YES!
It is almost here! Crystal Mountain's 3rd annual Hope on the Slopes event raising money for The American Cancer Society helping more people have more birthdays and cancerversaries! Raising money for reserach and a CURE!
I don't know if I have ever mentioned that I used to live at Crystal Mountain. From 1990-1996 and for another brief period of time when I graduated from undergrad in 2000-2001.
Here is how it all started.
I graduated from high school in Lacey WA in 1990. I had attended Timberline High until my senior year upon which time I attended the brand new NIGHT high school called New Century. Loved it! After graduation I attended The Evergreen State College for one quarter (loved school but just couldn't afford it and honestly, just wasn't ready either) and met some friends (Eddie and Andrew....big shout out to you two if you are reading this!) that had worked on Crystal the previous winter and from what they told me I KNEW I had to be there. I had learned to snowboard a couple of years prior and jumped at the chance to work at a resort! Waiting tables at the Crystal Inn was my very first job at the mountain and my very first time EVER waiting tables. I can still remember how sorry for me everyone felt on my first night at the Crystal Inn. (A side note: the Crystal Inn is no longer there, it was torn down years ago along with the pool.) I honestly told everyone of my tables that I was a "virgin" to the server profession and to please have patience. I walked out with over $100 on my first night of sympathy tips :) I got to snowboard every day if I wanted and the rent was cheap. It was great!
Then I worked at Rafters (now the Bullwheel) for a season. The biggest thing I can remember from that is that I had the most horrible nightmares about not being able to go to sleep until my tables left, but they all just sat there eating fries and drinking cocoa never ordering more but just taking up a table and keeping me at work (and usually leaving a 50 cent tip cause fries and cocoa were not much of a spendy bill). Not really....well the nightmares were real but so were the friendships. I can remember such great times up there with my mountain family. Next I got a gig at the Silver Skis running the front desk. That was my favorite! I became like a daughter to the Hartfords. Phyllis and I would have so much fun together! She taught me so much about life, running a business, public relations, and oh so much more! Phyllis, I love you! I hope I get to see you this weekend!
I loved being on the mountain! It really felt like home to me more than anywhere I have ever lived and I still to this day consider it home. Which is why what I am about to tell you next is so very important and special to me.
Anyone who has been on facebook lately (who is my friend and if you are not come and find me :) knows that THIS weekend is the American Cancer Society Hope on the Slopes event at Crystal Mountain ( it is also at Mt Hood, AND it is also my dad's b-day). So far everyone participating has raised nearly $50,000! Isn't that great!? It all goes to the American Cancer Society helping more people have more birthdays. Hearing the words "YOU HAVE CANCER" is something that will change your life forever, guaranteed. I never thought I would ever hear those words...I'm healthy, I'm young, I'm active, blah, blah, blah.....As I type I am sitting in the Chemo Suite at the Northwest Cancer Specialists and it is a busy day. Business is good, booming in fact. No bueno! Lets put these people out of business folks! Wont you join me at Crystal for some exercise and fun on Saturday March 12 from 9-4. If you can't ski or board there is still tons of fun to be had! There is a scavenger hunt, a snowshoe tour of the mountain, a BBQ and so much more! If you can't make it then you can still participate by making a donation HERE. Any little bit helps in a HUGE way.
This is my really personally important part.
I will be speaking at the event as the guest speaker/survivor of honor and I can't say how much I am honored to get to do this. Really. So here is even another reason to come :) I love to talk:) If my chemo brain allows me I will hopefully be putting on quite a show, I have so much to share! I wonder how long they will let me talk :) I hope that people will be listening. I don't know if I have ever spoken to a crowd of people larger than about 60 or so. I am not nervous at all, actually I am super excited! Speach? Nah...I am gonna wing it :) and say exactly what needs to be said :)
I am also attending an open house cocktail reception for The Center of Traditional Medicine tomorrow night. This place is so amazing! Highly recommend it for healing as well as for an event. It is so beautiful right on the Willamette, a green building (remodeled old Foundry really interesting) and a social gathering place. A lot of wonderful people will be there and I want to unveil my desire for a juice bar/wellness hub that either travels around or is stationary on Alberta. I want to provide education and support in various ways for cancer survivors (because we are all survivors) and for everyone and anyone who wants to be a wellness warrior. Of course this juice bar will be working in conjunction with local organic farms to supply the veggies and fruit for the juice and smoothies, local roasters for coffee and tea (you get the picture)...so now all I need to do is start making the connections. Something is telling me that the ball is sitting on top of the hill at the moment and at any second this weekend it is going to get a little push or maybe a big shove and I am standing on top of it and I will be in for a big ride and in a whirl of 4-8months hours becoming days, days becoming nights, days and nights becoming weeks, becoming months, seasons pass, all of the sudden its hot, I'm selling crafts made from my IV's and found items, making connections and taking to people about the good stuff (health and food and products) then BAM! There it will be "The Grassy Green" a gathering place for wellness. Who knows! Maybe I could even have a yoga studio or some rebounders at the very least. Way cool!
One last thing.
I had chemo today and I will be going in for my next scan in the first week of April (fingers crossed)!
My platelets were back up over 100 again which was very good, but my hemoglobin was under 10 and that means I am very anemic so they gave me a shot of something that helps fix it called Aranesp or something like that. It works and it also makes me feel energetic so that's good I suppose.
Ok, I have to try to get some sleep tonight. I just wanted to share with you all. I hope to see those of you who can make it up at the mountain on Saturday. Plus I just found all my old photos from the day and I want to try to scan some into my mac tonight :) so if you are a friend on facebook then you can check them all out.
You all take great care and have a wonderful weekend. I need some rest.
All the love, joy, hope, peace, love, and light to every single one of you out there!
YOU are the best support team anyone could ever ask for and I couldn't be doing any of this without you! You are loved and appreciated!
I couldn't fit all of the information on the ChipIn this time but it should say that it is for my naturopath expenses for the month of March.
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