Any Dream Will Do

This past weekend I had the pleasure of watching my sister perform in her high school's musical. They did Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was a wonderful show! The central theme was "trust in your dreams". There are moments when I have my doubts about being able to do the 3 Day Walk...being able to raise the $2200....but I will still persist in following my vision.

It's been awhile since my last post. I felt it necessary to honor those affected by the VA Tech shooting by observing some time of silence. I know of one person who goes to school there. Fortunately they were not involved with the shooting but they, along with everyone else in that community, definitely were feeling a roller coaster of emotions.

It's been a busy few weeks. I've been slowly ramping up my training. 2 weekends ago I was babysitting for my best friend. I went for quite a bit of walking, accompanied by her dog (Buddy) and her son (AJ). Last week, I went back down to the Kelly Drive area and logged 5 miles (the most in one consecutive walk). Afterwards I headed to Trader Joe's and picked up some indian and mexican fare.

Fundraising for the 3 Day continues to be slow. I have been hoofing it to local businesses asking for donations, but to no avail. Most of them are allowing me to put out a collection jar at the checkout counter, so I am thankful for that at least. The first jar, which I placed at a local mom-n-pop general store, actually yielded $21 & change in the first week. I'm hopeful that the rest of them will "bear some fruit" as well.

I've actually gotten quite creative with decorating the containers so that they catch the eye. It's amazing what one can achieve with a little construction paper, glue, and fabric paint (which works on paper too).

I have also looked into setting up a bake sale at a local retailer over Memorial Day Weekend. I did some cost analysis and even if I end up BUYING everything (sodas, juice boxes, snacks), there will still be a decent profit margin. My sister has agreed to do some face painting at the event, which I'm sure will bring in good money. And I think I may actually have a lead on some gift cards from local restaurants and businesses. I will sell raffle tickets and have 3-4 prizes (1st being 50% of the money from the ticket sales, the other 2-3 being the gift cards).

Guess that is all for now. Have a great week. To donate, click HERE.

Rest In Peace, 4-16-07

For anyone who was directly affected by the shootings. For anyone who knew someone who went to school there. For anyone whose heart breaks for those killed. May you all find comfort.

Forget Regret, Or Life Is Yours To Miss!

A line from Rent, one of my favorite Broadway shows! Granted, I've only seen 2 Broadway shows (and technically, Phantom was seen on tour while in Philly) but even so....

This phrase is one that can apply to so much of life. A breakup, a bad day at work, feeling like a slug b/c of being out of shape. You can either sit around and brood about it or you can brush it off and makethe next day better. "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes", a quote from one of my favorite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables.

It has been a dead week training-wise. PMS always wipes me out. All I want to do is eat and sleep. I didn't even attempt to do any form of exercise until Saturday.

I went to NYC because I had tickets to see "Anne of Green Gables" in an off-Broadway production. I have read the books and seen the videos countless times. The show was in a small theater (Lucille Lortel) but it was very well done. I really enjoyed it. While I was in The Big Apple, I decided to make a whole day out of it. I walked along Times Square and around the Theater District. I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Broadway Joe Steakhouse (located on 315 W. 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave). I had a NY Strip Steak (cooked to perfection), a Cosmopolitan, and NY Cheesecake (heavenly).....see a theme here? I checked out the Toys R Us in Times Square. They have a ferris wheel in the middle of the store. They also have a realistic looking, mechanical TRex from Jurrasic park and the Empire State Building made out of Legos (complete with a Lego King Kong). And, on a whim, I picked up a ticket to the evening showing of Rent. I had seen it last summer and once I was back in NYC, I decided that I wanted to see it again. It was just as fun as the first time. Perhaps a bit MORE fun b/c the actor who plays Angel (Justin Johnston) really brought a lot more silliness to the character than when first saw him. I checked on Google Maps Pedometer and found that I actually walked over 5 miles. No wonder I'm tired!

The weather was rainy and dreary on Sunday. I felt a bit worn out from my busy day in NYC so I took it easy. Watched some movies, caught up on my emails, napped.

Monday marks the start of the official 3Day 24 week training schedule, which means that my lazy week is OVER. DONE. Hasta la vista baby!!!

To Donate, click HERE.

PMS SUCKS!

Water retention. Mood swings. Non-stop cravings for sweets, fried foods, and salt. Knowing that even though I made it to the gym twice this week and walked 4 miles yesterday, I will still show a gain when I go into Weight Watchers tomorrow morning. Spending all day fighting the constant urge to sleep only to go to bed at night and find myself tossing and turning well over an hour before FINALLY falling into a fitful (completely UNrestful) semi-sleep.

What else can I say?!?!

If anyone wants to cheer me up by donating to my 3 day fund, click HERE.

Got My First Donation...HOOT HOOT!

I am so excited!!! I clicked onto my donation page and saw that my "amount raised" was not at $0.00 anymore. Many many thanks to my friend (and fellow "hooter"), Kristen.....my first official donor.

Who are the Hooters? About 2 yrs ago, my friend Christine invited me to join an online message group affiliated with Self magazine. Some of us formed our own little group and have kept in touch through e-mail. It started out as a support group for fitness and weight loss. Over time, we became a support group for many other difficulties that life likes to toss into the mix. We share the good times too. It's amazing how close we have all become and yet, to the best of my knowledge, none of us has ever met in person.

How did we become the Hooter Girls? It started when my mom rescued a screech owl (fellow in the picture). I can't remember all of the details now, but I shared the story with my online pals. Somehow, the topic arose that we needed a mascot....and settled on the owl. We picked a name....Sir Humphrey. So we are Sir Humphrey's Hooters.

I think it is interestingly ironic and fitting that my first donation for a BREAST cancer walk came from someone who "hangs" with a group of HOOTERS. If you would like to make a donation, please click HERE.