Thanks to my friend Marisa and her big donation this week, I’m almost at my $2200 goal! I’ve got only $364 left to go, which means I don’t have to do any fundraisers in the hot sun this summer. I’m just thrilled beyond belief that I am this close, this soon, and that I won’t still be fundraising AFTER the walk is over, like I was last year. That takes a lot of pressure of me, and means that instead of raising money, I can work on training.

Remember, if you donate at least $20, you get your name over there with a link to your site —>

You can donate online at using a credit card or debit card http://www.the3day.org/tampabay07/colleenc or if you prefer, send me a Paypal payment to colleen_ccATyahooDOTcom and I’ll process the donation using that instead.

Anyone old enough to remember a show called Maude, starring Bea Arthur? It was on in the 70’s, and was extremely ground breaking at the time because it covered a topic no one ever talked about…not on TV anyway….

Menopause.

Now, you can’t escape seeing the topic on TV - people joking about hot flashes and commercials for medication to help women cope with it. But if you’re going through menopause, you probably don’t want to take advice from a TV character - you want to listen to someone who has been there, done that. MenopauseAtoZ.com is a site that talks openly and honestly about menopause symptoms and other menopause issues. Of special interest is this menopause ebook entitled “Menopause A to Z” - it’s got everything a woman needs to know about surviving menopause and living with it.

My sister shared with me that Energizer batteries will be donating $350,000 to Susan G. Koman, and they’ve got a neat offer for a free (with Energizer proof of purchase) pink tote bag - more details on her blog! With so many companies selling pink stuff and offering a “portion” of proceeds to Susan G. Komen, it’s great to see Energizer making a no strings donation offer…and such a big one, at that! Everyone uses batteries too, so it’s easy to save a few UPC’s and get yourself that tote bag.

I’ve used online maps enough to know that the directions provided aren’t always the best. For instance, if I mapped out a route from my house to the Target, the online map would send me WAY out of the way, and I know of several shorter routes. This site with driving directions offers a better option. Not only can you get free driving directions and traffic updates for major cities in the US and UK, but you can specify how you want to travel. By train? On foot? By bus? This system will tell you how to get there. I wonder if the 3-Day people use something like this to map out our 60 mile route?

We went out for ice cream tonight after dinner, and I noticed something new and different at the ice cream shop. They offered an ice cream called “Excel” that’s high in protein and carbs, and they offered the option to make a milkshake with it, and they could add a scoop of whey protein to the shake! If you’re into body building, you’ve probably already heard of this ice cream, but I hadn’t. I’d love to buy some for my skinny son! He chose this horrible aqua blue concoction called “Captain America”. Disgusting looking.

My husband starts his day each morning with a big steaming cup of Joe. I’m not sure when he started drinking coffee, but it was long before we met, and it’s a habit for him now. As for me, I start my day with a Coca-Cola, for the same reason Jim starts his day with coffee. We both need a little caffeine jump start in the morning! All of that caffeine isn’t good for you though, and if you drink several cups of coffee during the day at work, you’re just making yourself jittery. A guy named Shane Morand (pictured here!) has been marketing the 1st healthy coffee by word of mouth, but now he’s looking for people who love coffee and want to get others hooked on the healthiest coffee around. This stuff is non-acidic, doesn’t contain any chemicals, gives you an energy boost, is affordable, has half the caffeine, and is loaded with antioxidants! And, even with all of those benefits, there’s one more important benefit - it costs less per cup than a regular cup of joe! If you’re a coffee lover, you might just be interested in making money by selling healthy coffee to your friends and family! Now, I just need to find someone who already sells it, so that I can get Jim on some!

My free Thorlos came this week! Didn’t try them on yet, and I don’t have a clue as to when I’m going to get a training walk in, but free socks are good, right? I also got another donation from a coworker today! I’m getting closer to that $1700 mark, and I’m absolutely thrilled. I’m going to put less in my own “pot” this year, and saving money on a hotel and airfare by walking locally.

Did you know shrimp is healthy food? They’re low in calories, low in saturated fat, and high in taste! Shrimp are also high in protein and a good source of vitamin D and vitamin B12. I have my lovely little chef, Gracie, here to tell you about her favorite shrimp recipe:

You can find more shrimp and seafood recipes online at EatShrimp.com. (I may need to go get my doggie bag from dinner last night and pick the shrimp out…yum!)

I was reading some of the gossip magazines I’ve got around here today at lunch, and seeing all of these pictures of super skinny celebs (Nicole Richie looks malnourished) reminded me of a discussion I recently had with some coworkers. Overall, the guys I work with much preferred the body of someone like Catherine Zeta Jones - curvy, nice legs, boobs, and rear, over the body of someone skinny like Paris Hilton or one of those waify looking twins…Mary Kate and Ashley.

I brought up how Kate Winslet’s body was airbrushed (heavily) when she was on the cover of a magazine recently, and she was not a happy camper. Good for her for being proud of her curves and who she REALLY is!

Yesterday I sent out an email to my office asking for donations for the walk. I’m happy to report that I’ve already received 2 donations from coworkers for $20 each - woot! I think I’m less than $550 away from my $2200 goal now, which I am thrilled about, considering that I still have 5 months til the walk. I set a goal to be done with my fundraising much earlier this year, and I’m almost there!