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!