My 3-Day Walk for the Cure: update & info

Friends,

A quick update, request and info overload for you this morning! :) As you know I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure the first weekend of November... Well that is in 19 days!!! YES, I only have 19 days to raise the $300 that is left of my fundraising goal to walk!! (I'm only slightly freaking out here). If you could pray about donating to help me reach my goal to walk, I would really appreciate the support! :) And if you know a friend/family member, please spread the news! You can donate at www.the3day.org/goto/Diamend.Bianco.


Also, if you are in the Dallas area, I'd love to see you sometime throughout the walk! Opportunities for you to come cheer and support are at the opening or closing ceremonies and at cheering stations.

The Opening Ceremony is a celebration is not just for participants. Friends and family are highly encouraged to attend. (though please note that seating will not be available, so if you are unable to stand for 30-60 minutes, you may want to bring a folding chair.) After the Opening Ceremony is over, participants will begin walking the 60-mile route and start a journey of a lifetime. It will be even more special if you are there to help send them off with smiles and encouragement.

Friday, November 4 (ceremony officially begins at 7:30am)
Collin Creek Mall
811 N. Central Expressway
Plano, Texas 75075

Closing ceremony is Sunday, November 6 at 4:30 p.m.
Fair Park - Parking Lot near Gear 8
1300 Robert B. Cullum Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75210

Spectator Parking
Enter via Gates 8, 10 or 11 off Fitzhugh Avenue by Superpages.com Center.

Cheering Stations
This is one of the most favorite parts of the 3-day Walk for the Cure. These are a great way to support walkers and the cause. I cannot tell you the incredible impact that cheering stations can make. Seeing a smiling face makes walking 60 miles manageable. If you're interested in coming out and cheering, please check out this schedule:

Friday, November 4
Mile 5.7, 9:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Creekside Baptist Church
1105 N. Waterview Drive
Richardson, TX 75080

Mile 6.6, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Seventh Day Adventist Church
1201 W. Beltline Road
Richardson, TX 75080

Mile 13.5, 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Nuestra Drive & Forest Lane Parking Lot
5625 Forest Lane
Dallas, TX 75230

Saturday, November 5
Dallas Choong/Hyun Presbyterian Church
11722 Cromwell
Dallas, TX 75229
Mile 6.1, 9:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Mile 12.6, 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Nuestra Drive & Forest Lane Parking Lot
5625 Forest Lane
Dallas, TX 75230

Mile 14.5, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Preston Village Mall
13340 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75240

Sunday, November 6
Mile 5.5, 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Bank of America
5500 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75205

Mile 11.5, 11:15 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Historic West End
N. Market Street, from Munger to Elm
Dallas, TX 75202

If you're interested in coming out, get in touch with Tony. I know he'd love to get a group together a couple of times to go to some cheering stations. If you are going on your own - a note of advice: Go to the earlier in the day cheering stations. Walking at 21 weeks pregnant, I cannot guarantee that I will make it to the end of each day.

Blessings,

Diamend

Weekly Updates

If you think of a better title for this, let me know... but my brain is sleepy. :)

Week 14-16

These past three weeks have been good, especially now that I am into my Second Trimester!

Not a whole lot of changes, other than growth happening these weeks. Week 14 we got to shop at the First Time parents sale at Just Between Friends Consignment (which is a huge consignment sale for baby stuff)! It was so much fun, and a little overwhelming seeing all that baby stuff. But we got some great finds: Pack 'n Play, Stroller, Highchair, baby Bath Tub, Baby Bouncer and Bumbo. Later on I will post a whole list of everything we need/want for baby and what we have already been blessed with. :)

Week 15 I had another doctor's appointment. We got to hear the heartbeat again (it never gets old) and are getting excited for our next appointment at 19 weeks to find out if we have a little boy/girl growing inside me! :)

Week 16 I feel like my belly is riding a little lower than before.... Feeling great, although still kind of tired. And my nose... Oh my goodness my nose! This isn't just week 16, it's been the whole time... My nose is SO stuffy! I can barely breath when I walk!

Speaking of walking.... It is ONLY 30 days til my 3-Day Walk for the Cure!!! I can't believe it is soo close! My training has gotten much slower, as I cannot walk as fast, get fatigued faster and recover slower. But I'm still super excited for the walk!!

Week 14 and 15

Week 16
(Ignore my face - but this is my 3-Day shirt getting stretched out for a walk at week 16.)

Speed School

Hello all!
I know that it has been a long time since my last post, mainly because school has overtaken my life. Over the summer, in order to graduate by May, I had to take TURBO HEBREW!! Although this word already sounds intimidating, it does not do justice to the actual amount of work and craziness that is Hebrew. For those outside of the Seminary world, and most of you are, any class that is turbo is usually done in a shorter amount of time. However, when one does a language in a turbo rate, the time is even faster, logical I know. So for two months, meeting two days a week I learned not just an equivalent of one semester of Hebrew but two. That's right a year's worth of Hebrew in two months. However, brief my time with Hebrew was I really enjoyed the language. It seems a bit better than Greek actually. Although I do prefer to read left to right, but Hebrew reads right to left.

The fall semester has also started and on the same lines of wanting to graduate by May, I am taking 15 hours of class. This includes one online class, Old Testament I. My other classes, Exegetical Hebrew, Student Ministry Strategies, Church History I, and Intro to Expository Preaching, are regular classes that meet on campus. I am also volunteering for Youth Ministry Lab again this year. I will be a Co-Captain again with my former Co-Captain Courtney. Needless to say I will need your prayers more than ever this semester, I have a full load!

Speaking of full load, my beautiful, glowing wife Diamend is carrying our child! I am so excited about having a baby! We have been blessed that our friends in the area have been donating items for the baby. We have also begun buying a few things ourselves. We went to a giant consignment sale in Fort Worth and saved a TON of money! We got just about everything besides a crib and a nursing chair. Today, we have a doctors appointment for a monthly check-up. We will hopefully be hearing the heart beat and this time, I'm gonna record it to have and share to friends and family! So if you are following on Facebook and/or Twitter be looking for an audio clip soon!

Another area that is taking over my life is Football!! Yes, Tony Bianco loves football. Many people probably did not know this, including my wife. However, it is a fun sport to watch and play and I have been doing both. Flag football has started up and each saturday the Misfits hit the field in search of a Southwestern Intramural Championship. We are actually very good this year and will most likely be a top two team. Another thing that has been taking up some time is my Fantasy Football League. This is the first time I've done fantasy football and it has changed the way I watch football. I now watch more and sometimes I have to root against my team, the Cowboys or Bears, in order to win. This drives Diamend crazy but she doesn't understand how real fantasy football really is!

Well, that's all for now! Don't forget to check back for more baby updates and coming soon audio of Baby Bianco!


Tony

Weekly Updates

Week 11-13
I can't beleive that these are the last weeks in my first trimester!! It flew by.. but I just cannot wait to find out the gender and meet my precious son/daughter that God is knitting together inside me!

These weeks I've been filled with emotions! I cry over the littlest of things... Looking at newborn pictures gets me everytime! I've been feeling good physically, not too sick... But my nose is crazy stuffy which makes breathing more difficult and I'm still pretty tired. I finally started taking belly pics at week 11... But this has been difficult for me (especially to post). I'm in that stage where I just look like I'm gaining weight and getting fat, but not looking pregnant yet.. which has caused quite a few tears as well. :(

We had our 2nd doctors appointment at week 11 (and it was the first one Tony came to). We got to hear the heartbeat, which was nice and strong at 160! :) I started water aerobics at week 12 and am really excited to do this (along with walking) throughout the pregnancy!

Week 13 begins the 2nd trimester! Already I can tell a difference in my energy level. :) I can't believe we're already a third of the way through; it seems like we just found out and announced it! ONLY 6 more weeks til we know if it is a boy/girl!

Our next appointment is at week 15, just for a check up. And then we'll have our next sonogram to find out the sex at week 19! Until then... here are the last 3 weeks of belly pics! :)

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

Weekly Updates

Now that it's out there... Let me catch you up! :)

(I promise to have pictures soon! :)
Week 7-10
We got to tell our parents (and sisters) the news!! We were so excited for Tony's parents to visit for us to hand them a frame that said "World's Best Grandparents... in March 2012" And I visited Illinois to tell my momma and sister, it was so exciting to finally get to tell someone!

The first day of week 7 was also my very first doctor's appointment!! And I had my first sonogram and got to see the very tiny little rasberry and here the precious heart beat!! I'm still just in shock that we are going to have a son/daughter in just 7 months!

Sometime in week8/9, I told my work. I was a little worried because I just started this week... But it was all in God's timing!

Week 10, I'm exhausted all the time!! Need lots of naps, but feeling good! :)

Finding out...
We are SO excited! And completely shocked that it happened so fast! :)

I surprised Tony by telling him when he came home from work with a little poem.

I am feeling really good. Have yet to have any real morning sickness, which was my greatest fear of being pregnant. I have some aversions to smells that definitely make me gag (my gag reflex is super sensitive) and brushing my teeth makes me ill. But other than being super tired and bloated (seriously, didn't know you could be so bloated!)... I'm feeling great!

I can't believe how intricately God creates us! And it give me such joy and peace to know that God is knitting our little baby inside my womb during this time. He is numbering his/her hairs and forming every intricate vein/nerve... Isn't that so amazing!?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Surprise Announcement!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Family Time

It's been far too long since I've updated!! So sorry!!

Well the weekend of Tony's birthday his parents came in town for a visit! :) It was so great to see them (haven't seen them since Christmas) and we stayed busy busy busy ALL weekend! They came in Thursday night (on Tony's bday and also my last day at my job- explanation below) and we went to a Rangers game. It was sooo hot, but lots of fun and we won! Woot ;)

Saturday we took them to First Monday Trade Days in Canton. We love taking visitors to tradedays! It was SOO HOT and we walked what felt like hundreds of miles and we're exhaustedby the end of the day, but it was a great day with lots of good finds for all. ;) Tony and his dad even went on a tour of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium (while we shopped some more).

Then I flew home with the in-loves to Illinois to visit my loves! :) I got to see my momma and my sister and my big-boy nephew... so wonderful!! We had another mother-daughter bingo night with me, my momma and the Bianco ladies... I love this new tradition! And I got to help my BFF and 3-Day teammate with her rummage sale to help fundraise for our walk for the cure! Such a busy 2 weeks!

When I got back from Illinois I started my NEW JOB! ... Did you catch that!? Ya, sorry I haven't announced that here yet! So, I got offered a job at the College at Southwestern (connected to the seminary that Tony's at) as the Transcript Advisor and Director of the College Girls Ministry... so I now no longer have and hour commute to Dallas to the Baptist Convention! :) I'm really excited about this new opportunity! I've survived my first week and getting comfortable with the position and my new office!! Woot!

Anyway, I think that was a way-to-long update on everything you've missed!

Until next time...

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)