Hello Out There!!!!

 I have decided to start this blog thing...again. I have tried many times and for some reason I never keep up with it. However, this time I will try to be different. I am going to try to write about a few different topics each week. I am sure you can tell by the title of this blog that a lot of them will revolve around my desire to find a cure for breast cancer.

So why is my desire so strong? To begin with I, myself, am a woman. One in eight women will be diagnosed with this disease. Another reason I have 3 beautiful daughters. Given our family history chances are good one of them could be diagnosed. However, my main reason is for my amazing, beautiful, and wonderful mother. She lost her battle with this ugly killer on April 20, 2004. She didnt go down without a fight, and it is with that same strength I take on this disease now.

So I walked in my first Susan G. Komen 5K in June of 2009. My dear friend and her beautiful daughter walked with me. She helped me a lot that day as it was the first time I had ever been surrounded by that many people all trying to take a stand against breast cancer. I remember the upbeat mood that was there. The feeling of hope and the belief that one day there will be a world without breast cancer.

In February of 2010 I decided to up my dedication to the cause a bit, and I signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day in Chicago. It is an event where you walk 20 miles a day for 3 days, so a total of 60 miles. I had wanted to do this for a few years, but the pain from my mom's death was too fresh. I thought and prayed on it for a long time and was really guided to walk in 2010.

Fundraising was of course hard, and training was even harder, but in August of 2010 I took those first steps in the most amazing thing I have ever done. The first day didn't go as well as planned, but darn it I had trained, and I would finish. The second day was amazing and I even finished with a decent time. The third day by far was the hardest, but also the most rewarding. Walking into Solider Field with hundreds of people cheering you on is indescribable. Yes my feet, legs, and whole body hurt, but there was no way I wasn't going to cross that line.

 In 2011 I will take the journey again. I have continued to train, and been working on fundraising. I got so much out of my first one I can't wait to see what I learn about myself in 2011.