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We had a great day yesterday with our Race for the Cure team, Breast Friends Forever, at the 20th Anniversary of the North Texas Race for the Cure. We were up bright and early and headed for the the site of the Race on Legacy in Plano.

We received a $1,000 sponsorship from Massage Envy who presented us with the check prior to the Race. We also received Massage Envy gift cards for three complimentary one hour massages, team shirts, a team banner and private chair massage tent at the race.

It was pretty fantastic. By the time the Race was over and the Survivor Celebration had ended, the tent had already been taken down. We were bummed about that, but were glad to have gotten in a few pre-race massages!

After that, we spent some time at the Survivor Tent with Ana and Cathy. Hanes outfitted our team in personalized t-shirts so we tried to get a few pictures outside. However since we weren’t all together the whole time, we didn’t get a complete team photo. Here’s quite a few of us though:

Then it was time for us to get started on the walk! This next photo is courtesy of the Komen North Texas Affilate‘s Facebook since I obviously couldn’t get such an amazing shot from the ground.

We walked and talked and enjoyed catching up with one another. With all of the other things surrounding the walk, it’s easy to push the reason we are there walking a little bit farther back in our heads. Cathy is celebrating her third year as a survivor, but is still going through body changes, new medications, and treatments. I truly cannot imagine. Luckily she is positive and seems happy.

I also thought a lot about David’s mom and how it is unfair that she is not here, and how I hope that she is somewhere looking down happy and proud that we were doing this in her memory. I am sure Nikki felt the same about her Grandmother and the other women she knows who are going through it now too.

Along the way there were volunteers with water and others who were cheering for us and saying words of encouragement. We got a little bit of a later start due to all of the other things we tried to fit in before the walk, so we were some of the last ones to cross the finish line. Still, there were a few waiting for us at the end. Nikki and I appreciated that at the 3-Day too.

After we finished, Ana and Cathy headed back toward the Survivor’s Tent to line up for the Celebration and we had a minute to visit a few of the other vendors and tents. The FORD Warriors in Pink is always one of my favorites. They give away bandannas every year, and always have one of their gorgeous breast cancer Mustangs. Being that I am a former Mustang owner (sob), I obviously want one badly and ogle them pretty much every chance I get. I’m not sure I was suppose to, but I jumped into the driver’s seat. It felt like home.

The Survivor’s Celebration is always emotional, and I was proud to be there with my two friends who are beating the disease. I mentioned Cathy already, but Ana is celebrating 10 years. She found out she had breast cancer in her early 20s. She is another amazing and positive person.

I also spotted a woman in the front row who is a 50 year survivor! Oh how I wish there were more of them. Still, what a wonderful thing to see. It definitely gives me hope that it could be a reality for the rest of the women standing there someday.

After the ceremony we went to check out Elizabeth’s Garden, a place where pink tulips line the sidewalk with messages to loved ones who have passed or who are still fighting. Some of them are heartbreaking. Nikki and I walked along and read them and took photos. If you ever participate, you can purchase one for $10 when you register or pick one up at the Race.

After that, we headed toward our cars and one of the Survivor Taxis came by and picked us up. We got a grand tour of the entire complex (several times). It was really a nice day, albeit a little muggy. Still, the scenery was beautiful around the lake and it was spent in the company of good friends. What more can you ask for?

I am already looking forward to next year! This is by far my favorite of the Race for the Cure events in our area (Tarrant, North Texas, and Dallas), and it was so great to have such a wonderful team of friends to walk with.

I also want to again thank Massage Envy for the donation, and also Hanes for supporting us by donating socks for our fundraiser and t-shirts for the Race. I appreciate it so much!

Disclosure: This is not a paid post. Hanes® offered to outfit our team in customized Hanes tees and donated socks to further promote breast cancer awareness, however no monetary exchange took place. Massage Envy wrote a $1,000 check to Susan G. Komen on my team’s behalf, however I was not monetarily compensated nor was I asked to promote the details of the sponsorship.

Yesterday was a hectic day! Nikki and I took the day off of work to spend fundraising for our Race for the Cure and Komen 3-Day teams.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Komen were nice enough to let us set up a table at the Frisco location. They donated 15% of the sales all day to the North Texas affiliate! Woot! We arrived at 11:00 AM to set up our table of pink ribbon rubber ducks, charm bracelets, and other items to sell along side our donation bucket. We also put together 20 swag bags thanks to our generous sponsors: Hanes, Sharpie, Softlips, Save the TaTas, and Energizer. We had posted flyers on Facebook and Twitter encouraging our friends, family and followers to come visit us at the event. In exchange they got one of the bags. They were a big hit and super cute (if I do say so myself)!

See? I told you they were cute! We had planned on using some pink ribbon plastic bags to hand out the goodies in, but Energizer donated the pink Stephanie Johnson cosmetic bags which arrived the morning of the fundraiser. They were the perfect size for all of the other goodies we stuffed inside, so we skipped the plastic bags all together. Hanes sent us 20 packages of socks to put in the bags as well as give out to attendees. I bet everyone is going to enjoy those on the walk this Saturday too! I love Softlips, and they gave us 20 double packages of their SPF 20 varieties. I discovered them in 2008 during the 3-Day (Pearl is my favorite) and they are fantastic. I am the biggest Sharpie fanatic ever, and I think everyone should own a pink ribbon one… or two! They sent us a small army of markers– so generous!

Save the TaTas had previously donated some stickers and other items. We still had some of those left from last year, so we included them along with pens and pencils with our team name and other cute breast cancer awareness items.

Also? I mentioned that Hanes donated socks for the fundraiser, but they also offered to provide us with team shirts for the Race for the Cure! They have partnered with Komen and their Passionately Pink program as I mentioned a few posts ago, so everyone at the Race this year will be sporting an awesome tagless tee. Ours are fabulous too– they have our team name on the back!

Of course after all of our hard work, we had to chow down on some burgers and frozen custard. It was hot, and definitely the perfect day for a cold treat. Nikki and I each had a strawberry shortcake. Yum!

The guys enjoyed their socks, and the girls enjoyed their swag filled cosmetic bags… and a good time was had by all for a good cause.

Bobbi Janay from Kid to Grown Up came by with her son Ian and we chatted about blogging, upcoming conferences and rude blog comments. We watched Ian eat a sundae with a fork, and I finally got to see Boogie Wipes in action. They smell like grape, people! Also, she is a true fan of the product and used about ten before our very eyes. Too funny.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello, gave us a donation, and came to chow down with us. Thank you very much again to our sponsors. We had a fun day together and are definitely looking forward to Saturday when we get to see the rest of our team and enjoy the Race! If you wanted to make a donation and were not able to make it, you can do so on my 3-Day page online and our Race for the Cure team page.

Disclosure: Breast cancer is a cause that affects people everywhere, which is why Hanes® has renewed its partnership with Komen for the Cure this year as the Official T-shirt of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series. Learning that we were walking this year, Hanes offered to outfit our team in customized Hanes tees to further promote breast cancer awareness. No monetary exchange took place.

In addition to the Komen 3-Day, we are also participating in the Race for the Cure on June 12. This is our 3rd consecutive year to participate in the North Texas chapter of this event. I am still trying to get our team together, and we’d love it if you would join Breast Friends Forever. You can also make a donation to my personal page. We are working on a fundraising event that is still in the planning stages. I’ll update everyone as soon as the details are finalized. Thank you to my family and friends for their continued support!

Last year I spent many hours volunteering at Komen headquarters preparing the race packets for shipment to race participants. It was an amazing experience, and it definitely gave me perspective on all of the little details it takes to pull off a successful charity event, especially one as large as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It takes hundreds of volunteers, as well as the generosity of donors and sponsors. Without them, the event definitely would not run as smoothly.

Did you know that Hanes is the Official T-shirt of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series, and that Komen provides Hanes t-shirts to the 1.5 million people expected to participate in the race series? I folded thousands of those very t-shirts myself!

I also love Hane’s work with celebrities to create t-shirts for the Passionately Pink for the Cure program. Not long ago I won a contest on Twitter and received an autographed version of one of Sarah Chalke’s designs. When I mentioned that I was happy to win and planned on using it as an item in our team’s fundraising auction, they offered to send additional shirts for my team and to use for fundraising purposes. I actually wore my shirt during the breast cancer walk that I participated in over the weekend. I received lots of complements and many people asked where I got it. I was happy to tell them Hanes! You can shop the Hanes Passionately Pink line on their website (each is around $9.99). You can buy my actual Sarah Chalke tee at Komen.org.

CSI actress Melina Kanakaredes has joined up with Hanes to create three new t-shirt shirt designs for the Passionately Pink program that will be available this fall at HanesPink.com. She hopes they inspire and encourage others to join the fight against breast cancer. The T-shirts communicate strength, love and fearlessness and were designed to honor those affected by breast cancer. You can even create your own design on their website and learn more about Hanes’ effort to support Komen. In 2010, Hanes is contributing a total donation of $500,000, which includes a $250,000 cash and in-kind donation to Passionately Pink for the Cure, and another cash donation of $250,000 to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series. Love it!

Check out Melina’s designs for yourself online, as well as at Walmart stores this fall along with their “pink collection” that includes socks, panties and bras.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for writing this post. I was happy to share the news of Hanes partnership with Komen. As mentioned above, I did receive several complementary t-shirts following winning a contest via Twitter. I also received a sample of one Melina’s new design pictured above.

On Saturday Dave & I participated in the 2009 Dallas Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure along with Nikki and her co-workers and a few of our friends. In addition, I also was a community leader in the EA SPORTS Active 5K Challenge.

If you don’t know, EA SPORTS Active is a fun and interactive workout game for your Nintendo Wii (and can also be used with a Wii Fit Balance Board). It’s actually a butt-whopping. For real. I never thought I could get so sore or sweaty from a video game, but it’s possible. Here’s a little more about the 5K Challenge:

Are you ready to take your workouts to the next level? The EA SPORTS Active 5K Challenge is a great way to continue your journey to better health. Between Saturday, Oct. 17th and Sunday, Nov. 15th, we are encouraging you to take part in a 5K event in your community. There is a training plan on the EA SPORTS Active website, helping you prepare for a 5K using both EA SPORTS Active as well as walking and running. There are community leaders that we will connect you with who will be able to tell you which event they are recommending for your community.

And yes – anyone can do this. Really. From those of you who have never run before to those of you who compete…this is truly for everyone. It’s a great way to get to know people in your community and a chance to push yourself. You have come a long way using EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer, and now it’s time to step it up a notch.

I started using EA SPORTS Active in July (along with Wii Fit), and by August I had lost 7 pounds. It has a 30 Day Challenge program, which actually kept me accountable for logging in each day and completing my tasks. This was great for training for the 5K because there are walking and jogging components, and the exercises vary each day and never get boring. I look forward to trying the EA SPORTS More Workouts when it comes out in mid-November.

Here are some more of the photos from our event on Saturday, October 17. By the way, it’s not too late to sign up and participate in a 5K in your community! You can also donate to my Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event in 2010.

Today was the 2009 Race for the Cure! Through my On The Border fundraiser (and Facebook of all places) I met an amazing woman, Cathy, who is currently going through treatment for breast cancer. Along with David, we formed a team that consisted of her husband and several of her friends. We walked in celebration of her first year as a survivor, and also David and I walked in memory of his mother. We had fun and enjoyed the beautiful day. Here are some photos from the event:

This year we parked in the EDS parking garage.

Port-o-Potty Heaven (or Hell).

Race Day Schedule.

Elisabeth’s Garden.

Super Dave!

Debby, walking in Celebration of Cathy.

Me and Tom Thumb.

Cathy walks in memory and in celebration of others.

The Chick-Fil-A cows moooove to the starting line.

Starting line!

Cathy’s David and Mandi’s David hold up their sign.

Cheerleaders on the race path.

Other walkers.

Mandi and her David.

Team shot.

Survivor’s Celebration.

Cathy singing during the Survivor’s Celebration.

The Three David’s toast after the walk!

Chug!

After the race using my XShot!

Nastia Liukin was the honorary race chair.

The tulip Cathy’s friends got for her.

David and I during the walk.

Me, Cathy, and Debby.

Mandi and her David.

Cathy with her tulip.

Cathy during one of the survivor programs.

Thanks to Mandi for posting and sharing her pictures. She had some great ones and I borrowed a few extras for this post. If you are my friend on Facebook, there are a lot more photos posted in a photo album on my page too. Thank you also to all of my friends and supporters who made donations to my walk and attended my On The Border fundraiser. I appreciate all of the sweet messages and words of encouragement too! Nikki had to miss the race again this year due to taking her kids to spend the summer with their dad, but we had discussed participating in the Dallas Race for the Cure later in the year, and we plan to return to the 3-Day next year. We will keep walking and fundraising until there is a cure. ♥

Yesterday I participated in the 18th Annual North Texas Race for the Cure with both of my parents. We walked 5K around the EDS complex in Plano with around 14,000 other people including at least 5000 Breast Cancer Survivors.

It was the perfect day too. It was overcast, but didn’t rain a drop. It’s been pretty hot here the past couple of weeks, so I am really glad that the weather turned out wonderful for the event. D drove us down early in the morning and picked us up near the Shops at Legacy when it was over.

Many participants wore pink signs on their backs n memory of lost loved ones.

This was a great practice walk for the 3-Day. Nikki and I have been training and leading walks in that neighborhood, so I was glad to learn a new route that we can try. It was nice that were were able to walk in the middle of the street too. I really don’t like walking in the grass.

Volunteers stood on several corners with signs and cheered the walkers on!

We made a few stops along the way. My dad stepped on my shoe and it came off, and he also had to stop to tie his shoes. There were also several water stations where we ran into “traffic” and weren’t able continue on at a good pace. Also toward the end walking into the tents there were too many people to keep up a good pace.

We finished an hour and 12 minutes at 9:12 AM.

We were somewhere in the middle of the pack when the race began at 8:00 AM. They let the hundreds of survivors start first, along with the racers who wanted to be timed. At the end, we were lead into the tent area where there were vendors with free food and a stage with bands playing. We also went into Elizabeth’s Garden where I picked up the tulip I had ordered in Memory of David’s mom. I am going to place it in front of our tent at the 3-Day too. I feel so lucky and blessed that I was able to share this experience with both of my parents.

Walking 3 miles is getting easier and easier (maybe this time it was because the weather was so nice?), so I am looking forward to increasing our distances. We are on week 22 of the 3-Day training schedule. The 3-Day is going to be here before we know it!

There were hundreds of tulips lining the sidewalk.

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Don’t forget to enter our June contest for the pink iPod Nano by commenting! You can increase your chances by writing a blog post or making at least a $5 donation to Laurie or Nikki’s Breast Cancer 3-Day. Thanks for your support! Contest ends July 4 at midnight CST. Good Luck!

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