On the fundraising front . . .

This weekend turned out to great weekend for me on the fundraising side of things. I wearily started out Saturday morning before the sun came up to join the GTCC yard sale in Jamestown. It turned out to be a great investment. After spending a full week gathering items from multiple households, cleaning and pricing things with much help (thanks Cindy and Mom!) - I headed off with a trailer and carload full of treasures to unload onto someone else. After much ado to get across town with coffee in hand and a friend eagerly awaiting my arrival (note the sarcasm font), we unloaded and had things selling before they barely made it out of the car! It was a great morning that turned out a profit of $215! Jenn you're a rockstar for getting up so early and entertaining me!

After that great adventure on Saturday (and a nap on the couch), I quickly shifted gears to cleaning and setting up for a relaxing spa fundraiser. Thanks to consultant Deborah Hunt for her expertise in BeautiControl. We had a small gathering of family and friends to check out the new margarita products. They smelled so good you just wanted to imagine yourself on the beach soaking up the sun. After all the pampering was finished, Deborah made a $50 donation from all the sales. I can't share enough thank yous to those who continue to support and encourage me. I continue to be blessed by so many surrounding me and uplifting my efforts. Thank you as we all continue to fight to find a cure! Happy stepping! Valerie

Spring 2012 Training

It's been awhile since I joined back in the blogging fun. Jules took off for Seattle, we met up in Atlanta and somewhere in between we continued meeting some more amazing Pink People!! So we are back at it again for a new city and an old favorite. This year we hope Chicago will welcome us with good weather to walk in August and Atlanta will keep us humble as we crew and work all hours in October.

I am continuously honored by my survivors through their unconditional generosity and support. I have to share one with you. She smiles at me daily down the hall and supports me with her words telling me how amazing it is that I walk such distances. This has been another rebuilding year of sorts for her (literally and she looks fabulous!!!) She isn't made of money. She has a family to help support and yet she just gave me a gift card to help with getting a new pair of shoes for training. Now of course I'm all weepy, happily weepy no doubt.

My point being, I worry about the fundraising and the training and staying healthy and traveling and I constantly have my pink peeps on my mind - survivors, angels, fellow walkers, fellow crew, friends and family who help out. I never know how it will turn out until all the money is counted and my bags are packed, zipped and labeled with my name and tent number. I worry until glimpses of hope walk through my door and lift me up to say, take this, walk for me because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.

Julie, I'm borrowing your words: I am pro-cure. I walk for a future without breast cancer. I walk because I am able. I walk to support women and men like this who offer all they are in return for a healthy life.

Here's to a healthy 2012 training season!
Val

What all 3-Day walkers know & what I wish potential donors understood

My boss shared an article with my fellow employees and I recently. It's a copy of an opinion piece titled Use wealth to make a difference in another person's life by S. Truett Cathy, published in the July 15, 2011 edition of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Here's the link to the article, though you have to be a paid subscriber to read the entire thing.  http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2011/07/15/use-wealth-to-make-a-difference-in.html In case you don't know who S. Truett Cathy is, he's the guy who founded this little eatery we in Atlanta like to call Chick-fil-a. (Home to funny cows, delicious chicken, and the seasonal miracle-in-a-cup called the Peach Milkshake. yum) He's also, in my opinion, a philanthropist of the highest order. He and his company and foundations give millions of dollars annually to charities and scholarships. I've heard his son, Dan, speak. In my opinion, they are a humble and decent family...they're good people. Anyway, it's a good piece, and it's not-so-subtly used to plug his new book Wealth: Is It Worth It. (here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Worth-S-Truett-Cathy/dp/1929619405/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311695171&sr=1-1 )

Here are the bits I highlighted:

"If I were allowed only one answer to the question "wealth, is it worth it?" it would be this: "Yes, if you give it generously." Don't wait until you can afford it to start giving. Start right now enjoying that wonderful feeling we have experienced when we share our resources."

"The lesson I took away from my conversation with Warren Buffett was another reminder to me that for wealth to be worth it, you have to give it away. Warren and I talked over the phone a good bit. During our conversation Warren said to me that "wealth is having enough. When you've got enough, you ought to start seeing that other people have enough."" 

Now Truett Cathy and Warren Buffett have a little bit more money than I do. And that's ok. We can't all be successful entrepreneurs. I'm quite happy with being a good mom and a 3-day walker, even though I have an empty-ish wallet. Because I believe what Truett says in the article is true, "Material wealth cannot buy honor or happiness, and a title based on the size of my assets is the last thing I desire."  And the take-away from Warren Buffett's comment is that wealth doesn't mean billions or even millions in the bank...it just means what's left over when you've got the bases covered. Under that definition, even I'm wealthy! 

So my plea is this: Please! People of all wealth, share your good fortune with others. You don't have to be rich to give. You just have to have something worth giving! Give your time, give your blood, give your clothes or give your money. Please. Just Give!

I'll leave you with one last quote from Mr. Cathy's article: "Wealth in the hands of people who are filled with the right virtues can make a powerful, positive difference in the world." 

So, my virtuous readers. What will your difference be?

Have a great day! Happy walking and blessings to you all!

Love- Julie

Pink Pic Monday

This Pink Pic Monday is dedicated to all the 3-Day walkers who have recently begun training for their walks and—with the arrival of Spring and sunshine—are planning for some nice, long, outside training walks. Take a lesson from me and don't forget your sunscreen!! 

Case in point:

In the words of Niblette: Owie.
...someone please pass the aloe!!

Yesterday I went to a Braves baseball game with @kscincotta and her hubs, and their friend JT. As we all piled into the car to head to the ballpark for a pre-game tailgate we were talking about our sunscreen. Everyone except me had already liberally applied their high-SPF sunscreen, and I had mine packed to put on. And I did...on my face, my arms, my legs and even feet (no silly shoe tan lines for me!). But as you can tell, I missed my neck. I thought I was doing so good until Kristen pointed out my bright pink neck. Then when I got home last night I noticed that a few of the folks in my Twitter feed had also imbibed in a little too much Vitamin D exposure and were lamenting their pain and overly pink skin tones.

So what does my ballpark burn and my Twitter feed have to do with my fellow 3-day walkers? Just this: There is more than one type of cancer my fellow Pink People! ...and when I say "Pink People" I mean Komen for the Cure Pink, *not* sunburn pink.

As 3-Day'ers we work hard every day to walk, fundraise, and raise awareness for breast cancer. But as our training season begins, in addition to our breast cancer statistics, please also remember this one: According to the CDC, Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US. In 2007, more than 58,000 people were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, and 8,461 people died. Please remember those numbers and then liberally apply sunscreen and don't forget to reapply as needed.

In other words, be Pink!...not pink. (ow)

Happy walking Pink People!!
Love & Blessings-
Julie

Skin Cancer Prevention Tips from the CDC:
(source: www.CDC.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/prevention.html)
• Use sunscreen w/SPF 15 or higher and both UVA & UVB protection
   - Reapply if out in the sun more than 2 hours or you're swimming or sweating (hello walkers!!) 
   - Sunscreen expires & looses effectiveness when exposed to high temps. Check your bottles, and if in doubt, just buy new. 
• wear clothing to protect exposed skin
• wear a hat made from tightly woven fabric w/a brim all the way around to shade your neck. If you opt for a baseball cap, be sure to protect your ears and neck w/clothing or good slather of sunscreen. 
• wear sunglasses that wrap around & block as close to 100% of both UVA & UVB rays as possible 
• seek shade, especially during midday hours 

Pink Pic Friday

Yeah, so I hope I can get better at this regular blog post thing...especially the Pink Pic Fridays because they're just so darn fun! :-)

Today's entry: the fresh new design for Team Twitter Seattle. My teammate Nicole and I have come to the decision that the official Team food is ice cream. So I wanted to honor this most awesome bit of deliciousness in our team "logo". I hope you like!

Learn more about Team Twitter Seattle (or register to join the team!) at the3day.org/goto/teamtwitterseattle .

I need to extend some special thanks to some of the 3-Day Tweeps who graciously offered advice along the design process. Thanks to Nicole, Abby, Abbie, Laura, Pam, Kristen, Allie, and Paula. You girls rock!

If anyone can walk and talk ~ it's you Jules!

Jules~ once again well written and ditto! I don't mean to steal your words but yes, me too thus, I share this letter from another Girl Scout friend of mine. She is surviving making every day a new day. She is a retired teacher, a mom, a wife, a beautiful spirit and most importantly a SURVIVOR!! Walk with this story in your heart and fight on sister!
Val

Hello to Everyone,
Today was a CELEBRATION DAY! I have finished thirty-five radiation treatments. The last seven treatments were “booster” treatments to the scar area to zap any cancer cells left. (I don’t see how anything could be left.) Those of you who have had radiation know what it is like. My skin on my back, chest and under my arm is very red. Think of your worst sunburn ever and that pretty well tells you what my skin is like. Some skin has peeled and burned again and then peeled and burned again. I have a rash sort of like sun poisoning. It itches and burn cream helps that. (Thank goodness for Biafine.) There will be about 9-12 weeks total of burning. Dr. Sears told me today I will get a little more redder on my collar bone and chest before my skin starts to heal. The healing process should start in the next few weeks.

It will take a while before my energy level returns to “normal”. I do pretty well in the morning but I get very tired in the afternoons. Most days a short nap will perk me up and some days it takes a longer nap. I didn’t realize that some dizzy spells I have had can be caused by the radiation. The muscles at the back of my neck are sore also. I’m sure that is because of the burning. The nerve endings in my scar area will take quite a while to heal, up to a year. I hope not that long, because it feels like an electrical shock each time it happens. I know the effects of the chemotherapy may take up to a year to completely go away. Most of the terrible metallic is gone. Hopefully my hearing will return in my right ear. Right now, it is muffled. I am no longer wearing a wig. My hair is about an inch and a half long. Thank goodness for spring and warmer temperatures. I may be finished with chemo and radiation but the healing continues on.

A friend has told me there was a “ME” before cancer. There was another “ME” during treatments. And now there is still a “ME” for after treatments. The old “normal” is not the new “normal”. My body has gone through several big changes with the surgeries, chemo, and radiation. I will have to find out what a new “normal” feels like because the old normal is gone. For each cancer patient, that normal is not the same, nor does it happen in the same amount of time.

I am certainly not the same person I was before cancer. Cancer has a way of making you realize what is important and who is important in your life. Before cancer, a day was just another day. Now every day is a blessing. I am thankful for each sunrise because that means I get to live and love for another day. My birthday in February was very special. Last June when I got my diagnosis, I was not sure I would see another birthday. I may not have the most productive day every day, but I am aware of how special that day is. You can’t take your health for granted. Your health can change in a blink of an eye.Please get those mammograms and other needed tests as well as doing self exams. Who would have ever thought I would have breast cancer? I certainly didn’t.
From May 25th until today is almost ten months. What a war I have fought! It has not been just one battle, but many, many battles. Cancer is not something I would ever wish on my very worst enemy. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to have fought this fight. I have met some absolutely amazing men and women during this ten month time. They face cancer of all types and all stages with a smile and a determination to do whatever it takes to fight and win. I have heard young women and mothers with little kids and older women share their stories in the Locker Room as we get ready for our treatments. One thing we all have in common other than cancer is faith… faith in ourselves, faith in our doctors, faith in the technicians, and most importantly faith in God. I have been so fortunate to have had such remarkable and amazing doctors, nurses, technicians, schedulers, nurse navigators (who constantly checked on me), the supportive people at Cancer Services and the Susan G. Komen NC Triad affiliate. I have shared tears, words of encouragement, and glorious hugs with all of them. There is strength in numbers.
What has happened has happened. I can not change the past. I can only look forward to the future. WE don’t know what the future will bring. I have made the right decisions for me. I will have regular checkups every three months. April 13th is my next one. Hopefully if cancer rears its ugly head again, we can catch it in an early stage.
I can’t begin to thank family and friends for their support during this trying time. Steve and the girls have been wonderful. Steve didn’t miss a chemo or radiation treatment. He has spent so much time waiting for me to finish a doctor’s visit, a treatment, or just waiting for me to wake up from a nap. He has been so patient and kind. What else would you expect from “SUPER STEVE”!!! Becky and Julie, my sisters the nurses, went with me to doctors’ visits to take notes. The doctor talked but sometimes Steve and I didn’t hear what they were saying so it helped to have someone tell us later what we needed to know. Thanks for your phone calls, emails, and cards. They meant the world to us. To know you are thought of is a great soul warmer. The prayers you said helped in my cancer survival. For that I can never, ever thank you enough.
Barbara

I walk the Walk, but can I talk the talk?

I have a confession to make. I know very little about breast cancer.

First, this especially pitiful considering I took an entire class in college that focused strictly on breast cancer.

Tangent: Let me take this moment to apologize to my professor…who is a survivor. I am a horrible student of biology (a horrible student in general really, but let’s not go there), I have a terrible memory (probably why I’m a bad student?), and she deserved better than my forgetful butt in her class. But taking her class was one of my very early steps along my road to the 3-Day, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Second, as a 3-Day walker, I think that I should know better. And know more. I’m honestly embarrassed to admit that I don’t know anything beyond the “1 in 8 women will be diagnosed” statistic.

Here’s what’s been happening to make me go down this path. I work with a wonderful woman, Nancy, who has donated to my walks each and every year. On Monday, Nancy stopped at my desk and said, “Thank you for walking. One of my good friends just learned that she has breast cancer and I know that the work you do will save her life.” And then Nancy and I talked a bit about her friend…and this is where I think I may have failed Nancy. Because as she started talking about her friend’s diagnosis and what she was going through, I found myself faking my way through the conversation. Not because I didn’t want to have it, but because I didn’t understand the terms that Nancy was using.

Nancy said, “She is between stages 2 and 3.”  

And I thought, “Well is it 2 or 3? Can it be both? What do the stages really mean, anyway?”

Nancy said, “She saw the surgeon, and she’s going to have 18 weeks of chemotherapy, then the surgery, and then probably radiation. Why are they doing it in that order?”

I thought, “I have no idea.”

Nancy is literally coming to me for answers and I don’t have any. She knows I’m not a doctor…she’s not expecting me to spew information on research and facts and drugs. But she knows I’m a Walker, and so she expects that I should be able to talk to her about these basic things. And I don’t think it’s an unreasonable expectation.

Thankfully I have some very knowledgeable friends on twitter who were able to come to my rescue (thanks @kscincotta!) and now Nancy is feeling better. But I’m feeling pretty darn bad. I want to know more!

So, here's what I propose to do. I am going to try my hand at being a student again. I'm not going to register for any classes, but when I hear a story on the radio I'm going to go online and read more about it. When I get the Komen newsletters, I'm going to read all the stories. If I don't understand a word, I'll Google it, or I'll call on my Twitter friends to help me out again. And then I'll share with you what I learn.

I'm done being ashamed because I don't know it all. And I am going to stop knowing nothing. In this fight against breast cancer, knowledge is power. It's time to be powerful.

Pink Pic Friday

Pink Fever is upon me, so Pink (and especially 3-Day fundraising ideas) has begun to take over my random doodles. See this example from some quality doodle-time during a work training session Monday:

...yes, I know there's no pink in the photo. Work with me here.

My full-time job is as a graphic designer for a small financial institution. You know that direct mail piece you just recycled?...the newsletter you didn't read?...the debit card you just swiped? I design those things for a living. But when 3-Day season rolls around, my mind wants to forget about the Annual Report and focus on things that really allow my imagination to run wild: Pink Things. 3-Day Things!!!

I honestly got a little worried about the 3-day imagination pool around Thanksgiving. It had dried up, and I was afraid had emptied itself forever. Because no matter how much I wanted to be excited about 3-Day stuff, I couldn't seem to find the spark to get me going. And that lack of spark carried over into lack of drive to walk another 3-Day. Thankfully I snapped out of that (in January I finally registered for the Seattle walk) and then this week I finally got the spark to get back to designing 3-Day things. I don't know what those doodles will turn into, but I'm excited. I'm excited I got my Pink Spark back. I'm excited to walk Seattle and crew Atlanta this year.

I'm excited to play my part in finding a cure for breast cancer.

Welcome to the 2011 3-Day for the Cure season, everyone! Let's get this Pink Party started!

Blessings & Happy Thoughts to You-
Julie

p.s. Please excuse the dust around this here blog. I need to do a bit of spring cleaning to tidy the place up, so please bear with me.
Love-J

6 DAYS!!!

6 Days and Julie and I have both hit our minimum donations needs prior to the walk. I can't thank people enough for their support and continued donations, especially from those I don't even know or who don't know me very well. I continue being blessed by good fortune and amazing support. Thank you.

3 days and my journey south begins towards Atlanta, from there, on toward Tampa the following day. I have first day walking jitters already knowing the energy and excitement that awaits. Julie has already been stalking Atlanta walkers with Kristen this past weekend. It looks like they had great weather and a great turn out - $6.1 million raised in one weekend! Way to go Atlanta!

So, Jules, the "goo crack" and "pancake crack" is packed already. The Thorlos have arrived and a fresh container of body glide awaits for the feet. No worries - a fresh roll of hot pink duct tape has been prepped and packed as well. Folks, you have no idea what can be done with 3 Days, 60 Miles and 1 Roll of Duct Tape!

Hold on to your shoe laces Tampa, here we come!! Stay healthy, rest well this week. I'll be seeing you soon my dear walker stalker!
Val

Yikes . . . has a month really gone by?

26 DAYS!!! Yikes and all that!! 26 days until we walk. 26 days to collect $1200. 26 days until I see my long-time walking friend with whom I set out each year to solve all the world's problems in 3 days or less because we sure don't solve ours but we laugh a lot trying!! 26 days until I get to listen to Tinker Bell and the Fairy movie over and over and hope that your precious little girl loves it as much as I love giving it to her. 26 days until we see the Florida coast and wonder - what the heck were we thinking once again!?!? 27 days until I tell you I can't believe you talked me into this again (with a huge grin on my face and loving every minute of it despite what my body is telling me). 26 days until that first uncrustable and package of string cheese that sucks us in and keeps us snacking non-stop for 3 days. 26 days until we see what we believe at the time to be the largest sea of pink we've ever seen and don't believe we can take it all in during the opening ceremony. 26 days until that first flag raises to remind us who we remember, who we honor, and why we walk towards our future fighting every step of the way. 26 days until the bass of the music thumps so loudly you can't stand still and the energy of those around you carry you the first 20 miles. 26 days until that dry chicken sandwich for lunch and Mueller's pasta dinner; neither mattering much because we danced the first 10 miles at all the crosswalks and are ready to collapse into the hot shower after the second 10 miles. 26 days until we bring yearlong efforts all together for 3 days to culminate in an indescribable celebration only known and truly understood by those who have seen it or experienced it. 3 days. 60 miles. $2,300. I find myself in awe once again as that time draws near. The thousands of people. The cheering. The excitement. The fellowship. The smiles. The laughter. The tears. It's one big pink roller coaster on tennis shoes! Grab your sunscreen Jules!!

In the meantime, since my bags aren't quite packed yet - some of my weekend adventures gave me a hint of the pink fever. This past weekend Cindy and I walked the Women's Only 5K Walk here in Greensboro, NC. Quite exciting to see the turnout. It's obviously not as far as the 3 Day but venders, pink people, teams, supporters and there was even a small bicycle team as road support! Keep the warm wishes coming and feel free to throw your spare change this way.
Keep on truckin!

Pink Pic Friday -Unfinished Fundraiser Quilt

Oooooh...pixel-y.

This is just the top. I know...it looks done, but anyone who's ever made a quilt knows that there's still a lot left to do once the top is done. I wish someone had told me that before I jumped into the project!! Now, I do have to say that I made 2 tops, and one actually did become a finished quilt. But this one, well...

I'd like to finish it. But where to find the time? I was able to do one last year because I wasn't training as much. I did a decent job (as first quilts go), but I'm not so sure it was worth the trade-off with all those training miles. I'm pretty sure DC would have been an even better walk without my blisters.

So this year, no finished quilt, but I have logged well over 135 training miles. And something tells me that I'm going to be better off because of it. ...I'll let you know for sure come November when I'm done walking Tampa.

The time will come when I finish this quilt. And hopefully many more. But for right now, training for this walk and curing breast cancer are just gonna have to come first.

Until next time, Happy walking!

Be blessed-
Julie

ITP Training Walk

This weekend, I had the pleasure of going on a training walk with @kscincotta.  The plan for 10 miles turned into 11.5, but you won't hear any complaints out of me.  Kristen is not only a wonderful training walk buddy, she knows her way around some great walking spots in Atlanta.  Our walk took us in a figure-eight sort of path, with  her place as the center of where the two loops met.  I took a few pictures along the way and wanted to share the beauty of this fair city.  I honestly have no idea what or where some of these things, are.  I'll have to pass the baton to Kristen to help me out there.  But I am sure of this: It's ITP Atlanta.

A pretty view of the city-scape

ummm...YES!

A group of statues along Peachtree

This emblem was on a lamp post just outside Piedmont Park.  Neither Kristen nor I had any idea what it was about.  Thanks to Flags of the World, I found out that this emblem is actually on the Atlanta City flag.  It depicts a phoenix rising from the ashes and the inscription "Resurgens 1847-1865".  "Resurgens" means "rising again" and the first date is the year the city's 1st charter was granted and the second date signifies the year of the "beginning of the city's rehabilitation after its destruction by the Federal armies in 1864." (Atlanta City Ordinance 52-102 (825))

I love a sign with a sense of humor.

Before I'm done, I just have to give a really big "Thanks!" to Kristen.  She not only joined me for a 11+ mile walk, she showed this suburbanite the charms and beauty that my nearby city has to offer.  I am always SO lost when I go inside the perimeter, and I still have very little idea where I was without looking at my walk map, but this little taste makes me want to go back (and soon!) to explore some more.

Happy walking!

-Julie

All Hail! The Power of Twitter!

...especially when it concerns 3-Day'ers!


This is a tale about the power of Twitter in my 3-Day landscape.

I've been on Twitter for a while...like long enough to accumulate a total of 1,149 tweets.  But while I've followed @the3day for well over a year, I hadn't really gotten into the throng of following and followers until a few months ago, when my fundraising and excitement really started to get going.  @JennyKOBrien was the first 3-Day Tweep I followed, then came @60milegirl, @MadameMommy, and @kscincotta.  There's a lot more to my list, so I won't go into them all, but a great many have become very important to me, and I'm so glad that I decided to really jump in.

You remember Heidi and Kristen, right?

Early on the joy was all in learning about each other.  "Where are you from? Where are you walking? Is this your first walk? I love your blog!!"  And then around the time Val and I hosted the Pottery for the Cure, things changed.  Because a couple 3-Day Tweeps...well, they made the trek to Alpharetta to come out to our little fundraiser.  I was in awe.  Because Heidi and Kristen don't live in Alpharetta...they live way NOT in Alpharetta, and both drove an hour or more to come out.  That's big.

Hi.  I'm Mug

And then, about a week after Pottery for the Cure...the next big Twitter happening happened. That's right.  Mug. Who, after about 6 hours of photos and Tweets, became known as @3DayMug and also garnered her own blog:  the adventures of Mug.

A lot started happening about the time of Mug.  My magnet design got noticed and a couple tweeps asked for re-designs (@fatgirlwalkin) and advice on creating their own (@60milegirl).  Then I designed another magnet to take advantage of ATL traffic and a few more tweeps (@lilshadetree @myarmer and others) asked for their own versions.  And because we're all in this thing together, I gladly helped them all. Because the 3 Day isn't a competition.  There's no race to be won.  No prizes for reaching your fundraising minimum first.  The 3-Day is a community, and this is what we do.

Tweep Walk v1.0

And it doesn't stop there!These Twitter connections have even led to a Training Walk!  Yup, four complete strangers decided to meet in a place relatively central to all of us and walk 9 miles.  That picture over there shows us all...@kscincotta with @3DayMug, of course,  @lilshadetree, @gphigirl and me (@knittingbagel).  And what a great walk!  Nine miles provides a lot of time to talk about what we've been up to for fundraising, share blister-prevention tips, talk packing and teams, and share some stories of our individual 3-Day adventures.

But even after all this, why am I bringing up the Twitter thing now?  Because something really big happened today.


It all started because a few of us we chatting about teams...should we be on one? Should we go solo? And do you ever really go solo on a 3-Day?  And then someone (either @AthenasArmoury @fatgirlwalkin or @abby3dayatlanta) said: "feel like Twitter is my 3-Day team".  And that's when the floodgates broke loose.  Shirts were mentioned, corporate sponsorship was tossed out, and now the list of Tweeps on the un-official Team Twitter is pretty darn big.  (I'm not exactly sure how big because ...ummm... IshouldhavebeenworkingandnotonmyphoneorTwitter... but you can ask Cat about the list.  She's the official list-keeper for Team Twitter.)  


So yeah.  Now I get to contact Twitter trademark folks and beg them to use some part of their name or logo (without any implied support of the cause, of course) so that we can knock out some fabu shirts and other things on Cafe Press.  (All money from the sale of items will be donated straight to Susan G Komen for the Cure.) But oh man, am I excited! I cannot wait to meet these people in Tampa, or walker-stalk them in Atlanta. And who knows about next year, or years beyond.  I can't wait to read about their triumphs and struggles and about their individual reflections on the 3-Day.  But I really can not WAIT to Cure Breast Cancer with them.  Because that's what we're all really here for.  


Go Team Twitter!!


Until next time, 
Julie


p.s. I know that I left out some folks in this here line-up.  I did not intentionally omit anyone.  I just have a really bad memory and until I can get out of the habit of posting after my bed-time (a.k.a. practically brain-dead) I will unfortunately miss a thing or two.  I really have a lot of love and am so thankful for all of my 3-Day Tweeps.

(vaguely) Pink Pic Friday - Two Chicks Shirts

(vaguely) Pink Pic Friday - Two Chicks Shirts
Originally uploaded by JulieWalks60in3

This here is the mock-up for the shirts that Val and I have available for sale for our die-hard Two Chicks Fo(u)r Boobs supporters...or folks who just like having pink chickens on their shirts. Whatever your reason, we'd love to share one with you for a $20 donation to one of our pages (See page links at right). I have sizes Medium through XL available, Val may be super special and have a Small or two on hand, but I can't guarantee that. If you're desperate for a small, go bother her. ;-)

Some of my 3-Day Tweeps (@60milegirl and @joyfc) are currently passing about our shirts in what we've loving termed the @the3day T-Shirt Swap 2010. (Joy even hash-tagged it! #T-ShirtSwap2010) This a really exciting thing for me because I get to see what other people have put together to support their teams and I get new shirts with fabulous 3-Day themes. How can you beat that?!? Also, some of these same Tweeps and others are gathering tomorrow for a nice 8-mile training walk. The power of the Internets, and especially the 3-Day Community is strong, people! I'm sure I'll have more to say on that subject come Saturday afternoon, so keep your eyes and RSS feeds peeled.

Until then, Be Blessed and Happy Walking!
Julie

Pink Pic Friday - Closing Ceremony Rose

Pink Pic Friday - Closing Ceremony Rose
Originally uploaded by JulieWalks60in3

Anyone who's ever finished a 3-Day knows you get a lurvely pink rose when you walk into the holding area at the end of the walk. I love my pink roses, and tend to photograph them a LOT while they stay with me. This here rose is from DC '09. My mom scored a choice cheering location just steps away from the "finish line", and made a perfect backdrop for my rose photos.

Dreams of the 3-Day

Dear Val-
I don't know if I've ever told you, but in recent years one of the most recurring theme of my dreams is the 3-Day.  Before our first walk in Atlanta, I dreamed that the walk course consisted of a huge maze.  Folks were coming out talking about how brutal the walk was. I wonder what other first-timers may dream about? I don't know about you, but I couldn't read enough about what the walk would be like, but all the reading in the world couldn't prepare me for the actual experience: wonderful, amazing, and thankfully, maze-free.

The next series of 3-Day dreams included X.  We were re-trying a relationship and I brought up the Walk. And X, well he didn't want me walk, just didn't think it was important, and so he was forbidding me to do it.  We were riding on a slow-moving train, and when the "I forbid you to do the 3-Day" part came up, I specifically remember looking at him slack-jawed and then jumping off the train.  There's a whole lot to read in to there, but in 3-Day terms the meaning is pretty darn clear: the Walk is who I am, not only something I do...and I will walk, no matter what anyone tells me.

Then last night, I was once again dreaming about the 3-Day.  (Never can I dream about the actual event...pink tents, walker-stalkers, Uncrustables.  Nope, gotta be random.) I like to think of this dream as my 3-Day Amazing Race Dream, because in this one, in order to be allowed out onto the course we had to first successfully complete a series of tasks.  We worked and worked, but for some reason we just couldn't do enough.  This sounds like some serious fund-raising fears coming to the surface.  I worry about fund-raising every year.  I feel like a burden on my friends and family, that I'm annoying my co-workers and strangers with requests for money or participation in a fund-raising event.  But then today (thanks to the Young Survivor Coalition Twitter feed @YSCBuzz) I came across the My Big Girl Pants blog.  Holy crying in the Cube Farm, Val.  Talk about putting yourself out there and painting a brutally vivid picture of the emotions, pain, and realities of living with and fighting breast cancer.

Bridget: I walk for YOU.

So, when I get queasy and wishy-washy when I think about stepping outside my comfort zone to send letters or e-mails and fund-raise, I'm gonna (to borrow a phrase from Bridget) put on My Big Girl Pants and not only step outside that comfort zone, I'm going to take a giant leap outside it. Fund raising: here I come.

Okay.  Off to ask Facebook friends to step up to the pink plate and do some donating!  Then it's time to work the e-mail campaign.  Thanks to some Magnet orders and some design work for other 3-Day'ers, I am happy to announce that I've met and crossed over the first $1000!  Woot!  I also took an interesting fund raising step and slapped a magnet with my personal 3-Day URL on the back of my car.  I'm hoping to get a donation or 20 from folks sitting behind me in ATL traffic between now and October. Heck, we're all just sitting there at times...pull out a pen and help a walker out!  The most fun part of this little experiment: some of my Tweeps have asked for magnets, too!  I've happy tweaked and mailed files to @myarmer and @2girls2boys, and I've got @lilshadetree on the list for tomorrow.  Here's hoping we all get at least one (or 20!) donations for our efforts!

Happy walking my Two Chicks sister!
Love-
Julie

Pink Pic Friday - CowGirl Boots!

Pink Pic Friday - CowGirl Boots!
Originally uploaded by JulieWalks60in3

Niblette is home, and just before her Daddy left for the second half
if his Afghanistan deployment, he took her to the country-western
store and got her this snazzy pair of CowGirl Boots. Yee-haw!!

Pink Pic Friday

Pink Pic Friday
Originally uploaded by JulieWalks60in3

Niblette's daddy is home from Afghanistan, so she made a special sign
for him. If you look closely (and turn the picture upside down), the
upper left part of the sign is her self-portrait made with sparkle
star stickers.

Blessings to you all!
Julie

Pottery for the Cure

...was a great success!  We had just under 20 people come and paint, which was a very pleasant surprise.  In addition to the pottery painting, Val and I brought in goodies to sell, including Cup Cakes (in A, B, and D Cup sizes!), ribbon rice krispy treats, and ribbon & heart cookies.  Yum!  We also had Two Chicks team shirts, 60in3 magnets and a super surpise prize drawing to win a pottery cookie jar chock full o'cookies (congrats, Marla!!). 

One of the best parts of the night was that, in addition to the family and friends that came in to support us, a few fellow 3-Day'ers dropped by, as well!  ...talk about a community that supports one another!  We were so happy to see Kristen of Kristen Walks who's walking Boston in just a few short weeks, Heidi who is walking Tampa in October (her inagural walk!  Welcome, Heidi!!), and Stef, who is walking Atlanta this year in her SIXTH 3-Day.  SIX, people.  That means that when she's done walking this year, she'll have 360 miles worth of 3-days under her belt.  That's a lot of walking, a lot of money raised, and a lot of lives saved.   Go visit her page and give her a shout out to let her know how completely awesome she is.  She definitely deserves it.

Val and I want to give a huge THANKS! to the folks who came out:  Heidi, Lisa, Kristen, Stef (with hubby and her two boys, too!), Christine (with hubby and her three boys), Marla, Tiffany, and Melissa.  And we can't forget All Fired Up. The staff was amazing, the venue:  perfect.  If you live or work in the ATL area, please visit one of their two locations, and give them your business.  They deserve it!

Now for the results:  Between pottery and sales o'goodies, Team Two Chicks was able to raise over $150 for Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  That is flat-out fabulous, and we couldn't have done it without you!  Thank You!!!

Until next time...

Love and Blessings-

Julie

Pink Pic Friday - Why I Walk

Pink Pic Friday - Why I Walk
Originally uploaded by JulieWalks60in3

Niblette at her most Pink-tacular!