White Mountains Today Interview!

Grammy Tibbetts & The Beach

Meet my Grammy Tibbetts.  Born Helen Theresa Cutting, she married my grandfather Harris Herbert Tibbetts in 1935.  She is pictured here with my mother, Sue Ellen Tibbetts, her only daughter. Helen had four children; Harris, Peter, David and Sue Ellen.  My mother and her brothers were raised in Beverly, Massachusetts.  Their family bought a small cottage on Long Beach in Rockport, Massachusetts where they spent summers.  My mother eventually married and had a family of her own, as did her brothers.  Long Beach became a second home to my sisters and I along with many cousins.  Some of my favorite childhood memories were on that beach with family.

Grammy & Grampy Tibbetts shared their love of the ocean with their family.  They also showed us that you don't need elaborate accommodations to enjoy the outdoors. We used to cram into that tiny cottage like sardines and never cared because we were with family and we were at the beach.  I remember always wanting Grammy's "blueberry blanket" as we called it for our overnights.  My sister's and I would argue over this small detail every time we visited. And I loved to sleep on the couch on the screen porch so I could hear the ocean, we'd fight over that too.  We just wanted our favorite pieces of that place and were learning to share like any children would.  My great-grandmother is part of these memories too; Grammy Cutting.  She used to yell, "Don't slam the door" as we ran in and out of the house for snacks and back up the walk to the beach.  Inevitably, the slam of the door would closely follow.  I also used to run in and steal a swig of my grandmother's Moxie from the fridge and quickly decide that's all I needed, but still had to do it because of its allure.  We'd have lobster feasts after my uncles spent a day on their boat.  Grammy would make "German Cukes" which was something like sliced cucumbers, vinegar and milk.  We all stubbed our toes running up and down the paved walkway.  These small details are like family jewels; we bring them out and sit with them from time to time and are all left feeling rich.

Grammy Tibbetts died after a five year battle with breast cancer in 1987.  During that time I was between the ages of 8 and 13 so the details are a bit scattered in my mind.  Grammy had two radical mastectomies, four years apart.  These are details anyone would shelter their children from, it's no wonder they are foggy.  Her second diagnosis was rapid after what was called a "clean" mammogram.  I didn't remember any of this until my mother recently told me.  I've let my mother absorb these details and now it's my turn to help her relive my grandmother's journey but this time with a hopeful twist.  Each person lost to breast cancer has a story.  We can learn from these stories.  Thank you Mom for sharing Grammy's story and joining me on this journey!  I couldn't do it without you.  Like you said, we all share Grammy's strength and that is an amazing gift.

Today I am grateful for the memories my grandmother and mother provided for us on the beach.  I am also grateful that technology and education are on our side more than they were during my childhood.  The Breast Cancer Fund is making sure of that and my climb in June will contribute to critical research and education to eliminate toxic chemicals that cause this cancer.  I hope to share more stories about Grammy Tibbetts as well as other family and friend's and focus on the victories, big and small, as well the strength of these incredible people.  Together we can find the silver lining in the struggles breast cancer has brought to our lives. 

FoooOoOOOOoD!

You are what you eat they say and I can say from personal experience that the right diet seems to be the answer to many of my individual health challenges.  I currently don't eat gluten or sugar.  This is a breeze compared to the two years I spent banishing a severe case of Candida after years of sinus infections treated with excessive antibiotics and steroids.  I eventually had sinus surgery which made all the difference concerning allergies and regular infections.  But I needed to battle the yeast in my body which from extensive use of steroids and antibiotics coupled with bad food choices created major fatigue, balance issues, difficulty swallowing and general tummy trouble.  I was desperate.  

On a friend's advice (THANK YOU SUMMER!) I chose the Body Ecology Diet and lived by it for two full years. Donna Gates is the mastermind behind this diet.  You can learn more about Donna and her diet concept on her website at http://bodyecology.com/.  She's got a great book and LOTS of products.  All I ever purchased was the book, you don't need to spend money on anything but food, good vitamins and probiotics in my opinion.  The basic concept of this diet is to starve the yeast living in your body, particularly in your gut.  You have to remove everything from your diet that is can live off of or you are creating an environment in which it thrives and you suffer.  You eat about 80% non-starchy vegetables on this diet as the foundation.  This concept alone has changed my whole approach to eating.  You are allowed only four grains: amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and millet.  Sugar is out.  Stevia is pretty much the only sweetener allowed.  You are allowed extra virgin olive oil, ghee, coconut oil and sometimes organic butter but all other oils are out.  Meat, eggs and dairy must be hormone and antibiotic free and preferably organic.  It is best if meat is grass fed as well.  All vegetables should be organic and you need to hit probiotics and cultured foods hard.  As an unexpected side effect I lost 20lbs in the first 3 months on this diet.  Believe it or not, I really started to enjoy the changes in the food I was eating and eventually the eliminated my Candida symptoms.  This diet was a pleasure, not a burden, because I got my life back.

They say to never go back to gluten once you've beaten Candida.  I decided refined sugars needed to stay out too but I am allowing honey, maple syrup, agave, xylitol, stevia and occasionally molasses.  I cannot go back to where I was!  This gluten free, sugar free diet seems to agree with my energy levels and really helps me maintain a healthy weight.  I also try to buy organic as much as possible but I'm not always to one buying the groceries and lead a busy lifestyle.  I do the best I can and it seems to be working.

Training for a trip like the Climb Against the Odds or some of the races I've done requires a well thought out diet that supports the physical effort you put in.  I am still learning how to balance this all.  I'll be honest, sometimes I make poor choices like grabbing a bag of chips after a run instead of a high protein recovery food like greek yogurt.  Sometimes I am very good and feel great about my choices but I have to remain realistic about the challenges life offers. There's always a choice to be made and a consequence to follow.  I am working towards increasing the choices that benefit me and being patient about results.  I hope to talk more about what I'm eating during this process.  I'd love to share some recipes and discuss things like recovery foods.  I will also let you know about my favorite food brands.  Shelf ready foods are hard to come by on this diet!

Those of you who know me are very familiar with my ferocious appetite and my love of food.  You also know that I am resilient and determined.  This combination has created a flurry of new recipes in my cupboard, a systematic change of my food routine and having a cooler of food with me at almost all times.  This kind of lifestyle takes energy but the food you eat gives you the energy to spend.  I highly recommend it.  More to come!

Work, work, work

Work, work, work.  I am one of the lucky ones, I know.  Work for me provides great variety, time outdoors, amazing people and a good amount of exercise.  I work for the US Forest Service on the White Mountain NF.  I'm the Trails Manager and before doing this with USFS, I worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club in their trails department.  This past field season marked 15 years of working on trails in the White Mountains for me.  I get to hike, roll rocks around, dig in the dirt, use both hand tools and power tools of great variety and plan and implement incredible trail projects. During this time I have worked with hundreds of diverse  trail people who are endlessly interesting, inspiring and active.  Time flies when you're having fun!

One of the best parts of my job is working with volunteers.  Last weekend we went out on a ski trail to try and put a bridge back on its abutment from which it has slipped during Tropical Storm Irene.  We brought 2-2 ton Griphoists for the job, hoping to lift with one and pull with the other.  It didn't work despite many attempts from many angles.  That thing was stuck so deep in the muck and ice over the course of the day we didn't see more that 2.5" of movement.  These failures happen but this day was a huge success in my eyes.  We learned more about what we need to do to truly fix the bridge first of all and that kind of information can come at a high cost with work deep in the woods.  Second, the volunteers that came out with us we amazing.  These folks never stopped working and all the while cracking jokes, fully appreciating and embracing the learning experience and teaching us the value of a highly functional team.  To add to it all, the co-worker that joined me on this day is one of the most determined and resilient women I know-you know who you are.  This day was a recipe for pure "work" joy.  We were doing some good for the land and the people that use it.  We were outside and even heard a moose crash by-bonus.  We laughed all day and gave it our best shot.  Seriously, what more could I ask for in a day at the office?

Now not every day is like that day on the trail as you might personally understand or imagine.  Not even close.  Some days I am so overwhelmed by the complexities of working for the federal government it brings me to tears.  Even some of those days hiking and working on the trail can be brutal.  Like when its 40 degrees and raining but you have to go out to see a project because the rest of your week is booked and you have a crew scheduled to work the next week.  Those days are far from pure joy.  Or when it rained 28 out of 30 days in June a few years ago.  Blah.  This time of year can be full of that with a mix of too much office time.  That's what makes those days like the one last weekend so much more valuable.  So work is work no matter what any of us do. I guess making the most of what we have is the way to make it not only enjoyable but sustainable.

My work is a huge part of who I am and I am so thankful for how much it inspires me.  I only hope that I can inspire some of the climber's on my Climb Against the Odds.  I feel like I have a great responsibility to me team in that way.  We will really need each other in our summit attempt.  I know they will inspire me, I have no doubt about that.  Looking forward to what I can do for them is my inspiration today.

TRAINING so far....

So I did just three races this summer/fall: Old Port Half Marathon, Wildman Biathlon (team hiker) and the Greenstride Half Marathon.  These races keep me running so when I went to sign up for a December half and it was full guess who stopped running?  Luckily I have been playing soccer once a week since August and now play twice a week (more on that soon!) so at least I have something I am committed to.  I still need more and hope to get sponsored by a gym with membership so I can do more and share more.

I really want to help inspire others to get active.  I struggle with this myself and am lucky that work keeps me pretty active (more on that soon too!) but this time of year is RUGGED.  Who's with me?  I will keep you posted with my activities.  Mount Shasta is not something you do off the couch from what I understand and did I mention I turn 40 on summit day?  More to come on training!!!!

When breast cancer came knocking on my family's door...

I was young.  I was too young to understand what it meant but I knew my grandmother, "Grammy Tibbetts", was sick-the kind of sick people discuss in a whisper. The memories I have are a wide-eyed perspective, low to the ground, trying to tune into stressful tones of adults around me discussing things that I knew weren't meant for my little ears but still, I tried to listen.  Even at that young age I knew what I could handle and what I needed others to handle for me.  I remember feeling very concerned for my mother as it was so obvious how difficult this was for her.  It still is.  I want this climb to ease her pain.  I want this climb to give my family the joy they deserve in celebrating Grammy's life even if it was cut short.  I want to create new, joyful memories and celebrate not grieve.

Over Thanksgiving I asked my mother to share some memories of her mother's battle with breast cancer.  My mom, my sister and I reflected on our own personal experiences during this very difficult time for my family.  For my sister and I our memories are limited to a few, seemingly insignificant moments in time. For my mom, it was incredibly traumatic.  She had three young girls to take care of and was working two jobs as she and my dad typically did.  There was little time for anything and now I can relate more that ever as a busy, working mom myself.  My mom dug into her memories and tried to help us remember where we were in our lives during that time.  At one point she remembered the flight she and Grammy took to bring her back to New England from Florida and pointed out that at that time you could still smoke on airplanes.  These little things help put memories into perspective so well.  It is always hard for my mom to talk about losing her mother and the long journey that led to her passing.  This was one of many more conversations I hope to have with my family during this process.  I want to lift the dark cloud that has been over my family for all of these years and truly celebrate Grammy's life while enhancing our own.  Please join me!

http://prevention.breastcancerfund.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1077497&pg=personal&fr_id=1320

Please support my Climb Against the Odds 2014!

Support my climb beyond the pink to prevent breast cancer!

In June 2014 I will participate in the Breast Cancer Fund's Climb Against the Odds, a mountain expedition for breast cancer prevention.  I've joined this inspiring team of women and men from across the country to help stop this disease before it starts. 

This climb is something I have wanted to do since I first learned about it in college when I attended a presentation by a climber in Maine.  To say she inspired me is an understatement.  It's taken me 15 years to finally sign up and her inspiration is still with me!  June of 2014 is particularly special to me because I will turn 40.  I decided there was no better way to celebrate.  We are currently scheduled to summit on my birthday, but this journey is not about me. This climb is about education, research and most importantly inspiring others to get involved. Every step of this process will be a celebration for me. 

Will you join me in this journey of a lifetime by making a donation to support my climb?  Each climber is raising $6000 for this year's Climb Against the Odds event.  There are around 30 climbers annually making this a minimum $180,000 fundraising climb.  Many climbers raise much more than their minimum fundraising goal. Proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Fund who works to identify and eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer.  

Click on the "DONATE HERE" link below to make a donation.  If you donate $100 or more you will have the option to create a prayer flag in honor of or in memory of someone you know who has battled breast cancer when you make your donation.  You can also send checks payable to The Breast Cancer Fund and put my name in the memo line of the check.  Checks can be mailed to 1388 Sutter Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94109-5400. The Tax ID # is 94-3155886. And please follow me on my blog and be part of my adventures http://cristinbaileysclimbagainsttheodds2014.blogspot.com/

Between now and June, I'm training to climb 14,179-foot Mt. Shasta in Northern California. At the same time, I'm fundraising in support of the Breast Cancer Fund's groundbreaking work to prevent breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation linked to the disease.

Everyone has been touched in some way by this devastating disease. Together, we'll make prevention possible.

Thank you for your support, Cristin Bailey

DONATE HERE