so what?

So what if I'm having a glass of chardonnay before noon? It's SB day.

Watch out, Breast Cancer....

... we're here to destroy you!

We did it! Together, my teammates and I, raised over $5,400 AND walked the entire 39.3 mile route in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Even though the sun was hot and the air was humid, there were about 4,000 walkers - women and men, but mostly women - and together we came up with over $8 million!!! All of these funds will go to research, prevention programs, and support & care in the Chicagoland area. Think of how many mammograms this could pay for....

On the first day, our journey began at Soldier Field. This is my first time meeting my teammate Anita Ross in person. She was a great girl to walk with & chat with - instant friends!They served us breakfast - bagels, bananas, oj, coffee, nutragrain bars... Erin made her own creation.After opening ceremonies, Nips Ahoy! is ready to rock 'n' roll. These are the shirts I made for the team with digital inkjet iron-on transfers. Next year we are going to have screen printed shirts and they will be for sale, tooThe first several miles took us along the lake shore path, with a beautiful view of this fabulous city we call home.At the first rest stop about 2 miles in. I'm already sweaty and crusted over with SPF 70. So glad I wore the sunscreen!!! It's important to keep reapplying it, too. This is me in all of my "beautious glory". Another view of the stream of walkers gliding along the shore of mighty Lake Michigan. Erin took this photo of me with more sunscreen slathered on. I'm also wearing a visor borrowed from Brittany.... not sure if she wants it back, it's pretty gross.

We're over half way there! In the beginning, it was easy. We talked and laughed along the way. But after the first 13.1 miles, I couldn't believe I still had another 13.1 to go. Wasn't sure if I would make it to the end. I thought maybe the bus would have to come and sweep me away.This photo is hard to read, but around Bryn Mawr & Pulaski, there was a small wooded yard behind a fence, and inside a very tiny baby fawn wondering around looking for his mother. We called animal control and said our prayers for him. Hopefully he found his way home. In Lincolnwood/Skokie/Niles... I have no idea where we were.... we walked past the Affy Tapple factory. Being a fan of spoonerisms I had to take a photo.
Finally we wandered our way down Touhy and Devon, through Rogers Park, crossing the finish line at Warren Park around 6:30pm. Nancy (Erin's mom), Becky, Brittany, and Steve were all there waiting for us. Everyone was cheering. We had completed the first 26.2 miles!!!

My wonderful friends Becky, Brittany, and Steve, helped Erin and I set up our tent as we could hardly comprehend anything. Then we took showers and had our dinner while we were entertained by an 80's hair cover band. After that I lost track of Erin, only to find her in the medical tent getting an IV! Poor girl was dehydrated. We slept like babies that night while the rain sprinkled down on our tent.

This is Anita, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning. She was ready to kick Breast Cancer in the A.

This smile is deceiving.... by morning I was hobbling around like an old woman. Just call me Aunt Agnes.

So the first 5 miles of the second day were difficult. Lots of whining and feet dragging involved. But after a while we cheered up. Especially when we met Nips Ahoy!'s long lost cousin at one of the rest stops.
13.1 miles later! The final finish line!!! We had someone marching with us playing the bag pipes. All of the people cheering us on at the end brought tears to my eyes. Here are the survivors marching into the closing ceremony.
And the "Pink Mile" of walkers following behind.
We're done! I did it! Where's the ice cream????
Everyone was amazing, especially the awesome crew that fed us, helped us cross traffic, cheered us on and brought smiles to our faces when we thought we couldn't make the rest of the way. I am SO ready for next year - Bring It On!

We've gotta freakin' do it!

Okay folks, tomorrow is the big day!!! And guess what??????
My team has reached it's goal!!! Together we've raised over $5400!!!!!!!!!!! Woo hoo to us!

In light of this news, I thought I'd share some kodak moments from the fun, but slightly disappointing fundrasier we planned - meaning we had a blast, however attendence was a bit low. We managed to raise a few hundred dollars.

Ta Dah! Fun + Drinks = Money for Avon Walk!

My sister and I before the benefit. I'm convinced that I only like it when people take photographs with my face angled the other way... I'm sure no one else cares. I also don't like this photo because my pants look weird. Yes they are vinyl - Yes I will probably never wear them again.

Bee Swarm Disrupts Fundraising Walk

Geez I hope this doesn't happen to us......

Bee Swarm Disrupts Fundraising Walk
AP
LIGONIER, Ind. (May 21) - A swarm of honeybees temporarily disrupted a charity fundraising event, but no one reported being stung.

Authorities evacuated the area Saturday after the swarm of about 3,000 bees emerged from the woods around the West Noble High School football field, where 700 people were participating in a fundraising walk for the American Cancer Society.

The bees landed on a large umbrella shading the campsite of one of the more than 60 teams taking part in the 24-hour event in the town, 40 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.

A local beekeeper, Matt Green, used a smoke machine to calm the bees and coax them into a beehive he brought to the field. The event was delayed about 45 minutes.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
05/21/07 11:54 EDT
Click here for the article

walking

Most of you know about the Avon Walk that I'm participating in in just a few weeks! Well, I've been training for the event, and I'm just a little behind schedule but yesterday I walked 13 miles with my friend Sumi. (Thanks, Sumi!)

Here is a photo of some tree blossoms that I took with my phone. It was such a beautiful morning! The walk was fantastic. I love spring.

As of today I have reached 94% of my fundraising goal! Yay!!!! Go to www.sarahbellis.com/avonwalk/ to learn more about it.

Here are some recent photos of the "kids". Elvis likes to use this laundry bag as a makeshift tent, similar to a misquito net. You gotta watch out for the west nile virus!

This is Monkey just being her sweet usual self.

Misc photos

Here are some miscellaneous photos that I have been meaning to post for a while... Who doesn't love blogs filled with flowers, cakes, and cats????????




This is a cake that Brittany made for me for no particular reason at all.... it was even 2 weeks before my b-day...

Monkey likes cake, too!
Some irises that Brittany's friend Laurel brought to our birthday party and a purse that Brittany also made for me.

Here's a little woodpecker that I saw in a tree across the street from my apartment.

This is the birthday cake that Steve ordered for my b-day. Strawberries & Cream!!!
Our trip to Woody's Smokehouse on Lincoln. Me, Steve, Catherine, Mom Mmmmmmmmmmmm..... BBQ....

Overlapping Degrees

I had the most bizarre realization yesterday.

They say you are connected to everyone in the whole world by six degrees of separation. Not knowing exactly how true this is, I recently found out that my network of connections has to craziest overlap - the kind that movies are made of.

It's more of a story about my dear friend Wana, whom I met as a student abroad in South Africa in 2002. We waited tables together in a small establishment. Fast forward to fall 2006, Wana is studying and working in England and I am living in Chicago. She hops on a plane to visit me for a week long adventure in the Windy City. We had a lovely time together, and she was quite possibly the best house guest I have ever had. On her plane home she meets a man named Richard who is a photographer, who is also travelling back to England after visiting some relatives near Chicago. They hit it off and are still dating.

Fast forward again to February 2007 - I'm sitting at stitch n bitch when a knitter who has never been to the group shows up, and it turns out she is Brittany, the person who has been living directly above my apartment for almost a year. But we had never actually talked before this. We hit it off and become good friends.

Fast forward to yesterday - Brittany and I are going out for lunch before she takes her flight to England to visit her father's family. She casually mentions that her cousin is picking her up from the airport there, with his girlfriend... a young woman from South Africa... whom he met on a plane back in October...

She mentioned the name Richard, and I said "Is he a photographer? My friend from South Africa has a boyfriend name Richard who's a photographer..."

"Is her name Wana??" Brittany asks.

And we both about died when we realized that her cousin in England was dating my friend from South Africa. If that isn't serendipity, I don't know what is.

Sarah & Wana at the Hancock building

New Blog

This is my new blog, where i will post photos and everything else about life in general... etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.