Q: Why Are These Frogs Dancing the Dance of Joy?

A: Because today my friends, Joyce, Diana and Lois, gave me donations that took me over the $2,200 minimum amount I need to participate in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk! And I still have 10 weeks of fund raising to go. What a relief! Think I can get another $800 to make my final tally $3,000? Let’s give it a try!

BTW, Nikki’s sister, Danielle, has asked me to join the team she is on and I’ve accepted. It’ll be nice to have others to walk with that I have met. Yea! The team I’m on is called The Breast Defense League……we sound like superheroes! But I need a superhero name, ala Halle Berry in Fantastic Four…..instead of Storm, I could be Deluge, or Jet Stream…..I’ll have to think on this……

If I had to choose three words to discribe myself....

A Wild Weekend!

The weekend festivities began with a trip downtown at 11:45 pm to pick my sister, Debbie, up at the bus station. This was her first real "vacation" without kids or grandkids. We could talk to our hearts' content without having to watch for prying little ears.

After we slept in late, we met my cousin, Millie and her husband, Bruce, for lunch at Mimi's Cafe. They, nor my sister, had ever been to Mimi's, and we had a grand time eating and talking. Later that day, we headed for Dublin, amid all the traffic for the Irish Fest, to deliver the dress I made for Renee (for the coronation). Once we left there, we made a reconnaissance trip to check the location of the church for Saturday's wedding (my great-nephew, Josh, and his bride Amy) and the reception hall. On the way home, we stopped for a Crave Case of White Castle hamburgers. Yummo!

Saturday morning dawned much cooler and less humid, after rains during the night. Debbie and I slept in late, then spent the morning drinking tea, watching the Food Network, and talking, before getting ready for the coronation to be held at the Hilton.

There wasn't much down time between the coronation and getting ready for the wedding. Amy and Josh's wedding was held in a beautiful church in Beechwald, with stained glass windows. The church has an actual pipe organ, and the organist played the classical music beautifully. The reception was held at a new facility in Delaware County. The food was great, and everyone had a wonderful time. My 15-year-old great-niece, Kayla, insisted we get out on the dance floor and kick up our heels. We danced with her, and our nieces, and our other sister, Phyllis, grandmother of the groom, and laughed and had so much fun.

Sunday we picked up my eldest son, Jay so we could have a little family get-together. On the way home, we stopped at the bookstore to meet one of my co-workers. My second son, Casey, was adopting her boyfriend's Cornish Rex cat (hence, the "alien" cat) and I was the kitty go-between. A Cornish Rex is nearly hairless, with huge ears and eyes, a whippet-like tail and a body similar to a greyhound. I thought the cat, once let out of the carrier, would head for under the bed, but she came right out of the cage into Casey's lap (they are settling in together nicely, with the kitty--Casey has not yet renamed her--following his every move). We ordered pizza, and had cupcakes and pop and had a nice visit.

Sadly, my sister had to go home to PA this morning. We left for the bus station at 3:30 am, with me barely awake. I got home at 5 am and went back to bed, sleeping until noon. The house is empty without her, and I think my cats, Katie and Dory, actually miss her.

I really need to get out and walk this evening. I'm afraid to get on the scales after all the eating we did. Oh well, back to reality.

It's Good to Be the Queen......

I am now officially Queen Donna, of The Chicks In Hats, an official chapter of The Red Hat Society. The crown and scepter were passed on to me by our beautiful out-going queen, Nikki, at a ceremony held at the Easton Hilton. The coronation was followed by a proper "tea", befitting royalty.

July Round-Up

I know I'm late on this, the last few days have been crazy! My sister came to town, there was a coronation, a wedding, an alien cat from Mars, and 'way too much food! So, let me get down to business. My goals for July were:

Collect 25 pounds in aluminum cans for recycling ($16.25)

I came close....21 pounds, for $13.65. That brings my two month total for Pop Cans for the Cure to $22.75.

Walk 100 miles

Well, I started the official training schedule, and following their guidelines, I only needed to walk 70, and I came close, 62 miles.

Lose 5 pounds

I lost 1. I get so frustrated. But one of the other 3 Day walkers told me it's not how much you weigh, it's how you train and prepare yourself, including getting enough sleep, the right food, and your overall mental attitude. She told me to quit being so hard on myself.

Make it to the $2,200 fund raising mark

As of July 31st, I have cash donations of $2,105, making me only $95 shy of my required goal. I have Pop Cans for the Cure money in the total amount of $22.75, bringing me to only $72.25 from my $2,200 goal!

I know that I will make my fund raising goal in August. But I don't want to stop there, I'd like to raise $3,000. I know I can, I know I can!