Just wanted to close out this blog with a final post for the year 2012. I have decided to take a year off from doing the 3-Day and focus on a number of different projects I have going on this year. In June I am doing the Dirty Girl Mud Run in Philly with my team, and will post and add pictures then.
The Ta-Ta Sisterhood will always be my team and I will support them in any way I can. If my journey to the 3-Day has taught me nothing else, it's that there is always something you can do to help. Even if it seems like a small gesture at the time, it makes all the difference.
I hope that all my Northeast friends were able to weather Hurricane Sandy with not too much damage. Let's hope everyone's power goes back on soon. My power was restored after about 20 hours without. We lost a few trees and some sections of our privacy fence. Still that is nothing compared to the devastation some of our neighbors have faced. Keep all of them in your prayers, whether you live in the Northeast part of the US or not.
Thank you all for your support and reading my blog over the past 8 months. Thanks to all my supporters I have reached over 1700 hits! You have all been wonderful.
With Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Look Out!! Nick is Behind You!!--Day Three
So in writing about day three of the 3-Day walk, it should be noted that distance-wise, it is the shortest day. It also should be noted that most of the pictures in this post are not mine, I have borrowed quite a few of them but I believe that they capture the essence of what day three is all about, primarily, sightseeing in Philly. Taking photos. Acting like tourists. Even though I lived in Philly for 4 years (college) there's a lot of stuff that you just don't take a lot of notice when you are in college.
Some of you may be curious about the title of my post. Who is this Nick? Why must we "look out" for him? People who have walked the 3-Day at least in recent years know who he is. He's a guy on the bike who rides at the tail end of the line of walkers. That's right. He's the caboose. When you run into Nick on the first day, with his grey bicycle helmet and pink flag sticking out of the back of his bicycle, you think, isn't this cool? We're last! Well at least we got lots of good pictures. We can go a little faster--or not. No big deal. We were the caboose on the first day. Didn't matter.
On the last day you're on a bit of a tighter schedule. Everyone has to be at the Navy Yard before 4:30. So, you feel a little more of a time crunch. But we managed to fit it all in. Here's how we did it!
This photo was taken at the convention center shortly before we started the route at 7:30 am. Rachael's awesome cousin, Karen, who you will see in upcoming photos, was not an official Ta-Ta sister but she lay on the floor and pointed the camera up. Thank you Karen! We love you!
To the right over here is Karen, Rachael, Christine, Becki and me visiting the University of Penn Women's Health floor (where Rachael works). We made people smile when we came in the front door. I'm not sure if they were laughing with us or at us, but one thing's for sure, we were unforgettable!
On left is me, Becki and Christine eating lunch at Pat's. Pat's is my favorite cheesesteak place in the city. My roommates used to wake me up at 2 am to go to Pat's when I was in college. And I would go in my pajamas. Shut up, Dominick! (my brother, who prefers Genos!) We got a picture in front of the skyline too, and next to that is the rest of the team, at Philly High School for lunch. This was the last stop on the route before the navy yard.
Here are some pictures of the team at the navy yard! The kids in the picture are Lisa's and Christine's. Maddie and Josh are the two little blond ones and Marissa is the girl in green who is now taller than the rest of the team :) What amazing kids out there supporting us! My kids were up further and did not get a pic with them, unfortunately :( The picture below is us in front of the Navy Yard, before we got to the finish line.
It was really fitting that the first person I saw after crossing the finish line was my dad, because I walked not only for my team but in memory of his mom. She passed away a long time ago, but that loss never goes away. It just gets less over time. If anyone asks me why I did the 3-Day, I have only one word for them: HOPE. It's easy to believe that there isn't any hope, with women and men who pass away every day from breast cancer. But raising money and doing the walk, I feel like I am doing something. That maybe a cure isn't too far into the future. It's easy to get disgusted by all the pink ribbon stuff and think--it's all just fluff. You wear pink and it doesn't mean anything. But at the same time, to me doing nothing only makes it worse. Negativity perpetuates negativity.
This is a sign I saw on the first day. Some people might think this sign is telling us we are focusing too much on one type of cancer. That breast cancer is not the be all and end all. However, Susan G. Komen started as a very small organization and has taken over 20 years to grow. It was started by one person--her sister. Organizations like this can be started--all it takes is one person. Why not an organization like this for ovarian or colon cancer? There are organizations for all of them, they are not as big as Komen but they can be! It just takes time for them to grow.
I think that by Komen raising awareness about breast cancer, it tends to have a domino affect, raising awareness about other types of cancer as well. And that's what I would say to anyone who complains that breast cancer gets too much press. It gets a lot of press because it's so common--everyone knows someone who has a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe even you have a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe you've had a family member pass away from it. Without organizations like Komen, new cases could not be diagnosed early and treated. Many women cannot afford the screenings and treatments that they might need.
I raised over $2400 for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day over this past year. I am proud of the fact that I not only accomplished this and walked the whole walk, but also, as corny as it sounds, I have helped at least a few people with my contribution. It is a drop in the bucket considering how much medical costs have skyrocketed over the past few years, but, I did something! And so did the rest of my team, collectively raising well over $10,000. I am proud of that as well.
Overall, I had a great experience. And yes, I would do it again, maybe not next year but I would do it again. And Nick really isn't a bad guy, once you get to know him.
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
Some of you may be curious about the title of my post. Who is this Nick? Why must we "look out" for him? People who have walked the 3-Day at least in recent years know who he is. He's a guy on the bike who rides at the tail end of the line of walkers. That's right. He's the caboose. When you run into Nick on the first day, with his grey bicycle helmet and pink flag sticking out of the back of his bicycle, you think, isn't this cool? We're last! Well at least we got lots of good pictures. We can go a little faster--or not. No big deal. We were the caboose on the first day. Didn't matter.
On the last day you're on a bit of a tighter schedule. Everyone has to be at the Navy Yard before 4:30. So, you feel a little more of a time crunch. But we managed to fit it all in. Here's how we did it!
This photo was taken at the convention center shortly before we started the route at 7:30 am. Rachael's awesome cousin, Karen, who you will see in upcoming photos, was not an official Ta-Ta sister but she lay on the floor and pointed the camera up. Thank you Karen! We love you!
We began the walk in great spirits, but still sore. How could we not be, we had just walked over 45 miles over two days? But I have to say that the route was much more scenic and interesting starting out on this day. Below is the group walking down Elfreths Alley, the oldest street in the US that is continually inhabited. By people LOL!
It started to rain so we covered our shoes with shower caps, duck tape and wrapped it with rubber bands. I needed photographic evidence of this because it's pretty unbelieveable what people were doing to protect their shoes.
Above is Becki, Christine and me at the Love sculpture. That was just before we caught sight of Nick (the caboose). I wanted to get to that first pit stop but had to go to the bathroom (that's a big surprise!) Once I saw him, he told me I had to stay on the route and wait until the next pit stop. No big deal--it's only about half a mile away--or IS IT??? So Becki and Christine got on the sweep van (go Honkers!) ironically it was the same van that my lovely tentmate, Cherrill, had given the middle finger to the day before. So of course, me being as stubborn as I am and NOT wanting to get on that sweep van, I chose to power walk the rest of the way to the pit stop, only pausing to look behind me about every 30 seconds to see if Nick was in sight. He wasn't by the way. But I made it to the first pit stop without peeing in my pants. Thank goodness because all my extra clothes were packed, loaded up on a truck, probably already at the Navy Yard! Below are some pictures of the beginning of the day. The first amendment statue was at one of the pit stops (that's me, Tricia, Becki and Christine)
To the right over here is Karen, Rachael, Christine, Becki and me visiting the University of Penn Women's Health floor (where Rachael works). We made people smile when we came in the front door. I'm not sure if they were laughing with us or at us, but one thing's for sure, we were unforgettable!
On left is me, Becki and Christine eating lunch at Pat's. Pat's is my favorite cheesesteak place in the city. My roommates used to wake me up at 2 am to go to Pat's when I was in college. And I would go in my pajamas. Shut up, Dominick! (my brother, who prefers Genos!) We got a picture in front of the skyline too, and next to that is the rest of the team, at Philly High School for lunch. This was the last stop on the route before the navy yard.
I have to say that the second time I was going to get on that sweep van (on the way to Philly High School) was a very difficult time for me. But in the end I talked myself into it wasn't that much further, and I wouldn't forgive myself for not walking the whole thing, at least this time. So what did I do? I sprinted down the sidewalk, caught up with some tipsy 3-Dayers who were singing and having a great old time, and fell in step with them. At that point I had no choice but to keep going!
Another obstacle on the route--this house that had a huge sign in front of it: "Bathrooms and Beer for the Walkers!" The bathrooms sounded okay, but I avoided it for fear of not making it to closing ceremony (beer after walking 57 miles? don't think so!). Once we got to Philly High School, with only a couple of miles to go to get to the Navy Yard, it was really down to the wire. By this time, my feet had been worn down to "bloody stumps"--to quote Becki, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard as I did on day three--second only to Cherrill giving the sweep van the finger on day two!
I walked side by side with Mandy and Tricia to the Navy Yard. When I saw the sign for it I started to get a little nervous. I had visions of keeling over just a few feet before reaching the finish line. But when we got there--the promise land!
It was really fitting that the first person I saw after crossing the finish line was my dad, because I walked not only for my team but in memory of his mom. She passed away a long time ago, but that loss never goes away. It just gets less over time. If anyone asks me why I did the 3-Day, I have only one word for them: HOPE. It's easy to believe that there isn't any hope, with women and men who pass away every day from breast cancer. But raising money and doing the walk, I feel like I am doing something. That maybe a cure isn't too far into the future. It's easy to get disgusted by all the pink ribbon stuff and think--it's all just fluff. You wear pink and it doesn't mean anything. But at the same time, to me doing nothing only makes it worse. Negativity perpetuates negativity. 
I think that by Komen raising awareness about breast cancer, it tends to have a domino affect, raising awareness about other types of cancer as well. And that's what I would say to anyone who complains that breast cancer gets too much press. It gets a lot of press because it's so common--everyone knows someone who has a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe even you have a friend or relative affected by it. Maybe you've had a family member pass away from it. Without organizations like Komen, new cases could not be diagnosed early and treated. Many women cannot afford the screenings and treatments that they might need.
I raised over $2400 for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day over this past year. I am proud of the fact that I not only accomplished this and walked the whole walk, but also, as corny as it sounds, I have helped at least a few people with my contribution. It is a drop in the bucket considering how much medical costs have skyrocketed over the past few years, but, I did something! And so did the rest of my team, collectively raising well over $10,000. I am proud of that as well.
Overall, I had a great experience. And yes, I would do it again, maybe not next year but I would do it again. And Nick really isn't a bad guy, once you get to know him.
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
My Bladder Betrays Me!--Day Two
In speaking about day two of the 3-Day, I wanted to broach a subject that people rarely talk about. When you are reading about safety concerns on the 3-Day website, two of the biggest concerns are hydration and blisters. I knew I'd probably end up with a blister or two no matter what, HOWEVER, I'll be damned if I was going to pass out from dehydration. So I used my Camelbak and refilled it at every pit stop. However, staying so well-hydrated comes at a price. That first night I literally woke up every 20 minutes to pee. Our tent was smack dab in the middle of the convention center floor so I had to walk the same distance no matter what restroom I used.
It felt like I got about 2 hours of sleep, but in reality it was probably 4-5. Because I've had children that is more than enough to function the next day. At least I kept in mind that it's all temporary!
In case you don't believe me here is a picture of Cherrill and me sitting in our lovely tent! Above is the shirt with all the names of the people I walk for! Excuse the mess we were a little discombobulated on the second day!
The Breast Western Express! Ha ha! Seriously though we were very lucky to have those sweep vans. Even though I ultimately did not end up using them, they were great for people who needed to get to the next pitstop at a certain time (sometimes you slow down taking pictures on the route) or people who are too sore or banged up to make it to the next stop. Having the option really helped make it a little easier to go on. They were like mini cheering sections on wheels!
This is me and Cherrill with Christine's mom, Joanne, and daughter, Marissa. I love Joanne's outfit. She looked like she belonged with the rest of the 3-Day walkers! We stayed at lunch for a while. It got a little crazy towards the end. A stretcher and ambulance came. The stretcher headed straight for the medical tent. The person had fainted but once EMT worked on her, she was fine. I think she had to skip the rest of the day though.
This is hysterical! They also gave out candy so that made it even better. It felt great to have so many supporters out there cheering us on! I can't have a blog post without including a pic from the Team Stewie cheering section.
Kristina's mom, Arlene, who is a survivor, was on hand to give hugs! Thanks for being there and giving me the strength and courage to go on! You are a rock star and so amazing! I had the pleasure of meeting them for the first time last year and the cheering section was awesome then, and even more awesome now that I was actually a walker this time. It was the best!
I felt so much better on the second day overall. Mentally and physically I would say it was my best day. I was surprised because I had spoken to many people who have done the 3-Day before, who said that the second day is their worst day. Just goes to show that EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT! You can't always listen to everyone else you just have to let your own experience happen the way you want it to.
If I have to give a negative it would be towards the end of the day. Let's just say the Camelbak is a little too easy to use, so I ended up drinking a lot of water just not even realizing how much I was drinking. Well, towards the end of the day, I ended up having to pee between pit stops. No, there were no bathrooms in between the pit stops. The first time I did it I was lucky to find a wooded area and go behind a tree while Cherrill covered for me. But the second time, we were in the city with park areas, and pretty much NO coverage. I ended up going behind this big shed. I am pretty sure a homeless guy saw me. Let's just hope he didn't notice, shall we?
And also, the last few miles Cherrill and I walked along the bridge by the side of the highway. Well, those last few miles, the 60 shades of Pink sweep van kept riding by, and slowing down. Cherrill and I were both pretty determined to finish without getting swept. So when the van slowed down near us a second time, Cherrill yelled, "Don't tempt me, go away!" And then she flipped them the bird. The look on Alexa's face was priceless. And she was wearing sunglasses! But you could tell she was totally shocked! Cherrill apologized later on at dinner. But man was that hilarious at the time! Unfortunately there are no pictures :( but use your imagination and I'm sure the mental image will come!
It felt so good to cross the finish line today. I can't even tell you how much. We ended up finishing up around 6:45. The route told us 22.3 miles. But Komen miles are longer. Boy were we sore. But we walked every single mile today and felt great afterwards. Well, maybe not so much physically. But mentally it was a great boost! And those truck showers felt even better that night.
On the plus side, I peed so much during the day that I only ended up having to wake up once during the night. Thereby getting more sleep. See there was a method to my madness!
Ta-ta for now, and stay tuned for Day 3!
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
It felt like I got about 2 hours of sleep, but in reality it was probably 4-5. Because I've had children that is more than enough to function the next day. At least I kept in mind that it's all temporary!
In case you don't believe me here is a picture of Cherrill and me sitting in our lovely tent! Above is the shirt with all the names of the people I walk for! Excuse the mess we were a little discombobulated on the second day!
So anyway, I woke up, dressed and went to breakfast. I was running a little late. The route opened at 7:00 and a lot of people were in line to go already. Lisa, Cherrill and Mandy left at 7:00. I ended up leaving at 7:30 by myself. I accidentally left Tricia behind. I didn't realize she wanted to walk to the first pitstop. But when I heard them announce you had to leave before 8:00 to avoid being swept, I jumped on it!
Walking without my team felt a little strange at first. But I quickly fell in step with new friends and did the first 3 miles easily. I was still sore from the day before. But once I got to the first pit stop and ran into Cherrill and Tricia. We caught up for a few minutes and I waited with Cherrill while she got fixed up at the medical tent. She needed to get taped up and some pain relieving gel, and she felt a lot better afterwards. We walked a little bit with Tricia and then she got swept up before we hit the next pit stop.
The Breast Western Express! Ha ha! Seriously though we were very lucky to have those sweep vans. Even though I ultimately did not end up using them, they were great for people who needed to get to the next pitstop at a certain time (sometimes you slow down taking pictures on the route) or people who are too sore or banged up to make it to the next stop. Having the option really helped make it a little easier to go on. They were like mini cheering sections on wheels!
Cherrill and I walked together for the rest of the day. And it was the longest day. But in many ways, it was my best day. I felt a lot better physically as well as mentally. And in case you are wondering if I talked to Christine, I did. It was at lunch on this day. When I explained to her what was going through my head, she understood it. And I felt a whole lot better afterwards. Her family came to visit at lunch and it was awesome. Even Buddy came. And he was very well-behaved.
After lunch we headed out to finish up the longest day. Today was better because there were several cheering stations all along the route. I didn't get too many pictures because let's just say it's a little overwhelming--with all the survivors, saying "thank you" and the little kids, dancing around and giving high fives, it's tough not to get emotional. Some of the outfits people wore, especially the guys were awesome. Here is one:
Kristina's mom, Arlene, who is a survivor, was on hand to give hugs! Thanks for being there and giving me the strength and courage to go on! You are a rock star and so amazing! I had the pleasure of meeting them for the first time last year and the cheering section was awesome then, and even more awesome now that I was actually a walker this time. It was the best!
If I have to give a negative it would be towards the end of the day. Let's just say the Camelbak is a little too easy to use, so I ended up drinking a lot of water just not even realizing how much I was drinking. Well, towards the end of the day, I ended up having to pee between pit stops. No, there were no bathrooms in between the pit stops. The first time I did it I was lucky to find a wooded area and go behind a tree while Cherrill covered for me. But the second time, we were in the city with park areas, and pretty much NO coverage. I ended up going behind this big shed. I am pretty sure a homeless guy saw me. Let's just hope he didn't notice, shall we?
And also, the last few miles Cherrill and I walked along the bridge by the side of the highway. Well, those last few miles, the 60 shades of Pink sweep van kept riding by, and slowing down. Cherrill and I were both pretty determined to finish without getting swept. So when the van slowed down near us a second time, Cherrill yelled, "Don't tempt me, go away!" And then she flipped them the bird. The look on Alexa's face was priceless. And she was wearing sunglasses! But you could tell she was totally shocked! Cherrill apologized later on at dinner. But man was that hilarious at the time! Unfortunately there are no pictures :( but use your imagination and I'm sure the mental image will come!
It felt so good to cross the finish line today. I can't even tell you how much. We ended up finishing up around 6:45. The route told us 22.3 miles. But Komen miles are longer. Boy were we sore. But we walked every single mile today and felt great afterwards. Well, maybe not so much physically. But mentally it was a great boost! And those truck showers felt even better that night.
On the plus side, I peed so much during the day that I only ended up having to wake up once during the night. Thereby getting more sleep. See there was a method to my madness!
Ta-ta for now, and stay tuned for Day 3!
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
You're in the (Pink) Army Now--Day One
I have chosen to break down my 3-Day experience into 3 separate posts, because there's just too much to say in one post. The first thing I have to say about the 3-Day is that it's definitely not something to underestimate. The second thing I have to say is that my journey to the 3-Day was a heck of a lot easier than the 3-Day itself!
This is how I looked right after I finished the 3-Day. This is the story of how I ended up here.
This is Cherrill getting some popcorn for us to snack on!
Central Avenue was the bomb! They really showed us tons of "support" (pun intended!) by hanging up bras for us. It was awesome and as you walk farther and farther, you find that you really need that support. The first day the route was 21.5 miles. That was what the route told us but it might have actually been more. I'm not sure if it only felt like more because of all the hills or if it was actually more, but it felt like a lot! For the first half of the day I walked with Christine, Rachael, and Becki. When we got to lunch around the 10 mile mark, we peed, ate and got started back on the route. This time I walked with Lisa, Mandy and Cherrill because I knew I wanted to do the whole thing. So I caught up with them and continued on the route. Lisa and Cherrill had such a quick pace that Mandy and I quickly fell behind. Which was okay since we had each other to walk with. The last half of the day passed really slowly since there were more hills in Fairmount Park. And the cyclists passing us on the left were a little nerve wracking. I had visions of being knocked over.
We got to use a real flushing toilet when we made a quick pit stop by Boathouse Row. That felt pretty good but at this point, my nerves were starting to fray and both me and Mandy felt pretty awful, physically and mentally. It's tough without mile markers especially when you aren't sure what to expect. And the first day there weren't many cheering sections, it being a Friday. I think more cheering sections would definitely have helped.
The last mile I walked on the first day, I was in tears. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I apologized to Mandy but she was a great comfort to me that last mile. If I had been alone I don't think I would have made it. I don't know if I can ever thank her enough for what she did for me that last mile on day one. We got "home" to the Convention Center. All our stuff was there. We had to pick up our stuff in the dining hall and carry it to our tent. Cherrill had gotten there before me and set up the tent and mattress (thank God).
For some reason though, I could not stop crying. The floodgates had opened and all I could think about was "what did I get myself into?" and "I need to get the hell out of here immediately!" I even called Al and asked him to pick me up. Tricia had to calm me down. She told me where the showers were and said I would feel better after a hot shower. Even after I stopped crying I don't think I cracked a smile the whole night. Thank goodness the water was hot. I felt a little better after my shower, and after eating something. Then Tricia reminded me about my mail. I felt like a little kid, following Tricia around. But I have always known this, the way Tricia took care of me and everyone else she will make a fantastic mom!
The major regret I have about that night was not talking to Christine about it. I was terrified of being negative in front of her because I know, her friend Kathi just passed away a few months ago from breast cancer, and she was still here doing the walk, so she had to be going through her own stuff. I felt pretty ashamed of myself for being so negative. I went back to my tent to read my camp mail and here are a few excerpts of what people sent to me in my camp mail. This is why camp mail is so important!
"You are setting a wonderful example for your girls. Be proud!" From Kalyn, my sister-in-law, and my niece, Lexie.
"If you happen to see a yellow butterfly around, that is my mom. Since the day she died we always see one. She may decide to flutter along with you." From Kim, my good friend from high school.
"Stay strong and we will do chips and margaritas big time after this one!" From Jen, my good friend from college days.
"I am so thrilled to be sharing this time with you. Enjoy every minute!" From Christine, my sorority sister and team leader.
There were many, many others but reading them helped me get through that difficult first night. When I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sob, these helped me get through it. Lisa and Mandy did ask me if I wanted to join them at the hotel on the second night, and having the option helped but in the end I decided to Rocky it out and go through the whole experience.
I will post about Day Two tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
This is how I looked right after I finished the 3-Day. This is the story of how I ended up here.
The 3-Day started for me, on Thursday afternoon. My husband, Al, my youngest daughter, Chloe and I picked up Cherrill, my tentmate and drove to our hotel in Willow Grove. It was a great hotel, complete with popcorn in the afternoon and pink decorations. Most of the people staying there were 3-Day walkers or crew.
They were really great to us at the Hampton Inn in Willow Grove. They made everyone feel great and very welcomed. Some of the staff even had pink on in support. We went to the Day 0 event at Miller's Ale House, had a glass of wine, ate dinner and hung out with Christine, our team leader, Becki, one of our teammates, and Brenda and Jenny, two of our teammates who were also crew members. Brenda and Jenny gave us a ride back to our hotel and picked up our team banner for us so that we would have it for closing ceremonies. We went to sleep in very comfy beds and watched TV. The weather forecast for the next day: hot and sunny. Couldn't have been more perfect!
Day one we were up at around 5:00. We got dressed in our 3-Day outfits, green t-shirts with the Ta-Ta logo on them, pink crowns on our heads. The hotel had breakfast for us, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, Special K bars, coffee, and juice. They had a shuttle leaving between 5:30 and 6:00 with room on it to transport all of us and our luggage. Overall I would highly recommend the Hampton Inn if you want to stay in a hotel the Thursday before the 3-Day. They treated us very well!
The shuttle took us to the Willow Grove Mall parking lot for opening ceremonies. We carried our stuff to the luggage trucks, labeled with the letters of your tent. We went to the C truck since our tent was C-40. Great crew members loaded our stuff onto the truck for us. We met up with Tricia, Becki, Rachael, and Rachael's awesome cousin, Karen, and headed over to opening ceremony. Christine was a flag bearer so we met up with her right after opening ceremony. Mandy and Lisa had gotten there very early because their hotel's shuttle left about an hour before ours. For absolutely no reason. As long as you are there at opening ceremony before 6:30 you are fine!
We got our lanyard and credential holders and headed over to opening ceremony. After a very moving speech by Dr. Sheri Phillips, and the flag bearers marching in carrying flags for My Friend, Mother, Father, Children, Aunt, Cousin, Grandma, etc., representing all the people who we walk for, the walk could get started. Below is a video people filing out to begin the walk.
It's about 2 minutes long and I think it captures all the excitement and anticipation of the start of the walk. The walk itself started out a little slow just because of the location, but it was all good because we started out walking as a team! On the left is Cherrill getting interviewed by Channel 6 (ABC).
Above right is a picture of the entire team at opening ceremony just before we began the walk. Notice the big smiles on our faces. I really love this picture because it represents how great you feel, both physically and mentally before you know you're about to embark on such a major, life-changing event! I keep looking at this photo because I want to hold onto that feeling the whole time. Unfortunately, as I found out, you can't always hold onto that feeling.
The first day, we walked through Willow Grove and Chestnut Hill, with smaller towns in between. And as the name suggests, there were lots of hills. The hills were the toughest part I think. But I loved how many of the houses were decorated in pink and bras and all kinds of cool signs. They made it easier to keep going. Here are some examples:
We got to use a real flushing toilet when we made a quick pit stop by Boathouse Row. That felt pretty good but at this point, my nerves were starting to fray and both me and Mandy felt pretty awful, physically and mentally. It's tough without mile markers especially when you aren't sure what to expect. And the first day there weren't many cheering sections, it being a Friday. I think more cheering sections would definitely have helped.
The last mile I walked on the first day, I was in tears. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I apologized to Mandy but she was a great comfort to me that last mile. If I had been alone I don't think I would have made it. I don't know if I can ever thank her enough for what she did for me that last mile on day one. We got "home" to the Convention Center. All our stuff was there. We had to pick up our stuff in the dining hall and carry it to our tent. Cherrill had gotten there before me and set up the tent and mattress (thank God).
For some reason though, I could not stop crying. The floodgates had opened and all I could think about was "what did I get myself into?" and "I need to get the hell out of here immediately!" I even called Al and asked him to pick me up. Tricia had to calm me down. She told me where the showers were and said I would feel better after a hot shower. Even after I stopped crying I don't think I cracked a smile the whole night. Thank goodness the water was hot. I felt a little better after my shower, and after eating something. Then Tricia reminded me about my mail. I felt like a little kid, following Tricia around. But I have always known this, the way Tricia took care of me and everyone else she will make a fantastic mom!
The major regret I have about that night was not talking to Christine about it. I was terrified of being negative in front of her because I know, her friend Kathi just passed away a few months ago from breast cancer, and she was still here doing the walk, so she had to be going through her own stuff. I felt pretty ashamed of myself for being so negative. I went back to my tent to read my camp mail and here are a few excerpts of what people sent to me in my camp mail. This is why camp mail is so important!
"You are setting a wonderful example for your girls. Be proud!" From Kalyn, my sister-in-law, and my niece, Lexie.
"If you happen to see a yellow butterfly around, that is my mom. Since the day she died we always see one. She may decide to flutter along with you." From Kim, my good friend from high school.
"Stay strong and we will do chips and margaritas big time after this one!" From Jen, my good friend from college days.
"I am so thrilled to be sharing this time with you. Enjoy every minute!" From Christine, my sorority sister and team leader.
There were many, many others but reading them helped me get through that difficult first night. When I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sob, these helped me get through it. Lisa and Mandy did ask me if I wanted to join them at the hotel on the second night, and having the option helped but in the end I decided to Rocky it out and go through the whole experience.
I will post about Day Two tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Faith, Hope and Love,
Angela
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