The week I wished I could forget!

It has been an emotional week. First of all I had to fly to St. Louis Monday morning and then drive over to a small little town for a meeting. Did you just ever have one of those meetings where every thing that you suggested for their flyer or catalog the client rejected or thought you were out of your mind? Will this was that type of meeting. So after finally getting the manager to "see it my way" and I don't know why he wasn't trusting my judgement, I mean I have led them right the past two years, I just wanted him to take me out back and put me down. We were in a middle of a cow pasture after all (no, I'm not joking). I had to call my friend Mike just to ask the question "why did I do this job". For Mike to remind me "it's the 5 star hotels we stay in and the wonderful dining and the first class accommodations". Which none are true, but at least it made me laugh during the hour and 15 minute drive in my Nissan Rogue rental that was on it's last leg.

Tuesday, I had appointments in the St. Louis area. Most likely my favorite day. I did get my flu shot. Can you believe it - I'm in MO and was able to get my vaccination. Thank goodness! I had to set up for a show that evening and ran into all my buds, what a great way to end the day with Pizza and beer and buds.

Wednesday, the PPAM had their show in St. Louis and then we loaded up and headed to KC, KS. First of all I allowed a MN Viking to ride with me. Trouble! Just joking - Curt needed a ride since he couldn't get a rental once in town since he's license was expired. We had a terrible thunderstorm all the way in the 3 hour and 45 minute drive but it was worth it as we headed in and got set up and then headed to my favorite eating place in the entire state - Jack Stack BBQ. WOW!

Thursday, PPAM had their show in KC, KS. What can I say about this day, except in all my days of doing this job I've never had this happen to me. I had a man named CB come into my booth and he asked me what a product was and I told him it was the Go Green Bag Holder. When I explained that it was a holder for reusable bags to place on your grocery cart, he just went off on me. Called me a "true huggin, Obama lover" and then gave me the hail Hitler salute. I had to ask the man to leave my booth. What has the world come to, when you have crazies at trade shows as shallow as this. I reported him to the association but what is worse, he made me so angry I cried. Then I became angrier that I allowed him to get to me. OOOOOO!!!

I finally made it home on Thursday night with a big sigh. I was ready. Friday between chemo, work, radiation and everything else, I was trying to make sure I had everything in for the fundraiser on Saturday.

Let me talk about Saturday. It's been weighing heavy on my heart. My friends know that these walks mean more to me than anything. I would walk to the moon and back to make sure we raise enough money to find a cure for cancer. On Saturday was our fundraiser Pretty in Pink. So many of my friends have donated money, items to assist me in making sure that we get what we need to make the money to raise what we need to walk as a team. This year I've asked some very dear friends to help me out. But I was made to feel very "unwelcome" by my team captain on Saturday morning with one of my donations and then again on Saturday evening with another by the fact that he didn't even acknowledge the song that I had professionally written for us and all downloads are going to our team. We could have at least played it that evening or announced that you could purchased it. We did put a piece a paper with the info in the bags we handed out but I think hearing it would have helped. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if these would have been "oh, tj I didn't realize" but these were things we had spoken about in previous team meetings. One of them, he said I didn't give any solutions and it seemed as if he was saying I had presented a problem. He upset me so that I actually had to walk out of the last 30 minutes of set up. The L man was so surprised when I said "let's go". Oh, he was happy to have be get home and rest more, but I was so upset we couldn't really enjoy our time together. The team captain sent me a text but I wouldn't even respond and then he had one of the team members call me to make sure I was going to show up that evening. Which I was, I just needed to clear my head and I told her that. The event was nice and we raised some nice dollars, I don't know how much.

My thing is I had to remind myself why I do this. I had to pull out my remembrance necklace and look at the pictures of those that have died from this terrible disease we call cancer. I got the picture of Sharla and said "this is the reason, , so another person doesn't have to die of this disease, to find a cure for cancer". I don't do it to be friends (I do it to meet others, that are after the same goal), or to get happy feelings (which by the way, I do!!!), I'm doing it to stomp out cancer. I tucked that picture into my purse and took it to the event with me. They did a touching tribute to Sharla. I remembered all this and the night was okay. I'm still going to have a long talk with Jason and find out where the communication "line" went down. I still wasn't comfortable with what took place but you know what, life isn't always fair, and I for one should know that! Seriously!

Do they give discounts....

I cannot believe another week has flown by. When I think how valuable time is in my life and think how it just zooms by me some days. Seriously, how does it happen. Well, I can't just sit and cry, honestly life is too short! Put a smile on your face and laugh at the small things and get thru them. Seriously!

Let's see if I can recap my week. Sunday, I was able to get in 3 and 1/4 miles of training and what idiot does in in 92 degree TX heat. This one apparently! I thought I was going to have a stroke. I was so hot and humid I was not feeling my super, duper best but my feet needed it and I did it. Monday, thank you for a day off. I kept thinking I would get out and make the most of it but NO. Tuesday, Hermine blew thru here like she owned the joint. I was suppose to drive down to Houston and kept thinking "OH, this will blow thru any minute", well by 4:00, she had not blown thru by any means and I was not going to get on the road. My day had been filled with customers needing this and that and by 7:00 I found myself still in Dallas. Wednesday, Hermine was still in town. I seriously thought I was going to be blown out of my drive as I loaded my car. I asked Mother Nature to come get her derelict child Hermine and please return her more "cooler, rustler, Fall child" as I preferred him. As I headed toward Houston early in the AM there were 3 wrecks outside of Dallas within 30 miles. People, people, people, slick roads, heavy rains, drive a little more safely, SERIOUSLY! I was able to get my calls in and set up for my show the next day and have dinner with great friends. That is what makes my job the best! Thursday there was a show in Houston and then I headed home. Thank you for Sirius radio so I could listen to the game - do these people who decide to do these shows, not realize that the NFL Season Opener was on that night, that reps(like myself) that had to drive home would seriously be impacted (okay not life changing BUUUTTT). Had I know that the biggest New Orleans fan was going to be at the show I would have stayed in Houston with her. Ginger Hutter lives and breathes the Saints like I do the Cowboys. We would have had a blast watching the game together. Thank you Saints for beating up those Vikings. The voodoo doll worked (that's a joke but just in case Shelley Sake is reading this). I got in about 9:30 on Thursday, stayed up until 1:00AM working on e-mails and then got up at 3:15 AM on Friday to head in for my "vitamin drip" and a new radiation therapy. Then spent the rest of the day working. I made up for it on Saturday and I spent the entire day in bed. I only got up for bathroom breaks. Thank goodness for football to keep me there. Today I had a brunch date with the team to finalize our plans for our fundraiser next Saturday and now I'm doing a little packing and getting ready for the week already. Home: where I do laundry and repack!

I can't believe the fundraiser is next Saturday and the following Saturday, I fly off to TN to visit with Jane and walk that Sunday in TN in the Race for the Cure. If life were boring, I wouldn't want to live it. There is so much going on right now. I just looked and my calendar and I'm not really home at all this month. Seriously! I wonder if I could get a discount on my home since I'm only home 14 nights this entire month of September!!!

Football Season has Arrived!

Well, college football season has finally arrived. I survived a long summer in between. Around my house, a house without football, well, it's not a pleasant house. LOL! I love football season, high school, college, pro. I will even watch old football games on the weekends just to get "my fix". I don't know how my family puts up with me. My man will come home and find me with the NFL channel on and a game going and sound asleep. My ring tone is the NFL Fox football sound. I won't change it for anything. This week while at the airport in Dallas I found a shirt that read "I love Cowboys Football" Love and Football were in pink my favorite colors. Thursday night for date night - the Cowboys game and chicken from Bubba's. I'm sure glad my honey loves me.

I was in Baton Rouge and New Orleans on Monday - Wednesday this week for work. I actually had a little fun while there. I'm not able to do that often but when I can, look out world. My friends and I went on a ghost tour in NO. Let me tell you, the only goons I saw, were the one's I was with. Seriously! It was a waste of money, but not time when you spend it with your friends. I enjoy living! I did partake of a shot! It was a small one this time - thank you! Last time I asked for shots in New Orleans, I almost lost my Diamond privileges from Hilton. That will never happen again. OK, I better not say never. But I did learn a valuable lesson. Shots in NO, are not your typical shot glasses. They are party size glasses and when you have to gulp down shots in two drinks instead of throwing your head back on one. You are in trouble. Of course people would say that is what the T stands for in TJ. Seriously! I'm really a good person. I try to tell people that - when they asked why I was named Humanitarian of the Year.

I thought I was never going to get home on Wednesday though. I was to leave on a 4:10 flight. They boarded us, they shut the door and then the pilot said, we aren't leaving for another 2 hours and 45 mins, and "we don't know what we are going to do with you all". Now, as my friends have pointed out, I should be used to this comment. But a plane load of people were highly upset. At 6:00 they told us to board again, and then they told us, "your flight has been cancelled". I thought there was going to be a riot. Fortunately there was a 6:20 flight to Dallas delayed until 7:30. I finally arrived home at 11:00. I was just grateful to get home. These are just little things in life. The funny thing is I was on the plane and I was starving. My friend Nancy had kindly given me a wine bottle filled with nuts before I had left that day. When the flight attendants came around I requested an orange juice no ice and water no ice. I began to open this bottle and the flight attendant, tells me I can't. Now, I'm starved, a little (OK, alot) cranky at 9:00 and I look at her and say, yes I can. She states "mam, you cannot have alcohol on the airplane unless we serve it". Now, I'm thinking, you can't get thru security with less than three ounces of anything in a 1 quart baggy and she thinks I boarded with a wine bottle full of wine. I'm beginning to laugh and I hold up the bottle and say "NUTS". She looks at me and doesn't say I'm sorry, she just starts rolling the cart down the aisle. OK, enough said. It had been one of those days, had it been alcohol, I would have drank it down before we boarded the plane! LOL!

I've had some good training walks on Sunday and Tuesday. Sunday I was able to get in 7 miles. It felt great to know that I could still do it. And I did it all by myself, not with the team. Then while I was in Baton Rouge I got up and did 3 miles on the treadmill. I hope to get some good walks in Sunday and Monday since we have some really nice weather here in TX. Thank you mother nature for being better to us.

I can't believe I have just four weeks until my first walk in October in DC. I'm looking forward to it. I love being with the team and raising money for such a good cause. I'm also looking forward to being in TN with Jane and her family to do a small walk there. It will be good training too.

I think back to all that is going on this month. I made a decision to start having my condo cleaned every other week. This was something that was a major decision for me. You see I have this word in my vocabulary that I don't use very much. The word is "help". I used to not use it at all. I just didn't believe in it. When I was first diagnosed 7 years ago with cancer, I told very few people because I didn't want people to feel sorry for me, when people did find out they were always asking me what they could do for me. Then when I was told that I had less than I year to live. I had to make a decision, to start asking for help. To tell those around me what I needed when I needed it. I wouldn't even tell the doctor's when I was in pain because that meant I would need to ask for medications to deal with it. That is how bad I was. I learned thru a workshop I attended that HELP is not a four letter word like I always thought. It is okay to ask. So, I decided to have someone come in every couple of weeks and do the things around the house that I just don't have the time nor the energy anymore to do. And you know what, it it OK!

Next week is another busy week. But for now, it's football all weekend, a couple of training walks and most of all, I'll continue my affair with my 5 pints of Cinnamon Buns ice cream in the freezer. This time it was the honey who brought them home. Seriously, life is good!