Lauren Easom

I'd like to apologize in advance to anyone who is reading this hoping to find something entertaining or cool, I'm afraid all you're going to get is random thoughts. Continue at your own risk...

So what's new with me? Well, not much. I'm still loving San Francisco, but getting a little homesick. I am coming home June 30-July 6, and so excited to see everyone. I haven't decided how I will split that time between Missoula and Wallowa, we'll see. I would like to spend the 4th of July in Big Fork, MT but a lot of people have either gone home for summer or are going to school, so we'll see.

After that it's off to Phoenix to see my beloved Tara! I'm going for training but will finally get to see her and spend some time in Phoenix. I'll be there for my birthday, which should be fun. (Being there, that is.) Not so sure I have anything to be excited about my next birthday: 22. I am afraid that my 21st was the last birthday with a reason to be excited for.

Work is going great; I love my job so far and have met some great people. I work a lot more than I had expected; I'm a bit of a work-a-holic, but then I guess I always have been. The pay is great, and I get a lot of other benefits for working at KPMG. Not just the insurance and stuff, but fun things too. Last month the firm took us on a wine country tour in Sonoma, and in February we went skiing at Tahoe for a day. Can't really complain about that, right?

I have gotten to travel a little bit with my job; Ive been to Pittsburgh, Dallas, and all around California. Also I just got back from Chicago yesterday. Ill be going to Phoenix soon and probably back to Pittsburgh again later this summer. Business travel is not nearly as glamorous as Id imagined, but I enjoy getting to see different places I wouldnt usually go.

Last Sunday I received a marriage proposal...I guess that's pretty big news, right? Don't get too excited, I turned him down. His name was Matt and he was an Olympic tennis player. Special Olympics, that is. He told me he loved me the most and wanted to have babies with me. And could I please watch him while he showed me how Rocky does one-handed push ups? Haha, that was my Sunday - volunteering at the Northern California Special Olympics in Berkeley - it was a really great time. And if I never find Mr. Right at least Matt will be there for me as a backup option! He did look awfully handsome in his headband (it was the real one from the Karate Kid movie, his dad even said so).

Matt from Special Olympics is as close as I am to having a guy in my life right now. I've been out with a few guys since I've been here, but am not really looking for anything serious. We all know how f'ed up my last relationship ended, that's probably part of it. Plus, I barely have time for myself, let alone a guy right now. Hmmm...perhaps more to come on that topic, should I have anything to say about it later.

So anyway, this first blog of mine is getting to be kind of lengthy, thanks for sticking with it this long - you are to be commended on your perseverance, and I apologize for how boring this must be to read!

Last night I went to my first baseball game: the SF Giants vs. the SD Padres. I had amazing seats in the second row and directly behind home plate! I could see the sweat beads on Barry Bonds's face...literally. I got to see him hit #722, and then the next two batters after that hit home runs also. I ate a hot dog and garlic fries and sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the 7th inning stretch. I've never even watched an entire baseball game on TV, but its a whole different experience actually going to the game. For instance, on TV you can't tell that Noah Lowry is so hot!

I am not a sports fan at all, but for some reason I've managed to get great seats for every event I've been to. I went to a hockey game in Spokane for Valentine's Day a few years ago and we got to sit in the front row in some empty seats we spotted across the rink from the nosebleed section - luckily the security guard who asked us to quit pounding the glass didn't check our tickets. In January I watched a Dallas Mavericks game in a sky box with a private bar, and then last night I got to sit in the most amazing seats in the stadium to watch the #1 and #2 baseball teams in the west play each other. I almost feel guilty because there are so many actual sports fans who would be able to fully appreciate the experience... actually I don't. I've had a great time at every event I've been to and I'm not sorry. I am, however, done bragging about my awesome seats.

I'm going to another game tomorrow night, the Giants are playing the Padres again. I'm going to watch this one from the cheap seats - hopefully not too far away to check out Noah. I'm taking my "Little Sister" Natalie. I signed up to volunteer with the Big Brothers / Big Sisters program, and I just met her today. I'm so excited - she's 14 and we basically hang out once a week and do fun stuff together or work on her homework, etc. I think it will be awesome, I'll let you know how it goes!

Heads up! I'll be participating in the Avon Walk for a Cure on July 7 & 8. I will be raising $1800 for Breast Cancer Research, and walking almost 40 miles to support a cure! I'll be sending out an e-mail to my friends, family, and co-workers soon with details on how to support this excellent cause and help me reach my goal. If anyone is interested in participating, please let me know and you can join our team!

A group of KPMG employees and partners got together on Saturday to help make the Hunter’s Point home of Mrs. Edwards a brighter place to live. This effort was part of the Rebuilding Together project. When we arrived, we found a garage full of unwanted furniture, trash, and countless other items. The back yard was so over-grown it could not be walked through, and the house was barely accessible due to piles of recycling, more trash, and more unwanted miscellaneous things.

Over the course of about 6 hours, we transformed the place into a nice cozy home for the elderly Mrs. Edwards. We cleared all the trash out of the garage and house so that she could actually use the space, created a peaceful sitting area and flower garden in the backyard, and re-painted her bedroom (very bright pink)!

I was on the back yard crew – in charge of flower placement. Our team trimmed the large pine tree back so that the sidewalk was usable, created planter boxes from half wine barrels, and set up a few benches and a table in the sun. We planted a little garden outlined by decorative rocks, and even cleaned the gutters. When Mrs. Edwards came out and saw her new back yard, she was speechless. She was amazed at how nice we had made it look, and very grateful. I felt like Ty Pennington for a second – ok well maybe one of the members of the design team.

Dear Friends,

I would like to take a few moments of your time to tell you about an important event coming up. On July 7-8, I'll spend the weekend walking, along with thousands of other people, in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The KPMG team will walk one and half times the distance of a marathon (39.3 miles)! We’ll begin at Golden Gate Park, travel over the Golden Gate Bridge through Marin County, and then back to the city and through the Financial District.

I’ve pledged to raise at least $1,800 to support efforts to find a cure for breast cancer. This is less than $0.01 for each new diagnosis this year, but every bit of support helps and every dollar makes a difference. I’m asking for your support on behalf of all those whose lives are or will be affected by breast cancer: current and future patients, survivors and victims, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, families and friends.

The money raised goes to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to provide access to care and to work toward finding a cure. They provide funding to organizations all over the country in five areas: medical research, clinical care, support services, educational and advocacy seminars, and community-based, non-profit early detection breast health programs. For more information please visit www.avonfoundation.org.

Donations are tax deductible and you will be provided a receipt for your records. For your convenience, there are two easy ways to donate:

• 1. Enclose a check made payable to “Avon Walk for Breast Cancer” and send it to me in the mail (please email me at Lauren.Easom@gmail.com for my mailing address.) If you prefer to mail donations directly to the Avon Foundation, please let me know and I will provide the address and a donation form.
• 2. Donate online by visiting www.laureneasom.com/walk - you will be redirected to my personal donation site where you can enter your credit card information safely and securely. You can also visit www.avonwalk.org, click “Donate”, and search for my name in the “San Francisco” section.

If you would like to make your donation in support of or in memory of a loved one, please let me know and I will add her or his name to the list of those we honor as we walk. All names collected by June 10 will be listed on our jerseys.

Please remember as you're making your donation that in the time it took to read this letter, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer. If you know anyone who might appreciate this opportunity to support a cure for breast cancer, I invite you to forward this message along.

Thank you for your support.

Update: Thanks to generous support of my friends and family, I have raised half of the $1,800 I pledged to raise for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer coming up next month (July 7-8)! I've got exactly one month to raise the other half and step up my training in order to prepare for the 39.3 mile walk.

It is still not too late to donate! Donations are tax deductible and you will be provided a receipt for your records. For your convenience, there are two easy ways to donate:

1. Send a check made payable to “Avon Walk for Breast Cancer” to me in the mail. If you prefer to mail donations directly to the Avon Foundation, please let me know and I will provide the address and a donation form.
2. Donate online by visiting www.laureneasom.com/walk - you will be redirected to my personal donation site where you can enter your credit card information safely and securely. You can also visit www.avonwalk.org, click “Donate”, and search for my name in the “San Francisco” section.

Did you know?

• An estimated 178,480 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. This means that every 3 minutes, one more mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, aunt, mentor, or friend will be given the news that she could be one of more than 40,450 women who will die from the disease annually.
• Breast cancer doesn’t just affect women, 6 men will be diagnosed with the disease each day in 2007. This year, 450 men will die from a disease they may not have known they were at risk for.
• A woman living in the United States has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.

Please remember as you're making your donation that in the time it took to read this letter, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer. If you know anyone who might appreciate this opportunity to support a cure for breast cancer, I invite you to forward this message along.