow up. I can certainly understand that...because, sometimes...getting there is difficult and even more so, many people don't know where to start! Sometimes life is more simple if you just "go with the flow" and never reach further for what you believe in.



I am speaking from experience. Years ago, I was the one who dreamed big, but never followed through. Over the years, 2 of the most precious people in my lives have taught me the true meaning of living and striving for more than I "think" I can acheive. It truly started with my first daughter, Haley. After watching a child suffer and be the strong young lady she was, it was hard to sit back and not analize just how she was able to be the tough trooper she was. Over the years...I watched! I watched her actions, listened to her words, listened to her prayers, saw her reading her bible and I slowly realized...she was gaining her strength by Faith and God!!



As a mother...that is very difficult to grasp, that I am learning this from MY DAUGHTER! Before Haley passed, I started relying on God more to help me through difficult time, and leaning on him in prayer and I truly know he carried my entire family through this terrible nightmare! It was by far the hardest days, weeks, and months I have ever experienced in my life, but somehow...I was always able to get out of bed the next day. There were times, I was MAD at God...very, very mad!! But each time, he found a way to shine his light and remind me that he was still there for me!



Now Haley is gone, and on a daily basis I have put my faith in God to continue to carry me. After Haley's passing..I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. The opportunity came along for me to open up my own business with a friend of my. It was "joking" conversation that turned serious in a matter of weeks. I put my Faith in God....reminded my self how Haley would "never give up"...and I "Followed my Dreams"! 6 weeks later...we have a business that is up and running!

Haley is still a constant reminder of how my faith needs to stay strong, even when I am in doubt. Our family is currently on the "hunt" for a new church home. This has been a difficult time for all of, but we will not stop going or quit, just because the journey has been a little tough, we will just keep praying about it!

So now...my little one, who's not so little anymore is still teaching me, what I feel I should be teaching her when it comes to God and how we should treat others and act. As she was telling me a story the other night as I was tucking her in bed about how one of her friends has been being kind of ugly to her at lunch around "others" and making her feel bad. I was quick to say..."well, don't take that and dish it back out". She looked at me and said, "mom, I don't think that is what God would want me to do!". ....SILENCE.... ok, I am still learning, but God is working on me, and if it takes my kids to continue to teach me the Godly way to act, then that is fine with me! She is my inspiration daily, as she is only 11 years old, but has her "own business" that she is doing very well at, is in all honors classes at school, with a 4.0 gpa, plays soccer, is an avid softball player and loves playing the guitar and piano. I am in awe of her everyday, to see what she continues to acheive! Brenna, you amaze me!!!

Back to the "I have a Dream...", My family and God has shown me that a dream is only as far away as you make it. I have been praying for God to lead me in the right direction for me to find a way to honor Haley and everything she stood for since Haley's passing. A year ago, this week, I was slapped in the face so to speak, and I truly think it was a wake up call for me to realize what I had been praying for and I was being pulled in a direction that would lead me to exactly where I was "dreaming" of! It has taken a year for me to follow through with this, but the time has come and I am only days away with sharing the great news to all of you!

"I have a Dream..", and I am following it! Are you??

I am excited to share the news with you all on my next blog!

"A Night to Remember"

So, I have been in a local bunco group for the past 10 years. We get together once a month to play bunco, eat and have some amazing fellowship. We normally laugh til we cry, tell secrets that only us "bunco gals" know, get a little "mommy" time, and of course...PLAY BUNCO!!

Well, we decided to do something really outside of our box last night. We pulled out the "BIG" hair, leg warmers, dark blue and pink eye shadow, puffy sleaves, taffeta....lots and lots of taffeta, and oh yea...AQUA NET!! Yes, it was an 80's Prom / Dress Night at our May 2010 Bunco!!

Oh so fun........

Just had to share some of these CRAZY pictures with you all!! I always say...step outside your box...YOU WON'T REGRET IT!! :)

Oh, and yes...after 20 years, I finally got voted as co-prom queen!! LOL!!!

100 Things to say....

My friend Kami has inspired me..... Let's see if i can do it!!

100. It's 10:00pm and I'm not even tired

99. Although I should go to bed because I have early morning ZUMBA!!

98. It's softball season and that makes me happy!!

97. Ah.....am I really already struggling?? No..JK...I am just thinking about how awesome GLEE was this week. Yes, it was all about Madonna!! (Did you watch?? ...well, you are missin' out!)

96. Every since we got our new furniture, I love haning out in my living room!!

95. The NFL Draft started out exciting....but it's starting to get old!

94. I don't really like dogs....surprise, surprise!!

93. Yes, we have an outside cat, but I don't like them either.

92. It is worth having one just to see my kids happy :)

91. CYSTIC FIBROSIS SUCKS!!

90. I recently discovered the joy of shopping at ROSS. Why did it take me so long?

89. If you were reading my blog when I posted the "Weight a minute" blog....I still plan on sharing my favorite healthy food choices with you. I have even found more since then!

88. If only I had more time in the day, I would have already done that. Don't give up!

87. Waiting on the laundry fairy to come. I just keep looking at the pile like it is going to magically fold itself.

86. One of my friends posted on FB today that she saw a guy texting while driving HIS MOTORCYCLE!! No kiddin'.....you can't make that crap up! (Well, I guess you can, but why would you?)

85. I am still looking for a prom dress too Kami!! Hmm...if only I would have kept the pretty emerald green one your Aunt made me. Ya, right...like I would really fit into it!

84. Yes, we have the coolest bunco group around. "Prom Night" at next months bunco and we're all going STAG!!!

83. My first kiss was at the skate ranch. And I was my daughter's age.....this CAN'T be happening!!

82. So far, this is going pretty good!!

81. I really need to get up and "take a little break".

80. I think I drank too much tea!

79. That little Shawnty's fire burning on the dance floor...

78. Did you know mileage reimbursement is now .41 cents?? I found that out yesterday, cha ching!!!

77. I also found out that I am the youngest Veteran's wife to ever walk the face of this Earth! Well, at least I felt that way when I was around all those other people. (At least there is someplace that still makes me feel young!) hehe.....

76. Road trips make me happy!

75. 1/4 of the way there. I think I can, I think I can!

74. It looks like 10 HUGE raffle baskets threw up in my living room.

73. I will make those kind of sacrifices because CF SUCKS!

72. Someone's got to win....Might as well be you!

71. You can't win if you don't play!! (Can you tell Rich and I have been contemplating our plans if we win the lottery??)

70. Lots more road trips!!!

69. I havn't checked FB ONE time since I started this list!! Yes, it's true...... WOW, even I'm surprised!

68. I bet someone got married, had a baby, got a divorce, became a "fan" of Michelle Obama's Arms and finished building their farm...all in the last 25 minutes!!!

67. The Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster sounds really good about now. That might give me the adreneline rush I need to finish this :)

66. My friends ROCK! Yes, I'm talking about YOU!!!!

65. Knows what the word pseudomonus means. I wish I didn't!!

64. I hate dandelions! Hoping the spray we put on the yard tonight will work!!

63. Slow, pokey drivers, drives me crazy. Why do you have to look 4 times before crossing the intersection????

62. Buble' in June baby!!!

61. Brenna made me laugh AND cry tonight!! All good, but it's amazing how our kids can effect us.

60. Do I really have 60 more to go??

59. There is a strange noise coming from my roof.

58. Missed out on a chance to go roller skating tonight. My friend Lisa, turned....well 21!! So sad I had to miss it.. :(

57. Wants everyone who is reading this to come visit me at Classroom Corner if you live nearby! We have some really cool things for your kiddos and some aweseome classes / camps to offer this summer!!

56. It use to be hard working 4 doors down from Merrit's Bakery. Not any more...who cares???

55. Can you salsa?? Well....let me show you!

54. Oh yea...if you're not zumbaing....."You're missing out on the Par-Tay!!!

53. I like playing with corners. Even my close friends might squnit their eyebrows at this one!!

52. Summer is right around the corner...Yippee!! This is the first year I might actually buy a Big Splash Pass!!

51. 20 year reunion...Can't be possible!!!!

50. 1/2 WAY THERE!!

49. Yes, I am just as guilty as you when it comes to texting and driving!! I don't promote it....it's just a really bad habit I have!!

48. Seriously needs to take that "break" and then get me some more tea!

47. One of my favorite quotes, "I recommend going through life without the epidural" John Mayer

46. The laundry fairy still hasn't came :(

45. In one month I will be riding a charter bus to Lansing, Michigan with about 30 kids....Lord please help me!!

44. Sweet or unsweet??

43. Would you like fries with that?? Love this song.....

42. I've recently discovered, there is a strategy to everything!

41. Ah, ha....the sound on the roof was rain....imagine that....rain in April in Oklahoma!! No wonder I didn't figure that out until now....duh!!!

40. Riding a real horse is much easier than riding a stick horse....I'm just sayin'!

39. You have a chance to join the fun for 2 GREAT causes next weekend. Bunco 4 a Cure (cystic fibrosis) Friday, April 30th and Relay for Life ZUMBATHON, Saturday, May 1st. BOTH at Rejoice North Campus. COME JOIN US!!!

38. Yes, sadly this is how old I am going to be this year.....BOO HOO!!!!

37. Reality is....I am blessed to have had 38 healthy years!

36. Ok, so one of my favorite healthy food finds is the new Fiber One Cereal, Honey Clusters. I'm addicted!!!

35. I still haven't checked FB.....I am getting a bit antsy.

34. Kind of excited....well....I don't know if that's the word I want to use, but anyways..we are getting family portraits done by Brandi for the 1st time since Haley's been gone. That part makes me sad, but she has some fantastic way to incoorporate Hay Hay into these. That's the part I am excited about!

33. Ok....i'm struggling a bit now!!! More tea....back on track......

32. Oh yea...today's Thursday and I have NO idea who went home on Idol. This season has really STUNK....I just can't really waste my time watching it!

31. I went for a run with my hubby the other night. Did you all know....I HATE to run!!

30. Speaking of running....Our 2nd Annual Run to Breathe 5K in Memory of Haley will be Saturday, July 17th. Bright and early before it gets too hot!!

29. Brenna is an awesome short stop. I know...that's kind of bragging, but hey....it's the truth!!

28. My momma's birthday would have been this Sunday. I miss her :(

27. CANCER SUCKS!!!!!

26. I got the funniest e-mail from my cousin. She told me that Saturday all women were to run through the streets naked to help weed out the terrorists. You know that it is a sin for Muslim males to see any woman other than his wife naked and if he does he HAS to commit suicide!! And by the way....the government appreciates your efforts to rid of these terrorist!! HEHE....

27. Wonders if any of my friends has and iPad???? I want one really bad...they are really KEWL!

26. Happy Earth Day!!

25. Ok, I broke...I checked FB. I had 10 notifications....I feel much better now. Breathe....

24. I broke my arm once. Well, my friend Angela broke my arm playing soccer. It wasn't any fun!! I am thinking if I would have went to that skating party tonight, I could have broken it again. Man it's been a long time!

23. Did you ever do the speed skate races?? I did, but I never won. I always had a better chance at the dice game. Now, don't get me wrong....I could do some "mean" shuffle skating and skate backwards like there was not tomorrow. Man I'm cracking myself up. Really, I could!!!!

22. Flicka, The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights....what do they all have in common???

21. Rob Thomas' song Someday.....ROCKS!!!

20. I went to see the Last Song over the weekend. I wanted to cry....but didn't. Good movie!

19. Whoo hooo...remember how glad we were to be a teenager....you know....like 13! Well, I am glad I am a teenager right now, but I am working my way backwards. Almost there :)

18. My husband has fallen asleep, have you????

17. Have you been Geocaching lately?? If not, you should try it!!

16. Our good friends are moving to Owasso this weekend. yippee!! Look out Owasso....here comes Parry...oh, no!!!!

15. I just rememberd that Eclipse is coming out in June....I better mark my calendar!! I can't believe all the CRAZIES who go to the midnight showing of these movies :-/

14. This was always my favorite # when I played sports. How corny....it's the day of my birthday, couldn't I be more original???

13. Yes, this is an unlucky # and Friday the 13th will always haunt me. Haley went to Heaven on Friday, June 13th 2008. I wish they would take this day off the calendar.

12. Holy Cramoly!!! I've been working on this silly thing for an hour and a half!!!!!

11. I sure hope some of you take the time to read it since I took the time to write it. LOL!!!

10. Nickelback.....yes they are coming to BOK Saturday and I'm not going. Sigh.......

9. Wow....I'm glad I'm feeling better!!!! I have done very little coughing today. Yea Me!!!

8. That just reminded me of Zach and Cody....I kind of miss that show!!

7. I only have 2 1/2 weeks left of my weight loss challenge. No matter the outcome....I feel good about what I have done :)

6. One thing I absolutely hate is new car / truck shopping. I see it in my near future and it STRESSES ME OUT!!!

5. SWEET!!!!!!!! I'm almost done!

4. Shazaam.......my low battery light started blinking on this computer and I popped out of this chair like a gun went off. I would have cried for days and shut down this blog for good if I would have lost this list!

3. Who wants to win a raffle basket with nearly $500 in gift cards and a limo ride to a night out on the town? Just come to our bunco 4 a cure, and it might just be YOU!!!

2. Should I change the background of my blog or do people always keep it the same? You know....kind of like their signature look?? I see new designs and I like them, but I just don't know what's proper ;-) I'm still a blog newbie!!!

1. Life is a journey.....just keep livin' it!!

-1. "When you think it is impossible....just remember someone invented Popcorn Jelly Beans that really tast like Popcorn" ~ John Mayer

My bad....that was 101!!

Good night!!!

I Can't Imagine....

It's been a while since I have been sick, but this past 7-8 days has really taken it's toll on me!! I figured after spending months in the hospital, my body must have built up a resistance to "bugs", because I just don't get sick too often!

Well...although I just keep chuggin', this past week has really took me back to Haley's final days. I try to continue with my work day, work out routine, taking Brenna here and there, because I truly DON'T like to complain about not feeling well. I watched her suffer for months with only a smile and very rarely complained about anything!!

What started out for me as a head cold, turned in to some ugly bronchitis that truly had me coughing til my head was pounding, could barely catch my breath at times and I felt like I couldn't take much more! As bad as I felt....I just kept being reminded of the "FIGHTER" Haley was. What I was feeling for only a week, she dealt with on a much larger scale for 12 years!! I can't even begin to imagine how she handled this! I spent every waking moment with her during her illness and I truly don't know how she did it.

She is my reminder every single day to not complain about the small things, don't take your health for granted and NEVER GIVE UP!!! I love and miss you Haley Brooke Palmer.....You are Forever my Hero!!! Thank you for teaching me so much about life!!!

Geocaching for Treasures!!

I've got to tell you.....I just could NOT wait to blog about this new hobby that we have discovered!! It's the "fun" new thing called Geocaching!!!! So, what is Geocaching you ask??? Well, people actually hide "treasures" in different places throughout the World and even throughout our "small town" Owasso!! Then, with some type of hand held devise of your choice, you will log onto the geocaching site and find the "caches" nearest your current location. You will be given the coordinates and other info or hints to help you find these treasures!!

Rich, Brenna and I have wanted to do this for sometime now, but never really had the chance. Well actually, I have to be completely honest with you.....about a year ago, we bought a hand held Magellen GPS (one of the better ones) that is used for geocashing, but honestly after 2 months of trying to download the software and figure the darn thing out....we gave up and took it back!! I'm sure we were making it much harder than it was, but none the less, we were so frustrated we gave up! (Wow...did I really say that??? I don't give up at much, but this was really frustrating!!)

So, we have been talking about it for months, but wasn't sure what devise to get and then recently my friend Jennifer, told me that she downloaded an app from her iPhone! YES, there really is an APP for EVERYTHING!!!! And believe it or not, so far I have only downloaded the free "geocaching intro" app and have been perfectly happy with it!! Have I told you all how much I LOVE my iPhone??? I downloaded this app and it was ready to go within minutes!!!

The weather was beautiful yesterday, a little windy, buy hey....what do you expect for Spring time in Okla?? I decided to take off early from work, pick Brenna up and surprise her by taking her Geocaching! We invited some friends along and we had SO MUCH FUN!!! We searched for about 2 hours and found 5 "caches"!! We found one that was magnetized under a bridge, hidden in the nook of a park bench, and even some hidden in light post!! We felt like we were on the Amazing Race, as we trotted from cache to cache!!! The girls had so much fun and truly didn't want to stop!!

Rich has the week off next week and we plan to spend as much time doing this as the weather will allow!! Don't tell anyone, but I think I might even pull Brenna out of school for a few hours so we can do some serious hunting!!! :) If you are looking for a fun, cheap hobby for the whole family....you have to give Geocaching a try!!

One of the rules are "If you find the cache, you must sign a log to let people know you have been there and date it" and another rule is "If you take a treasure from the container...you MUST leave something in return". We actually left our pink "Haley Palmer, Forever our Hero" Bracelets, and in return, Brenna has started a collection of items she has taken from the caches!!

To learn more about Geocaching go to http://www.geocaching.com/

What fun!! Here are some fun pics of our day!!!!

Are You Ready to Bunco?????

It's kind of funny how things work......

Although I felt like stepping down this year as far as fundraising, things are continuing to fall in to place!! I still somewhat question myself as far as continuing this fight, but again, something inside me just won't let go of urge to raise funds for a cure.

As I sifted through our mail the other night after coming in from work, I had a letter in the mail from a CB reader in West Virginia. It had the nicest letter attached with an article about a lovely 26 year old girl who passed away last week of CF. She reminded me that the efforts that our family is continuing are truly making a difference. Thank you Susie, for taking the time to send me these words of encourgement. Every word in the article reminded me of Haley....these CFers show amazing strength even through their difficult trials of life!

So with the words of encourgement I need, I am proud to say...WE HAVE A DATE FOR OUR 4TH ANNUAL BUNCO 4 A CURE!! BUNCO WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY, APRIL 30TH AT REJOICE CHURCH (NORTH CAMPUS) ON 106TH AND HWY 169! WE WILL OPEN THIS UP TO THE FIRST 200 PLAYERS THAT RESPOND VIA E-MAIL TO ME @ jppalmers@aol.com

I have already had 100 people sign up since Monday...so don't delay ;-)

PERFECT GNO (Although we have several men that play as well!!!)

We will open the doors at 6:15pm, Dinner at 7:00 and Bunco at 8!! This is a new facility for us this year and they are more than happy to help out with this cause at no charge!! We are still in desperate need of donations!! We have got a very good start, but now that we have a confirmed date hopefully we can get more donations for this night. Here are a list of the baskets so far..

Here are some of the themes...

1. The Great Outdoors (Guy Basket)
2. Pamper Yourself (Ladies Basket)
3. Gift Cards Galore
4. Arts & Crafty
5. Home Sweet Home
6. Movies, Music, Itunes and More
7. Summertime Fun

ALSO, we will be giving out over 100 door prizes, so if you have something that does not fit in this basket we can certainly use them for door prizes!! BUNCO IS $10.00 MINIMUM DONATION PER PERSON TO PLAY AND WE ASK THAT YOU BRING ONE COVERED DISH OF YOUR CHOICE! I NEED THE NAMES OF ALL PLAYER THAT WILL BE COMING WITH YOU WHEN YOU EMAIL ME. Last year this event filled up in about 10 days, so I need to make sure we have all spots filled so we don't turn anyone away that would be willing to pay. All money will be collected the night of bunco at the door!!(

Remember, you don't need to know how to play bunco to participate! You will learn as you go)We will have entertainment for the evening and will watch a couple of videos to remind us all why we are there!! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! Thank for all of your help in always making these fundraisers such a success. I will be more than happy to pick up any donations if you give me a call or e-mail me!!

Also, at this point it looks like we will be doing our 2nd Annual Run to Breathe 5K, In Memor Haley. Details to follow........ Yey!!