Day Seventy-Eight

Well, the used book sale was a HUGE success! I raised $343 which pushed my overall money raised to $1,001! I could not be more happy with how things went. I feel so much more confident about being able to make my fundraising goal of $2,300 than ever before. I'm planning a combo used book/garage sale for Saturday, May 8th and now that I've been through the whole swap meet deal, I know that everything will go even smoother next time - if that's even possible because things went great this time around too. Several of our friends and family stopped by to support us by visiting for a bit and of course buying some books. There were even quite a few folks that gave tips by saying "keep the change" to further support the cause and my efforts. I would say there are a few key points that made this such a huge success...

1. Lots of books to choose from. I received so many donations (really without much effort) that provided a wide variety of books and authors that seemed to be very appealing to the buyers.

2. Location, location, location. Purchasing a spot from Denio's for $22 (paid for by my first book sale - my hardback Harry Potter series for $40) gave me a huge audience of people already looking for treasures.
3. Signage. I purchased a 3' x 6' sign from eBay saying "100% of proceed will be donated to Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure!" People couldn't help but noticed this sign and feel compelled to give a little (or a lot!).

I cannot thank my family and friends enough for their overwhelming support. So many books were donated, well-wishers stopped by to cheer me on, and my husband and mom got up at 3:30 am to load up and head to the swap meet - then stayed ALL DAY!

The only things I will do differently next time are:
1. Bring pink baloons. I want to make my site much easier to spot and locate.
2. More water. I was dying of thirst so I will be bringing much more cold water to keep me in good spirits.

There's really nothing else I would change. I COULD NOT have asked for a better first-time fundraising event!

As far as getting healthier goes, I decided to bite the bullet and join Weight Watchers. I really need some help getting on track with my weight loss. The extra pounds are definitely having a negative impact on my training. Not because I can't do it but because my taxed joints and feet are feeling the pain afterwards. I'm starting to notice this arthritic type ache the day after that is none to appealing and something I greatly desire to end. I'm also noticing that my jeans are actually feeling tighter instead of looser. Something that has me pretty concerned. I'm realizing now that I have been focusing WAY too much on fundraising instead of getting healthy. A balance in this area is critical because no amount of money is going to get me through the 60-miles if I weight 300lbs! And, on the other side, no amount of weight loss is going to get me to the event without my $2,300.

The good news is that I know I'll get there. I'm struggling daily with my weight but feel better about the steps I'm taking to change my thoughts and my habits than I EVER have before.