One week left to donate to Team McGraw NYC!!

As you all know, I am running the NYC marathon - in three short weeks! - with Team McGraw on behalf of the Tug McGraw Foundation. There is one week left in my fundraising campaign and, although I have reached my initial goal of $3,500, I am not giving up yet! If you haven't donated yet, there's still time to donate securely online at www.active.com/donate/teammcgrawnyc09/tmnycACaputo

For those of you that have already donated, I want you to know how deeply I appreciate your generosity. I have been incredibly touched and encouraged by the spirit of giving exemplified in so many of our friends and family members.

I wanted to end this posting with pictures of my Grandpa and my friend, Alexis, in whose honor I am running and raising funds. It is a privilege for me to represent them in this endeavor.

First, my Grandpa...I wish y'all could have known him and gotten one of his big, sweet bear hugs. He was an honest, hard-working, good person, just like my dad and my brother. He was the strong, silent type, with an overriding love of the outdoors. Again, these are traits that live on in my dad and brother. More than anything, I wish that he could have met Catalina, Gus, and Max and that they could have met him. I know that he knows them, though, and is smiling down on them with love!

Here's Grandpa and Grandma, Johnnie and Peggy Hardee, with me and Matt in May 1986 at a one-mile fun run in Lake Charles, LA.



A couple more, both at Christmas-time, but I'm not sure of the years. The first one is probably my very favorite picture of us and is on permanent display in our living room. So many things about this picture remind me of him...his shirt, suspenders, his arm around me, and, you probably can't see it, but there's a bandaid on one of his fingers, no doubt from hunting or working outside. Most of all, his smile and the sweet way he's looking at me.





Next, Alexis...where do I begin telling you about Alexis? She's one of those amazing people who can do anything and everything she attempts. She's smart, beautiful, determined, kind and concerned with others before herself. She an athlete. She's a writer. She has published two books of poetry, both of which are incredible and once you start reading them, you can't stop 'til you've finished every word in the book. She raised money last year for the Tug McGraw Foundation and its quality of life research. That's no surprise, because, in her own life and her own battle with brain cancer, she passionately values and protects her quality of life.

Here are a few pictures that really represent Alexis in my mind...in the first, she's celebrating the release of her first book of poetry in August 2008 at Merritt's house. In the second, she's cheering me on at my first triathlon in September 2008 in Clearwater, FL. In the third, she's out to dinner, wishing me well in my move to Summerville a couple of months ago. As I said before, she is always concerned with others before herself. No matter how she's feeling, no matter what's going on with her, she always wants to encourage her friends and find out what's going on in their lives. There's no one else like her and I'm so lucky to call her my friend!







Thanks and love to all of you!