Interesting...

I'm not sure what's going on, but it looks like blog post I've made are disappearing. All of the post about my ankle and what I've been doing about it are gone. Bummer.

Well... Here's the quick story.
My ankle still hurts. We did MRI's to make sure it wasn't still messed up from the accident last year. There are no fractures. Doc thinks I have a damaged nerve. Fun! Not...
He has me on Lyrica right now and he's hoping that will help. It's relieved some of the pain, but not all. I'm about at the point where I'm just going to train and ignore the pain. It's July... I don't have a whole lot of time left :(

Our first training walk...

5/22/10

We had our first SGK training walk this morning. Terra and I decided to register for it and see what these walks were all about. We had a great time. It was nice to be surrounded by a bunch of people all out working towards the same goal!

Thanks for doing the walk with me Terra! It was great having you there to talk to!!

Speedy Gonzalez....

I didn't have that nickname for nothin' growing up.... (for those that haven't known me since before I was married my maiden name is Gonzalez!).

Tonight because of some great friends I raised the final money needed to push me over the $2300 mark! WHOO HOO! The fundraising has been a cloud over my head and I feel such a sense of relief right now. I plan on raising more, but at least I know I've raised the necessary amount to participate in the walk. That was something I needed to accomplish and then set aside, so I could focus on training. I plan on raising more, but at least now it's a want to raise more money instead of a have to raise more money situation!

I have some friends on my team that just joined, so now I can try and help them raise some money also. It's a team effort! I know I won't be able to make it 60 miles without my girls, so I figure we might as well start "helping" each other now :)

Blown away...

If you asked me 7 weeks ago where I'd stand today on my fundraising goals I promise you I never would have given you the following answer. I have raised $2194! Yes, you read that right. I'm only $106 away from hitting my goal!!! I am seriously blown away. I was absolutely HORRIFIED of trying to raise $2300 in 7 months. Not only have I almost hit that marker, but I've hit it in 7 weeks. Wow!

I have put this walk off for I can't tell you how many years because the fundraising scared me. I don't know any companies that are going to donate to me and I wasn't sure my friends and family would donate enough to do it. Boy was I wrong. So many of my friends and family have shown their support. I'm not going to say everyone has because I'd be lying. Honestly, some of the people I thought would be the first to support me haven't. I guess that's life though. Just because something is important to you doesn't mean it's important to your friends (or family).

Sometimes I feel like I'm sitting here bragging, but that's not at all what I'm trying to do. I'm just in shock that it was possible to do in such a short amount of time. I guess that little spitfire attitude of mine helps when there's something I want to accomplish.

I don't like things hanging over my head, so now I can get the minimum requirement out of the way and then focus on training. And hopefully...the next 4-5 months will just bring in more and more money for this amazing cause!

Now...will someone show me the money and get me to $2300 ;)

Update on my ankle...

Today I had another follow up appointment with the Podiatrist. My ankle is still swollen and there's still some pretty bad inflammation going on in the inside area of my ankle/calf. I seriously had no idea just how much damage I did last summer. All for a fun trip out on the boat. OOPS! He said I can do the walk. I just need to do some major babying to my ankle/foot to get it ready. We're going to try a Medrol Pack and see if that helps any. I'm also going to start taking Celebrex once that's done to help with the inflammation. If those 2 things don't settle down the swelling then we'll move on to cortizone shots. The problem with the shots are that the pain/swelling is not limited to one area. The lower part of my leg was crushed between a boat and a dock. The swelling and pain starts about an inch or 2 down from the bottom of my calf on the left side of my leg and runs down to the top of my ankle. On the right side of the leg it starts at the ankle bone, goes down to my heel and then wraps around the top of my foot. It's a pretty large area when you think about it. He's not sure the cortizone shot will do what it's intended to do because he can't focus it in one area. And we're not going to go have 17 shots injected into my foot and leg! Lets be real here ;)

So...for now all I can do is follow orders, hold off a little more on getting back to my training, and hope these meds work. If not, I'll just start training and hope for the best. I'm tough. I can handle pain. And sometimes...you gotta do what you gotta do ;)

Anybody ready for some Mooyah?!?!

Today I finalized the plans to have a fundraiser at Mooyah Burgers in Frisco! Bring it! I love that place. Their burgers are yummy, their fries are overflowing, and Mac loves to doodle on the wall ;)

I'm hoping everyone I know that lives anywhere near this location will come out and support me!! All you have to do is come by yummy food. How much easier can it get? No receipt drops. No remembering to tell them you're there to raise money for me. Nothing. Just buy your food and enjoy a yummy meal! You know you want to come ;)

It will be on May 11th. Put the date on your calendar now though, so you don't make other plans! More details as the date approaches.

What a wonderful day!

Today has been an awesome day for donations. I've received donations from 4 people today!! What an awesome feeling. I'm now at $1390. Sweet. Less than a $1000 more to go.

What's even better is I'm working on the MixedBag Designs order right now and it looks like I'll bring in about $250-$300 from that fundraiser. I can't tell you how happy I am about that. These bags are AWESOME, so I know everyone will love what they get. I really like mine! A big thank you to my friend Dana who took an order form to work and sold a few hundred dollars in bags for me! I love you dearly!

I did it!!!!

Whoo hoo! It's been 1 month since I registered for the 3 Day For the Cure walk and I'm already halfway to my goal. I am so pleased about this! SO SO PLEASED! I know I still have a lot to do, but $1210 ROCKS! My friends, you are amazing. Truly amazing. I don't know what I'd do without you guys. You stepped up and showed me that you really care about me doing this walk. I love you all. Now lets rock and roll and get this last $1100 raised! Whoo hoo!

Pink Bra Pub Crawl - This Saturday night!!

This year is the 2nd annual Pink Bra Pub Crawl. Don't be alarmed when you see a group of girls walking down McKinney Ave wearing pink bra's over their clothes. It's just us trying to get your attention and your money ;) Yes...I said your money! Because lets be real...that's what this is about. Raising money, raising awareness, raising money to raise awareness. You get the idea, right?

So...if you see some pink boobs cross your path stop and talk to us for a second. Make us feel loved and throw some money in our "banks"! It's for a good cause! And come on, how many times do you get to see a group of girls walking around in pink bras?!?

In case you'd like to join in the fun. We'll be starting out at 6:30 PM at Uptown Pub and working our way down the street. We'll finish up at Uptown Bar & Grill probably somewhere around 11. Come join us. We'd love the company and I know you want to check out my bra ;) If you need more details just let me know!

Betties for Boobies Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3686187&id=82535993800&fbid=385621893800#!/bettiesforboobies?ref=ts

MixedBag Designs - price list

If you need any help figuring out which prints are available in the size of bag you'd like please let me know. I have an easy chart I can refer to!

Once I submit the order it should take them 2-3 weeks to get me all of the bags. Thanks!!

Pricing:

Grocery - $11.50
Department - $11.50
Drug - $7.50
Box - $15.50
Large Pack Rat - $19.50
Small Pack Rat - $17.50
Hold Everything - $18.50
Zipper Tote - $18.50
Lunch - $9.50
Bottle - $7.50
Fold n Hold - $20.50

I'm almost halfway there!

One of my friends that did the 3 Day walk a couple of years ago told me that the fund raising would be the hardest thing I had to do. I remember thinking... "Um, I think the whole walking 60 miles in 3 days thing might be harder!" I now have an idea what she meant though. This whole $2300 cloud is hanging over my head. I have some time to raise it all, but it's the first thing I think about when someone mentions me doing the walk. I just want to get the minimum raised and put it behind me. If I can go over and above that once I hit the minimum then great. But lets just get to that minimum mark already! haha!

So...if you're one of my friends expect to be asked. If you're one of my good friends expect to be asked probably more then once. I'm the first to support my friends when they do something like this, so I hope my friends return the favor! This is a good cause people... help a sista out ;)

Click here to donate :) http://www.the3day.org/goto/chrystyna

Say a prayer for me...

I got some news today that I wasn't expecting. It took the wind out of my sails. Thankfully I'm not that easy to stop, so I regained my composure pretty fast. Sadly, my foot/ankle has not healed from last summer's boating accident ;( I thought I was ok, but I guess I was wrong. I haven't walked on my foot in almost 2 weeks (other then every day walking around type stuff) and my foot is still hurting and is very swollen. My Podiatrist took one look at it and said "I'm sorry, but I really don't think you'll be able to do the walk this year!". Um, excuse me? Did I hear you right? Can't do the walk? I figured I must be hearing him wrong. NOPE! Dead serious....no walk. I told him that wasn't an option. I had months for it to get better and I wasn't going to sit this out. It's taken me years to commit to this. I'm doing it. Period! Tell me what I need to do, but I'm doing this walk. After some discussion and him realizing the walk is later in the year then he thought he took back his statement. He said he would work with me and try and figure out how I can make this work. He's worried I won't make 20 miles a day, but he said we can cross that bridge when we come to it. So...for now I take it easy. I don't have to get my cast back on (thank God!!!), but I am in a Ace bandage type brace thing. He wants to see if the additional support will help me some. I also will probably need a special insert for my shoe. Oy! Just heal already shoe. I want this to happen. I need this to happen. Don't stand in my way.

There you have it. Say a prayer for me please for a speedy recovery. I mean, come on, it happened 8 months ago. Haven't I given it enough time to heal?!?!

Oh...and did I mention that he removed my big toenail this morning. It got partially ripped off and the whole thing had to go. Talk about pain. I'm falling apart!

Be green and support me at the same time!

I was introduced to Mixed Bag Designs last year from a friend of mine. I bought one to support their fundraiser, but didn't really care that I was getting another reusable bag. Boy was I wrong. My bag showed up and I was pretty much in love instantly. I LOVE IT! I use that bag all the time. It's cute, sturdy, holds a ton, and did I mention it was CUTE?!?!?! I also love that I can just hose it down when I get dirt, sand, fabric crap (crafters - you know what I'm talking about! All of those annoying strings/pieces that come off of your fabric in transport-especially minky! ugh!) in it.

You can take a look at their Spring Collection here:
http://www.mixedbagdesigns.com/shopcollections.shtml (make sure you don't order from the site. You have to order from me in order for it to count towards my fund raiser!)
I am able to sell Spring Collection II which it doesn't specifically break down (I've broken down what prints are in that collection below). If you click on the print you like you will see what size bags are offered. My price will be $.50 less then what you see listed on their site. Hey...every penny counts, right?

Here is a list of the prints in Collection II if you want to make sure what you want is available:
Black Swirl
Bloom (Green, Purple, & Red)
Blue Paisley
Daisy (Pink & Blue)
Damask
Garden Gate
Gum Drop
Leopard (Blue, Pink, & Purple)
Palm
Pineapple
Pink Damask
Plaid
Provence
Tutti Frutti
Watercolor

If you are interested in purchasing one please post here or email me at Chrystynaj@gmail.com. I will also have this on FB, so you can comment on the link there (or message me through FB!).


BE GREEN, SUPPORT ME, AND LOOK GOOD DOING IT!

Thank you for your support :)

...

And the winner is....

Congrats to Danielle King. She is now the proud owner of a mini session with Chera!! Thank you Chera for your generosity and thank you Danielle for your donation. I appreciate the support both of you have shown me!!

Please tell me it's not serious...

Ever since I started training my ankle has gotten progressively worse :( It's now at a point where it's throbbing even when I'm sitting down. I most definitely don't have time for my ankle to hurt :( I haven't walked on it since Monday (other then every day use). I really did not expect to have problems with it 8 months after the accident. I hope it's not serious and the Podiatrist can fix me up and send me on my way. Please oh please tell me it will be that simple!!!

Thank you to my supporters!

Thank you to those who donated to my 3 Day fund today (and days in the past)!! I really appreciate you guys. Without you none of this would be possible!!!

No pain, no gain!

That's the old saying, right? I hope it's right ;) My ankle has been acting up ever since I decided to jog last week. I have an appointment to see the Podiatrist, but of course he's on vacation right now. Lucky me! I never thought I'd be having problems with it 8 months later. I guess when he told me I did more damage then a break he wasn't kidding. Ugh! And let's not talk about the muscle that runs behind my knee cap (technical, huh?). It is soooo sore from yesterday's walk. I might need to re-think today's walk route ;)

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That felt good!

A friend of mine who runs a lot decided to take it easy and walk today. We had lunch together an when I was pulling away she asked if I wanted to meet up later and do a long walk with her. Um, not really. I'd like to sit on the couch and watch TV. Since that's not an option though I figured I had nothing to lose. So, after the kiddo woke up we met up with her and her son. We left her house and headed out for a 4 mile walk (at this point I was happy she was taking it easy on me for doing 4 miles instead of 6...haha). I wasn't sure what my body would think of a 4 mile walk. I just started walking last week and definitely haven't walked 4 miles yet. I must say, it wasn't too bad. Had I been by myself it would have been rough, but with a buddy it was tolerable. Now if I could just get her to do it with me 5 times a week ;)
(Thanks Des. You rock!)


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Oh Spring...where are you???

I'll be the first to admit that training for this walk is going to be hard for me! Ever since I moved to TX I would rather chill out then exercise. I don't know if it's because I don't have friends nearby that like to work out or if it's the fact that we actually have winter and summer weather here and I don't like extreme weather - hot or cold. Either way...I HAVE to get prepared for this walk, so not exercising isn't an option. I was on a roll this week. I walked every day Monday - Thursday and then I needed to take Friday off to get caught up on some Kenzie Kouture orders. Well, little did I know that Saturday and Sunday would have rain and snow in mind for me :( I'm all about preparing for this walk, but not enough to train in the rain and snow. So...lets hope by tomorrow Spring returns and Winter goes away like it was supposed to ;) Oh - and Summer - it would be nice if you were mild this year. I'm not a huge fan of 100* weather. I can't imagine what I'm going to think when I have to walk 5 miles in you!

Want to know why I'm doing this?

As many of you know my Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 Head, Neck, & Throat Cancer over 5 years ago. The diagnosis was life altering to say the least. The tumor in her neck had grown to 2 inches by 6 inches and was wrapped all around her muscles and veins. They took her in for surgery days after they realized the extent of her Cancer. When they opened up her neck they realized just how bad it was. The tumor had wrapped around major muscles and veins in her neck and her surgeon had a big chore on his hand. This quick surgery turned into an almost 5hr surgery. They had to remove muscles because they couldn't get around it. She had to lose one of her jugular veins because the tumor was surrounding it. I'll never forget the way my Mom looked when they wheeled her back into her room. I've never seen so much blood or staples. I took one look at her and almost fainted. No one should ever have to see a loved one look like that. No one should have to go through a surgery like that caused by this evil disease. At that moment I vowed to fight against Cancer!

Ever since then I've done my best to raise money for Cancer whenever I can. Participating in this walk was presented to me this year and I decided I needed to do it. It is going to be both physically and mentally exhausting to be part of this walk. I know I will shed many tears throughout these 60 miles, but I know it's something I need to do. There are so many people who don't survive their Cancer diagnosis and I feel blessed to still have my Mom in my life! I am a VERY lucky girl! I need to fight for those who weren't as lucky as me and hope these fundraising efforts help those who follow behind me!

One person is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes in the United States. That's why I'm walking - to do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Calling all Chera fans!

Anyone who knows me knows that Chera has been taking Mackenzie's pictures since she was 1 month old. I adore her! She captures my sweet girls personality every single time without fail. If you've never seen any of our pictures and you'd like to see her style just let me know. I'll link you to plenty! haha!

Chera (http://chera25.com/) has donated a mini session along with 5 edited images to one lucky winner! How cool is that?!?! All you have to do to be entered in the drawing is donate at least $5 to my Susan G Komen 3 Day fund! For every $5 you donate you will get 1 entry in the drawing.

Comment here once you've donated and I'll add you to the drawing :) Good luck everyone and thank you so much for your support! It means more then you know.

Click here to donate!

Wowzers!

I'm doing this. Actually doing this! I've talked about doing the 3 Day walk for years, but have never actually hit the register button. There was no turning back this year. I was fresh out of excuses! The only excuse I really had was that I didn't know if I could raise $2300! I would never know if I didn't try though. So... here I sit blogging about the start of my 3 Day adventure. I have a lot to do. Money to raise. Training to start. Support system to get in place. I can do this though. I WILL DO THIS! I think it's going to be one of the most challenging things I have to do, but I'm strong. I think that's one thing everyone would say about me. I'm a fighter. Strong as hell. Nothing will stand in my way if I set my mind to something.

Join me on my adventure! I hope to do some fun things to raise money :) Wish me luck!