Ready. Set. Hope.

As promised, here are my pictures from this past weekend's AVON Walk for Breast Cancer. To see last year's walk click here. After registering at the Hyatt in Rosemont and handing in our final donations we headed to the city for our traditional RockStar team dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.The RockStar Fans

The next morning, at the butt crack of dawn we gathered at Soldier Field for opening ceremonies. From there we began our walk down the shore line.

It is a sea of pink, and everyone gets REALLY into the whole experience. Note the dude wearing a pink tutu. He's carrying a pink ribbon banner. Every mile or so they have rest stops set up. At each stop, there are bathrooms, refills on H2O and my favorite.....
Snacks!! I especially love the fact that if you go to one side of the table the oranges and banana's are peeled for you. I felt like I munched all day long. I did as much walking as I could on Day 1. I had to stop around mile 16 though as I was having severe cramps. Apparently when my doctor said "take it easy" after this last round of insemination I thought it meant I could walk a marathon. My body disagreed with me. I was picked up by one of the many "sweeper" vans and taken to the Wellness Village where I was met up with by Spiderman to wait for the rest of my teammates. I don't have too many pictures of the Wellness Village this year because it was pouring rain for most of my time there.

Eventually the rest of my team met up with me and we crossed (me mostly hobbling) the finish line together. That evening we went out for pizza (another tradition) and back to the condo for a showers and a good night's sleep. All except for Craig and Karen who went back to the Wellness Village to camp out withe rest of the walkers. Brave souls.

On the morning of Day 2 I woke up with even worse cramping and I decided to rest the morning and meet up with the rest of the team at lunch. Let's just say Day 2 was "sponsored" by Tylenol 3. The rest of my team didn't seem to mind taking a break to wait for me at a cute little restaurant were we had a gorgeous brunch.

I had a crab cake burger. It was awesome. Then it was off to finish the walk.

There were many supporters along the way cheering us on.

Everyone in the city was supportive and many dressed in costumes again the second day.

I was able to get some really great pictures of the city while I was walking.

I kind of think the person who designed the path for the walk should be shot. Whose idea was it to put a hill at the END of a 2 day walk of 39.3 miles?

I mean, Dude. What. The. Hell? Here's the view from the top. You really can't tell how steep it actually was from the picture, but believe me. It was.

Here's the RockStar Fan's at the finish line of Day 2 back at Soldier Field. Basically, we walked from there to Skokie and back. Everyone was fine until we sat down. Then no one could get back up!

At the end of Day 2 we had Closing Ceremonies where we were told how much we raised and where the money was being distributed. In our 2 Days we raised $7.6 Million.
Many of those who walked with us were survivors of breast cancer. They were given white pom-poms to wave and they did so proudly.

For 2 Days We Walked As One.

And we made a difference.

Preparations For This Weekend....

Today I'm getting ready for my AVON Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend in Chicago. We go to Rosemont today to check in and tonight my team, The RockStar Fans, will have our traditional dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I'm pretty excited. All morning I've been packing. I like to be prepared, or at least more prepared than I was last year. 40 miles in two days is a lot. Here's what I have so far:

• 5 pairs of moisture wicking, anti-blister socks.
• Dr. Scholl's Blister pads..... Just in case the socks don't work.
• 3 pairs of shorts, t-shirts and yoga pants. I like variety and you never know what the weather will be like. I'm also including this:

The team jersey we had made last year.

• Two kinds of sunscreen. One for my face and one for my body. I Will remember to put some on my ears this year. Last year they were burnt to a crisp.
• My pink camera so that I can record the weekend for you all!
• My new awesome Nike shoes (they're pink and white) that are super comfortable and I have broken in specifically for this event.
• My lightweight rain jacket. Stupid Chicago weather forecasts rain for Sunday. I can't imagine I'll be pleasant if I have to walk 13 miles in the rain.
• Two sports bra's, one of which is pink.
• My flat iron. Just because I'm spending the weekend walking does not mean I can't be cute!

It will be like pink overload all weekend. This year's walk is especially important for me since my sister's doctor found a lump in her breast yesterday. We're all hoping that it's not cancer. I do NOT want to have to walk for her next year in addition to my friend Rachelle.

So tell me, do you have any suggested items for me to pack? Am I forgetting anything?

Training Day

Getting ready to do a training walk. I need to break in my new shoes! I definitely don't want to get blisters like last year. I mean I had to throw away my socks!

It's still not too late to make a donation. I REALLY need the funds. Any amount is appreciated as I've committed to $1800 whether I raise it or pay it myself!

I Need Your Help!!

I took the weekend to relax and regroup.
I wallowed a bit, but now I'm ready to turn my focus to something else. Something more productive than burning down the Chamber of Horrors. (the place where I work if you're new to this blog)

I'm getting ready to do the Chicago Avon Walk for Breast Cancer again this year. I walk in honor of my friend Rachelle who lost her battle with breast cancer almost 5 years ago. I cannot believe that it's been that long. She's the woman who introduced me to Spiderman and she was sure we were going to get married before I think even he or I knew it. Her presence was felt on our wedding day by the bright, sunny 70 degree weather.
Rachelle was an inspiration not in her death, but in the way she lived her life. She lived to enjoy each and every day and make her time memorable. I think we can all stand to follow her amazing lead. When things get rough, like this past Friday, and I start to lose hope, I just think of Rachelle and her resilient spirit, quick smiles and infectious laughter.

Other than all the physical training I will be doing I need to raise $1,800 by the first weekend in June. I NEED YOUR HELP!!

Please make a donation at my website.
The money not only goes to breast cancer research, but to help assist with treatment and detection.

I can't think of a better way to honor Rachelle, can you?

For Two Days, We Walk As One

The Avon Walk was amazing! Every muscle in my body aches, my blisters have blisters, and today my feet are swollen the size of footballs, but it was worth it! I thought I'd share a little of my weekend with you.
First, All Rock Star Fan's (my team name) have to start their adventure eating at the Hard Rock Cafe.
We did this the night before the walk. The next morning we started at Soldier Field.
The morning of, there were SO many people there! This year was the largest walk in the history of the Avon Walk. There were roughly 4,500 people that walked this year in the fight against breast cancer.
We raised $9.1 million for the cause! And then the walk began. We walked....
And walked....the first part was all along the shore line and it was gorgeous! There was a LOT of walking, but every 2 miles there were rest stops set up. Some of them even had themes.

This one had a Hollywood theme. We paused briefly for pictures. Every rest stop had bathrooms, refills on water or gatorade, and this:
My favorite part. SNACKS!! I feel like I ate, drank, and peed all day long.
Jen and I carried shiny coins in memory of Maryann's friend who died from breast cancer.

The amount of support we received was incredible. People driving by would honk and wave. They advertised the route in advance and people would line the streets to cheer us on shouting words of encouragement.
There were almost naked men cheering from balcony's.
You might think it's corny, but when you're in it, doing the walking, those words REALLY help you to go on. I'm going to have a hard time doing anything now without applause and shouts of "thank you for walking", "you can do it!"

There were even pink ambulances there in case we needed them!
Our reason for walking.
The group at the finish line at the end of day one. Through the arches is the wellness village where the tents are set up for the night. They also served food, had medical attention, and other services set up. Services that I REALLY needed.
They had yoga for stretching and relaxing.
They also had massages for my sore muscles. See this lady? I could have married her. She was FABULOUS! Day two was much harder, but we circled back through the city and headed home towards Soldier Field.

If I ever move to the city, I just might have to live in this building. I would wear a tiara all the time.
Rock Stars at the halfway point on day two. In the picture is Me, my sister-in-law Jen (Rachelle's sister), Craig (Rachelle's husband), Karen (friend of the family), and my brother-in-law Phil (Spiderman's brother). You can see the city in the distance.
We walked all through the city and it was a gorgeous day.
The Rock Star Fans at the finish line at Soldier Field. WE DID IT!!!! In the center of the picture is Rachelle's son Connor who joined us for the last few miles. He's a trooper.

When we got home, Spiderman bought me a "prize" for finishing. Pink crystal earrings, and a Hershey kiss necklace with a pink heart.

He's proud of me.

I'm proud of me too. I can't wait for next year!

Walk On Rockstars!

Today is the day we're going into Chicago to register for the Avon walk. Tomorrow morning it starts. I'm spending the day getting the rest of my donations in order so that I can hand them in tonight. As of now I raised $1,869! I'm grateful for everyone who supported me and this important cause. I'm also trying to pack (I tend to leave stuff behind) and "hydrate".
My friend Beth, wrote an amazing tribute to Rachelle on her blog. Please go over there and read about a truly amazing woman....my reason for walking. If it doesn't make you cry there's something wrong with you.
I'll be MIA this weekend, but when I come back I should have some great pictures of the walk.

Preparations Have Begun...

My Avon Walk is this weekend. I'm starting to freak out a little bit. I'm trying to emotionally and physically prepare myself. 40 miles in 2 days is a lot. I'm determined to finish.

I can do this!

Fundraising

This past weeks my team for the Avon Walk has had a few fundraisers. On Thursday we had one at Beef O'Brady's where 10% of the night's proceeds went to the Rock Star Fans.
Last night we had one at my sister-in-law's house.
We had prizes that were raffled off.
And games to be played.
And Princesses.
Many people were there to support our team. With the two fundraisers we were able to raise over $700 for our team and Breast Cancer Research. GO ROCK STARS!
I even won a prize in the raffle....two tickets to a NASCAR race at the Chicagoland Speedway in July.
Overall, a successful night.

Practice Makes Perfect

New shoes+40 degree weather+having to pee due to all the H2O to keep "hydrated"= only walking a little over 2 miles today.
But hey, it's a start right? Better than laying on the couch and eating leftover cupcakes from this weekend's party.
I bought new walking shoes today. They're Nike's. For some reason Nike shoes fit me the best. I will say this though. Finding the right pair of shoes is difficult. Especially if you're picky like me. They all fit differently and have different supports. I must have tried on 30 pairs before purchasing my pair. These aren't the actual pair....very close though. They will probably last me a while as I am NOT sporty. I think it has something to do with my poor coordination.
I also am wearing my first ever sports bra. Can you believe it? I told you I wasn't sporty.
Hopefully the weather will be a little better for tomorrow's walk. I NEED to practice!!

Super Sarah

Sometimes I wish I had super powers. I spend more time thinking about this than is probably normal, but I have reason to. If I could have one super power I would like to have the power to heal. I know I have the power to heal now, through my job, but it still breaks my heart a little bit every day when I see true tragedy that I cannot cure. I would even gladly take some of the pain on myself if it would relieve it from others. There are times, with my patients that I rest my hands on their brows...or lightly on their chests...that I wonder if I could have this power just by wishing for it...as if by sheer force of will I could make things happen. I'm always a little disappointed that I can't.
If I could have two super powers I would also like telekinesis...because I'm lazy like that.

**Avon Walk Update** I raised $231 today! I work with some great people!

Not Cool

I am not cool. There, I've said it. I've never been cool. I'm awkward and quirky. I do not have fabulous fashion sense or great hair. I like to read. I love bad television, movies and 80's music. I tend to be shy and am not very good at expressing myself.

I'm also not a great writer. I so want to be. I read other blogs and am in awe of the truly great writers that are out there. I'm not prosaic. I just write about whatever pops into my head. Hopefully with a little humor. I have high hopes for this blog. I just hope that it can become what I want for it. I hope people will read it.

I don't know where I'm heading with this post, but I'm trying desperately to avoid doing homework. I should be doing research on my 12 page paper on D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterly's Lover due next Thursday (that I haven't even started) What I'm actually doing is blog hopping and becoming intimidated by the greatness of others.

I purchase some 5 lb ankle weights today with the hopes of using them to help me with my "walk" training. Let me tell you, they are fashionable although I've mostly been wearing them around the house.

They are not helping with the coolness, however.

Avon Breast Cancer Walk

As you may already know, I am doing the breast Cancer walk in Chicago the 1st weekend in June. My main reason for doing this is in honor of my friend Rachelle who lost her battle with cancer when she was only 33 years old. Rachelle was one of the best people I have ever met. She was an inspiration to everyone who ever met her and she is missed every single day. She (along with her sister--my sister-in-law) is the person who introduced me to my husband. Even though she didn't get to see our wedding, I felt her presence at the ceremony in the unseasonably warm and sunny October day.

In order to do the walk I must raise a minimum of $1,800. Please help me reach that goal!
You can make a donation here or on the sidebar. I greatly appreciate your support!

Pay it Forward

I woke up with a killer migraine for the second morning in a row ( thank you fabulous weather), so this will be brief. I was reading the blog Pancakes and Frenchfries the other day, and she is doing a Pay it Forward giveaway with her blog. I really liked the idea and started to think of ways I could pay it forward. My blog is so new, i don't think enough people are reading (sorry mom) to use it. Instead I want to do it in real life. I'm going to sign up for the Avon Breast Cancer walk in Chicago. ( I was already thinking about it...but this will give me more incentive) I figure this will be Paying it Forward on a larger scale. You can follow me as I start training (exercise, augh!) and I'll try to post the actual event.