Bootilicious Weekend!

It’s always hard to get the body parts moving the day after 24 Hours of booty, it’s a Booty hangover. Joints hurt, muscles ache, there’s that fog that lingers where you just can’t quite think of what next… or maybe, that’s just because Booty is over. There is now nothing to do, right?

Sweet Rides is made up of some pretty awesome people. We have the veterans and the last minute additions, casual and serious riders, silly and adventurous. But all together, I think our team has a beautiful spirit. Green, yellow, a splash of pink, glow in the dark… colors that I can’t pass on a daily basis without a smile. A green purse? It’s a must have! Glow in the dark paint, yes please! Our team is colorful inside and out, and they do Booty with a purpose.

Kicking cancer’s booty is a phrase I hear often. I’m in the middle of it kicking it’s booty, and have learned to do it well, means to stay positive, active, and fight hard.  This weekend I watched 250 riders, a mess load of volunteers, a bunch or spectators and cheerleaders, friends, family, strangers and the Booty organizers go into overdrive, literally karate chopping cancer’s booty to the ground.

First was the fundraising aspect of it all. With amazing donors, corporate sponsors, yard Sales, Kids 24 Minutes of Booty, 2013 BootyCrawl, Canyon’s Night, Friday Night Live events, and again amazing donors,   our team raised almost $17,000. About $10,000 of that being only in the last two weeks. I personally came in a speck under $3,000, Madison beat her goal of $500, and Skip raised over $1,000 in one week. Atlanta raised over $135,000 with a grand tour booty total of around 1.8 million. Not too shabby! In Atlanta our funds raised benefit The Aflac Center at Children’s Healthcare, where I personally know three patients, and LiveStrong, one of the coolest national cancer support systems in the world. Applause for those who have all worked so hard!

Second the riding. For those that know me well, biking is kind of my thing. And the best part, my family loves it too. In past events I’ve ridden the most at 122 miles, the first 24 Hours of booty and the first time being on a road bike. This weekend, I set my goal of 5 miles. Having done treatment 2 days earlier, it was going to be a little tricky. I couldn’t over-do it. I went out for the first lap in the Peachtree Bikes pace vehicle! It felt like I was in the car for a Tour de France team with the guys on the radios. I got to hang out the window and watch my daughter and husband and some pretty sweet survivors and top fundraisers, follow us through the course. You could not get the grin off my face. It was awesome. I felt like I was the queen of the world for just a moment!

My second lap was on a bike. I don’t remember too much because I was concerned about shifting, breaking, taking it easy, watching for cobbles, corners and holes. But I did get to ride with a few 100% amazing people, had a few laughs and lots of shout outs to anyone who wanted to be my Booty buddy. It always sounds wrong, clean people, stay clean. I pulled in to complete my first lap and oooops, what did I do, I just kept right on going! HEHE. I felt fine and honestly the walking back and forth to the bathroom was much much harder. I wish I could have ridden with every single person out there. I wanted to and it makes me sad that I didn’t so maybe next year that is a goal… to somehow ride with everyone for at least a minute!

Now, that being said, I did get a WHOLE lot of pictures with people. LOTS. I think like 60 plus the 400 I downloaded of my Canon. LOL. If I missed getting my picture with you, I’m sorry, know I love you bunches! Everyone there!

Third thing, awards. Friday afternoon, I got a sweet call from Janet saying that 24 Hour of Booty would be awarding the Wall family (that’s us) the Spirit Award. It goes to a rider, or group, that has shown lots of cancer-fighting spirit. What an honor!! I love these guys! They did a quick little interview where Madison got to tell about the cool bike her dad built for her, and Alana, who said “itchy” over and over. She actually got nervous! Yes, Alana. Skip reiterated the fact that so many people helped us during this crazy time and that we could not have done it without them. From meals, to babysitting, to paying for bills, this has been an overwhelming experience and the LEAST we can do is go through it with a positive attitude knowing that God does provide through family, friends and strangers, and that there is good that can come out of such an ugly thing. This weekend was shining goodness and love and I hope you could feel it even if you weren’t there.

Hitting refresh, refresh, refresh, refresh… Friday afternoon was fun as always and it showed at 5:00 PM that we would also be the recipient of the 2013 Top Fundraiser award. ONLY because of our INCREDIBLE donors we have made it into the top three for all 4 years now. I have to be honest, the other teams up there put up a crazy fight and competitive me had prepared myself for “butthead Jay” or Brian to beat us, but once I gave it up, the donations poured in. I prayed over every dollar a LOT of times, and I am confident that our donations, our fundraising, are going to make a difference in this city! So way to go team! Four years in a row, that’s a lot to be excited about! Huge smile!

Fourth, glowsticks. So what’s up with all the glowsticks? For every $5 donation, you can honor someone you love that has fought or is fighting cancer by having their name written on a glowstick. At sunset Saturday we light them and remember why we are here. One friend said, “beautiful, but too many.” And again, it’s why we ride. On Friday night, about 7:30 I’m writing the remainder of the names and realize I had just run out of glowsticks! I ran to Dollar Tree and they had none. I called the second store and wow did I score! 3 to a pack and though there were no green, there were lots of pink! What have I said, “green with a splash of pink!?” It was perrrrrrfect! We wrote them, strung them, hung them and at dark, we lit them. I think we still need to find a good way to make sure everyone is there, like EVERYONE, because it sure is an amazing way to honor survivors. I would LOVE to have 500 glowsticks next year, strung all around both tents, symbolizing the lives that have fought. Mmm. It was cool. (Oh and I still have to laugh, Tracy, Therese and I all could not break the first stick. Always seems to happen that way!)

Fifth, thank you’s. Skip. Madison. Tracy. Therese.

Skip is my love. My sweetest, cutest love. He has been there these last few months in ways I honestly didn’t know possible. When you have fluid oozing from your boob for weeks, it’s not all that flattering! “Hey honey, can you change out the bandage?” CHEESE! He has seen it all folks, and still loves me, that’s HUGE! Hehe! He’s also put up with my nervous tendencies (I talk A LOT) and even shared a little Xanax with me! It’s been hard at times and easy at others, but I think overall, he handled this ordeal really, really well, like a rockstar actually. A pink-haired rockstar. He’s got this silly/serious sense of humor that keeps me on my toes too. Not sure the In Honor of Walter White was all to appropriate, but then again, I’m kind of really drawn to that about him. When you can just shake your head and giggle… He’s crazy.  I love that he is as competitive, if not more, than me, especially when biking is involved! I love that he dyed his hair pink and that he didn’t shave it and went to work like that today. I love that he waxed his legs to finalize last year’s fund raising debt. (video coming soon) I love that he puts up with all my fund raising ideas though he thinks we’re nuts, and I love that he is so generous. I loved riding alongside him this weekend! I barely got to finish the last lap with him, but made it, sprinted and stood up a few times to get there, but wouldn’t want to cross the line with anyone else! (Well, maybe M, but she had another idea in mind) Skip is pretty special to me and so happy God thought enough of me to give me him. Can’t wait for the next 13 cancer-free years!

Madison is mini-me. My clone. However Spencer put it in the awards ceremony, she’s it. But that just means I’m really cute, right??! She is a precious little soul. She is quiet and a bit shy, but one determined, competitive, sweet little girl. And really, once she get’s to know you, it’s over. No more shyness. She rode 46.2 miles meeting and exceeding her goal, all because at 10 years old, she knows what cancer is and how it can hit home. It’s shaken her world and she fights on. She’s determined for a cure. I do love that she saved her energy to be the first to cross the line during the last lap. I’m pretty sure I was near dying trying to keep up with her and finally gave up. Yes, Madison beat me. Whew! Lol.  I loved it when she came up to me and said, “I put three names on the Wall of hope” With the little sweet grin… I knew who the three people were. It melted my heart. Way to go my little Madison, could not be any prouder today of what she’s accomplished!

Tracy, my co-captain Tracy! What a seriously insane year. I am not sure I could fit in here what it means that she keeps doing this crazy thing called booty with me, but I must same I AM SO glad she does! I love her heart and her passion for fighting this ugly disease. I didn’t get to ride with her until after the last lap actually, which was actually kind of funny and pretty sure I won’t forget it, so hoping I will get to ride with her soon. She has a gift of organization, generosity, hospitality, and serving and I love that she loves to go over the top with everything. At the end of the day we may be wore out and think “what in the world are we doing”, but truly, the friendship we have is worth it. So glad we met, made this team and kept it going. It’s been a blast. I can’t thank her enough for how she’s helped, I’m truly thankful for our continued friendship.

My other new long-time booty friend and now co-captain Therese… this is another partner in crime! This girl does a TON! Broken foot, baby, 5^th grade homework... Nothing stops her from fighting the fight. I’m so glad she is a part of this. She’s creative, fun and I love that she is always up for a challenge! She’s a great friend and truly blessed to ride alongside her as well…

Last but not least, highlights, and probably more thank you’s… (I’m going to forget something, I know it! Chemo brain is going to make this hard… READY?) ~ I loved seeing Team MRI pair up with Sweet Rides at the last minute, an amazing group of guys (and Cathy) that I wish I could have ridden with more and gotten to know better this past race season! Definitely not too late! ~ Rode with Mr. Dan Wagner as he made it down from Kentucky with his amazing family and I got to meet his sweet wife Colette. She’s a trip and I’m sure I got me another new friend for life!  Can’t thank them enough, and words will never give justice to how they have supported me and my family through the years. ~ Team Collin, holy moly, I just adore them. I loved seeing them ride by and cheering for them. So glad I got to hug the neck of Vaughn and Melinda. Seeing Vaughn in a dress a

nd pink hair was, well, pretty! Lol. Super precious people. ~ Jay cracks me up as usual. He swears he didn’t ride much but I saw him in a different shirt over and over and over… he was cutting the course, I know. He’s the best at thanking his donors and the pink shirts, pink facial hair and new team this year were pretty cool. I’m so honored to ride alongside him. ~ Peggy, peggy. Oh the girl with pink hair! She ran the course before riding it because she is that awesome. She is a lively spirit and hugging that woman after getting encouragement overload on facebook these last few months was a gift. ~ Brian Hevesy. Got a kiss on the cheek and got to ride in some of my last lap with this inspirational man. Hope someone got a picture of our hands raised coming up that hill! I was a little freaked I was going to hit a cone, but super cool moment. ~ Bob Falkenberg a crazy awesome survivor who has been an inspiration to me these last two months popping up behind me on one of my laps was a little booty gift ~ Team Pirates. I think I got to talk to Kelley more than I ever have this weekend and she is just awesome! So bright and fun! John Manser touched my heart this weekend and loved getting passed by lots of pirate friends on the course. You can always see them coming! Argh!! ~ The neighborhood parties! Lots of cheering from the sidelines! There was even a waterslide at one house and a big screen at another! Lots of signs, people handing out cold drinks, a guy banging on his drums in the driveway early Sunday morning! Priceless! We even got to get cheered on by the Miffitts who came out to see us! I’m not sure they know how much it meant to see them, but it meant a lot! ~ All the Booty crew. They are just crazy awesome. They have been there for us so much through the years. A lovely group of people who I am so beyond honored to know, and keep meeting more! Loved getting on Rogers unicycle! That was COOL! New friend Steve drew the iPad name! Great people! ~ The Rau family, Jen and Rob! They were out volunteering in the Booty store this year and they made my day! Cutest couple ever! I did miss my picture with Jennifer! We said bye and I was trying to refill my Zophram as I had just dropped and lost my pills on the ground and was in a whirlwind! Crazy moment of course and I saw her down the sidewalk and had no energy to chase her down! So gotta get my pic with you girl!!! It was fun to cheer them on too! ~ 5:30 AM bathroom chat with new friend Ann Marie from Charlotte. Sweetheart. ~  6:30 AM breakfast with Blake who may have had the highest mileage for any Sweet Rides team member yet! It was over 200… and most he has ever ridden too! Woohoo! ~ Also ate breakfast with Spencer. Super nice chatting with him. He’s the reason Booty started… and so grateful. Super nice guy with a LOT of heart. ~ Seeing my dad was cool. He’s been working his brains out. I went and took a nap and he slept outside. It was really sweet. Love you ~ Maggie and Warren are heroic. I’m not sure how they kept up with Kaylee and Alana and sometime the rest of the kids this weekend, but they are official Sweet Rides team parents! They are so kind and so generous. Not only did they make it as easy as possible for us, but they may have told those kids no once making it a blast for the little ones. ~ Walked by the Yelp tent and the announcer said to enter to win the red blow up couch. Well guess who won!? ME! HAHA! There were a 167 buttons in the bag and I guessed 149! Woohoo! We are now proud owners of an inflatable couch and the kids were ecstatic. ~ Tina Surls. She is one of my golden donors. Supported all four years in honor of her mom and dad. She cheers me and my family on so much. The encouraging lady was out for a good 8 hours helping and volunteering which blew me away. A light and a love and an inspiration of selflessness! Hope I get to hang out with her some this year ~ Heather for bringing lunch Saturday. She and her aunt will never know how helpful just a meal is. The team was well fed and the food was incredible. It’s really hard to set up and remember to eat, they provided a meal over and beyond. ~ Getting my hug and a few shout outs on the bike from sweet Giordana. She’s a cutie as always ~ Best moment with Amy was when she looked up and noticed the clouds. Pretty sure grandpa was showing off again ~ My mommy. She did a 100 miles and I think I got more hugs from her than ever! Lol! I always love riding with my mom and it was awesome to do the last one with her. ~ Coming to the campsite in the morning and seeing Madison and Skip’s pink head pop out of the tent. Most precious moment. My heart melted! ~ Gayle. I don’t know why her gluten free midnight pizza snack keeps popping in my head but it has all morning! She inspires me on how health-minded she has become. So proud of her! She rode a killing out there and so honored to be on this team four years in a row with her and her sweet husband. She won’t know what all those texts and messages meant to me this summer… what a love. ~ So good to see Ingrid doing massage therapy! What a sweet lady who I hope will even ride with us next year! ~ The Offenbergs! What would it be without Matt and Traci! So glad they came out to ride! Love them so so much! Wish Traci’s knees had felt better - I didn’t get to ride with her either!! Whats up with that?! But I was glad to give Matt an energy gel! lol ~ The Kovacs! Seriously, Jen volunteered. She blew me away, as usual. Generous and kind family. Glad I got to eat dinner with them and  be around her super sweet kiddos ~ Steve Nance came out which was super cool! He is an incredible supporter and I was so grateful he could ride this year ~ David and Kara and boys! Lots of fun watching the boys go around and ride! They really got into it! I especially loved the BMX skidding into place on the last lap. Cracked me up. ~ Aunt Joan and her flowers and her excitement about being there and volunteering was contagious. I bet if you talked to her, you would be out there with her volunteering. It was really sweet and I’m glad she can still be a part in her own special way ~ I think what stands out in my head for Tucker is that curly beard and hair! Lol. I can’t get past it! Naw, I’m kidding. Another perfect example of generosity and friendship. Such a great guy and it was fun watching him and blake bust out some fast laps ~ Michael Burgess showing up for the glow stick ceremony again. Glad he got to pirate a few laps…

I have so many stories and don’t think I have the energy to post them all, much less sift through the chemo brain right now, but these were the first to come to mind. I do want to point out one more amazing thing. The weather was iffy and a ton of people were talking about it. But do you know, it was some of the most beautiful weather, and that the downpour waited for us to unload, close the garage and head upstairs. Most perfect timing ever, as usual. Thank you Lord for watching over us and seeing that the weather would not be a worry and for me not getting too sunburned. Hehe. I always forget that sunscreen!

We wrapped up the weekend with a great dinner with family at California Dreaming. Even my grandmother came and her tears were just heart wrenching. I can’t wait to heal up and visit with her more. I know cancer has pierced her heart in an ugly way… that’s why I continue riding, for all the people with chipped hearts, mine included.

Lot’s of love was shown to my family this weekend and it made my heart grow in ways I didn’t know possible. Cancer isn’t easy, but it sure is fun “thinking” it is. So keep positive, and if you or someone you know is in it, find a way to laugh or make them laugh today! And if you see the color green today, whisper or shout up a ‘thank you’ because it’s my color, I’m cancer free, and God is really good!