The Princess Guide: I DID Do That

This shirt really should read, "I DID Do That!"  Yes, folks, I DID do the 3-Day!  ALL 60 miles!!!  I can't tell you how jazzed that makes me!  My feet, ankles and knees -- not so much.  But the rest of me is over-the-moon excited. 

I have so many things to tell, so much that touched my heart while on the Walk.  BUT I need to have more than 10 minutes or so in a stretch to get it all down. 

For now, I want to encourage you to join Team Tiara on our quest for a CURE.

Don't Click the "Back" Button!  Hear me out for a second.

IF you register for the Breast Cancer 3-Day before December 1, and use the discount code CURE2012, you'll save $35 on your registration.  Even more, you'll have ELEVEN months before the actual walk.

ELEVEN months to complete your fundraising -- the $2300 required to walk.

IF you want to Crew, the DFW Crews fill up FAST.  Don't delay your registration.  The good thing about Crew?  You aren't required to do any fundraising.  But if you do raise money, it's a Bonus and SAVES LIVES.  Crew has SO many options -- there are so many servant roles that make the 3-Day work.  I'm sure at least ONE of them would fit you.

This is what I know.  A LOT can happen in ELEVEN months. Babies will be born.  Weddings will take place.  Loved ones could require our attention in ways we can't foresee right now.

WOMEN and MEN will be diagnosed with breast cancer.  Too many will die.

But just for a second, what if you did register for the 3-Day?  I'm not asking you to commit to walking at this point -- I'm asking you to commit to being a part of Team Tiara.  If life happens and you can't walk, it happens.  But along the way you will have raised $500 or $1000 or $2300 or $5000 for the CURE.  Along the way, you will have SAVED LIVES. 

And you know what?  One in SIX women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in her lifetime.  That could be you.  That could happen in the next ELEVEN months. 

And if it does happen?  The life you save could very well be your own.

Please join Team Tiara.  Please help us make a difference.  Register at www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiara2012.  Use that discount code CURE2012 to save $35 on your registration.  If something happens to keep you from walking, we'll understand.  But in the meantime, we need YOU to help US find a CURE.

The Princess Guide: This is Why I Walk

MUCH more to follow in the next few days!!!!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

The Princess Guide: Reality Bites

This LOVELY shirt that I'm wearing is my "Victory" shirt from the first year I did the 3-Day.  It's significance today is two-fold. First, it's the perfect example of what happens if you're at the back of the pack on the 3-Day.  Lisa and I didn't know what we were doing -- and I was one of the last walkers across the finish line.  ALL they had left was a size small.  Good thing I can wear it for you today!!!

The other reason this shirt is significant today is what it represents. This was my first year of the 3-Day. The year Mom was still alive. The year she watched our fundraising totals every single day. The year she sent pink roses for me to have at the Finish Line.

That was a year of hope and of promise. We had no idea that we would lose her a very short nine months later. 

Reality hit here yesterday.  For much of my 3-Day season, I'm full-steam ahead. It's not that I forget why I'm doing this -- that's not possible -- but I don't allow myself to become bogged down in the "why."

Until now, I've been about details, details, details -- getting 45 people pointed in the same direction.

But yesterday, I started working on the things that make my 3-Day experience unique. My friend Lori cut out the pink tiaras I pass out on the Walk. I just have to add Mom's picture and the verse for the back.  I put together the collage of pictures that I'll leave for Mom in the Memory Tent when I write this year's letter to her.  THAT was HARD.  And I made the signs I'll wear on the Walk. One in Mom's memory.  And one in support of my Uncle Don. 

My emotions are at the top.  Almost overflowing.  But you know what? This time Thursday, I'll be surrounded by my 3-Day Family. And friends, that just brings a big, happy smile to my face!!!

The Princess Guide: Doing More than Ever Before

I have to go up to school in awhile, and I'm thinking I might ought to wear a jacket over this one?  Maybe??

Today is kinda a "Big Day."  I shared with Team Tiara just this morning something that had been building in my heart for awhile. I think the seeds were planted long ago when I met Stephanie in L.A. -- and while she spoke of hope for a CURE, we all knew it wouldn't happen in time for her.

And then we lost Sonja -- so young and with two little girls just like mine.

And then Lora.  And then Andrea. 

And Susan is fighting so hard for her life.  And Bridget.  And there have been so many more along the way.  And Team Tiara simply needs to "do more."

As God has done often in the past, He has recently shown me that Team Tiara is need of a little "tweaking."  You see, awareness and pink and ribbons and mammograms only get us so far. The fact is, women do not die of cancer in the breast. They die when that cancer metastasizes, or spreads, to their liver, lungs, intestines, bones, brain and other areas. When that cancer wreaks havoc and causes those organs and systems to shut down.

Mets are not a warm, fuzzy subject. The pink ribbons of hope just don't really fit metastasized breast cancer. This is often seen as a death sentence, and that doesn't make for hopeful soundbites on the evening news.

In women who have breast cancer, some 30% will face mets. However, only 3% of the research dollars go to this.

This is where we can come in and make a difference. I have spent the last few weeks learning about metastasized breast cancer and which researchers are focusing on this directly. I've been helped by my dear friend and 8-time cancer survivor Lois.

Lois has helped me find three or four key researchers we could work with.  We've also found a group called Metavivor.org.

This is all ground-floor stuff. We don't have all the details filled in yet -- and I'm hoping maybe the four of you can help me with some of that.

 

Here are a few key things I'm asking you to be thinking about.

1. With Aaron's help, we have acquired www.Pinktober365.com. We will launch that website on January 1 with the key message that breast cancer doesn't just happen in October. That it happens 365 days a year.

The idea is to profile 365 different people involved in this fight -- survivors, Tiaras, researchers, doctors, etc.  It's a catchy name and it should get attention if we play our cards right.  Do you know of someone who would be a good fit for one of our profiles???

2. Our goal is to raise at least $100,000 to offer in grants directly to researchers who are working with metastatic breast cancer. This will be in addition to other projects we have ongoing, i.e. The 3-Day, Survivor Support, etc.

3. We will continue our support of the 3-Day. Some of our team members will step into stronger leadership roles there. I had a talk with God, and He still won't give me more than 24 hours in a day. Man.

4. It's going to take a bit of a juggling act. To do this, we are really going to need to get corporate support wherever we can. MANY of you have networks we can tap into. It's time to utilize those! Do you know somebody who knows somebody?  Do you have a college roommate we need to meet?

5.  Some of our team members are going to need to come up for air after the Walk, and that's okay. But as a TEAM, we can't take three months off after the 3-Day this year. MANY companies make their giving decisions in January, and we need to be on their radar screens. 

6. We also need to focus on upping the number of Team fundraisers both in Houston and Dallas -- and Austin if that growing group is ready to roll! Possibly adding a golf tourney in Dallas and maybe a few poker tourneys along the way. We can't let our 3-Day fundraising slide.

 

7.  We would LOVE to partner with other 3-Day teams or other groups in this effort.  Anyone want to come play in our sandbox with us???

8. We need Tiaras (past, present and future) to be thinking about your role.

You may be like me -- all in, let's whip this thing. GREAT! We need you! We need your help with corporate outreach and golf tourneys and helping us find new, creative ways to raise funds.

You may be all about the 3-Day, but that's all you have time for. That's GREAT! We need you! If that's you, please get registered soon for 2012. Among other things, we desperately need a training walk leader in Houston. Could that be you???

For some people, the 3-Day is a bucket list kind of thing. You're "one and done," and that's perfectly okay. BUT if that does suit you please consider supporting this new initiative -- even if you're not walking.

 

And you may not even be a 3-Day team member -- but instead someone who just has a heart for this and wants to help.

So that's the scoop. Please be thinking and praying about your role in all of this.  If you would like to step into a leadership role, please let me know. Let me know where you see yourself in all of this.

If you are planning to walk or crew in 2012, please register ASAP. www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiara2012. The discount code CURE2012 will knock $35 off your registration. You will be able to register in camp as well.

I know that's been a lot to share, but I know too many of us have seen the heartbreak of metastasized cancers -- breast cancer and other varieties. We've seen the toll that they take. I continue to stand by my belief that if we can whip breast cancer all the rest will fall like dominos.  As soon as I know more about the research we will be supporting, I'll let you know!

Please let me know what you're thinking!!!

The Princess Guide: Crew ROCKS!!!

So.... I've never been on 3-Day Crew, although I think it would be an AMAZING experience.  But I AM the proud owner of a Crew T-shirt that my friend Kait gave me when during our 3-Day Commercial-Filming Adventure in L.A.  And every time I wear it I think what a great gift the 3-Day Crew is to walkers.

They really are.  It's amazing how smoothly the 3-Day experience runs -- and all that's thanks to the Crew. These are the people who are hard at work before I even leave Houston for the walk. These are the people that meet us bright and smiling on Friday morning -- they help us park, they help us load our luggage into BIG trucks and they help us every step of the way after that.

They cook for us.  They hand us towels.  They cheer us on. They help us cross the street safely. They wrap our ankles and knees. They deal with sweaty, stinky feet all day long without a single complaint.  The 3-Day crew is the epitome of service. They are Jesus with skin on -- all day long.

I can't say enough about how incredible they are -- and there's really no way to thank them for that generosity of spirit.  But a simple "Thank You" will go a LONG way towards making them feel loved.

Please don't forget to do just that.

Now..... The carnage behind me is what a front yard looks like after NINE kids carve their pumpkins.  (This after TEN girls carved pumpkins in our driveway last night.)  I have already roasted 14 cups of pumpkin seeds.  NUTZ.  But it's been a fantastic weekend, and I'll leave you with a few more pictures....  (See, I'm not just about Pink, Pink, Pink.)

The Princess Guide: Safety First!

This shirt is a Hoot. The pink ribbon is made up of all sorts of words for Boobies -- jugs, headlights, you name it.

And this is what I look like a LOT of the time. Cell phone to my ear!  BUT on the walk that just won't work.  Remember, no talking on your phones while talking. Step off the trail, make your call, and step back on.  Or Michelle O. will give you a talking to!

Team Tiara still needs your support!  Just go to www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiararocks and pick a name -- any name!

The Princess Guide: The 3-Day's "Other Education"

Okay. Not sure why this shirt looks all gray in the bottom picture, but I did think it was important to show the back.  The back of this shirt is what ti's all about.  THIS is why we walk.

To find a CURE.  THIS is what moves people to sign up to walk 60 miles in three days. To raise an unbelievable MINIMUM $2300 in fundraising.  To do something that their friends and family are fairly certain they can't do.  And they do it.

But there's this "other" side to the 3-Day. It's not at all why you sign up. It's like the icing on the cake.  It's like the "other education" that Dr. Hesby told us about over and over while we were at A&M.  And maybe, just maybe, it's the best part.

This "other" side is different for every walker. For me, the 3-Day introduced exercise into my life. After moving to Houston, it brought me a network of dear friends I absolutely love.  After we lost my Mom, it gave me something positive to do -- every. day.

The 3-Day is every bit a life-changing experience.  For some people, just stepping out and making that leap of faith is HUGE.  Committing to something of this caliber is CRAZY.  And while we know the money "always comes," waiting for it to arrive can be nerve-wracking.

But here's the deal.  While you're doing this great big thing for breast cancer research, you're given this incredible gift in return. Just last night, I put out the word that a single mom on our team needed some serious fundraising help.  Within an HOUR, she was almost to the minimum required to walk. 

The generosity of spirit on this team amazes me.  That's something Team Tiara is known for -- and I am so proud to be able to call these men and women Family.  The very first year we walked, we helped two walkers from other teams meet their fundraising goals -- and that has continued to this day. 

It always breaks my heart a little to hear of people who couldn't walk because they couldn't raise the funds -- especially when they have people on their team with HUGE totals who don't share the wealth. I am soooo glad we're not like that around here.  I am SO glad to be surrounded by such strong, giving, loving people.  Team Tiara -- You ROCK!

The Princess Guide: Today

Today was a GREAT day!  Today was Pink Shirt Day at Dresser, and Team Tiara treated the Dresser gang to some seriously yummy treats!  It was so much fun to hear them exclaim over all the yumminess!!!

Today I also found out about a VERY special Tiara who needs YOUR help.  In spades.  Her name is Dani Hiehle, and you'll find her 3-Day fundraising page HERE.  Dani is $2000 short of the minimum $2300 required to walk. She NEEDS this walk, and she NEEDS help.  I don't want to share her story -- I haven't asked if I can, and it's not my story to tell. But needless to say, she's had a tough road. 

I know there are only four of you who read this blog, but here's the deal.  IF you aren't in a position to help Dani with her fundraising, would you please email 10 people you know and ask them if they can help??  

You know I can't do math.  But if all four of you could email 10 people who could donate $50 each, we could get Dani to the $2300 mark ASAP. 

Can you help?

The Princess Guide: Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a BIG day around here!  Tomorrow is Dresser's Pink Fire Drill and I can't wait!!!  The fabulous chicks of Team Tiara have been hard at work baking all day today.  My dining room table is covered with cupcakes and cookies and brownies and pumpkin bread. And tomorrow we will celebrate Thankful Thursday with our friends over at Dresser! Last year, this event raised over $5800 for our Quest for the Cure. I can't wait to see how we do tomorrow!

BUT....

We can't get to tomorrow yet because today isn't over.  AND it's "You Knew Me When" Wednesday! And since most of the people we hung out with in Austin moved to Dallas after Grad school, I'm going to combine the two! Hang on to your hats!!!

If you knew me in the days of....  Birkenstocks, El Arroyo, Far West, Rudy's Creamed Corn, Married Students Network, pre-Abbie, the bald cat, Salt Lick, Kerbey Queso, The Omeletry, Book Club, being blessed by Abbie, playgroup, graduation, moving to Plano, Gymboree, Pitman Creek, Henry's Ice Cream, Braum's Ice Cream, being blessed by Kaitlyn, CRCDS, Homemade Gourmet, McKinney / Frisco, Ogle Elementary, Brookstone, the Groovy Girls, the Red Hots, Rosati's Pizza, The Branch....

If you knew in those days, you knew me in Austin or Dallas -- and TODAY is YOUR Day to donate to the Breast Cancer 3-Day!  Just go to www.the3day.org/goto/imissmymom.  Any amount will work!!!

Thank you!!!

The Princess Guide: Wanna Send me Mail?

You know what??   I LIKE getting mail! Just the other day, I got this cute T-shirt in the mail from none other than THE Doyce -- as in college roommate Doyce.  Just about the only person I know who isn't on Facebook!!!

Anyways, I LIKE getting mail -- and lucky for me, you can send me mail during the 3-Day!!!  I know, the "deadline" for postmarks was "supposed" to be today.  But I'm betting you can get by with sending something tomorrow or Thursday.  REALLY!

My address is:

3-Day for the Cure Post Office
D'Lyn (Or D'Lupe) Biggs
PO Box 2939
McKinney, TX 75070

I'll be waiting!!!!

The Princess Guide: The Race is ON!

It's a race to the finish around here, so I thought a Race for the Cure shirt would be appropriate today!!! 

We leave for the 3-Day in just 10 days, and I'm no where near ready.  It's not a big deal, really.  It'll all work out.

I've spent my entire day cleaning junk treasures out of the girls' rooms, and I'm whupped. BUT not to whupped to put in a plug for donations.

We hit the $91K mark today -- just a little more than $8K and we'll be over the $100,000 mark for this year.  Can you help?  www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiararocks.  Amy Martin could sure use your help!