Reach

That's me in the middle of the shot, 9kms in.

Just over a week ago, I ran in a ten kilometre fun run for the first time in my life.

Just over a year ago, I could not run for more than a couple of hundred metres without stopping in pain or being out of breath.

Just over a year ago (fifteen months to be exact), I weighed twenty one kilograms more than I weigh now.

Why am I telling you all this? It's not about "look at me" or to brag about achieving these goals. The thing I want to tell you is that just over a year ago, I genuinely thought that these goals were IMPOSSIBLE for me. I genuinely believed that losing the weight and running for ten kilometres were NEVER dreams I could achieve.

To finish the run was an amazing feeling. The Captain brought the Batsman and the Bowler to be there at the finish line. My mum and dad came too. The sun shone through the cold air. In the process of completing the run, I raised $2400 for the autism early intervention organisation who have done such incredible work with the Batsman. Like I said, amazing feeling.

When I think back to how I felt a year ago and try to identify what it was that was the starting point of working towards these goals, the only word that comes to mind is "reach". I was able to reach forward and try and somehow with a bit of blind, clueless faith, know that I could move forward.

That's all I can come up with. Nothing too profound. Reach, reach, reach.

Are you reaching for any goals right now?

Hallmark winners

Thank you all for entering the giveaway. The winners (drawn randomly) are Kate and Ellie.

Congratulations! I will be in touch to get a postal address so your prize can be mailed your way!

I'm over at Autism: In Our Own Words today.

Today I am blogging over at Autism: In Our Own Words.
I have written a post in words and pictures about "What Autistic Looks Like".
Go meet my beautiful Batsman here.

Smiles all round and a Hallmark giveaway you WILL want to win

Of late, I have browsed in our local news agency and thought that greeting cards are a little bit expensive. You know, for a bit of cardboard with a picture on it. To save our coins, we have done a bit of card making over here in the past - kids drawings, my appalling scissor skills and some glitter. You know the drill. And they always look....ok. Thrifty and ok.

No candles were harmed in the production of this Hallmark card

But sometimes when you send a card or give a card with a gift you just need something a little bit more special. A "wowee buckle tee" factor if you like. When the nice folk at Hallmark sent me some of their new "interactive" cards, I learnt all I really needed to know about them in the two minutes after they arrived in my letterbox.

When we opened the envelope and looked through the cards, my 5 year old Batsman simply could not contain his giggles at the dancing Carmen Miranda on one card, the Crocodile Rock music played on another and most of all the card with the "push button" dancing mustache. The Hallmark interactive cards light up, jiggle, giggle, pop up enormously and dance. And they made my boy smile and giggle. So knowing that we had smiles all round, I can only imagine what it will be like to be a recipient of one by post.

Yes, the mustache dances

And, just to increase the level of smiles around here, Hallmark have provided very generous giveaway packs for 2 lucky Segovia readers. Each prize pack includes a selection of cards from the interactive range, the licensed Disney range, the polka-dots range, and classic range, as well as a double forever friends CD featuring tracks from The Script, Michael Buble, Delta Goodrem and many others, AND a Hallmark recordable storybook. The pack is valued at over $115, and is basically a years worth of cards. Um, wow. It's a great prize and think of the time and money you will save on not buying glitter to make your own.

So here is what you need to do to win:

1. Leave a comment below telling me something good about your day. Share the happy.
2. Follow Segovia - here or on FB
3. Ensure that you are contactable by leaving an email address with your comment or via your profile.

The giveaway is open until midnight on July 9, 2012. There are two prize packs, each valued at $115. Winners drawn randomly.

Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. I received a selection of Hallmark interactive cards to enable me to review them. You lucky people get the opportunity to win the two big prizes.