Will Work for Shoes

A lot can go into an outfit. Like most people, I do my best to dress appropriately for whatever event I’m going to – whether it’s date night, hitting the town with my best girlfriends, or going for a stroll in the neighborhood. But the last thing I put on, are always my shoes.

There’s a lot of conscious and subconscious decision making that occurs in selecting the right pair. Shoes are the biggest decision for every outfit. They set the tone of your ensemble, affirm the version of yourself you’re choosing to be (we’re all chameleons), and they complete the look.

The second you put your chosen pair on, you have what I call insta-swagger.

No matter what style the shoes are, that insta-swagger gives you the boost and the mindset of ultimate readiness. Suddenly you’re ready to grab the hottie by the collar and pull him on the dance floor, prepared to tell the person interviewing you that you look forward to starting Monday, and when you bump into your ex and his new girlfriend – you are able to look at them both, smile, and walk away knowing that you just won that game.

For the maximization the insta-swag you must strut in your chosen pair. Not the militaristic-angry-model-strut… but the I’m walking like there are 3 hot guys behind me strut. Don’t even pretend to not know what that is.

Tomorrow I’ll be sporting some matte red pumps, and you better believe I’ll be strutting.

Making moves.

I have a few big updates.

I resigned from The Company. There’s not much of a point in going into the reasoning behind this decision. But, the positives I’m taking out of the experience: learned what it’s like to move for a job, gained very good professional experience that has made and will continue to make me more marketable for future opportunities, and met a handful of pretty awesome folks who I’ll certainly keep in touch with. 

I’m moving out of Charlottesville. I moved there for the job at The Company. Charlottesville is a picturesque university town, with a good live music scene, and breathtaking wineries. But it’s really small. And because it’s a university town, and having a lot of historical elements that draws tourists – it’s pricy to live there.  It’s an ideal place to live if you’re somehow affiliated to UVA, or if you have a family. But as a young professional, it was challenging to meet other people like me. The positives I’m taking out of living in Charlottesville: I lived in the coolest part of town (downtown mall) and could walk to most places, learning that I prefer having a roommate but that I am capable of living on my own, Bang for martinis, listening/watching shows at the pavilion from my rooftop deck, and of course – the dumplings. 

So… 

I love Richmond, but I felt the need to branch out. Plus, when will I ever get the opportunity to move wherever I want (within reason) again in my life? I’ve been applying to tons of jobs, all in large cities on the east coast (mostly up north). But I got the most bites (by a LOT) in South Florida – so that’s where I’m headed! May 1st I move out of my apartment in Charlottesville, and May 4th I move into my apartment in Fort Lauderdale! I’m unbelievably excited. What I’m looking forward to: the weather (um, duh), the perfectly made drinks, the beach lifestyle and activities, the fact that very few people are “from” Fort Lauderdale – it’s a city with a ton of people like me who are moving there because they love it.  The fact that I’m .4 miles from Las Olas, and 3 miles from the beach ain’t too shabby, either! Honestly my biggest concern is a toss-up between being a plane ride (vs car) from my family, and the fact that alligators actually roam free down there.

But if you’re reading this, and have friends in Ft. Lauderdale that you think I should meet – let me know. Or if you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.

Characters and thanks

(This was a facebook post of mine that I wanted to have in my blog as well).

Every once in a while you meet a character that just makes you smile.

There was another sales rep in front of me, so I was waiting my turn to see the Dr in the waiting room. This off the wall 70ish year old guy starts a fun, but odd conversation with me. He might have had a couple of loose to semi-loose screws, not sure, haha. The office staff was cracking up behind the glass windows at our interactions (unbeknownst to me). My new friend and I discussed the many uses of super-glue, the steel that was in his chest, and he was even kind enough to share a fart joke with me (and the entire waiting room at that point, and yes, we all laughed). Right when conversation was getting REALLY good, it was my turn to go see the Dr; so I go and do my thing.

But on my way out… I open the door to walk back through the waiting room to leave. There he was, my new buddy waiting for me and grinning like the cheshire cat… he had taken his shoes off… and was kneeling on his shoes on the ground (to make him look like a little person)… and with his arms spread he happily yelled to me “LOOK!!! I SAW A SHRINK!!!!!!! GET IT????” He could not have been anymore proud of himself for executing his comedic brilliance.

I can’t make this stuff up.

So in the spirit of thankful themed November posts, here’s mine… I’m thankful for the funny moments in life, and for the people (ahem, parentals) who taught me to find the humor in everything. And for the characters who make life fun.

All I wanted was a chicken sandwich…

I never anticipated politics to cross paths with my lunch. But, it did. 

Before I get into my personal opinions on the Chick-fil-A scandal I’d like to make two things very clear:

1.  I believe in the freedom of speech. This freedom is truly what makes America the country it is. Please don’t condemn me for exercising this freedom in this post (or any). If you don’t like me, my thoughts, or my opinions – don’t read it. 
2.  I believe in the freedom of love. What matters to me is if a person is kind, hardworking, and a well-intentioned human being… I don’t care if someone is straight or gay. Gays were born that way. Deal with it. And to my gay friends who might be reading this – continue being the fabulous people you are. 

Here is where things get a little hairy.

Chick-fil-A. This has been a very conservative Christian franchise from the start. It’s one of the few places that close on Sunday, and I respect them for that. And let’s face it… for fast food, it’s damn good. And I have only received incredibly friendly service from the patrons that work there… I think it is AWESOME when I see people taking pride in their work, and providing a good service with a happy attitude. I have seen this occur at CFA’s all over Virginia (I travel for work and have been to several as a result) time and time again.

Chicken: So… Dan Cathy (President of CFA) was being interviewed by The Baptist Press (not the National Enquirer, mind you) where he was asked about his beliefs regarding marriage. He tactfully stated that he believes in the biblical definition of a family.  He also said “going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena” . 

This is the part that I don’t get… Was his stance not common knowledge before? I’m pretty sure it was. I don’t understand why ALLLLLL OF A SUDDEN the opinion Cathy expressed while being interviewed provoked such an uproar when people already knew this information. 

Rainbows: And on the flip-side… I have always found it quite interesting that in the Bible that sin is sin… Meaning, there is no set scale for ranking how bad your sin is. But why do so many people judge homosexuality so much harder than other sins? If two guys hold their hands peacefully, they have to worry about the negative reaction of everyone around them. But if a straight guy comes to a bar and gets caught taking his wedding ring off (or is simply acting single when he is not), he might get subjected to an eye-roll, maybe. This just doesn’t seem right.

Chicken: While my beliefs are different from Cathy’s, I do believe he has the right to tactfully say what he believes. I don’t agree with him, but I don’t think he did something wrong in stating what he believes. In fact, I appreciate his honesty.

Rainbows: I don’t know how a homosexual could go into CFA and feel as welcome. It’s the equivalent of President Obama going to a Republican rally… awwwwkward. 

Both: I don’t like the way either party has retaliated. I especially don’t think it is right for Boston, Chicago, etc. to attempt to disenfranchise CFA.  

Both: I have heard that CFA has funded some not-so-cool groups. While I don’t like that one bit… I think it is ridiculous that people are ONLY looking at Chick-fil-A. Want to read about some screwed up companies? Check out Citgo (I will push my car with my own two hands before filling it up with Citgo gasoline, unAmerican jerkoffs). Check out Monsanto (corporate bullies with ties to politicians that allow them to do the things they do). If you are going to look into one company, be fair, and look into them all.

Where does this leave me?

It leaves me appreciating the freedom of speech even more, and the good people in my life whether they are straight or gay. 

Neither the oober conservative Christian groups, or the gays are going anywhere…The best way to get someone who is on the opposing side to join yours is to kill them with kindness, not threatening them with chicken sandwiches.

My First Race, a Marathon

First off, sorry for such a delay in posting… things have been crazy! Here’s what’s been going on (long post alert!)…

 

On March 5th, I began the initial part of my training for my new job; this portion of training was called “home study.” The Company sent me a BOX of text books that I would be tested on over the course of two weeks. It took very little sleep, about a dozen highlighters, and the aid of drinking copious amounts of coffee… but I did it, I passed all 14 tests! Home study finished March 16. My marathon was Sunday, March 18. The evening of Friday March 16, I packed up my bags – one for the marathon, and one for the 3 weeks of training for The Company I’d be doing immediately after in Long Island, NY.

 

I went down to Virginia Beach (2 hour ride or so) with Emily C, and her parents (thanks for the ride Mr. and Mrs. C!) on Saturday morning. Once we got to VAB, we went to this huge building to sign in, pick up our bibs, and loot! Shamrock hooked us up with a really nice long sleeved athletic shirt, and a black hoodie! I also ended up buying a black teeshirt, too.

 

Emily’s parents dropped us off at the hotel, and we just sort of relaxed until The Inspiration Dinner. The Inspiration Dinner is the meal that TNT provides to everyone on the team the night before the race. The food was awesome, the speakers were incredible, and everyone left feeling more empowered, motivated, and so grateful to be a part of it. 

 

The night before the race Emily and I chatted… the following are a few snips from our conversation… “OMG ARE WE REALLY RUNNING A MARATHON TOMORROW?!” and “DANA, WHAT DID YOU GET ME INTO?!” and “I HOPE I’M READY!” We also laid our clothes out, and pinned our bibs to our shirts and decorated them. Here’s what the back of mine looked like:

 

Although, we were a bit antsy, we were also both so proud of how far the two of us had come. We chatted, and laughed a bit until eventually, we fell asleep.

 

The morning of the race… VAB radiated with anxious energy. Emily was kind enough to help me with writing names of people I was running in honor/memory of on my arms and legs… I can’t even begin to describe the thoughts that were crossing my mind as each and every angel was marked on my body.

 

We met up with the team in the lobby, and we were all pretty pumped up! Then we lined up with our coral outside, and shortly after that, we were RUNNING!!!! What was really cool, was that my little brother, Moose, found me, and ran with me for a few miles (he trained and was running separately). The next chunk of miles I ran with the team… it was a lot of fun, but there was a lot of stopping and going due to bathroom breaks and such. Originally, the game plan was for everyone to run as a team, but around mile 6 or so, I knew I was going to have to break away as I was having a hard time getting into a rhythm with so many people, and my knees were getting strangely aggravated with the start/stopping. I decided I would run however I needed to, to get through the race in the least amount of discomfort (novel idea, eh?). That eventually led to me slowly splitting away from the majority of the team. I ended up running the rest of the race with Coach Wayne and Brittany by my side… thank GOD. 

 

Miles 7-13 or so, I felt like I was kicking ass. I was pushing myself, there were tons of people cheering us on, and music blaring everywhere! It was very exciting! I loved getting to run on the boardwalk with the view of the ocean. Then around miles 15-22… there were no crowds, and no music, just a road that never seemed to end. It was so quiet.This was probably the worst part of the race. I was fighting boredom. At mile 21 or so, I was fighting fatigue on top of boredom. There were moments where I was only putting one foot in front of the other because I’d look down at the names written arms and legs and a sense of obligation fueled me to continue on. The last mile was such a tease… so close, but so far away. Finally, I had .3 miles to go… I looked down and saw Levi’s name on my arm, and gave myself one last push, and hauled it. I crossed the finish line at 5 hrs and 12 minutes. Not quiet under 5 hours like I had hoped, but I’m pretty ok with it. 

 

The sense of accomplishment was unreal. Months of training. Months of fundraising. Months of dedication to something I had never done before. The first person I saw after the race was Moose. And then the rest of the team wasn’t too far behind me. It was so great to congratulate them. I was proud of everyone that crossed that line. 

 

I found my parents eventually, who hugged and congratulated Moose and I. Shortly after that, my dad drove my mom and I back to Richmond (thanks for coming, and for helping me out Mom and Dad!)… I had just enough time to take a 10 minute shower, and then get to the airport to catch a flight to Long Island, NY for training. I made it to the hotel in NY around 10:30pm Sunday night. Yes, I was sore. Yes, the plane ride was rough. Yes, it was absolutely worth it.

 

Monday, March 19th was my 12 year mark of being cancer free… so my roommate at training (her name is Heather, I met her before we came to NY because she lives in Richmond and will have that territory… we’ve become buddies over the course of training) had a quiet celebratory glass of wine at the hotel bar. It was nice. 

 

Tomorrow (Monday, April 2) I start the third and final week of training. Training has been very rigorous, but I appreciate the fact that The Company takes pride in training their employees to the level in which they do. It speaks a lot to their standards, and expectations, which are all very high (and a good thing!). On the weekends I’ve trekked with some friends I’m training with into the city, which has been really fun! Yesterday I saw Mamma Mia on Broadway, it was fantastic. It’s definitely a show to see with your girlfriends. I also for the first time in my life really splurged on shoes (I normally won’t spend more than $80 on shoes, unless they are fitness related, so this was a huge deal for me!)… but I intend on wearing them a LOT, and will be able to wear them with a LOT. We’ll see if they can hold up in a Dana-lifestyle! 😉

 

While things have been nonstop since March 5th, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Training will be over this Friday. My first day on the field will be April 9th, and I can’t wait… I’m ready to put what I’ve been learning to use, and ultimately making as much money as I can! The last three weeks of April might be a little nutty… as I’ll be relocating to Charlottesville (an hour west of Richmond) towards the end of the month… I have lots of things to buy… a TV, TV stand, living room furniture, a few more kitchen things, a headboard for my bed, and new bedding. If anybody has ideas of where I can score some deals on quality stuff, I’m all ears! 

 

Letting you know

I’ll be unable to post between now and March 16th. See you in a couple weeks! 🙂

Truly Thankful

*Long post alert!*

I’ve been trying for weeks to figure out a way to write about why I signed up for a marathon.

Here’s how it all started…

Back in late October, my good friend Matt H, chatted me on Facebook telling me how he was going to sign up to run a marathon to raise money for cancer. Knowing that I’m a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor, and that I love athletic endeavors, he asked me if I wanted to sign up too.

During this time I felt like I was craving some kind of challenge, some sort of goal that would push me out of my comfort zone. I knew a marathon would be a great thing to work towards, and achieve… there was only one problem… I “hated running.”

Let me explain…

Pre-cancer, I was a great athlete… I would not say I was “elite,” but I was well above “average”, and “good.” The first time I had cancer my protocol was mild as I was only 12 years old, so my treatment included just chemo and radiation. Remarkably, I was able to bounce back to where I had been athletically. The second time I had cancer was much more intense. Protocol this time around was “let’s get everything and then some.” I was given tons of chemo, radiation, and a stem-cell transplant. By the end of it all, my total tally was: literally countless rounds of chemo, 28 hits of radiation, 12 surgeries, and a stem-cell transplant. My body was changed forever.

My endurance went from being able to keep up with some of the best athletes in the state (my bball teammates) to not being able to walk across a basketball court. Through the unrelenting loyal support of my family, friends, and especially my AAU basketball teammates and coach… I slowly regained strength in my body. But while you can rebuild muscles… you can’t rebuild lost lung capacity (you just learn to maximize what’s left). Running became the most frustrating, and infuriating athletic activity; I got winded faster and more easily than my teammates. It was a reminder that my body was not the same as it was pre-treatment. It was a reminder that I had to reset my goals. And it was a reminder that I had become just another “good” athlete.

After I stopped playing basketball (I played through high school with the school team and AAU), I joined a gym where my disdain for running continued. For years I stayed far away from the treadmill. For years I shook my head at the idea of running outside in less-than-perfect weather, or in perfect weather for that matter.

Now I don’t want you all to think that all I did was dwell on what I could no longer do because of cancer. I gained SO much from having cancer. The people I met, my outlook on people, and on life in general… I know it sounds crazy… but I’m kind of grateful for it. Not to mention, I knew how incredibly lucky I was to beat cancer twice. I still had the capacity to get good grades, and to graduate college. I still even have some athleticism. And I still had my spirit.

One of the things I’ve become passionate about is giving educational/motivational talks to people about cancer. My message is always the same… Never let adversity be the excuse to not do something, instead make it the reason you do it.

Now we can fast forward back to the part where Matt was asking me if I wanted to doing this marathon. Oh I still “hated” running at this point… but I knew I’d be the biggest hypocrite if I backed out. My worlds had finally collided, head on. I had the phrase “practice what you preach,” ingrained in my mind (thanks Dad!). So as I told Matt to sign me up, as I knew I would be putting my money where my mouth is.

I hardly had an idea of what I was getting myself into. My first race… a full marathon. People have asked me “why didn’t you start with a half?!” That’s an easy question for me to answer. I didn’t start with a half marathon because a half was feasible to me. I knew I needed to be outside of my comfort zone, and I knew committing myself to a full marathon would definitely be well beyond it.

I was recommended a training plan that I’ve stuck to religiously. I had to start at zero, truck through injuries, and spend multiple nights being unable to fall asleep just from being so sore. But last Saturday, I ran 20 miles in about 4 hours. I walk at times, but only long enough to catch my breath. My legs are strong. My lungs are as good as they will ever be. And my determination is downright insane. I’m almost there.

Training for this race has reminded me the power of support. Through Team in Training, we have organized long runs on Saturday mornings. I never thought I’d ever see a day where I looked forward to getting up early to run ridiculous distances in the freezing cold with a bunch of other crazies who signed up for the same madness. But I love my Saturday morning runs with my team. The group I run with is fun, enthusiastic, and absolutely HILARIOUS. I think I experienced just as many muscles cramps from running, as I did from laughing.

Then there’s the support of my donators. When you sign up with TNT, you are committed to raising $1500 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, what you don’t raise comes out of your own pocket. The generousness of the people who have donated has just blown me away. With every donation I received, I became more and more motivated as I knew I was not just running this race for myself.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to my supporters. Whether you came in the form of donators, teammates, family, friends, strangers, etc… I could not have accomplished what I’ve accomplished without you.

In a little over two weeks I’ll be racing my first race. In a little over two weeks I’ll be completing a full marathon. And in a little over two weeks, I’ll be even more grateful.

Lovey Dovey

Happy Valentine’s Day/Happy Single Awareness Day! 😉

Despite my newly single status I still love love.

However, I’m not super crazy about Valentine’s Day…at least not in the way it’s typically celebrated these days. My sentiments for this pink and red day are very similar to how I feel about new years resolutions… Why wait for some arbitrary (arbitrary because NOBODY celebrates SAINT Valentine’s Day) to express your love to your significant other? On the other hand, I do love seeing other people take complete advantage of this schmoopy holiday and doing something special.

I guess the bottom line is – don’t wait to do something special for someone you care about. Just do it. 🙂

This Valentine’s Day I’ll be going for a run, painting, and hitting up the grocery store! Then tonight I’ll be hanging out with one of my best friends, Emily C. We’re going to cook up some yummy food, have some drinks, and inevitably laugh our heads off. I can’t wait!

What are you guys doing to celebrate? Or if your bf/gf did something really awesome, I’d love to hear about it!

And a song for the single ladies… 😉

My Yoga

While I have a ton of great things going on right now, I think it’s fair to say I’m a little stressed/overwhelmed. During times of stress people have their go-to methods of coping with their emotions. Several friends of mine choose to practice yoga to to regain focus, decompress, and be at peace with themselves.

I’ve tried yoga. I wish I liked it. I wish I could be one of those bendy girls wearing the super cute yoga outfits. I wish I could enjoy quiet, and calm environments with guided breathing.

But I don’t. I need noise. I need intensity. I need excitement. Downward-dog just doesn’t cut it for me.

So to cope with my current stresses, I tried something a little different, something I had never done before…

Yes I did. And yes, I hit the targets. I LOVED it. I shot several rounds out of this .22, and when I was done I felt incredible. I was rejuvenated, refocused, happy, and at peace.

I found my yoga.

Nameste.

Big Changes

Soooo many things I need to type out, but I hardly know where to start.

Yesterday was such an emotional day…

I had an out of town final interview for an incredible career opportunity doing pharmaceutical sales… it was the hardest interview I had ever been on, and when I was done I thought I had bombed it. I felt so stressed about it that after the interview was over, when I was driving home, I had to pull over to cry. When my mom called me to see how it went I could hardly even talk because I was so disappointed. Then when I was headed back home there was an accident that ended up making me sit and not move a single inch for over an hour on a bridge (I’m scared to death of driving over bridges). Needless to say, I was pretty upset. But a couple hours later I got a call to inform me that I GOT THE JOB. I honestly couldn’t believe it. I cried again. Haha.

I couldn’t wait to tell everyone. And I was looking forward to telling Chris all about it. He has always played a huge role in encouraging me career-wise. But I was also really sad… because this opportunity is an hour away from Richmond and I have to relocate…

Life brought me to a fork and a decision had to be made. I knew it would be unlikely to get another job opportunity like this one, and that this was my chance to not have a job, but to have a CAREER. I knew I had to go for it.

As a result Chris and I broke up. We are two very good people that are on different paths right now. I’ll cherish the good memories we had, and I will always care for him, and his amazing family. I hope they know that.

Needless to say… after that happened, I cried again.

Not only was I saying goodbye to my boyfriend of 2+ years, but I was also saying goodbye to “my baby.” Yes, I’m referring to Colby… Chris’ pug. That’s when the can’tbreathe-gasping-ugly-crying occurred.

So as you can imagine I have been experiencing a whirl-wind of emotions. While it’s really tough to handle all of those big changes at once, I know I’ll truck through it. I’m trying to focus on the positive things – the new job, getting to explore a new area, the Christmas presents I’ll be able to afford to get people (haha), and the new people I will meet.

And thankfully, I have the most amazing friends who have swarmed me with love and support. Colleen and Sean took care of me last night. Emily C dragged me out of bed for a 17 mile run (thank god she did that, otherwise that would have been a miserable run to go by myself). Whitney is now kidnapping me for a sleepover.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends. Thanks guys. 🙂