Walking for Teri

In an earlier post, I talked about my aunt, Teri, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. I said I was soon going to participate in the Pink Ribbon Walk in her honor, and today was the day! Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities were in full swing when I got to the office this morning, including a vendor fair with all kinds of pamphlets and displays with helpful tips on self detection and prevention; a presentation by a well-respected oncologist; and finally, the Pink Ribbon Walk around our cluster of buildings. Speaking of pink, I've never seen so much of one color in my life! T-shirts, decorations -- even the ice cream was a shade of blush. Love it!

I had a little cup of strawberry, and it was mmm...mmm...delicious! I'm glad these treats were all the way out in the lobby, or I may have had another. :)

I have to say, despite the sugar high from the ice cream, the whole day was pretty emotional for me. I was having a hard time keeping the tears at bay during the presentation, because every time I heard the word cancer or chemo, I'd think about what Teri is going through. But taking the walk lifted my spirits, because so many of the ladies participating are breast cancer survivors...and I know Teri is going to beat this too!

Walking for a good cause -- look at all the pink tops!

Me after completing the walk -- loved these ribbon flags! Teri, you may be seeing one of these in the mail. :)

With all the breast cancer awareness activities, an almost two-hour meeting and a mountain of e-mails to return, I was deliriously tired when I got home. I haven't slept well all week, and I think it is finally catching up to me. So, even though I'm sure most people won't agree with this, I gave myself permission to take the night off. No counting points, no workouts -- just some much-needed R&R. Our china cabinet came today, so JD and I had a nice evening filling it with wedding memorabilia, trinkets and other things that were begging to be let out of dusty boxes, and then we went out to dinner. I didn't do too shabby even on my one-night strike -- broccoli and cheese soup, which I didn't finish all of, and a single trip to the salad bar.

I know I will have Jillian Michaels to deal with later, but I plan to do two workouts tomorrow to make up for it. I just have to make sure I get my buns out of bed when the alarm goes off. Hopefully one of these daily from now on will help with the sluggishness:

Anyone else taking a multivitamin?

I'm off to curl up under my extra blanket and enjoy some Zzzzs! Night!