What's YOUR Story?

I haven't been here in awhile, and I apologize for that.  But, well.... Not really. 


I've been being a Mom -- and loving it.  I was really sad to see the girls go back to school this morning -- and not just because I couldn't sleep in. 


We had THE BEST time over Christmas break.  Yes, they bickered from time to time. But we spent a LOT of time just BEING.  As a family.  It was great. 


I've also been pouring a ton of effort into Team Tiara's new website -- Pinktober365.com  


Our goal is to feature 365 Survivors and Pink Warriors in 2012. We want to show that you can make a difference in big ways and in small. That breast cancer needs our focus 365 days a year -- not just in October. That the roads traveled through this battle are just as diverse as those fighting it. 

Please take some time to check out Pinktober365.com. If you subscribe to the "daily download," you'll wake up to an inspirational story each morning from a Pink Warrior. I promise you it will start your mornings off right and remind you every morning why you need to help make a difference.

Guess what? We need your help, too. Would you please send us your story along with a picture? And the link to YOUR fundraising page or blog or ways you help???? 

If you're a Survivor, it might be how you were diagnosed, what meant the most to you during your fight and advice you can pass along. If you're a walker, it might be what inspires you -- why you do this CRAZY thing. Your story might be about serving a friend or loved one who is fighting the battle -- driving to chemo treatments, preparing meals, shuttling kids. Maybe your story is about how you built a TEAM for the 3-Day  or Race for the Cure or how you walk multiple walks. Or maybe it's about the gift of being a crew member or volunteer. 

We need stories from Men and Women, Survivors and Supporters, from all 50 states. From all walks of life. 

Please share! As of today, we "only" need 355 more stories! We have plenty of room for YOURS. Don't forget the link to your personal fundraising page or blog if you have one! We include that at the end of each post!!! 

You can send those stories and questions to me at dlyn (at) teamtiara.net. And don't forget to check out Pinktober365.com. I guarantee you will be blessed. 

Shelf Elf Snowball Fight!

Our elves had the BEST time this Christmas! They were a bit crazy at times, as evidenced by this snowball fight!

And some crazy elf graffiti!!!

Merry Christmas from Jake!

Merry Christmas from Jake! 

Howdy, Y'all! This is Jake. I'm back! I'm a bit older and wiser -- but still enjoying life. I still chase the occasional cate and love riding my Jet-Ski up the Creek. 

For the rest of the Biggs Bunch, 2011 has been a great year. When we look back on 2011, we are most thankful for Mimi's recovery this year. We kicked off the New Year at the Creek with 3/4 of the Evans family and all of Longs. UFOs were sighted, S'Mores were enjoyed, and Luckily the Sargent Choir had the week off. Abbie rocked Name that Book. Abbie's DI team, The Nerd Herd, and loves glitter! Squirrel! Kait's team, the Creepy Crawlers aced the Rising Stars division! The trampoline is our ice rink. We had a Snow Day with NO Snow. We celebrated Opening Day on Hope Field, the first girls' softball field dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness. Abbie played for the Yellow Jackets. Kait played for the Rice Owls. Biggs coached both teams. This was Abbie's first year to pitch. D'Lyn soon learned there's nothing soft about a softball. She now wears a face mask to catch. They spend a LOT of time at Sandlot. GE bought dresser. Abbie's team won the Tire Pull at Keith's Field Day! My family skied in Utah over Spring Break with the Longs. The girls did great -- skipped a level in ski school. Just don't follow them through the trees! Kait built her first snowman. I spent the week at the Spa. We got new neighbors at the Creek, and they came with three big German Shepherds. I am NOT happy -- there are electric fences EVERYWHERE. Abbie only missed one question in the TAKS test series! Kait went to Aggie soccer camp, and Abbie went to softball camp. Abbie did NOT come home an Aggie. Abbie & Kait both learned to wakeboard, and Biggs built Kait a slalom ski. Abbie spent two weeks at Camp Blue Haven in New Mexico chasing bears and learning really bad jokes. The main story in Texas was the drought. We faced record temperatures as well as a record rain deficit all year. Fires burned out of control. EVERYONE prayed for a hurricane. When it did rain, I was fairly certain a UFO had landed in our backyard. Didn't scare me as much as the speakers on the back porch, though. Biggs traveled to four countries, flew 100,000+ miles on Continental and spent two weeks at GE charm school in New York. We are so thankful for Skype! Biggs and Abbie took the Hunter's Safety Course. D'Lyn won the needle-threading competition at Life Group Olympics. Camp D'Lupe was a blast! Trout, Beyonce's Cousin, joined us. We love fishing with Captain Gene! Kait mooned Abbie. Kait started 3rd grade, and Abbie started 5th, her last year at Keith Elementary. Opening Weekend of Dove Season was GREAT. My people got to spend time with great friends, and everyone got lots of birds. Abbie's Indian name is "Half Moon." Kait turned 9. We had the biggest turnout yet for See You at the Pole. "You know, some people just don't know their colors. They have no idea Bink is Blue and Pink." John and D'Lyn did their first Tri-Relay. A&M SECeded! We got AT&T Uverse. The Uverse quit working. Sasquatch, the raccoon, took up residence in our garage. The Uverse quit working. Kait played soccer for Team Spain and won both the Season and Tournament with only one loss. Abbie played Fall Ball in Cy-Fair for the Mustangs. Biggs was a coach with both teams. The Uverse quit working. Kait is learning to pitch. Abbie turned 11 and got braces. The Uverse quit working. Mrs. Pat and Sam came to Dallas and joined us for the DFW Breast Cancer 3-Day. Team Tiara walked for the 6th year and helped raise $7.1 million in DFW, over $80 million total for the 14-event series. D'Lyn walked all 60! Abbie and Kait are gearing up for spring softball season. Team Tiara is launching Pinktober365 and their new campaign to directly fund metastatic breast cancer research. The Biggs Bunch is looking forward to skiing Deer Valley over Spring Break. And I can't wait to get back to the Spa! Whew!

We hope you had a great 2011 and are wishing you an even better 2012! May God Bless You!

Love, Jake & Co.  

What Are YOU Doing for Christmas??

'Tis the season when polite conversation includes the all-important "What are you doing for Christmas?"  Every year you ask it. Every year you answer it.  But I can promise you that I don't know of a year when I've answered that question with more excitement than this.

You see, our Abbie-girl has decided to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and has chosen Christmas Day as HER day to be baptized.

And this Mom couldn't be happier or prouder or more in awe of this incredible child God has blessed us with.

She asked me a few weeks ago. It was one of THOSE days in the car -- you've all had them, and if you say you haven't you're not being honest with yourself.  You know. One of those days when everyone is tired and cranky and the kids are being anything but nice to each other.

We were on our way home from pitching lessons, and I'd just finished lining her out about something -- I can't even remember what.  And then, right out of the blue she asked when she could be baptized.  And she blew me away.  And I haven't stopped smiling since.

I had thought this decision might come this past summer when she spent two weeks at Camp Blue Haven, but she says she wasn't ready then. She is now.

Her Daddy will baptize her on Christmas Morning.  And then we'll celebrate with a house full of friends and Christmas Dinner.  I know that the timing of this means that many of the people we love won't be able to make it. You'll be in other places or at your own church services.  You'll have your own families to hug and love on.  But even if you can't be here, please take a moment to pray a prayer of praise for our Abbie and this precious heart God has given her.

You know, I have to share a huge Thank You with anyone who has been a part of this road for Abs. From the amazing young women who prayed over her when she was so tiny back in Austin, to the Sunday School teachers at Pitman Creek, then The Branch, Fairfield Baptist, West Houston and finally Cy-fair Christian. The teachers and staff at Custer Road Christian Day School.  From all of her VBS teachers over the years to the staff at Camp Blue Haven -- you touched our girl's heart this summer.

It goes back so much farther than that.  Abbie has such a wonderful Christian heritage and sees that in her grandparents.  And you know her Granny would be Over the Moon about this right now.

For those of you who will be in town and would like to join us, our services start at 10:00 a.m. at Cy-Fair Christian Church.  It's located at 17150 Spring Cypress -- where Spring Cypress and Skinner intersect.  We'll also be there for the Christmas Eve service at 5:00 on the 24th.  We'd love for you to join us!  It's a new church, and we really are growing to love it and the people who worship there.

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!