Relentless, Powerful, and the Genesis of Something Really BIG!

May 2, 2012

"15 years ago today Alex was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember it so clearly the fear and sheer panic. I look at how strong and healthy he is now and sometimes think it's a dream. He is my love and I'm so graeteful to have him in my life. ♥"

Jeniene Cenoz 

April 22, 2012

was

the

very 

first

SLO Marathon

the genesis of something big

my gosh!!

it

was just

SO 

exciting

and

it was

A
SCREAMING SUCCESS!

it
was

successful

for

SLO

(and

the athletes
loved
the event)

and,

after

a year +
 of

hard work

fretting

pulling hair out

and crying..

it was

a

SCREAMING SUCCESS

for

the

Central Coast Chapter

of 

the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Team in Training

Program

lead

by

Barbara

you ask,

what,

pray tell

makes
 a
running event
A

 SCREAMING SUCCESS?

in a nutshell,

1.  500 thousand dollars

was raised by

250 athletes

for

research and treatment
towards
a
CURE

for

all

blood related

cancers

2.      Alex
 (see mom's quote above)
 a HEALTHY
17 year old leukemia survivor

ran his first 

1/2 marathon

3.  Alex's dad,
 Jeff,

raised at least $2000.
and ran his

54th marathon

4.    Maureen, 
a mother of triplets,

just finished

her final

chemotherapy treatment

for leukemia

was

at the

finish line 
to cheer on the

team in training athletes

5.  Annie

raised over $2000.

for
 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
and

ran her

best 

marathon time ever

and qualified for 

Boston

6.  Ruby, 16 years old,

also
raised over $2000.
 and
ran her

first 1/2 marathon

7.  Rachael, raised over $2000.,

and ran

her

1/2

in under 

2 hours

and

countless

other

inspirational 

stories

that screamed

success

The evening before

a

Team in Training

event

is

powerful!

It is
an
evening

of 

inspiration

and 

hope

love 

encouragement

and
PASTA!

Rachael

and Annie

were

inspired

Eldra
 has inspired
 150 SLO High School students
(and their moms)

to run half marathons
and
they have raised over $700.00……

many of Eldra's student athletes 

go on

to run more 
1/2 marathons and full marathons

and
 continue to 

raise money
 to find a
cure
for Leukemia
    relentless

Live like there is no tomorrow.

 a photo by c'est la vie petit on Flickr.

Be. Ask. Do. Live like there is no tomorrow.
Enjoy your given life.
This ring, and others, is being sold as a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I love the sentiment. The inner circle of the ring spins around - you can contemplate the meaning of the words as you spin.
I love this ring!
AND I especially love that this ring is an investment in the Leukemia and Lymphoma patients locally and throughout California!

Belgium and Waffles

Belgium

is a

glorious

country

each

city

is

unique

with its own story

and

charm

I fell

in

love

with

Bruges

head over heels

in love

as

Bruges

is

breathtakingly

beautiful

intertwined

by canals,

fascinating architecture

with an

incredibly

rich

history

dating back

over

2000 years

...

according

to

my husband

and best friend,

John,

Belgium

has

4 main food groups:

1. Mussels

2. chocolate

3. beer

4. Waffles

You can survive on these delicious foods-

probably

forever!

A short

time ago,

Isabel,

joined

our

Petit Soleil family

Her mom,

Inge,

is

Flemmish

(from a small town called

Vosselaar)

and

Isabel

makes

real

Belgium

WAFFLES!

She

made them

today

at

Petit!

with a sprinkle of powdered sugar

and

a dollop of

whipped creme

the guests

raved

about

Isabel's Belgium Waffles

my bff

loved them

as

did

Ashley

me, too

delicious!

Here

is the recipe

that

Inge

passed on to

Isabel

BELGIUM Waffles

2 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients, set aside.

Mix wet ingredients (without milk),

and add the

two together.

Add milk.

Do not overmix.

Spray hot waffle iron

with

Pam.

Add about 1/4 c. to waffle square

and bake until

steaming stops.

(Isabel

likes her waffles

drizzed with melted

Callebaut chocolate)

The Luck of the….

A daughter is the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

and the hope and promise of the future.

~Author Unknown

Irish luck

Scottish luck

in

either

event

I am blessed...

we

are

given

miracles

in

life

and

we

all

need to

count out blessings

just

plain

luck?

luck? blessings? miracles?

I have my girl

and I am so proud

Last year

I

did

a

blogging Mommy

thing

(not to be confused with Flogging Molly)

that you can read here

about

my

Annie

And today

March 17

I

celebrate

her

again

and

congratulate

her

as

she was just accepted into

Cal Poly's

Master' Degree Program

in

Public Policy

Beautiful daughter,

I

am

PROUD!

…only if you believe

"Fight for a just cause

Love your fellow man

Live a good life"

when

my

sweet friends,

Barbara and Nattie,

tell

you about

a

favorite

place

you know

it will be either

1. the best fish tacos

or

2. a most amazing place

no tacos this time

but

definitely

a walk through

heaven….

the

light

shining

down

from

above

was

a sign

that

heaven

and

someone

from

above

was

present and

had

way too much fun

with

paints

and fragrances..

hyacinths

ahhhhh

and

little angels

keeping

watch

surrounded

by

the

first

blossoms

of

Spring

pink

painted

Magnolia trees

in

their

full glory

The

Filoli Mansion

is

extraordinary

grandeur

especially

as

the

warm days

and cool nights

of

Spring

call

out to the

artist from above

no

fragrance

from the tulips

just

color

beyond the beyond

….just saying

the history

of

the

Filoli Estate

is described

here

the life style

and the

family's

wealth

is

beyond

comprehension

30 minutes from

San Francisco

the kitchen

caught

MY

attention

…so like

Giverny

John and I

strolled

through

the

paths

...

inhaling

the

beauty

every

Spring

bulb

had

awakened

bees

seeking

sweetness

and the

painted

masterpiece

reveled

in

every blossom

dozens

of photographers

and their

tripods

were

front center

here

capturing

the

yellow daffodils

reflected

in the

pond

…keeping time

dear

angel

Lurline Roth

gave

the gardens

to us

to inhale

and

delight in

not

quite

the

pearly gates,

but

heaven

was

not

far

the meadows

of

daffodills

and

the new

fragrant

blossoming

fruit trees

were

awe - inspiring

and

back again

closer

to the

main house

the pots

filled

with

hand painted

color

possibly

God's

paint brush?

(only if you believe….)

The Beautiful Bounty of the Central Coast

Farmers' Markets

anytime

anywhere

are

such

fun

places to visit

farm to table

salsa

flowers

radishes

onions

glorious

beets

strawberries

red

ripe

and oh, so sweet

we are

SO lucky

to have

local

seasonal

produce delivered

to Petit Soleil

every two

weeks in great big boxes

from

SLOVeg

this weekend on Petit's

morning fruit tray

are

sweet local kiwis, strawberries and

grapefruit

we'll make

amazing

Brussels Sprouts Quiche

Broccoli and Bacon Strata

Carrot Muffins

and tonight

at

our house

for dinner

Salmon with Sauteed Kale

We so

appreciate

all the local

organic

farmers

that work so hard

to

bring us

such

gorgeous and delicious

produce

and thank you,

SLOVEG

for bringing it to

Petit Soleil

p.s.

check out

SLOveg's website

for

delicious

recipes

and ideas

on

how to prepare

the seasonal produce