It's About Time.....

So... I just took a very bold step and registered for the 2011 Breast Cancer 3-Day in Washington, D.C.

The walk will be September 21-23, and I can't wait.

This has been a really tough decision for me -- Boston or D.C. -- I just couldn't decide. I've waffled back and forth. I don't really have ties to Boston -- but I thought it would be great to walk with the Parrish girls up there. And it would have been. It would have been incredible.

But I LOVE D.C. My first trip there was in 1997 with the "Friendship 77" -- the Texas contingency of the Rural Electric Youth Tour. With Dennis Engelke at the healm, we packed into two Greyhound buses for a 14-Day trip to/from D.C.

We had devotionals. We cried at the Vietnam Memorial. We laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. We met our Congressmen. We forged friendships that are still going strong today, and that trip had a HUGE impact on my life.

I made the trip again a few years later. I have absolutely no memories of that trip beyond that fact that we stayed on campus at Georgetown. Isn't that terrible?? I have pictures from the trip -- one of a bunch of us by a broken-down bus. But no "Dennis" at the healm and no life-changing experiences.

And then I went to D.C. AGAIN. The summer before my senior year at A&M. This time as a proud member of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, or ACT for short. Again, a time spent with great friends. By the time I came home, I was a national officer -- but that wasn't the best part.

The best part was spending the July 4th weekend with a few former FFA National Officers. Holy Cow. It was the BEST trip. They introduced me to a whole new world -- and the fact that you could be independent in a big city without tour guides! We toured the Smithsonian, discussed deep topics such as dairy cattle judging, and rode the rides at Kings Dominion. We spent the night at the Lohr family farm in Broadway, VA, and my naivety proved to be a bit embarrassing during dinner (a common theme throughout my life.) The best part? Cracker Barrel -- I'd never been to one. And I instantly became their #1 fan.

Ooooh. I'd better take that back. The best part was spending July 4th at the Iwo Jima Memorial in DC and watching the fireworks while we listened to the concert. THAT was the best part.

It was a magical trip. Can you tell?

So yes, that played a part in my decision to register for D.C. But that's not all. Remember the Lohr family? Matt is now a state rep in Virginia, and his wife Andrea is a Survivor. And while I've never even met Andrea, I want to walk for her.

Last week we received a Christmas card all the way from Maryland from our grad-school friend, Gregory McHugh. Greg's card featured him with his two beautiful daughters -- but someone was missing. His precious wife Sonja. We weren't able to find a CURE for Sonja before she went to be with Jesus. For a few years, it's been on my heart to walk in D.C. for her.

And then.... The clincher.... This morning, I woke to the news that Susan Niebur, also known as WhyMommy, has been diagnosed with her fourth cancer / recurrence in four years. This. Has. Got. To. Stop.

If you don't know Susan's story, I challenge you to read her blog: http://www.toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/.

I don't know Susan -- I have been following her blog for what seems forever. And I've traded emails with her a couple of times. But you don't have to read far or long to know that Susan is exactly the kind of person we need to be fighting for. She is a woman who fights for us -- but even more importantly for our children, and especially our girls. Susan works to show that there are NO limits for girls in science -- that they can go anywhere and achieve anything they set their minds to. Susan knows -- she works for NASA.

I'm walking for Susan. I'm walking because I know many of the treatments that she has encountered or will encounter have been discovered using fundraising dollars donated to Komen. Those same dollars that Team Tiara has spent the last five years raising. I'm walking for Susan because we need to do whatever we can to help her beat cancer once and for all.

I'm walking. And I'm proud and excited and just can't wait.

So here's the scoop. If you want to come walk with me, it's easy. You can register here. Yep. Team Tiara is in da House! It's easy. You just have to click on Join Team. And throughout the month of January, you'll save $25 on your registration with the Discount Code "SAVE25."

Please note, if you know me and you live anwhere near D.C., I fully expect you to join me on this walk!!