2013 Eat.Pray.Dean Fundraising - a year of HOPE

Hello everyone!

Happy (almost) 3rd birthday to our little Dean-o! Dean still loves garbage trucks and building towers, wrestling his brother, watching for the UPS and FedEx guys, playing tag with his sisters, sword fighting, pretending everything is a walkie talkie, baking with Mom and dancing to loud music with Dad. He's awesome. Dean also asks before he eats if a food has fat in it so he can take his digestive enzymes. Dean is a champion and takes daily doses of ranitidine, extra A, D, E & K vitamins and antibiotics when needed. Dean knows how to turn on a compressor to start his nebulized treatments right after he wakes up. He also knows how to put the tubes from his respiratory therapy vest into the compressor and knows which buttons to press to get his twice daily treatments started. He's starting to potty train, he loves to make smoothies and thinks everything he comes up with is a "gweat idea!" He looks fantastic, talks non-stop and tells us how very much he wuvs us. For all these reasons, we can't sit back knowing we can make a difference for him in ways other than what we do daily.

Why we are so hopeful

We're fired up, we're ecstatic, we're on our knees in prayer.  This May, phase 3 clinical trials will start for the drug that in combination with Kalydeco (on the market since Jan 2012) we hope will be Dean's cure. The belief that this could be it is too exciting to contain. The small percentage of people that can use Kalydeco are experiencing a virtual cure. The results are pretty amazing and we pray to God that this works. Another CF mommy called this a game-changer and it's true, this has the potential to change the CF world that we live in but we need to keep this going!

What we need from you

We've had two successful years raising money for the CF Foundation through the Great Strides Fundraising event (Illinois with all of you, Nevada with Kalena and Maryland with Marie) and the many fundraisers that were held on our behalf. We are very thankful and so very fortunate to have the help, love and prayers that we do for all of the events! We could not have raised money or awareness in that capacity on our own and we would like to continue raising as much as possible to make sure that the research dollars are there so that Dean's and the 70,000 others with CF worldwide are all cured. So, we have been told countless times that people really do want to help, all we need to do is ask. So we're asking.

• Please consider bringing Eat. Pray. Dean to one of the many walks that are already set up across the nation (it's not hard and we and the CFF will help you find the walk and set up your page - then it's just sending out your email). If we can continue to expand, we could inform so many more people and raise a TON more money! This would make a huge difference to us, our team and ultimately Dean.
• If your own walk isn't possible, we would love for you to set up a page and share our story with your family and friends and join us for Great Strides on May 18th in Orland Park. We know there are so many causes out there, but every penny counts. When people start to branch out, imagine what will happen! Imagine how much more money we'll raise together, and more important, imagine how much closer we'll get to making a better life for the people we love with CF.
• Donate to our page and help us work toward our goal: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/JimandErinBurns
• Keep in mind all the Team CF events that are out there and spread the word (Shamrock Shuffle, Chicago Marathon, Barrington 5K, CF Cycle for Life, CF Climb for Life).

Dean's video

Check out Dean's new 2013 video:  http://youtu.be/1OBjbOcR-Pk

Save the Dates

Saturday May 18 at 9:30 am: Great Strides at Centennial Park
Saturday June 8 from 3-10 pm in Frankfort: Chillin' & Grillin' for a Cure (this is our BIG FAMILY event that you do not want to miss)

Other events we're participating in

April 7:  Team CF at the Shamrock Shuffle

June 2: Team CF at the Barrington 5k run

June 22: San Rafael Reno, NV Great Strides
September 7: Team CF at the CF Cycle for Life (25 or 65 mile bike)
October 26: Palm Springs, CA Great Strides

Keep in Touch

www.eatpraydean.com

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With love and many thanks for your support,

Jim, Erin, Cali, Owen, Evie & Dean

sign up to help fundraise and donate through this link

Yay! A brand new Apple(sauce)

The past few years has been full of crazy research trying to figure out Cystic Fibrosis and stressing out over his nutrition and the fact that we need to cram him full of high-fat, high-calorie foods to optimize growth and get him stronger because he will burn more calories with his labored breathing during an illness or lung infection.  Dean needs to take manufactured enzymes so his body can absorb fat, protein and fat-soluble vitamins.  Then we worry about the stress this is causing to his pancreatic tissue and we know, we know, we know his cure is but a few years away so when this happens, we don’t want to run the risk of dealing with heart disease or other issues. 

We also stress about our other three kids and their reliance on sugar to satisfy their cravings.  We want them all to understand that God gave us what we need so let’s try to go back to the basics, retrain our palate and see if it makes us feel any different.  So, all this reading, researching, talking, etc. continued to lead us back to a plant-based diet.   Honestly it just didn’t seem feasible, didn’t seam doable, didn’t seem economical (I can come up with a boat load more of excuses) but we did come across one documentary that showd actually HOW to make this healthy eating work (The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue available on Netflix or Amazon Prime).  So we took the 28 day challenge, started February 1^st and decided to see how we feel.  We kept cooking “normal” for the kids as we wanted to see how this would affect our bodies, how we’d feel, could we tell a difference?  How did we feel?  Could this be sustainable?  Jim, being a vegetarian for 4.5 years was psyched I was willing to try as he knew there would be more food for him to eat, rather than the countless veggie stir fries or pasta and veggies (or butter) that I cooked.  However, I personally anticpated clawing my way out of February and prepared myself for a month of pure torture.

I was unbelievably mistaken.  Fascinated by the challenge and floored by the results.

In summary,

• The majority of our recipes came from the Engine 2 Diet book.  I found some others online (there are some great vegan sites out there).
• With our new Vitamix - the best appliance on earth, well worth waiting longer for my Apple (not necessary but super helpful)!  The variety of things we were able to create using this blender helps to make the process a little more fun:
• Smoothies - used to get extra veggies and fiber-filled fruit into all 6 of us; used as a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth and a great way to get the kids involved while slaving away in the kitchen.  
• Soups - yep, 6 minutes to a warm, yummy, blended soup.
• Sauces, nut creams and salsas to top our food and dress our salads.
• Nut butters to spread on the kids sandwiches and to mix on homemade granola.
• Homemade ice cream, applesauce, hummus, the list is endless!
• A simple rice cooker is another helpful appliance (we got ours years ago at Target for $15).
• We started a weekly delivery of organic produce from Timber Creek Farms (we did this because I was stuck in a rut when it came to buying veggies, always buying the same and I wanted to be “forced” to try something new)
• We were lazy in relying on convenient, chemical filled foods to feed our family and chose to limit the processed foods we brought into the house.
• We made what we could from scratch (sauces, vegetable broth, salsa, hummus, nut butters, etc.).
• We tried new foods:  beets (yum), chia, hemp and flax seeds, parsnips, chard, kale and leeks.
• We spent a crazy amount of time in the kitchen; it was fun to create something so healthy that tasted so good.  The tastes were A.m.a.z.i.n.g!  Truly, once you let yourself taste whole foods, you will notice when you are tasting something full of chemicals.

 

The results are truly awesome! I lost 10% of my body weight; Jim lost 6% (remember he’s already been a vegetarian for almost 5 years).  I am completely off caffeine (and did not experience the crazy withdrawal I have before when I stopped coffee).  Our energy levels have never felt greater.  The late afternoon crash we always experienced never occurred.  Digestively, everything just feels better.  I think I gained a few brain cells back and my temperament is a lot more positive (of course Jim never experienced a loss of brain cells or a bad mood so he can't comment on those). :)

 

• Getting to a point of trying this was a process for us.  We were fairly healthy to begin with, our numbers (cholesterol, bmi, weight, etc.) were all in normal range when we started.  Our main driver is to keep all our kids healthy for life.  Plus we totally love challenges. 
• Time is precious and fruits and veggies are expensive but so are medical bills associated with certain diseases that can be prevented by nutrition. 
• When your kids start asking for carrots and celery and making smoothies instead of  asking for oreo’s, you feel good and know you’re making a difference for them.
• Two aha! moments during Feb that made us know we were on track:
• During church one weekend while we were doing this challenge, we read a story about Daniel and how he challenged a guard to test his servants for ten days by feeding them only vegetables and water and at the end of the days compare their appearance with that of those that eat royal food.  At the end of the ten days, the servants looked healthier and better nourished than the others  who ate the royal food.
• During a parent meeting at the hospital, we heard a promising story of a patient in our center who has the CF mutations that the Kalydeco drug (released Jan 2012) fixes.  She is nearly, virtually cured, reducing treatments and feeling better.  We talked about nutrition then and how the mindset of CFers will have to change.  When cured, it’ll no longer be eat, eat, eat, it’ll be eat healthy, you have a long life ahead of you.  So again, for the second time we thought, ok, we’re on track.

So just wanted to share with you all.  The food was delicious, our eyes were opened to what types of processed foods we were consuming and our kids, although complaining loudly at times, are starting to make better choices and understand that their life really depends on it.

 

Will we stick with it?  In moderation, yes.  We will continue to cook like this, we will continue to serve plant-based foods at home and continue to try new fruits, vegetables, grains, flours and new recipes.  If you have any recipes you suggest us trying, please send them through!  When faced with a date night out, being away from home for various events or when we host our annual rib cook-off on June 8th, we will, as with anything in life, practice moderation.  For the kids, we will continue trying to get them to make healthier choices and pray they feel the "whole food" difference too.

Some recipes we tried and some pictures too!

Breakfast Quinoa

Black Beans and Brown Rice Extravaganza

Veggie Burgers

Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna

Sweet Potato Tacos (minus the sauce)

The dairy "cream" sauce we used in made in place of sour cream

Avocado Hummus

Grapefruit Avocado Smoothie

Vegan Baking Secrets

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Fries baked in a little grapeseed oil

To satisfy the need to snack

Veggie Stir-fry with beans and homemade sauce over rice (Jim's creation) 

Veggie Panini (Engine 2)

Potato Enchiladas (Engine 2)

Beet & Cherry Smoothie

Team CF opportunities and opportunity to win Blackhawks tickets!!

Hello everyone!!  There is a lot going on this year!  As usual, we’ll be gathering for our 3 mile Great Strides walk on Saturday May 18^th and our 2013 Chillin’ & Grillin’ for a Cure on Saturday June 8^th but we couldn’t wait until our annual letter to share these exciting opportunities with Team CF to achieve your personal fitness goals while raising awareness and funds in pursuit of a cure for those living with Cystic Fibrosis.  As a quick update, Dean is doing awesome, growing, gaining wait, keeping those lungs clear and praying for health.  If you are ready to challenge yourself to running, cycling or climbing and fundraising for a cure, here are some great opportunities...

   

As incentive, anyone participating with Team Eat.Pray.Dean for Team CF will be eligible to win a set of Blackhawks tickets to the March 6^th game vs. Colorado Avalanche.  You’ll get one raffle ticket for each $100 you raise as of 9 am on Friday March 1^st.  Winner will be announced on March 1st.

·         Shamrock Shuffle (Sunday April 7) - Team CF has its first ever presence as a Shamrock Shuffle charity.  If you’re a veteran Shuffler or would like to kick-off your 2013 running season and want to help us raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation register before it closes and select the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the charity section of the registration.  Benefits with Team CF include welcome Kit including: training tips and fundraising tools, exclusive Team CF racing singlet, virtual and in-person training options with Run for Change coaching and personal online fundraising website. (Registration = $45; Fundraising requirement = $250)

·         Barrington 5K (Sunday June 2) – A scenic 3.1 mile course on the trail path between Citizens Park and Cuba Marsh in Barrington, Illinois. Chip timing, rest stops, and medical support will be available. Registration begins at 7:00 am and race takes off at 8:00 am.  Click on Join My Team to register. (Registration = $ 25; Fundraising requirement = $100) 

·         CF Cycle for Life (Saturday September 7) – your choice of a fully-supported ride with route options of 25 miles and 65 miles. From breakfast to our cycle post party, you can enjoy; fully stocked rest stops every 10 - 12 miles, bike mechanics, ride marshals and plenty of support vehicles along the route.  Click on Join my Team to register.  (Registration = $25 ; Fundraising requirement = $150)

·         Chicago Marathon (Sunday October 13) – We had 4 runners last year for Eat. Pray. Dean raise a crazy amount of money and awareness for CF.  If you’ve already committed to running and haven’t aligned with a charity, please consider raising money for CF.  Register with Team CF today and we'll send you a reminder to register for the marathon on February 19th via the Bank of America Chicago Marathon website!  Last year Marathon registration reached capacity in just 7 days, and this year it's projected to close in just 24-48 hours! Benefits with Team CF include welcome Kit including: training tips and fundraising tools, exclusive Team CF racing singlet, kickoff to marathon training event, pre and post Marathon Team Celebration, virtual and in-person training options with Run for Change coaching and personal online fundraising website.  Fax Team CF registration form back to Liz Thompson at 312-236-2797.  (Registration = $190; Fundraising requirement = $1,200)

·         Climb for Life (December 2013) - more details announced as available.

·         Pick your Own Race - if you're already signed up for an event this year and would like to help raise the vital funds to support cystic fibrosis research, we welcome your support!  Jim's doing the Muncie 70.3 in July if anyone would like to join him (hint, hint)

If you have any questions for us, let us know.  You can also contact Liz Thompson at the CFF (ethompson@cff.org or 312.236.4491x108) for more details about any of these events. 

Send us an email if you have registered for any of the above events to fundraise with us so we can make sure to get you entered into the Blackhawks raffle!  Thank you for your commitment to help us raise funds and Add Tomorrows.

Jim & Erin

Happy 2013

As always the Holidays flew by with all the excitement of a few week(s) off school and work.  We kicked off the season making gingerbread houses, celebrating with a special Christmas service with Mom, Christmas Eve with the Dad & Peg and the cousins complete with a special appearance by Gorilla Santa (that is entirely it's own post) and Christmas Morning with Omman & Obba and a special visit from Uncle Stevie.  2100 miles apart can seem to be shortened with email, phone, texts and facetime but nothing can take away from a giant hug and quality face to face time.  Carrying on old traditions, starting new ones, whatever the case, celebrating Christmas with those you are closest to is so very special and important to giving the kids a lasting foundation of love.

A few other exciting things helped close out our 2012...

With preschool, Evie was an angel during the annual reenactment of the Nativity.  The innoncence on her little face during the play was yet another reminder to me of how precious these little ones really are and how I need to appreciate her for who she is and pray for who she will become.

Evie was an Angel at the Nativity plan - December 2012

Cali auditioned for and got the part of a reader during some of the Parkview services.  After the worship team performed the trans siberian orchestra, they had an "emergency Christmas meeting" video (which was hilarious) and then Cali's part kicks in (about 7 minutes into it).  Here is the link if you'd like to see:  Cali's reads at Parkview's Christmas Service

Cal reading at Parkview's Christmas Service - Dec 23, 2012

One things I have always struggled with was the WHY of things.  Jim is by far a more successful optimist than I but I'd still do look more at the positive than the negative but I have always had a hard time understanding the why.  I once heard some wise words that even if you could explain and understand the why, you still have the WHAT.   So very true. The timing is incredible as we heard this a bit after Dean was diagnosed with CF.  This past weekend, the sermon was comforting as well.  It centered around the kingdom of Istrel torn in two after the death of King Solomon but the take away for me was that we're not promised a life of no pain or an easy life but we can get through it if we "yoke" ourselves to Jesus and follow him.  I've always known this but the imagery is greatly comforting.  I feel like it was a release for me...the final click that I needed to settle the incessant why that pops into my head.  Here is the sermon if you're interested in it:  The Story sermon from Dec 28/29, 2012 . 

So, we ring in 2013 with the kiddos at our side...and looking forward to another great year all around.  One of health, truth, love, faith and a focus on truly making a difference in and outside our home.  We're working hard  for our cure, have some great events and ideas in the words for this fundraising year and most importantly Dean has been antiobiotic free for 12 months...a HUGE positive in the CF realm!!  There are tons of opportunities to help fundraise this year (check out the list at the bottom) and let us know if you're up for any of them.  Wishing you a 2013 full of comfort and joy. 


January 1, 2013

Team Eat. Pray. Dean events*
May 18 - Orland Park Great Strides - join team Eat. Pray. Dean for a 3 mile walk
Date TBD - Eat. Pray. Dean Chillin & Grillin for a Cure
June 22 - San Rafeal Park Reno Great Strides - join team Eat. Pray Dean for a 3 mile walk
* If you're out of town and willing to walk for us in your own city or one near to you, let us know and we'll get it all worked out and connected to our team.

Calendar Dates for Team CF events**
April 7 - 8k Shamrock Shuffle
June 2 - Barrington 5K
September 7 - CF Cycle for Life (25 or 65miles) $13 registration through Jan 7!!
Sept 27 - 29 - Extreme Hike in the Manistee National Forest in Western Michigan (25 miles in one day)
October 13 - 26.2 mile Chicago Marathon feb 19th registration starts at noon; expected to sell out FAST!
Winter 2013 - CF Climb for Life

** If you're doing any of these events, please consider joining Team CF and you can help us raise money while achieving your own goals!  Check out them Eat. Pray. Dean at the 2012 Chicago Marathon.  Contact us or Liz Thompson to register for these Team CF events:  ethompson@cff.org or 312.236.4491

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Spartans, Pancakes, Taco Boats, Birthdays and Elves

We're a bit late with this post but better late than never...

October is all around a great month...never a shortage of fun for us...we kicked off the month with a happy birthday to Jim (and to our niece and nephew).  When we showed up at the kids birthday party, Mia (our goddaughter) handed us a Ziploc baggie of money.  We said, this is your birthday, what is this for?  She said, this is the money I made from selling fruit punch, I made it for Dean. We have been amazed at how many people think of Dean throughout the year and help us raise money for CF in their own way!  What a girl! Thank you Mia Mia!



Mia's fruit punch sales for CF

October was also full of all kinds of sports!  We watched Jim, Candy, Sunni & Emily pound the pavement for 26.2 miles on October 7th as they raised money for CF, reached personal milestones and goals and inspired many in so many different ways.  To read about how proud of them we are and to see some pictures, here is the link to our last blog post. 

Owen's third exciting soccer season came to a close (he's in blue).  This third year of playing proved exciting and the games were as intense as they could be for 1st-3rd graders!

Cali made the swim team and loves her new found challenge of beating her time with each race/meet.  She's comfortable swimming free and back and tried the breast stroke at her first USS!  We're hoping to get a medley in before the season ends!  Go Sharks!  Go Cal!!

Evie and Owen both competed in two Tae Kwon Do tournaments this fall...Evie as a Camo belt and Owen as a Purple.  They go to ATA in Frankfort where they learn not only self-defense but also strong character traits/values (integrity, self-control, discipline).  It's a family-oriented school with great instructors helping the kids learn a great sport and discipline!

Tae Kwon Do Tournament

Jim completed his FINAL race of 2012...the Spartan Dash (which he described as the Warrior Dash on steroids).  I was supposed to do it with him but after reading the warnings on the packet, I decided it was not in my best interest to compete in this one (well at least this year)!   Thanks Lis for capturing Jim scaling the wall!

Really?

Jim scaling the wall at the Spartan Race

PANCAKES
One of the highlights of our fall each year, is the pancake breakfast at the preschool.  The kids (and adults) really look forward to it!  This was our 7th one and the kids really enjoy the breakfast, activities and togetherness. 

2012 Pancake Breakfast

OUR 7 YEAR OLD
Owen James Burns, what a handsome young man.  He turned 7 this month and is such an amazing kid.  He's ever so sensitive to others feelings, truly wants to please, amazes us with his ability to do math in his head and knows how important being a good person is to living a full life.  He can't get enough of legos and puts together sets in record times.  We can't find enough space to keep all the legos but love watching him figure it all out.  Here is a picture of him with the 3lbs of bacon that he requested for his birthday and a picture with his buddies as they all celebrated and played a little Laser Tag.   One of my favorite memories of Owen this year is him taking an interest in Dad's cologne and bathroom counter.  He frequently comes ready for the day sporting the AFTA scent.  Reminders of how childhood goes all too quickly...


Happy 7th to our bacon lover



Laser Tag

HALLOWEEN

gotta love it...Abuela made some fantastic costumes to cater to Dean's obsession with the movie Elf.  He quotes the movie constantly and just loves his new look!!  Dean is joined as Elf by Dad, Mom and Evie sporting the Jovie costumes.  Owen continues to save the world as Batman and Cal was doubling as a candy corn and a homemade Christmas gift (thanks Omma)!

                                        

Since this blog was set up to track Dean's health, we are proud, proud, proud that Dean's October well check up came back with a clear culture!  It's a stressful appointment and an even more stressful week waiting for the culture results to come back but so very happy that he is healthy, gaining weight, in the 50-75% for height and weight (anything 50+ is desirable) and acting like the typical 2 year old.  He is hilarious, such a funny kid.  We're very thankful for Dean, for his health, for his humor, his influence, his love of life and soon, so very soon, we'll kick off our 2013 fundraising season and hope, wish, pray you'll be right alongside us.  We have many opportunities to join raising money ultimately in the quest for a cure...

If you're in the area, Save the Date for our Great Strides walk on Saturday May 18th at 9:30am.  If you're willing to attend a walk for us in your area, there are hundreds of them around the nation, drop us a line and we'll get it all set up for you.  This would be a HUGE way to help us raise money for r&d for CF treatments, ones that could potentially be the cure for Dean's CF.  If you can see getting your family and friends involved in a walk near you, we'll help you figure out the basics! 

One way we like to share awareness of CF is sharing some recipes that we found that not only Dean enjoys but the other kids (and us too).  With 3 different diets in the household (regular, vegetarian and Dean’s high fat, high calorie), we submitted our "fun taco boat" recipe to the Back to School Chef4CF.com contest and defended last year’s lunchtime CF crown, scoring another kitchen scale!  Check out the recipe on the site if you need something simple, yummy and easily modifiable.  Here is a link to one of the online articles.  We’re always looking for healthy and tasty recipes so send any of your favorites our way! 

As you celebrate Thanksgiving with your families and friends, remember what means most to you this season and in life.  Take care to nurture those relationships and tell those people that you really care.  God Bless, Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!

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26.2 amazing miles for Team CF

We started out early with a beautiful drive into the city where a few people joined together to run an amazing 26.2 miles on a calm, cool 42 degree October Chicago day.  Becky and I cycled around on our bikes to join the 1.7 million spectators cheering, ringing cow bells, clapping, screaming and supporting the runners.  Becky even made some signs to pick up the mood and get the runners smiling...



Take your time, the Bears don't play till 3:00



Free Hugs

 Let me tell you, I was truly amazed at the amount of hugs she got. Now to the heart of the day, the  runners.  I wanted to cry so many times for a few reasons: 

1. the amazing achievement they would end their day with
2. the mental strength these marathoners possessed.  Yes, training is a key part of a race like this but not one of those people that crossed the finish line could have done it without a strong will power
3. the number of people that selflessly raised money for so many different causes so they could share their day by helping others.
4. you'll find this reason out in a bit.....

For Jim, this was marathon number 3 and I was so proud and so very very excited the few times I got to smile, scream and see him during the race.  He trained hard for this, was mentally strong, physically fit, mighty fine to look at and possesses this internal strength from God that he can do anything and with that, he can.  I love his attitude, determination, follow through and his ever growing medal collection :)

 

Mile .5



Mile 11



a quick kiss at Mile 24

Jim made the choice to run for Team CF this year and asked some friends to join him.  With the record time the marathon registration closed in, running for a charity was one of the only ways to get in on the game this year.  Candy, Sunni and Emily jumped on the chance to make their marathon debut and didn't hesitate, nor complain, about raising money.  So alongside the training runs, the time away from their beautiful kids and awesomely supporting husbands, they jumped on the chance and raised in their own ways over $4,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  A...MAZ...ING!


Candy & Emily at Mile 4

Sunni at Mile 11

Sunni at Mile 24




Emily & Candy at Mile 24

So, reason #4 that I mentioned above....I wanted to cry every time I saw Sunni, Candy and Emily running by, I couldn't stop thinking because of you and your time, Dean will have more days.

I'm proud, so very proud of the awesome run you did today.  The awesome achievement and the strain you put on your body, your back, your knees, your shoulders, your hips, your poor toe Candy :( .  We know it wasn't easy and we're so glad you did it.  You all deserve that medal and so much more.  Enjoy your time, your accomplishment, the glory and may God continue to bless everything you do. 

And our parents never get the glory, right?!?!  Without my parents today, we couldn't have done this race today.  Thank you Omma & Obba for the marathon you put up with here today!  And thank you Becky for being my cheer partner!

we love you daddy!

Anyone out there want to run for our great cause in 2013, please let us know, we need runners and we promise we'll be out there to cheer you on!!!