Open Letter to Our Hillcrest UMC Family

Dear Hillcrest Family ~

Next Thursday, we leave for Washington D.C., where we are participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure ~ an event staged at 15 cities across the U.S. this year. We walk 20 miles a day, 3 days in a row, sleeping in tents at night and showering in a truck. And we can’t wait!

The decision to join the biggest and boldest event in the fight against breast cancer was made here at Hillcrest, on the Sunday morning of Discovery Weekend. Since then, we have logged hundreds of training miles, and raised over $10,000 in the fight against breast cancer. All working toward next weekend’s big event.

If you’d like to write a note of encouragement and support that we can read in camp at night, there is a mailbox in the welcome center. Leave them there by Wednesday, and Gary and Delaynie will deliver them to us next weekend.

Since beginning this journey we’ve heard dozens of stories of women who have battled this disease. We’re carrying a ribbon boa to D.C. honoring the names of the survivors and the memory of the angels who lost the fight. We’d be honored to carry a name for you, just let a team member know, or email JMRizer@aol.com.

Other ways you can support our team:

1. Pray! For strength, good spirits, & good weather.

2. Like our Facebook page ~ facebook.com/MusicCitySpirit Updates from the event will be posted there throughout the weekend

3. Wear pink to church next Sunday, so we can be there in Spirit!

Annette Donahey, Bridget Worden, Joyce Rizer & Julie Austin


Haven’t donated yet? Click Here to contribute to our team!

We've Got Mail!

At least, we will if you'll write to us.  How cool is this, they set up a Post Office at Camp!  At the end of a 20 mile day, we'd love to get some snail mail love from you!

Letters only, no packages, no matter how badly we'll need coffee, chocolate and Diet Mt. Dew. Postmarked by September 28th.


3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: INSERT NAME OF PARTICIPANT
P.O. Box 386
Gore, VA 22637
 
Joyce Rizer
Julie Austin
Bridget Worden
Annette Donahey

They Played in Peoria

I wanted to start a little blog for notes as I read through this book ~ the story of how Susan G. Komen For the Cure became a global movement to end breast cancer.  It's been a challenging week following last weekend's 18/15 training walk (that's miles y'all) as I get ready for the SGK 3-Day for the Cure in Washington D.C. in a few weeks.

So after yet another ridiculously long Friday at the office, I came home to find the package from Amazon on my kitchen island, and promptly decided that I needed a bubble bath.  I intended to read the first chapter or two.

I read five.

As you know from reading one of my early blog posts, Susan Goodman (or Suzy, as she was known) was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois.  I grew up 20 miles west of there.  Peoria was "the big city" we'd go to when we needed a mall or a movie theatre.  So some things in the story that don't mean anything to most readers, catch my attention.  For instance ~

Page 11.  The Goodman sisters did a bake sale to raise money to eradicate polio.  They delivered their money to St. Francis Hospital.  I was born there.

You probably know by now that Susan G. Komen For the Cure was founded by Suzy's sister Nancy.  And reading this book I've learned that their philanthropic spirit was in their blood right alongside the family history of breast cancer.

Pages 22-23.  Mrs. Goodman helped bring Girl Scouting to Peoria.  As the mother of two daughters, she was annoyed that the Boys had Scouts and her Girls didn't.  It talks about Mrs. G. establishing Camp Tapawingo.    I can't tell you how many summer camps I went to there.  And yes, I can still sing the song.

Random other thing I didn't know before reading this book ~ The Goodman family was Jewish.

In between the chapters of the book are subchapters... grey pages of extended footnotes and sidebars that tell a story themselves.  A history of how far we've come.  Difficult reads, yet important.  Probably not as difficult as the pages of the story themselves yet to come.  Before even opening the box that delivered the book, I knew Susan's story didn't have a happy ending.

I had to stop for the night at the end of Chapter 5.  They started talking about the 3-Day, and it overwhelmed me.  In 22 days I'll be doing my first 3-Day event.  Although I've trained as much as I can find the time and strength to train, I don't remotely feel ready for it. I'm stressed by things out of my control and I don't have time to get it all under control.

I do know however, that the event itself will change my life.  It already has.

~ J.

After Walking 20 Miles A Day...

Things we won't have in camp during the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure 

(We did mention we're sleeping in tents on the ground, right?)

- A bubble bath 

- Our family there to wait on us hand and (especially!) foot

- Flushing toilets

- Diet Mt. Dew on the rocks

- Comfortable beds, warm blankets or fluffy pillows

What we WILL have in camp during the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure:

- Snail Mail!

At least.. if you write to us.  No packages or big envelopes, just notes of encouragement, funny jokes, a silly card, or a drawing from one of our favorite munchkins.

3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: (Our Name Here)
P.O. Box 386

Gore, VA 22637

** Must be postmarked by September 28th!**

Thanks in advance!

Crop For The Cure ~ A Success!

Thanks To Everyone For Coming Out
And Special Thanks To Our Generous Sponsors!
We raised over $1200!

Dinner provided by Stroud's Barbeque

 Ice Cream from The Pied Piper Creamery - East Nashville & Now in Berry Hill!

$1 a Minute Massages from Three Degrees Massage Therapy in Nolensville!

Goodie Bag / Auction Donors

Arbonne ~ Donna Barker

Avon ~ Dianne Kantorik

Cookie Lee Jewlery ~ Julia Hinkle

Creative Memories ~ Jennie Stockard

Embroidery & Gifts by KK ~ Kendra McGee

Homemade Gourmet ~ LeAnn Bauer

Pampered Chef ~ Joyce Rizer

Sassy Scrapper

Spot On Graphix ~ Dianne Kantorik

Stampin' Up ~ Stefen Brock

Staples

Thirty-one ~ Robin Dyer

Tupperware ~ Lissa Morton

Check Out Our New Banner From Goin' Postal Brentwood!

One of the blessings of this 3-Day adventure is realizing how many kind hearted people and business owners are out there willing to support our cause.  The beautiful graphic you see above is a six foot banner, donated to us by Goin' Postal Brentwood.

I know, you're thinking, "A postal service does banners?"  Yes they do!  Better yet, they do them completely stress and hassle free.  I sent our graphic to them, and their design guy had it turned around within 24 hours.  What a great team to work with! 

Now obviously, a place with a rockin' name like "Goin' Postal" is first and foremost a shipping service.  One of the cool things I just learned was that you can take your box in there to be shipped, they put it on their magic scale, and they can tell you which carrier will send it cheapest.  And, they have longer hours than the post office.

They can pack and ship, they can send faxes, copy, and laminate.  They have a mailbox service if you need a "business" address, and they sell fun shipping supplies like birthday themed padded envelopes.  Jim, the owner, is most likely going to be the friendly face you see behind the counter when you go in.  He's also dedicated space in his store for community and local business information, so be sure to allow some "browsing" time when you go in.

Goin' Postal Brentwood is located in the Kroger Shopping Center on Nolensville Road at Concord.  Or as it's known at Joyce's house - the Carrie Underwood Kroger.   Stop in and tell Jim hello ~ and thank him for supporting Music City Spirit!  And look for our awesome banner at events around town!

Goin' Postal Brentwood
6688 Nolensville Rd, Suite 111,
Brentwood, TN 37027


Phone: 615-283-3528
Fax: 615-283-3529

Brentwood@goinpostal.com
Hours: 9:00 till 6:30 M - F
9:00 till 3:00 Saturday

Our New Best Friend and The Enemy

*Gulp*

94 days to go.  93 days until we get on a plane to Baltimore.  That's like... a week less than 100.  Which means the walk is getting closer and closer.  So much to do it's overwhelming.  Not overwhelming like staring down a radiation session... insurance battles... watching your hair fall out from chemo.  Just a lot to do.  As long as we keep it in perspective, it will all be ok.

As we've discussed, there are two components to this event.  Walking.  And raising money.

Walking isn't the overwhelming part really.  It's just one foot in front of another.  For miles and miles and miles.  Julie has a scientifically unproven theory that walking is made easier by cute shoes.  It can't hurt.  She walks in her Tabbie shoes in honor of her and Annette's mom.

Our training is up to 10 miles on Saturday mornings.  One thing we're learning is that we all walk at different paces, and with different accessories.  Annette can do 10 miles and never take a sip of water.  Bridget carries her water bottle in her hand.  Joyce has to have her water ice cold and Bridget likes it room temperature.  Julie and Annette would do five miles an hour if Joyce wasn't quite certain she'd die at that pace. Bridget's the shortest, and she takes 3 steps for every 2 Julie and Joyce take. 

Shade has become our new best friend.  I mean come on... if we'd wanted to walk in this kind of weather we'd have signed up for a July walk.  By October, things should be much more manageable.  There are a lot of miles between here and fall, so for now, we love shade.  Our favorite routes involve parking at the Brentwood YMCA and not coming back to the parking lot until we've met our goal.  This plan has a couple of hidden benefits.  Our friends Jeff and Jennie live at the perfect 4 mile water stop.  And Joyce has been known to sneak off into the Y's hot tub after a long walk.  But most of all, there's lots of shade.

Time seems to be the enemy.  We never have enough of it.  Especially with summer travel and vacations in the way.  All the activities that tick off the hours on the clock, and before you know it, another day, week, month has gone by, and the To Do List is getting longer and the walk is getting closer.

The enemy is working against us on fundraising.  Each walker has to raise a minimum of $2300 in order to participate.  We're over half way there, but that's still a long way to go.  Pretty soon we'll post all the details on our Crop for the Cure.  Now just in case, like one of our team mates, you think that somehow involves a farmer's market, let me just tell you it's a scrapbooking event.  And it's gonna be awesome.

Mark your calendar for Saturday August 7th and watch this space as we continue to battle the enemy and find more best friends.

Because EVERYONE Deserves a Lifetime!