2010 Komen North Texas Race for the Cure

Yesterday was the 20th Annual Komen North Texas Race for the Cure. It was a day of mixed emotions. I was very sad that Mom wasn't able to be there, especially considering she's battling breast cancer for the 3rd time. Mom was in town until midnight the night before the Race, but due to a family emergency with Grandma, she needed to head home. All is well, but she wasn't able to return to the Race.

It was a great day weather wise. It stayed overcast with a nice breeze for most of the time. I saw on CBS 11 that we had over 11,000 people registered for the Race. There were tons of SURVIVOR'S there which was amazing, because that's what it's all about. I really enjoyed taking photographs of the SURVIVORS, Elizabeth's Garden tulips, and the pink ribbons. They are terrific tributes in memory of and in honor of courageous men and women.

I'm so thankful to the Susan G. Komen organization. Without the money they raise for breast cancer we wouldn't have made the amazing strides we have toward eradicating this terrible disease. I believe there will be a cure! That's why we do this!!!!!

Nerissa Knight, CBS 11 anchor, interviews 50 year 3 time breast cancer SURVIVOR Evelyn Kramer

Our reason to Race!

The tulip I made for Mom, which was part of a CBS 11 News feature this past week. CBS's Nerissa Knight and camera women attended one of our tulip meetings a few weeks ago and filmed us working on tulips. Yes, I'm famous now! lol!

Mom's pink ribbons

More tulips!

My girls - Heather, Court, & Keelie

My work crew - Deborah, Vincent, Caryn & her hubby Brian

Debby & Angela after the SURVIVOR celebration.

Joy, Leigh Ann, Leah, me, & Marge. SO glad they came!

Hannah even participated in her first Race at 7 months old!

Best buds

Birthday Boy!

(Or at least it's our estimate of when my birthday is!)

mesmerized by my toy

love, love, love it

Look how crazy I am when I play with it!!!!

Will Talk For Toys

UNIVERSAL TRUTHS‏

I got this email from a friend today and LOVED it. It's like whoever wrote it was inside my brain.

Enjoy!!!

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25 How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent an ass from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my behind everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Tulips for the Cure

It's that time of year again. Tulip time!!! No, I'm not talking about those beautiful spring flowers. I'm talking about tulips for Elizabeth's Garden, which is part of Komen North Texas Race for the Cure. This is my second year to be on the tulip committee. I really enjoy it because it lets me be my crafty self. We are able to decorate tulips in any way we like, being sure to leave an 8 1/2 by 11 space so a message can appear on the tulip. We sell tulips for $10 each. You can buy them in honor or in memory of a survivor. All tulips are displayed on Race day. My favorite part of the day is walking through the tulip garden, reading all the messages, and watching Survivors find ones that have been made for them. It makes all the hard work worthwhile. I've been decorating LOTS of tulips lately and am still not done. If you would like to purchase a tulip let me know. You can also do so online here. I've included some of my creations below.

tulip bling

supplies

tulips to be done

I finished this one last night.

kitty paws

zebra print & shoes; fyi, shoes are not easy to draw

I really like this one!

tulips on a tulip

daisies & animal print, some of my faves

Happy Mother's Day, Mom & Grandma!!!

April 2010

I love my Mom more than words can express. She is more than a Mom to me, she's my friend. She is an amazing example of what a Christian woman is supposed to be. She's a fighter, SURVIVOR, strong, loving, smart, a terrific daughter and friend. She's a hard worker and has been an educator for more than 30 years. Mom is fighting cancer for the third time and she has a wonderful, positive attitude. She KNOWS God is going to bring her through this once again. I pray to God to give me her strength. Her situations don't bring her down and define her. Mom is an example to so many that fight the same fight as she is. When someone in town is diagnosed with cancer they contact mom for advice and support and she joins the fight with them.

I love my Mom. This Mother's Day was a great time to spend with her and show her what she means to me and our family. It was a wonderful time spent with all of them.

Courtney & I joined Grandma at her retirement home yesterday morning for a continental breakfast. We brought her roses and a balloons to which she exclaimed "how sweet!". We took Grandma to church at the home and then we headed back to Mom & Dad's to help prepare lunch. Right before noon we arrived back at the home to pick Grandma up for lunch. She didn't remember we were coming so we found her in the dining room and got to her before she sat down and started eating. I think she enjoyed the visit to Mom & Dad's, even though she doesn't say much. After being away a few hours she exclaimed "I'm ready to go. I need someone to take me home.". This was music to our years. She was calling the retirement home HOME!!! It has not been an easy transition for her since my Grandfather passed away and she resisted the change a lot. Thank you God that she is adjusting.

Mother's Day spent with both Mom & Grandma was fantastic. I couldn't ask for two more beautiful, strong, and courageous women to be related to. Thank you God.

How to Get Rid of Hiccups

So I got the hiccups today at work. I HATE having the hiccups. They drive me crazy, they are loud and disruptive, and I feel like I can't breathe when I get them. So being a huge fan of Google, and using it daily, I decided to see how to get rid of them other than just holding my breath or having someone scare me. Many of the tips were pretty humorous. I hope you think so as much as I did. OH, and did you know that hiccups are involuntary spasms of the diaphragm?! Who knew?!

*Plug your nose and ears then swallow 20 times as fast as possible. (How is it possible to plug your nose and ears with your hands at the same time? And I didn't have cotton balls laying around here at work!)

*Distract yourself. Sing a song, go over your 7 times tables (7 x 1 = 7, 7 x 2 = 14, etc) until the hiccups are gone.

*Squawk like a chicken while flapping your arms and bobbing your head as if you were pecking at something. Bugawk!

*Stand on your head and drink small gulps of water from a sports bottle. (Seriously?)

*Exaggerate your hiccups by inhaling right as you hiccup - this will result in a long and loud "huuuaaagggghhh" that'll either be funny or embarrassing depending on your environment, but after 2-4 of these the hiccups should be gone. (Um, no.)

*Think of the ugliest person you've ever seen. Now picture them naked, rolling naked down a hill or riding a bike and slathered in A-1 steak sauce. (My personal fav!)

*Eat some pickles.

*Take a shot of lemon juice.

See, funny right? I think what eventually cured mine was my laughter after my co-worker told me which other co-worker to picture naked.

So next time you get the hiccups remember these tips and either do them or laugh about them. Either way those pesky hiccups will be gone! :)