Progress

Two and a half weeks following my first fundraising attempt and still going strong! Event number one, launch complete with $250 raised. Second event underway with flyer created, for drink auction happening also at Jet. The list which is getting longer follows:



* Call Rebecca from event planning

* Go to Bank to see about opening a Redemption Climb account

* Make donation boxes

* Buy ingredients for candy bars

* Wait for responses from-

• Royal Palms
• Cayman Distributors
• LIME
• Cancer Society
• Kirk's

I am also working on the biggest event that I will be having this summer. July 5th, an ultimate frisbee tournament!

Rally

How much fake hair would you assume it would take to throw a really rocking time? Well, in my oppinion, with past experience, I don't think there could ever be enough. In fact, today I found a multiselection afro stock especially for the Wig Out tomorrow!! The picture above, my mom & I both wearing excessive wigs. . . .

It has been a while since I've had a list. . . here it goes...

• Create email/contact info sheets




• Pick up wigs




• Call the radio stations




• Schedule meeting with Mark for summer/July event @ Royal Palms




• Make for sure themes for all other 2nd Wednesday parties




• Work on calendar with other events @ other venues




• Confirm contacts on entertainment for those dates




• Upload contacts into new phone (Ugh!)




• Run




• Confirm label design for candy bars with all ingredients/info




• Make candy bars- Sample & Sell to certain sponsor locations

Stay focussed, keep the target, rally on.

The Cure

Coming from a colorful yet ordinary place such as Wisconsin, I grew up thinking ordinary at times. For instance the cure for cancer I one time, at the ripe age of nine, was fully convinced it was Carmex. Something so simple, practical, yet not everybody uses it. Just think of the name "Carmex," it really rings my ears, or pulls on my imagination at least ... See where it takes yours.

Another prime example entailing a way I've plotted towards the cure is by listening to the actual band named "The Cure." Now isn't that practical? Ok, ok, not so much, I understand where the impracticalities come in ... nonsense wise. . . I get it. However, wouldn't you think that because there are these "things" (for lack of a better word, perhaps ideas?) That people would just immerse themselves in them instead of radiation, or perhaps together with radiation? Do they? People radiate in different ways, they use different things, listen to varieties of music after all... Don't they?

When I was encouraged to read the blog that was written by my mom's and my dear friend Chris she was fully positive, on the way to recovery... I still check it to see if there's an update. She is at peace now. Floating around in heaven, wrapped up deep in my thoughts for a cure involving Carmex, The Cure, and dairy air.

I'll get to the dairy air idea in a minute.

Ok, so take my grandma for example. She was a smoker for her entire life. Never really missed a day, only when she was really feeling vivacious would she say she quit and then sneak them back in her life just to feel like herself again. At a very young age I would find, throw away, and break her cigarettes... So, help me I did. She would curse, and what have you. I would hand her Carmex, and tell her how much I preferred to breathe dairy air over her cigarette smoke. She laughed, content with my response and didn't smoke for the next five minutes.

When my grandmother was in the hospital she was not a cancer patient. We were aware that she had serious health issues when it came to certain things, I always speculated it was cancer and the doctors just didn't know it. Anyway, she had been admitted for a freak brain aneurysm. I was fully convinced that it had something to do with the cigarettes, insisting she get a nicotine patch put on to help her recover, because she couldn't smoke, and turns out her condition did get better when they did give her one. I thought that if she could just wake up to smoke one cigarette she would essentially get better, cussing at me saying I shouldn't ever smoke either... Which that year I had made it my resolution to start which had been proven unsuccessful thankfully. (Another blog, another time)

Back to the dairy air comment, what if everyone has there own "form" of dairy air. What if some people just misplace their's? Then their body creates something such as cancer, instead of what it was using to combat what it creates to deminish in the first place, such as age. Freeze. Go back. If everyone has there own scent, whether it be dairy air, b.o, fart, whatever... the minute they go into a hospital for radiation treatment it's weakened. Woah. I'm thinking really far out here, but ok. Maybe it could be something. Smell. It's the only scense that is left uncovered. In my oppinion probably the deadliest. Carmex smells, kinda icky actually. Hmm.... I'm going to need to sleep on this still.

Those are my three ideas for the cure to cancer, whether they could actually be proven effective that is unominously elite. Some things just can't be explained easily. Ignore what I did say, what I didn't say, and if it bothers you just know that what I'm trying to say is cancer really bothers me. I know for a fact that there just are not the major health causes as professionals may say, cancer comes from more than just the common substance or exposure. It's something more, it's horrifically challenging to try and wrap my mind around it. It haunts me, taunting me for an easy answer.

As for Wig Out updates, so far so good! Positive feedback from everyone invited so far, hoping for a good turn out!

Launch!

This month will be the launch of my Redemption Climb "campaign" for the Cayman Cancer Society. The first event is scheduled for May 12, at Jet Nightclub to be a Wig Out party. I have suffered a major set back as my telephone has gone missing this weekend. This will make contacting people quite difficult, however I put full power in facebook invitations; while socially networking in person to get people's interest going on about this event!

Hopefully my phone will turn up in the process!

Further more I have done more extensive reading about where I will be going, and what I will be doing. I have called about vaccinations, and determined that I will be going next week for them just before the launch party. EEK! SHOTS! (not the beverage kind either) Some of them take a few months to become effective, so that's why I'm planning to get ahead of the agenda.

Another odd, freaky thing that I've read about Tanzania is that they have a fly called the sleeping fly (tsetse fly). It will bite you, you won't really notice anything for a couple of weeks until you become frightfully tired and have death symptoms. AHH... Someone say pack a fly swatter!! (check)

Group pictured here... navy seals swim die hard cayman athletes (lol;)
The lack there of blogging has come to a halt, I will be regularly updating come following the first event. I have actively been participating in other events here and there. I participated in the sea swim with a marginal better time than I had anticipated with a goal of 30 min I finished in 19min. There is another one coming up this weekend I will be doing as well!

My jump rope has been put to good use. I jumped in the Batabanoo carnival this past weekend which lived true to last year, as one of the most spectacular experiences street dancing like a gypsy hooligan, like no other. I find that remaining active with other benefits will help me keep things in proper perspective that there is not just one cause in the world, but many. I find myself overly enthusiastic when it comes to supporting good causes, and positive movements towards a better future.

A dear friend to my family passed away last week on the very day of my grandmother's two year anniversary from passing! How eerie, right?! In speaking to my mom who has just over come something so oppressive, she was real jolted by the fact that her friend did not do the same. Although it was a completely different type of cancer, it's still the same feeling inside I suppose. Death, weakness, soul torture. The inevitability that all people, whom you have loved, will see you suffer the utmost amount of pain before you go. That is what is worth climbing for.

Reaching towards something you may not think you will survive, but sharing it with others to show them that you can because it's possible- they have. In the end Chris has survived after putting up a wicked fight, she was a really strong woman. I knew her family well, I babysat for her two sons, Mitch and Ross, who are now just coming through high school and one in college. It fathoms me to think that they have grown so big already, but that they have so much life ahead of them that now their mom will see from heaven. I'm a firm believer that our loved one's survive within us. My grandmother, our dear friend Chris, every loved one that has ever touched any particular life for that matter now sustains an iron will towards living.

Ketchup

Organizing is top priority. I have been corresponding regularly with Emma Hislop from the Cayman Cancer Society, she has been very helpful. Since my last blog I have done a significant amount in completing my research reading, connecting with the right people to schedule events has been limited. My optimism besets me at times, writing as a writer regularly in a blog... ugh.

Socially Inclined

Today (Monday) was a bust. A day completely wasted on rest, and spectating. However, I came up with a rather inspiring idea to raise money for the Redemption Climb!! It all began around 3pm this afternoon, when I awoke to a chocolate Easter egg waiting at my door. It occurred to me that I have all the resources to get custom chocolate bars made, and sell them! Or maybe not even just chocolate bars, but actual custom made sweets that people will be unable to resist. I spoke with three people this weekend about putting together a large event, and three smaller more intimate events, involving live music and prizes. This weekend was moderately successful when it comes to the list.

I will continue to work on accomplishing the following:

* Horse

* Run

* Blog

* Jump rope

* Kayak

* Art supplies

In chatting with key people this weekend, I am fully confident to keep forging ahead. I did not get to see the real Easter bunny exactly, however I did see rabbit on the menu at brunch, certainly tried it. I feel the meat was far too dry to rate, or even compare, to any other holiday mascot such as the beloved turkey on Thanks Giving! Ham will still always be the meat chosen for Easter, however did not have any this year. (odd) Aunt Michelle was bunny brave spreading Easter joy, wishing everyone a superb holiday!

Friday, I went diving with Ann. It was a great bonding adventure, we decided to go for a dive, however little did we know there were going to be jelly fish! I got stung on my right arm, back, left side, left knee, and right foot twice! Thankfully I am not allergic, but it sure did make for an interesting day. Beautiful dive after I got some skins on, but here's a picture before we went in the first time with our lion fish nets!!

Following the first encounter with the jellies, we bolted back to Eden Rock for a wet suit for me!! Thankfully the second dive attempt was successful, only two more stings, and not quite as many jellies were spotted!

Current today, (Wednesday) I trained for the 800m Lime Sea Swim this Saturday! Super excited!! Last year I did the CUC 800m, the Flowers one mile, and the CISA Tri with the 750m. Hope to get under 30min this weekend, we shall see. Feeling strong, will be going for a good run tomorrow to dispense the adrenaline I built up tonight- hopefully followed by some salsa! I've been doing "mega reading loads," laundering my brain. Submerged in Kenya, Tanzania, and the simplistic approach to the complexions for writer's who dare to write for children.

The next list follows tomorrow:

* 10k loop Run

* 800m Swim

* DMV- see Jason

* Contact Attic & Office

* Link up with Emma hopefully this weekend to get the ball rolling on events!

* Speak with Fiona again about travels, and contacting airlines for luggage sponsorships.

* Fed-Ex, check yellow pages for off island freight/airmail costs.

* Think about Redemption Climb 2010 t-shirts, talk to Luigi

* Candy idea/plan, talk to Doug

* Get supplies

* Kayak

Easter weekend campfire, dance on the beach a ton!!! (check!!!)

Wrapped Up

Imagine this, wrap yourself in your own words, daily. Do things that you typically do, however with a vivacious style and unlimited amount of enthusiasm. Play pretend for at least five minutes, make believe you're a rainbow-- for only one moment you are all the colors. Rule this, the owner's manual that's inside you-- tear it up!

Admire the comfort of a Kleenex, the kids have the sniffles. Move forward in a direction that gives no point to return, help people feel better. Make a list, cross things off, stay sharp. The Easter Bunny is coming this weekend, word on the street says he's been spotted handing out candy off Eastern Avenue near the radio stations. I will be keeping my eyes open, and possibly even handing out some candy myself this weekend. Every holiday it's a must to represent Cayman Taffy Company, as everything made there is delectable.

This weekend:

* Cook BBQ and honey mustard chicken

* Eat sweet potatoes

* Run the 10k loop, log time

* Blog more about my event proposals involving both Tobacco and Skin Cancer Awareness

* Skype with the Mom

* Ride horses

* Find an Easter Egg

* Jump rope

* Kayak

* Meet up with Darquise to chat about ideas/planning

* Get art supplies to begin illustrations and manuscript rough draft

* Organize notes

* Dive and Snorkel- while using my underwater camera for the first time EVER!!!

* Dance on the beach

* Swim and practice back flips some more

* Eat pineapple

Bare in mind these things may not happen in that order, but hopefully they will all happen! I have four days to organize and regroup for the successful month of April. So far the month is a success, my grandpa really had a good scare for April Fool's Day.

I had to do it, it's tradition in my family that I prank him every year. I called him up pretending to be a police officer from the RCIP (Royal Cayman Islands Police). I said in the best manly police officer voice I could muster, "Your granddaughter Brittany Rae Thiel has been listed as a fugitive for the past few weeks with suspicion of illegal actions. Sir, do you have any idea of Brittany's where abouts?"

LOL!!! Boy was he stumped. Grandpa did do a good job trying to cover me though, saying "Oh she's fine, Brittany she's a good girl! I know exactly where she is in the Cayman Islands, she's been living there for the past two years!!" I could tell he was nervous so I had to bust out laughing, ohhhh did I get him good, AGAIN!!! This was my fugitive accomplice! ; ) Floris the Fugitive Flamingo!!!