The Coyote Cantina Pancake Fundraiser

It's 11:41 pm, and I'm exhausted.  Today was the much-anticipated Coyote Cantina All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Fundraiser and it was phenomenal!  I just can't stop sitting here thinking about every person who contributed to this event, who made it everything I envisioned and more.  I am humbled, overwhelmed and so grateful!

I wish I could tell you what I've been doing since my last post, but it's literally been a blur...a flurry of lists, boxes, chocolate and cookie dough!  Virtually every free hour of every day was spent planning the pancake fundraiser.  While at times it was overwhelming, it was always something I was excited to be doing, and after today, it feels like every minute was time well spent.  Before I talk more about that, though, let's take care of first things first.

On Wednesday, August 17, Gina had her 4th chemo.  When the nurse, Donna, examined her after she was done, she could not feel the tumor at all!  As hoped, Gina's tumor is responding well to the chemo!  Only two more chemo sessions to go before Gina can schedule her lumpectomy.  Assuming everything comes back clean, she will then undergo radiation 5 days a week for 5 weeks, in addition to another year of and IV medication called Herceptin.

At this last chemo, there was a very diverse group of women in the chemo room.  There was a girl, much younger than us, on her 2nd chemo.  There was a woman, older than us and dressed very feminine, in a flowy dress with a long scarf covering her hair,  There was a loud, weathered looking woman who seemed very matter-of-fact about it all, like she was just having a social visit with the nurses.  And there was a 50 something woman undergoing her first treatment.  She was scared.  She couldn't smile, couldn't joke, couldn't even consider having a donut :)  Donna, the nurse practitioner, did her best to reassure her, as did the chemo nurses, encouraging the other women to tell her that everything was going to be just as they told her it was gonna be.  Not painless, but not the end of the world, either.  I was touched by this woman, because I think it was the first time I could really feel and see someone's fear since I've been going with Gina to chemo.  Her husband was there, but I don't think she was comforted by that.  I hope to see her again, if only to see that she has managed to deal with the chemo.

Like I said earlier, nearly every free minute I had in the last week has been spent planning the Coyote event.  I also spent a solid 2 days chocolate dipping Oreos, marshmallows and pretzels for the bake sale table.  Then, as the date drew nearer, it was time to bake the cookies, brownies, rice krispie treats and magic cookie bars.  Faced with the thought of baking, wrapping, tying and labeling each individual package, I had an idea...

A few weeks ago, I learned about an online business called Task Rabbit.  Basically, you can go to the Task Rabbit website, post a task you need done, and "Task Rabbits" (who were all interviewed and background checked by the company) could bid on a chance to do the task for you.  (When I found out about this company, I immediately applied to be a Task Rabbit, and am waiting to hear back from them.)

Anyway, at about 2:00 am the night before I was scheduled to start baking, I decided to post an ad on Task Rabbit: "Help Package Goodies for Bake Sale: I am baking hundreds of goodies for a breast cancer fundraiser bake sale.  We need someone to help package the items (per my instructions), tie the bags with curling ribbon, curl the ribbon, and apply stickers to the packages.  You will be helping us, not working all on your own!  Please be someone who is detail oriented.  Appearance of the items will be very important."  Within 15 minutes, I had a bid!

The next day, I think I ended up with about 5 bids to choose from.  I had hoped to only spend about $20 for 2 hours, and luckily, a woman with a great profile had bid $20.  Her name is Jaime, and she showed up and worked non-stop for two hours, and did a fabulous job!   All in all, I was at Jill's baking and wrapping for 12 hours.  Without a doubt, hiring Jaime was the best move I made all day!  Thank you, Jaime!

Thank you, too, to Jill for the kitchen and the help, to Seth, and to Olivia, who rolled hundreds of dough balls :)

One of the things I did very early on in planning this event was think about who I wanted to ask to volunteer.  I was very particular about who I wanted to ask, as I needed people who would take direction, work hard, and have a fabulous personality (you know, like me!).  Luckily, everyone I asked who was available said yes!  And, luckily, I even picked up some extra help in the days leading up to the event, which it ended up, I really needed!  All in all, we had over 20 people working the event, and they all ended up having a great time together.

Thank you Vanessa, Amber, Shanna, Katie, Carlos, Guy, Rik, Ed, Todd, Heather, Jacki, Jenni, Marisa, Brooklyn, Alexa, Mena and Cynthia!

And an extra special thanks to Sean, who made our official Team Tough Titty t-shirts, made even more to sell, who drove up all the way from San Diego, and who also did some heavy lifting!  You are the best!

As usual, my mom also pitched in with her sewing skills, making some awesome towel aprons (a hot seller!), bags, and checkbook covers for me to sell.  Thanks, MOM!

Except for a few minor glitches (I forgot a bucket for the 50/50 raffle tickets and we ran low on food a couple of times (a good thing!!), the event went off wonderfully.  There was a great crowd, a great energy, and great food and drink!  Lots of friends stopped by to support us, and we made lots of new friends, too!

We raised over $2200.

Thank you, Matthew McQuaid, for giving us the opportunity to host this event at your restaurant.  Thank you for letting us advertise the event using your email list.  Thank you for always saying yes when I ask!!

And finally, before we get to the pictures, I want to thank all of the attendees, both friends and strangers. We sure enjoyed having you, and we hope that you enjoyed yourself for a good cause!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Ok, here are the pictures.  Thank goodness Cynthia picked up my camera, or we'd only have 5, and thanks to everyone else who contributed the ones they took.  Enjoy!

This was the official e-blast created by Tima and 

sent to all of the people on Coyote Cantina's email list. 

Seth making brownies, Olivia rolling cookie dough balls, 

me making Rice Krispie treats, and Jaime wrapping!

Jaime the Task Rabbit!

All decked out in pink and setting up.

Matthew McQuaid, owner of Coyote Cantina

Todd and Heather selling meal & raffle tickets out front.

I made "Opportunity Baskets" that people could win.  
The Pink iPod Shuffle and the Kincaid's gift certificates were the most popular.
We also had a 50/50 raffle with a cash prize and a
19" flat screen TV as a consolation prize!

Jacki ("Nana") and her daughter Jenni at the bake sale table.

Marshmallow Pops

Chocolate Dipped Oreos

Amber & Nana

Amber & some chocolate dipped pretzels

Sean at the tie dye/pink ribbon/arts and crafts table.

With his sister Mena.  Their parents did good :)

Guy, our culinary-school-trained pancake chef!

Goofin' in the kitchen

Ed & Rik (pancake sous chefs) and good friend Paul

The breakfast!

Spencer (5), Jack (10), and Ian (8)

Katie & Amber

 Cynthia and Amber working the street!

Shanna rocking the pink!

 Vanessa enjoying shave ice!

Paul, Jill and Danny

 Yes, I face paint, too!

 Samantha

Spider Boy!

The Amazing Carlos!

The Pink Ladies...we should open our own restaurant...

Alexa, Marisa, and Brooklyn

 Jack, Seth, and Spencer

Katie, bartender extraordinaire!

Me and my little man Spence.

Thanks again to every single person involved in this endeavor.  

And if I missed anyone, I hope you'll forgive me!

Love, 

Lisa

Every Little Bit Helps!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well!  

Since I last wrote, online donations have slowed down, but cash donations have not!

Last Thursday, Jack had a last minute appointment with his orthodontist.  His retainer was bothering him, so he wanted to have it checked.  While we were there, Dr. Noguchi's wife, Margaret, acknowledged that she had received my letter (sent 2 weeks earlier), but that she was having difficulty donating online.  She then proceeded to donate $100 by check!  THANK YOU!

The next night, Friday, my every-other-Friday-night regulars, Marjie and Norm, came in for dinner.  Marjie commented on my pink ribbon earrings and asked if they were for sale.  It just so happens that I had a pair on me, and she bought them ;)  She took off the earrings she was wearing and replaced them with the pink ribbon pair.  They are such a cool couple.  THANK YOU!

Sunday, we had a BBQ fundraiser here at our apartment complex.  For apartment tenants only, we served a hot dog, chips and a soda for $5.  We also had Hawaiian shave ice (we have 16 flavors now!), all of my pink ribbon merchandise, and some of my mom's craft stuff.  It was a beautiful day, we had fun, and we made $250 in 3 hours!  Plus, I LOVED the easy set up and break down just outside my front door :)  THANKS to Seth for all of his hard work in getting the food and shave ice stuff ready.

Now my focus is on the next event:  Our All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast at Coyote Cantina.  This is going to be our biggest event by far, and I am going to do everything I can to be sure that it is a fabulous and profitable event!  I even added a few new items to my pink ribbon merchandise collection.  I'll get you some pictures when I can :)

Until then, here are a few pictures I took at the BBQ:

Take Care!

Lisa

BJ'S Restaurant Fundraiser

Ah, a day off AND dinner with friends!

Since most of the work for this fundraiser involved getting the word (and lots of flyers) out, this day was relatively relaxing.  I made 3 batches of Rice Krispie treats for the BJ's restaurant crew (and their manager, my friend Mike, who has a fierce sweet tooth!), made a sign, and got some balloons (thanks, Seth!), and that was about it.

The flyers that would get us a 15% donation were good from 4pm to midnight, but we headed down there about 5ish.  We had left Seth's car there earlier in the day, so we would have a prime parking spot.  My plan was to put a sign on his car with some flyers, so that people passing on their way to the mall would see the flyers and hopefully take one.  I'm not sure how effective it was, but I think it was a good effort:

We had reservations for 15 of us at 6:15, and Gina and her family got there right on time.  Her aunt and uncle ended up coming, too, so then we were 17. Then my manager Martin and his wife showed up and sat with us, pushing us to 19!  It was fun!

Over the course of our time there, quite a few of my friends, family, and co-workers stopped by to say they were there to support us--some were eating in and some were taking out.  A woman I had met at the farmer's market even brought me some pink ribbon pins that her daughter made :)

I have no idea how much we raised, but it was nice to sit down to dinner with Gina and her family, and to spend time with friends, all for a good cause.  THANK YOU to everyone who came out in support of us!!

Although I brought my camera, I didn't take any pictures except this one on the way to the car.  It's blurry, but it's still full of smiles!!

Steven, Gina, Lisa, and Nicholas

Today, Seth made a huge batch of shave ice syrups for the BBQ we are having here at our apartment complex this weekend.  I have no idea if anyone will show up, but we are having a hot dog lunch for a $5 donation, shave ice, face painting, and all my craft and breast cancer stuff.  I think the boys are actually hoping that no one shows up so that they can eat all of the hot dogs and chips themselves ;)

I also received a surprise from my mom in the mail today...she made checkbook covers and cute drawstring bags out of pink ribbon fabric!  THANKS, Mom!  I will take some pictures and post them in the next couple of days.

And finally, I received my first donation for the 2012 walk!  Because I have already reached my minimum for this year, I went ahead and registered for the 2012 walk (which I hope Gina will walk with me!) and switched my donation page over so that all donations I receive now go towards next year's minimum.  Now I'm trying to figure out if I want to walk or crew in a 3rd city next year!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa

Tuesday Market

Today was my second day at the Wilson Park farmer's market.  As Seth and I were setting up at 7 am, this is the very first thing I heard, "What a rip off!  $5 for a little duck?!"  I just had to laugh, especially since those were my best sellers on Saturday!

According to the woman selling delicious plums across the way, the Tuesday market is totally different than the Saturday one, with a different demographic.  Fewer people.  Older people.  Lots of people on a fixed income.  She was right.  But proving once again that cancer does not discriminate, I met even more survivors today than on Saturday!

I met Sue, who told me that she just made her appointment for a lumpectomy on September 17.  She bought a wish bracelet and asked me to put it on her.  I told her I wished for her well being, and we had a tearful hug.  I met Marianne, who's sister died of cancer and who offered to donate baked goods for the Coyote Cantina event.  I met a 50 something woman who told me that after surviving breast cancer felt she had the right to say "Fuck Cancer."  When I told her I could make her a necklace that said that, she bought one!  I met a 70+ year old man that told me his wife already gave...she gave both of her breasts!  I met a Filipino woman who had many members of her family affected by cancer and who was about to undergo genetic counseling because of her family history.  I met a nurse who works in a cancer hospital.  On and on it went.

It was a beautiful day.  We raised lots of money for the cure.  I made new friends, touched some people, and was touched by them all.  What more could I ask for??

Special thanks to Seth, who helped me set up, tended to the kids, and then distributed flyers for tomorrows fundraiser to lots of local businesses.  I love you!

New Friends, and Pattee

I received an email today from last night's strangers-turned-friends!  Dorothy is the name of the woman who is a breast cancer survivor.  Her husband, who was celebrating his 70th birthday (and who is also a cancer survivor) is Alvin, and the younger couple with them was their son, also named Alvin, and their daughter-in-law, Sue.  Strangers no more!

In her email, Sue revealed to me that her best friend is also battling cancer, for the third time.  In fact, Sue was emailing me from Pattee's bedside.  Pattee has had one lung removed, and now has pneumonia in the other.  She was not a smoker.  CANCER SUCKS!  Cancer does not discriminate!


I will walk because I can.  I will walk for those I know and those I don't.  I will walk in honor of those who have survived and those who didn't make it long enough to see a cure.  I will walk because everyone deserves a lifetime.  

Finally! (and more on the support of strangers)

The gods were smiling down on us on Saturday.  I slept well Friday night.  I got up energized.  I was on time.  I didn't forget anything.  Seriously, it was amazing!

By 6:45 am, Seth and I were off to the farmer's market.  Five minutes later, Sean texted me that he was had arrived at Wilson Park.  He had driven up from San Diego with the tie dye shirts and beat us there! 

Once everything was set up, Seth headed home to tend to the boys.  With Sean at the booth with me, the most merciful thing for everyone was to have Seth stay home with the boys and take care of things there until it was time to pack up.  It was wonderful to be able to spend time with Sean, and he was GREAT at talking to people and helping them!!

We got attention immediately after the market opened, and it was steady (and sometimes crazy!) all the way until the end of the market at one o'clock (and even a bit beyond!).   The weather was BEAUTIFUL, and the market was PACKED.  The booth ended up looking great (if I do say so myself!) and I was really pleased with the layout.  I sold at least one of almost everything that I had, which made me happy...I was glad that I chosen things that people liked.  Sean's shirts were a hit, and they were really great at drawing people to the booth!  Other popular items were the rubber duckies (both with adults and kids alike!) and the badge reels.  The car magnets also did well, and everyone loved getting a "together we can make a difference" sticker!  I sold several of my pendants and even make a few custom ones right there at the booth :)

We met countless people of all ages, including survivors and women currently undergoing treatment.  People shared their stories with us, and I felt privileged to hear them.  I met a woman who's hair was just growing back after chemo, and another woman who has had a mastectomy, but has not yet had reconstruction (she had one boob!).  I met a gay son who donated on behalf of his mom and then she turned around and bought something for him.  I met a girl with a pink ribbon butterfly tattoo on the side of her boob (she showed the boys, twice!) that she got in honor of her mom, who was there with her.   I met a woman who's second daughter, Faith, was born after she survived breast cancer.  Every minute of it was a blessing, amazing.  The time FLEW BY!  And every time someone thanked me, I was surprised, because I was thankful for THEM!

Friends and family came out as well, as always, to show their support.  THANK YOU!  Sometimes my activities keep me away from my loved ones, and it means a lot to me that they come and see me!

It wasn't until the drive home that the exhaustion kicked in.  Wow, I was fried!  All that talking and exchange of energy had depleted me!  After lunch I slept like a log, then it was off to work.

As much as I wanted to blog that night and even this morning, I was EXHAUSTED.  My back hurt and my brain was fried!  So it would have to wait.

Oh, and by the way, we raised almost $1,000!!!!  

Honestly, I never thought about how much I hoped to raise at Wilson Park.  I think I was so busy planning that I didn't have time to.  But I promise you, even if I had, $1K would not have been my guess or my dream!  I was floored.

Thank you to all who donated to the fight!!

Still tired, I didn't want to go to work this afternoon.  But no one wants to work on Sundays, so getting a shift covered is close to impossible.  Now, though, I'm glad I did, because of table 43.

I don't know their names (I can't believe I never asked), but I waited on a gentleman celebrating his 70th birthday, his wife, and another (younger) man and woman.  I don't know if the younger couple was one of their kids and a spouse, or their son and daughter (are you following??).  Nonetheless, shortly after they arrived, the younger woman asked my if I was a survivor.  When I told her my story (Gina's story), she told me that the older woman was a survivor.  Long story longer, we talked at length about breast cancer, I learned that she had had a double mastectomy and that the birthday boy was also a cancer survivor.  We were all tearing up at one point or another, grateful that our loved ones were not lost to cancer, but were surviving.  They were lovely people, and I was so happy to have met them!  They asked for my contact information so they could keep up with me, and I gave my pink ribbon pin to her.  I hope they do contact me, if only so I can learn their names.  Thank you, table 43, for sharing yourselves with me!

Next up: planning for the Tuesday market and the BJ's fundraiser on Wednesday!  Lots of flyers to be distributed!  Oh, and we are also having a fundraising BBQ on Sunday exclusively for our apartment complex neighbors!

Hope to see you soon!

Love,

Lisa

Here are some pics from Saturday!  

The booth was right down the middle of the market!

The front featured items for a $10 donation

The adopt-a-can did pretty well!

The $20 donation side had adult t-shirts, mom's hats, and the stuffed animals with pink ribbon pins.

The headband was Spencer's idea, and it's the one that sold first!

Me, all smiles :)

My beautiful niece Olivia wearing one of my necklaces!

I came home to this surprise!!  It must have been torture for them to wait until I got home to eat it!

A SPECIAL THANKS to Seth, Jack, and Spencer, who make everything I do possible, and to Sean, who has gone above and beyond.  I am so lucky to be loved by all of you.