Who I ran for

Today would have been my Aunt Melanie's 44th birthday. She is definitely on my mind. In rememberance of her  I am wearing the ring and necklace my grandfather brought her back from Egypt in 1973, just to feel like I have a piece of her with me. Last month I did something for the first time in her honour. I participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure. I am not an athletic person in the least, but something got into me this fall and for the very first time I participated in a run/walk for Diabetes and the Run for Breast Cancer.

I didn't really properly train, and I am not in shape like I was in summer 2012, so I did a mix of running and walking, but I am okay with that. The important thing is that I got out there and did it. I am hoping that next year if I train all summer I will be able to run the whole schmeer no problem.

The Diabetes run was really small in comparison. The CIBC run had a more festival like atmosphere. It was neat seeing some of the team names that people came up with. People were decked out in pink boas wigs etc. I don't think the rain dampened anyone's spirits There were over 1500 participants at my location, a wee bit more than the 40 at the Diabetes run.

 It was alot more emotional than I thought it would be more so seeing the survivors in their special pink tees wishing Mel was one of them. It was kind of crazy just seeing so many people affected by this disease. It was great seeing all the men supporting them too. The local MP participated which was nice to see. I has my pic taken with some fire fighter's in pink suits. I will leave you with a pic of Mel's ring and of me at the race with the firefighters.

Theatre and hallowe'en: a match made in heaven

It goes with out saying that costumes and theatre go hand in hand. I have to admit that Hallowe'en has been heavily  influenced by my love of theatre. At my work dressing up is a really big thing, we even have a costume contest. For three out of the five years that I participated I dressed up as characters from a musical.

The first time was going as Tracey Turnblad from Hairspray, this was before I lost the weight, As bigger woman I really found Tracey an inspiration. No one really understood who I was, I think they just thought I was a school girl. Doing the hair was a really bitch, my grandma Betty who had been  hairdresser in the 60's helped me tease it.  Here's a pic of me getting ready:

 
The next year I was Scaramouche from We Will Rock You. This was the first time I actually made a costume from scratch. My short skirt helped me flirt with my future boyfriend, and we got together a few months later. Again no one really got who I was until I showed them a pic from my WWRY programme. I am not sure what they thought I was, but DEFINATELY out of the orindary, plus my hair was purple, boy was that fun washing out... I had borrowed my mom's Eddie Bauer jacket and there was a purple ring around the neck that I got out without her ever knowing about it lol.. Here's a pic of me in costume, and a snap of the from the programme.

 
The next year I went as Velma Kelly from Chicago. I didn't recreate the Catherine Zeta-Jones movie version. Most people just thought I was a flapper, but I did have a little toy gun with me. That red dress I made got a lot of mileage. That fall I knew I was volunteering for a theatre fundraiser where we had to dress up from the 20's so it was kind of a no brainer what I was going to do for Hallowe'en. I also wore it to a Hallowe'en party the boyfriend and I had, plus a year later I wore it to another work event where we dressed up from the 20's to go a party for the Boardwalk Season 2 premiere. I placed in the top ten with this costume.

 
 Last year I placed again, but my costume wasn't from a musical this time. It was definitely more conceptual.I was a garden. I just saw the wings and knew I had to do something with them, aside from being a butterfly. Again I don't know if people quite got what I was at first, but once I said garden they got it.



 This year was more influenced my interest in women's history. I went as Rosie the Riveter/Bomb girls from the 1940's. For those who don't know they were the women who worked the factories while the men were off at war. People thought I was a mechanic or a cleaning woman, not everyone got it, however the word adorable was bandied about quite a bit and I placed 8th. I will leave you witha pic of this years costume.