So we're down to the wire. And I was going to just let it slip on by and not really say another word about it unless there was something big to say. And I can't really imagine what that something would be.

I had no intentions of sending out any emails or letters or postcards to friends and family and fellow bloggers to say that the Relay is upon us and won't you please consider donating now before it happens? You know.. sort of one final public television type fund raising drive push... operators are standing by to take your call sort of thing.

That's right. I wasn't going to do that. I just didn't have the energy this year. Frankly, I'm tired. Exhausted actually. I'm tired of people telling me that they aren't going to have a team this year because it just isn't any fun anymore. Or because it was too disorganized last year. Or we just haven't come up with any new ideas and it has been the same old things for the past few years so why should they bother?

But then a funny thing happened. I entered all of the offline donations I had from Operation Surrender Dorothy and sales from the Truffle Pops and checks from the garage sale... and when I finished all of these and looked at the

Truffle Pops

numbers for our team, I saw a few statistics that mostly saddened me... because our numbers are down just as they are pretty much everywhere from what I've been hearing. But they also challenged me.

My team is shooting for a mid-range number of $5000. For a family team that doesn't work for any company with a company match, that's a pretty darn-good number to hit fund-raising, I think. But considering we raised $11,000 a couple of years ago, I also think we should be able to do this $5k every year with some creative thinking.

The Relay is on Friday and we have only hit $3000. We need some SERIOUS creativity to come up with another two-grand by Friday. I'm open to suggestions. Or money, of course. Click my team's link to donate. You can donate there or click on any of the team member's names to donate to them directly.

Keli is trying to collect money to shave her head in support of her dad and all survivors. She hasn't set a dollar goal at this point. I'll keep you posted when she finally comes up with one. She was thinking of having people actually help her shave it AT the Relay. I'll post video or photos if this happens.

Keri (yeah, that's me) was shooting for $1000 in donations. I've already generated far more than this, but I've been sharing the wealth baaaaayyyyyybeeee by spreading it around with other team members who are busy having lives as students and full time employees and don't have the kind of time on their hands that I do. So now I'm stuck here not meeting my goal because time's a running out and I'm $255 short of my goal because of moving donations around to other pots. If you want, you could help me out there and spread a donation or two my way to help make up for that. :)

So I hope you'll consider one more charity this week. I know you've given until it hurts elsewhere. But I seriously don't know anyone who's life hasn't been touched by cancer. I know more than most. It's the nature of the game, I suppose. That's why at the end of the day my receipts for ACS are a lot longer than the receipts for anyone else. But I feel pretty darned thankful that I have a husband today. And for the fact that he is who he is. And I'm going to keep being thankful to ACS for all that they do for people like me and like Keith, and for anyone who has to go through what we did. Because they have programs to help get through the day to day. When you just don't think you can.

Maybe we won't make that dollar goal this year. But we had a helluva good time trying. Which was the real goal this year anyway. Thanks to all of you who helped us in that project. And thanks to everyone who also sent the donations.

You ROCK. I know that it meant something to you.