Jogging for Jugs

Sooo maybe I’m just a smidge crazy for wanting to sign up to RUN in my first ever 5K a mere 3 weeks before my wedding date?  Oh I don’t know, it sounds like a fabulous idea… right? Right?!

Ok so maybe some of you out there are thinking what’s the big deal? You run… its over, No competition with the wedding… maybe blow off some steam pre-wedding…

Except for one thing. I HATE to run.

Ask me to walk a 5K any day and my answer will likely be SURE!! Heck I’ve even walked 60 MILES in 3 DAYS several years in a row without another thought.  Running?  Well it’s a whole other ballgame my friend.

I’ve done a mile here or there and once I ran because my walk got rudely interrupted by a torrential downpour but I’ve never done it seriously or for any significant distance.

So why RUN?  Well running a 5K.. it’s on my 101 in 1001 to do list for starters. Also? I really need a kick in the booty to get in shape for the wedding… another tick off that list. 

Also?? I’m missing my pink family and really couldn’t just abandon the cause completely this year.  I mean, I may be super busy with working & wedding planning but cancer?  It doesn’t take a break – EVER. 

So while I have my selfish reasons for signing up, I had to at least choose a good cause to support.  Because in the end, helping to fight for the cure is still my biggest motivating factor.

ps: if you want to join the team or donate just go here!

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

SOCS: The Dechubby Project

It’s been a while since I participated in a SOCS entry but today.. well it just seemed appropriate for me to do when my mind is cluttered with so many things to do.  As I was sitting here trying to figure out what of the many things in my head to write about… my “Dechubby for the Hubby” project popped into my head.

I guess project might be the wrong word for it… goal might be more appropriate… but I seem to do better at things that are project or challenge related so project it is.

So what is it?

Well let’s put it this way… I am… fat chubby.

A few years ago I had lost a bunch of weight and was feeling pretty durn good within myself and about myself. Then cancer happened.  Most people may relate cancer to pictures of people wasting away from chemo but my treatments were different.  No chemo, just radiation… oh and they ripped out my thyroid which kinda controls the ol’ metabolism, k?  So anywho… I managed to fairly quickly regain all the weight I lost (plus a few pounds for good measure).

So the project?  Eat better, exercise more, lose weight and look completely fabulous for the future hubby on our wedding day! 

It’s fairly simple right? Suuuuuure… if it were, I wouldn’t be in this chubby state.  I have some bad habits and a really big comfy couch that don’t help things much BUT I also have some knowledge deep within my brain on how exactly to fix it.

I started one week ago and I am happy to report that 5.4lbs of that chubby-ness is gone for goodola!  I just hope to keep up the losing streak so that come the wedding day, I’m worried only about tripping on my wedding gown and not if my arms look fat from the back.

3 {three} Months

Wow.

Three months?  Really?

Has it been that long since I last posted?

It must be true because the almighty internets never lie… right?

I could write a post filled with excuses as to why I haven’t posted… but in all honesty I’ve just been out there living my life. 

I’ve been to Florida once, Colorado once, Michigan twice, and Texas a ton. I’ve walked 60 miles in 3 Days and not moved from the couch for 24 hours.  I’ve spent many weekends with the person I love, a few surrounded by the love of family, and yet another surrounded by 10,000 Women of Faith.

So much has happened in the past fast 3 months that they deserve many more posts than just this one… I promise I will be sharing more very soon!

Why I Do What I Do: SOCS

We are only 10 short weeks away from this year’s Tampa Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure!  I have so much to do… from training to fundraising to gathering up all the necessary gear. (to do: order new socks asap!)

Yesterday the team had a fundraiser at Appearances Hair Salon in Johnson City, TN.  The 2 fabulous stylists donated their day to cut solely for donations – they are two truly amazing and fabulous people!  During the course of the day, we had a variety of customers but the one that touched us all the most was a little girl of maybe 10 years… 

As she was leaving with her mom, we asked if there was anyone they would like their donation to be in memory or in honor of.  The mom thought for a moment and then looked to her daughter who said a name immediately. We wrote down the name and they started out the door.  Suddenly the girl stopped and took off her little backpack.  Mom looked at her with curiosity and we all watched as she took out her little wallet and proceeded to fold up her money and put it in our donation jar.

As those of us left in the salon wiped away our tears, I was struck by how this little girl understood.  She knew what cancer was, and she personally knew someone going through it… Children shouldn’t have to know something like that and yet too many of them do.

It’s just one more reason why I find it hard to say no to the fundraising, training, and walking 60 miles in 3 days with feet covered in blisters…

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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

• Link up by clicking on the button below!

Once Upon A Time… (SOCS)

Once upon a time… I blogged solely to spread information as efficiently as possible and it turned into a place to dump my thoughts more often than not.  Lately this blog has been neglected as I focus on getting things back in order in my life. 

There has been less time spent on a computer {for fun} and more time spent in airports, airplanes, and hotels with bad internet connections.  I’ve been in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee since I last posted...  Spent about 8 hours on planes, nearly 12 hours in airports, and 16+ hours in cars.  I’m tired and my body aches trying to fight off something I probably picked up in the recirculated air on one of the planes.

But I’m happier and more stress free than I’ve been in such a long time. 

I will take the delays and endless hours spent reading in planes and hotel rooms over the crazy stress-filled existence I have lived since January any day.

Once upon a time I was hopeful, carefree, and happy… I’m finally getting back to that place once again!

	“We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness” – Unknown <- Sunrise over Waco, TX
The Rack Pack in Atlanta, GA –> We walk because we must.  We are strong because the journey demands it.  Together in body and united in spirit, we lay down our footsteps for this generation and the next.  This is our promise: a world without breast cancer.

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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Link up by clicking on the button below!

SOCS: A Weighty Issue

I’ve noticed around the blogosphere that everyone seems to be talking about their weight these days.  Perhaps it’s because the extreme heat around the nation has us all reaching for body revealing shorts, tanks, and swimsuits on a daily basis?  It’s definitely hard to ignore a few extra pounds with so little fabric.

Even though I haven’t been writing about it, weight has been on my mind as well.  I’ve gained weight since I took the job here in Tennessee because of a whole lot of stress and bad eating habits.  There have been many, many days where I haven’t had any food until heading home after a 12 hour day… this excludes coffee of course.  And if I did get a chance to grab some food it was quick junk in a drive through on my way to/from meetings.  It has been horrible for my body and I feel horrible as a result.  It isn’t that I’m feeling down about how I look but more that I am feeling in my health.  My energy levels are down and I just feel blah. 

Now that I have left job, I want to refocus on getting back to feeling well.  With the new job there are new twists… I will be traveling 16-18 days out of every month and we all know eating out that much has it’s challenges.  I just need to make better choices when on the days I am home I need to spend some time cooking at home.  It might be a good time to knock off some of my 101 in 1001 physical health goals?  Of course the 3 Day training focus should help some too!

To all of you out there who are going through the some weight struggles, I wish you good luck and happy losing!

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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Link up by clicking on the button below!

SOCS: I Suck At Blogging

The timer is set and I am here to admit to you all that I have been neglecting this little blog o’ mine!  See I went back home to visit my family and then have had a completely hellish week and… well I’ve been too wrapped up in my own self to share anything with you all!  I’ve thought about some posts but haven’t actually done them… but hey, it’s the thought that counts right?

So to do some very quick updates for you all…

I finally went to my Endo for my 2 year check-in.  I was nervous as h-e-double- hockey-sticks.  But turns out I had no need to be. My tumor marker came back in negatory glory and my neck ultrasound turned up nothing suspicious except a missing lymph node. {note: I am in fact missing a cervical node as a result of checking for mets during surgery so that is normal for me.}  So I got a pass for no doctor visits for 8 months although I do have to visit the lab vampires twice between now and then and they changed my meds…again… because now I am to hyper which could explain some anxiety, sleeplessness, and hair loss I’ve been experiencing.

The visit back to G. Rap was fantabulous… I will be blogging about that in all it’s glory in another completely separate post.

I have just 5… count ‘em 5… days left at my current job.  I am very happy with my decision to move on even after just 6 short months of being there.  It is not a healthy environment for me.  So where am I going and what am I going to do?  I am NOT moving back to Michigan at this time.  I like it here in East TN.  I AM all set with a new gig.  One that involves consulting. And travel. And I am super excited about it!  The job may also require a completely separate post coming up!

And there is another exciting development going on in my life…

Annnnnd there is the buzzer… no I’m completely serious… I did not mean to have that last sentence be a cliffhanger! I  guess if you all want to know what the end of that sentence will bring, you will just have to stay tuned?
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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Link up by clicking on the button below!

Let’s Try Something New: SOCS

I’ve seen a few bloggers do this (Jenn, Dutch, Fadra) so I thought I would give it a try… and who doesn’t need a good brain dumping now and again, eh? Here goes…

 

Ok so I’m hoping my timer actually works because I dropped it just as I was about to begin typing.  Plus it’s ancient and I never use it anymore because I have the handy one that comes on my stove.  I guess we shall see! 

 

Today I’ve been up since about 5:30am – yes it is a Sunday and no I did not have to work.  I tried to go back to sleep, it just wasn’t going to happen today.  So I got up and made some quiche and then started my day…

 

If you didn’t know, it is national Cancer Survivor’s Day and I donated my FB status to SU2C/Livestrong in honor of the day.  Then I decided cancer needed just a bit more a$$ kicking and I made up the team logo for the 3 Day and flyers for our upcoming event Grillin for the Girls.  Take that cancer! And as my lovely cousin so wisely put it in her status: Suck it cancer!  And now it is not even 2pm and I feel like I’ve been very productive – GO ME!

 

What else is on my mind… oh let’s see… a little thing called GRAD SCHOOL.  Do I want to do it?  Do I not?  And if I do, what for?  How can I make that happen with a FT job?  And then there is the WHERE question… perhaps the biggest one of all…

 

And with that my friends we have the buzzer… hmmm maybe my brain needs more than 5 minutes to fully dump?  Or perhaps I just need more practice… either way – Happy Cancer Survivors Day to all my fellow survivors out there!  Oh and if you didn’t know… yesterday was Hug Your Cat Day.. so make sure to hug your feline friend!

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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw. 
• Link up by clicking on the button below!