Every Blister Saves a Sister:My Komen 3-Day Experience

Hello friends! I am back in Iowa and have had a little time to recover from my Komen 3-Day journey...and to say it was another incredible event would be an understatement. I am proud to say Team Twinkle Toes completed another fabulous sixty miles last weekend in Dallas, TX...and I have the badly blistered feet to prove it (although not as badly blistered as last year). Crossing the finish line, hand in hand, with my three teammates was an emotional experience, full of laughter, tears, cheers, a little pain, and a huge sense of achievement....there really are not words to describe it. The entire walk was AMAZING - even the rain - I savored the entire experience - taking lots of photos, meeting lots of people, and truly enjoying my surroundings. My legs, heart, feet, and lungs were ready (another full year of training definitely paid off), and I was able to take in the Dallas/Fort Worth scenery that encompassed me. I did manage to get another set of "Belinda blisters" - but don't worry - I am all good - my feet are taped up - and, it was definitely worth the pain, as the funds we raised will help so many and make an impact in so many lives.  There were numerous memorable moments - in fact, WAY too many to list...so, I will share a plethora of captioned photos with you that will give you just a peek at my experience (you should be able to click on them for larger views)...it was fun to see many 3-Day alumni that walk, crew, and cheer each year...and it was wonderful to have several new routes this year!

Twinkle Toes right before the opening ceremony...
L-R: Lori, Sandy, Lois, me

Walkers and crew gather for the opening ceremony...

A photo The 3-Day captured with Team Twinkle Toes starting out on day
one. We are in the front right (the four in black and pink)...^^^

Yard decorations along the route...

Another photo The 3-Day captured of Team Twinkle
Toes crossing the street (waving front left)...

First photo with firemen...it's a yearly tradition for me...

The backdrop reads "I'm keeping the promise for"...and we are pointing at our
"friend" and coach (Lois) who is a 19-year survivor...
Top L-R: Lori, Lois, Sandy...and that is me in the front with the sign...

Lori and I crossing the finish line on day one...still smiling after 20 miles...

This is me and Sandy's pink tent - our home for two nights...

The camp growing on day one...

A nighttime image of camp, as the rain moves in....

Route decoration....

Superman - a FAVORITE cheerleader...

Lori and I meeting new friends (well, we actually met these same
characters last year)...and yes that is tiny me  in the back
between the gold and white shirts...

Cheering station on a rainy, gray, and gloomy morning....

We had the funniest memorable conversations with the chicken, who we called
the "cheese guy"...

A photo The 3-Day captured of the incredible youth core...they
were the BEST again this year...I love my sneaky sticks!!

The dining tent at dusk...

The remembrance tents at dusk...

Many of you have asked about the showers...here are the semi-trucks
we shower in each evening....

A FAVORITE safety crew member - the "kilt guy"...
we loved seeing him again this year (and 70-pounds lighter!)....

The PERFECT "potty lady" - we love her...
...and yes, I got a star sticker for washing my hands...

Our very own Lois was a top fundraiser...raising just shy of an
AMAZING $10,000 this year...and yes, that is her on the poster
we spotted on Beverly Drive on day three!!!

The CUTEST cheerleader on the route!! She stamped each
of us with a ribbon and then posed for me!

Second photo with firemen...and yes, I am laughing on day three...

Just because I needed a photo of this craziness....

Team Twinkle Toes at mile marker 59...
Top L-R: Lois, Sandy, Lori...and me down low...

Because we needed a photo with Texas cowboys....
this was right before the final finish line...

A photo I captured of some fabulous safety crew members as
we entered Fair Park...

A photo I captured of some fabulous safety crew members as
we entered Fair Park...

Team Twinkle Toes at the Cotton Bowl finish line...60 miles complete!!

A photo I captured of some fabulous safety crew members and their
adorable dog before the closing ceremony...

Lori, Lois, and Sandy lining up for the closing ceremony...
I love my team!

The closing ceremony...

The final flag being raised - WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP!

A photo The 3-Day captured of me holding up my shoes at the
closing ceremony....

In closing (if you are still reading), I will share the thank you note I e-mailed to my donors earlier this week...this sums it up...my heart is full...

My dear friends, family, and needlework enthusiasts,

A GIGANTIC heartfelt thank you for supporting me on my Komen 3-Day journey! I have made it home from the event in Dallas - it was an UNBELIEVABLE three days and I am extremely proud to report we completed the 60-miles again this year. It was an AMAZING, challenging, fun, (at times) painful, and breathtaking experience...filled with heartfelt memories.

Because of your generosity, and the support of all of my donors, family, friends, and team members, I raised over $5,800 to help end breast cancer...our small, but mighty Team Twinkle Toes (four walkers) raised just shy of $22,000 for this important cause...and the Dallas event (1,100 walkers and 325 crew members) raised an OUTSTANDING $2,800,000! I cannot thank you enough for your support, love, and encouragement - I am so very touched by your generosity and kindness.

I also want to take a moment and express my sincere gratitude to those of you who made donations to our team captain for expenses, to those of you who sent care packages to me before the trip, to my mother and Dan who helped me with airlines tickets, shoes, and gear, and to those of you who sent sweet treats with notes to me in camp - you helped lighten the financial burden and truly enhanced my experience - I am forever grateful.

Finally, a HUGE thank you to my three Twinkle Toes teammates - you are beautiful inside and out and I was proud to share another 60-miles with you...you made this experience truly special and I can't wait to do another blister-filled 60-miles with you in San Diego - that Kool-Aid was delicious!

It takes a village...and YOU all made this INCREDIBLE journey possible and I thank YOU from the bottom of my heart. Together we ARE making a difference!

xoxo,
Belinda
Baby Twinkle

Check out the Komen 3-Day blog for a recap of the event and if you look carefully, you will see Team Twinkle Toes:
http://blog.the3day.org/2015/11/08/2015-dallasfort-worth-3-day-wrap-up/

Team Twinkle Toes is thrilled to announce we are headed back to San Diego in 2016!

So now, life gets back to "normal" - I play catch-up...I start sewing/quilting like a mad woman...I work on my new designs...I answer correspondence...I fill orders...I tackle the HUGE "to do" list...I stay medicated and try to keep my feet elevated...then, in a few weeks I will get back to training/fundraising for the 2016 Komen 3-Day in San Diego...it's all GREAT!

One final note - some of you are aware we had a death in the family the morning I returned from Dallas. My husband's 96-year-old grandmother passed away at home in her sleep. Services are Friday and Saturday in Ohio - so please be patient with me. Thank you for your condolences and kind words - she was loved and cherished and lived a full life - her caring soul will be missed, but I know she is now at peace with grandpa in heaven and I have another angel smiling down on me...

On The Road Again...

Treasures I gathered on the Dallas 3-Day...

I know I have only been home a couple days, but I am off again...this time to Illinois for my mother's wedding (I am just tickled that she has found love!). I am still busy playing catch-up from my trip to Dallas, so if you are waiting on correspondence from me, please be patient - I will get back to you early next week. All existing website and Etsy shop orders have shipped...and anything ordered today or tomorrow will ship on Monday....thank you for your patience. So, I am out the door again...doing my best to take care of my very sad feet (which is not easy)...I will be back next week with some very fun posts...be sure to stop by on Thursday, November 20th, as I will be one of the stops on Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour (and there will be a giveaway or two - hint, hint!)....

For now, I will leave you with some photos of the items/gifts I gathered on my Komen 3-Day trip to Dallas...and a teaser for the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour...

Team Twinkle Toes head gear...made by our fabulous team stylist, Lois...
The hat was casual wear for Friday and Saturday - the visor was formal wear
for Sunday (don't you just love the pink bird?!)...

Team Twinkle Toes evening footwear...although I must admit, I didn't wear
mine after my showers, as they were too cute to damage and it was muddy,
grassy, and wet...

The most adorable quilted camping pillow made by my tentmate Sandy...
isn't it absolutely GORGEOUS?! I love, love, LOVE it...

Beautiful heartfelt gifts from my teammates...I feel like a princess...

A wonderful handmade gift from my faraway friend Dora...and a touching
card wishing me luck on my 3-Day journey...

On newsstands November 18th! Can you guess which block is mine...
hint: it's on the cover....

Be sure to visit all the stops on the Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Blog Hop...there will
be giveaways each day...and visit me on November 20th when I unveil my block...

I am in a rush to get on the road...but I will be back again soon...enjoy your weekend!

Pretty In Pink - My Komen 3-Day Experience

Balloon at the Opening Ceremony

Hello friends! I am back in Iowa and have had a couple days to recover from my Komen 3-Day journey...and to say it was another incredible event would be an understatement. I am proud to say I walked every single step of the sixty miles last weekend in Dallas, TX...and I have the badly blistered feet to prove it. Walking into the closing ceremony, hand in hand, with my fabulous Twinkle Toes team was an emotional experience, full of laughter, tears, cheers, a little pain, and a huge sense of achievement....there really are not words to describe it. The entire walk was AMAZING - my heart and legs were ready (another full year of training definitely paid off), and I was able to take in the Dallas/Fort Worth scenery that surrounded me. I promised myself that this year I would savor the experience more and take lots of photos, meet lots of people, and live in the moment....instead of racing though the days....and I definitely accomplished my goal! I did manage to get another set of "impressive" blisters and my first stop when getting back to Iowa was the doctor's office (you may have seen the photos floating around on Facebook of my blood soaked socks after day 3) - but don't worry - I am all good - I have pain medication, a round of antibiotics, and both my feet are completely taped up...and I am basically stuck in a chair for the next 10 days - BUT, it was worth the pain, as the funds we raised will help so many and make an impact in so many lives (so yes, it will be flip flops to my mother's wedding this weekend, as other shoes are not an option).  There were numerous memorable moments - in fact, WAY too many to list...so, I will share a plethora of captioned photos with you that will give you just a peek at my experience (you should be able to click on most of them for larger views)...

Opening ceremony - raising the memorial flag...as you can see from the insert,
I made sure to add Cathey's name (aka Pumpkin)...

My teammates are all smiles at the opening ceremony: (L-R) Lori, Sandy, Lois

The King and Queen cheered us on all three days!

The Pajama Party sweep van...

Sandy and Lois sitting on a hay bale at lunch on the first day...

Lori, Lois, and I crossing the finishing line into camp on day one...

Lois with her favorite flag - COMMITMENT - she carried this flag
on her two previous Komen 3-day events...

The angles that put up our tent on day one...

Camp

Dinner the first day...they fed us well again this year!

Friends we met along the way..

The firehouse just happened to be on our trail on day two - I couldn't
resist getting a photo...

A favorite motocrew member in one of his kilts, ready to help us cross a busy
street...

Another cheerleader...

Our favorite Jersey "potty girl" - we met her in San Diego last year...

A motivational sign on day two, just when we needed it...

More beautiful friends I met along the way...

Arriving at camp after another 20 miles on day two...

The start of day three - waiting for the buses in bitter cold - this was supposed to
 be a team photo, but we had a BAD photographer...
(L-R) a sliver of Sandy, Lois, me, Lori...

A favorite cheerleader that Lois and Sandy remember from Dallas 2012...

This adorable little girl was handing out pencils at a cheer station...

Superman was a wonderful cheerleader and a welcome sight every few blocks
on day three...

If you can't see Lori and I, we are behind the boobs (we're the short ones
in the middle)...

Lunch downtown on day three...

Another new specially made kilt on day three...

Loved this angel dog at the closing ceremony....

A sea of  1,150 walkers at the closing ceremony...

We honor the survivors...shoes up!

The raising of the final flag at closing ceremony: "WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP"

I actually took several videos this year...but this was my favorite...this was taken at towards the end of the closing ceremony...it's a celebration of the entire three day event...and it just goes to prove, after walking 60-miles in three days, no matter how sore or tired you are, you can still dance!

In closing, I will share the thank you note I e-mailed to everyone who made a donation...this sums it up...

My dear friends, family, and needlework enthusiasts,

A GIGANTIC heartfelt thank you for supporting me on my Komen 3-Day journey! It was an UNBELIEVABLE three days and I am extremely proud to report I walked every single step of the 60-miles. It was an AMAZING, challenging, fun, (at times) painful, and breathtaking experience...filled with memories that will definitely last a lifetime.

Because of your generosity, and the support of all of my donors and team members, I raised over $5.000 to help end breast cancer...our small, but mighty Team Twinkle Toes (four walkers) raised just shy of $20,000 for this important cause...and the Dallas event (1,150 walkers and 300 crew members) raised an OUTSTANDING $3,100,000! I cannot thank you enough for your support, love, and encouragement - I am so very touched by your generosity and kindness.

I also want to take a moment and express my sincere gratitude to those of you who made cash donations to our team captain for expenses, to those of you who sent care packages to me before the trip, and to those of you who sent sweet treats with notes to me in camp - you helped lighten the financial burden and truly enhanced my experience - I am forever grateful.

YOU made this INCREDIBLE journey possible and I thank YOU from the bottom of my heart. Together we ARE making a difference!

xoxo,

Belinda

Baby Twinkle Toes

Team Twinkle Toes is headed back to Dallas in 2015!

So now, life gets back to "normal" - I play catch-up...I work on my new designs...I answer correspondence...I fill orders...I tackle the HUGE "to do" list...I stay medicated and try to keep my feet elevated...and this entire weekend I will be in Illinois, attending my mother's wedding...then, in a few weeks I will get back to training for the 2015 Komen 3-Day in Dallas...it's all good!