Relay for Life 2018

Relay for Life "season" is always one of my favorite times of the year! Being together with thousands of others who are just as passionate about fighting cancer as I am is such an amazing feeling!

Our event was held a couple of Friday nights ago and I can't believe I'm just getting around to sharing about it! We had a ton of fun, an awesome band, and lots of great food!

Our committee is so much fun!

A lot of local businesses take part in our relay. Even Chick Fil A came out to provide tea, lemonade, and chicken sandwiches to our caregivers! So awesome!

Our band for the evening was The Flamethrowers. They are a very popular local band and did an AMAZING job! One of their band members even joined me on the local morning show to discuss our event!

Along with being on the event committee, I am also a member of our local hospital team. The theme this year was "Wild About A Cure", and teams went all different ways with the idea - some chose a safari theme and some went with a wild west theme while others went with a hunting/outdoor theme.

I was also luckily chosen to participate in the dessert contest! Oh my gosh I know you can't see it, but there was a brownie in the mix and holy cow that thing was amazing! I'm a sucker for brownies with icing! YUM!

As the sun began to set, our festivities were just beginning!

We changed our survivor lap just a bit this year. We started with the less than one year survivors at the beginning and lined them up in groups according to how long ago they were diagnosed. It was a really awesome visual, especially to see those in the very back with greater than 15 years! (A person is defined as a cancer survivor from the moment of diagnosis, regardless of their type of cancer or stage.) We all have our own reasons for being out there and doing what we do for Relay, but this survivor lap defines it for me. To see the "sea of purple" walking the track is so amazing!

My parents even stopped by to say hello for a few minutes!

Funny story - three of my seven bridesmaids were in the same place at the same time and it wasn't because I orchestrated it! We HAD to have a picture, obviously.

After "perusing" the food options, I decided to go with a cheeseburger and a lemonade. Both were AMAZING! Oh yes, and a local spin business was out there with their cold pressed juice, so I bought a couple to save for later.

Around 9 p.m., the luminaria ceremony began. These bags completely lined the track and were created in honor and memory of cancer patients.

We also had a slideshow but we had a few hiccups this year. We left the slideshow with a definite  plan for next year, so hopefully all will work out ok.

Another favorite part for me is the "HOPE" luminarias! So cool how it looks all spelled out on the steps!

And that was a wrap! We ended kind of early for us this year which means I was home and in bed by 12:30! My goal was to be asleep before 1 a.m. because I had a 5 miler to run the following morning. If you read my 5 miler recap, now you know why my legs felt like lead blocks for the race!

I had so much fun with relay this year and can't wait for another exciting year next year! I always love Relay season and seeing all of the fun each event brings!

Relay for Life 2018 Take 1

On Friday night, I attended the Rapides Parish Relay for Life in Alexandria, Louisiana with a fellow relay friend of mine. We love attending different relays as we gain new ideas and experiences from other's events!

This event is about a 2 hour drive or so from our home. We made great timing and even arrived early!

Our first objective was to scope out the place - check out the venue, look around at the team booths, and talk to committee members.

Their theme this year was a Louisiana based theme as "Relay on the Red" (River, that is). This booth was by far our favorite! They even had a pirouge in their tent! (Pronounced pee-row which means boat in Cajun French)

Tobacco Free Living was there with a booth and they were even handing out free shirts, promoting their Smoke Free Louisiana campaign!

One of my favorite parts of relay is the food.  Although the pastalaya looked temping (a combination between jambalya and pasta), we decided on cheeseburgers from the Target booth and frozen lemonade from one of the hospital booths!

The band. Oh my goodness the band was GREAT! They played all evening and did an awesome job!

Around 7 p.m., the survivor lap took place. This lap celebrated cancer survivors of all ages, all diagnoses, and all stages of treatment/remission. What an awesome sight to see!

One of the great things about this relay was the venue. It was located on the river, had great seating and easy access to the food!

Food? How about dessert! Ok!

So many cakeballs, I couldn't decide! I ate the funfetti one that evening and brought the strawberry one home for later! Delicious!

Around 9 p.m., the luminaria ceremony took place. This is by far the most touching part of relay and one where we spend a little time of reflection of those who have lost their fight with cancer. We also take time to honor the survivors and the reason we keep pressing on with our goal of creating a world with less cancer.

In the left hand corner of this picture, across the lake, you'll see the word "HOPE". These were luminaria bags filled with sand and a candle. I love how the fireworks took place right behind it!

Such a great end to an overall amazing evening!

We didn't stay long after the fireworks because we still had a solid 2 hour drive and I had a race to run the following morning. Come to think of it, maybe I should relay before every race from now on! Hah!

 

Thanks for the invite, Rapides! We enjoyed our evening and we especially enjoyed relaying with you! 

Relay for Life 2017

On Friday night, we held our annual Relay for Life in my hometown. This Relay was my 10th year to participate and my 4th year as a committee member! I absolutely love this event and everything it stands for! :) Throughout the evening, we celebrate our survivors, remember those who have lost their battle, and then we fight back against this terrible disease!

This year's theme was based off of a Disney theme - Wish Upon A Cure and I loved all of the details that went into the event! I had no idea of this ahead of time, but the event ended with the goodbye theme from Mickey Mouse Club ("now it's time...to say goodbye...to all our company..."). Adorable.

As an added surprise, I woke up bright and early on Friday morning (3:30 a.m. as a matter of fact) with a pretty rough bout of a stomach virus. Awesome. Brayden had been sick a few days before and passed it on to me. Luckily, I was able to stay home from work that morning to rest and hopefully regain some of my energy. By 4 p.m., I was feeling slightly better....by slightly better I mean I felt about a 3 or 4 out of 10...but I couldn't miss this event. The committee saved the Disney theme for me this year since I was on maternity leave and not super heavily involved with last year's event. I seriously couldn't miss out!

This team ALWAYS wins the campsite award as their site is always above and beyond amazing! 

Our team won second place in the t-shirt contest! Our shirts were based off the Disney castle that played before old-school Disney moves. We used four main colors as our castle blocks and each color represented the cancer sites we treat the most in our center! 

Here's a better look at our shirts and my little relayer! It's hard to believe he was SO tiny last year (just about 5 weeks old)!

Another team contest is the bake-off. Cakes are judged on appearance and taste. This Cinderella carriage won all around! Isn't it beautiful?!

Celebrate 

After opening ceremonies, we kicked things off with our Survivor lap!

Each purple shirt represents a cancer survivor. I LOVE seeing the sea of purple shirts every year! It really validates what we do on a day in and day out basis!

After the survivor lap, caregivers joined in the walk around the track. We love what we do!

In the middle of all the festivities, one of my students from church graduated in the building right behind us. I was able to see her and take a picture with her after graduation! So proud of her!

Brayden was such a trooper and stayed for a good bit of the evening. He even tried his first bite of fried pickles...and he liked it! Relay food is pretty amazing, but I'm sad I couldn't partake in any of it due to the way I felt all day. Ugh. Next year.....I'm coming for you, Relay food!

Remember

At 9 p.m., my favorite part of the evening took place, our luminiaria ceremony. All of the lights in our circle grounds and generators were turned off. This ceremony is an incredibly reverent ceremony as we remember those who have lost the fight against cancer and honor those who are surviving.

In total, the ceremony lasts about 10 minutes but is one of the big take-aways from the entire event. 

Over 700 bags lined the track, each with a face or a name of a cancer patient. Amazing grace was played live from stage and a slide show presentation of pictures was given. This ceremony always brings tears. Always.

Fight Back

The remainder of the evening was spent playing games, fundraising, hanging out, and having a great time with friends and fellow relayers. I'm happy to say that we raised almost $130,000 total and are just a few thousand short of our goal for 2017! I'm excited to see our new theme for 2018 and what the year has in store! 

Oh yes, and my boss also talked me into going on our local news station with him during the week of relay to discuss our event! As most of you know, I'm NOT a fan of live events and they scare the daylights out of me. However, I made the decision a few years ago not to hold back, to come out of my shell a bit more, and go with the opportunities that are presented before me...so I agreed and I'm so happy I did! It was actually a lot of fun! If you'd like to see our interview, you can check that out here! :)

Have you ever participated in a Relay for Life event? Any "theme" ideas for us for next year?

Relay for Life 2013

Relay for Life 2013 was a HUGE success! We had a LOT of fun and really enjoyed Celebrating with survivors, remembering those who lost their battle, and fighting back against this terrible disease.

This year’s theme was superheroes and our team had shirts made especially for the event! LOVED them!!

Check out the video I made of our SUPER night!

My team! :0)

Survivor lap…

The MR. RELAY contest – this is my friend Erin’s husband and he came in 2nd place. Basically, Mr. Relay contestants “dress up” and spend the evening filling their purses with spare change from relay participants. At the end of the competition, the Mr. with the most money in his purse is the winner!

Guess what I found while at Relay?! MCALISTERS sweet tea! I was in HEAVEN! Know what’s kind of sad? the McAlister’s workers recognized me. Ah well, they made my day for sure!

The luminaria ceremony was very touching as always. It’s just a small part of the night, but a very important and moving one. These bags were created in memory of those who lost their fight with cancer and in honor of those who are continuing the fight as survivors. The candle inside each bag is a symbol of hope…hope that we will one day find a cure.

This year, we added floating lanterns – such a neat touch! Sort of reminded me of Tangled! :0)

We participated in the t-shirt contest but I still haven’t found out who won…

Jason and I ended the evening with a little dessert! We stuck around until 11:30 or so – the longest I’ve ever stayed at Relay! My boss said because I’m a “big dog” now, I have to stay later…hah!  The event lasted until 6 a.m. but I don’t do so well without sleep, so I called it a night!

Before leaving, we enjoyed the sounds of Yeah You Right. They were AWESOME and drove all the way from New Orleans to be with us!

Such a fun and satisfying night! I can’t wait for next year! :0)

Have you ever attended a Relay For Life event?