September Walk-a-Thon

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Danielle signed up to participate in the Ovarian Cancer Walk to raise money for research and to raise awareness. (I signed up with D.)

Daughter is quite good at organizing.  She organized me by sending me a schedule so that we were on time to the event. 

This is what she sent: 

Wake-up: 7am
Leave your house: 7:45am
Be at my place to pick me up at: 8am
Breakfast at Ricks: 8:20-9:20am (should be plenty of time to relax and enjoy a nice breakfast)
Leave for Raleigh (40min drive): 9:20am
Arrive: 10am
Sign in: 10:15am
Walk Starts: 10:30am

We followed her timeline to a "T" and were quite pleased to actually show up early to the event. The light drizzle did not dampen our spirits.

The DJ played some great music which helped keep our energy up.

**Awareness Raising Info**: Ovarian Cancer symptoms are easily mistaken for benign conditions. The symptoms can be a subtle as heartburn. The most universal symptom is bloating. --But as women, feeling bloated is rarely something that would cause us to raise an eyebrow. 

Early detection and treatment is the only way to beat this. I recommend that you know your body and pay attention to symptoms that are unusual for you or that last more than 2 weeks. 

Ovarian Cancer Alliance

My biggest recommendation: 

**Keep your annual exams with your gynecologist**

Talk to your doctor about:

1. Having an annual blood test for serum CA-125. This can be an earlier indicator of a problem.

2. Getting tested for the genetic mutations that increase your risks. Knowing your results gives you the opportunity to work proactively with your doctor to decide preventative measures. 

A Labor Day Mini Vacation

Hubby and I used this three day weekend to go to the beach! Yay! I haven't been to the beach since July 2010.  Before that, I hadn't been to the beach in years. YEARS!

In my childhood, going to the beach was at least an annual event. If we were lucky, we got to go several times each summer.

I have so many wonderful beach memories it seems wrong to try to list them. It would be like I'm choosing one memory over another. When we were kids, Mom and Dad got my sisters and me up in the wee hours of the morning before sunrise. For Dad, the time of arrival was half the fun. If we were going to "go to the beach" we were going to be there "all day". Getting in the car before sunrise got us to the beach before lunch.

My favorite times to go to the beach were "off-season". The beaches were less crowded and the weather more breezy and comfortable. This summer was so hot I couldn't bear the thought of a visit to a place without shade. But this weekend, the weather was perfect. So Hubs and I made a spontaneous trip east.