As many of you know I have committed to walking 39.3 miles on September 17th and 18th for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Yesterday I had the honor of going to Santa Barbara and walking in a "mock walk" which is basically like a practice walk. Ok sure I got plenty of crap for driving the hour to walk and what the hell is a mock walk anyway, right? Either you walk or you don't...walking is not something that you can half ass. So the plan was to meet at 0740 at the Fess Parker Hotel and walk throughout Santa Barbara with a group of people who also plan on participating in the breast cancer walk. So as we start down Cabrillo....paralleling the ocean...beautiful views and beautiful day...feeling like I am a contestant on Amazing Race...oh wait no not really as there is no prize, no million dollars, no obstacles and no challenges...just walking. We then head down State Street...talk about a fucking tease as we walk past bar, restaurant, store, bar, restaurant, store...you get the idea...painful. What do you mean I am in in Santa Barbara and I can't taste wine, eat good food and shop? Oh thats right lets focus on the cause.

So after mile 4 I am tired, sweaty, bitter and ready for a bloody mary...almost to the stage of desperation. When I start talking to a young woman who is wearing a pink shirt and a pink sticker that says "survivor." No she isn't talking about the reality tv show she is referring to the fact that at the age of 23 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was the most inspirational and amazing woman I have met...and although I talked to her for all of 15-20 minutes her story, her honesty, her bravery touched my life in a way I will never forget. She said that she was in Santa Barbara 2 years ago visiting her Grandparents over Memorial Weekend. She noticed that she had nipple discharge and since her Mother had also had breast cancer when she was 28 she was very well aware of the warning signs and areas of concern. She got into her doctors office 2 weeks later and was diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks. She said that the doctors office didn't want to do a mammogram due to her age and they were hesitant to do tests just because they were pretty sure she didn't have the illness. I truly couldn't imagine hearing a doctor say those words to me,"you have cancer." I can only guess at the fear, terror, sadness, and emotional turmoil one must feel. Within weeks she had a double mastectomy as she made the choice to rid herself of the cancer before it had a chance to spread or advance. She was so brutally honest about her experience and she told us that she feels fine but that she will take estrogen blockers for the rest of her life so that the cancer does not return. She was proud of the fact that she had been cancer free for 2 years, which means that at 25 she is celebrating the fact she is still alive...a realization that at 35 hadn't ever crossed my mind or consciousness. She had the most amazing attitude and she basically said it was something that happened in her life and although she thinks of it whenever she looks at the scars on her chest she has moved on with her life. So I just have to say to the woman in the pink shirt...you are an inspiration and you touched my life. I hope I never hear those words

Now onto the amazing food moments of my weekend

1. Saturday afternoon 1400 taking a break from errands to share a bottle of chardonnay with my best friend at Cafe Firenze

2. Roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese...holy heck the nutty flavor of the parmesan and the roasted asparagus....yum! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/asparagus-with-parmesan-crust/detail.aspx

3. My husband learning a valuable cooking lesson while trying to make chili. If the recipe calls for 3 lbs of ground beef...its going to make a hell of a lot of chili. Oh yes the entire fridge is now filled with chili and we even gave some away. And he says to me when he was asked why he didn't cut the recipe in half or thirds "hmm I never looked at how many servings it made."

4. Right now I am making chocolate orange loaf cake...to be determined whether this is a recipe valuable enough to share. However, I learned that if you are using syrup of any variety in a recipe it helps to put cooking spray or oil on your measuring spoons so it comes off the spoons easier. Little trick-love it!

Well good night you all and just as a reminder if you are enjoying my blog and you want it sent to your email just go to the bottom of the page and put your email address in and it will be emailed to you every time I do an update. Have a good night and cheers!