I have been so out of it, training fundraising, all of it. I hurt my ankle which put me out for a week, went to NY, came back with pneumonia, which put me out for over two weeks now and my fundraising is trickling. I would say it was at a standstill if not for the generous donation I received in the mail today from my Parent's friends who have known me since I was 8 or 9. Thank you.
My stomach aches, my body aches and my lungs feel squashed, very much the opposite of how I usually feel which is fit, strong and energetic. I roller bladed yesterday, it was the first official exercise I've done since walking around NYC. I have been trying to march in front of the TV for a little bit every day, but my joints really still hurt, baby steps. The TV marching was what I did in the hospital and when I was first recovering, it's gentle and I can sit down anytime. I am really ready to be well again. I am at about 93% of normal.
I feel really behind in my fundraising, I sent out my letters and as of today, have had one response. It's not like I expected a flood of money, but just some. My mother seems thouroughly unsupportive of this whole event, like I got roped into it and am doing it for no good reason. Maybe she's right, either way, it's for a good cause, the cause that helped Amy and I be alive today. It's not like I'm fundraising for boob implants and lipo. It's to cure cancer! Just because we are hale and hearty doesn't mean others don't suffer and what if we had perished, then would this be a good cause? Sacrificial lambs are a good motivator and reminder that not everyone lives. Both Amy and I have known those who didn't, some were so young, some were young mothers, some grandmothers, it doesn't matter, by raising money there will be more families that don't have to mourn the untimely loss of a oved one to Leukemia or Lymphoma.
That's my two cents for today. Why doesn't my keyboard have a cents sign key? There's one for dollars, but no cents...
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Things are really happening... (Amy)
Yikes - so much to say, and I wonder if anyone reads this at all.
I'm working on getting us permission to sell our glow bracelets at one of the local event venues for July 4th. That's a slow moving process but I'm hopeful. I found out one of our co-workers got a free booth in Gilbert but she's already got 4 people working it, so Jo and I are on our own. I'm hopeful though... If we could get in at Tempe Town Lake, that would be amazing because there will be so many people there. We'll just have to wait and see.
I've pretty well gotten permission to sell them one weekend at Devil's Martini North. I'm just working out the details. I think that will be a great venue for selling them. I've ordered another 800 bracelets (I got such a great price!) which means we'll have about 1400 total. It might sound like a lot, but if we can get permission to sell them someplace busy on July 4th, I think we could possibly even run out.
Last week I met a survivor who came into our office who also happens to be a stand-up comedian. Well Jo and I are planning a comedy show on August 15th (we already have the date and the venue) so I spoke with him about getting invovled and he pretty much said Yes. Not only that, but he said he should be able to bring in a couple other comedians, and that perhaps his uncle would even sponsor us. So that's another event that is slowly growing and hopefully will become something really big.
We met with Darci and Meg last week about the film and discussed it's focus. I feel like we're getting a lot down with the two of them, and I get more and more excited about the project each day. In addition, Darci said we might be able to put together a Battle of the Bands through her church. They had done this type of event before and raised over $5,000. That potential is so exciting!
It's Week 4 and I've hardly put in any of my miles. I've been very bad this week. I did do my cross-training on Monday and I did Salsa dance class on Wednesday, but that's it. I did not put in my miles on Tues. or Thurs. like I was supposed to. We've been sleeping in our guest room all week because we've had workmen fixing the damage from our leaky roof in our master bedroom, and I've slept so poorly I've just been exhausted, and working out has been the last thing I want to do. So I'm doing miles today, even though it's supposed to be an "easy" day, so that it's not such a shocker to my body when I go tomorrow to do them.
Practice tomorrow, btw, is at 5:30 a.m. I can hardly believe it. It's too early! But I'll haul my tired behind out of bed and I'll be there. It's important I think, to go to group practice. It helps keep everyone motivated I think.
So that's it for now. More as things develop...
-A
I'm working on getting us permission to sell our glow bracelets at one of the local event venues for July 4th. That's a slow moving process but I'm hopeful. I found out one of our co-workers got a free booth in Gilbert but she's already got 4 people working it, so Jo and I are on our own. I'm hopeful though... If we could get in at Tempe Town Lake, that would be amazing because there will be so many people there. We'll just have to wait and see.
I've pretty well gotten permission to sell them one weekend at Devil's Martini North. I'm just working out the details. I think that will be a great venue for selling them. I've ordered another 800 bracelets (I got such a great price!) which means we'll have about 1400 total. It might sound like a lot, but if we can get permission to sell them someplace busy on July 4th, I think we could possibly even run out.
Last week I met a survivor who came into our office who also happens to be a stand-up comedian. Well Jo and I are planning a comedy show on August 15th (we already have the date and the venue) so I spoke with him about getting invovled and he pretty much said Yes. Not only that, but he said he should be able to bring in a couple other comedians, and that perhaps his uncle would even sponsor us. So that's another event that is slowly growing and hopefully will become something really big.
We met with Darci and Meg last week about the film and discussed it's focus. I feel like we're getting a lot down with the two of them, and I get more and more excited about the project each day. In addition, Darci said we might be able to put together a Battle of the Bands through her church. They had done this type of event before and raised over $5,000. That potential is so exciting!
It's Week 4 and I've hardly put in any of my miles. I've been very bad this week. I did do my cross-training on Monday and I did Salsa dance class on Wednesday, but that's it. I did not put in my miles on Tues. or Thurs. like I was supposed to. We've been sleeping in our guest room all week because we've had workmen fixing the damage from our leaky roof in our master bedroom, and I've slept so poorly I've just been exhausted, and working out has been the last thing I want to do. So I'm doing miles today, even though it's supposed to be an "easy" day, so that it's not such a shocker to my body when I go tomorrow to do them.
Practice tomorrow, btw, is at 5:30 a.m. I can hardly believe it. It's too early! But I'll haul my tired behind out of bed and I'll be there. It's important I think, to go to group practice. It helps keep everyone motivated I think.
So that's it for now. More as things develop...
-A
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Week 3 (Amy)
Well it was week 3 of training and all is going well. Not for Jo Anna, as you've probably seen, but we're hopeful of a swift recovery! My week went well, I did my bike riding Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, and then 3 miles again at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday with the group. I think maybe I didn't drink enough water as I was going, because I got really tired at around 2 miles. But I pushed through it.
Exciting news - today we meet with our "movie crew" - Darci and Meg, to talk more about the documentary and get more footage. We're then going to a Luche Libre event (mexican wrestling) to sell our $1 glow bracelets. I hope we do well... Then we've got a bachelor/ette auction coming up that is an event for someone else, but she's given us permission to sell our glow bracelets there as well. Then we're planning to sell them at a popular local Scottsdale hot-spot. I've gotten a return call, but we're playing phone tag. I'm hoping the mgmt says yes because I know we could do a ton of sales there. Heck - a couple of Fridays selling bracelets there and we could probably raise $1,000 or so. Maybe that sounds crazy and I'm naieve... but I think we could.
My Margarita PartyLite party is coming up in about 2 weeks and proceeds will be going to get raffle items for a later event. My friend's Starbucks store has donated items for a gift basket to be given away during my Starbucks Addict's Challenge (more on that to come), and my husband's store is putting some stuff together as well. And... they're working on getting permitted to have live music in the store on Fridays. If that happens, we'll be talking to them to see how maybe Jo and I could somehow host a night and work on raising money.
So many things going on! Oh- and July 4th is expected to be huge of course, with tons of people out with their families for the fireworks. I'm trying to figure out how we go about getting permission to sell our glow bracelets there too. I know - I keep talking about he glow bracelets - but we can get them so cheap and if we sell them for only $1, they'll be an easy sell, and we can raise money so easily! Way more easily than working a suck-ass concessions stand, for example. (if you don't get the reference see my previous post of June 2).
Whew! So busy... Between my 2 jobs, my training, my volunteering, and my fundraising, I have no life. Wait - I guess this is my life. And I love it!
-A
Exciting news - today we meet with our "movie crew" - Darci and Meg, to talk more about the documentary and get more footage. We're then going to a Luche Libre event (mexican wrestling) to sell our $1 glow bracelets. I hope we do well... Then we've got a bachelor/ette auction coming up that is an event for someone else, but she's given us permission to sell our glow bracelets there as well. Then we're planning to sell them at a popular local Scottsdale hot-spot. I've gotten a return call, but we're playing phone tag. I'm hoping the mgmt says yes because I know we could do a ton of sales there. Heck - a couple of Fridays selling bracelets there and we could probably raise $1,000 or so. Maybe that sounds crazy and I'm naieve... but I think we could.
My Margarita PartyLite party is coming up in about 2 weeks and proceeds will be going to get raffle items for a later event. My friend's Starbucks store has donated items for a gift basket to be given away during my Starbucks Addict's Challenge (more on that to come), and my husband's store is putting some stuff together as well. And... they're working on getting permitted to have live music in the store on Fridays. If that happens, we'll be talking to them to see how maybe Jo and I could somehow host a night and work on raising money.
So many things going on! Oh- and July 4th is expected to be huge of course, with tons of people out with their families for the fireworks. I'm trying to figure out how we go about getting permission to sell our glow bracelets there too. I know - I keep talking about he glow bracelets - but we can get them so cheap and if we sell them for only $1, they'll be an easy sell, and we can raise money so easily! Way more easily than working a suck-ass concessions stand, for example. (if you don't get the reference see my previous post of June 2).
Whew! So busy... Between my 2 jobs, my training, my volunteering, and my fundraising, I have no life. Wait - I guess this is my life. And I love it!
-A
Friday, June 6, 2008
Out for the week
It's been driving me nuts not being able to walk, jog or bounce these last few days. I am going to skip group training tomorrow too, I need to keep this sucker rested until it fully heals again. Bah!!!! Pray for the rapid healing of my poor wounded ankle, I implore you.
-J
-J
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Oh no! My Ankle!
Jo Anna here, after walking to Walmart and purchasing sport insoles, I wlked home. Guess what? My ankle has been sore ever since. I twisted it pretty bad back in November and maybe all of the pounding has irritated it. I have it wrapped now and today is a core strength training day, not a walk/running day, hopefully it will be better tomorrow. Bleh.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Walking to Walmart
I rolled out of bed this morning and neither my legs, nor my back would bend or twist. I am stiff like a stick. My plan is to walk the mile and a half to the Walmart, buy insoles and MAYBE jog home. I would say it has been a while since I'[ve jogged this much, but I never have. At least not out in the world. I used to do 5-6 miles on a treadmill, but even that was when I was 19/20. Yeesh!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Amy: You think chemo was hard, try concessions!
Saturday was group practice at 6:30 a.m. so I got up at 5:30 and had coffee with Jo before we left for the park. Practice went great - only complaint was the sun was really beating down on us on our return mile. Next weekend I expect we'll be starting earlier, to avoid this.
Saturday night I was volunteering for the Kenney Chesney concert at a local stadium - a small group of us were working a concession stand as volunteers, with money earned going to the LLS, towards our fundraising goals. It was probably the most miserable thing I've ever done. I'd rather do another round of chemo than do that again.
I had to be there at 12:00 to park and check in, so there wasn't even time for a nap in between practice and going to the stadium - which was too bad because I knew it was going to be a late night. We were given a free meal which was a choice of a hot dog and pretzel or hot dog and nachos (not good fuel at all) then we trained and got set-up in our stand, and doors opened at 2:30. We were one of only two open stands on the entire level. Someone planned badly - I think they thought there wouldn't be much business on our level, for whatever reason. I don't know what the logic was, I just know we had 20-30 people in line for about 5 hours straight. There was no "down" time or "slow" time from about 3:00 until 10:00 pm. And people were mean. I had people get mad because it was an "all pour" event, which meant we had to pour all drinks into cups, including the bottled Gatorade and water. Also there were no lids for the drinks - it is a "no lid" policy. I guess people tend to throw them? This made people irate because they had to carry drinks and didn't want to spill them. Not to mention the rules about how many beers 1 person can buy, that one is always a crowd pleaser. Plus we were short-handed. We simply did not have enough people in our stand to really keep up with the demand so service was admittedly very slow, but we were doing our best!
We started out 3 ppl short to begin with because they didn't show at orientation (including Jo, but her son was sick and actually, I'm so glad she didn't make it because she would have hated Saturday!). During orientation there was 1 girl from another group who said that they had too many people and that she'd join our group and help us out, so we were thinking - Great! We're only down 2 ppl! But then she never showed up on Saturday. We were so slammed all night. They had to bring in an extra cook, and we even ran out of some of the food. That's how badly it was planned by the stadium people.
It was simply completely miserable. By the end of the night at 10:00 pm I'd had only Gatorade and water since my hot dog meal at 2:00, I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out, or both. My feet hurt so bad I could hardly walk. I ended up leaving a little before everyone else did because I truly felt ill, I had to sit down and put my head down because I thought I was going to be sick. Then I felt so bad about leaving the other girls to finish the clean up that I started crying, and then it was just that I was so overwhelmed by it all so I couldn't stop crying...
Before I left one girl told me she estimated we'd each earned something like $100-$150. I thought - That's it?!? I busted my @ss for that? So not worth it. I would pay someone $100 to not ever have to do that again.
Had it been simply a beer booth, which is what I was led to believe it would be when I signed up to do the gig, I think things would have been much better. But a full-on concession stand.... under poorly planned circumstances... I don't know what people were thinking, having just 2 booths open on an entire level. Never again.
I got home after 11:00 and just felt like crap. Sunday I was beyond exhausted - because remember I had done my training at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning on top of the work at the stadium - so I pretty much slept in, watched TV and tried to nap. What a crappy gig. Anyone considering something like this - I do not recommend it!
-A
Saturday night I was volunteering for the Kenney Chesney concert at a local stadium - a small group of us were working a concession stand as volunteers, with money earned going to the LLS, towards our fundraising goals. It was probably the most miserable thing I've ever done. I'd rather do another round of chemo than do that again.
I had to be there at 12:00 to park and check in, so there wasn't even time for a nap in between practice and going to the stadium - which was too bad because I knew it was going to be a late night. We were given a free meal which was a choice of a hot dog and pretzel or hot dog and nachos (not good fuel at all) then we trained and got set-up in our stand, and doors opened at 2:30. We were one of only two open stands on the entire level. Someone planned badly - I think they thought there wouldn't be much business on our level, for whatever reason. I don't know what the logic was, I just know we had 20-30 people in line for about 5 hours straight. There was no "down" time or "slow" time from about 3:00 until 10:00 pm. And people were mean. I had people get mad because it was an "all pour" event, which meant we had to pour all drinks into cups, including the bottled Gatorade and water. Also there were no lids for the drinks - it is a "no lid" policy. I guess people tend to throw them? This made people irate because they had to carry drinks and didn't want to spill them. Not to mention the rules about how many beers 1 person can buy, that one is always a crowd pleaser. Plus we were short-handed. We simply did not have enough people in our stand to really keep up with the demand so service was admittedly very slow, but we were doing our best!
We started out 3 ppl short to begin with because they didn't show at orientation (including Jo, but her son was sick and actually, I'm so glad she didn't make it because she would have hated Saturday!). During orientation there was 1 girl from another group who said that they had too many people and that she'd join our group and help us out, so we were thinking - Great! We're only down 2 ppl! But then she never showed up on Saturday. We were so slammed all night. They had to bring in an extra cook, and we even ran out of some of the food. That's how badly it was planned by the stadium people.
It was simply completely miserable. By the end of the night at 10:00 pm I'd had only Gatorade and water since my hot dog meal at 2:00, I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out, or both. My feet hurt so bad I could hardly walk. I ended up leaving a little before everyone else did because I truly felt ill, I had to sit down and put my head down because I thought I was going to be sick. Then I felt so bad about leaving the other girls to finish the clean up that I started crying, and then it was just that I was so overwhelmed by it all so I couldn't stop crying...
Before I left one girl told me she estimated we'd each earned something like $100-$150. I thought - That's it?!? I busted my @ss for that? So not worth it. I would pay someone $100 to not ever have to do that again.
Had it been simply a beer booth, which is what I was led to believe it would be when I signed up to do the gig, I think things would have been much better. But a full-on concession stand.... under poorly planned circumstances... I don't know what people were thinking, having just 2 booths open on an entire level. Never again.
I got home after 11:00 and just felt like crap. Sunday I was beyond exhausted - because remember I had done my training at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning on top of the work at the stadium - so I pretty much slept in, watched TV and tried to nap. What a crappy gig. Anyone considering something like this - I do not recommend it!
-A
3 miles
Found out my phone can make a playlist of songs stored on it. Now I just need to find my earpiece. I have it in the front pocket of this kick-ass water belt Amy gifted me (thanks!) but the traffic noise is loud even at 5:30, so it was hard to hear in places. Good run, tired, harder to run on pavement thatn to jog on my mini-tramp or a treadmill. Jog/walked today, jogged as much as possible, hard work. I want to start pilates regularly again to lengthen my muscles as I strengthen them.
I need insoles until I can afford better shoes and I need to warm up my ankles more. I noticed that there was pain in my inner-ankle area when I jogged on it. Learning as I go.
I need insoles until I can afford better shoes and I need to warm up my ankles more. I noticed that there was pain in my inner-ankle area when I jogged on it. Learning as I go.
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