Counting it down!

Tavola Grande is just around the corner. My basement looks like it was hit by a purple tornado leaving behind the trails of wrapping paper, raffle tickets, prizes and a bunch of other stuff. It is moments like this where I highly doubt my parents will miss the chaos I bring in our home. Boston - 2 1/2 months to go...lol

200 ballons, 500 flyers, 600 event prgrams, 700 awareness ribbons...if anyone has anything to say I think I might just lose it. Jeeze Louise. Already comments are flying and honestly speaking I am doing the best I can. Working on this fundraiser made me feel like I was getting back to myself. Back to running around, being busy and not really having time to do much else because work needs to get done. It feels good. I miss my old self alot. So far we are 500 people. Not too shabby for a first-time event. Ironically I have absolutely no enthusiasm for it and I guess it is just my defense mechanism gong into drive so I won't be set up for any disappointments. Realistic Lisa sets in.

Anyone who is suppose to be there is coming. That is more than enough for me. Obviously my objective was to raise funds but above all it is to celebrate the hardships of the past, the stability of the present and the commencement of an upcoming and wonderful new life. Tavola Grande is an accumulation of my friends and family who have supported me in the past year. This is what the event is about. Even if I gave the foundation 20 bucks, it really is a day about being surrounded by goodness. Sometimes we lose perspective on that and play the bitter card. I am grateful because I think that if I did not have this goodness around me, maybe I would have opted for bitterness. I wouldn't have allowed it, though, and obviously neither did any of my family and friends.

I truly believe life is about taking what has been thrown at you, absorbing it by all angles and see the good that can come out of it. As much as cancer is a horrible sickness, it brought me closer to my friends and truly brought out the love of my family. With that said, nonna bought a purple sweater. That is when you know you are truly loved. She would look like an eggplant just for me!!! So being that my birthday was yesterday, I would like to cheers with all of you and thank you for just being yourselves - fantastical additions to my life!