Passionately Pink...

This post was originally written 10/20/2011. I am reposting because tonight we will be celebrating my mom at my brother's baseball game! Tonight is "Pink in the Park" for the San Jose Giants and all of the players will be wearing pink jerseys. This is the story of last year's pink jersey. Original post below:

*I've told y'all a bit of this story before, but this is the entire awesome story behind the pink jersey and the pink bat and my brother's bid to remain the favorite child.

The Background...

We're into pink around my house. It's weird how, outside of my sister, I don't think any of us ever had a really strong like for pink. I was a total tom-boy growing up. I was into sports and playing outside never dresses and dolls. I don't think I had a single item in my closet that was pink. So it was interesting when our entire world turned pink in the fall of 2005.

When mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on September 25th it was a mere days before pink was everywhere for breast cancer awareness month. It was amazing how our eyes were opened because for the first time, it hit home with us. We formed our first Race for the Cure team in 2005 and we haven't looked back! We printed pink team bracelets that year and all of our friends and family received one. It was our way of asking people to wear them and remember to pray for mom as she began the battle for her life.

My brother put that bracelet on and to this day, he has not taken it off! Our family has been changed forever. We have a fighter and survivor in our midst and we celebrate that and we will never forget what she's been through.

The Story...

Most of the MLB, for mother's day, wears pink in support of breast cancer. The major leaguers will play with pink bats and then auction them off, you'll see pink jerseys and pink batting gloves and many have the pink ribbon embroidered on their hats or jerseys. This past season, the Augusta Greenjackets wore their pink jerseys and the jerseys were auctioned off and the money was donated to the Komen Foundation. The cool part was that Taylor's start fell on the day they got to wear the pink jerseys! He talked to their manager before the jerseys went on sale and asked if his jersey could be left out of the auction. He asked if he could buy it himself as a gift for our mom since she is a survivor. And they let him!!

He gave it to her while we were in Savannah a few weeks later and she cried like a baby! Obviously his favorite child status is going nowhere! He's got that one in the bag.

A few weeks later, he was playing in Louisville and a few of the players went to the Louisville Slugger Factory. My sister and I got this email and I immediately started crying!

It wasn't long before a funny shaped (and heavy) package came in the mail and my mom received a precious gift! Again, she cried like a baby and was so grateful to receive such a treasured gift.
I absolutely LOVE that her name is beautifully engraved on that bat. She is a fighter and a survivor and she is my roll model and great inspiration. Praise God for her healing! I think it's safe to say she has made an impact on many and we never see pink without thinking of her. Keep thinking pink this October! I believe we'll find a cure soon.

There's no place like Hope!

*And my sister and I are not kidding ourselves. Taylor's got a corner on the "favorite child" market after this. Lock-stock-and-barrel. He's such a suck up! ;)

One Foot in Front of the Other...

This weekend was the Austin Race for the Cure. We had a beautiful day to celebrate my mom and the many other men and women who have fought this horrible disease that affects so many. Too many.

We had sweet friends, sweet babies and all of my sweet family come walk...

Team Zsa Zsa 2011

Charlie man, above and Sam the man, below (TOTAL troopers! They were in such good moods the whole time!)

My sister- Kristen, Mom and Me

The whole fam! Dave, my brother- Taylor, his GF- Rebecca, Mom, Me, Kristen and Dad

My dad, mom and mom's best friend- Coleen

One foot in front of the other...we'll keep walking 'til there's a cure.

Celebrating my favorite survivor as she crossed the finish line fully healed and got her pink rose.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

How Could I Allow This?

How on earth have I allowed myself to get to day 13 of Breast Cancer Awareness month without you all hearing so much as a peep out of me? It's unlike me and frankly, it's unacceptable! But good news....I have 18 days to make up for it! :)

I kid...kind of. I have been going for my nightly walks and enjoying this gorgeous weather we are having and I have been really reflecting on the 3-Day walk I did last year. Man it was a commitment. Weekends spent walking 36 miles, weeknights spent fitting in 5-6 mile walks when I got home from work and then willing my legs to go 60 miles November 6-8th, 2010.

Boy am I glad I did! It is still the most rewarding experience of my life. Crossing that finish line alongside my mother, who only 4 years before that finish line was in the middle of chemotherapy and. Wow. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I was able to be on the end of that blessing and experience that joy and honor with her, my sister and her best friend Coleen. I'm so thankful! So I have spent some of walks praying for those currently battling breast cancer. Their families who are broken hearted watching their mother, sister, daughter, friend, grandmother...fight. Keep fighting....I promise I'll keep walking!

Before the 3-Day we had always participated in the Austin Race For the Cure...and we're back!! We are always so blessed and humbled by the friends and family that come walk with us. This was our team of over FIFTY people in 2008! All walking and raising funds to find a cure.


I've said it before but I could NEVER say it enough....Thank you. Thank you for continually supporting my mother, our family, and the many (too many) women (and men) who are fighting this disease. SO, join us on Sunday, November 7th, 2010 in Austin, TX to Race for the Cure!! Team Zsa Zsa would LOVE to have you. :)

Giving is Good for the Soul...

Today over at Kelly's Korner everyone is showcasing their favorite charities and I never miss an opportunity to talk about mine! I'm sure it would be no surprise to any of you that have been reading for a while to know that David and I support the Komen Foundation. I have feared losing one of the most important people in my life to breast cancer, and I firmly believe she was healed by the grace of God and the many advances made in detection and treatment.

My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in September of 2005 and within 1 week my sweet friend Mary Lee had signed us up for the 2005 Race for the Cure in Austin. We had a 2 person team and we were ready to go! Within a week we had over 40 amazing and supportive friends signed up and ready to walk. I know that our friends will never truly know what it has meant to our family to have so much support and love over the past 5 years. It lifted us up when we needed it most and I am forever grateful.

That tradition has continued and we have had close to 60 people on our largest team which was in 2008! Team Zsa Zsa has made it's mark on the Austin Race for the Cure and I hope we can continue the tradition.

Team Zsa Zsa- 2007 Race for the Cure, Austin, TX

Team Zsa Zsa- 2008 Race for the Cure, Austin, TX

Friends and Family of our team members who we proudly walk for

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom and dad. He never wavered as her biggest cheerleader!

In 2009, me, my mom, my sister and my mom's best friend, Coleen, decided to participate in the 3-Day benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We trained for 24 weeks, and November 6-8th, 2009 we walked 60 miles in 3 days! Once again, through the generosity of friends, family and employers we raised over $10,000 for Komen!! I stand (or walk) in faith that one day breast cancer will be a thing of the past. No mother, sister, daughter, friend, husband, father, brother will have to fight this battle. (Click here to read my recap of that journey!)
There are so many wonderful organizations to be involved with. We also contribute to the SPCA (www.SPCA.org) and we each mentor children through the Seedling Foundation (www.seedlingfoundation.net ). The number of worthy organizations are endless, and I hope that I always have a passion for people and a desire to do what I can. Although it seems small, I know every bit helps. Where do you give of your time, talents and resources? I'd love to hear about your organizations! And for fun, here are a couple of pictures of our precious kiddos we have the privelege of mentoring!

My Mother's Heart

My mom sent me a sweet e-mail after this post and asked if she could be a "guest blogger". I told her of course! If you haven't checked out her blog, you should. It's mostly pictures of her dogs dressed as humans, but it's always good for a laugh. :) I hope you enjoy her sweet words.

Child, I don't know what season you might be finding yourself in right now, but I think your post was just one example of the many times God has shown himself faithful in the life of our family.

Reading your post and seeing the pictures brought back so many memories. Isn't God just so good! I tell you this..most things are better when shared and we are so blessed to have walked this journey with family, friends, strangers, angels. We learned many lessons along the way, some were painful, some hysterical, but all were tender. We gained so much more than we lost. The endless love, support and sacrifice from family and friends is truly a gift from God.

Remembering...

This day started out, like so many had before
Small little knot, but surely nothing more.

Little did I know that day, the story was about to change
A life that once felt normal would suddenly seem strange.

Uncertainty would follow, questions without answer
This would be a new reality, living with the cancer.

No regular activities, doctor visits became the norm
All the people that I love, were also in this storm.

Fight as I might, the body would still grow weak
Back on my knees again, the Lord Jesus I would seek.

Always faithful, always there, He met me every day
Meeting all the needs I had, giving grace each step of the way.

Standing on the mountain top, taking in His glory
Walking with Him in the valley, it was all part of the story.

I don't know what tomorrow holds, but of this I can be sure
God will never leave me, or give me something I can't endure.

Whether walking in a season of need, or living in abundance
I know it's all about Your timing, and the plans You have for us.

I praise You for the angels sent, may this journey never be in vain
And may You find me faithful Lord, even if You bring the rain~

I could never thank you, Kristen, Taylor, Big Daddy, Dave, Mother, Daddy, Mike, countless friends and family members, doctors, nurses and prayer warriors for all that you have done and continue to do for me. Looking forward to one more day.

My cup runneth over~
I love you!
xoxo,
Mom

Walk 'til you drop!

I can't wait to share all of the details of our 3-Day journey with you all! It was amazing, emotional, exhausting, inspiring, sometimes painful, but totally worth every.single step.

The Dallas 3-Day raised over 7.5 MILLION dollars for breast cancer research and had approximately 3,000 walkers. I laughed...a lot, I cried when I saw the son walking with the flag for his mother and crying tears as he started his journey in her honor, I "Whooped" when I passed a cheering station and saw 3 girls wearing Aggie Pi Phi shirts, and they flipped out when I told them I was also an Aggie Pi Phi class of '03! I cried when I went to bed Saturday night saying a prayer of utter thanksgiving for my sweet friend Liz who gave of her time, energy and resources to be by my side and show me how much she cares about me. She really won't even know what it felt like to cross the finish line with her by my side. For my other friends who sent me cards and e-mails to tell me how much it meant to them that I was walking. For my friends who came to celebrate "40 down 20 to go" on Saturday night. I can't say I was the life of the party but I can say I was ALIVE! Ha! Thank you. It will NEVER be enough, but thank you.

And Dave...it was so nice for him to support me and tell me how proud he was of me for commiting to the journey, training, and finishing. It was so nice to share the joy at the end of the journey with him. And with all of our friends and family that were there.

I promise to outline the 3-Days in more detail, but for now, I wanted to share my heart. And it's full of gratitude. Click here to see all the pictures I took (the others will come later). And a warning that you will probably see some of them again! :)

The whole crew at opening ceremonies! Coleen, Kristen, mom and me

Kristen getting some love from some of the kids at one of the elementary schools we passed. They were so precious! Signs, noise makers, the whole bit.

Our cheering crew at the last cheer station on Day 1! Don't think for one second the Loj wasn't there! She was just taking this picture....She got her own photo below!

Kristen and Coleen on day 2! Below: Kristen, Coleen, me and mom

Friends and family at dinner after Day 2

Kristen, dad and mom...Dad cheering us on with only about 5 miles to go on DAY 3!!

WE DID IT!!! Just passed the finish line! (You'll see we wasted NO time getting into the flip flops)

My amazing family...Dave, me, Taylor, dad, mom and Kristen

Love and thanks!

Tiffany

Well, well, well...

We finished! We walked the entire 60 miles and lives to tell about it. :) Lots of wonderful stories and pictures to follow, but for now I JUST walked in the door and I am going to B-E-D!

One thing I wanted to share is that I am an idiot and I left you the wrong Twitter account to follow for all of our updates!! I left you my Glam and Fab Twitter account and while I'd love you to follow me, all of our team updates were updated to www.twitter.com/oursolepurpose . So head over there for a sneak peak and a few photos from the weekend!!

XOXO, can't wait to share my weekend with you!!

Let the journey begin!!

As you read this....I am walking....and walking....and walking....

Today marks the beginning of the Komen 3-Day and I could not be more excited! Be sure to check out our blog: www.oursolepurpose.blogspot.com for updates! And you can follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/glamandfab

Have a great weekend and if you think about it, say a little prayer for us and a prayer for a cure!

XOXO,
Tiffany

Take it Personal...

Take a moment to head over to my other blog www.oursolepurpose.blogspot.com and leave a comment with the name (or names) of those that have been effected by breast cancer. Unfortunately, almost all of us have been touched by it in some way. Our own mothers, grandmothers, a friend's mom, a school teacher...

When we walk in the Komen 3-Day, we will be walking for each and every one of them!

Our 2009 Race for the Cure Banner, Austin, TX

Passion...and a new blog!

What really lights your fire? Gets you going? Makes you think? What is something that is so important to you, that you spend time in thought, in prayer, supporting it financially, or spend time on it physically?

I'm going to tell you mine...finding a cure for breast cancer! Seriously...I feel certain it can be done! I'm prayerful that it can be done!

Most of you know that my mom is a survivor! She is 2.5 years cancer free, and that is one of my life's greatest blessings. Many of our friends and family have rallied around us for years in support of a cure. We have had teams of 40+ people walking the Austin Race for the Cure. In the past 4 walks, we have raised over $10K (not including walker registration fees!) for the Susan G. Komen Foundation! WOW!! Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

This year, we are embracing a new challenge. Mom, Kristen, me, and mom's best friend Coleen will be walking 60 miles in the Komen 3-Day. We will be participating in the Dallas/Ft. Worth walk November 6th-8th. We will need to raise $2,300 EACH and train for 28 weeks. We are SO excited about this mental, physical, emotional and financial challenge.

We want to take each of you along with us, so we have started a new blog! www.oursolepurpose.blogspot.com We will chronicle this journey....training to the finish line. I'm sure there will be much laughter along the way (Did you read my blog about our 5 mile walk that ended with a molten chocolate cake at chili's??) as well as challenges. I do hope you will join us along the way!

Love,

Tiffany

Me and the reason I'll walk 60 miles...my mom

Team Zsa Zsa 2008!

Wow! Our friends and family are AMAZING! Thank you 1,000 times, and it's still not enough, to those of you who came and walked, donated, prayed for us and have loved us. We had 49 1/2 (Baby Kate gets to be the 1/2) people walk!! I am in awe! We (YOU!) raised $1,500 on top of walking entry fees for the Susan G. Komen foundation. Thank you is never enough.

As most of you know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of 2005 and had a long road to recovery with a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. We started Team Zsa Zsa in 2005 and this was our 4th year to walk. The thing is, we walk with the name Team Zsa Zsa in honor of mom, but there are so many others that we celebrate. I walked alongside my friends Lauren and Allison whose mothers have also battled BC and are survivors. I walked alongside my friend Meredith whose grandmother is a survivor. The list goes on and on and we celebrate all of the men and women who have battled this disease. Because we walk and because you donate and pray, I pray there will one day be a cure.

You'll notice in the pictures below that we had 2 very special surprise walkers....Taylor and Kristen SHOCKED mom and came into town to walk with us. It was so wonderful and fun to have them here. :)

The fam

Proudly walking for...

Awesome group pic at the Capitol

Peef girls! And our future peef Kate. This is going to the Arrow!

Pi Phi girls and their men

Mom and dad

Over 25,000 people walked in the Austin Susan G. Komen RFC!

My Cup Runneth Over...Thank you!