Sunday, October 31, 2010

Pinktober Recap

Well this community did not disappoint. The FBW PINKTOBER Fest last night was a huge success and so much fun. The place was packed, the band was great, and the costumes...they were too funny! I am sitting here today processing this great event and beaming with pride. I am so happy to be getting this non profit off to such an amazing start!

The community has such great resources for cancer patients but for those of us who are younger with this disease there are a few things that would make life easier. There are so many out there who are in need of help and I am so excited to finally start doing something about it!

Thank you to all who came to Pinktober fest and supported this organization. I am especially thankful to those who helped make this event even possible. I am the lucky one who gets the glory at the end, but this event would not have happened without each of these friends :)

Friends come and go but when you become a friend of the bald woman...your there for life! You are all amazing and I am so lucky to have you all in my corner....have a great day!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Let the good times roll

The time is here....the big FBW Halloween PINKTOBER FEST 2010!!!!! I am so excited for this event. It will be our second and with the success of our first event (the yard sale....on a rainy day) I am sure this will not disappoint for fun or fundraising! :) I am too funny!

I love this quote of the day because it is perfectly fitting for today!

The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.
William Hazlitt

Let the good times roll! Right?

On the Bald Woman front, I am struggling right now with some difficult decisions in my current life. I feel as if I am at another chapter change of my book of life and I don't know exactly which direction I would or even should go....I have had these moments in my life before and always felt a clear path was laid out. This time I think I know what I need to do, but there is much risk and uncertainty in this choice. I can endure lots of pain, disappointments, and heartaches but now I want to enjoy a little! Only time will tell and I hope my decision is the right one, but really...there is no right or wrong choice just different paths. Sometimes we take the long way around but we always get where we need to be! Why not enjoy the trail instead of worrying if it is the right one???

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Amazement

Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.
Jim Rohn


What a perfect quote for today!

Wow! I am so amazed this morning. We had our first event yesterday, the garage sale. Despite the location change and the rain forecast it miraculously held up and was mostly dry and busy ALL DAY. It beat even my highest expectations that I had! I have been working around the clock with my job, my family, and the FBW stuff. I have been speaking all over the community, teaching extra classes this month, and attempting to maintain my house too! :) It has been a long month for me, but yesterday to see the support of a community really made all my craziness worth it! There were people who came and just did the "garage sale" but there were some that came and went above and beyond and shared their stories too! That is the part I really love. My hope is that this will only get bigger. To have your opening event be so huge and the weather trying to ruin that really shows me that just as in my battle with cancer, I WILL DO THIS AND I WILL DO IT WELL!

Thank you for the support yesterday. Thank you to all who made donations (some even came in by the truckloads). Thank you to my favorite people in the world (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) for helping me yesterday and keeping up some humor throughout the day! :) I am thrilled that we can finally start doing something to help! Stay tuned!

When do I get a vacation?? How long till summer? :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Spiderwebs

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
Herman Melville


We are all connected aren't we. We are each unique individuals that are intricately connected to each other. It still amazes me when I see this first hand. There are people I have met and become friends with, and had I not become friends with them the whole next series of events would not be the same. I would not have my kids, my husband, and many other things that I hold so dear right now. I have figured out that more I understand how this works, the less I really understand! I know this sounds like I am having another one of my "mental moments", but it is true. I just seem to get a hold on things and then....I am right back where I started. Maybe, we are not meant to understand??

Life is busy post-cancer just as it was pre-cancer (and even during cancer)! I think I am crazy some days for taking on so many things, but I know in my heart what I am trying to do is right. I was a 30 year old with cancer and many times I STILL feel as if I am the only cancer patient under 40! I know there are more out there and my hope is that they will find ME! Enough talks, website plugs, or exposure on the radio...they WILL find ME!

To all the people who have come and gone through my life, THANK YOU!


oh yeah....biggest news ever yesterday! Genetic results are in.......NEGATIVE ON ALL COUNTS!!!! (That means I do not have a genetic reason to have had cancer but better yet, MY KIDS do not either!)
That being said....I guess I was just LUCKY!!!!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Weekend winners

Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.
Vince Lombardi

Well I must be wanting to win pretty bad these days because I just can't stop winning! First I won the "Day of Beauty" prize from the Cancer Center's breakfast, then we won at Bingo night (well my daughter did), then we won $10 on a scratch ticket (well my husband did), and then to top it all off I won the bid on the silent auction prize I really wanted. I won a private plane ride over the city with 2 other people. Awesome huh....I could have bid on the great baskets and stuff, but this is memories we are talking about here!

The In Step with Hope Tea was Saturday. I was one of their speakers. It was such a wonderful event. It had an amazing breakfast, mimosas, silent auction, and fashion show. Oh yeah and a great speaker...ME! (Just kidding) I decided at this event I would give myself another challenge. I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone just to see what happens. I know, I am kind of insane. I guess I feel like I can do anything these days and I just want to keep testing out that theory. At the very first event I sang my version of "I will survive". This event however, I decided that I would push the envelope again and sing. I sang one of the most meaningful songs for my life at this time. It is a Sugarland song that talks about Standing back up. I love to sing, but in public is a whole new ball game. I finished my mimosas and just got up and did it! There was certainly fear in my voice but my hope is that people saw past that and listened to my words. Each and every one of them rang so true for me. No matter what knocks us down we have to just stand back up! After the singing part, the rest was easy! I even received a standing ovation??Crazy huh, never had that before. (maybe I should add it to my bucket list and then just check it off!) :)

I have one more speaking event this Wednesday for the Relay for Life kick off. I am excited to keep doing all of these great events. It really is fun! I guess I am just loving the spotlight! :) Now if only my national speaking career (yes career means paid :) not just for fun) would only take off. Maybe that is how I will travel the world and see all these places on my bucket list!

Friends of the Bald Woman is rolling along nicely. We have a yard sale coming up this weekend. I am hopeful that it will be a success. We are also having PINKTOBER FEST, a big Halloween costume party, to raise funds for us too! Our wristbands are on the way and the rest is falling into line quite nicely!

I have so much to be thankful for each and every day! I am so thankful that everything just seems to fall into place! Time will tell the directions we will go, but I am certain that I will enjoy the ride along the way!

HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Goals

Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.
Bo Jackson

I am so glad this is the quote of the day. For those of you who talked to me yesterday, Thank U! I was having a BAD day and I appreciate all of your words of support to help remind me of what I need to be doing. Some days are just like that and oh boy when it rained, it poured.

Last night after a long day working, doing Friends of the Bald Woman stuff, and running my daughter to dance class I tried really hard to think of something that had gone right. It was actually really hard because yesterday was one of those days where everything seemed to be going all wrong. Today I am looking back wondering if it was all going wrong or I just could not get my perception of things straight. I think it was my perception. The events of yesterday were nothing I haven't dealt with a million times before, but typically I would just brush them aside and move forward. Yesterday...No such luck! It feels as if on those days that the reason for having just one bad thing after another is because that is all you are looking at!

Finally by 8:00 last night I picked out a wonderful thing that happened and only focused on that. For those who do not know, a wonderful radio personality here recorded a PSA for us at Friends of the Bald Woman yesterday afternoon. An hour or so later I was headed home from work and caught the tail end of the ad! What a great way to get our name out there! I was thrilled.

The last few days I have been doubting quite a bit what I am trying to do. I want to help people that have cancer because I KNOW how much these things are needed here in this community. I struggle because I have to now convince a world of this during "Awareness" month. You would think this would be easy, but it is more difficult than I thought. Why don't people understand that 1 out of every 8 women will end up with breast cancer and 8 out of 9 of them HAVE NO FAMILY HISTORY! If you got cancer wouldn't you want support, help, caring people checking in on you, and knowing that you are not the only 30 year old in the town with cancer (sorry that was my issue).

The quote today says set your goals high and don't stop till you are there and that my friends, is what I intend to do!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Awareness or HELP

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.
Louis D. Brandeis

I raising more than awareness this month folks. I will help these women fight this fight! I realize that people don't just go out start a non profit on somewhat of a whim, but I...am not people! I am a cancer survivor and I believe that now I can do just about anything I feel like! :)

I will do the impossible and change attitudes or I will die trying!

Today I am thankful for being here another day to fight this stupid disease. (or to help others to fight it). We will be raising money to not just create awareness but actually help those who are diagnosed each and every day! Feel lucky it is not you yet, but nobody is exempt from this thing and I am LIVING proof of that. If this happened to you would you want awareness or HELP! Friends of the Bald woman is going to be that HELP so join us!

Have a "magical day" (that is what they say at Disney World and it just doesn't work as well unless you are there!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Just another day

The screams of kids fighting in the morning make a day start out great! I have two "always right" kind of kids so it makes for some great arguments! They are always so important too, like I am going to school today, NO your not, yes I am, no your not! (get the drift) They argue pretty much every time they are together. I can only imagine what the teen years will hold....can't wait. New thing started today that is too funny. My son decided when I told him no he would say why. (that is not the new part) As I am answering him he covers his ears????? What is this? Didn't he just ask me why?

Does it seem insane of me to want to be here with them more than I am??? I am starting to think so.

I had a genetic test done the other day and I am still waiting for the results. I hope that they are negative because then my risk for certain cancers is pretty much the same as the general public if it's negative. (I kind of feel like no matter what my risk is 50/50. You either get it...or you don't!)

FBW wristbands are on their way. We will sell them for $2. I am working on the t-shirts too. We are having a yard sale on the 23rd and we are doing a FBW calendar and looking for chemo patients to be the stars of this project. I am also planning a Bald Woman Costume Party for Halloween. I realize it sounds like a lot to do and it is, but it needs to be done. I am ready to start helping people. If we have no money then we can't help anyone. I hope that this is successful and I wouldn't have dumped so much of my own money in if I didn't believe in it. We will organize the group for young cancer patients, we will help patients get food, house cleaning, wigs, and even the genetic testing that often is not covered by insurance. We will also raise awareness and hopefully change a few stereotypes along the way. This is all happening while holding a part time job(25hrs a week), being a mom to a 3 and 6 year old, and somehow having a life too. It may take me longer than I would like, but I will do it. That is a fact!

Don't be afraid to take a risk, to go after what you want even if seems impossible. There is nothing that can't be done. You just have to know what you want. I think I finally do!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Like a Cheesestick?

Today I am so grateful for my kids. They are so wonderful and pretty funny. They must get it from me huh!?
Miley, who is 3, and I were rocking out in the car to one of my current favorite songs. We were singing and dancing to Like a G6. When the song ended however she kept going independently. She starts moving from side to side with the most serious expression and says, "Like a cheese stick, like a like a cheese stick" I have been laughing all morning. Too funny. Maybe I should have fed her lunch before we went out?

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Always learning

Don't go through life, grow through life.
Eric Butterworth

This is appropriate for today! Speaking gig #2 (the high school) went....well, it went. I have never seen such a quiet room of high school students. Am I losing my touch here? My great friend Letty taped it and I watched it back. It was not as bad as it felt up there, but boy when did I age like a generation!? Apparently I did. When did this happen? I am going to try and not beat myself up about it too much today because we have to learn and grow right. I was pleased to see so many students up so early in the morning to be supporting such a worthy cause! I am thankful for the opportunity and for the realization that we are as young as I feel. That being said I think I will stick to survivors and groups who get my "cancer can be funny" kind of humor. I think you can find humor in everything but some maybe just don't understand why I am making light of such a serious thing. It is not that I don't think it is serious (believe me and read my old posts if you don't believe me), but I just wanted them and anyone else to see a different view. We all know the crappy side of cancer. Let's do our best to look something good or find humor where there is little. Positivity will take you far!

Oh well, live and learn, right? Thanks to the High School for letting me come and share a different side of the coin! I hope the Pink Week is extremely successful!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Do things happen for reasons?

They say things happen for a reason. Today I struggle with this more than before. I thought my life was going to take a turn in a certain direction. It did not.
I now am trying to analyze (or maybe over analyze i am good at that too) what I really want. If I get real with myself I know what it is. I just don't know how to get there. I believe that today is definitely one of those moments that not getting what you wanted may be the best thing that has ever happened, but only time will tell.

Here is what I do know....

I want to be with my kids every second I can. Life is so short and so is our time with them. I want to be a mom first and everything else can take a number.

I love laughing. It makes the world a better place and we need to do it EVERYDAY!

I want to help as many people as humanly possible. I want women of all ages, shapes, sizes, hair type to know and BELIEVE they are beautiful for who they are as a person.

I want to leave a mark here on this earth. I want to leave something that is lasting and permanent.

I want to be thankful for at least one thing each and everyday.

I want to change lives!


So now I have all this great knowledge of what I want to do, NOW WHAT?
The rest as they say "is still unwritten"............

The Unknown

I don't know what is on the road ahead
I keep going towards the unknown
Been feeling lost and confused
Wondering what it is that I will be shown

I am doing what I think is right
who knows now because it's all a mess
Each time I think I get it
In my head I seem to second guess

I have been on a journey of a million miles
and that path was always winding
I went and went towards what I didn't know
without a doubt or even minding

I feel I climbed a mountain
and made it to see the top
Words can't describe the view up there
so I just begin... and then I stop

They will never know till their lives
take them to this place
I hope for them they get there soon
and see the world's beauty and grace.

So for now I just move forward
toward that unknown place
I see the world with different eyes
but walk with the same smile upon my face.