Come on Africa!!

So, long ago, I added the little bloggy tracker. If you haven't seen it, it's that little world map down on the right.

I am probably 100% responsible for the Minnesota dot to be in the 100-999 range.

That's what happens when I find things I like and put it here on the blog rather than bookmark it.

Anyway....

I'm so jazzed because I've hit all the continents except Africa and Antarctica! And while I don't anticipate the researchers in Antarctica to visit my blog--I'm sure that some camp person out there from Africa (we were a hit with the folks from Zambia for a number of years) will stop by eventually.

So, here's wishing for a dot in Africa!

Yes, it's the little things like this that TOTALLY make my day....

BooMama's Before and After Event....

Hello BooMama visitors! I'm not sure how many of you will be stopping by considering I'll probably be at the bottom of the list--but for those 1 or 2 who do....hello!

For those who normally stop by and have no idea what I'm talking about...here's the scoop.

BooMama is having a little DIY Before and After event. The goal was to do some project on your to-do list.

I had grand plans people. Grand plans. My hope was to refinish my grandmother's china hutch.

This cabinet has been in my family for quite some time, and due to water damage, the veneer is starting to pull away. I have wanted to refinish it for some time.

But due to a little thing called the Breast Cancer 3-Day (this is a video--watch it...it's great!) any grand plans of using power tools came to a screeching halt.

So, I then thought, "Ohhh! I'll clean out the hall closet." Afterall, I'm tired of digging through there trying to find anything....

Notice the hodge-podge of items. In this closet you'll find:

• The vacuum
• Wrapping paper (recently purchased from a school fundraising drive)
• Games
• Bulk sized fruit cocktail from Costco
• 4 fanny packs that I tried out for the 3-day
• My viola

Well, again, that 3-day walk really ate up my time. So, I had to settle for organizing my bills.

I feel like a "Before and After Flunkie". I've peeked at the posts already--and you people did some awesome things.

Is this where I say that I just walked 60 miles for Breast Cancer, and helped my team raise over $30,000?

Now, let me say that my bills are paid (thankyouverymuch), but the stubs have laid in a pile since May.

Which would be when I started training for the 3-day.

So, here is my sad, sad, sad contribution to BooMama's Before and After.

So, here's the bill pile before.

And here is the bill pile after.

You'll notice that I have a folder for each bill (school loan, cell phone, credit card, etc) and I keep information for 1 year. So, right now, I have nothing older than January 2007. My handy shredder gets quite the work out each January. I've read that there is no need to keep your bill statements longer than a year. Tax information is a whole 'nuther story. I never get rid of tax stuff. But this has really been a way for me to stay organized. It's a lot easier to grab the folder for my school loan if I should need to contact the Bank of North Dakota for any reason. I think folks find what works for them in organizing their stubs--but this has been my way for 12 years.

If it's not broke--it doesn't need fixing.

I forgot to take a photo of the shelf, but it is clean--and the only thing showing on that shelf is a ream of printer paper.

I would like to point out that at least I'm not like the Big Guy. His organization style is as follows:

Notice the basket on the antique piano stool? Well, the Big Guy does "auto pay" for all of his bills. So he never opens them. They land in a pile in the bill basket.

Is this where I say that it was by chance that he realized that our cable bill went up $30? Had he run his course of normal, he would have never known.

And his way of organizing those stubs?

His drawer in the file cabinet is really just a bigger version of the bill basket.

That's true love, I tell ya.

So, to the BooMama folks, I apologize for my lack of creativity.

3-Day Video....

I've made a little video using the some of the same photos as the two previous blog posts. But it tells our team's story and how we came together.

Enjoy!

PS....there is music, so if you're watching this at work, I'd put on your headphones.

The 3-Day Recap.....

It's over. The 3-day has come to a close. I cannot even begin to tell you about this experience.

The 2 big questions I've had in the last 24 hours are:

Will you do it again? And my answer is yes. But as a crew member. I think I want to experience that part of the 3 day before I decide to walk again.

How was it? Here's the answer to that...with photos for added flare!

NOTE: This will be a long blog post....better settle in!

DAY 1

On Friday, we headed to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for opening ceremonies. They said to be there between 6 and 6:30 a.m. I don't think that this was very well planned. The Twin Cities 3-Day had over 3000 walkers.

3000 walkers + one exit ramp to the fairgounds = traffic jam

Needless to say, we got checked in. Here is a shot of the luggage trucks.

Notice how the signs go from A to Z? Each letter represents a row at camp. And in each row there are no more than 100 tents. Our row was A, and we were in tents 89 to 94. And while the actual tent row was not 100 tents long, that's still a lot of tents.

After we checked in, we headed to the opening ceremonies. Because we were at the end of the check-in process, we didn't end up in "the chute" of walkers. We were actually outside of it. Here is a photo of us doing some stretches.


I look pretty chipper at 7:00 a.m.. You will notice that this smile will fade by the end of this post. You will also notice that my hair looks good here. However, it looks like complete crap in Day 2 and Day 3 as there is no outlet for a hairdryer.

And no....I didn't bring a hair dryer anticipating that I'd find an outlet. I did leave it at home.

After stretching, we had the ceremonies. There are flags used in the event to bring home the reason why we walk. This is a photo of some of the signs from the event. Other signs included who you were walking for. It wasn't until Day 2 that I actually go to see the "...for my friend" flag.


Day 1 took us from the Fairgrounds through St Paul, down Summit Ave. and past the governor's mansion.

It was walking down Summit Ave. with Amy that we walked past a house that was playing a little Bon Jovi, including the song "You Give Love a Bad Name." Amy thought that this was particularly funny because this was a song that revolved around a bet between Amy and I. The bet is a long story in itself, but let's just say that if you have a friend who journals, don't say, "I'll give you a $100 if..." because it will come back to get you.

While on Summit, we also hit the first cheering station and I saw my camp friend Tanya. I won't post the photo because I look terrible. But thank you to Tanya for coming out!

While going through the cheering station Amy said to me, "That's so cool! Let's go back and do it again!" Then shortly after that she looked at her route card and said, "OH! That was a cheering station!!"

Even the little things escape Amy sometimes.

After leaving Summit, we started to walk down Sheppard Road. This road goes along the Mississippi River and is quite beautiful.

But there is little shade, and it was over 80 degrees on Friday (it was 85 to be exact). And I don't do well in the heat. At the start of the incline (ugh!) at the end of Sheppard Road we saw this sign:


I would like to point out, for the record, that this was 100% incorrect. One mile to lunch? Yeah right. Try at least 1.5 miles, if not 2.

Oh, and here's a photo of Sheppard Road. At the very end of this photo is the curve in the road.


Yeah. We walked all that way.

After lunch, we walked through more blazing sun and it got to the point that I couldn't go on. I had to catch the sweep van to the next pit stop. I hated doing it but when I was a teenager, I had a case of heat exhaustion (my mom says it was heat stroke, but I'm not so sure...). Therefore, sun and heat don't agree with me so well.

We got to the next pit stop and I tried to go on, but caught the sweep van back to camp. I hated doing it, but have come to terms with the fact that just because I didn't walk 4 miles on Day 1 doesn't mean that our walk was at a loss.

When we got back to camp, we had the opportunity to get a free foot massage thanks to LaCroix Water Company!


Here is a photo of Katie and Amy getting a little massage. They deserve it! They walked all 21.5 miles on Day 1.

On the walk, you do all your business in a porta potty.


Yes. There are that many.

Back at camp, we had all the tents set up. Needless to say, if you didn't put something on your tent to set it apart, you'd be in trouble.


DAY 2

Day 2 began with a chilly morning, but you can see that we ditched the matching outfits, and went with our own personal choices.


Apparently, Amy and I got the memo to wear blue.

While on the walk Day 2, Amanda joined Amy, Katie and myself. As we were walking along, we came across our first cheering station to see a small group of cheerleaders cheering us on. I said to Amy, "You know, Andre' should bring his cheerleaders out here to cheer. They'd be great!" (My friend Andre' from camp is a cheerleading coach)

And as we came upon a pit stop, we hear a group of cheerleaders. And I noticed they were using blue and white pom-poms and had on blue and white skirts. Hummmm....could it be?

I asked the first cheerleader I saw, "What cheer squad do you represent?" Her reply? "The Minnetonka Skippers!"

Yes. That's Andre's squad. They were great to see and a lot of fun. Andre's hard work paid off and those girls did a great job!

GO! FIGHT!! WIN!!!

After we left the pit stop, we came across a path and Jody's couch. If you aren't familiar with the story, please click here. Fair warning....bring your tissues.

Here are some photos of our team on the couch


Amanda, Kelley, Katie and Amy on the couch. And yes, it was hard to get back up!


And here are a few others from the team! Back row: Angie, Alison and Pam L. Front row: Rhonda, Diana and Jennifer.

This man moves this couch from place to place on the route. He takes photos and loves sharing the story. So touching, we couldn't help but stop!

After a long day on the trails and roads, I took the sweep van again. This time, it wasn't the heat, but a blister. I noticed it at lunch and thought I could get it looked at. However, the medical tent was a nightmare. So, I took matters into my own hands.

Is this where I admit that my first aid certification has expired?

I should have waited, because my tape job was a joke. I walked a half mile and caught the van to the next stop. While there, I got right into the medical tent (as I beat the crowd) and went on ahead of Amanda, Katie and Amy.

By pit stop 5, my blister was so bad that I had to go back to camp. Three miles left and I went back.

At the end of the day, I visited the medical tent again to have my blister popped and to also have my hot spot (a spot on your foot that is tender, but no blister has formed) retaped. It did the trick because I felt 100% better and could walk at a normal pace.

We also wanted a team photo in our pink Amy's Angels shirt. Because Amy and Amanda were in line to get their blisters looked at...we went to them.


This photo was taken by some other walkers in line at the medical tent. We don't think that they minded, but we felt bad to barge in on their line. Thank you for those who let us barge in!!


DAY 3

We closed up camp and headed out. And yes, as the camp person, I did give some tips to those who asked. On the way out of camp, we took a photo of the team.


Yes, yes, I know. It says, "Day 2", but honestly, we didn't care.

On the way to the state capital, we saw the Motorcycle Men posing for a photo. These guys were great. They weren't an "official" part of the 3-day, but they drove along the route, honking their horns and encouraging the walkers along the way. Many wanted photos, and since we wanted to get going, we didn't stop. But these guys were awesome!


We did say that a single guy would be stupid not to volunteer for this event. With mostly women walking this walk...you do the math.

Along the way, many signs were posted and we were cheered on by people saying, "Thank you for walking!" I saw this sign and had to take my photo.


We interrupt this blog post for a special announcement:

This sign is personal for me. Everyone has been so supportive of my walk. But I know there were a few out there saying "You go girl" on the outside. But on the inside they were saying, "Yeah. Right."

I so badly wanted to walk every single mile. You read that I took the van on Day 1 and Day 2. But I also took the van on Day 3. All total, I swept out of 10 miles. And I'd be lying if I said that taking the van was OK. Because for me, it was disappointing. I wanted to prove that I could do it. My team was great and just said, "Do what you need to do and we'll see you again soon." Though their encouragement made getting in the van a little easier, it still frustrated me that I did it. I'd also be lying if I didn't think about those who doubted I could do this as I stepped foot in that van. I thought about the reaction of my not walking all 60: a finger pointing at the computer screen with a triumphant "I knew it!"

But let's look at the big picture here. Walking 60 miles (or in my case, 52) doesn't cure breast cancer. But the money that my team raised does go towards that research and education that will one day wipe out breast cancer all together.

Therefore, if you're response is, "I knew you wouldn't walk the full 60 miles" or "Well, you should have drank more water" or "You should have worn better socks", I encourage you to put on a fanny pack filled with various items, two full water bottles, and go outside when it's 85 degrees, walk in little to no shade, and see how you do.

Oh...and don't forget to do it for 18 miles in a row.

**EDITED TO ADD: Some folks have asked me, "Really, you had people who doubted you?" And the answer is yes. Thankfully, they are people who I don't see very often (if at all anymore) and live out of state. WAY out of state.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post....

As the walk continued on Day 3, we headed to some trails. This photo doesn't really do its job. Up that trail (to the top of the photo) is a sea of walkers. No breaks in the group. A huge sea of walkers.

Can you imagine driving by on Highway 61 and seeing that? That would be amazing!

When we finally got to the capital, we were greeted by many people, including Amy's parents and her husband Marty. I missed the Big Guy on the way in, but we did catch up.

Upon our arrival to the group, Diana took this photo of Amy and I.


Pretty much sums up the weekend, don't you think (minus me sticking out my tounge).

Prior to all of us making our way to the capital, this is what it looked like. You can see the stage towards to capital entrance and the holding area for the walkers, crew and survivors.


Within a few hours, this is what the capial grounds looked like. This was taken as we were walking to the ceremonies. We walked from across the street to the capital grounds. We were towards the back...and remember, there were over 3000 walkers.

The best way to describe the ceremonies and how we were all brought in, is to think of rings of a tree. One small inner circle surrounded by 3 additional rings.

The outside ring consisted of the walkers.
The next ring towards the center is the crew.
The next ring is made up of survivors.
The final ring was made of of a stage, where 9 survivors planted the core value flags and raised a flag that said, "A World Without Breast Cancer."

Let's just say it was really moving.


I can't begin to explain how proud I am of our team. We worked hard to raise our money. We took risks. We walked. We had blisters and other medical issues. But we did it. And even if some of us (it wasn't just me!) took the van or the bus back to camp, that doesn't mean that we cheated. It just means that we gave it our best shot.

Thank you again for all of your support! I so apprecaite it!

Here are some final photos of the walk:


The ever famous, "Put your foot in!" photo. My foot is in the tennis shoe next to the Mary Jane crocs.
Katie and Amy walking towards the staging area. I thought this was a great photo of the Hoffarth Sisters. Amy's shirt is pink because she's a survivor!!

The spouses & father of some of the walkers. From left to right: Pam M's husband, Alison's husband, Amanda's husband and son, Amy's husband, Angie's husband, and Amy & Katie's father. The Big Guy asked me, "Hey...how come I don't have an Angel t-shirt." I said, "I honestly didn't think about ordering you one."

Seriously! I didn't!

And finally, the reason why we walked. Our Amy.

Even after 62 miles, she's all smiles.

More 3-Day Photos....

Here are some additional 3-day photos. For those 3-day people who are stopping by to see the photos, enjoy!

All of the mail I got at camp. How much? That would be 42 letters. Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

Our tent with the Amy's Angels flag

Amy with the Pink Bearded Safety Guy. His Amy (the person on his arm band) was diagnosed in August and is "...in bad shape." Be sure to say a prayer if you've got 'em!

Me and the Big Guy at closing ceremonies

Luggage pick up on Day 1. Obviously a black bag with a pink ribbon is not unique.

Michelle carrying the "Turning Points" flag.

Katie and Amanda with Mullet Pig--the safety guy (he was a riot!).

Day 3, as the walkers cross the road. Look at all the walkers! Holy Cow!

Angie, Amanda and Jennifer with the "Best Friends" flag.

Pam L. & Jennifer getting settled into their tent.

Me being a complete cheese ball. This is well before the huge walk down Sheppard Road and up the incline before lunch. I was not this perky after that event.

The team before we headed out on Day 1 in our matching Lundseth sponsor shirts! These shirts got lots of attention from the fellow walkers from North Dakota.

One of the many signs on the route. How true is that!?!?

The fire station we passed on Day 2. That's not a W on their truck!

Me and one of the Minnetonka Cheerleaders. GO! FIGHT!! WIN!!!

This woman was on her 95th walk. She's doing 6 walks this year alone and has raised over a million dollars for breast cancer research. She's an older woman who could out walk any grandma I know.

Amanda showing off her tape job for her blister and hot spots!

Two cute girls in a tent!

Amy after getting taped up on her blisters. She said to me, "Kelley, take a photo of my feet." My reply was, "Really? You want a photo of your feet?"

Today is the day...

I am getting my last few things packed and then I'm on my way to the 3-day Walk!

More to come on Monday....

Say a prayer if you've got 'em...we need all the help we can get!


Oh, and one other quick announcement....

Happy 30th Birthday, Chris Wanless!

Yes. This is Chris.

Yes. He's in a 'fridge.

Yes. This was at camp.

No. You shouldn't ask.

Observation at the Bus Stop...

I've shared before that I commute to downtown Minneapolis on the bus. With gas prices as high as they are, it really is out of necessity.

My bus is actually quite nice. At work, I call it "the swanky bus" because it is quite upper-crust. Think Greyhound for the commuter set. Reclining seats, reading lights, air vents. It's quite nice.

Over the last few weeks, we've had different bus routes due to construction. It's been a bit of a bonus for me with the 3-day walk. I get off much earlier & walk to the office. When I leave work for the day, I walk 5 extra blocks, even though the bus picks up right outside my building. And though it's a bonus for the walk, it's also out of necessity. I want a seat!

While at my new bus stop over the last few weeks, I've noticed a very well dressed man. He's got very nice shoes, coat, shirt, tie, and even a great hat. In fact, he reminds me of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the famous Minneapolis music producers who've worked with Janet Jackson, Brittany Spears and Prince.

However, the ski goggles he's wearing are a bit of a distraction.

Yes. That's right. Ski goggles.

Now, I'm not picking on the guy for wearing ski goggles. He is obviously wearing them for a reason--medical or otherwise. And yes, I've thought about asking him. But by the time I get to the bus stop, he's either getting on his bus, or I'm getting on mine.

It does make you wonder though, doesn't it?

But as much as I'd like to think that he's channeling his inner Hugh Grant from the movie Notting Hill....well...I doubt it. (Need a Notting Hill refresher? Go here, at 1:33)

My Mom Rocks...

So, you probably have seem my many posts about the 3-day walk. If not, you can check them out here, and here, here, here, here and finally here.

Oh, and because this blog is oh-so-much-fun, you can check out my 3-day blog here. Be sure to check out my e-mail from Wil Wheaton. You know him--the guy who played in Stand By Me and one of those Star Trek shows. Yeah! Him!

Anyway, one thing that I haven't shared is how much my mom has helped our team in this event. She was recruited to make sweatshirts and tent flags for us.

And here is a photo of the finished product!

Oh...and do you want to check out the sweatshirts? Yeah. They rock too!

I would say that we're pretty darn lucky to have my mom doing this for us. I mean, I'd do it, but I don't own a sewing machine. Well, I did own a sewing machine, but got rid of it. That is a long, long story,

So, thanks Mom! We appreciate you doing this for us.