T Minus 19 Weeks

I started out last week rocking and rolling I was finally able get Tuesday's 3 miles done with shoes on even if still on the treadmill. So I had planned on attempting to do Thursday's 4 miles outside. For some unknown reason by Thursday mid-day I couldn't hardly step on my right foot, every time I stepped down I felt this weird pull on my Achilles tendon I'm sure it has something to do with the ankle but decided I wouldn't push my luck and gave up on Thursday's miles.

With the weekend approaching I was more than a little worried because the weekend called for a total of 10 miles. Not only is my ankle still on IT'S on schedule but I am planning a huge surprise party for my Grandmother who has been in business for herself for 50 years. How was I going to get it all in training, and starting the final preparations for the party which is this coming weekend.

Saturday dawned and closed with no training walk but there was 13 straight ours of rolling flatware, making centerpieces, making brochures, scanning pictures and a few more small projects. I was NOT going to let the entire weekend get a way from me so Sunday morning I was up with the birds and out the door. Yes, I made it outside. Not sure how far I would make it (since this was the first outside walk since surgery)  I had a planned route for 6 miles or 4 miles. I later found out that my boyfriend didn't think I would make it to the end of the street since I was still a bit if-y with the way the shoe was rubbing on the ankle.

I am totally stoked to say I made it all 6 miles and felt...GREAT!! Well maybe proud is a better word because there were a few times I wasn't sure about going on. Then I decided to talk to the person who talked me into this 3day thing in the first place. God. I was like ok...You told me to do this several years ago and this was to be the year I was to walk. Now you know I have to train for such a HUGE, BOLD, CRAZY task so please Lord help me get my mind off the "rubbing" and "self", help me to get focused on the training and the reason I am doing this in the first place. To change lives!!!!!!!!!!

After a little back and forth just like always the grace of the Lord was at hand and 6 miles was done. I did learn a few things about pit stops but I will post that later this week.

Fundraising is at a pit stop right now since I have to finish this party but after the holiday weekend I will get back to meeting goal.

Week 19 calls for a total of 21 miles. I am diffently going to have to do some planning if I am to get them all in. I am truly in awe of the vets that have learned to juggle life and 3day.


Standing Firm
Tanya

Ps. If you haven't donated to a 3day walker yet, you know the drill click on one of the pretty pink buttons on their facebook, blog, or simply goto http://www.the3day.org/ and look them up by name.

What an Amazing Day

Yesterday was an amazing day, I went to the Dr for yet another follow-up to my lovely surgery. First let me just say I am not usually negative nellie but between my Thryoid cancer summer four years ago my carwreck three years ago last summer was the only free summer. I mean with water play or anything fun for that matter because this one was not starting out looking to promising so my spirits were pretty yucky to say the least.

Now Dr. Medlock has said from the start that I would not miss the walk or even more than a few weeks of training and for most they would have taken that at face value. But not me I felt defeated once again on the 3day that I was trying to tackle. Maybe that is because the first time I signed up to walk in the 3day was the year I found out about my cancer and had to pull out of the walk.  Maybe it is just because I am that person that has to control everything, or maybe it was because I am still working and learning how to listen and trust God in ALL areas of my life. I have said from the very first time I was going to do this walk it was because God was sitting next to me and said "you will walk in the Susan G. Komen 3day Walk for the Cure." Whatever it was yesterday I shot that negative nellie spirit down when Dr. Medlock told me that I could start training again. I am sure I won't be right back at where I left off at 5 miles.  I have told myself I may even have to start back at 1 mile just to see how the swelling and nerve pain I am still having handles the right foot in front of the other. But whatever mileage I make will be on the upside of things and at the end of week 22 I will have "offical training mileage" to report. YAH ME!!!!!

If that wasn't good enough last night I was chceking twitter and noticed a post from SGK about the 2010 College Scholarship Recipients. You can read all about the amazing young adults here. Now as a parent I hope my children never qualify for this scholarship but with young adult and teenage children I always have my eye open for scholarships you just maybe surprised at who offers them. I have to say after reading this article I was that much more ready to get back to training and fundraising. How cool is it that SGK helps not only the women and men fighting this awful disease but their children if they happen to lose their battle.

Now I don't know about you but that sounds like a organzation that I want to help and be a part of, so if you haven't donate to a 3day walker yet won't you please click on the pretty pink button. You can find it on their blog, on their facebook or you can go to http://www.the3day.org/ and look them up by name.

Standing Firm,

Tanya

T MINUS 22 WEEKS AND COUTING

 I had another Dr visit and although I really like my Dr and think he is wonderful, he was not my favorite person Friday. I was told the wound is not healing properly so we are trying a wet/dry compression with another visit tomorrow to make sure they are working if not he implied another surgery to remove the dead skin and remaining fluid from the cyst.  Now I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.

My spirits have been alot better over the weekend than they were last week. I guess we all have our moments and like a friend reminded me over the weekend. I have a great boyfriend that has been wonderful and taken such good care of me with a smile on his face the whole time!! What more can a girl ask for than a loving man to wait on her and watch sappy chick-filks?!?!?!? SSSSHHHHH don't tell him I gave him up after all he has a tough guy image to uphold.

We have our team Topless Carwash this weekend which should be a hoot and hopefully get us over our minimum to walk in this crazy thing we all call the 3day. We have a raffle with some great prizes, Ranger tickets, a camera, a massage, a wonderful piece of jewelry, a dinner out. We have several local vendors that are coming out to show their support. Best Days Club will have food, music and drink specials all afternoon so we should have a great day!!!!!!!!!! Plus I get to go shopping for a new bathing suit this week I am not sure if that will be fun or rough but it will be another day with my daughter so I am looking forward to it.

So although I would love to be hitting the hot Dallas pavement walking 15 miles this week and making sure I have plenty of Smart water, a backpack or a fanny pack that I like. As well as using the 3day as a great reason to find a pool to swim in  (we have to cross train don't we?) I will be letting my foot continue to heal so that it will carry me 60 miles in November.

I was looking at the training schedule and I still have a couple of weeks before we surpass the mileage I was walking before the surgery so hopefully I will be back at it soon and really won't lose to much ground from being down. My goal is to be back at it by week 20 when the DFW walkers should inculde a 5 mile walk in the middle of the week.

Wish me luck and Stand Firm,
Tanya

Ps. If you haven't donate to a 3day walker click on the pretty pink button on their blog or facebook. Heck you can even go to http://www.the3day.org/ and look them up by name. Any way you do it just do it help us reach a world without breast cancer.

T23 weeks and Counting

Apparently having 14 screws and 2 plates removed from your ankle is not as easy or painless as some (me) would think. This week has had a lot of down time and although we wish for it during our day to day, crazy, busy schedules when it is forced upon me it makes me crazy. Not a little antsy I mean all out emotional with tears, snapping at people kind of crazy. As a single Mom all things have always fallen on me and I belive it is my job to tend to them. When the truth be told my kids are pretty grown at 21 and 15 they really don't need me for the day to day. Which is why I decided to finally do the 3day walk but that is for another post.

My kids have been great and my boyfriend has been amazing this week driving me to and from work...now keep in mind I work over 40 miles away from where we live so that has been an extra 4 hours a day for him just driving.

So last night after we got home and my daughter was making us dinner I thought to myself.....Self why have you been acting like such a baby this week? The kids have been just fine with Mom not at full speed, the house didn't fall apart and noone missed a meal. It got me to really thinking about how lucky I am to have just honored my 4 year cancer survior date and why I really am doing the 3day.

And if my own thoughts didn't get me a little choked up my wonderful daughter came in the living room and we had some very special Mom and Daughter time. I gave her free will to paint my toes and fingers. Now to some that may not seem like a big deal but my daughter is very colorful. I have pink zebra finger nails and orange and green toes. Lovely aren't they???

Since she just finished her freshman year in high school I am very aware of how fast time goes and how in the blink of an eye she will be doing her own thing. So these are special moments anyway but add to that the already emotional week this Mom has had it really was special. I posted it on my Facebook and knew the Moms would all comment or "like" it but what I didn't know was that some of the other teenagers would "like" it. So after she went back to doing her own thing I laid on the couch and thought about the Moms who have lost their battle to cancer, the ones that are fighting with everything they have and no matter how much they would love to have orange and green toes they just can't muster the energy to sit up in bed and let their sweet daughter paint them. It made me realize its just not the Moms that miss and enjoy this time but the kids do to....we (I) tell myself that my kids are getting big and they don't need me but the truth is just as I will always need them they will always need me.

I can honestly tell you that the pitty pot I have been on this week was put AWAY and I will honor not just my 4 year surviour date but I will honor all of those ladies past, present and future that cancer effects. I will focus on the goal and give my foot the proper time to heal without fuss, so come Nov 5-7 I can stand with thousands of other men and women to show that honor.

On the funraising note I got a $300 donation this week which makes me $237.00 away from goal so things are moving along pretty nicely there. We have a carwash planned in June and hope to meet or exceed my goal then.


Standing Firm
Tanya

Ps. If you haven't donated to a 3day walker yet please click on the pretty pink button on their blog or facebook page or even go to http://www.the3day.org/ and look them up by name. Either way please just help us reach a world without cancer.

Week 24 and Counting

Thursday morning dawned and without coffee I made my way to the day surgery facility. I was prepared to draw on my full reserve of patients since Dr. Medlock worked me in on such short notice. To my pleasant surprise I was set for 12:30 and by 12:45 I was being given the "happy juice". The surgery went as planned and I was back home by dinner time.

Friday morning while playing with the remote and realizing there is nothing on during the day my lovely little smart phone buzzed and it was an email from Susan G. Komen "Your virtual Personal Trainer". Now this shouldn't be a big deal as I knew that Friday was the start of the official training for the DFW event, I also knew that just out of surgery I wouldn't be walking over the weekend or for a couple of weeks most likely. But nonetheless it made me a little sad actually I think it is what has started the "poor pitful me ball" to rolling.

Now let me back up and just say that the Dr. said I should be able to walk on my foot later the night of surgery.  Which I didn't even try but Friday morning when I couldn't I was bumbed.

Saturday was our team garage sale which I have been collecting things for weeks now and had no intention of cancelling. Thanks to my one of my wonderful sisters and my boyfriends mother who were my legs we made $465.00.  Which if I do say so myself that is not to shabby!!!!!!!!! This should have made me fell great since I was still doing something to raise awareness and funds to kick breast cancer booty BUT it didn't. I got home and my foot was huge and hurt even though I had really stayed off of it. So even though we still had a ton we could have sold on Sunday I decided that my teammate and all my helpers had done so much already I couldn't ask them to give up the only remaining day of their weekend, so we took the leftovers to Goodwill.

Sunday I stayed home, kept the foot iced, propped and rested. It is amazing to me that during our day to day crazy lives we would give anything to have a lazy Sunday a day to just watch movies and eat but when we are told we have to have one of those days it makes ME crazy.........lol

It is now noon on Monday and kicking and whinning I came to work today. After all I had been off 2 days and needed to get stuff done. I needed to get back to being me. Easier said than done. Although I am walking on my foot today it is not the most pleasant feeling. My boyfriend had a flat on my car on the way back home after bringing me to work (since I still can't drive myself). I have spent way more money on Dr's in the last two weeks than I really had or certainly planned on.

I want my blanky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But this is T minus 24 weeks until the Susan G. Komen 3day walk for the Cure DFW event. So I started thinking....Why?....Why?.....Why?

Why I am I walking.... because I have heard those words "you have cancer" and this is MY way of doing something so no other mother has to hear those words.
Why am I feeling so sorry for myself.... because I am human and usually for me it is because I am not leaning on God like I should be, sounds like a little prayer time is in order.
Why did my boyfriend have a flat today.... because that is just life and things happen. But what it really means is that we are blessed to have a car that will need repairs.

So although I would love to be planning my routes to meet my 12 miles worth of training this week, I will limit the use of my foot and allow it to heal properly. I will be grateful for the $465.00 we raised during our funraiser and keep working on the next one. I will as my pastor says spend this alone time as God time, and keep heading on this journey that I am learning to call the 3day.


Standing Firm,
Tanya

Ps. If you haven't donated yet to a 3day walker click on the pretty pink buttons we all have them on our blogs or on our facebook. There is still money to raise and lifes to change.

OVERWHELMED.....UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Many times in my life I can recall my family laughing and saying..." O Tanya can do it",call Tanya she knows just where to get that",or Tanya can help you with throwing that party. I have even joked and said I may not have a PHD but I sure can throw a party. LOL

I am ususally doing all this while doing 50 other things. If my plate is not overflowing I am not happy. You know you have seen me...the lady that has a kid on the hip while cooking dinner and helping another kid with a school project and still reaching out to help the neighbor get to the store because their car is broke down but telling them we have to stop on the way because so and so needs me to drop of something. Yeah, that crazy person is me!
I always have a bag or two full of stuff incase I need something and yes I usually never even get in them. (I think I got that from my Grandmother)

However, the last few days I have just felt so overwhelmed. My sister has even told me several times "Stop and Breathe". We have our team garage sale coming up on May 22nd and I have been collecting like crazy. Thanks to all that have donated. I still have to price all of it.BUT..I will get it done. We have been blessed by Best Days a local bar that is allowing us to do a charity day on June 12th. Which we will have a Topless Car Wash, Texas Hold "em tournament and a Dart tournament. We are hoping to have some local vendors as well. This all sounds like a blast but the getting there is throwing me for a loop. Plus we have a large July 4th weekend planned that is totally not related to the 3day but alot is on my shoulders for this.

Shew!!!

There is a lot going on and did I mention that all of this is over and above my regular job, my part time job, and the Avon, candles, braclets and flip flops that I am also selling to help raise funds to meet my goal of $2300.

Heck, I have all this going on and have not even trained this week...I guess it is a good thing the offical training doesn't start for DFW until May 21st.

Have you ever felt like a bright Pink yo-yo on the end of a little girl's finger and her favorite game is around the world?

Thank you to all my cheerleaders that keep reminding me I can do this... I can walk 60 miles...I can raise $2300...I can throw a great event..I am a great mom.

I couldn't get thru Novemember 7th without each of you.

As always Standing Firm,
Tanya

ps. help me get to my goal by donating at www.the3day.org/goto/miccroft