Getting Maui'd

This time tomorrow David and I will be at the airport getting ready to board our plane to Maui. I'm so excited!! Hawaii is my absolute favorite place in the world, and it has always been my dream to get married there. Not only do I get to have my wedding in my dream location, I get to marry the most wonderful guy in the world. :o)

Custom Invitations Designed by My Friend Esther

We got engaged back in December, and after a few discussions and site visits to venues in San Diego, we decided to go back to Maui to have our wedding. We were afraid that the trip would be too far and costly for our family on the East Coast, so to make up for that we're having a second celebration at David's parents' house in West Virginia two weeks later. (If the mention of West Virginia made you conjure up images of the people on the show Moonshiners, scratch that thought! David's parents live in a beautiful little town called Shepherdstown which is known mostly for its college Shepherdstown University.)

To start off my preparations for the wedding I started with the most important part first (well minus the groom), I picked out a dress. My goals for dress were something with sleeves, something that wasn't poofy, and something with lace. I'm happy to say that I found something with all three!

Dress Shopping with Tara & Devika
(not the dress I chose)

I had grand plans of finding the coolest sparkly shoes out there to go with the dress, but in the end I didn't shop for shoes in time for my first dress fitting and just ended up picking out shoes at the store that I liked. They're pretty cute but not exactly what I had in mind originally. Oh well. 

Wedding Shoes

The color we chose for the wedding was champagne, so I wanted a bouquet and cake that was pretty neutral in color to match. A few visits to Pinterest and I found both a cake and bouquet that I wanted. I sent the pictures over to my planner and caterer and poof! That part was done. Who says wedding planning is hard??

Simple Tropical Bouquet

Wedding Cake

It crossed my mind to wear my wedding dress a second time in West Virginia just to get one more wear out of it (kind of painful to spend so much money on something you wear once!), but I figured it would be too hot and look out of place in a casual BBQ setting. I headed over to my local Banana Republic and was excited to see that they had a number of simple white dresses. 

Good Thing It's Before Labor Day!

David originally wanted to buy a tux since he didn't want to get married in a suit that 40 different teenagers had worn to prom. He ended up buying a suit instead though to keep with our light colored theme. With a tan linen suit picked out the next thing we needed were ties. I hit the mall to check out ties and almost all of the ties reminded me of something I'd see on men at work. The solid ties looked a bit different but nothing caught my eye until I wandered by the Burberry tie table. Go figure the only ties I liked were the most expensive ones. And we needed to buy three! Ouch. (David, his brother, and my Dad).

Shopping for Ties

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Once our outfits were picked out the next thing to worry about was my hair. I never wear my hair up, but since we are getting married in the middle of the day and it is HOT in Maui in August, I figured it would be better to have my hair up and out of the way. My hair is still in the process of recovering from a brain surgery shave and radiation induced hair loss, so I'm a bit worried about being able to pull off the style I've chosen. Along with the random lengths of hair I also have hair extensions in one part of my head that will make everything a bit more complicated. Fingers crossed it works out.

Curly Radiation Hair

Final Hair Appointment

Wedding Hairstyle - Hope It Works Out

Next up on the list was choosing our wedding party and coordinating their outfits. David chose his brother Ken to be his best man, I chose two of my college friends Jenny and Christina as bridesmaids, my friend Devika's son will be our ring bearer, and my cousin Gieslle's son and daughter will be our flower boy and girl. My best friend of 26 years unfortunately won't be able to make it since she just had her third child two weeks ago. :o(  I'll miss you Garley! It won't be the same without you! 

Ring Bearer Ben

Bridesmaid Christina

(We decided to go no belt)

Bridesmaid Jenny

(Love this dress from the back!)

We picked out wedding rings, I had my mom's wedding ring from my dad reset as a necklace, I ordered some earrings online, and I received an adorable little bracelet from my friend Devika as my something blue.

Wedding Ring Selected

Something Old, Something New...

My Parents' Diamond

To finish our planning I ordered a handful of things from Etsy for our ceremony and reception and then boom! We were done! 

Fingerprint Tree "Guestbook"

Make a print, and sign your name

For the Flower Boy & Girl

Ring Bearer Ring Box

I think since we have a destination wedding, between the wedding planner and caterer all of the vendors were handled without me having to worry about it. The whole planning process was a piece of cake! Short of being worried I'd get fat between my last dress fitting and our wedding day, the whole process has been stress free.

For Like EVER!

(This won't work on our cake design

so it will be a table decoration)

I took my last dose of chemo three weeks ago, meaning .. uh oh ... I'm due to start my next dose while we're on the honeymoon portion of our trip! I take the chemo days 1-5 of each month, get a blood test on the 21st day, get a blood test on the 28th day, and then start the next cycle on that 28th day if everything in my blood panel comes back looking good. Due to the timing of this trip we leave on the 21st day and don't get back until the 30th day meaning I can only get a blood test on day 20 and day 32. 

Last Dose of Chemo

My oncologist gave me the option of picking up the chemo early and taking it on my trip and forgoing the 28 day blood test. Are you kidding me? This risk averse Volvo driver is not willing to take that chance. Instead I'm going to postpone my next round of chemo for a week and start again on day 35. I wonder if the extra week of recovery will help boost my blood counts. Come on white blood cells! You can do it! No more lingering right below the acceptable range, let's get back into normal!

Our Maui Vacation Palace

A HUGE thank you to my parents and David's for helping make our dream wedding possible. We can't wait to see you tomorrow IN MAUI!!!

SF Marathon 2013

A few weeks ago I ran the 2nd Half of the San Francisco Marathon. This was my 5th time running in this event but the first time running just the 2nd half. In this race you can either run the full marathon, the 1st half of the marathon, or the 2nd half of the marathon. I ran the full in 2006, 2011, and 2012 and ran the first half in 2010. About a month before the race as a lot of my running friends were facebooking and tweeting about running the full it crossed my mind to switch over. Luckily sanity struck me and I stayed with the half. The course is really hilly and probably the hardest marathon I've ever run and at this point I think a small challenge is enough for me, I don't need the biggest challenge out there.

Friday Vet Visit With Kona

David and I flew up to San Francisco and left the dogs behind for the weekend for a change. Of course the day that we were supposed to leave Kona's incessant paw licking turned into paw licking and limping, and luckily I was able to get her a last minute appointment at the vet. It turned out she had a fox tail completely under her skin in her front paw! She had been licking her paw for a couple days meaning it had probably been in there for that long. Poor baby! A quick little surgery later and she was as good as new, minus her little peg leg. I am so glad I didn't wait until Monday to take her in!

Peg Leg Kona

We got into San Francisco pretty late that night and chit chatted with Christina for a bit before going to bed. The next morning I had high aspirations of getting up early to hit the San Francisco Marathon Shakeout Run. Unfortunately (or fortunately) my body had other plans and I ended up sleeping for almost 10 hours! I normally sleep for 6 and can rarely stay asleep for even 8. I was a bit sad to miss the run because I knew a lot of people who were going to be there and I wanted to catch up with them but I figured I'd see a lot of them at the expo.

The Race Even Marathoners Fear

We headed downtown before lunch to hit the expo to pick up my bib and to say Hi to the Ambassador crew. I was an Ambassador for the SF Marathon the past two years and was a bit sad not to be in the group this year, but I didn't apply because I thought 2013 would be the year that I'd step back from marathons and try to see if I could complete a Half-Ironman. Well, enter the brain tumor and that plan went out the window. Due to the chemo and my immunocompromised state for part of each month there is no way I'm getting into the nasty, dirty water in the San Diego Bay to swim. I also had issues turning my head quickly to look over my shoulder for a few months so biking was out of the picture. My head and everything seems just about back to normal these days so I'll probably get back on the bike soon. I've crossed a Half-Ironman off my wish list though, and maybe if anything I'll do a sprint or super-sprint at some point in the future.

SFM Ambassador Love at the Expo

Most Awesome Singlet EVER!!
Charlie Ran the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon
in this Miles for Mokie Singlet

After we left the expo we headed off to meet my BFF Garley and her boys at Park Chow for a late lunch. She has two boys and a third on the way which arrived a week ago! Congratulations Garley!

Garley and the Boys

That night we had dinner with Christina at Unicorn which is now a 4 year long pre-race tradition. I was relieved for the first time in a few years to only be preparing for a half marathon. I was also happy that we wouldn't be getting up at 3am to make the 5:30am full marathon start time for a change. The 2nd Half started at 8:15am and the start line was only 2 miles from Christina's place.

Powered By Chemo

Recycling My LA Marathon Shirt

David dropped me and Ambassador Courtney off at the start with plenty of time to use the bathroom, hydrate, and mingle with our other friends who were running. As the race was about to start, most of the runners I was chatting with made their way to Wave 2 and the 1:50 pacer. Even though I was slotted for Wave 3 and had a 2:10 goal, I thought what the heck? I am usually a 1:5X half marathon runner, I'll just start with this group. 

Pre-Race With Ambassador Ladies

As we started off the first mile felt fantastic! I was back to my old pace! This felt great! BUT ... Oh wait... geez... I'm getting kind of tired.. uh oh, we're not even at mile 2. I slowed down a bit and lost the pace group but managed to stay ahead of the 2:00 pacer for a while.

Running Through the Richmond

As the miles went on I got more and more tired from running too fast for my current fitness level and finally succumbed to walk breaks. For the second half of the race I ended up walking every 5-10 minutes and started to worry that I would come in slower than my original (conservative!!) 2:10 goal.

Running by AT&T Park

Gotta Love Race Photos

Air Fist Bumps & Sad, Lost Looks

In the end I crossed the finish line at 2:06:30. One of my slowest half marathons ever, BUT ... my fastest half marathon in between sessions of chemo. I'll take it!

Crossing the Finish Line

Endorphin Dude Finished Right Behind Me

His 100th Marathon in FIVE Years!

Happy To Be Done!

After the race we met up with my Dad for Father's Day and had brunch at Fresca. This race is usually at the end of July but thanks to the America's Cup happening at the same time the race was moved to June. It couldn't have happened on a better weekend. Not only was it Father's Day but it was only a week after my Dad and I celebrated our joint birthday. Over the past few years I've come home in June and July, but this year I only needed to make one trip!

Love the Hashtag!

Happy Father's Day!

Before we knew it we were back at the airport and back on a plane to San Diego. Weekends just aren't long enough! The trip was short but great. I got to run one of my favorite races, see friends old and new, and spend time with my Dad. Next up? I'll be running the Long Beach Marathon in October with Tara! Three months to go, its probably time to start training!

OMG 2013 - Cancer Summit for Young Adults

The day after I got back from my 10 day trip to Wisconsin I was back on a plane and headed to Vegas. (Yes, this was two months ago, I'm a bit behind.) Vegas seemed to be the location of choice for tradeshows in my old industry, so over the past three years I had probably been to Vegas about a dozen times. Working a tradeshow in Vegas is NOT fun. Long exhibit hours, dwindling booth traffic as the days go on and the attendees look more and more tired from their late nights out, and sooo much walking since everything is so far apart. This trip that I took to Vegas in April was my first trip to Vegas for fun in about seven years. Crazy. 

Packed and Ready To Go!

David and I attended the OMG Cancer Summit for Young Adults put on by Stupid Cancer. This was an annual event where they brought together young survivors for a weekend of learning, networking,  celebrating, and having fun. The motto for this organization is "Get Busy Living" which is something I take to heart. 

OMG 2013 Vegas

We took a quick flight to Vegas on Friday morning and headed right to the opening ceremony at The Palms which started at 9am. There were a few hundred people attending this event along with a handful that I knew from San Diego that I had met at prior Stupid Cancer and mAss Kickers get togethers. The founder of the Stupid Cancer organization Matthew Zachary (who is a 19 year survivor of brain cancer!) welcomed everyone and kicked off the event.

Opening Ceremony

The two sessions that we started off with were an update on genetic breakthroughs and personalized medicine and an update on the progress of the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) cancer movement. We then went to a breakout session on "Gaming and the ePatient Revolution" followed by "Complementary Medicine & Healthy Living" which is a hot topic of interest of mine. 

Lunch Seating by Tumor Type

We were then free to roam Vegas on our own and headed off to my favorite restaurant at The Cosmo (discovered on a work trip) called Jaleo. One sad thing about always traveling for work and then suddenly traveling for fun is realizing that you don't get to expense all of your fancy meals. Darn.

Chandelier Bar at the Cosmo

Lounge Lizards

After dinner we hung out at a lounge for a bit before heading back to our room ... in the PMs. A sign that we're old? Whatever, I was between rounds of chemo, I needed my sleep.

The next day we attended the "Navigating Careers And Insurance" morning session, joined the group lunch, and then ditched the afternoon sessions to hit the pool. My pool time plans didn't exactly go as planned though since the pool was packed! We even walked to the other side of the property to a smaller pool and found that even that pool was packed. We managed to snag some of the last few chairs available and read in the shade for a while before heading back to get ready for dinner.

Love This - Single Jingles!

Dinner on the second night wasn't as exciting as Jaleo. The only places I could recommend for dinner  in Vegas were ridiculously expensive (thanks business travel!) so we headed over to Caesars to try a little Italian place by the Canal Shops. The food was okay and afterwards we walked around the casino and then the Strip. I'm pretty sure we covered at least two or three miles that night. Should've warn my Garmin!

Dinner at Caesars

Bacon! Thought of Tara

Walgreens are Fancy in Vegas

On Sunday the morning session we attended was the one I was looking forward to the most - "Cancer as Chronic". When I first read the description of this session I cried. The description of the  course was so true to my life, and so sad. 

Cancer as Chronic

It was really interesting to hear the panel that presented along with several people in the audience who asked questions and shared stories from their own life. I was relieved to hear that many others in the room also didn't like the term "survivor". I've been told that the moment you hear that you have cancer  - you are officially a survivor, but to me I feel like that term is reserved for those people who are past cancer. Usually when someone says that they're a breast cancer survivor it means that they had cancer, its gone from their body, and they're hoping that it doesn't come back, but for right now they are cancer free. Short of a miracle from God or a new medical breakthrough, I'm not expected to ever be cancer free. I feel great at the moment and my cancer treatment is going better than expected so if this is what surviving and living with cancer is like, I can take it. 

Love the First Quote

"For the cancer stricken running is an expression - 

perhaps the ultimate celebration - of life"

After the Cancer as Chronic session we went to our last session which was "Cancer & The Environment". This session was really interesting but left me thinking geez - everything in the world is going to give us cancer! If its not things we eat and breath, its things in the environment, in the products we use, or in the treatments we have performed on our body. At some point I think you have to draw the line and decide what level of risk you're going to take, and for me that has been changing my diet. I've eliminated things believed to foster the growth of cancer but can't quite bring myself to jump completely overboard and do things like remove every piece of plastic in my house.

The Dirty Dozen - Things to Buy Organic

(Free App on iTunes with this info BTW!)

All of the sessions we chose were interesting and informative, and it was really neat to meet so many other young adults with cancer. I get kind of uncomfortable at times when people are asking me about how things are going with my treatment. I don't mind answering questions or talking about my condition, but when people start to look so sad and disturbed it makes ME sad. To be able to talk to so many people so freely about cancer was liberating. Oh, you have cancer? Me too. No biggie!

Hmm ... What Would It Be?

Oh Yes - RUNNING!

I'm really grateful that Stupid Cancer put on a big event like this and I'm so glad that David and I decided to go.  Thank you David for being the greatest "caregiver" and supporter out there. Now let's get busy living!

Love This Guy