Go Red For Women today...Feb 1st!

Today, Feb 1st is the annual National Wear Red Day for the American Heart Association. Great timing, not only for Valentine's Day (aren't we all trying to find that one red outfit to wear 2/14?) but also because winter tends to encourage being indoors and many people put on a little extra "winter weight" from the colder, longer days. Obesity and heart disease are linked and while genetic factors can't be prevented, lifestyle ones can be.

For my part, I am fortunate that a few years back I bought a small indoor treadmill at Costco for a few hundred dollars in lieu of a gym membership that year and it has paid forward many, many times over! Anytime it's too cold/wet/dark/boring/crowded to go to a gym or hit the court I have no excuse not to plop myself and my tennis shoes on the treadmill downstairs where I can watch TV while working out. Actually our basement/family room is set up in such a way if all four of us are home, ONE of us HAS to be on the treadmill to watch TV....another good way to encourage fitness, even if a little drastic! But it definitely helps, I'm 41 years old with a bodyfat % of 19 and my blood pressure is 90/65...not too bad for a mom of two college students! : )

Here's my red outfit I'm wearing today...red is not the most flattering color on me (I own about 100 pink and royal blue things though!) but it's for a good cause. Mind you this is an amateur "selfie", my daughter is a little more skilled at this talent:

I do water the plant in the window BTW...she's been alive since June, not too bad for me! It's wild how they grow in the direction of the sun no matter where you put them. Til next time...

Breast Cancer Lobby Day Feb 7th!

Excited and a little nervous, I'll be joining several other ladies at the VBCF's Lobby on the Hill day Feb 7th with my friend Jennifer Welborn (she is the reigning National Ms.) to meet with legislators and others about several issues concerning health care and breast cancer testing/fundraising etc.

If you'd like to join us there's still room for volunteers to just come out and support the group and a lunch meeting will be afterwards at Extra Billy's, this is on a Thursday. Here's the link:

www.vbcf.org 

I'll post photos as soon as I can! Should be a fun and informative event :)

Back Again!

Wow, I had no idea it's been almost 2 years since my last blog post! A LOT has happened since then. Let's see:

• Both my children are now attending college full time
• My husband was promoted to management with UPS, so I am now Household CEO (He says it's a promotion for me too....but some days the laundry says differently!) 
• I completed my CPCU graduate program (finally, after 4 years!)
• We got two new kittens in exchange for the two kids leaving for college. They don't eat as much and the TV doesn't get left on. Well, ok, most nights...

I tied for the win at Mrs NC United States not long after my last post, winning the Interview award as well. It was a very empowering experience to do so well amongst a field of over two dozen ladies, 6 of whom were also former state or national winners in other systems like myself. That gave me the courage to continue my journey in pageants and I have gone on to win my first Supreme title in East Coast USA (Pro at that!) here in Virginia as well as winning the Queens Of Hope pageant, Delmarva's Ambassador and probably my favorite title to date, Royal Ambassador for Pink Queens For Life.

Here's the link to the article in the news and a photo with my sister queens: http://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/article.cfm?ID=22745

My involvement with Pink Queens for Life has made me realize that with a crown, there are indeed a LOT of doors that can open for service with a title. I initially entered just for fun and also because as a breast cancer survivor myself, I thought it was really neat that they recognized that sort of contestant as a category all its own. I never really expected to WIN...that was definitely an added bonus!

If I can begin the journey to reach out to others about the importance of this cause with just a local title like this, I can only imagine what doors would open with a state or even national crown...

Since winning Pink Queens, I have focused my efforts on working with other organizations that support those suffering from cancer, whether children at Roanoke Memorial or adults dealing with the after effects of a breast cancer diagnosis. Not only is my mother a survivor as well, but one of my best friends had to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction...a mother of teenagers like myself.

In watching them and realizing what I've felt and dealt with, I have found that perhaps I can share my ups and downs with others facing this disease after diagnosis and have hope that there can be light on the other side of that dark tunnel. I've been down it and I know how it feels to be terrified you're going to leave your children behind. So my "platform", as it were, is about as personal as it can get. And I hope to share some of that with those who read my blog over the next months as I work with others to find that sunshine after the storm that so many of us need. Stay tuned!