Have Yourself a Slice of Pie

Today, Nana would have been 76. It's hard to believe we're nearing two years since she's been gone. 

She's the reason I started this blog.

And the reason I ran a 5K.

And the reason raised my family and I raised over $2,500 for lung cancer research.

Happy birthday, Nana Banana! We miss you every.single.day. 

Have yourself a slice of pie :)

Free to Breathe 5K

After over 4 days of agony, our power finally returned last night around 6:30PM! About 2 minutes after it came on, you could hear all the neighbors outside cheering in celebration, followed by the simultaneous shutting off of all the generators. Thank you, Lord for hot water, a cold fridge, TV, dishwasher, washing machine...


In other news, last Saturday, right before Irene swept the coast, my family and I participated in the Free to Breathe 5K. Yes, that's correct, I completed my first 5K. I didn't run it all, but I ran enough. I finished in 40 minutes, which I know is horribly slow, but I'm signing up for another very soon!


In addition to the glorious feeling of crossing the finish line, Team Nana had many a cause for celebration. We raised $2,393 for lung cancer research, awareness and education. We got this sweet trophy for being #1:

Me accepting our team trophy.

Julie and I before the start of our first 5K!

Left to right: Aunt Chris, Uncle Kevin, Momma, Uncle Dan, Aunt Wendy

Left to Right: My sister, Cousins Ryan, Kaylin and Keenan

Hubs after the race. Yes, that's a pool of butt sweat. Ew.

Big winners for Team Nana! Chris with second overall, Keenan with first in his age group and Kevin with third in his age group.

Kevin, the top fundraiser for the entire event.

I'm SO proud of my entire family for participating! This is our second year and I can't wait for the third!

Team Nana Rides Again

It's T-minus 9 days until the big 5K. How am I feeling about it? Terrible. I was doing great before vacation. Running a mile straight. Then, I went to Costa Rica and came back a slug. My legs don't work. I feel like I'm running with weights in my socks.


But I have to keep on keeping on. I've run twice this week. Both major disasters. I waved to a grandma in a wheelchair who was lapping me (not really but that's what it felt like.)


I just have to remember that this is all for good reason (minus decreasing the fat on my ass.) This is the second year that my family and I have participated in the Free to Breathe 5K Run/Walk. Here's the post with pictures from last year. 

Here's my last photo with her 
And here's the poem I wrote that was read at her funeral

And though lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer out there, it's still the most undetectable. Screenings are outrageously expensive...even for those people with high risk factors. Typically, it isn't found until it's spread to other organs, like the brain. Which is how we found out about Nana. 


And though I'm not one to ask for money, I will put this out there. Please consider donating to our team. This money goes to the National Lung Cancer Partnership, which promotes education and awareness about lung cancer. 


Thanks for your support!

Cancer Doesn't Care

Tonight, I was channel surfing and stumbled upon the Stand Up to Cancer telethon.


Now, I'm not one for telethons. They usually bore me. But as you all know, cancer is close to my heart. The theme of the telethon is "Cancer doesn't care." It went through all the reasons that cancer doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care what you have going on with your life or what you have planned. 


Cancer didn't care that Nana had grandchildren to watch grow. Great grandchildren to hold. Weddings to attend. It didn't care that we cried on her shoulder, laughed at her quirks, or shared gossip from around town. Instead, it took her life...and didn't care who it left behind. Sometimes, I still pick up the phone and almost dial her number. If it wasn't for cancer, she'd still be here. 


Someone dies from cancer every minute. How scary is that? The cure has eluded the smartest scientists and physicians in the world. It requires research, time and most of all, money. I'm proud to say that my family and I have raised almost $1,000 since January for cancer research and awareness. We're ready to raise more. 


I miss my Nana. It makes me sad that she won't be around for my sister's wedding, or the birth of my children. It's not fair. But it's time to stand up and fight. And that's what I intend to do. 

Go Team Nana!

This weekend, my family and I participated in the inaugural Free to Breathe 5K Run/Walk in Harrisburg in honor of Nana. All the proceeds from the walk and the funds we raised go to awareness, education and prevention of lung cancer in Pennsylvania. 


It was a great way for my family to get together and honor Nana. We stuck out pretty well...we all had bright yellow Team Nana t shirts on...and Natalie and I sported sweet bandannas. 


The walk was around the riverfront on City Island in Harrisburg. It brought out some serious runners, like the guy who finished the race in 17 minutes. He was about to cross the finish line before we were finished with mile 1! 


As you recall, I was supposed to run in this thing. However, along my running journey, I discovered one thing. I hate running. I'm perfectly fine sticking with my elliptical, bike and Jillian Michaels routine, thank you very much. 


We all walked, except for my Uncle Kevin and cousin Ryan, who happened to take 2nd place in his age division! Here are some photos of Team Nana:

Team Nana (Left to Right, starting in the back):

Nat's boyfriend, Anthony, Natalie, Aunt Wendy, Aunt Chris, Uncle Kevin, Cousin Kaylin, Cousin Ryan, Yours Truly (and Team Captain), Cousin Keenan

Sisters with braids and bandannas. We've got lots of team spirit. 

Memorial board with Nana's name :)

Heading over the Walnut Street Bridge

My favorite shirt: Pop Pop Loves Mimi...melts my heart

Big winner! Ryan with his medal and new backpack. 

Nana's Memorial Fund

All this snow made me think of Nana. She loved the snow...particularly sitting in her chair watching it fall.

Which then reminded me about her memorial fund to the American Cancer Society. We're still taking donations to reach our goal of $1,000. We're a quarter of the way there with $305! Thanks to everyone that's donated so far!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/nanawalker

Nana's Memorial Fund for Cancer Research

My sister and I are raising money for cancer research in memory of Nana. The American Cancer Society has a great feature on their website, where you can build a memorial page for them and ask for monetary donations for cancer research.

Here's Nana's page:

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/nanawalker

They make donating SO simple, and there's no minimum amount. Our goal is $1,000, so we've got a ways to go, but we're hopeful! Spread the word and help us reach our goal!!!

Nana's Fudge

Every Christmas Eve, my whole family would get together at Nana's house for a Christmas Eve feast. And every year, among the many treats that were laying around, were several candy dishes full of Nana's fudge. It's the most simple recipe, but requires the utmost attention. For instance, my sister made this recipe this year since Nana couldn't, and we had to eat it with a spoon. Good effort, Natalie...and it was delicious...just not portable.

Nana's Peanut Butter Fudge

1 box powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 jar peanut butter (12 oz.)

1 jar marshmallow cream (7 oz.)

Mix together powdered sugar and milk in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and marshmallow cream. Stir until thick. Pour into casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap and chill.

A Poem, for Nana

Tomorrow is the Nana's viewing and Monday is the funeral. It's already been really hard, but tomorrow will be the worst. I didn't get a chance to see her before Hospice took her away, so I'll have my time to say goodbye tomorrow.

In any case, I wrote this poem to read (or have the Pastor read) at her funeral on Monday. I thought I would share it with you all.

Among the Angels

The cancer came so quickly

It took us all by surprise

It made her grey and sickly

And sadness grew in her eyes

Her battle was long and hard

And ended in defeat

It left her bruised and scarred

And swept her off her feet

Her courage always amazed us

She never gave up hope

Her spirits were always high

Which helped us all to cope

Now God has come to end her pain

No longer could she suffer

We gaze upon the bed where she’d lain

And don’t know how to begin to recover

We know God came and took her hand

Her time on earth was through

He led her to his sacred land

And said, “This is my gift to you.”

“Join me in this great eternity.”

The Lord said as he opened the gate

“Your life of love has led you to me

And now your paradise awaits.”

“Look below to see the loved ones you’ve left behind

I know you’re sad to leave them

But they’ll never be far from your mind.”

“Now, look beyond the heavens

And choose for me a star

I’ll light it in the evening sky

Reminding them you’re never far.”

So now, my friends, as you begin to gaze

Upon the starry, twilight sky

You’ll see a star that shines so bright

You’re sure to wonder why

That’s Nana’s star up in the sky

Burning bright from Heaven’s gates

To remind us that she’s looking down

Upon us every day

We’ll keep her in our hearts, you see

As we live from day to day

But we’ll always know, when we see that star

That she walks among the angels, always.

May She Walk Among the Angels

Today, my Nana lost her battle with lung cancer. She passed peacefully in her sleep.

She's the inspiration for this blog, and she will continue to motivate me to live a full life, everyday.

Here's to you, Nana. I'll miss you more than I could ever express. I hope they have all the pie you can eat in Heaven :) May you walk among the angels, always.

Norma Jean - Nov. 19, 1935 - Jan. 14, 2010

Starting Out

For a long time, I've read blogs, studied the benefits of blogs for my job, written blog posts for other people, and searched blog archives to find everything from a great recipe to advice on how to train a stubborn pug puppy. However, now I've decided that it's my turn to try my hand in the blogosphere. I would say my life if pretty ordinary, and consists of the everyday activities that most other people in the world experience. Wake up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, watch TV, go to bed. Over the past year, however, my grandmother was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer which kind of puts everyday life into a different perspective.

When she was diagnosed in May 2009, I bought a little sign for my mother, sister and I that said "Celebrate Life". I've hung it on my desk at work to remind myself to do that every single day. Life has definitely changed for my husband and I over the past year. Last year at this time, we were living in NJ, he had just been laid off from his job, and we were just trying to figure out how to get along with my salary and his unemployment. Truth be told, we hated NJ...we just wanted to get out. Then a colleague of mine shared a job opening in Maryland. The rest is history. Needless to say, this year, we both have great jobs that we enjoy, we've moved to MD which we love and we're closer to our best friends and family.

So, this year, we'd like to celebrate our everyday lives by doing things that are out of the ordinary. In college, we had a passion for volunteer work, so this year we're going to bring that back into our lives. We'll travel, try new things, and of course spend as much time as we can with the friends and family we love the most. I'll be documenting our life in 2010, and sharing things that I've learned along the way. We'll still have those days where all we'll do is lay around on the couch, watching movies, and eating takeout, but who doesn't need a day of rest every once in a while? :)