Life is Short

Jeney sent this picture to me last fall - around the time of my switch-out surgery. I took the time to read every word on the poster and it resonated deep within. I encourage you to take a couple of minutes and digest the poster, too:

(If you have a hard time reading this, click here for a typed version.)

The Holstee Manifesto.

With a little bit of digging, I found out that this is Holstee's manifesto. In 2009, when Holstee was still a fledgling project, its three founders got together and "wrote down exactly what was on their minds and the tips of their tongues. It wasn't about shirts and it wasn't about their old jobs. It was about what they wanted from life and how to create a company that breathes that passion into the world everyday. It was a reminder of what we live for."

Getting down to business:
using X-Acto tools to cut out each letter
of the manifesto.

Jeney decided she wanted to incorporate this manifesto in her home in a major way. So when Adam (my bro) came to visit us last fall, Jeney and a gaggle of her friends (bribed with beer and wings) took to the walls of their home and created something amazing. This is just a teensy sneak peek.

To read about her project and see more photos of the process and end result, check out Jeney's blog post about it.

I'd venture to guess many of us need little reminders or prods like this to stay on track. It's easy to get so wrapped up in the mundane, everyday stuff that it's hard to see the horizon in the distance. One can lose sight of their bigger goals and intentions. I occasionally find myself deviating from my intended path. More than ever, though, I'm committed to making corrections (continuous improvement!) and striving to find, develop, and pursue my interests and passions in life.

We've all heard "this isn't a dress rehearsal" before, haven't we? It's true!

This is our one shot. We're wise to make the most of it. Life is short - whether or not yours is "cut short." It flies by in the blink of an eye. So better get to livin'!

I never worry about the future. It always comes soon enough. 

-Albert Einstein

Dinosaur Days

When talking with other BC people, I find it interesting to swap stories and hear other people's perceptions of their journey. One thing a gal said recently about her upcoming reconstruction surgery brought back some memories. I immediately recalled how frustrating it was to live like a T-Rex for quite a while post-surgery. Boy, am I glad the "dinosaur days" are over!

It couldn't be drawn much more clear than this!
(source)

I often referred to my physical limitations as making me like a T-Rex. Why? It's easy to understand if you were around me post-surgery or if you're a survivor yourself. If not, here's some reasoning why:

• After surgery (for me, it was mastectomy surgery and switch-out surgery) you're directed to NOT lift your elbows for weeks after surgery.
• Your pectoral muscles have been cut, moved, and sewn...you don't wanna mess up the healing process.
• Even when the surgeon-imposed limitations are lifted, it's difficult to get your arms to move up - and when they do, you know it.

While I looked like a T-Rex (flailing my hands and forearms when I could), I felt like anything BUT "unstoppable" post-surgery. However, if I had a neat grabber tool like this T-Rex had...I might've been a wee bit unstoppable! On a whim, I just searched Amazon.com for "grabber tool" and it came up with a bunch of relevant items just like Mr. Rex has. If there ever comes a time when I need another surgery that effects my wingspan, count me getting one of these things! And if you're reading this blog and headed into surgery and like the idea - try it and let me know how it goes.   :)

The Cherry on Top

A while back I declared to Joshua: "I've decided to just go ahead and order some nipples. So I'm going to do it - now." And I did.

Excited at the possibilities...

What a weird thing to tell your husband. And what a strange thing to shop for online. It's a mixed bag of emotions from my perspective: absurd, serious, and a little humorous. When the temporary tattoos from Rub-On Nipples (yeah, that's what I said) were en route to our home, I was looking forward to experimenting with them. 

While I had good intentions of applying a pair right away, it just didn't happen. Why? I think I was a bit nervous. What if my emotional self couldn't handle this experiment that stemmed from good intentions? What if I applied them lopsided and they ended up "looking" in different directions? These little pesky fears delayed me trying them...until our earthship vacation!

Boy, was I glad I finally got around to trying them!

For those women out there who have had a mastectomy and are electing to not have nipple reconstruction -OR- for those that elect to have nipple reconstruction but need to "fill the void" before that time comes, I believe these temporary tattoos offer an great alternative. Once I had mine on, it was like a puzzle piece came together - not only visually on my body, but especially in my mind. The girls really look like "girls!" There's a visual clue there that has been missing and my mind enjoys the relief of glancing at the mirror and seeing what it used to see and what the eye/brain combo is wanting to see when it looks at a chest: the "cherry on top," so to speak.

Top: colors in the "light variety" pack
Bottom: before and after

To see their color palette, size info, and dye info, click here.

I wanted to share a special offer* from Rub-On Nipples:  Save 10%!

Customer Appreciation Discount:   A 10% discount will calculate in your shopping cart with the code "March" (enter the code without quotation marks). The option to add the coupon code is on the last page of ordering, just prior to the request for credit card/PayPal information. (The price reduction does not apply to shipping and handling charges.)
Offer Expires:   March 31, 2013
To purchase:   click here.

*So you know: I am in no way affiliated with this company, nor do I receive any kind of kickback on sales made. Just want that to be clear. 

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  An Aside  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

(source)

Joshua and I were watching a 1968 documentary recently. It reminded me a lot of the projector films we used to watch in elementary school because of the way it was filmed, narrated, and the background music. One thing the narrator said cracked me up and I had to put it on this blog somehow. Methinks this is just where it belongs:

"He doesn't need no nipple." 

--Gordon Eastman referring to 5-lb bear drinking milk from a can 

From High, Wild, and Free, a 1968 film in which Gordon Eastman takes his two sons on a journey to the wilds of British Columbia fishing, hunting, canoeing down miles of wild water, living with Indians and trapping beaver. Available on Netflix streaming. 

Young cubs can survive without their mother's nipples. I've been surviving without mine. Still, it's nice to see them again and I think I'm onto something...

Update: The Ta-Ta Times' fundraiser

The Ta-Ta Times' fundraiser
tally as of today.

The final tally is in! Check it out!     -------->      -------->      -------->

On March 3, new donations came in that nearly doubled what we had amassed previously. That's amazing and I am so proud of what we accomplished together! Thank you for your contributions, support, and encouragement.

Many thanks to those of you that donated on the inaugural Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Day:

B. St Clair-Borrero, B. Bob Bodingus (!), B. Bull,
J. Moody, R. Vaughn, B. Roberts

The day after the big fundraising "push," I received an email from the TNBC Foundation; here's a portion of that email:

With your help, we have raised over $200,000 (donations are still coming in!) and priceless awareness for triple negative breast cancer! 

These funds will help us in our mission to be a credible source for triple negative breast cancer information, a catalyst for science and patient advocacy groups, and a caring community with meaningful services for patients and their families.

The TNBC Foundation's fundraising page for Colorado.
Highlighted both for events in Colorado and as an "event for everyone."

ALSO . . . I found out that my event fundraising page will remain active until the end of March! So for friends and family who missed TNBC Day and would still like to make a donation, please consider doing so. Think about tax time! Need to help your numbers with a charitable donation line item? This is one way to do just that.

Although I didn't participate in a physical "event" for people to attend, fundraising seemed quite successful via this blog, the TNBC Foundation site, Facebook, and word-of-mouth. This is something I'd like to do again in the future. It just feels right to do a bit part in raising funds for organizations that offer valuable support to other people going through a journey similar to my own.

I applaud your efforts to support a foundation you might never have heard of before and individuals you'll most likely never meet! After all, where would we all be without the support of others?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To support the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation

via the Ta-Ta Times' fundraiser for TNBC page,

click HERE.

Our Off-Grid Experience

In February, Joshua and I took some time to get out of town. For quite some time, we've been interested in alternative building techniques and wanted to explore the idea of eventually living in a rammed earth, straw-bale, tire-bale, or other sort of home.

That dream was put on the back burner when we moved here, bought our current home, and got busy with life. Early this year, our curiosity was rekindled and we decided to stay in a rental that was built with alternative means.

What the heck is that? It's an earthship!
(click to enlarge)

Enter Earthship Biotecture - they develop passive solar homes made of natural and recycled materials and are located just 4-5 hours from us (just outside of Taos, New Mexico). Without getting too much into the sustainability aspect of this type of building (although I find that fascinating, this post would be much too long), I wanted to share some of our adventure with you.

Joshua and I have made a lot of changes throughout our relationship. Most recently, though, our changes have been because of information we've gathered largely since my diagnosis. We are making more informed choices about the foods we eat, the chemicals we have (or no longer have) in our home, what we choose to keep in our life, and what we choose to slough off.

For me, spending a week living in an earthship was an exhilarating experience. I felt nurtured after living closer to the earth for a week. It seemed much more in line with the other lifestyle choices we've been working towards: less chemicals, more sustainability aspects, and clean living!

The Greater World Earthship Community is located
12 miles NW from Taos, NM.
You can see the Rio Grande Gorge in this picture.

Our home for a week: the 'Euro' Model Earthship.

Some intriguing design features: bottles in walls (cans and tires, too), vigas, and manual vents.

Releasing, opening, and securing the home's top air vents.

Most earthships have rounded, bulbous design features.
The construction means lend itself to looking that way.

A view from the shower shown above.
See the plants?
They're in the bathroom growing out of dirt in the floor watered from gray water used in the home!

The earthship model uses water four times before it is discarded outside the home in a leach field. Awesome!

From water collected from the roof/structure and stored in cisterns, you get...
1. drinking water (it's super-filtered), sink/shower water (also filtered)
2. plants (which filter the water, too)
3. toilet water for flushing
4. a solar-enhanced septic tank with leach-field and planter cells

We decided to forego the trip into town for a laundromat.
We washed our clothes in the bathtub, rung them out, and hung them to dry! 

Interestingly, the earthship maintained a consistent inner temperature of ~70 degrees during the day, ~65 at night. The greenhouse portion ranged 80-90 degrees during the day. This was with daytime temperatures barely reaching 30 most days - impressive!

We never felt as though we had less or were having to live without. Laundry hookups were in the pantry area - we'd probably like that in our home, but it was fun doing it by hand and drying it in the greenhouse. The propane oven and ample kitchen sinks made not having a microwave or dishwasher a piece of cake! Electricity was plentiful even on snowy days; we were mindful about not using electricity when it wasn't necessary. By living "off grid," you learn what you really can do without. We are so used to having (and paying for) an unlimited power supply and not thinking about it.

In the greenhouse area, you can grow plants year-round.
Some of the plants we could ID in our rental: banana tree, jade,
aloe, geranium, chard, mint, spiderwort... the list goes on!

Happy campers after experiencing off-grid life for a week. 

I'm curious to hear from blog readers! My questions for you are:

• Have you heard about passive solar, rammed earth, straw-bale, or tire-bale homes before?
• Have you ever stayed in an alternatively-constructed home?
• Do you know anyone that's built a home with alternative construction means?
• What concerns would you have about living or staying in one?

Inaugural TNBC Day

This fundraising event ends today!

To support the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation by the end of today:

click HERE.

Look at what we've done together!
What will today bring?

Today is the day: the inaugural Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Day! I feel good about taking this day and doing something with it - thank you for helping make that possible! It feels so good to support the TNBC Foundation.

This foundation is dedicated to finding a successful treatment and cure for TNBC as well as providing information and support to the TNBC community.

Mission:
To raise awareness of TNBC and to support scientists and researchers in their effort to determine the definitive causes of triple negative breast cancer, so that effective detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment can be pursued and achieved.

Company Overview:
The TNBC Foundation was founded in 2006 in honor of Nancy Block-Zenna, a young woman who was diagnosed at age 35 with TNBC and died 2-1/2 years later in 2007.

In response to Nancy's diagnosis, her close friends launched the TNBC Foundation to raise awareness and support research in the area of TNBC.

Felt good to get a nod from the TNBC Foundation
in support of my fundraising efforts.

A most gracious shout-out to those of you who have contributed already: 

A. Milam, A. Sapp, A. Ayson, 

B. St Clair-Borrero, A. Ayson, E. Ayson, 

E. Yale, H. Shaunty, J. Rollins, J. Allman, 

J. Myers, K. Butvilofsky, L. Birch, 

M. LeRoy, S. Bull, S. Peterson.

As an individual with TNBC, I am touched by your generosity - every one of you. When my request was approved to participate in this fundraiser, there were just 16 days left. -- Just LOOK at what can happen in a couple of weeks! Thank you for your support of this foundation, my fundraising efforts, my spouse, me and my journey, and my family.

There is no "good" cancer to have. It's all bad - the level depending on each person's diagnosis and journey. We are like snowflakes; nobody is exactly alike. Nor may be our treatments in the future. Thank you for supporting a foundation that is trying to unravel the unknowns behind my particular diagnosis.

I plan on meditating about this day and what it means to me at a gong bath tonight. What a great way to process this overwhelming occasion.

a reminder: This fundraising event ends today!

To support the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation by the end of today:

click HERE.