2011 Show Me The Free Reading Challenge. Let the Games Begin!!

Hi There!

2011 Show Me The Free Reading Challenge. That is the link to something new that I am trying. I follow a blog called The Unread Reader she is running a few reading challenges this year (2011) and I am participating in one of them...this one seems like it will be fun! As a Kindle owner I am offered free books quite often and so this is a challenge to see just how many of those free books that I download over the course of the year, I actually read...Fun right? I can't wait to get started because as, some of you may know, and any of you that actually know me do, I am a voracious reader. I do actually read those free books that Amazon offers me! In fact I have to say, that Amazon, through Kindle Nation Daily, (a blog) offers some pretty sweet free and very low cost reads!
I do have to admit that having read said free items that this has then led me down the path of the "the rest of the NOT FREE series", but "Se la vie" No? Pardon my French...I may know the phrase, but not how it is spelled...Any one want to join in the fun?

Happy PINK New Year!

She is beautiful...She is love...

Hi Everybody!
Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a special one...I and my family had a special one...although I am not sure exactly how to describe it...I have thought long and hard about this. I really don't want to put a damper on anyones's spirits. I mean after all, pink is a happy color, at least it is for me...

I love the holidays. I love the music, the decorations, the PINK decorations, if you live in our house...lol...I love the fact that the days are filled with happy thoughts and that people are generally in good moods and are more friendly with each other...

It's just that this year has been a different one for our little family. My daughter is in school and for the first time is not living at home. The happy part of that is that she has come home for the holidays and that has made them truly special!

My husband's parents live in Florida and right after Thanksgiving he went down to see them...alone...I worked through the entire thanksgiving holiday, including the weekend, which meant that I worked the entire time that my daughter was home from school. During that time I had to have my reviews done for the Komen panel that I am an advocate reviewer on. Work that is close to my heart, but work none the less...

So, my husband heads to Florida, and our beautiful little American Eskimo named Lily becomes ill again...she was sick with a urinary infection in the summer...so while he is dealing with an incontinent father...I am dealing with an incontinent Eskie...OK, mine was cuter...I took her to the vet and we got medicine...the vet was afraid that there might be a tumor but it turned out to be bacteria...whew...

So, Kirke comes home, and he and his brother make plans to move his parents into an assisted living facility near my brother in law in Atlanta and this is to happen the week of Christmas...we live in Maryland(can you say bad timing?)... but it had to be done...Kirke once again travels to Florida by way of Atlanta, He leaves on the 17th of December and returns on the 22nd. In the meantime he misses the wedding of our nephew on the 18th and all of the preparation for whatever Christmas celebration we may be able to plan...Me? I shop, and give the dog medicine and whine and feel like crap for complaining...because, after all...he can't help it...

Turns out he could have left a day later and attended the wedding...his brother is not a good communicator...however, the move goes well, my sister in law is a wonderful woman that deserves all the credit in the world for pulling this off so close to the Holiday and so smoothly!

I continue to shop, do grant reviews...I have received yet another set for yet another panel...

Lily seems to get a little better...while Kirke is home he takes over the medicine...I am a rookie when it comes to that...he laughs at my efforts...by the time he leaves town again she is done with it and is still going a lot and may not be better...

Kirke returns , Caitlin is home and has been for a while! She came home the afternoon of my work Christmas party and joined me there! It was a great time! Someone there actually noticed that I have lost weight! A minor miracle! (the fact that someone noticed, not the loss)

Lily seems to get worse...we decide to take her back to the vet on Christmas Eve...Kirke comes home with Lily and asks us all to gather in the living room...not good...our Lily is very sick...the x-ray showed about 4 tumors in her lungs and judging by the look of her urine, it has metastasized... So...we will watch her breathe and love her and make her comfortable and just hope that we will know when the time is right ...and not hang on too long...she is very sleepy all the time...she is beautiful...she is love...

We find ourselves spending our time with her or looking for her...lol...I am sure she is confused by all of the attention!

That was Christmas Eve...We had our Christmas, It was subdued, but fun. It was already a kind of strange Christmas for us, this just sort of capped it...

Here is a  picture of our girl...As I sat on the couch holding my daughter in my arms with Lily next to us, I told her this...I said, "Caitlin, this is how I try to deal with these situations..."They never live long enough (pets), you have to think about all of the love that Lily has given us all these years and all we have gotten from her, all the joy and love...in order not to have this pain when the end comes, you would have to give up all of that...and I would never choose that... I know some people can't deal with it and choose to never have pets because of it...but I couldn't do that, I thought it was worth it, all of that love..." I told her that I hoped that would help her get through. I don't know if it will, but I hope so...You see, she is afraid she will be back at school when the end comes. But, I can see that Lily is fading fast and I don't think that that will be the case...poor Lily...

It is true, I meant what I said! What love! Just look at this...I took this last night...I captioned it with "This is Love"

I am very sorry if this brought you down. It is really a love story of sorts. It is not over, not yet...we all go through it...would we change it? Not if it means losing the love...not me...not my daughter, I hope...

Stay Pink...Stay Happy...and Merry Christmas!

A Holiday Tale...

Hi there,

I'd like to share a real feel good holiday story with you I hope you enjoy...

Here's a 'today' Yule story that occurred 3 weeks ago ~ AND NOW, in time for the holidays, I bring you the best Christmas story you never heard.

It started last Christmas, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were overwhelmed by sadness while listening to radio reports of injured American troops. "We have to let them know we care," Vivian told Bennett. So they organized a trip to bring soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual Army-Navy football game in Philly, on Dec. 3. 
The cool part is, they created their own train line to do it. Yes, there are people in this country who actually own real trains. Bennett Levin - native Philly guy, self-made millionaire and irascible former L&I commish - is one of them. 
He has three luxury rail cars. Think mahogany paneling, plush seating and white-linen dining areas. He also has two locomotives, which he stores at his Juniata Park train yard. One car, the elegant Pennsylvania , carried John F. Kennedy to the Army-Navy game in 1961 and '62. Later, it carried his brother Bobby's body to D. C. for burial. "That's a lot of history for one car," says Bennett. 
He and Vivian wanted to revive a tradition that endured from 1936 to 1975, during which trains carried Army-Navy spectators from around the country directly to the stadium where the annual game is played. The Levins could think of no better passengers to reinstate the ceremonial ride than the wounded men and women recovering at Walter Reed in D. C. and Bethesda , in Maryland . "We wanted to give them a first-class experience," says Bennett. "Gourmet meals on board, private transportation from the train to the stadium, perfect seats - real hero treatment." 
Through the Army War College Foundation, of which he is a trustee, Bennett met with Walter Reed's commanding general, who loved the idea. But Bennett had some ground rules first, all designed to keep the focus on the troops alone: 
No press on the trip, lest the soldiers' day of pampering devolve into a media circus. 

No politicians either, because, says Bennett, "I didn't want some idiot making this trip into a campaign photo op" 
And no Pentagon suits on board, otherwise the soldiers would be too busy saluting superiors to relax. 

The general agreed to the conditions, and Bennett realized he had a problem on his hands. "I had to actually make this thing happen," he laughs. 
Over the next months, he recruited owners of 15 other sumptuous rail cars from around the country - these people tend to know each other - into lending their vehicles for the day. The name of their temporary train? The Liberty Limited. 
Amtrak volunteered to transport the cars to D. C. - where they'd be coupled together for the round-trip ride to Philly - then back to their owners later. 
Conrail offered to service the Liberty while it was in Philly. And SEPTA drivers would bus the disabled soldiers 200 yards from the train to Lincoln Financial Field, for the game. 
A benefactor from the War College ponied up 100 seats to the game - on the 50-yard line - and lunch in a hospitality suite. 
And corporate donors filled, for free and without asking for publicity, goodie bags for attendees: 

From Woolrich, stadium blankets. From Wal-Mart, digital cameras. From Nikon, field glasses. From GEAR, down jackets. 

There was booty not just for the soldiers, but for their guests, too, since each was allowed to bring a friend or family member. 
The Marines, though, declined the offer. "They voted not to take guests with them, so they could take more Marines," says Levin, choking up at the memory. 
Bennett's an emotional guy, so he was worried about how he'd react to meeting the 88 troops and guests at D. C.'s Union Station, where the trip originated. Some GIs were missing limbs. Others were wheelchair-bound or accompanied by medical personnel for the day. "They made it easy to be with them," he says. "They were all smiles on the ride to Philly. Not an ounce of self-pity from any of them. They're so full of life and determination." 
At the stadium, the troops reveled in the game, recalls Bennett. Not even Army's lopsided loss to Navy could deflate the group's rollicking mood. 
Afterward, it was back to the train and yet another gourmet meal - heroes get hungry, says Levin - before returning to Walter Reed and Bethesda . "The day was spectacular," says Levin. "It was all about these kids. It was awesome to be part of it." 
The most poignant moment for the Levins was when 11 Marines hugged them goodbye, then sang them the Marine Hymn on the platform at Union Station. 
"One of the guys was blind, but he said, 'I can't see you, but man, you must be  beautiful!' " says Bennett. "I got a lump so big in my throat, I couldn't even answer him." 
It's been three weeks, but the Levins and their guests are still feeling the day's love. "My Christmas came early," says Levin, who is Jewish and who loves the Christmas season. "I can't describe the feeling in the air." Maybe it was hope.

As one guest wrote in a thank-you note to Bennett and Vivian, "The fond memories generated last Saturday will sustain us all - whatever the future may bring." 
God bless the Levins. 

And bless the troops, on each and every occasion.

Stay Pink!

P.S. Go Navy!!

Silent Night - Katherine Jenkings and Jackie Evancho

God Bless Us Every One

 MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:
  
 He  writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We  have an
 H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they
 military?" I  asked.
  
 'Yes',  she said.
 'Is there an escort?' I asked.
 'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.
 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him
 early," I said..
  
 A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He
 was the image of the  perfectly  dressed soldier.  He introduced himself> and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of  these fallen soldiers
 talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.
  
 'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,'  he said.  He proceeded to
 answer my questions,  but offered no words.
  
 I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I
 told him that he had the toughest  job in the military and that I
 appreciated the  work that he does for the families of our fallen
 soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his
 hand.  He left the flight deck to find his seat.
  
 We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an
 uneventful departure.  About  30 minutes into our flight I received a
 call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I  just found out
 the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said.  She
 then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old
 daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home.  The family
 was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier
 was in before we left.  We were on our way to a major hub at which the
 family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to
 Virginia  .
  
 The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that  knowing his
 son was below him in the cargo compartment  and being unable to see him
 was too much for him and the family to bear.  He had  asked the flight
 attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see
 him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door
 to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear  the
 desperation in the flight attendants voice when she  asked me if there
 was anything I could do.. 'I'm on  it', I said. I told her that I would
 get back to her.
  
 Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the  form of
 e-mail like messages.  I decided to bypass this system and contact my
 flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio
 operator in the operations control center who connects you to the
 telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the
 dispatcher..  I  explained the situation I had on board with the family
 and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he
 would get back to me.
  
 Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher.  We were
 going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family.  I
 sent a text  message asking for an update.  I  saved the return  message
 from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
  
 'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There  is
 policy on this now and I had to check on a few  things. Upon your
 arrival a dedicated escort team will  meet the aircraft.  The team will
 escort the family to the ramp and plane side.  A van will be used to
 load the remains with a secondary van for the family.  The family will
 be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where
 the remains can be seen on the ramp.  It is a private area for the
 family only.  When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be
 escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded
 for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are
 veterans.    Please pass our condolences on to the family.  Thanks.'
  
 I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job.
 I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight  attendant to> pass on to the father.  The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and  landing.
 After landing, we cleared the runway  and taxied to the ramp area.  The
 ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway.  It  is
 always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter
 and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp
 controller,  we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
  
 'There is a team in place to meet the  aircraft', we were told.  It
 looked like it was all coming  together, then I  realized that once we
 turned the  seat belt sign off,  everyone would stand up at  once and
 delay the family from  getting off the airplane. As we approached our
 gate, I asked the  copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to
 stop  short of the gate to make an  announcement to the passengers.   He
 did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'
 
 I  stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake.   I pushed the public
 address button and said,  'Ladies and gentleman, this is  your Captain
 speaking I  have stopped short of our gate to make a  special
 announcement.  We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and
 respect.  His Name is  Private XXXXXX,  a soldier who recently lost his
 life.   Private XXXXXX is  under your feet in the cargo hold.  Escorting
 him today is  Army Sergeant  XXXXXXX.  Also, on board are his father,
 mother, wife, and daughter.  Your entire  flight crew is  asking for all
 passengers to remain in their seats to  allow the  family to exit the
 aircraft first. Thank you.'
  
 We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and  started our
 shutdown procedures.  A couple of  minutes later I opened the cockpit
 door. I  found the two forward flight  attendants crying,  something you
 just do not see.  I was told  that  after we came to a stop, every
 passenger on the aircraft  stayed in their seats, waiting for the family
 to exit  the aircraft.
  
 When the family got up and gathered their things, a  passenger slowly
 started to clap his hands.   Moments later more passengers  joined in
 and soon  the entire aircraft was clapping.  Words  of 'God  Bless You',
 I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind   words were uttered to
 the family as they made their  way down the  aisle and out of the
 airplane. They  were escorted down to  the ramp to finally be with
 their loved one.

 Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the  announcement I
 had made.  They were just words, I  told them,  I could  say them over
 and over again,  but nothing I say will bring back  that brave soldier.
  
 I  respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event  and the
 sacrifices that millions of our men and women  have made to ensure  our
 freedom and safety in these  United  States of AMERICA .
  
     
 
 Prayer:
 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
 protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
 perform for us in our time of need. Amen..'
  

     GOD BLESS YOU!!!


& Stay Pink!
 
          

It's Been A While!

Wow! it's been a while and I've been feeling guilty and so even though I don't usually blog during the week, I had the urge and so decided to go with the flow...So, here goes...

A lot's been happening and yet, not so much really...It's been a whirlwind. The first thing that comes to mind of course, is that we just had a big holiday...but it sort of passed me by! I had to work...I mean I had to work the whole thing. My daughter got home from school the Friday before Thanksgiving and she was home the entire week. Thing is, it feels like I pretty much missed that too.

You see, it sort of went like this. Caitlin arrived Friday night and we spent Saturday together...sort of...you know how it is, as the other kids arrived in town they all had to see each other and then there was the local HS football game, they won, which means they are playing this week at the Ravens stadium for the state championship!

Anyway, then came Sunday and I had to fly to Nashville for a TBCRC (Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium) meeting. This was just an over night trip. Nashville was very cool. I had never been there and we stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and it was decorated for Christmas. It was beautiful. We got to see the Country Music Hall of Fame! It was a great meeting. Very informative, my first one. I returned late Monday night. That set the tone for the rest of the week since that was my day off for the next weekend! So I worked all the way through to the next Monday and Caitlin left on Sunday...bummer...

Now, during the course of the week my blackberry froze, never finished a reboot, got as far as the logo and never got any further...so I stopped on the way home and thought, they will take care of it...Oh, they took care of it all right...I was 3 DAYS OUT OF WARRANTY, yes, you read that right, and no, they could not fix it. So I became the proud new owner of a brand new latest model BlackBerry curve...I had my contacts but nothing else...I told the lady when I walked in that I wasn't up for a new phone, that I didn't have it in me, did she listen? No. She even told the sales person that I wasn't going to cry. I corrected her post haste!

So I spent that entire evening and the next few, off and on, putting the apps that I had had previously, on the new BB...sigh...So, fast forward to the weekend and the internet...for some reason our internet provider decided to crap out on us! No internet! Some days I just hate technology! I gave up...The next day it was back up but barely, it was limping along...tonight same thing...so, you might ask yourself, how is she typing away on her laptop? Well I will tell you how...My trusty new Blackberry, that's how! I have it tethered to my laptop and I am using it as a modem! Take that, Comcast!! Technology, you gotta love it! When it works...

Thanksgiving was lovely, after work, I and my family went over to my brother's house and we had a feast! He has 10 children and there is always a crowd. My parents were there and their newest addition, no not a baby, a puppy was with them and a big hit!

The next day was my birthday and it was no biggie...I worked...but I am happy to celebrate every BD...

I had my mammogram and ultrasound yesterday, not routine, since the scare last year. But in spite of that, all went well. And that, it has been decided, is the last holiday/birthday mammogram I will be having. Enough is enough! I have decided to have another one in 6 months and then have them yearly from there.

16 years of holiday mammograms beginning with the one at diagnosis is more than enough for this woman!

So that's what has been going on in my world...how about you? Aren't you sorry you asked? Oh Wait! You didn't, oh well, it's my blog, and I'll ramble if I want to...

Stay pink!

PS. I've been reading a delightful little series "The Coffee House Mysteries" by Cleo Coyle Give it a click and check it out...you wont be sorry!

I Got A Card in the Mail Today!!

Hey Everybody,

Guess what?!? I got a card in the mail today! There was no return address and it is November, so I thought maybe it would be an early birthday card...But no...it was not...I am putting a picture of it here...so you can see for yourself what it was...Here is a picture of the front...pretty cool huh...At this point I have to tell you I was a little confused. So I opened the card. Here is a picture of the inside. It is signed by my husband! Can you see what it says?

Pretty special isn't it? Sometimes he surprises me! I hope you can read what he wrote! But just in case you can't...it says " What can I say? Hopefully all the hard "extra curricular" activity will pay off."  Stay Pink!

Hey Look! Somebody thinks I'm Stylish!! Whaddya Know?

Hey, I must say nothing like a leisurely cup of coffee on a Saturday morning...That's exactly what I was sitting here thinking as I was sipping on said cup, contemplating my next move...Hmmm, I thought, should I, A: grab the kindle and continue with the coffee house mystery that I am currently in the middle of, B: fire up the pink computer and start in on my routine there, or C: work on one of the many BC advocacy jobs hanging over my head...Well, as those of you that have been with me for a little bit  know, I also hold down a full time job as an embryologist for 40 hours of the week, so you might be able to guess...I did not pick C! At least not yet!

Yep, since you can tell that I am typing, you might safely guess that B won out, at least for the moment...So the little pink wonder is up and running And guess what!?! My day has already been made!! How? you ask? Well, because My blog here, has been given a little award! Yes, it's true! Truly Simply Pink has been given the Stylish blogger Award! How about that...Not sure what it means, but I sure am ,well, Tickled Pink!
Now, apparently, there are a few rules to follow here and they are as follows:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave it to you.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pay it forward to 15 other recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award. 

So first of all I have to thank with glee, Michele over at Bodacious Boomer she's the one that gave me the award...I don't really know how stylish I am but I do try...lol...and she made my day!

Hmmm 7 things huh...well.
1. I am a breast cancer survivor and this is my month for my mammogram and this year because of a scare last year, I must also have an ultrasound...big breath here...
2. My birthday is also in November!
3. I love PINK!! Pink makes me happy. I have always loved pink, it has nothing to do with the BC connection...that was just a lucky thing...
4. I have a large collection of watches...a lot of them are ...pink...lol
5. I am an avid reader!
6. I have a beautiful voice, which at this point in my life is going to waste.
7. Were it not for BC I would have 2 children...

And finally, here are 15 blogs that, in my opinion, you should give a shot...
Fried pink tomato
The Kindle Nation Daily
My Big Girl Pants
Pink Martinis and Pearls
Wandering through the Words
The Life of a Suburban Princess
Tickled Pink and Green
Pretty Pink Tulips
The Empty Nest
The Snooty Primadona
The Fred Effect
Reasons Why I walk...
To Hell and (Hopefully) Back
Kickstand Up
Debi Drecksler
Whew! That took a while...I had to be careful you know...and just 2 of our choices overlap!
So boy was that fun and I am so tickled! My sister is a long time blogger and I am just beginning...I can't wait to tell her...Oh, and did I mention she just turned 40? About time she did that!

Sibling rivalry? Nah, she is much too young and I am much too old...lol...

Stay Pink! & Stylish too!

Sometimes it pays to be late?

I tell you some days are just a study in frustration...Last Thursday, was one of those days...I knew for most of the week that I had a very special reception to attend and it was not quite after work...the plan was to leave work a little early. Of course, as Murphy would have it, that day was the busiest of the week and there was no way that particular plan was going to come to fruition...Well, I thought, that's OK I'm not that far away...My trusty GPS will zip me right over there and all will be well...

Now let me just tell you that the event that I was headed for was, indeed, a special one. Komen Maryland was holding a small reception to honor the founder and CEO of Susan G Komen for the Cure, Ambassador Nancy G Brinker. She was in town and we were taking the opportunity to meet with her and honor her and she in turn, was to say a few things and sign copies of her new book, "Promise Me". The event was not open to the general public and not one to be missed...

Being the generally forward thinking and prepared person that I am, when I went on break in the morning, I grabbed my Blackberry and opened up the application, VZNavigator. I typed in the address of the venue, the Ritz Carlton. So far so good...Oh wait...before I could do that I was prompted that there was an upgrade and so I did that...yes, I know...so I upgrade and reboot...and reboot...and reboot...are you getting the picture? for some reason lately, whenever I need to do a reboot, my BB has been taking it upon itself to just continually reboot itself into infinity! So I proceed to pull the battery in order to do a hard reboot...no go...this goes on for quite a while, until in fact, my break is over.

I return to work with my phone, sans battery, in my pocket...This, by the way is against company policy. I am now in potential trouble!! A while later I remember the phone and put it back together. I stick it in an office to charge.

Much later in the day, I head to lunch...I investigate the new and improved VZNavigator...Hey cool! I can link to Face book and give my location and a few other cool things...but first things first...I type in the location of the Ritz Carlton downtown and ask it to navigate...it searches for my GPS location...and searches...and searches...Well, to finally get to the point here, the damn thing never does find it, oh wait, once, it does...I get  a very quick look at the route! Because, yes, you guessed it, it is time to return to work!

Now, just a quick note here, if the website had had written directions I would have printed them, but they did not...and I did not have time to look them up...

So the end of the day comes and I quickly change and try to become my lovely evening self...I get in the car, I have assumed that the lack of GPS was due to the being in the building...now I am assuming it is due to being in the garage...I don't know what to blame it on as I become lost in Baltimore city! I am becoming frantic...Not because I am lost...I can at any time, get myself home! I cannot, however, even begin to get myself to the Ritz Carlton!! So I called them...they really were no help...So I called my husband, he was still at work, but he and 2 of his co-workers came through for me...I have an over head Bluetooth. Michelle brought up MapQuest and they talked me through Baltimore City and over to the Event! They have since been properly thanked.

I pull up to the RC and get out(valet parking) People are already leaving...the reception was to last only 2 hours...I rush though the doors to the lobby...they call for an escort...I wait...as I wait Nancy Brinker comes down with her escorts and goes into the bathroom...she is leaving...I look at the gentleman from the RC escorting her out,,,I say to him, "will she mind if I speak to her?" He shakes his head and tells me very kindly that he does not think so...As I wait, another rushes in late and up to me...I explain the situation to her and she waits with me. Ambassador Brinker comes out and heads for the door...We ambush her and she is very gracious...I am low key and explain to her that we are late and just want to introduce ourselves to her and thank her for coming, etc. However, JoAnne, my partner in crime, does not leave it at that, she proceeds to enumerate my many doings for Komen MD and National and Ms. Brinker leans over and engages me and wants to know what years I was race chair. I answer her and we speak for a few more minutes. She then tells us that she has left extra signed copes of her book upstairs and to make sure we get one.

As I turn around the nice gentleman from the RC says to me, you just got to spend more time with her than anyone upstairs did! Unbelievable! We proceed upstairs to find that my friends have done something very special...they have a book for me. They saw that I was not there and they asked Ms. Brinker to sign one for me and it is personalized...That is special...I have no words...Although I do admit to seeing plenty here on the page...

By the time I left I had a raging migraine, I am prone to them and this was just too much...Earlier in the day I had decided that the hair must go and I was determined to stop at Haircuttery on the way home and get it chopped off. So, after an hour on 83...I did...The hair washing helped the migraine...the RX did only a partial job...rush hour on 83 did not help...I don't know how people do that ever day!

Oh, the valet parking? When I went to get my car, it was still out front...I was so late they did not park it...I had joked while upstairs that they didn't need to...hmmm...while three of us were peeking in the windows of my SUV to see what gift had been left in there (you see, they told us there would be one) the doorman came up behind us...we turned around to see him holding the gift...we are such a class act...lol...

The GPS???Oh that is still on the fritz...that upgrade really messed things up..As a perfect end to a perfect day, I called Verizon wireless at around 10:00 pm that night...we ended up putting in a ticket...you know, a ticket...still waiting for a fix...it is Saturday...he suggested using Map Quest for Mobile in the meantime...one problem, the GPS locator on the phone does not work for that either...boy the upgrade was a thing of wonder...oh, and for those of you thinking, well just go back to the prior version...no can do...thought of that...

Anyway, an awesome opportunity was not lost thanks to a couple of people that my husband works with and my own persistence...I mean 2 more minutes, one more wrong turn and she would have been gone.

That is one amazing women...Ambassador Nancy G Brinker, all she has accomplished and all of it stemmed from a promise that she made to her sister as her sister lay dying of breast cancer...The power of a promise!

Promise Me: Read it!

Are you a Woman? Will You Vote?

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago.      Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.   And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.  Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing  went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'  (Lucy Burns) They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.   (Dora Lewis)   They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her  head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.      Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote.For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.   (Alice Paul)   When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.  So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?                (Mrs. Pauline Adams in the prison garb she wore while serving a sixty-day sentence.)  Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.      (Miss Edith Ainge, of Jamestown , New York ) All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But theactual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.          (Berthe Arnold, CSU graduate) My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history,  saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk  about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'      HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history,  social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.         (Conferring over ratification [of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution] at [National Woman's Party] headquarters, Jackson Pl [ace] [ Washington , D.C. ]. L-R Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, Mrs. Abby Scott Baker, Anita Pollitzer, Alice Paul, Florence Boeckel, Mabel Vernon (standing, right)) It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.      The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'      Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.  We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.          (Helena Hill Weed, Norwalk , Conn. Serving 3 day sentence in D.C. prison for carrying banner, 'Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.') History is being made. --

Dennis Swanberg - Bengy and the Zipper

Hey I Read a Book this Weekend!!

Hi Everyone!

I had such a great time with the last post that I have been putting off doing another one. Just didn't think I could do a decent follow up to that one, but I guess I have to jump back in here sometime huh?...It is Sunday night and I am typing to the sounds of Sunday Night Football. This is a weekend ritual for me, the last thing that I hear on a Sunday night before finally dragging myself  off to bed. I say that because I hate to go to bed on Sunday nights. At least if it involves getting up for work on Monday morning...Not so much if I have off on Monday morning...But anyway, that is not what this post is about, not really...that could and probably will, be another post some day...I just spent a very enjoyable fall weekend enjoying one of the things that I like to do most with my spare time! I read for a good part of the weekend. The weather was glorious on this fall weekend and so we had the front and back doors open and I could hear the rustle of the leaves and the sounds of the baseball and football games on the TV...Wonderful! Can you picture it?

I have always been an avid reader. I read all kinds of things. When I was younger my concentration was mainly in the romance genre, but I can honestly say that while I can still be seen reading a good romance, I have branched out quite a bit. I have a whole host of favorite authors and it must be said that I am now a steadfast fan of the e-reader, the Amazon Kindle. I simply love it, even though it does not come in pink...mine has a pink cover! Anyway, most of you know that I am an embryologist by trade but what I really wanted to be when I grew up was an archeologist. I am still, and always will be fascinated with history, ancient history, to be exact. I love it when I can find adventure books that combine all of my loves. David Gibbins has written just such a series. These books can stand alone...I just happen to have read all of them so far, and this weekend I read the latest. They feature an underwater marine archeologist named Jack Howard and all of the wonderful supporting characters one could ask for. The stories move from the ancient past to the present and back, are fast paced, and keep you on the edge of your seat...you can't wait to find out what happens next and then when the adventure is over you can't wait for the next book to come out...I had to actually read this one in book form as it was not available in kindle form...what the hell?...I mentioned to a friend while on break when she commented on seeing me with an actual book that my thumb was getting sore from holding the cover down! She laughed and commented back that I needed to "get it back in shape" lol...

The author of these incredible books, as I mentioned before, is David Gibbins and he is, himself, an archeologist that does underwater excavation. Thus, much of what he writes is based on his own experiences, although it is fiction. I learn a lot about history through his books and I like that. He, of course, has a website www.davidgibbins.com It's a great place to visit. You can get his books anywhere. I got them at www.amazon.com! Oh, the name of the book I just finished reading? It is The Mask of Troy!

Hope you had a great weekend too!
Stay Pink!

There are no words...just watch! Please...

 http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1610073979292

This is an amazing story. I live in the area and so this is a story that is close and the team involved is my home team...I am proud of all involved and I am "friends" or at least follow this on facebook. I am sure you can see why. I am also sure you can see why this has garnered the attention of ESPN...

Duke Pink Glove Dance

Why We Walk

I have been wanting to post about my incredible experience of Friday night all weekend but I am just getting to it, and now I am afraid I won't be able to do it justice. I feel I must give you a little background, but will try not to bore...As a blogger, you must figure that I do follow a few blogs...as most of you out there know, I am a tireless and very active breast cancer advocate...this story kind of touches on both and a whole lot more...

Last weekend we had our Maryland Race for the Cure. It was a very busy time around here, it was an exhilarating time around here. The survivor tent, for which I was responsible, was beautiful, and a huge success! Back at work, I spent the week recovering...towards the middle of the week I received a voice mail message asking me if I might like to speak Friday night at the Komen DC 3 Day as a representative of Komen Maryland. Of course, I said sure. I am to speak for five minutes or so on a mission/research related topic. The camp is an hour or so away...

My husband has been sent down to the college to finally take care of a dorm related problem for my daughter...we don't like to play the squeaky wheel but sometimes it has to be done and up until now, my daughter has handled it all on her own...a story for another blog post...

I also have an advocacy related conference call after work Friday and before the 3 day...sheesh...should I have passed this up?

Well, boy am I glad I didn't! I follow a blog called "My big girl Pants" the author is a young breast cancer patient that is fighting stage IV breast cancer and has been since being diagnosed at age 21. I read this week that she is doing the DC 3 day...hey, I think, perhaps I will meet her!

I am on face book this week and a friend is crewing for the 3 day. hey, I think, perhaps I will see her...

So, Friday comes and I finish up work early and do my call and then head over to Germantown, MD to the 3 day camp. The Komen 3 day is an event where the participants raise money to participate and then walk 60 miles over a 3 day period! I was one of the speakers on their first night of camp. It took me an excruciating one and a half hours to make the drive. I barely made it to the stage on time!

After a lovely introduction I did my thing, it was fun, it went well, and I enjoyed, it. Afterward, I sat down and listened. A young woman sat near me and she asked me to say hello to our executive director for her. She told me that her name was Bridget and that she was the woman's daughter's best friend and that she lived across the street. Of course, I agreed to do this...The next thing I know, the young woman is being introduced as a participant and she is there to explain why she walks.

Well, she walks because she was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 weeks after she graduated from college at the age of 21. She had found a lump in her breast 6 months earlier. The doctors assured her that it was nothing...Six months later it became clear that it was not nothing! It turned out to be stage IV breast cancer with a tumor in her liver! It was predicted that she would not live through the treatments...You have to under stand that I remember hearing about our executive director's daughter's best friend and her diagnosis...OMG! I had just met her...what a small world...Bridget continued to talk...she spoke about the fact that she met someone and that she became engaged and they are now married and that they have been changing her chemotherapy cocktails along the way because the cancer will figure out what they are doing and so they will have to change it...This all compliments what I had talked about when I spoke...Then she talked about the fact that it is 6 years later she is 26 now and she and her husband would like to talk about the future and a yard and a puppy and maybe children, but sometimes they just pray for one more day. Tears flow...

She was given 2 weeks off of chemotherapy for her wedding and for the first time she was able to feel her age...All of this was said with good humor and laughter! I was listening to an incredible young woman! Then she made the comment that the cocktail she was on now had actually, for the first time, shrunk the tumor! And the coin dropped into the slot...I had met "My Big Girl Pants" she is Bridget...all this time, and I had no idea...I waited for her to finish. We gave her a standing ovation. She went over to sit with her husband. I walked around in front of the stage and over to her chair and knelt next to her(hoping that she would not see that I had been crying) I said to her, "you're Big girl pants" she laughed and said "yes!" I said " I follow you, I was hoping to meet you!" We hugged and I told her she was right that her husband was cute and we laughed. He looked a little shell shocked...I believe that this was his first walk, and after all he had  just listened to the story also...her Mom was there and her team...they had raised over 85,000 dollars! As I stood up I felt someone tap me on my shoulder, I turned around and there was my FB friend Mollie. We hugged! Now my night was complete!

What an incredible night. What an incredible woman! It all gave me chills. I went over to the 3 day shops and bought a shocking pick travel mug...it's what I do...

Bridget, you are why we walk, I am why we walk! And nights like these are why, when the body and mind gets tired, the spirit is renewed!

Stay pink Bridget and stay well!

I am a Blogger! Hear me ROAR!!!

Hi There,
I really can't believe that I am actually taking time to do this this morning, but here goes...I have a lot to do today. That is an understatement. Our Race for the Cure here in Maryland is tomorrow and I have a tent to get ready...Not just any tent, THE TENT. I am in charge of the survivor tent...but that is a story for another day...

Today's blog, before I drag my family out of the house, yes my daughter came home, and head over to the site, is about something that took place over the last few days...Yesterday I was, quite simply, enraged by it. We have been thinking of adopting another dog, another little Eskie girl to keep our sweet Lily company.(that's her) Lily had a sister that we lost to renal failure last year...Since Caitlin has gone off to college and we both work we feel that Lily needs company. We like to do the rescue thing. A few months back we had a home inspection and we were hoping to adopt a little Eskie girl named Little Girl. She was a mirror image of Lily, but not in personality that is for sure! She terrorized poor Lily. Well, we thought, we can work through that...Then we humans sat with her...she snuggled but had a tendency to snap and growl all of a sudden for no reason...We spent the better part of an afternoon with LG and her foster human Cheryl. Well it seems that LG did not like me for some reason, to the point that she actually bit me! Twice! She actually broke the skin! I just sat there calmly and waited for her to let go,,,which, I must say, did not happen all that quickly and Cheryl seemed not to think to help me with it...

So flash forward to this week...Caitlin has left now and we decide to pursue the idea once again. I look at a few pictures put in an inquiry. A woman answers...I explain that we have had a home inspection and that we had been assured at the time that all was well and that we would not have to have another one should we decide to adopt a different dog. Needless to say, we had decided to forgo LG.

However, I could not remember Cheryl's name so I looked up Little Girl to find the foster mom's name. While there I read LG's little blurb...imagine my surprise when I read that she has uncontrolled snapping but "has never bitten anyone" I thought well that is interesting...but I decided not to say anything, although it did make me very uncomfortable. Well I gave Cheryl's name and the information and waited...Word came back that Cheryl did not remember doing our home inspection...well, I thought how could she not? Her damn dog bit me!! So I, of course, being the bitch that I can be, proceeded to mention this...

Well you will not believe the response that I received...not only did the paperwork miraculously appear, but apparently we had failed both our vet inspection and our home inspection! Well now, I am just plain pissed!! Because, of course this is just not true. So not only has Cheryl lied about Little Girl on line about the biting but now she is lying about us!! She has messed with the wrong person. I shoot off a masterpiece. I laid it all out. I mentioned the untruths in the Little Dog write up, the fact that when she left we were not to worry about adopting another dog, home inspection done etc...and that I felt that all this had come down because I had caught Cheryl in a lie and had had the gall to call her on it. I ended with the fact that I did not believe that we would be able to trust the organization enough to adopt from them in the future. To this person's credit, her response was very professional and soothing. She said that she in no way had sent any response due to what had been said, she would see to it that if biting had occurred that the write up would be changed and that we could start over and she would give us another chance. I have no intention of doing that, but I do give her credit...Heidi was caught in the middle of an awkward situation and handled it well. Unfortunately for them and the little eskies, I am a blogger! Hear me ROAR!!!
Oh, and the organization? Eskerescuers.org.

Stay Pink!!

One Voice, ‘Blogging for Our Breasts’ Today

One Voice, ‘Blogging for Our Breasts’ Today

We Fight Back - Tim Halperin Intro

Global Photo Mosaic - Susan G. Komen for the Cure #fightbreastcancer

Global Photo Mosaic - Susan G. Komen for the Cure #fightbreastcancer

Today something very fun is happening on the internet. This something is not only fun, it is important and it is using the new social media in an exciting way. Susan G Komen for the Cure is spreading the word. They have gone viral! They are not asking for anything but to spread the word of awareness...only that. There are pictures from people all over the world that have become survivors and some who have not. People are tweeting blogging, and facebooking and anything else they can think of...and now even VNing about the fact that : "Every 69 seconds somewhere in the world a woman dies of breast cancer. #fightbreastcancer at http://69-seconds.org/!" 

Not a good thing. But now we know!

Stay Pink!