The Host(ess) with the Most(est)

The countdown is on; the big day is near.
Not sure what to do? Look here, look here!
Only 30 days left – that’s all that remain.
To throw in the towel would be such a shame. 
So follow me now.
I will show you just how,
To make your mark.
Will you, too, be at the park,
Or on a bike, or in a book?
You could even use a rook.
Maybe perhaps you’ll be set at a table.
You can do it, you can…you are really quite able.
I need your help, I need your heart.
Working together, if we all do our part,
We’ll make a world without this disease:
A world so lovely, like a soft, summer breeze.
So empower your brain, that you’re blessed is so healthy,
(And feel free to invite all your friends that are wealthy).
Plan a party, start the talk…
It’s time to gear up and go fund this Walk!
Poetry skills (or lack thereof) aside, we are officially one month away from the Tulsa Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  To help us get from here to there in the most successful, most team-building, most fund-raising way possible, I (with the help of my brilliantly creative designer/assistant/niece…my precious Clara Belle) have created a 30 Day Countdown that will keep us on task to finish strong.
Day 30:  Be a host(ess) with the most(est) by planning an event to promote your Walk efforts.
This can be a quiet dinner party with a few friends or a rip-roaring backyard BBQ for everyone you know.  This can be a poker night with the guys, a Bunco night with the girls, or maybe a chess tournament for all.  This can be a Girls’ Night Out, a kids’ night in, or a guys’ trip to the ballpark.  You can organize a bike ride (bicycles and motorcycles are both a blast!)…maybe a lemonade stand with the littles, a cooking class for the moms, or a crawfish boil by the dads.  What about coffee or brunch, high tea with scones, gathering at the Botanical Gardens, your favorite museum, or a cute boutique just to browse with your besties?
The ideas are endless, and no matter what you choose, you cannot – you will not – go wrong!  Simply pick an activity that you enjoy, and invite a few [dozen?] people to join you.  Be sure to say up front that your fabulously planned, super awesome event is in support of your Walk to End ALZ efforts.  Never be shy to tell your guests that this is a fundraiser…be open and honest about your goals both financial and long-term when speaking about your passion and partnership to end ALZ.  Invite your guests to join you in every step of this Walk season:  your “pre-party” event, your fundraising campaign, and the 1.5 mile stroll that we will enjoy on September 23^rd.
Dedicate yourself to being a lifelong Walker, and encourage others to do the same.
Remember…

• People don’t know what we need or want unless we tell them.
• Every donation – be it $5 or $5,000,000 – is a tremendous help.
• Those we love also love to support us just as we strive to be there for them.
• Happiness and fun are contagious, and people are happy to join in to have fun.
• Together we can find the first survivor; we can end Alzheimer’s Disease.

Hopefully, your brain is storming, the pinballs are bouncing, and the ideas are bursting.
And you might be wondering about me, what I am doing to be a host(ess) with the most(est)…
Well, I am equally parts excited and terrified to invite you all to Yoga with Momma Monty in Centennial Park on Saturday, September 2^nd from 9:30-11 am.

This donation-based class is my first time to teach yoga publicly.  I usually lead my football boys and my coaches’ wives in practice, and as I recently shared on social media, my normal classes cause minimal anxiety as I know those people already love me (or at least they are already stuck with me).  This is much different, potentially much larger, and it is certainly a much bigger test of my skills as a yoga instructor.  But this will also be a ton of fun and is totally worth the worry.  Yoga with Momma Monty in the park is open to any level of fitness, all ages, everyone is invited, and I hope many will come!
Coach, SonShine, Angel Girl, and I will be setting up tables to help guests register for the Tulsa Walk to End Alzheimer’s, donate to TEAM SANDRA JEAN, purchase t-shirts for our 3^rd Annual Alzheimer’s Awareness Game vs New Mexico, and pick up general information about services and programs offered by the Oklahoma Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association (and which are free to the more than 63,000 Oklahomans fighting ALZ and the more than 230,000 unpaid caregivers in OK who struggle and suffer alongside them).
We will also provide ice cold water, so all you need to bring is a towel or mat, your family and friends, and your checkbook 😉
I’d love to see you there, and I would especially love to hear about your special event or dinner or ride or tournament or gathering to meet my Day 30 challenge to launch your Walk season by becoming a host(ess) with the most(est)!!
With love and hugs,
Ashli