End of Week #2

As week two came to a close the excitement is even greater now…….Saturday was extremely busy with trying to get the last minute decorating items and the last minute items on my list of things to pack. I was able to get 10 miles in on Saturday then, off to visit with my mom. She had a spot in her arm removed on Thursday and she is doing really well after the surgery. The soreness is there, but gets better every day. I then headed to Pensacola to the craft stores for those decorating things and also to the airport to pick up my son. Unfortunately, I had to listen to most of the Auburn game on the radio, but I was able to make it back home to see the end! WOW! What a game! The score was ridiculous! I didn’t make it through the Alabama game though. Had to go to bed @ halftime! Sunday, I went to the park in Foley by the pool to walk again and Erika joined me! We just took our time and walked 8.8 miles. The weather was absolutely beautiful! We talked about our decorations for our tent and the trip up to Atlanta. This week is going to be CRAZY! I still have to put together the Angels for our tent and the windsock that I decided to make. I also need to walk an additional 3 miles on today and tomorrow. Wednesday evening will be spent packing and resting then, Thursday we will leave @ 3pm for Atlanta! I may not have another chance to post before we leave, so please pray for a safe journey for our team. Our return trip will be late and exhausting! Keep our feet in your thoughts as well, as we strive to keep the blister monsters under wraps! LOL! The weather looks like it will be beautiful up there. The expected highs will be near 75 with a 6-8 mph wind each day and partly cloudy on Sunday. The evenings will be in the mid 50’s so that is perfect sleeping weather!

End of Week #3

Well, week #3 training…………….what else can I say………..the excitement is building, with making packing list and list of things I still need to buy and figuring out how to get to opening ceremonies, parking, shuttle back to the parking and just the anticipation of getting there to start the journey!
This weekend I traveled to Mobile to train with a team mate and it was really nice. I had not been able to spend time with her and catch up since we were in High School. Erika and I had been close friends and both moved away from the Foley area as soon as we graduated, so we really lost track of each other. She has two beautiful little girls and we took them with us. She pushed them in the stroller for the entire 7.5 miles, while I tagged along and we caught up on things that had happened throughout the years. Time seemed to fly by for me, but as you can probably imagine, she was complete worn out. This weekend’s temps were a little higher than last weekend and the breeze was much less, but it was not unbearable. Getting out in the heat again is good since we really cannot predict what we will be walking in yet anyway. I was able to get back out to the park in Foley Sunday for another 14 miles. I was 9 miles short of the training schedule for week #3 but I feel ok about making the distance. With the overage from last week of 6 miles, I am still somewhat on track! This upcoming week holds more mileage as the time draws even closer. Week #2 will be the last full week before the walk and the last of the big mileage! Please continue to pray for my Mom as she will be getting the place in her arm removed sometime soon. Also, remember Lundy Adcock. She has finished her second round for the Leukemia and is heading home to recover for 4 weeks until her 3rd round in November. Thanks for all of your support!

Week #3……….Ready to go!

Last week, Great week for training…35 miles total!.....WooHoo!….the weather is much cooler now, so I was able to get outdoors and beat the boring treadmill. On Saturday, I walked on the trail in Orange Beach…..12 miles! It was a beautiful day. Then, the Pink Heals Tour was here in town, with Pink fire trucks and a great turn out for the local fire departments participating in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I was also able to find some more BC shirts to wear when we walk in the 3-day, so we will all be pink! On Sunday, I also got back outdoors and walked the track around the park in Foley. I wasn’t able to get started early like planned, but the wind was blowing, so it didn’t seem like 78 degrees and I was able to walk just fine. Although on Friday I started with a rash late in the afternoon. I noticed it when I showered after walking. It was not real bad, so I didn’t worry with it. Saturday after I returned home to shower after my eventful day, the rash area had started to spread and it was also much brighter that it started out. I still didn’t really worry with it, no time, busy, busy. LOL! Sunday, when I woke, the rash was not as red but still there. As I continued to walk Sunday afternoon, I could tell it was spreading, so in order to get to a clinic and then to a pharmacy before they closed, I had to cut my walk short (only 8 miles), go home, get a shower and head to the Gulf Shores clinic. I was told I am having an allergic reaction to something and which has caused hives. Now, I am on steroids with a strong antihistamine @ night and Benadryl during the day. Fortunately, it does not itch unless I start sweating and even then it is not unbearable, so I am grateful for that. I am hoping it goes away before I leave! LOL! Otherwise I will have red splotches all over me!
I did order some pink battery operated tree lights for our tent, so hopefully they will come in soon. Also, asked our local airbrush artists in our Wal-Mart in Gulf Shores about making a flag for our tent and he said no problem, so now all I need to do is bring him a pillowcase or something for him to use for a flag. I am also stocking up on other things I need for the walk, blister band aids, moleskin for the blisters, friction block, emergency blanket, poncho, drop cloth, clothes pins, tape, scissors, twine, air mattress, battery operated air pump, light for my hat and other misc things you would never think you would need, but experts who have walked several 3-day events advise it. We are hoping to be over prepared! LOL! Is there such a thing?
Please continue to pray for my mom. Her scan on her lungs came back with another 25% improvement, but they are going to remove a lump in her arm that has come up. Also, remember my friend Lundy in your prayers. She went back to the Sacred Heart hospital yesterday for her second round of chemo for her Leukemia.
I am still $400 away from my $2300 needed, but no worries. Things will happen, gotta have faith!

Week #4

Well as week 4 began yesterday, I was able to get 12 miles in. I discovered a small blister in the calloused part of my heel on the inside at the very bottom………….and………..I lanced it and cut the dead skin off and now it burns every time it gets wet!.....I know, I know…..not very smart, but I do it every time………..Anyway, I walked 15 miles on Saturday and 12 on Sunday and other than the blister, I am fine! WooHoo! Now, I have to keep the mileage up this week and continue on the training schedule. I also have to think about some tent decorating ideas. If any of you have any suggestions, please let us know. We are thinking about some rope lighting that is battery operated and a pillowcase to hang that has the Alabama flag airbrushed with our team name on the front and a brick wall image with the names of the people we want to honor by walking airbrushed on the backside to hang above our tent in an arch that we will make from an additional tent pole. Put your minds to work and see if you can help us think of some more things to do.

I am registered!

REGISTRATION!!!!!! I completed my online registration today! It is official…..I will be walking 60 miles. I have also chosen my tent mate! Woo Hoo! I still have some more money to raise, but I went ahead and registered anyway. I am still trying to get a few donations and do a raffle to help with my goal and I have been trying to get in touch with the manager @ Daylight Donuts to see about selling discount cards as a fund raiser. If you have any other ideas of fund raisers, please send me a message. I NEED THE HELP! Thanks to all of you who have been constantly praying for my mom and my friend Lundy. Mom is still doing well and Lundy was able to come home after 4+ weeks in the hospital. The power of faith and prayer are magnificent. Thanks to all of you for following and supporting me on this journey!

Week #5!

As week 6 progressed, I received a few more donations! Woo Hoo!!!! …. I still have a few more friends that have promised to donate, so I hope to get even closer to my goal as these next few weeks go by. I was close to my mileage goal this week! That is a plus! It has become difficult to stay motivated while walking on a treadmill, but I am so glad my mother has let me use the one she has because it has been unbearable outside. I sure hope it cools down in the next 5 weeks in Atlanta! Please pray for cooler weather! I began using my waist pack this weekend to get used to the weight and having something on my waist. Training went well with that. Week 5 mileage goal is 44 miles. I have started out good with 10 miles on Sunday……Mom’s Dr. visit on this week went well. They are cutting out some of the prednisone so maybe she won’t suffer so much from her eyes being so swollen anymore, but still be able to have some lung capacity………Keep her in your prayers………This past Saturday I went to the Flora-Bama Soccer Tournament in Orange Beach. My dear friend that I have mentioned in an earlier blog is still in the hospital battling Leukemia and her son was in this tournament. It was really upsetting to her to be in the hospital and not at the field, so she asked if there was anybody who had not made other plans and could go to please go and give Turner some support. I have watched Turner grow up and he has been extremely close to our family and I love to watch him play, so Kent and I went to the tournament and sent some support to him while he was on the field……He did a great job out there and the team came out with a victory. Please keep Lundy in your prayers as she fights to get her blood counts up so she can come home………….

Counting Down!!!!

Only 6 more weeks until the 3-Day! Last Sunday, we left for Gatlinburg, TN to spend 5 days with my parents on a small vacation. The time spent together was great. Mom was able to enjoy being away and get out and see the sites. Although the leaves had not really changed and the weather was not cool, we enjoyed the beautiful view from the top of the Smokies. We visited Gatlinburg, Cherokee, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. We even went to the Dixie Stampede. Great show! We also took a train ride on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad from Bryson City to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We left the Smokies on Friday to head to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama -vs- Penn State game. It was fun to visit and tailgate with my family. On the way home, we decided to stop and visit with my grandmother for awhile, so we went through Maplesville. It was a good visit with her. She looked good but was walking gingerly due to a broken toe. We finally made it back to Foley around 8pm. I was able to get some walking in while we were gone, but now I have to really dig in and get with it these last few weeks. I am still only $600 away from the required amount, but hopefully something will come in soon.