All I want for my birthday (besides James Franco in a red ribbon)

Sarah's TNT Donation Page (Insta-link for those with short attention spans)

My mom wrote last week to ask what I want for birthday (December 5th). When I read her email, here's the picture that came immediately to mind:

What's that? It's the three-fourths of my Bangkok shipment that has never been unpacked! Yup, it's gathering dust in the basement because there's no room for all my junk in the tiny house I share with a roommate.

Frankly, the idea of adding any more material possessions to the mix over the upcoming holidays makes my head explode. In fact, I'm contemplating a serious trip to Goodwill to thin out my stuff.

The good news: there's an awesome birthday (and Christmas!) present you can give that will not only put a smile on my face, but will go to help a great cause -- a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

As many of you know, I'm running the Canyonlands Half Marathon on March 19, 2011 to honor my mom, who is a 10-year survivor of lymphoma (see post below for more details). Your gift will help me reach my goal of raising $4500 for blood cancer research and programs.

Yesterday I told a friend of mine (someone who just loves giving presents) that I only wanted a donation for my birthday. "But that's kind of boring!" she said. "Can't I get you something fun?"

My reply -- there's nothing better you could give me! Because of advances in blood cancer research and treatment made possible by donations like yours, I have the greatest thing in the world -- my mom!

I truly believe that when you donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, you're helping give someone back a mom, a dad, a child, a brother, sister, friend or partner. In fact, seventy-six cents of every dollar you donate goes directly to research or patient programs.

Do you know someone whose life has been touched by blood cancer? Instead of a tie or another kitchen gadget, consider making a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in their honor. That's a heartwarming gift that shows how much you care.

To sum up my plea: Instead of adding to the overflow of stuff at the Maurer-Keller house, please consider clicking here and making a donation to The Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

There's a $25 minimum to donate online with a credit card. If you'd like to make a smaller donation (and every single dollar is appreciated!), or if you simply prefer to donate by check, write your check to "The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society" and mail it to:

Sarah Maurer

(Email me for Address)

To ensure I meet my fundraising deadlines, please donate TODAY. No need to wait til Christmas.

So now you can cross one gift off your holiday shopping list. Unless, of course, you can catch and deliver James Franco to my doorstep. (Run James! Run far. Run fast =)

I'm in the unpacking phase. It's very emotional.

Six years ago, I left for Shanghai with two suitcases.

Yesterday, I arrived at Anne's garage to pick up my sea shipment. Thirty freakin' boxes! Maybe I have one of those hoarding complexes. Watch out, in a few years I will have ninety-six cats and won't be able to throw out a ball of tin foil without crying =).

Unpacking my stuff was bittersweet. There are so many memories in those boxes--the good times, the bad times and the s*it times, as Borat would say.

Well hello there, Thailand-for-Obama 2008 T-shirt! It was so much fun watching the debates and the inauguration at the Road House.

And for all the Joe Plumbers playing a drinking game at home -- MAVERICK!

Oh, look! I found my hiking boots just in time for the big climb up Long's Peak tomorrow. Bet they still have dust on from Kilimanjaro!

And there's my bike Jersey, horribly stained by the red earth of Thailand. I'm glad I ran out of Shout before that trip.

Well isn't this a treat. Three KOTEKAS from New Guinea! I'll show you how to wear one later. On second thought, here's a link to the eHow article. Er, nope, they don't have that. Oh well, you'll just have to google it. AFTER you get home from work.

And here's my fav Bangkok Hash shirt! Racy, racy. Wonder if I'll get arrested if I wear it in Colorado? Oh, well, I gave up my dream of a Senate seat long ago =).

Now this one has definitely come full circle! My old sweatshirt from my CSU days. Lord of the Rings was all the rage back at the time, and I loved putting the hood up and doing my elf impression. Dear Hoodie: welcome back to the hood!

While I was unpacking, Duri was going crackers! He's probably terrified we're moving. AGAIN. He felt better once I opened up a box of kitchen stuff and found Mr. Blue, Blue Mouse!

Whew! That felt like I just unpacked a whole container ship! Know how much it was? FIVE BOXES! Feeling a bit emotional--and also wondering if I might need to tunnel into the next-door neighbor's basement and conquer it in the name of storage capacity.

It's definitely wine-o-clock.

Have any of you guys ever had to do this? Did you manage to unpack the whole thing without a nervous break down? Therapeutic comments needed ...