Strides and Life
Hello.
The blog got a bit dusty and I realized since my last post, I may have left a few people in suspense. I had every intention of capturing the Flying Pig experience in a post (and I may still do that) but the right time to do it was in the hours after the race. And I was sleeping. 😉 But I can sum it up and  say I did it! I would not have been able to do it without my crew nor Dave and the kids. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it. (Including getting stuck in the porta-potty at mile 10. It all went downhill from there.)
Meet the Step Sisters Half Pig Squad. From training to the starting line — an incredible journey!
Best bling ever!
And as big as May 5 was — focus around here is on something bigger. Our annual give cancer the boot night is in three weeks. Yes, once again, Dave has rallied us to take the track for the 12-hour Relay for Life. Since planning our first endeavor (just weeks after his treatments ended) Relay has become a very special time for Dave. Note the picture… our fearless leader takes this stuff seriously. It is when he truly celebrates the theme of “more birthdays” and celebrates his own.
Dave leading our team out last year. And yes, he is a man with a will to survive!
Unfortunately, our team has another purple survivor shirt in its ranks… Bill, Dave’s father, was diagonosed with prostrate cancer earlier this year. We also have more friends and loved ones whom also have been diagnosed and are currently in treatment. I don’t need to tell you what a beast cancer is. We all share in its experience. Perhaps that is why we really like to give it the boot (and, ahem, other things) while we stomp around a track through the night. Relay has so many symbols. Similar to the marathon, it truly is an experience with many moments and many emotions.
Beyond making a statement, why do we do it? Why do we drag ourselves, family, friends and the tent out to a high school football stadium and commit to walking through the night? Simply — we do it because we know at that time and at that hour, there are so many around us who can’t. We do it for them. We make the effort to raise funds to aid in treatments, programs and research. We do it so hopefully all of us can have less touches with the cancer beast.
If you want to be a part of this event — we certainly would welcome you with open arms and hearts. You can walk with us… you can give us a pledge of support… you can bring us coffee in the middle of the night. If there is someone special you would like Dave or I to personally run for (and note… I said RUN) — we are doing something we’ve coined “Laps for Loved Ones” between the hours of 10p and 6a. Simply pledge that person’s birth year… (1950 = $19.50) and let us know who and what hour and we’ll be honored to do the honor. Dave is going to put names on his shirt and we’ll be snapping lap pictures. If you’ve already made a team donation and have someone you want us to honor in this way, just let us know. You can message us via the blog or email or phone or FB or Twitter or dog with a note…
In the 11th hour of Relay 2011. Dave had just finished chemo and radiation.
The link to the Nashville or Bust team page for Relay is here. Your support over these past few years has been priceless. You can’t do these things alone. As we rally to support others and remember those in the bigger circle whom we love, any continuation you can give is like melted butter on a biscuit. Thanks and Love to you! ~Jacqui
Nashville or Bust 