The Divine Secrets of the Ta-Ta Sisterhood

HOPE Comes In Many Froms... Sometimes A Bag!

2011-06-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

While Ta-Ta sisterhood is not walking The 3-Day this year, that's ok. Sarah Ellery, our team survivor, has a new venture... she, along with Beckie, Lizzy & "Monkey", has started My Hope Bag. Basically, they are providing bags of hope to women who find out they have breast cancer. In the bags are resources, medical/nutritional information, stories from breast cancer survivors and items to bring peace to the women (such as a stress ball, teddy bear, relaxation CD, etc).

Find out all you need to know about My Hope Bag:

www.myhopebag.com

We're also on Facebook and Twitter. Check us out!

We hope you'll continue supporting us in our efforts to improve the lives of women facing this ugly disease. Together, we CAN make a difference!!!!!

It's Our Birthday!!!

2011-01-16T08:51:00.000-08:00

Today is the first birthday of Ta-Ta Sisterhood!

One year ago today, my mom and I sat in a 3-Day information meeting bawling our eyes out. Mom had just finished her radiation treatments and that combined with the already emotional slideshow presentation they showed, the tears just kept on a-comin'. It has been an amazing year and we've done a lot for both our community and the world around us! I'm proud to have created this team. I'm proud of what all we've accomplished. And I'm hopeful for the ways we'll continue to grow!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ta-Ta Sisterhood! Here's to many, MANY more!!! :-)

~*~ Beckie ~*~
Proud Team Captain

Post 3-Day Meanderings

2010-11-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! The 3-Day came and went so quickly. First of all, for those of you who hadn't heard, I did not raise enough money to participate in the 3-day. I was extremely disappointed and struggled with some pretty heavy feelings for the last couple weeks leading up to the event. But when the event came, and I got to be a walker stalker, it was all good.

I'm noticing now there are pictures of me all over facebook. Me, my son and my sister were the first group of "walker stalkers" cheering on the teams... it was seriously exciting. We had our cars all decked out in PINK... boas, paint, ribbons, etc. It was actually hard to see out the windows. But anyway, we drove around the walk route. Whenever we'd see a PINK person, we'd honk our horns and "woo-hoo" at them. My son was clapping and cheering them on too. super cute. The walkers would all cheer in return. Very VERY exciting!

So at our first unofficial "cheer station", we held up our posters, thanked the walkers for walking, and made sure they all knew how awesome we thought they were.

This continued for all 3 days. We missed a few cheer stations but made it to as many as we could. The closing ceremony was extremely emotional and powerful. Seeing my mom, a survivor, dancing up on that stage in VICTORY... wow! There just are not words to explain that.

As a team, I am so very proud to announce that....

We raised over $14,000!!!!!!

That's a lot of money. And I know it will make a difference... somewhere, somehow. But even more than that, the hard work my family and my team have done this year will make a difference in MANY lives. I know it. We have been out there loving on survivors, remembering lost ones and fighting beside women battling breast cancer. WE CARE! Sure... we raised a lot of money, but we also raised HOPE! And I know our community knows it. That, to me, is worth so much more than the money we raised.

So WOO-HOO, Ta-Ta Sisterhood and all Arizona 3-Day walkers (and walker stalkers)... WE DID IT!!!!

Keep being kind to the world around you and showing love to everyone you meet!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Boob-B-Q

2010-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

We're at it again! Part of Ta-Ta Sisterhood (specifically: Brian, Sarah & Lizzy Ellery and Beckie Black) are putting on a Boob-B-Q to raise money for, you guess it, the BOOBIES! Here's the details:

"What is it?"

In case you couldn't figure it out on your own, a "Boob-b-q" is a BBQ fundraiser for the boobies.

"When is it?"
The Boob-B-Q is Saturday, September 25th from 5:00-8:00 pm. There is seating available at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm. To make sure you get a seat at the time you want, it's best if you purchase your tickets in advance.

"How much are the tickets and what's included?"
They are $10 for adults and $5 for kiddos. Your ticket includes a full BBQ meal (by Joe's Real BBQ), drinks, dessert and live entertainment. We'll also have fantastic raffle items including a Payson Weekend Getaway.

"So how can I get my tickets?"

There's a couple ways to get your tickets. First, comment on here with your contact info... we'll arrange payment with you. Or you can email me, Beckie Black, at beckie@pink-black.com and I'll coordinate the details with you. Or if you're on facebook, you can message us through our team page and again, we'll coordinate all those details with you. We'll be selling tickets this Saturday from 7-10 at the Chick-fil-a in Mesa so if you want to pick them up in person, that's the time to do it!

Check out these spiffy event flyers:

As always, let us know if you have any questions. We'll look forward to seeing you at our first annual Boob-B-Q.

Fun2See Face Painting

2010-08-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a minute to talk about someone very special to our team... Anna Hernandez of Fun2See Face Painting. When I contacted Anna in May about donating her time for our "Pink & Black for the Ta-Ta's" event, she didn't hesitate. She willingly donated her time to help make our event a success. And let me tell you, her work is AMAZING! Don't believe me? Check this out:

Gorgeous! Not only is Anna's work so beautiful, but so is she. She's incredibly sweet, professional and more than generous. I appreciate all Anna did for us at our event and her willingness to help us with future events. In fact, she'll be helping us with our "BOOB-B-Q" next month!

Anna is available for birthday parties, events, etc. Check out her website for more information and more sample pictures by clicking here. Fun2See Face Painting is also on facebook. Check it out!

Arizona Preview Expo... Done!

2010-08-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

So I met up with the majority of my darling Ta-Ta Sisterhood at the Preview Expo earlier today. Super exciting. There were some things I really liked about it... others, not so much! Here's my recap.

First of all, the expo was from 2 - 5 pm. We got there around 2:30 (notoriously late!!!) and couldn't figure out where to park. As it was, we parked in the front of the conference center since there was a lot of open parking... and now I know why. That was the opposite end of the campus of where the expo was. Oops! So we had to walk a lengthy walk... in the INSANE HEAT... just to get to the room where the expo was.

When we walked in, there was a "check-in" table. It was a bit congested in that area but we eventually got checked in and started to roam the event.

When we walked into the main room, we about died. It was SO hot! Like, not just to me... almost everyone was sweating and fanning themselves off. Luckily, there were a couple counters full of plastic cups and pitchers of ice water. I was pretty happy about that.

So we walked around for a bit and the first "goodie" we got was a reusable plastic bag with wet wipes and tampons. Woo-hoo for tampons and wet wipes!!! :-)

Right in the middle of the main room was a few tables occupied by veteran walkers offering advice. It was pretty cool... our sister team, TaTa YaYas, team captain (Chrystine) was at one of the tables so we stopped and chatted with her a bit. Such a sweetheart! Still trying to cool off and and quench my active child's thirst for "something fun" at the same time, we just kept walking.

One of the displays they had up was for fundraising ideas. You could write an idea on a post-it and put it on the board. I didn't get a good pic (sorry) nor did I get to read them all... it was a popular place.

While I was looking through all the clothes they had for sale, I ran into fellow blogger Cat Holland from Fat Girl Walkin'. This girl rocks! In fact, she is this year's "keep going blogger" or as I like to call her, Arizona's Official 3-Day Blogger.

Outside of the main room were some of the crew members and outfitters. The crew set up displays of creative ways to pack your gear and ideas for decorating your tent. Here's a few tent decorating samples they had out.

A few steps further was an actual decorated tent... Hawaiian style! Super cute!

The outfitters and other's "smarties" were there to teach about blister care, show the right way to walk (heel toe, heel toe) and give other important training tips. Very informative.

After all that walking and the extreme heat in there, my team (me incuded) was tired. We waited for Brian to take a quick potty break and decided it was time to go.

My little Monkey had rosey cheeks and was "soooo hungry" so that was it. Expo over. Time to go grab some grub.

All in all it was a good expo. Disappointing how HOT it was but considering it's Arizona, I guess we should've expected it. Great information. Awesome running into other 3-day teams and their families. And lots of fun stuff there!

Can you believe it? 13 1/2 weeks to go till the Arizona 3-Day.... WOO-HOO!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Training Tracking Tool

2010-07-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you my all-time favorite training tracking tool (say that 10 times fast!!) known as Daily Mile. With all the miles we're walking and all the hours we're training, it's nice to have a way to track all that. If you're anything like me, seeing a visual record of all you've done is extra motivation to keep going!

So, first things first... the web address is http://www.dailymiles.com/. It only takes a minute or two to sign up... it's FREE... and it's really easy to use! If you want to check out my profile or add me as a friend, go to www.dailymile.com/people/BlessedMomma.

Ok, so when you get all registered (or if you're already registered, login), you'll see your main screen which is similar to Facebook... current feed of updates, etc. You can click on your picture to see your profile which then displays your most recent exercises and your miles for the week.

There's a tab for "workout" and when you click that, you can enter in your workouts. If you want to map a common route and save it so it's there for future reference, it cuts back on duplication time. But if not, you can manually enter in your miles, the time it took you, and all the other details. It logs walking, running, biking, weight lifting, and all kinds of other exercises. So you truly can log everything.

When you enter in your exercise, it gives you options to track your mood, intensity level, etc. For example, "3 mile walk... 1 hr 5 min... easy... it was hot, sunny, and windy outside... I burned 250 calories..." It's also really cool because other members can send you "motivations" which are things like "good job", "you can do it", "keep up the good work", etc. When they see your workout was hard or you got injured or you're discouraged, they can motivate you, send you encouragement or write on your wall to boost your mood.

You can even get a cool widget for your blog or website, showing off your most recent workout or total miles logged. Here's one of mine:

Be proud of what you've done and share it with the world! Since I started Ta-Ta Sisterhood, I have logged 139 miles... key word being "logged". Sometimes I forget to log in my miles and therefore that number isn't 100% accurate... but pretty dang close! For me, this tool has been extremely helpful to keep me on track with my training and keeping me motivated to keep moving. I like seeing the colors (pink, on my page!) and the numbers getting bigger. It's really exciting for me.

Oh! Another cool part is under the "training" tab, you can see all kinds of cool things. First you'll see your average speed, your average time, your average distance and your average difficulty level, followed by the top 5 of each. Pretty cool. Then, my favorite part is this thing called "Lifetime Stats". It tells you your total miles logged so far, total time, how many pounds that equates to you losing, how many workouts you've posted, how many miles around the world you've walked/ran, how many tv's you've powered by your exercising, how many gallons of gas you've saved and how many doughnuts you've burned.

I have proudly burned 110.46 doughnuts, I've saved 7.5 gallons of gas, I've powered 505.80 tv's, and I've made it around the world 0.01 times. See... where else would you learn cool things like that? Nowhere! So check out Daily Mile, set up an account, add me as a friend and lets have just a little more fun doing all this training together!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Arizona Preview Expo

2010-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's less than 2 weeks away.... the Arizona Preview Expo. Are you going? Ta-Ta Sisterhood will be there!!! I'm SO excited! At the expo, you'll meet other 3-day walkers, meet some of the crews, practice setting up your tent, make posters, buy 3-day merchandise... even send letters to yourself or other 3-day walkers. It's going to be so much fun!

Here's the official info:

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Preview Expo - Tempe, AZ
Fiesta Resort Conference Center, 2100 South Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282

Prepare yourself for the experience of a lifetime at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the CureTM Preview Expo. Mingle with Komen 3-Day for the Cure walkers, crew members, volunteers and staff.

The Preview Expo is designed to get you inspired, informed and ready to hit the ground walking. Invite your friends and family to enjoy the fun with you!

Sunday, August 8
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fiesta Resort Conference Center
2100 South Priest Drive
Tempe, AZ 85282

ACTIVITIES
Win Prizes - Practice Tent Set-Up - Find a Tentmate - Make a Sign for the Route - Meet the Crew - Attend a Workshop - Join a Team - Meet 3-Day for the Cure Alumni - Write a Letter of Support (to another participant or yourself!) - Find a Training Walk - Meet Your Local Komen Affiliate - Take Your Picture With the 3-Day for the Cure Banner (Bring Your Camera!)

EXHIBITS
Outfitters - Tent Decorating Ideas - Packing Tips - 3-Day for the Cure in the News - Photos from 2009 - Education & Inspiration - Camping & Packing Tips
WORKSHOPS
Life on the 3-Day for the Cure - Attack the Pack - Injury Prevention - Blister Care - Crew 101

Bring your extra shoes! Instead of throwing away those gently used shoes, give them to someone in need. Clean out your closets and drop your shoes at the 3-Day for the Cure Preview Expo.

Date: Sunday, August 8, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

If you'd like to attend this event you can RSVP online.

Be sure to RSVP online if you're going. It's nice to give them a heads' up of how many people will be coming so they can prepare accordingly. I'll post a recap after the expo... pictures and all. If you're walking the Arizona 3-Day, this is one event you don't want to miss. See you there!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

3-Day Text Alerts

2010-07-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

So the 3-Day coaches just sent out an email where you can sign up for info and event details via text messages. The email is below. I signed up... if you're doing the 3-day, you should too!

Want to make sure you don’t miss out on training information or important announcements in the weeks leading up to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™?

Komen 3-Day for the Cure Text Alerts, sponsored by AT&T, will keep you up-to-date with training tips and occasional event-related reminders as well as announcements during the event to keep you informed, all sent directly to your cell phone or mobile device.

Text ARIZONA to 21234 or go to www.2gether3days.com/text-alerts.aspx to subscribe to Arizona 3-Day for the Cure Text Alerts today.

Thank you again for your continued commitment to the fight to end breast cancer. We’ll see you soon. We can’t wait!

Sincerely,
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Coaches

NOTE: The health, safety and training information provided to you in connection with your participation in the 3-Day for the Cure is not intended to replace or be construed as medical advice and any such information is not a substitute for seeking medical advice or treatment from your medical provider. Before starting any exercise program or following any recommendations, advice or other instructions regarding training for the 3-Day for the Cure, you should first consult a physician and have a physical examination.

If you're not doing the Arizona 3-Day, text the name of which one you're doing. Just another great way the 3-Day coaches keep us informed!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

When It's Too Hot or You Can't Train Outside...

2010-07-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I've blogged about this before and the response from you all was overwhelmingly unanimous. I wrote about training outside versus inside on a treadmill. Let me just start by saying, I know training outside, on the pavement, in regular weather is the best way to train.

BUT...

What if you can't train outside for whatever reason? Then what?

Well, since I'm in that boat currently, I'll give you my two cents worth. I'm on a medication that makes me extra sensitive to the heat. Just walking out my front door makes me sick. While it's frustrating getting all my training in, my real question is "how the heck am I gonna do 3 days of walking outside if I can't even walk a couple miles in this heat?" I'm hoping it'll be a lot cooler and perhaps my doctor will decrease my medication for those 3 days but for now, my focus is training... however I can!

But anyway, so if you can't train outside (it's too hot, you don't have time, you're scared to walk alone, etc.), the important thing is to keep training. Whatever you do, whenever you do it, just KEEP TRIANING! Don't give up!

A big part in preparing for this walk is building up both your endurance and your strength to be able to keep with the other walkers. For strength, be sure to keep cross-training and doing resistance training. 2-3x a week you should be lifting weights or using a resistance band for 20-30 minutes. Things like squats and lunges, with or without weights, are really good for building up the muscles in your legs. Walking backwards on the treadmill at a slower pace but with a 3.0 incline (or higher) is a great way to strengthen the muscles around your knee... also important for the 3-day walk.

If you have access to the gym, alternating days between treadmill and elliptical/bike are good ways to cross-train. Obviously the treadmill isn't the same as the actual street but again, if that's all you can do... DO IT! It's better than not training. For me, I stick to the miles and do them on the treadmill. For the longer walks (or if my li'l one has been in the daycare too long) I finish my miles with a Walk Away The Pounds DVD. Again, not the same as street walking, but it keeps you moving AND gives you a good workout.

When I'm on the treadmill, I start out with a 2 minute warm up and then immediately begin intervals. For me, interval training keeps me interested. Otherwise I get bored easily. I go between walking and jogging, incline and decline. It helps my body train in different speeds and different elevations which to me, is the closest thing to street training. If you don't want to do intervals, at least do the different inclines. You DO want your body trained and ready for any hills or steps up/down that might take place on the walk. If you just train at a steady pace and on a flat surface, those steps and hills are going to make your body cranky.

The rules still apply with staying hydrated, wearing proper walking gear, lubricating your feet (if necessary) and event training with your gear on. Yes, I have worn my fanny pack on the treadmill. It's important to train in the same gear you're going to walk in. How aweful would it be if you get to the actual walk and just the added couple pounds of your fanny pack and water bottles was enough to make you want to quit? You would never forgive yourself. If you train the right way, the actual walk will have less of a physical impact on you. Obviously this is my first year doing the 3-day but generally speaking, with thousands of people who have gone before us, I figure the words of wisdom shared by the 3-day coaches, ambassadors and walkers are words to live by. There are training guidelines for a reason... stick to them as best as possible.

Again, training on the street, outside, is the best way to train but if you CAN'T do that...it's better to train another way (treadmill, walking DVD) than to not train at all. If you need any other creative ideas for training, never hesitate to ask me. I'm the queen of creative training ideas! You gotta make the best of every situation and work with what you have.... right?!?!

Happy training, 3-Dayers...

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Sarah's TV Debut

2010-07-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Sarah will be filming a TV interview on Gilbert's local channel 11. She'll be interviewed by Councilwoman Linda Abbott and accompanied by Dr. Russell, an Oncologist, to discuss breast cancer and the 3-day. She's going to represent Ta-Ta Sisterhood in her team shirt, talking about the 3-day, our training, and why she's walking! If you live in Gilbert, be sure to keep an eye out for the interview.

As soon as I know when it will air, I'll be sure to post it on here. I believe you can catch it online as well by clicking here. Again, I don't know how soon it'll air or when it'll be available online but as soon as I know those details, I'll share them with you.

But for now...

CONGRATS, Sarah!!!

Big Event vs. Small Event

2010-06-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so as much as we all want to focus on our training and doing the actual 3-Day walk itself, one of the biggest hurdles we have to jump is FUNDRAISING. I don't know about you, but I'm finding it's not as easy as I thought it would be. I've done big events and small events and the results actually surprised me. So I'm just gonna share a little "big vs. small" insight with you.

BIG EVENTS:
You probably know all about the "Pink & Black for the Ta-Ta's" event that our team recently put on. I planned about 95% of the event and towards the end, the rest of my team contributed the rest. It was a LOT of work... I literally thought about the event all day everyday. I got the idea for the event a couple days after I registered for the 3-Day (so in January) and have been working on it ever since. Don't get me wrong, it's been a LOT of fun, but equally as much work. Between securing a location and all the entertainment, to coordinating volunteers, to delegating tasks (and when they weren't completed, doing them myself), to spending an entire day setting up the venue, etc. Then there was the stress involved with last minute volunteers, people sneaking into our event, attitudes and friction between teammates, schedule modifications, etc.

I'll tell you though, the best part of this event was the tribute we did to survivors at the end. We had a gal sing "I Run For Life" while all the survivors gathered under the gazebo... then about half way through the song, our team walked up and gave them all hugs and stood up there with them. Everyone was in tears. I had chills all up and down my body. And to see those survivors... those women who have literally had to fight for their life... be the center of attention, if only for a few minutes... WOW! It was so powerful. Afterward, one of them told my mom it was the most fun she's had since she found out she had cancer. Another said she has never talked about her cancer with anyone until this event... she thanked me for giving her a voice.

We didn't make much money at this event but for what it meant for those few survivors, it was all worth it. Plus we reached out to the community and made them more aware of early detection and how it saves lives.

So I know you're dying to know how much we made. For the total event, we brought in close to $2,000. BUT, because most people on my team paid for things instead of getting them donated, plus our few last-minute expenses, we actually only made about $350 which then was basically split between 9 people. So again, not a great money maker, but it was a VERY special event and I look forward to doing it again next year!

If you want to see pix from our awesome event, visit www.gwendolyngracephotography.com and click on the "event proofs" tab. Then you'll click on "Ta-Ta Sisterhood" and the password is "tata2010". There's over 700 pictures, each and every one so beautifully taken... so there's plenty of ways for you to see how our event turned out! Feedback is always welcome!

SMALL EVENTS:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, carwashes and sitting in front of a store are the best fundraisers ever. We did a carwash yesterday in Maricopa for Cindy and in just a few hours (in the HEAT!) she made close to $200. When I've sat in front of Walgreens with a card table covered in pink ribbon goodies and a big donation jar, I've made $100-150 each day. I'm finding it's the simplest things that raise the most money.

Also, fundraisers at restaurants or home parties, where you get 20% of the total sales... that adds up quickly. I did a Rubios fundraiser at the beginning of the year and while I only made $45 from that, I really didn't have to do anything so it was really easy money.

I tried the "Blogging 4 Boobies" event which I figured would be a great idea. In theory, every blog that participated would donate $10 plus encourage at least ONE of their blog readers to also donate $10. I know of over 250 blogs and really hoped for a good turnout. Sadly, only 4 blogs participated and none of them donated. So I walked away from that with $0 raised. Luckily it wasn't a huge event so it didn't take much time to plan it, but I had hoped for a better outcome than that.

Another idea is putting a big change jar in your favorite store or restaurant. I have one in Fashion Bug right now and though it only makes $10-20 per week, again, it's easy money. All I had to do is drop of the jar and when I have time, I stop by to collect the change. Change jars really do add up quickly. My goal for the next month is to take change jars around to the fire and police stations here... not only will I get to have regular visits with those hunky heroes, I'll also get local heroes involved with supporting women.

So... there you have it!

Just because an event is BIG doesn't necessarily mean it's going to make a lot of money. Sometimes smaller really is better. It's a lot easier, takes less time and generally has the best financial outcome!

Happy Fundraising!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Blogging 4 Boobies - Day #14

2010-06-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey bloggers! Ok, so I still need a LOT of help from you! A few of you have done your post... and a HUGE "thank you" to you! Some of you committed to do a post but haven't yet.... there's only 4 days left, so GET MOVING!!! (I say that with love, of course!) And some of you haven't committed or donated or blogged... whatcha waiting for? $10 is all I'm asking for... if every single one of you donated $10 and got a couple of your blog readers to do the same, oh what a difference we could make!

So, to the precious few who have already done their part in helping me reach my goal... here's a special SHOUT OUT to you!

1. The Motherhood Umbrella posted. Read it here.
2. The Wifey Blogs posted. Read it here.
3. Operation Flamingo posted. Read it here.
4. Kat's Courage posted. Read it here.

Now all I'm missing is YOUR post!!!! It's really easy. If all you want to do is copy and past the blog post, GREAT! If you want to make that super easy, super affordable $10 donation, AWESOME! If you want to blog AND make a donation, WOO-HOO! You rock! Thanks for your support.... let's rock this!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Injuries While Training

2010-06-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

So go figure... training just started and then I get an "injury". Hrumph! Well, I figure this is as good a time as any to talk about what to do in this situation.

Keep training, or take a break? That is the question of the day.

Obviously the first thing you should do is tend to your injury... ice, elevation, bandages, etc. All the basics still apply... if you get a cut, clean, bandage and elevate it. If you get a sprain, apply ice and elevate it. If you break a bone, go to urgent care! If it's something life-threatening (I think you know what this means!) then call 911.

I think the big question is whether or not to take time off training. Well... YES! Of course! The more weight you put on an injury, the longer it'll take to heal. If it's something minor, it might only mean a couple days off training. But if it's more major, it might mean weeks (or more) off training. Here's the deal, though... this 3-day walk isn't going anywhere. You can do it even if your training gets interrupted, even if you have to take several breaks along the actual 60 miles... or even get swept. Don't think that just because you get injured, it's the end of your 3-day career... 'cuz it's not!

Plus, worst case scenario, if your injury is that bad, there's always next year! I know, I know... if you're anything like me you don't want to wait till next year. I'm way to competitive to be "benched" for an event. But I'm just sayin'... if you have to, it's not the end of the world. The most important part of this whole thing is raising the money and awareness anyway. The walking part is just for fun! (I know... "fun"? Geesh! What the heck am I saying?!?!)

So, the moral of today's story is, if you get an injury, get it taken care of and give yourself adequate time to heal. Otherwise, you may cause more damage than the original injury itself.

Take care.... be safe... and keep thinking PINK!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

We're In The News Again!!!

2010-06-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Click on the link below to read the story!

Gilbert woman and Komen team plan fundraiser

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Sarah's Story

2010-06-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Sarah, my mom and our team SURVIVOR!!!!

Perfectly Pink!!!

Hi, my name is Sarah Ellery. Last November, I had the honor of being at the cheering stations twice during the 3-day walk to visit a friend of mine who was participating in the walk. At that time, my daughter Lizzy said she wanted to participate in the walk “next year”. I wished her well.
I went for my annual mammogram in October and was told I needed a biopsy. After the biopsy, my Dr. told me what every woman fears. “You have estrogen positive invasive ductal carcinoma.” Cancer. A plethora of thoughts, concerns and fears went through my head. But I knew I had to get through it. I elected to have a lumpectomy which was performed on December 31. One week later I was having radiation. It was a fairly new type which involved a balloon catheter inserted in the breast which the radiation was placed through 2 times a day for one week. Then it was back to the Dr. for a follow up and I was given a good prognosis.
The day after finishing my radiation, my daughter Beckie and I attended an information meeting for the 3-day walk for November 2010. We were both still very emotional from all we had been through but through our tears, we knew that she, Lizzy and I needed to do this walk to help raise awareness and fund research for a cure. Training for a walk like this isn’t easy and mostly not fun. But I am committed to reach as many women as I can to get their mammograms faithfully. Early detection DOES save lives. I am living, yes I said living, proof. I am walking for my survivor friends, Sandra, Vita, Catalina, Kathi, as well as my sister Pat and my mother-in-law Pat; for all those women who are survivors and for those who have left loved ones behind; and for those women and men who are still fighting their battle. Cancer knows no friends, only victims. I will keep charging ahead because I truly believe “everyone deserves a lifetime.”

Blogging 4 Boobies - Day #1

2010-06-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Woo-hoo! It's officially day #1 of my "Blogging 4 Boobies" event! Are you excited? I AM!!!!! Some of you have committed to help me with this but needed ideas for sample blog posts, so... here you go!

******** SAMPLE BLOG POST ********

For the next 18 days, I am participating in a HUGE Breast Cancer Blogging Event! Hundreds of blogs around the globe are encouraging our readers to take a moment out of your day and donate just $10 to Beckie Black, a Breast Cancer 3 Day Walker, Ambassador and Team Captain, and daughter of a recent breast cancer survivor.

Beckie is a fellow blogger based out of Phoenix. She is the Team Captain of the "Ta-Ta Sisterhood".

The hope is that 300 blogs will participate. Be sure to check out Beckie's team blog for more information at www.ta-ta-sisterhood.blogspot.com. Once you make a donation, or re-post this on your blog, contact Beckie and she'll add a link to your blog on her team blog! Share the love!

If just ONE of the readers from each of the 300 blogs takes a moment and donates $10, that will raise over $3,000.00 in the fight against Breast Cancer. Imagine if each blog writer or more than one blog reader also donates $10 to the fight against breast cancer... we could raise $6,000.00 or MORE! Wow!

So help us out. Let's make this a tremendous success. Head on over to Beckie's fund raising page (it's all 100% tax deductible!) at http://www.the3day.org/goto/beckie.black and send her some donation love! Be sure to leave a comment on her blog (www.ta-ta-sisterhood.blogspot.com) or send her an email (beckie@pink-black.com) so she can add a link to your blog on her blog!

Totals will be posted on the team's blog throughout the 18 days to see what an impact we were all able to make! As they say in the 3-Day world... "because everyone deserves a lifetime!"

Thank you for helping me make Beckie's "Blogging 4 Boobies" event a success!

Feel free to copy and paste that onto your blog. You can change anything you want to so it sounds like you wrote it... or keep it the way it is. I don't care. But anything you can do to encourage your readers to donate $10 (or more!) would be so SO appreciated!

Just a reminder, this event is going June 1st through June 18th. 18 days representing the 1 in 8 women that will battle breast cancer until a cure is found! Since my mom is a survivor, and my sister and I are at high risk for breast cancer, this cause is especially important to me. In case you missed it, you can read more about my story by clicking here. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for what you are doing to help me make a difference!

So... let's make this Blogging 4 Boobies event a success! Please, let me know if you have any questions!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

First Official TEAM Walk

2010-05-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

So on Sunday, we had our first official Ta-Ta Sisterhood training walk as a team... only it was half of our team, not the whole one! haha. But it was still really nice. John, Jennifer, Sarah, Lizzy and myself were there, as well as Chrystine (from TaTa YaYas' team), my li'l Monkey, and Sarah's husband, Brian.

We walked a little over 4.25 miles which, by the time I finished walking to the car, etc. turned into 4.5 miles. It was a great walk. It was a bit harder than most because I had Monkey in his wagon so I was pulling him behind me the whole way. Luckily, Lizzy helped me with that... we took turns and that made it a bit easier! I'll tell ya though, if pulling that 80 lb wagon on all these walks doesn't make me lose weight, I don't know what will! ;-)

It was a bit hot outside. We started our walk a little after 7 am and by the time we were completely done (about 8:30) we were all pink and sweaty. Ick! So we are gonna start walking around 6:30... maybe earlier. I do really like starting my weekend mornings off with these team walks. First of all, I love my team. But second, staying active, outside, and training for something important.... AWESOME way to start my day!

Here's a few things you 3-Day Walkers need to keep in mind. Water is #1. You can NOT walk or train or whatever without water.... especially in Arizona. It doesn't matter if you think you'll be fine or whatever... you need to bring water with you. Every mile (at least) you should get a good drink.... and by the end of a 3-4 mile walk, you should be through an entire water bottle. STAY HYDRATED! Please! Especially here in the insane heat, you can never be too safe. Dehydration sneaks up on you and can leave you defeated. Don't wait until it's too late. They say in the fitness world "if you're thirsty, it's already too late. You're dehydrated. Stay ahead of the game and drink, drink, drink!"

Second, sunscreen. Again, ESPECIALLY in Arizona.... PROTECT YOUR SKIN!!! It really bugs me when I hear other athletes say "Oh I don't like the feel of that stuff" or "I don't burn, I'm fine". But HELLO!!!!! You don't have to "burn" for skin cancer to develop. Skin cancer is serious.... it's so easy to take care of your skin so please, DO IT!

And finally, HAVE FUN! Lizzy, Monkey and I were rocking out to our music the entire walk. It was fun! When we started to get tired, we'd turn on a new song and rocked. In fact, I'm coining the phrase: "ROCK WHILE WE WALK". Woo-Hoo! So yah, having fun is important. We had a blast and even though we were a bit tired at the end, whatever! We had fun! And I had lots of energy for the rest of the day!

Have you started training? How are your training walks going? Any other super duper OOBER important walking tips (besides the typical shoes, socks, clothing, fanny packs, etc.)???

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Upcoming Events Flyer

2010-05-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

I have had several people ask me if they could get something in writing with all our upcoming events on it. So, without further adieu, here you go!

This is a "picture" version of our flyer so the quality isn't great. If you want the actual flyer (.pdf), please email me here and I'll send it to you!

I'm also sharing this so other 3-Day teams can use this as a format for their own events. Please let me know if you have any questions... I'm happy to share!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Upcoming Fundraiser: TGI Fridays

2010-05-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ta-Ta Sisterhood member, Marci D., has a fundraiser next week. It's gonna be so much fun... I just have to tell you all about it! It's next Wednesday, May 26th at the TGI Fridays in Chandler, on the NWC of Gilbert & Germann. Here's a map:

View Larger Map

Need help finding the place or have questions about the event? You can reach Marci by clicking here.

All day, from open to close, 20% of your purchase will go to her fundraising efforts as long as you have a flyer. Don't have one? Well, that's an easy problem to fix. Click on the pic below, print it out and vuah-lah! Now you have a flyer!

Sorry, I couldn't get it to rotate, but print this out and you have TWO flyers... one to keep, one to invite someone else!

So the highlight of the evening is going to be from 7-10 pm. Not only are we going to be there, all decked out in crazy pink attire (which is pretty stinkin' awesome!!!) but it's gonna be crazy awesome. Bar Championships from 7pm - 10pm, the seats in the bar are reserved and are $5 bar seat or $20 bar table. There will be 5-6 bartenders on duty and will be competing against each other. Each will dazzle us with mixology flair and 3 of their specialty drinks that will then be auctioned off. There will be raffle prizes, and in the dining room there will be face painting and balloon animals for all of our families. Be sure to bring you flyer for this too!!!!

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention... there'll be karaoke. After drinking the fabulous handy work of those fantastic bartenders, I think I just might be brave enough to rock out a song or two. What do you think? You'll have to come to find out!

One final piece of awesomeness for this event... we'll have a table set up selling raffle tickets to our big Pink&Black for the Ta-Ta's event. Woo-Hoo for Marci! See you all then!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Supporting Each Other

2010-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

I think it's important for all 3-Day walkers to be able to support each other. Thanks to Facebook and my addiction to being online, another local team, TaTa YaYas, has quickly become a team we consider a sister team. Ta-Ta Sisterhood absolutely LOVES the TaTa YaYas. (Check out their facebook page by clicking here.)

TaTa YaYas

Chrystine, one of the Team Captains, is also a training walk leader which comes in handy when we walk. She has so much information to share... I LOVE when we get to walk with her. Each conversation gets me that much more excited for the walk. Another TaTa YaYa, Amy, wears a super cute pink and black tutu that she made. Funny story there... she learned how to make hers from the very same googled video that Lizzy & I learned how to make ours. Small world. lol. I can't wait to get a pic of us all in our tutus.

Amy

The best part about these ladies... they are AWESOME! So much fun and so passionate about the cause... just like us! So anyway, if I had never taken the time to do this blog or post things on Facebook, we may have missed out on meeting these amazing women! DON'T MISS OUT! This is seriously one of the best parts of this adventure... meeting other people doing the same thing you're doing, and SUPPORTING them!

Last night, TaTa YaYas did a fundraiser (Skate for the Cure) at Skateland. Ta-Ta Sisterhood wanted to support them so we went... well, part of us did, anyway! It was fun! We wore our pink shirts, bought some of their goodies... but the best part was being there to support them! Of course, my friend Grant (a hunky pink fireman) made it extra special, (I mean seriously! Does it get any better than a gorgeous fireman wearing PINK?!?! Nope!)... but that was just the icing on the cake!

www.pinkfiretrucks.com

So, the moral of my story is to support each other. Yes, we each have committed to raise a LOT of money, but don't miss the fun in all this. Now that Ta-Ta Sisterhood has the beautiful TaTa YaYas as friends, there's so much more we can do. Our training walks can be way more fun (lots more people to talk with and lots more PINK to add to the crowd), we have extra support at our events and we get to know some amazing people. I know there's lots of other 3-Day teams in our area and I look forward to getting to know them all. This is SO MUCH FUN!!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Change for a Cure

2010-05-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

I've talked a few times before about change jars and what a great fundraiser they are. They are easy, effective and your whole family can get involved. Here's some more detail on the topic.

My 4 year old is so thoughtful and sweet and sincere... all all around amazing kid. Every time I turn around, my li'l Monkey is there wanting to help me with the 3-Day. He either wants to go on a training walk, walk around the neighborhood for donations or go do a big fundraiser. He loves boobies and is doing his part to help me.

The first time I really let him "take the reigns" on a fundraiser was with our change jars. We had a few empty pasta sauce jars and tons of pink and black decorations. So, I took the labels off the jars for him and let him go crazy with the paint, glitter, glue, etc. Once he was done, I wrote a few 3-Day-related phrases like "60 miles. 3 Days. 1 Goal." or "your change saves lives", etc.

Then I cut a slit in each of the lids and vuah-lah! Presto! Beautiful pink & black change jars, ready to be handed out.

Monkey and I, along with my Mom and Sis, walked around our neighborhood to hand out these jars. We just explained to each person what the walk is, why we're doing it and how we'd love for them to help. Each person we talked to took a jar and said they'd give us all their spare change. We go around next week to empty the jars... I can't wait to see how much we get!

As you may or may not recall, when Monkey and I did a change jar for a month and then took it to the bank to cash in, we made $53.00.... in a single month! [Click here to read about it!] So, it does add up quick. And seriously, this is a fun way to get everyone involved.

Oh, I am also getting some baby food jars donated to me. I will be taking them to Monkey's school so each of the kiddos can decorate one to take home. Yah, they'll be small and won't hold much, but it will get them all involved in what we're doing.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! Like I said, it's easy, cheap, FUN and totally effective!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Ta-Ta Store

2010-05-09T14:10:00.001-07:00

Our team merchandise (and other breast cancer related designs) are now available for purchase on Zazzle.com!

To Train or Not To Train? That Is The Question.

2010-05-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure of speaking with so many amazing people lately. Some that are encouraging, some that criticize me... and some that think they know it all. Now let me preface this by saying I'm a big girl... take a look at the pictures on my blog or facebook page and you'll see that I'm not tiny at all. But, I'm active. I've done bootcamps with dozens of skinny people and kept up with their every move. I've walked and run in races. I've frequently attended, and survived, intense Zumba and muscle training classes at the gyms. I keep up with a very active 4 year old boy. So, in summary, I'm BIG & ACTIVE!

So anyway, me... being the big, active girl that I am... am still totally nervous about all this walking. Sure, I've walked 6 - 10 miles before, I've certainly run that before.... but walking 60 miles in 3 days is still a little intimidating. It seriously cracks me up when I hear someone say "oh 60 miles? I can do that. I run races all the time... no biggie." or "Yah, I'm gonna do it, but I already walk everyday so I don't need any training." Ha! I just wanna say "oh yah? Then prove it. Join me. Let's see how well you do... all those miles and no training." Geesh!

FACT: Just because you walk every day (most daily walkers average 3-6 miles a day) or run in marathons (a single day of running 15-26 miles, with the following days to rest and recover) doesn't mean you can walk 20 miles a day, 3 days in a row, "easily".

When you prepare for a race or a marathon, you TRAIN. When you need to build muscle or lose weight, you hire a personal TRAINer. Heck, even when you start a new job, you TRAIN. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Walking 60 miles IS a big deal... that's a long walk. And I hate to tell you treadmill lovers (I will definitely be blogging about this topic later) but walking on the treadmill is not the same as walking on the street. In fact, walking on the actual street is WAY harder. The ground isn't smooth and steady like a treadmill, there's no air conditioning or controlled environment when walking outside and honestly, I think treadmill miles are slightly less than actual street miles. When I did my first 5K, I trained and trained and trained... on the treadmill. And you know what? I about DIED when I did the actual race. It was MUCH harder than the treadmill and it took me about 12 minutes more than it did on the treadmill.

Moving on... a friend of mine from bootcamp did the 3-day last year. Now, if you saw this girl she'd probably make you sick because she is tall, extremely lean and gorgeous. She looks like she works out all day long but she doesn't. She can eat anything she wants and not gain a pound. And for "fun", she runs marathons. This girl is the poster child for FIT.

Because of that fact, she decided she didn't need to train at all for the 3-Day. Silly girl. So she did the 3-day and you know what? She was miserable. So much, in fact, that she decided not to do it again this year. Her feet hurt her for a couple weeks after the event. Her legs were so sore she said "I don't know if I'll ever walk again". Mentally, she couldn't take it and it kinda changed her view of the event as a whole. If for nothing else but for this story, I am so inspired and determined to do the recommended training.

This is only my 1st year doing the 3-day but honestly, I don't want to take any chances. Since I am active already, I feel OK about the upcoming training... I know I will make it through and will give my body a chance to get used to all that walking. But because I am so passionate about what this walk means, I want to make it the best experience possible for me and if that means training so I can actually enjoy the event, then so be it.

Again, in a nutshell, this big active girl is gonna train so my body is ready for all that walking and I highly recommend you do too. Big or small, active or sedentary, there's a reason why they provide us with a training schedule. Don't make the mistake of letting your pride or ego get in the way. I care about you enough to tell you that you DO need to train for the event and even if you don't follow the training schedule exactly, staying close to it is probably a good idea!

Be sure to check the training walk schedule in your Participant Center for training walks near you. Depending on where you are, there may be some training walks already starting. Here in Arizona, our kick-off is May 22nd/23rd so we don't have any "official" ones until then... although my team has already begun training. But seriously, check out the training walk schedule and plan to attend as many as you can. You'll learn techniques such as blister care, proper walking form, safety, hydration and all that other fun stuff as well as build relationships with fellow walkers.

Happy Training!!!

~*~ Beckie ~*~

Blogging 4 Boobies in June

2010-05-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

It's official. The "Blogging 4 Bobbies" event has been planned. I have already started spreading it on Facebook and if you're on there, please click here to RSVP. Let's make this blogging event HUGE and seriously make a difference. There's very little work involved on your end, but think of the impact we will make! Here's what I've posted on Facebook (and no, I'm not above posting a pic of some other lady's boobies if it helps me get my point across!)...

Save The Boobies!!!

My name is Beckie Black. I'm a proud single momma of a handsome little angel, daughter of a beautiful breast cancer survivor, and passionate blogger.... among many other things!

This is my 1st year participating in the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure, and I'm planning something huge. Assuming it is a success, I intend on doing this every year.

For 18 days, June 1st through 18th (representing the 1 out of 8 women who will battle breast cancer until a cure is found), I am asking hundreds upon hundreds of bloggers from around the globe to donate 1 blog post to my fundraising efforts. The goal is to have this event be so prominent in the blogosphere that we are able to encourage hundreds of readers to donate just a few dollars to an incredible cause.

I am asking my fellow bloggers to urge their readers to donate just $10 to my fundraising, in an effort to make the 2010 Blogging 4 Boobies event a tremendous success.

You see, if 300 blogs post about my event, and each blog can only convince ONE reader to donate $10.00, I will have raised $3,000.00 towards finding a cure for this horrific disease.

What's more, if each of the bloggers participating will vow to their readers to donate $10 of their own money, that would double the donation to $6,000.00 within a single week.

I know that with the way the blogging community works this IS possible.

Will you participate?

In exchange for your blog post, I will post a link to your blog both on the Ta-Ta Sisterhood blog (www.ta-ta-sisterhood.blogspot.com), as well as on this facebook event page.

I also intend to do an interactive map on the blog post showing where all of the supporting bloggers are located, and would love to invite each of you back to participate in 2011, when I do this again.

This event is open to anyone, so I urge you to invite your friends and family who blog to join. Blogs can be related to fitness, crafts, business, personal, religion... it doesn't matter. If someone reads your blog, you can help make a difference!

If you need help writing a post, feel free to contact me. I'd love to offer you some content to help you get started, or even provide a pre-written post for you. I can tell you a little more about myself or answer any questions you may have.

All donations from your readers will be made DIRECTLY to the 3-Day site at www.the3day.org/goto/beckie.black and are 100% tax deductible. A receipt will be emailed to you for tax purposes and should you ever misplace it, no biggie! I can re-send it to you!

Participating in the 3day is such a blessing. Not only am I able to be a part of something so much bigger than myself (raising millions of $$$ as an event for breast cancer research), I am also able to meet so many incredible people. Hearing their stories. Crying with them. Laughing with them. We are making memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I can't wait to represent all of my donors again in 2011!

This is your chance to be a part of something bigger... a chance to make a big difference in just one day.

Won't you join us?

Once you have committed to donating your blog post by RSVPing yes, please consider pre-writing and scheduling your post to ensure that it is not forgotten over the next week and a half. Please also remember to comment on the event wall with a link to your blog (or message me if you'd prefer) and include the city/state where you live for the map information.

NOTE: PLEASE ONLY RSVP YES IF YOU HAVE A BLOG AND ARE WILLING TO DONATE A BLOG POST TO THE EVENT. If you do not have a blog but would like to help spread the word, feel free to invite your friends or post this on your facebook page.

Keep in mind you can either commit on here by leaving a comment, email me by clicking here, or RSVP on the Facebook page. I'll post much more about this as we get closer but PLEASE help me make this event a success! I know WE can make a difference!

Always thinking PINK...

~*~ Beckie ~*~