My Journey to the 3-Day: Faith, Hope and Love

Ta-Ta for Now!

2012-10-30T23:24:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to close out this blog with a final post for the year 2012. I have decided to take a year off from doing the 3-Day and focus on a number of different projects I have going on this year. In June I am doing the Dirty Girl Mud Run in Philly with my team, and will post and add pictures then.

The Ta-Ta Sisterhood will always be my team and I will support them in any way I can. If my journey to the 3-Day has taught me nothing else, it's that there is always something you can do to help. Even if it seems like a small gesture at the time, it makes all the difference.

I hope that all my Northeast friends were able to weather Hurricane Sandy with not too much damage. Let's hope everyone's power goes back on soon. My power was restored after about 20 hours without. We lost a few trees and some sections of our privacy fence. Still that is nothing compared to the devastation some of our neighbors have faced. Keep all of them in your prayers, whether you live in the Northeast part of the US or not.

Thank you all for your support and reading my blog over the past 8 months. Thanks to all my supporters I have reached over 1700 hits! You have all been wonderful.

With Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Look Out!! Nick is Behind You!!--Day Three

2012-10-11T15:16:00.000-04:00

So in writing about day three of the 3-Day walk, it should be noted that distance-wise, it is the shortest day. It also should be noted that most of the pictures in this post are not mine, I have borrowed quite a few of them but I believe that they capture the essence of what day three is all about, primarily, sightseeing in Philly. Taking photos. Acting like tourists. Even though I lived in Philly for 4 years (college) there's a lot of stuff that you just don't take a lot of notice when you are in college.

Some of you may be curious about the title of my post. Who is this Nick? Why must we "look out" for him? People who have walked the 3-Day at least in recent years know who he is. He's a guy on the bike who rides at the tail end of the line of walkers. That's right. He's the caboose. When you run into Nick on the first day, with his grey bicycle helmet and pink flag sticking out of the back of his bicycle, you think, isn't this cool? We're last! Well at least we got lots of good pictures. We can go a little faster--or not. No big deal. We were the caboose on the first day. Didn't matter.

On the last day you're on a bit of a tighter schedule. Everyone has to be at the Navy Yard before 4:30. So, you feel a little more of a time crunch. But we managed to fit it all in. Here's how we did it!

This photo was taken at the convention center shortly before we started the route at 7:30 am. Rachael's awesome cousin, Karen, who you will see in upcoming photos, was not an official Ta-Ta sister but she lay on the floor and pointed the camera up. Thank you Karen! We love you!

We began the walk in great spirits, but still sore. How could we not be, we had just walked over 45 miles over two days? But I have to say that the route was much more scenic and interesting starting out on this day. Below is the group walking down Elfreths Alley, the oldest street in the US that is continually inhabited. By people LOL!

It started to rain so we covered our shoes with shower caps, duck tape and wrapped it with rubber bands. I needed photographic evidence of this because it's pretty unbelieveable what people were doing to protect their shoes.

Above is Becki, Christine and me at the Love sculpture. That was just before we caught sight of Nick (the caboose). I wanted to get to that first pit stop but had to go to the bathroom (that's a big surprise!) Once I saw him, he told me I had to stay on the route and wait until the next pit stop. No big deal--it's only about half a mile away--or IS IT??? So Becki and Christine got on the sweep van (go Honkers!) ironically it was the same van that my lovely tentmate, Cherrill, had given the middle finger to the day before. So of course, me being as stubborn as I am and NOT wanting to get on that sweep van, I chose to power walk the rest of the way to the pit stop, only pausing to look behind me about every 30 seconds to see if Nick was in sight. He wasn't by the way. But I made it to the first pit stop without peeing in my pants. Thank goodness because all my extra clothes were packed, loaded up on a truck, probably already at the Navy Yard! Below are some pictures of the beginning of the day. The first amendment statue was at one of the pit stops (that's me, Tricia, Becki and Christine)

To the right over here is Karen, Rachael, Christine, Becki and me visiting the University of Penn Women's Health floor (where Rachael works). We made people smile when we came in the front door. I'm not sure if they were laughing with us or at us, but one thing's for sure, we were unforgettable!

On left is me, Becki and Christine eating lunch at Pat's. Pat's is my favorite cheesesteak place in the city. My roommates used to wake me up at 2 am to go to Pat's when I was in college. And I would go in my pajamas. Shut up, Dominick! (my brother, who prefers Genos!) We got a picture in front of the skyline too, and next to that is the rest of the team, at Philly High School for lunch. This was the last stop on the route before the navy yard.

I have to say that the second time I was going to get on that sweep van (on the way to Philly High School) was a very difficult time for me. But in the end I talked myself into it wasn't that much further, and I wouldn't forgive myself for not walking the whole thing, at least this time. So what did I do? I sprinted down the sidewalk, caught up with some tipsy 3-Dayers who were singing and having a great old time, and fell in step with them. At that point I had no choice but to keep going!

Another obstacle on the route--this house that had a huge sign in front of it: "Bathrooms and Beer for the Walkers!" The bathrooms sounded okay, but I avoided it for fear of not making it to closing ceremony (beer after walking 57 miles? don't think so!). Once we got to Philly High School, with only a couple of miles to go to get to the Navy Yard, it was really down to the wire. By this time, my feet had been worn down to "bloody stumps"--to quote Becki, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard as I did on day three--second only to Cherrill giving the sweep van the finger on day two!

I walked side by side with Mandy and Tricia to the Navy Yard. When I saw the sign for it I started to get a little nervous. I had visions of keeling over just a few feet before reaching the finish line. But when we got there--the promise land!

Here are some pictures of the team at the navy yard! The kids in the picture are Lisa's and Christine's. Maddie and Josh are the two little blond ones and Marissa is the girl in green who is now taller than the rest of the team :) What amazing kids out there supporting us! My kids were up further and did not get a pic with them, unfortunately :( The picture below is us in front of the Navy Yard, before we got to the finish line.

It was really fitting that the first person I saw after crossing the finish line was my dad, because I walked not only for my team but in memory of his mom. She passed away a long time ago, but that loss never goes away. It just gets less over time. If anyone asks me why I did the 3-Day, I have only one word for them: HOPE. It's easy to believe that there isn't any hope, with women and men who pass away every day from breast cancer. But raising money and doing the walk, I feel like I am doing something. That maybe a cure isn't too far into the future. It's easy to get disgusted by all the pink ribbon stuff and think--it's all just fluff. You wear pink and it doesn't mean anything. But at the same time, to me doing nothing only makes it worse. Negativity perpetuates negativity.

This is a sign I saw on the first day. Some people might think this sign is telling us we are focusing too much on one type of cancer. That breast cancer is not the be all and end all. However, Susan G. Komen started as a very small organization and has taken over 20 years to grow. It was started by one person--her sister. Organizations like this can be started--all it takes is one person. Why not an organization like this for ovarian or colon cancer? There are organizations for all of them, they are not as big as Komen but they can be! It just takes time for them to grow.

I think that by Komen raising awareness about breast cancer, it tends to have a domino affect, raising awareness about other types of cancer as well. And that's what I would say to anyone who complains that breast cancer gets too much press. It gets a lot of press because it's so common--everyone knows someone who has a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe even you have a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe you've had a family member pass away from it. Without organizations like Komen, new cases could not be diagnosed early and treated. Many women cannot afford the screenings and treatments that they might need.

I raised over $2400 for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day over this past year. I am proud of the fact that I not only accomplished this and walked the whole walk, but also, as corny as it sounds, I have helped at least a few people with my contribution. It is a drop in the bucket considering how much medical costs have skyrocketed over the past few years, but, I did something! And so did the rest of my team, collectively raising well over $10,000. I am proud of that as well.

Overall, I had a great experience. And yes, I would do it again, maybe not next year but I would do it again. And Nick really isn't a bad guy, once you get to know him.

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

My Bladder Betrays Me!--Day Two

2012-10-10T10:28:00.001-04:00

In speaking about day two of the 3-Day, I wanted to broach a subject that people rarely talk about. When you are reading about safety concerns on the 3-Day website, two of the biggest concerns are hydration and blisters. I knew I'd probably end up with a blister or two no matter what, HOWEVER, I'll be damned if I was going to pass out from dehydration. So I used my Camelbak and refilled it at every pit stop. However, staying so well-hydrated comes at a price. That first night I literally woke up every 20 minutes to pee. Our tent was smack dab in the middle of the convention center floor so I had to walk the same distance no matter what restroom I used.

It felt like I got about 2 hours of sleep, but in reality it was probably 4-5. Because I've had children that is more than enough to function the next day. At least I kept in mind that it's all temporary!

In case you don't believe me here is a picture of Cherrill and me sitting in our lovely tent! Above is the shirt with all the names of the people I walk for! Excuse the mess we were a little discombobulated on the second day!

So anyway, I woke up, dressed and went to breakfast. I was running a little late. The route opened at 7:00 and a lot of people were in line to go already. Lisa, Cherrill and Mandy left at 7:00. I ended up leaving at 7:30 by myself. I accidentally left Tricia behind. I didn't realize she wanted to walk to the first pitstop. But when I heard them announce you had to leave before 8:00 to avoid being swept, I jumped on it!

Walking without my team felt a little strange at first. But I quickly fell in step with new friends and did the first 3 miles easily. I was still sore from the day before. But once I got to the first pit stop and ran into Cherrill and Tricia. We caught up for a few minutes and I waited with Cherrill while she got fixed up at the medical tent. She needed to get taped up and some pain relieving gel, and she felt a lot better afterwards. We walked a little bit with Tricia and then she got swept up before we hit the next pit stop.

The Breast Western Express! Ha ha! Seriously though we were very lucky to have those sweep vans. Even though I ultimately did not end up using them, they were great for people who needed to get to the next pitstop at a certain time (sometimes you slow down taking pictures on the route) or people who are too sore or banged up to make it to the next stop. Having the option really helped make it a little easier to go on. They were like mini cheering sections on wheels!

Cherrill and I walked together for the rest of the day. And it was the longest day. But in many ways, it was my best day. I felt a lot better physically as well as mentally. And in case you are wondering if I talked to Christine, I did. It was at lunch on this day. When I explained to her what was going through my head, she understood it. And I felt a whole lot better afterwards. Her family came to visit at lunch and it was awesome. Even Buddy came. And he was very well-behaved.

This is me and Cherrill with Christine's mom, Joanne, and daughter, Marissa. I love Joanne's outfit. She looked like she belonged with the rest of the 3-Day walkers! We stayed at lunch for a while. It got a little crazy towards the end. A stretcher and ambulance came. The stretcher headed straight for the medical tent. The person had fainted but once EMT worked on her, she was fine. I think she had to skip the rest of the day though.

After lunch we headed out to finish up the longest day. Today was better because there were several cheering stations all along the route. I didn't get too many pictures because let's just say it's a little overwhelming--with all the survivors, saying "thank you" and the little kids, dancing around and giving high fives, it's tough not to get emotional. Some of the outfits people wore, especially the guys were awesome. Here is one:

This is hysterical! They also gave out candy so that made it even better. It felt great to have so many supporters out there cheering us on! I can't have a blog post without including a pic from the Team Stewie cheering section.

Kristina's mom, Arlene, who is a survivor, was on hand to give hugs! Thanks for being there and giving me the strength and courage to go on! You are a rock star and so amazing! I had the pleasure of meeting them for the first time last year and the cheering section was awesome then, and even more awesome now that I was actually a walker this time. It was the best!

I felt so much better on the second day overall. Mentally and physically I would say it was my best day. I was surprised because I had spoken to many people who have done the 3-Day before, who said that the second day is their worst day. Just goes to show that EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT! You can't always listen to everyone else you just have to let your own experience happen the way you want it to.

If I have to give a negative it would be towards the end of the day. Let's just say the Camelbak is a little too easy to use, so I ended up drinking a lot of water just not even realizing how much I was drinking. Well, towards the end of the day, I ended up having to pee between pit stops. No, there were no bathrooms in between the pit stops. The first time I did it I was lucky to find a wooded area and go behind a tree while Cherrill covered for me. But the second time, we were in the city with park areas, and pretty much NO coverage. I ended up going behind this big shed. I am pretty sure a homeless guy saw me. Let's just hope he didn't notice, shall we?

And also, the last few miles Cherrill and I walked along the bridge by the side of the highway. Well, those last few miles, the 60 shades of Pink sweep van kept riding by, and slowing down. Cherrill and I were both pretty determined to finish without getting swept. So when the van slowed down near us a second time, Cherrill yelled, "Don't tempt me, go away!" And then she flipped them the bird. The look on Alexa's face was priceless. And she was wearing sunglasses! But you could tell she was totally shocked! Cherrill apologized later on at dinner. But man was that hilarious at the time! Unfortunately there are no pictures :( but use your imagination and I'm sure the mental image will come!

It felt so good to cross the finish line today. I can't even tell you how much. We ended up finishing up around 6:45. The route told us 22.3 miles. But Komen miles are longer. Boy were we sore. But we walked every single mile today and felt great afterwards. Well, maybe not so much physically. But mentally it was a great boost! And those truck showers felt even better that night.

On the plus side, I peed so much during the day that I only ended up having to wake up once during the night. Thereby getting more sleep. See there was a method to my madness!

Ta-ta for now, and stay tuned for Day 3!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

You're in the (Pink) Army Now--Day One

2012-10-09T10:49:00.002-04:00

I have chosen to break down my 3-Day experience into 3 separate posts, because there's just too much to say in one post. The first thing I have to say about the 3-Day is that it's definitely not something to underestimate. The second thing I have to say is that my journey to the 3-Day was a heck of a lot easier than the 3-Day itself!

This is how I looked right after I finished the 3-Day. This is the story of how I ended up here.

The 3-Day started for me, on Thursday afternoon. My husband, Al, my youngest daughter, Chloe and I picked up Cherrill, my tentmate and drove to our hotel in Willow Grove. It was a great hotel, complete with popcorn in the afternoon and pink decorations. Most of the people staying there were 3-Day walkers or crew.

This is Cherrill getting some popcorn for us to snack on!

They were really great to us at the Hampton Inn in Willow Grove. They made everyone feel great and very welcomed. Some of the staff even had pink on in support. We went to the Day 0 event at Miller's Ale House, had a glass of wine, ate dinner and hung out with Christine, our team leader, Becki, one of our teammates, and Brenda and Jenny, two of our teammates who were also crew members. Brenda and Jenny gave us a ride back to our hotel and picked up our team banner for us so that we would have it for closing ceremonies. We went to sleep in very comfy beds and watched TV. The weather forecast for the next day: hot and sunny. Couldn't have been more perfect!

Day one we were up at around 5:00. We got dressed in our 3-Day outfits, green t-shirts with the Ta-Ta logo on them, pink crowns on our heads. The hotel had breakfast for us, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, Special K bars, coffee, and juice. They had a shuttle leaving between 5:30 and 6:00 with room on it to transport all of us and our luggage. Overall I would highly recommend the Hampton Inn if you want to stay in a hotel the Thursday before the 3-Day. They treated us very well!

The shuttle took us to the Willow Grove Mall parking lot for opening ceremonies. We carried our stuff to the luggage trucks, labeled with the letters of your tent. We went to the C truck since our tent was C-40. Great crew members loaded our stuff onto the truck for us. We met up with Tricia, Becki, Rachael, and Rachael's awesome cousin, Karen, and headed over to opening ceremony. Christine was a flag bearer so we met up with her right after opening ceremony. Mandy and Lisa had gotten there very early because their hotel's shuttle left about an hour before ours. For absolutely no reason. As long as you are there at opening ceremony before 6:30 you are fine!

We got our lanyard and credential holders and headed over to opening ceremony. After a very moving speech by Dr. Sheri Phillips, and the flag bearers marching in carrying flags for My Friend, Mother, Father, Children, Aunt, Cousin, Grandma, etc., representing all the people who we walk for, the walk could get started. Below is a video people filing out to begin the walk.

It's about 2 minutes long and I think it captures all the excitement and anticipation of the start of the walk. The walk itself started out a little slow just because of the location, but it was all good because we started out walking as a team! On the left is Cherrill getting interviewed by Channel 6 (ABC).

Above right is a picture of the entire team at opening ceremony just before we began the walk. Notice the big smiles on our faces. I really love this picture because it represents how great you feel, both physically and mentally before you know you're about to embark on such a major, life-changing event! I keep looking at this photo because I want to hold onto that feeling the whole time. Unfortunately, as I found out, you can't always hold onto that feeling.

The first day, we walked through Willow Grove and Chestnut Hill, with smaller towns in between. And as the name suggests, there were lots of hills. The hills were the toughest part I think. But I loved how many of the houses were decorated in pink and bras and all kinds of cool signs. They made it easier to keep going. Here are some examples:

Central Avenue was the bomb! They really showed us tons of "support" (pun intended!) by hanging up bras for us. It was awesome and as you walk farther and farther, you find that you really need that support. The first day the route was 21.5 miles. That was what the route told us but it might have actually been more. I'm not sure if it only felt like more because of all the hills or if it was actually more, but it felt like a lot! For the first half of the day I walked with Christine, Rachael, and Becki. When we got to lunch around the 10 mile mark, we peed, ate and got started back on the route. This time I walked with Lisa, Mandy and Cherrill because I knew I wanted to do the whole thing. So I caught up with them and continued on the route. Lisa and Cherrill had such a quick pace that Mandy and I quickly fell behind. Which was okay since we had each other to walk with. The last half of the day passed really slowly since there were more hills in Fairmount Park. And the cyclists passing us on the left were a little nerve wracking. I had visions of being knocked over.

We got to use a real flushing toilet when we made a quick pit stop by Boathouse Row. That felt pretty good but at this point, my nerves were starting to fray and both me and Mandy felt pretty awful, physically and mentally. It's tough without mile markers especially when you aren't sure what to expect. And the first day there weren't many cheering sections, it being a Friday. I think more cheering sections would definitely have helped.

The last mile I walked on the first day, I was in tears. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I apologized to Mandy but she was a great comfort to me that last mile. If I had been alone I don't think I would have made it. I don't know if I can ever thank her enough for what she did for me that last mile on day one. We got "home" to the Convention Center. All our stuff was there. We had to pick up our stuff in the dining hall and carry it to our tent. Cherrill had gotten there before me and set up the tent and mattress (thank God).

For some reason though, I could not stop crying. The floodgates had opened and all I could think about was "what did I get myself into?" and "I need to get the hell out of here immediately!" I even called Al and asked him to pick me up. Tricia had to calm me down. She told me where the showers were and said I would feel better after a hot shower. Even after I stopped crying I don't think I cracked a smile the whole night. Thank goodness the water was hot. I felt a little better after my shower, and after eating something. Then Tricia reminded me about my mail. I felt like a little kid, following Tricia around. But I have always known this, the way Tricia took care of me and everyone else she will make a fantastic mom!

The major regret I have about that night was not talking to Christine about it. I was terrified of being negative in front of her because I know, her friend Kathi just passed away a few months ago from breast cancer, and she was still here doing the walk, so she had to be going through her own stuff. I felt pretty ashamed of myself for being so negative. I went back to my tent to read my camp mail and here are a few excerpts of what people sent to me in my camp mail. This is why camp mail is so important!

"You are setting a wonderful example for your girls. Be proud!" From Kalyn, my sister-in-law, and my niece, Lexie.

"If you happen to see a yellow butterfly around, that is my mom. Since the day she died we always see one. She may decide to flutter along with you." From Kim, my good friend from high school.

"Stay strong and we will do chips and margaritas big time after this one!" From Jen, my good friend from college days.

"I am so thrilled to be sharing this time with you. Enjoy every minute!" From Christine, my sorority sister and team leader.

There were many, many others but reading them helped me get through that difficult first night. When I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sob, these helped me get through it. Lisa and Mandy did ask me if I wanted to join them at the hotel on the second night, and having the option helped but in the end I decided to Rocky it out and go through the whole experience.

I will post about Day Two tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Less Than One Week to Go!

2012-09-30T14:32:00.001-04:00

I never thought I would see the day come, where I could say, "it's just 5 days until the 3 Day Walk!" I have been fundraising and training for nearly a year now. It hasn't always been easy along the way, but finding this picture in an old photo album:

has made it a little easier to say: yes I can do this. Nonna didn't live to see any of her grandchildren get married. But doing the walk, maybe more grandmas can live long enough to see their grandchildren get married, maybe even see great grandchildren. And maybe more mothers will live long enough to see their own children get married (it is scary to even think of this possiblity, but diagnoses happen younger and younger). My tentmate, Cherrill I am proud to say is a four-time cancer survivor. She has four awesome grandkids! And is one of the most inspirational people I have ever known! She has told me many times, "I want to live to see my grandkids get married." And being able to raise this money and do the walk, has brought us closer to the possibilities all of us have in life.

I had a mammogram this week, it was at a great place and more of them are popping up all over, "Breast Health Centers" that are affiliated with local hospitals. As I was getting dressed to go pick up my younger daughter, I saw this quote on the mirror:

I really think this is true. Laughter and a positive attitude is key in getting through tough, stressful experiences. This past week a longtime family friend passed away from multiple cancers, and schlerederma that she suffered with for years. This woman was probably the most upbeat person I ever met in my life. She was active and loved by many. It hurts to have to put her name on my shirt as someone who is not here anymore. In addition to the many other people that are too numerous to list here, I walk for her.

OK I am sitting here crying my eyes out. So I will close out this blog post with a fun picture from our team dinner last night.

Top row, from left, me, Lisa, Cherrill. Bottom row, from left, Mandy, Christine and Tricia.

We went to a Benihana. And sat with two of the most fun people we could have asked for. We had a lot of laughs, took pictures and just had the best time ever! I am looking forward to spending next weekend with these wonderful ladies, as well as meeting great new folks!

I will try to get in one more post before the 3-Day, but my phone doesn't do a great job of blogging so I most likely will wait until after next weekend to post more. Of course there will be lots of photos of the event--I am told that it's quite a feast for the eyes!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Our 18 Mile LBI Training Walk

2012-09-22T13:42:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago today, I along with 3 of my team members embarked on an 18 mile training walk across Long Beach Island, in southern NJ. Another team member, Tricia, who is happily expecting a baby boy in December, was our sweep van person and mile marker. She was amazing and we could have NEVER done it without her. She met us every 3-4 miles with plenty of water and Gatorade, snacks, and was the best cheerleader we could have asked for.

I have lots of photos and some great videos that I took towards the end of the walk. Truly we became almost delirious towards the end. Not sure how I'm gonna do that 3 days in a row, but we'll see what happens.

From left, Lisa, me, Cherrill, Christine and Tricia on the end. This is by the Barnegat Lighthouse, right before we started the walk. It is 9:30 in the morning and the air is filled with excitement and anticipation.

These two pics are from mile 3, all our shoes on the left, and Tricia waiting for us across the street with the van. At this point, we're all feeling great and the walk seems to be going quickly! As we walked further down the island, through Loveladies, Harvey Cedars, North Beach, Surf City, our pace started slowing down a little bit. We needed food, and we needed it quickly!

At around mile 8 and a quarter, we stopped at a great family restaurant called Scojo's. Here we could use the bathroom, get some sandwiches, water, and Cherrill could soak her hand in ice so that her rings would come off. (I don't recommend wearing rings if you're going to walk all day).

And then our waitress told us something. I will never forget her as long as I walk this earth. She was going in for a mastectomy on Monday. She thanked us for doing the walk. She started to cry. Cherrill, a 4-time cancer survivor, hugged her. The reality of what I am doing hit me like a ton of bricks. Holy shit. Until I started on this journey I never realized how many women and men are affected by breast cancer every day. I will carry this woman's story with me in my heart every day. How could I possibly not? It was fate that our paths all crossed on that day. I hope that she realizes that no matter what, she is not alone.

These pictures are almost 3/4 of the way through the walk. At one point Lisa, (above, on the right) was actually heard to say, "You know, this concrete is pretty comfortable," as she lay down on her back on the sidewalk. At that point, we are starting to run out of steam. Christine is here on the left, wearing a flower on her hat, in honor of her friend Kathi who passed away from breast cancer a few months ago. We will all be wearing her picture on a pin during the walk.

The picture here on the right doesn't need much of a caption. Lisa is lying on the sidewalk, I am sitting with my head down and cap pulled over my face. And Cherrill and Christine are stretched out like they might be trying to sunbathe but probably are passed out from exhaustion. Imagine if it had been mid summer. Boy would we have been screwed :)

The picture here at the bottom is us near the end of the walk. I'd say about mile 16. We are almost at the end of Beach Haven here.
Below right is us stopping at Fantasy Island to use the restroom, and ended up being high fived by several employees, and given free pink glitter ribbon tattoos (I still have mine!) What fantastic ladies that we met there.

The video here above is titled "Are we there yet?" This features Christine and me babbling about the weather, how long this walk has taken us, and not believing we are not done yet and it's already almost 7 at night! Yes believe this, we didn't finish the walk until 7:45 at night!

To the right is the sign for Holgate, the last town of the island. By the time the walk ended it had started to rain and was pretty much pitch black. One last video image I will leave you with depicts our last quarter mile. It is something to see!

I know this is an extra long post. I'm hoping you read/watched until the end. It was a great experience for our team and I'm so excited to be walking with these wonderful ladies two weeks from now! Even though I know it's going to be an emotional weekend, I couldn't have asked for a better team to share it with! Along with 3,000 other great people, many of whom I have yet to meet. But I can't wait!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

My Training Walks

2012-09-03T11:30:00.002-04:00

It's only about a month until the 3-Day and I have done a few long training walks. This Saturday I plan on doing an 18-mile walk on Long Beach Island. Along with 4 of my team members we will be walking from Barnegat Lighthouse to Beach Haven.

One of the things over the last month that has really done me in is the heat. It hasn't been so bad in the past few weeks, but end of July was probably the worst. Below is a video I recorded in the middle of one of my long training walks. It was about 95 degrees outside with high humidity.

The good news is I discovered The Walking Company. Got my foot analyzed by their computer and special insoles, as well as a great pair of shoes.

Also, discovered Wacoal for a great sports bra. They are expensive but you can't beat them for support!

I have come to the conclusion that if you are cup size C and above, regular sports bras will not do it! You need underwire. I love this one! I wear it for walks and for going to the gym.

I will be back in a few days to talk about other stuff I did this past weekend, but needed to catch up on my posting. Below are some pictures of things that got me through the heat!

The ice cream truck, where I purchased Pina Colada water ice (no alcohol of course) and beautiful shady areas. Nothing beats that walking path especially on a hot day!

The blue drink is something I had on vacation a few weeks ago. That and a pool helped so much!

Today is Labor Day! In two more days my oldest will be starting school. Next week my youngest will start her school year. I can't believe the whole summer has passed and still have done just 10 miles at one time. Have been going to the gym faithfully 4 times a week. One month and 2 days until the 3-Day!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Looking for Motivation

2012-08-01T11:52:00.003-04:00

Okay, I have been working out regularly for about a month now. Still have only lost a pound and a half. Which is better than nothing, I realize, but still very discouraging. I haven't had a chance to get to do long walks, (although I work out for an hour, 4 times a week) I may need to start stepping it up a little bit.

It seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. I won't even go into my daily schedule here but trust me, it's not long enough! I try to live in the moment as much as I can, but it's difficult. I haven't even done on-line check-in yet for the walk. I am starting to get really nervous that I will not make it. For the first time I really don't want to get on that sweep van. I want to walk the whole thing. I need to walk the whole thing. A whole bunch of people are counting on me, and on all of us on the team. There's a lot at stake here.

I think I may have found it. Thank you girls :)

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Aaron's Last Wish

2012-07-23T13:20:00.001-04:00

I was so inspired today by what I found on the internet, that I felt I had to share it with everyone!

Earlier this month, a young man named Aaron Collins passed away and his final wish was that his family go out for pizza and leave the waiter or waitress a $500 tip. He did not have the money to do this himself, so his brother decided to take donations to be able to make a difference in the life of someone who relies on tips to earn money. Click here to go to his website.

You can watch the video of the first recipient of the $500 tip above. You may be asking why I would post something like this. It may or may not have anything to do with cancer since on the website, it does not say why Aaron died. However, this blog is also about people who inspire me, who give not just for the sake of giving, but to help make someone else's life a little bit better.

Comment on this post if you think this is as amazing as I do!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

My first training session at the gym

2012-07-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

This morning I had my first training session at the gym. My new trainer, Margaret and I worked on legs, arms, abs, shoulders, everything you could think of! When I told her I would be walking the 3 Day in October, she suggested interval training where you do cardio at high intensity for 30 seconds, lower intensity for a minute and a half, and switch off. After I did the strengthening exercises I went on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes and did six intervals in those 20 minutes. So I was pretty proud of myself.

I have been working out pretty regularly and have lost 1 pound over the past 2 weeks. Not too bad but I expected to have lost more. But it just goes to show that plain old cardio just isn't going to do it anymore for me. I can't get away with not strength training anymore. It's too important.

For my first training session I started with step ups, then 3 point tricep press, squats with shoulder press, side leg raises, I did push ups, and ab exercises. I also did the tricep pull down machine, which wasn't bad. I used 10 pound weights too which I never thought I could.

My aim is to get to the gym 4 times a week and also to do at least 1-2 long training walks per week. Margaret told me the interval training should help boost my endurance so I will be able to do the long walks. And the strength training should help me drop some weight. I would love to lose 10 pounds at least before the walk.

Post a comment if you have any suggestions for me to help build my endurance and burn calories, or if you just want to share your training story. I never thought I would really like working out this much again, but we're at the beginning of the 3rd week and I haven't quit yet! So that's something!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Beach Walking Fun!

2012-07-07T22:35:00.003-04:00

Finally got around to downloading those photos from my iPhone. Remember when I said I went on vacation and took one 3 and a half mile walk? Well, on this walk I took pictures of interesting "curb appeal" because I like to do this for decorating ideas. Plus some beach houses just look really cool!

Check it out:

Probably the coolest idea ever! Who knew you could use old doors as an entryway for your front yard and have it look this cool?

The picture on the right is from the same house. I love the way the owner uses natural elements here. It's what you should see when you go to the shore.

This is from another house. I loved all the different chairs. And the sideboard. It looks like it belongs in a turn of the century dining room, not in someone's front yard at the shore!

This pic on the right is the quintessential salt box house. I love the picket fence in front. It's not trying to be cute, but it really is!

This little wooden cutout cracked me up! Adorable, yet passive aggressive at the same time. Gotta love it!

This pic on the right reminds me of how we used to decorate my dad's family's shorehouse when I was a kid. Just put a rusty crab trap out front. Then they know you mean business!

This is the view from the bulkhead I stopped at. It was a gorgeous day and the water was so calm.

The pic with the pink flowers was a memorial garden I stopped at that was right on the bay. I thought it was fitting considering the pink in the picture, as well as part of the reason why I walk. It's not only to fight breast cancer but to remember those who fought, but did not live to see a cure. It reminds me why I fight, for them, as well as the loved ones left behind.

A tilted, seaweed covered beach. It was deserted at that time of the day.

This is the dog who nearly attacked me when I tried to get his photo. There is nothing scarier using the zoom lens on your iPhone camera and watching the dog come closer and closer to you. Yeah he was not that happy!

So far my beach walk has been the most fun of all my training walks. But I am happy to report that since I joined a gym on Monday, I have gone 4 times in the past week, and used the child care twice! Not too shabby. Let's hope I can keep it going.

Faith, Hope and Love

Angela

Damn, I weigh 138 Pounds!

2012-07-02T15:29:00.001-04:00

That's 3 pounds more than I thought I did. Hot damn, that is bad!!! I joined a gym today and worked out as soon as the ink on the membership pages was dry. Well, not literally, because everything is done by computer now.

WOW! I'm not even going to take a photo of myself and put it on here, because I am 5' 1" and 138 pounds. In my mind that is not even close to okay. Walking with that kind of weight on what I thought was a fairly petite frame ain't gonna cut it. If I don't lose some of it, I know I'm not going to make those 60 miles. Hell, I may not even make 10 miles. I guess now I know at least part of the reason why I'm so tired all the time.

The gym I joined has inexpensive childcare. That just eliminated my last excuse not to work out. Stay tuned for weekly updates. I just hope that I get up enough courage to meet with a trainer. I get two free sessions and I'm really unsure about it!

One day at at time.

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

I Have Really Been Slacking Off in My Training Lately!

2012-06-30T22:05:00.000-04:00

I was on vacation this past week. I really had every intention of going for daily walks, taking a ton of photos with my good camera, and making the most of all that free time. It didn't happen the way I thought it would.

First of all, I forgot everything. Our kites, sunscreen, and my good camera to name a few things. I have a Canon Rebel and I love it. But it only works if you remember to bring it! Also, we had a few pretty bad early morning/middle of the night thunderstorms that were almost impossible to sleep through. And I developed a habit (well, not so much a habit but it was like 3 or 4 days in a row) of having a beer or two in the middle of the afternoon. And eating poorly. I think I took a total of one 3 and a half mile walk the entire time I was away. At least I did get some decent iPhone photos. But at this moment I am too darned lazy to download them. I am too lazy to plug in my iPhone to the computer. Because the battery is low from letting my kids watch Netflix shows on it.. Ok, that might be too much information.

Still I feel as though I needed to write a post about this since there are all these excuses we use to talk ourselves out of doing things that are good for us. Why? Hell if I know. My top excuses are that I am too tired. These nachos taste too good. Damn, maybe I am getting too fit. I don't want to make my husband feel bad. Just kidding honey.

Seriously, though, I am joining a gym on Monday. More about that in upcoming posts.

For anyone who makes excuses like I do, feel free to comment on this post. Believe me, you won't be judged!

Faith, Hope, and Love,

Angela

The Tu-Tu Project

2012-06-15T20:11:00.001-04:00

This Sunday is Father's Day, and I am so blessed to have not only a fantastic husband, who is an amazing dad to our two girls, but we also have both our dads still with us, still in great health with all their marbles. So that is something we really are thankful for.

I think that when we think of breast cancer awareness and raising money for breast cancer research, too often the men fall by the wayside. Although when my mother was a young girl, the first person she ever met who had breast cancer was a man, the fact is that breast cancer is often thought of as a woman's disease. There are surely not as many men who participate in the 3-day as there are women.

This is why when I came across this website, called, The Tu-Tu Project, I was absolutely thrilled. A man who takes photographs of himself wearing nothing but a tu-tu in just about any weather and setting, to raise breast cancer awareness (his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer), is just amazing to me. Below is one photo that is particularly heartwarming and made my breath catch in my throat. It is so unusual, yet so beautiful at the same time.

I have honestly never seen this before in my entire life and I doubt that I will again. You can feel the love and the dedication in this photo. Any man who would stand in the snow barefoot, wearing a tu-tu is a man who is serious about ridding the world of breast cancer. Not that the rest of us aren't just as serious about it, mind you, it's just that seeing this photo and reading his story on his website, makes me think that walking 60 miles, may not be as nutty as I originally thought. At least I will not have to do it barefoot and in the snow.

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband and my father-in-law. Happy Father's Day to both my grandfathers in heaven. And a great weekend to all!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Ta-Ta Sisterhood TEAM Bake Sale!

2012-06-12T11:08:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday, June 9, we had the Ta-Ta Sisterhood Team Bake Sale at Tricia's house in south Jersey. There was a steady turnout and we made a little over $200. The proceeds were divided between team members who attended and who have not yet made their minimum fundraising requirement of $2300. Tricia has some wonderful co-workers and neighbors who contributed baked goods, and a few who stayed to help us clean up after the sale was over.

This was our goodie table under a protective tent! We had lemonade, candy pops and chocolate covered marshmallow pops.

Muffins, cupcakes, biscotti and gluten-free brownies on the right. The gluten-free brownies sold out in half an hour! I need to find out who made them so I can get the recipe! I know they will come in handy at the bridging ceremony when Talia moves up to Brownies!

Here a bake sale sign that Al and I made for the occasion. I was going to stand at the front of the development and wave everyone in, but we got enough traffic without having to do that!

To the right is the sign that people saw at the end of Tricia's street. I think we cleaned out Party City's supply of neon pink posterboard!

Above are the member of the Ta-Ta team who came, me, Christine, Cherrill and Tricia.

This is a close-up of me with my crazy sunglasses! For some inexplicable reason one of my eyes is closed.

And this was the last phase of the fundraising part of my journey. From now on, training is going to be my main focus. But, there is a link to my personal page on the right side of this blog post if you want to go there and make a donation. I have upped my goal to $2400 and I still have $90 to go.

See you out there on the trails!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Bagging for Boobs at the Local Supermarket

2012-06-08T23:50:00.001-04:00

Tonight I helped one of our team members meet her minimum by bagging groceries at our local supermarket. I was there from a little after 4 until 8 at night. After that experience, let's just say I have a whole new respect for supermarket cashiers!

Don't misunderstand me, I had a job all through high school and college, I worked for my dad at his pharmacy, I still work there part time. I never really needed to get a job because I always had one waiting for me when I came home from school. Therefore I never had the experience of being a supermarket checker or bagger. I have never waitressed either and I'm sure that's a whole new can of worms to open!

Anyway, you may think bagging groceries is fairly simple. Correction: bagging your OWN groceries is fairly simple. You just put stuff in bags the way you like it--in the order in which you put them away, or whatever. But bagging groceries for other people is a WHOLE different story! I would say about half of them couldn't care less and just liked the fact that they didn't have to do it themselves. And the other half had a system that you could assist them with, but really, they would rather do it themselves. One woman requested nothing but paper bags, doubled. Quite a few people brought their own bags (in fact I was surprised by the number of people brought their own bags) and still others wanted you to fit as much as possible into one bag.

Another thing that overwhelmed me was the generosity of people in general. 99 percent of the people gave a donation of some kind, even if it was just a few coins. It's very touching when someone you don't know donates to your cause. It means that what you are doing is making a difference to someone. I hope that we made lots of money for my teammate's fund. She has been working so hard to get these fundraising gigs--and she still needs quite a bit to get to $2300. She joined our team only recently but she has really hit the ground running with the fundraising!

I am really enjoying this phase of my journey. Most of the fundraising I do now is just for fun, and I am able to have fun and just talk to people about the cause, find out about their experiences, without worrying about getting donations all the time. I mean if I get more donations I certainly welcome them but not having the pressure just feels so good.

Tonight my husband and I sat on our patio, drank Pinot Grigio and just talked. It was so nice to relax!

Faith, Hope, and Love,

Angela

Happy Trails: Staying Safe When Walking Outside

2012-06-02T23:32:00.001-04:00

I can remember years ago, when my mom used to go walking in the park across from our house, she would carry what she called a "rape whistle" supposedly to ward off potential attackers by making a noise loud enough so the park rangers would hear. As a young girl it seemed like such a weird thing to do. I mean why do you need to have a whistle on a walk? How do you know someone walking towards you isn't simply going to ask you for directions?

Fast forward to today. I am training for the 3-Day so I have walked alone outside on many occasions. Today, in fact, I took an 8-mile walk from my house, to the park and all around the park. I was alone on my walk so had a lot of time to think. I also watch quite a bit of Investigation Discovery (a channel that only has true crime shows) much to my husband's dismay, it gets me thinking about what can possibly go wrong when outside walking on your own. Even if it is in the middle of the day. And because we can't always walk with a group, I found this helpful article that gives some great tips on how to keep safe when walking outside on your own.

I don't think we should live our lives in fear, but we really need to be aware of our surroundings and that we're not always going to be 100 percent safe, no matter where we are. Even if it's a route we have walked many times before, doesn't mean something bad won't happen. In this age of cell phones and GPS we have more tools to help us stay safe. But still I don't think anything trumps common sense.

Safe travels to all my fellow walkers!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

My Love Affair with Under Armour

2012-06-01T16:33:00.000-04:00

I was first introduced to Under Armour products when my nephew, who is 11 and plays Little League baseball, started asking for the shirts for his birthday. He loves them because they fit well and are comfortable. I found an Under Armour outlet in Atlantic City this January and bought quite a few things--a hoodie made out of that absorbent moisture wicking material, socks, a t-shirt. All of them have been great, very comfortable and the hoodie is very eye-catching in bright pink (see pic of the hoodie I am wearing in the Beggin for Boobs post, I am wearing a bra over it!).

A few weeks ago I found this duffle to carry my stuff in for the 3-Day.

It's the Large Duffle, $54.99. I wanted something big but not so big that I'd be tempted to smuggle in one of my kids to keep me company! Either side of it has shoe pockets, perfect for carrying that extra pair of sneakers and some supportive flip flops for the last day. There are pockets on the front and back, and smal pockets inside. I'm hoping to use it for a weekend bag this summer when I go to the beach!

This is how it looked when I first pulled it out of the box!

Here it is from the back.

I know it probably seems a little crazy to do an entire blog post on a duffle bag, but this blog does have to do with all things 3-Day.

You might ask why I picked the color red. Well, aside from it being my favorite color of all time, I figured it would stand out amid the sea of black and pink duffle bags on the truck where they store your bags. I'll be able to find it a lot quicker. Well, maybe now that I've published this post there will be a run on the red duffle bags. I'll still attach a pink luggage tag to the strap though. I haven't completely lost my mind!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Parades, Pitbulls and Pink--This Was My Memorial Day!

2012-05-29T12:35:00.002-04:00

Carrying the Daisy Flag!

Yesterday my daughter marched in our town's annual Memorial Day Parade with her Daisy Scout Troop. The girls walked nearly 3 miles in the heat, which even at 10:30 in the morning, was over 80 degrees. The good news for me at least was I got my 3 miles of walking in that morning. And got to experience what walking 3 miles is like in heat that oppressive. We had sunscreen and water but still, it was sticky, sweaty and just plain hot! Hopefully it won't be that hot when I walk in the 3 Day.

My Little One just before Parade!

This is us falling a little behind!

The parade overall was a great experience for me and Talia at least. I know it was hot and probably not the most pleasant of conditions, but so many people came out to watch the parade that it seemed to energize most of the girls. I know it helped me to keep going. We did see a few people on the parade route who were in uniform and that really helped us to remember just why we were doing the parade. All the sacrifices that people in the armed forces, as well as their families have made over the years really hit home when you see that. To me a parade like this is not unlike what I picture the 3 Day will be. Hundreds, even thousands of people out there supporting the same cause.

The parade ended at the local fire house where they had free hot dogs and drinks for all the participants. Iced tea had never tasted so good! And then we met this little girl:

This is Gina, she is a 5 year old pitbull that my little girl and two of her school friends couldn't resist taking a picture with. She was so sweet and gentle that I almost couldn't believe she's a pitbull. I had to take a photo because she was so friendly and because she was wearing pink! Also, I thought she was pregnant but her owner informed me that no, she gave birth a year ago and was not, in fact pregnant. Sorry Gina, for putting my foot in my mouth once again!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. But we should never forget why we get the day off for Memorial Day, and thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice. And remember those who were not able to come home. If anyone is interested in seeing a great movie that shows how war can affect families (and there are lots of them out there), see Brothers with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. Very poignant, sad, and violent. Not appropriate for kids.

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

The Ta-Ta Sisterhood Third Annual Cookies for the Cure

2012-05-20T21:07:00.001-04:00

This year's Third Annual Cookies for the Cure at Christine Camper's house was a huge success. We raised nearly $600 towards Christine's fundraising goal of $4000. This is also the first year that my daughter Talia has taken on a more active role in my fundraising. To earn a patch for Daisy Scouts, she helped me bake cookies for the sale and also she helped make signs at the sale. Take a look at all my Daisy's hard work!

Mixing

Stirring

This was the day before the bake sale.

The next day, we arrived at Christine's house around 9 in the morning to set up. Below are some pictures of the layout of the bake sale.

Talia is making a sign for the bikini top cookies!

The pink ribbons leading customers up the driveway!

A majority of the team, from left:

Tricia, Marissa (Christine's daughter), Christine, Cherrill, Heather, Lisa, me and Talia.

Customers signing in so we can thank them for coming!

The finished driveway sign!

Almost forgot about Chloe, she helped to bake too!

I would count this year's team leader bake sale a big success! The weather was beautiful and we made a lot of people happy with our sweet treats! We baked chocolate chip cookies but there were some wonderful bikini top cookies donated by the Yorktown Cookie Company, Cupcakes in a Jar donated by Over the Top Cupcakes of Stuart, FL, and a bunch of other stuff that team members, friends and neighbors of Christine's took time out to donate for our bake sale.

Events like this make me so proud to be a part of this team! Great job everybody!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Lighten Up, Francis!

2012-05-15T21:49:00.003-04:00

OK, I realize that the last thing I posted on here kind of had an angry tone to it. Hence the "Stripes" reference at the top. Well, today I found probably the funniest response to that Time Magazine cover that was posted by MommyJuice Wines, a Facebook page I regularly follow. I am not sure where she found it originally, but enjoy it!

I have not completely lost my sense of humor, OK? Who hasn't faced dilemmas like these?

Laughing Out Loud!

With Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Are You Kidding Me Right Now?

2012-05-11T19:30:00.001-04:00

The first time I saw the cover to this week's Time Magazine I came across it on Facebook. It was posted on the timeline of a friend. A friend of my husband's actually, who happens to be male. Here it is for those who may have missed it.

Let me preface this by saying, I have no problem whatsoever with breastfeeding your child. There is nothing more beautiful than the image of a mother feeding her young child, the bonding, the nutrition. I have read some studies that say that breastfeeding, can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Breastfeeding is a good thing! Love the breastfeeding. Did it myself until the pediatrician recommended that I supplement with formula. I lasted for about 3 months of this with each child. So I would say that under those circumstances, not too bad.

I have friends who have breastfed their kids, one year, 18 months, two years, three. None of that makes a difference. If the kid is happy and mom is happy, that's great.

What I have a problem with is Time Magazine making a cover out of it. When did it become okay to show this kind of stuff on the cover of a worldwide distributed magazine? To me Time crossed a line here. I don't like it. And I also don't like the caption. It is very insulting to a mom like myself. I breastfed my kids for only 3 months. Does that make me any less of a mom?

I think not, Time Magazine. If I didn't already have a subscription to your magazine, I wouldn't touch this one with a 10 foot pole. Normally I love this magazine.

Sigh. Anyway, I walked 3.5 miles today, in 50 minutes. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms I know. Happy Mother's Day to my Grandma and my Nonna in heaven. All of you have touched my life in such a wonderful way :)

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

I love my pink shoes! I love my pink shoes!

2012-05-10T23:30:00.002-04:00

This evening I received my first mom's day present from my mom, my first pair of pink training shoes. I LOVE THEM! I have been using the Reebok RealFlex running shoe as a treadmill shoe for the past year, I wanted to try different pairs. I looked at Nike, Asics, and New Balance, but I kept coming back to Reebok RealFlex. This time I selected the RealFlex trainer shoe, because it has more padding in it and I think I will be able to last for a long time in these shoes. I have walked as much as 8 miles in the RealFlex running shoe, but I think the extra padding will be much more comfortable.

Here are some photos in case you are looking for shoes to train in and want to check them out:

This is the name of the shoe: RealFlex Transition

This is how they look! Pretty snazzy huh?

A view from the outside

This is the inside of the shoe

These are the shoes that I use for the treadmill!

My mommy friends will appreciate where I got the title of this post from. My daughters' favorite book right now is "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes" and it's about this black cat who loves to wear white shoes. The only problem is, he keeps getting them dirty. But does he cry? Goodness, no! Because no matter how dirty they get, they are still his favorite shoes. The story ends with him stepping in a big puddle of water. The water washes away all the dirt from his shoes, and now they are wet! But does he cry? Goodness, no! Because no matter how wet his shoes are, they are still his favorite. And "it's all good." Thank you, Pete the Cat!

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

Make Some Noise if You're With Me

2012-05-05T00:11:00.000-04:00

I don't normally speak out about stuff like this, but I have to say, the death of Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) is something that has caught me off guard to say the least. When you are 15 or 16 years old and listening to 3 white guys bust some rhymes, it never occurs to you that this stuff can all come to an end.

I was a big fan of Licensed to Ill when it first came out. I thought they were fun to listen to and also to watch. It was great to see a group like this just having a great time and never taking themselves too seriously. I have to admit I have not really been keeping up with them in the past 20 years. I wasn't even aware they had been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame recently.

Adam Yauch was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland three years ago. But one year ago, the Beastie Boys released an album called Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. I was bored and playing with YouTube on my phone and came across this song that really spoke to me in a way. Most of the time when you look at a band that has been around as long as the Beastie Boys, well, the new stuff pretty much sucks. But this song doesn't. I think MCA was trying to tell us something. The song has some language in it that may be offensive--so turn it down low or don't watch with kids around.

Here's the part that resonates the most with me during this journey, and thank you MCA for spelling it out so clearly:

"Pass me the scalpel, I'll make the incision, I'll cut off the part of your brain that does the bitching, put it in formaldehyde and put it on a shelf, and you can show it to your friends and say "that's my old self."

I will be sure to remember that while nursing my blisters. Rhyme in Peace, MCA.

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela

May the Fourth Be With You: Communing with "Nature"

2012-05-04T14:22:00.001-04:00

This morning I took a 3-mile walk in a new neighborhood. Since I live in a suburban area most of the walking I do involves trails in parks, or sidewalks in neighborhoods. Hence the "nature" in quotes in title of this post. For fun I decided to take a picture of all the pink flowering bushes I could possibly find throughout the course of my walk. I know that all of them had to be deliberately planted there, but to me it's nice to see a well-kept landscape.

This isn't pink, but you don't see leaves
growing out of a trunk everyday!

I love the big lush flowers--these are the
kinds I want to pick right off the bush!

I really like the pink and red bushes together here.

These tiny flowers were my favorites--wish I knew what they were.

These two are pretty similar but still pretty.

Today I walked 3 miles in about an hour. If I hadn't stopped to take pictures I probably would have walked more, but I'm glad I did it. Today was the first day I actually can feel like it's spring. My sneakers got soaked towards the end of my walk because I walked through the grass, but on the plus side, it's warm enough to change into my new pink flip flops that I bought at DSW last week.

I won't post those photos until I've had a pedicure though ; )

Faith, Hope and Love,

Angela