See a spectacle or be a spectacle - bay to breakers 2009

Okay - so there still were naked people that shouldn't be naked - and lots of creative great costumes - but the star of this year's race was ... Swine Flu!! There were flying pigs, sombereo wearing fiesta celebrators in masks, and lots more more pigs! Oh and some naked pigs too!
I love this race :-)

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Can you cough a toenail off?

I know, I know - I've neglected my blog. But if it feels neglected . . . get in line!!

But check this out - I caught a HECK of a cold (the same one lots of people have caught this month, I think) and while the chills have gone, the cold has rested in my chest. Which means night after night of hacking up my lungs instead of sleeping. How are you supposed to heal if you can't sleep?

Friday night was no exception - when I got up in the morning, I felt a pull on my toe and YUP, the toenail fell off!

Your visual aid:


Perhaps it wasn't the cough. Years of running and pounding my toes into the bottom of my shoe. And now it seems like my running days are put on hold. The Plantar Fasciatis I suffered when training for my 2006 marathon might have been a tendinitis instead. I took time off and it got better, but I still had the occasional pain. My return to running has brought it back - and with a vengeance. After a doctor visit and an MRI - I'm told running and hiking are out for a while. (It's my favorite release!) I get fitted for a special orthotic tomorrow and see a specialist in a few weeks. WAH!

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Tempe music fest - Amy, Dawn & cowboy mouth & refreshments! Good times!
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Charity Chicks Adopt a Platoon boxes are packed and ready to go to Iraq!
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I love a parade!

This weekend was the Parada Del Sol parade in Downtown Scottsdale - and I got to ride in it! The annual Parada del Sol Parade is known as the World's Largest Horse Drawn Parade. No motor vehicles allowed!

As the Drinkwater Award recipient, I was privileged to ride with our City Manager John Little and his wife this year! My friend Frances - donning her Charity Chick t-shirt - came along for the ride. I didn't know, but she is already Parada royalty having marched in the parade many times prior in her junior high and high school band days. She grew up in Scottsdale and was a good choice to accompany me.

It was fun - I mean, no one really knew who I was - but since Big Red, the AZ Cardinals mascot, was just ahead of us working the crowd, they seemed truly excited to see us. I imagined when the kids and people were yelling "Yea, Big Red!" that they were talking to me :) I think my wave got a little limp at the end - but hey, I'm not seasoned at this stuff!

And John Little has been Acting City Manager most of the year and has recently removed the "acting" from his title is royalty in his own right. He's worked with the City for I think 30 years and MAN, he knows everyone! I was excited every time I saw a face that was familiar, just so I could try to stack up.

We had fun - and who knew? Parade Del Sol is apparently the biggest day-drinking day of the year! We drove home and came back on the trolley to enjoy the festivities the RIGHT way. A very good day it was!

First, "ewww" - and then: "I gotta buy these"!!

Check out THIS product brought to me by the folks at Daily Candy:

Tired of having your food stolen by sticky-fingered coworkers or roommates? Bullies taking your kid's lunch? Well, worry no more . . . Anti-Theft Lunch Bags are sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on both sides, making your freshly prepared lunch look spoiled. Don't suffer the injustice of having your sandwich stolen again! Protect your lunch with Anti-Theft Lunch Bags.

To view and purchase (or just gag):
http://www.thinkofthe.com/products/lunch_bag.php

THINK OF THE FUN!!

CharityChicks.com Got a Makeover!

It's been time for our website to get a face lift for a while now - and I finally got around to it - and our Charity Chicks website went PINK!

I've got a lot more to do on it - and will try to squeeze it in over the next few weeks. I hope to change all of the photo albums to one consistent design. I'm torn, the last few events have featured a Flickr photo album which is AWESOME for me because uploading, labeling, creating and embedding a new album can be done pretty effortlessly - and it's important to get that stuff posted and on the site right after an event. BUT a lot of people view the site during their working hours - and a lot of business firewalls block Flickr, so I know those people just see a blank white box. I really want to do something with the Grey Box technology, which is I *think* the direction I want to go . . . but am happy for suggestions for new cool (and easy) photo album programs!

I also want to add some more images to our "About Us" page and add links to images and video of the various awards that I mention. I've started a YouTube Channel and am trying to look for more opportunities to promote Charity Chicks via YouTube . . . AND the last step is to expand our "Links" page. I want a partners/sponsors listing where we can highlight more of the venues and major prize donors. And what is UP with the white bar in the "Upcoming Events" sidebar when I view it on Firefox??

My last immediate goal is to expand on our Facebook group and try to maximize some exposure there. I created a group but am wondering if I should have created a Fan page instead. I really need to learn MORE about how to use Facebook as a marketing tool beyond my social uses of it.