Relay For Life 2009

Last night was my 3rd time participating in Relay For Life. Not everyone who joined my team was able to make it but most of the team showed up. It was super hot and muggy which made it hard to feel excited about walking. Despite the heat, we had fun. The opening ceremony was very moving and inspiring. It felt good to do something to help kick cancer's butt.


Here's the team:




Celebrating (nearly) 3 years of being a survivor. That's my handprint.




Survivors on the field during the opening ceremony.




Doing my survivor lap!




My babies.




Me & the hubby.

Friday 5: 5 things cancer has taught me

Tonight is Relay For Life. It will be my 3rd year going to Relay and I really enjoy being a part of this cause. The first year I went, walking that survivor lap with my good friend Amanda was especially memorable for me. It truly felt like my victory lap, especially when Josh and the kids joined me to finish it. Cancer is truly something that we battle as a family. Even now in remission, we have to deal with the after-effects. Like the fact that I experience hypothyroidism sometimes or have to have expensive tests to make sure I'm still in remission.

For me, being involved Relay is about support. It's about having my friends and family there to celebrate life with me. It's also empowering to be involved in Relay. There isn't a whole lot we can do about cancer once it touches our lives. But being involved in Relay, raising money for the American Cancer Society makes me feel as though I can do something to help fight back.

It's not too late for you to donate to the American Cancer Society on behalf of my Relay team. You can do so buy clicking HERE. I am looking forward tonight to celebrating life!

This week's Friday 5 is about cancer. I could definitely list more than 5, but it's a good start.

5 things that cancer has taught me....

1. Scars can be beautiful because they are our war wounds. My scar is my reminder that yes, I had to have surgery to remove a tumor and my thyroid. But it also reminds me that I beat that tumor.

2. People are capable of so much more than they realize. When my oncologist told me that I'd have to spend 2 weeks away from my family because my radioactive body was dangerous to them, I thought "I cannot do this". But I got through it. So did my family.

3. Your friends and family will surprise you. Not always in good ways. Cancer makes people uncomfortable. They may want to reach out to you but not know how. Other people will be afraid that your bad fortune is contagious and will slip out of your life or do things that hurt your feelings. Some people will rally around you that you never expected. They will let your spouse work from home, visit you, cheer you up and just be there for you.

4. Cancer changes you. I'm not the same person I was before cancer but there are positives to that too. I realize that life can change in an instant and that makes letting my loved ones know where they stand more important to me. Don't be surprised if you get a random "I love you" or sappy monologue about how I feel about you.

5. Cancer can create a strong bond between survivors. I have made some wonderful friends through cancer support networking. I treasure those friendships and I probably wouldn't have met these ladies if not for cancer.

My new mom-mobile

I am so excited because this afternoon I am going to pick up my new car. It's a 2010 Kia Soul. Pictures (borrowed from dealer's website) below:

The monster photo post

I have been meaning to post a bunch of photos but our summer so far has been quite busy and it seems that any time I sit down to use the computer for more than 5 minutes I am interrupted by I usually try to break up my photo posts by event or them so it's not so much going on, but hey this is my blog after all so I can do what I want right? 

Josh participated in a triathlon for the first time this past Sunday and although some parts of it were tough, he finished!  I am so proud of him.  I personally don't like to run on purpose, but it's become a new hobby for him.  Hopefully we can get some action photos soon. Here he is modeling his racing gear:

Josh has been trying to teach Abby how to ride her 2-wheeler without training wheels. She's a bit scared, but hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon.





Yesterday Abby and I met our friends Alycia and baby Ethan at a cool park in Aurora. We saw animals, had a picnic and played at the park.

While we were eating our lunch, this creepy little squirrel was eating hers. She got super close to us and I was kind of worried that I'd turn my head and have her sitting next to me on the picnic bench. Aack!


THE END!

8th Grade Recognition Night

Rather than having a graduation ceremony, Evan's junior high had a recognition night to celebrate the end of 8th grade.  Basically it boiled down to a very l-o-n-g slide show and recognizing everyone who made honor roll, perfect attendance, etc. Afterwards we went out to dinner to hang out with Evan.  I didn't get the best pictures because:

A) My camera is on the fritz.

B) The lighting in there sucked and we sat in the nosebleed section.

Lots of people!

Friday 5 Follow-up

And out of the things I wanted to get done this weekend, the only one I did was read my book.  Just 3 chapters while stopping every few minutes to scan the park for Abby's location. 

Oh well, there's always next weekend.

Friday Five: 5 Things I want to do this weekend

1. Start staining our bedroom furniture black-brown to match our desks.

2. Using our new pool passes at the pool if the weather permits.

3. Scrapbooking.

4. Continuing to read Eat, Pray, Love which is a book that I'm thoroughly enjoying.

5. Finishing the touch-ups and working on drywall repair in the master bath. Here's a sneak peek: