The Great Hot Dog Debate

     It's summertime and that means grilling season here in Michigan. I don't know about you but I love a burned hot dog on the grill! You go to the grocery store to get the essentials; condiments, buns and beverages, then head on over to the meat department for the main course. Can you call hot dogs a main course? There are about 30 brands to search through before you find what your looking for and put it in your cart. Some people I know have no preference and will only buy what's on sale or store brands because they are generally less expensive. I have friends that won't buy anything but Ballpark and some that will only get Bar S because they say they have the best flavor. My cousin use to love hot dogs when she was younger but won't eat them anymore, she has to have Johnsonville cheesy brats. Then other I've talked to won't eat hot dogs at all because they're not food. As for me and my house we will serve Koegel's. My girlfriend is here telling me that this is a stupid post and I shouldn't waste people's time writing it. She will only buy Oscar Meyer...

     What kind do you reach for?
   

It's The Final Countdown...

     I don't get out much but with having my peeps I've done quite a few different things with sports, school and after school activities. I'm no stranger to volunteering. It seems like I always have something to sell for somebody throughout the year. Yes, I'm one of those people. Girl scout cookies. Magazines. Nuts and candy. Candles. T-shirts. Bake sales. BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Origami Owl. Thirty One. Pampered Chef. It seems like I'm always busy helping out with something. I've helped raise a lot of money. Girl Scouts has probably been/was my biggest fundraising effort with Relay For Life coming in second but today we're talking about relay.

     

Getting ready for Relay.

     This is the third year that I've had my Rosa's Rack Pack relay team and every year my team has raised more than the year before. There are about twelve teams in our county this year that all work toward the goal for our area. Each team may have several different fundraisers to help reach that goal. Then we all get together for a 24 hour event to make that final push to reach our goal. We plan for this event all year long and tomorrow, well today, it's finally here! 

     This week has been hectic trying to get things packed and ready... Tents, blankets, sleeping bags. Relay's in the park and we'll be there overnight camping. Snacks for all the team members I'll be bringing. Those peeps sure can eat! Bake sale at our site. I've spent the last several hours baking and packaging. Everything has to be prepackaged off site. Waiting for the last cookies to cool so I can go to bed... Canopy's and tables I dropped off at our site when I was there to help put the sand in the luminary bags that we'll set out later this morning. Need to set up those canopy's and tables later this morning too. Cases of water are loaded but I still need to get them on ice. Lots of little things to bring along for the theme laps around the track. Beads, leis, mustaches. Don't forget the camera and extra batteries because those are going to be some moments to remember! Thinking of batteries, I better remember the flashlights! Port-o-potties in the pitch dark are scary places to be... Need some comfy chairs to relax for a while but not too long because we all need to be walking our laps. One of our members is a massage therapist and she's decided to bring her chair to do massages again this year at our site. We have a silent auction every year and we do get some amazing items donated, like massage gift certificates! I just looked at the clock and it's 2 a.m. I have to be up at 6 a.m. to finish loading the truck and get the peeps around. I think I better get off here, bag up my last cookies and call it a day.

     Hope to see you all at relay!! 

Just Push Play

     Music helps me forget about the world I live in and open my mind artistically, a true way to express myself. I have a hard time making decisions but listening to a good song on the radio gives me inspiration and seems to help me figure things out. What do you like to listen to?

A list of some of my favorite music in no particular order...

1. Closing Time - Semisonic
2. Sail - Awolnation
3. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
4. Take Me To Church - Hozier
5. 3AM - Matchbox Twenty
6. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
7. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
8. Meet Virginia - Train
9. Why Would I Say Goodbye - Brooks & Dunn
10. Born And Raised In Black And White - Brooks & Dunn
11. You Found Me - The Fray
12. Voodoo - Godsmack
13. Alone - Heart
14. Get Stoned - Hinder
15.  I Hate Myself For Loving You - Joan Jett
16.  Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park
17. Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
18.  Decode - Paramore
19. Bad Girlfriend - Theory of a Deadman
20. Hearing Damage - Thom Yorke
21. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
22. Bleed It Out - Linkin Park
23. If I Die Young - The Band Perry
24. Sissy's Song - Alan Jackson
25. Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation
26. Rosyln - Bon Iver & St. Vincent
27. Full Moon - The Black Ghosts
28. One Last Breath - Creed
29. No Sound But The Wind - Editors
30. Shake That - Eminem
31. Here's To The Night - Eve 6
32. Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel
33. Nobody Knows - Kevin Sharp
34. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
35. Wake Me Up - Avicii
36. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
37. Rape Me - Nirvana
38. Savin' Me - Nickelback
39. If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback
40. Down To The River To Pray - Alison Krauss
41. Stand By Me - Ben E. King
42. Shame On The Moon - Bob Seger
43. A Place Where You Belong - Bullet For My Valentine
44. I'll Be - Edwin McCain
45. Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen
46. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Eurythmics
47. My Immortal - Evanescence
48. In The Still Of The Night - The Five Satins
49. Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!) - Joan Jett
50. Rock & Roll All Night - Kiss
51. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) - Manfred Mann
52. Sex & Candy - Marcy Playground
53. I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meatloaf
54. Bitch - Meredith Brooks
55. Mouth - Merril Bainbridge
56. Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
57. How You Remind Me - Nickelback
58. Why Don't You Get A Job? - The Offspring
59. Just Like A Pill - P!nk
60. So What - P!nk
61. Sober - P!nk
62. The Forgotten - Green Day
63. Fire In The Water - Feist
64. Hall Of Fame - The Script
65. Some Nights - Fun
66. All Or Nothing - Theory Of A Deadman
67. Free Fallin' - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
68. Apologize - Timbaland feat. One Republic
69. Rhythm Of Love - Plain White T's

I Will Relay For Life!

American Cancer Society - Relay For Life

     Most everyone has probably heard of the American Cancer Society and different Relay For Life events throughout the United States and many other places in the world. There are more than 5,000 Relay For Life events that take place across twenty countries every year. You can find fundraising events online, at many different colleges and universities or maybe right in a community near you. In our county we do several fundraisers throughout the year and have our 24 hour event held at the city park. More than 4 million people participate in these events that help promote awareness and raise money for screening programs in different communities and fund research to help save lives from being lost to cancer.

My inspiration to join the fight against cancer...

     In September of 2009 my Mom went to the local emergency room with severe pain from what she thought was a kidney stone. To diagnose this the doctor ordered a CT scan which showed the stone and also a large mass on her adrenal gland. The kidney stone was large enough that the doctor said it would need to be blasted to remove it and they also wanted to do surgery to remove the mass. My brother's wedding was just a month away and Mom had to be there for that so she chose to schedule the procedure for the kidney stone but wait until after the wedding to schedule the surgery to remove the mass. She was transferred to a hospital in the city, about an hour and a half from home, for her kidney stone procedure. When the stone was blasted it didn't break apart like the doctor had hoped it would but instead shot back into her kidney. She was now not having any pain from it though so that would be a worry for another day. 

     In October we all went to my little brother's wedding and it was beautiful. We had fun at the dinner and reception visiting family and friends but it wasn't long until Mom was in pain again.

     In November we made the trip to the hospital for Mom to have the surgery to remove the mass from her adrenal gland. She was in the operating room for what seemed like forever. When the doctor came to the waiting room to let us know how the surgery went he told us that he was able to remove the mass, he thought he got it all and was sending it to the lab for testing. We could go see her when she was out of the recovery room and in her patient room. Mom had a huge incision from the surgery and was in a lot of pain. About three days after the surgery we got the worst news possible. Mom had cancer. At that time the doctor said he knew it was cancer as soon as he removed it but he had no idea what kind, he had never seen anything like it before. More tests were ordered including a PET scan to check for cancer cells anywhere else in her body, they didn't find anything anywhere. That was great news for us, the doctor had really gotten it all! I think it was about a week after surgery we were bringing Mom home. She was still very sore but healing.

     In December we found out the tumor wasn't just sent to the lab for testing but sent to several cancer boards across the United States where top cancer doctors could look at the tumor to make a decision what they were looking at. It was labeled as adrenal cancer which is rare. Mom's doctor suggested that she make an appointment at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor. They have a doctor there that specializes in adrenal cancer. We would be able to ask any questions we have and find out what treatments would work best for this type of cancer.

     In February, on Mom's birthday, we went to that appointment. We already knew that adrenal cancer is rare and found out there was only one treatment available for her to even try. The doctor there however didn't think Mom would be able to stand the extremely painful treatment, and said there was a good chance it may even kill her. One of the hardest things I have ever had to hear in my life is that there is nothing they can do to save my Mom... During this visit to UofM Mom was in so much pain that she didn't think she could stand to make the 4 hour trip back home. She was admitted to the hospital to find out what was causing the pain. There were many tests being done along with another PET scan that showed the cancer had spread throughout her body. In only three short months it was everywhere. We were devastated. Mom was put on large doses of the strongest pain medications they make and sent home on Hospice care. There was nothing more we could do.

Caregiver

     An LPN for 40 years, she always knew what to do and took care of everybody. Ask anybody that knew her and they'll tell you she was one of the best nurses they have ever known. I would have never thought that at 30 years old I would be taking care of my Mom in the last stage of her life. As a Daughter this was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but I'm glad I was able to do it. The Hospice nurses came on certain days to be support for us all, do certain tasks for Mom and show us how to do others. Between my Aunt, my Sister, my daughters and myself we were there to take care of Mom until the end. She died at home on April 24th 2010.

     I was at my Mom's house with my peeps almost every day. They grew up with her as a constant figure in their lives. Even though Mom was sick and dying I wanted them to be able to spend as much time with her as they could. One of the hardest things for me to see as a Mother was when Mom could no longer get out of bed because she was in too much pain and my peeps, 3 and 6 years old, would go to her bedside to kiss her hand and tell her that they love her. 

What does relay mean to me?

     I knew about Relay For Life for a few years before Mom was diagnosed but I never went to an event until the year she passed away. That was a very emotional time for me. Not only was my Mom gone but so was my peeps only Grandmother. I have a strong bond with my family and friends that will never be broken.
     I didn't actually start my relay team until a few years after Mom passed away when one of my best friends was going through breast cancer. I wanted to do anything and everything I could to help. I decided that I wanted to start a team In Memory of my Mom and In Honor of my friend, Vicki. She was a fighter and was honored to be a member on our team but in the end she lost her fight too. I dedicated my first relay to my best friend.

     This is why I relay. For life. For more birthdays and time that can be spent with family. For research to find treatments so more people can have a chance to fight and survive. Until there is a cure for cancer I will Relay For Life! <3 <3
     

Getting To Know Me

     Like many people, throughout my life I've had several different roles. Daughter, grand-daughter, little sister, big sister, cousin, friend, student, god-mother, mommy, aunt, caregiver and soccer mom. Each a blessing that has taught me many lessons I will never forget and hope to pass on to my children as well. Growing up on the family farm with cousins all around made strong bonds that will last a lifetime.
     Along with all that I learned from my family, friends and teachers I've also learned a lot in my employment and volunteer work over the years. There were always chores to be done, then every girls first job of babysitting, to working in a wire factory, milking cows, feeding calves, becoming a CENA, doing home care, being a girl scout leader, captain of Rosa's Rack Pack relay team for the American Cancer Society and my venture of getting healthy by starting a TOPS chapter in my area.
     I get great joy from spending time with my family and friends, there is nothing more important. I like making art, in various mediums, being crafty with my peeps, reading, listening to music, and writing. I love to be outside with my feet in the grass, smelling the flowers in my yard with a cold glass of lemonade in my hand.