Everybody should have a Tina in their life

Tina's one of my close group of friends. Here's the connection. She, Luis and Polo were friends long before Dan, Denise and I knew them. When Dan and Luis began dating, there was a meeting of the two sides of the family. Thankfully we all got along famously.

Tina's the go-to girl. She's there if you need a ride. She can throw together an elegant party in a matter of minutes, even if all that she has to work with is cocktail weiners, a cabbage and a box of grape Jell-O (mind you, that has never been the case, but she could, I know it!). She is tireless and always has a smile on her face. She's a friend who is there for you when you need one. My point is, she's awesome.

Tomorrow we're celebrating her birthday. We've been throwing dinner parties for each other whenever there's a birthday. Tina has chosen a Tex-Mex theme. The menu is set, I have been assigned dessert. She said "oh, anything chocolate is great. Well, she's getting Tex-Mex inspired cinnamon chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting. I wish I had time to bake her a cake but I think the cupcakes will be fun and festive, just like Tina.

I'll let you know how they turn out.

Heroes

Here are Luis and Tina. Two very special people who do good things.

This past weekend, they walked 60 miles in support of the Avon 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer.

The walk began on Friday, early in the morning, in the rain. It didn't rain all day and the weather was otherwise pleasant. Saturday began in rain, this time heavier than Friday's showers. Regardless, they persevered, kept walking and kept smiling. It was a warmer day than Friday but they finished in record time. Sunday, they were up early and did their final round. Finally, a day without rain. Instead it was bright sunshine...and by 9 am it was already 85 degrees. This did not deter them. They walked their little butts off and finished by mid-afternoon.

The picture above was taken at the finish line. Are those smiles of pride or relief? Probably a bit of both. But the fact that they just finished walking 60 miles and can smile shows that they're pretty special.

Tina and Luis set out on this walk to pay tribute to those who suffer or have suffered from breast cancer. One of Tina's closest friends is facing a battle. Tina has been absolutely tireless in her efforts to be a supportive friend. She's amazing.

This cause holds a special place in my heart. I lost my Grandmother to breast cancer. Her story is unque. In the 1940's, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and received a clean bill of health. In 1988, the cancer returned. She fought a good fight but the cancer spread and in 1989, she died. She was a very cool woman, an "Auntie Mame" type of character with a lot of energy and a "can-do" spirit. She was born into a family who performed in Vaudeville acts and the family had a circus act. She did equestrian performances, doing acrobatics while on horseback. I just remember her always seeing to it that "the kids" (my sisters and I and our cousins) had a "cocktail" whenever the adults were having drinks (something bubbly with cherries in the glass). The adults were not allowed to have fun unless the kids were having fun.

If she were here today, I think she would be proud of me and I think she would love my friends. She would see a group of adults living a good life, being good people, having fun and doing great things. And, she would hug Tina and Luis and thank them for all of their hard work under such extreme conditions, for such a great cause.