So, yesterday was my day off from work. And I decided that it was time for my pal and fellow kick ass cancer survivor Cheryl and I to hang out. So, we went to the bead store so I could buy some clasps, we enjoyed a healthy dinner at Whole Foods of some yummy prepared foods. And while at Whole Foods, I met a fabulous partially bald man. Cheryl who is always in stitches laughing whenever she is with me, was just that- in stitches laughing as I stared at the bald man and exclaimed how much I loved his partially bald head. Now, I know..... I sound dysfunctional as ever right? I mean who really stops men in the store or in public and tells them that their baldness (whether intentional or part of life) is beyond awesome! This man, however was happy to hear about my love for his baldness. Cheryl jumped in just as I was ensuring the man that I wasn't crazy and that it was just something I loved about men and she exclaimed "My friend Rachel is a cancer survivor and she LOVES Bald men, because she was bald too! And she's in the 805 Magazine this month!" No sooner than she said that, did I have my issue of the 805 Living (our local magazine) in my hand and open to my signature article. :) Cheryl was smiling and cheering, and the fabulous bald man was excited as well.
No sooner after we met we started talking about fruit juice and healthy eating, and Cheryl, cute as ever continued to tell the man about my car magnet that expressed my love for the baldies - it was cute. He was sweet, I gave him my business card and told him that we'd love any help that he wanted to offer. He smiled and acknowledged us. So, after we ate dinner at Whole Foods, Cheryl and I returned to her house to hang out and meet with a friend of hers. When we arrived at Cheryl's place and I was walking up the stairs, my favorite glass bottle of peach white tea fell out of my purse and onto the stairs. Cheryl, who knew that I was somewhat struggling to get up the stairs due to the blood clot in my leg wouldn't let me clean up my mess and instead had me sit on her couch as she cleaned it up for me. What a "cute-sickle". I overheard an older man asking her if she needed some help and then a the voice of a young man. I popped up out of my seat on the couch and went to see who she was talking to. As I peered over the stairs, I saw a handsome young man, who looked up at me and smiled. Cheryl, who was downstairs looked at the young man's face and said "This is my friend Rachel and she's a cancer survivor...." So I walked down the stairs to greet the young man and his dad. (As Cheryl told me later, she said that by the look on the young man's face and mine, she thought that a cupid had shot an arrow into both of our hearts.) :) Lol. As I talked to the young man, it turned out that he was a few years younger than me, had gone to my high school and had some stuff in common with me. I gave him my number and suggested that we hang out sometime. He was really nice!! YAY!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Speed Dating? Hmmmm. Sounds like a fun adventure! I'm In!
So, for the past, I dunno maybe ten years I have always heard about speed dating. On the TV, from passerby's, ads, etc. And I have always wondered- could you find a match in 6 minutes or less, and could you really have a mental connection after that short amount of time? The way that I looked at it, was simple... what have I got to loose? Except $20 and an hour of my time. After much thought, and two and a half years of being single, I decided that it was time. Time to steer away from my comfort zone and traditional habit of checking out the personals on craigslist and the online dating sites, and try something new and fun.
So on St Patrick's day, I dove in, and attended a St. Patrick's Luck Mixer. $20 got me in at a local sports bar that I frequented on Tuesday nights for karaoke. The set up for the mixer was simple. The ladies got a green coin, and the men had I think a gold one, and each of our coins had a number on them. We'd sit at a table and talk to 2 guys. And then they would match us with guys with the same coin number as ours, so we would have one on one time. That night, was a ton of fun! I didn't have any matches, but I did meet a new, cool friend- Mary. And I enjoyed some fabulous karaoke and rocked out to my favorite songs for my fellow friends that I met at the mixer. :)
My first official speed dating event, was on a Monday night (04/26/2010) at a local restaurant in Westlake Village- a fancy one too! I had signed up for the speed dating event for 30-45 yr olds and was looking forward to see who I would meet at the event. There ended up being 7 women and 6 men. The ladies sat at our designated table (we had name badges on with a number on it), and we would sit and wait for our date to come to our table. We all had little "cheat sheets" as I call them, where we would write the gentleman's name, the name tag #, details about them and if we felt they were a friend/business match, or a dating match. Every six minutes, the man we were talking to would switch and move on to the next woman, and each of us would have a new man to talk to. That night, I had the chance to get to know 6 eligible bachelors: Steven, Michael, Ramon, Brad, Ray, & Phil. All of the guys had very different personalities. I noticed that these men, asked me questions, which was nice - because I wasn;t the only one asking the questions. I didn;t have a match, but I did get some great new friends and was looking forward to my next event!!
My most recent speed dating event was on Monday 05/17/2010 in Camarillo at a very nice restaurant that I had always referred clients to, but had never been to myself. I was able to convince one of my great friends Brianne to come along with me to join in on the adventure. As Brianne and I sat waiting for the event to start, I noticed a fabulous bald man come in the restaurant. Brianne, saw the look on my face and laughed. She knew that all I was thinking about was this - bald man. :) Lol. This event, was a small one as well, an the age range was 25-34. There were 6 women and 6 men. The guys I met this night included a repeat attendee: Ramon. And 5 other available bachelors including: John, Joel, Tom, Brian & Kurt. All of the men were extremely nice, but I did notice a difference with this group - these guys didn't ask the questions until I asked them what they wanted to know. Hmmmm Interesting! One of the guys in the group was 37 and I was surprised that he didn't ask me more questions. All in all, Brianne and I had a great time talking to the guys and getting to know them and although we didn't have matches, we thoroughly enjoyed the late night snack we had at Carrows as we discussed the evenings' men. :) Brianne and I are looking forward to the next event! Speed Dating.... Here I COME!! :)
So on St Patrick's day, I dove in, and attended a St. Patrick's Luck Mixer. $20 got me in at a local sports bar that I frequented on Tuesday nights for karaoke. The set up for the mixer was simple. The ladies got a green coin, and the men had I think a gold one, and each of our coins had a number on them. We'd sit at a table and talk to 2 guys. And then they would match us with guys with the same coin number as ours, so we would have one on one time. That night, was a ton of fun! I didn't have any matches, but I did meet a new, cool friend- Mary. And I enjoyed some fabulous karaoke and rocked out to my favorite songs for my fellow friends that I met at the mixer. :)
My first official speed dating event, was on a Monday night (04/26/2010) at a local restaurant in Westlake Village- a fancy one too! I had signed up for the speed dating event for 30-45 yr olds and was looking forward to see who I would meet at the event. There ended up being 7 women and 6 men. The ladies sat at our designated table (we had name badges on with a number on it), and we would sit and wait for our date to come to our table. We all had little "cheat sheets" as I call them, where we would write the gentleman's name, the name tag #, details about them and if we felt they were a friend/business match, or a dating match. Every six minutes, the man we were talking to would switch and move on to the next woman, and each of us would have a new man to talk to. That night, I had the chance to get to know 6 eligible bachelors: Steven, Michael, Ramon, Brad, Ray, & Phil. All of the guys had very different personalities. I noticed that these men, asked me questions, which was nice - because I wasn;t the only one asking the questions. I didn;t have a match, but I did get some great new friends and was looking forward to my next event!!
My most recent speed dating event was on Monday 05/17/2010 in Camarillo at a very nice restaurant that I had always referred clients to, but had never been to myself. I was able to convince one of my great friends Brianne to come along with me to join in on the adventure. As Brianne and I sat waiting for the event to start, I noticed a fabulous bald man come in the restaurant. Brianne, saw the look on my face and laughed. She knew that all I was thinking about was this - bald man. :) Lol. This event, was a small one as well, an the age range was 25-34. There were 6 women and 6 men. The guys I met this night included a repeat attendee: Ramon. And 5 other available bachelors including: John, Joel, Tom, Brian & Kurt. All of the men were extremely nice, but I did notice a difference with this group - these guys didn't ask the questions until I asked them what they wanted to know. Hmmmm Interesting! One of the guys in the group was 37 and I was surprised that he didn't ask me more questions. All in all, Brianne and I had a great time talking to the guys and getting to know them and although we didn't have matches, we thoroughly enjoyed the late night snack we had at Carrows as we discussed the evenings' men. :) Brianne and I are looking forward to the next event! Speed Dating.... Here I COME!! :)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Meeting People Along the Way & Inspiring is THE GOAL!
Ever since I made my first UCAAN t-shirt, I have been wearing it every chance I get! :) Including recently when I attended a Wellness event in Westlake Village with my friend and fellow survivor Sheryl. The event was held at a local business and all in all was a lot of fun. But I had a feeling that I just had to be there, and at that moment I wasn't quite sure why, but I would soon find out. 
As Sheryl & I enjoyed the delicious food and drinks at the event, we spent some time talking to people. Sheryl, who was beyond excited about me being in the local and recent 805 Living magazine in am article called "Voices of Survivors", which included the stories of 4 cancer survivor women who were doing amazing things- and I was one of them!!! :) So, as we sipped our hot tea and talked to one another, I overheard a conversation near me- two women younger than me that were raving about how an $80 a month gym membership wasn't bad at all. I thought to myself at that moment, $80 a month!?!? Sounds like my electricity, gas & internet bills all together. Lol. And for my fellow cancer survivors I know that this is a lot of money for all of us! I looked at Sheryl and said "I can't even afford the $37/month to get a gym membership for myself, let alone an $80 membership." She laughed, because she not only understood what I was talking about, but she also agreed.
Sheryl ended up getting a free sample of a fabulous gluten free cookie at the event and decided that she just had to buy one. As we walked to the front desk, and she asked about the price for the healthy cookie, meanwhile I was talking to the women behind the desk who were all eating the cookies! :) I looked ta them and said "Those cookies are good, but their sodium content is higher than what women can have in a day!" They looked at me shocked, as I continued to tell them that the suggested amount of sodium for women per day was 90mg. And the cookie they were enjoying was 150mg. I told one woman, you can eat half of that and almost reach your daily amount of sodium, her response? She put it down and continued to listen to a story her co-worker was sharing about her brother in law who loved Top Ramen. We all continued to talk and somewhere along the line, I decided to share my new found fame in the 805 Living magazine. I opened to page 67 and showed the women behind the desk. One woman, read the article and began to cry. I wasn't expecting that reaction and when I asked her why, she told me that her 3 year old niece has Leukemia and was getting treated in England, where she lived with her parents. I gave the woman my card and we exchanged information. I told her that I would make a little pink bracelet for her niece, because she is a survivor! :)
As Sheryl and I, with our cookies in hand walked out to the car I looked at Sheryl and said "I have the beading stuff here! I can make it now and get it to her." Sheryl agreed and I sat in my car and made the little bracelet. When I was done, I returned to the woman (Wendy was her name), and told her I had a gift for her. "Close your eyes." I told her, as I placed the newly made survivor hope bracelet into her hand. I had her close her eyes and again and I placed a pink necklace on her (that I made for someone), but it matched the bracelet and I felt that Wendy needed something to help keep her close to her niece. The look on her face when she got the gifts was beyond exceptional, and yes she started to cry again - tears of happiness!! She loved it!! Here is a picture of Wendy & I!
So, If you sport a UCAAN shirt, make sure to take pictures of you helping others! Because UCAAN Make a Difference! Even when you least expect it!
:)
As Sheryl & I enjoyed the delicious food and drinks at the event, we spent some time talking to people. Sheryl, who was beyond excited about me being in the local and recent 805 Living magazine in am article called "Voices of Survivors", which included the stories of 4 cancer survivor women who were doing amazing things- and I was one of them!!! :) So, as we sipped our hot tea and talked to one another, I overheard a conversation near me- two women younger than me that were raving about how an $80 a month gym membership wasn't bad at all. I thought to myself at that moment, $80 a month!?!? Sounds like my electricity, gas & internet bills all together. Lol. And for my fellow cancer survivors I know that this is a lot of money for all of us! I looked at Sheryl and said "I can't even afford the $37/month to get a gym membership for myself, let alone an $80 membership." She laughed, because she not only understood what I was talking about, but she also agreed.
Sheryl ended up getting a free sample of a fabulous gluten free cookie at the event and decided that she just had to buy one. As we walked to the front desk, and she asked about the price for the healthy cookie, meanwhile I was talking to the women behind the desk who were all eating the cookies! :) I looked ta them and said "Those cookies are good, but their sodium content is higher than what women can have in a day!" They looked at me shocked, as I continued to tell them that the suggested amount of sodium for women per day was 90mg. And the cookie they were enjoying was 150mg. I told one woman, you can eat half of that and almost reach your daily amount of sodium, her response? She put it down and continued to listen to a story her co-worker was sharing about her brother in law who loved Top Ramen. We all continued to talk and somewhere along the line, I decided to share my new found fame in the 805 Living magazine. I opened to page 67 and showed the women behind the desk. One woman, read the article and began to cry. I wasn't expecting that reaction and when I asked her why, she told me that her 3 year old niece has Leukemia and was getting treated in England, where she lived with her parents. I gave the woman my card and we exchanged information. I told her that I would make a little pink bracelet for her niece, because she is a survivor! :)
As Sheryl and I, with our cookies in hand walked out to the car I looked at Sheryl and said "I have the beading stuff here! I can make it now and get it to her." Sheryl agreed and I sat in my car and made the little bracelet. When I was done, I returned to the woman (Wendy was her name), and told her I had a gift for her. "Close your eyes." I told her, as I placed the newly made survivor hope bracelet into her hand. I had her close her eyes and again and I placed a pink necklace on her (that I made for someone), but it matched the bracelet and I felt that Wendy needed something to help keep her close to her niece. The look on her face when she got the gifts was beyond exceptional, and yes she started to cry again - tears of happiness!! She loved it!! Here is a picture of Wendy & I!
So, If you sport a UCAAN shirt, make sure to take pictures of you helping others! Because UCAAN Make a Difference! Even when you least expect it!
:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
