During a phone call with my mom this morning I was reminded that we went on our walk over a month ago and I still had yet to post the pictures.  I have been wallowing in guilt a lot lately at the absolute abandonment of my blog but one quick comment in my defense (and the excuse that I have for most things as of late), I have not been home for more than 48 hours in a row since late July.  This weekend I actually have an extra day at home so I am committed to posting the long awaited Seattle 3-Day pictures.

Mom asked me to participate in the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer 3-Day with her back in January and I readily agreed.  Not only did it sound like a good cause but a great bonding opportunity with my mom and something fairly easy to accomplish.  Yes, somehow in January a three day walk totaling 60 miles sounded "fairly" easy.

The recommended training schedule began 24 weeks in advance of the event and gave us both a more realistic idea of the commitment we had just signed up for.  In April we began training separate of one another but checking in weekly to cheer one another on.  Six months and a little more than 600 miles later I flew to Seattle to join my mom and 3200 other walking participants and more than 400 volunteer staff to raise money for and awareness of breast cancer.  It was an incredible experience and for me an unexpectedly painful one.  With a two week vacation in Europe just 4 weeks prior to the Walk I slacked in my training and I think that was one the biggest contributing factors to severe hip pain and surprising arch pain (even though I was wearing the same shoes I had trained in).  Despite the discomfort, mom and I completed the mileage each day.  We were inspired by the stories we heard of loss and courage and strength.  We were inspired by young children that held spray bottles and passed out candy.  We were inspired by grown men and women that cheered us on in hula skirts, cow costumes, bras filled with balloons and all kinds of other humor.  We were inspired by crowds cheering and saying thank you and holding signs with pictures of lost loved ones. The emotion is indescribable.

On the route each day we had pit stops that were never more than 3.5 miles apart, most of the time more like 2 miles from one another.  We were served bagged lunches in parks with beautiful views and we passed through designated public cheering stations.  There was constant energy which proved to be a walk saver!  The weather was outstanding, clear, sunny, crisp in the mornings and warming to the mid and upper 70s in the afternoons. 

Pictures of the weekend:

Sunrise at the kickoff ceremonies on Friday, September 12, 2008 just before 6:30 AM.

Two women from Texas, dressed in cow suits all weekend, honking and beeping the route all day long.

A themed pit stop on the route: The DD Ranch

Day 2: Lunch at Juanita park on the north end of Lake Washington.  The day and view was gorgeous!

A beach-themed pit stop on Day 3.  We were both worried we wouldn't be able to get up!

Perched on a hillside at Gas Works Park on the north end of Lake Union, our view of Seattle.

This group of men were on the route both Day 2 and Day 3.  They were serving Gatoritas (ice blended Gatorade) at the Tiki Hut in addition to dancing with their coconut bras.  The sign reads "Save the Coconuts."  I asked for a photo when we saw them for the second time...

Winding our way through downtown Seattle in the final miles, we passed right by the Market.

We made it!

We rested for a while as others continued to filter in through the afternoon.  At 4:30 we made our way as a group of walkers to Memorial Stadium for the Closing Ceremonies.  My view from the field.

Dad's view from the bleachers.  Mom and I are in the middle at the rail, I'm waving...

As we exited the stadium, dad was walking faster than I could keep up with.  He was insistent on carrying me.  It was a scary (and short-lived) moment for both of us but made for a fun photo op.

One last picture of mom and I at the fountain near Seattle Center.  An amazing experience!

On the airplane on the way home I ran into a man with a pink beard and a 3-Day shirt on.  He was flying home and would be on his way to the 3-Day in the Twin Cities the following weekend.  For the last 3 years he has participated in every walk held in every participating city.  This year there are 14 walks in cities all over the US. What dedication!

Thank you so much to those of you that donated to the cause and were thinking of and praying for us.  I am truly thankful for the experience and for my health and for the health of those I love.  Not everyone is so fortunate. 

For me one of the most encouraging parts of the experience was from those folks that were out cheering.  If you are in a city that is sponsoring the 3-Day, take a moment to find out where there is a public cheering section and go spend an hour or so to clap.  It is one of the best ways to support the walkers.

Lastly, thanks to all of you that have been patiently waiting for me to post an update, my apologies for the delay...

I am in Edinburgh, Scotland and I have officially found crowds.  Welcome to the Edinburgh Festival, a 4 week extravaganza featuring all sorts of international talent: drama, musicals, artwork, comedy, juggling, whatever!  The streets of the Royal Mile are teaming with tourists, the cobblestones strewn with wet flyers, announcing dates, times, venues, what-have-you of all the shows that are available!

I arrived safe and sound and on time on Tuesday afternoon.  I made my way via bus and taxi to my guest house for check in.  Darryl and Jennifer, a young couple from South Africa, are the proprietors and Darryl spent a good deal of time being patient and answering all of my questions.  I have a lovely single room on the 4th floor of a home that is over 100 years old.  I share a bath room with a couple of other rooms on my floor.  Once I settled in the first thing on the agenda was FOOD and I didn't care about ambiance or any other thing, but rather I needed some energy to work on planning the remainder of my stay.  I was directed to a little pub-like dining area in a hotel quite close to the guest house where I sat at the bar and ordered chicken nachos (an interesting mix of spicy chicken, tortilla chips sprinkled with something that tasted like taco seasoning and then pasta sauce covering that with melted mozzarella.  Sides included sour cream, salsa and guacamole - weird!  It was food and I was hungry so I wasn't complaining.  I took nearly 2 hours to eat and browse through my guide book and maps.  With the festival going on there is plenty to just wander through but I wanted to make sure I had the basics down.

Once I left the restaurant, I made my way up the main street and to find an ATM and some bottled water and then I returned to my room.  I was tired and it was 9:30 (feeling like 10:30 as I had made a time change).  Jen had been up at 4:00 AM, showering and leaving the hotel for her flight home early in the morning and I didn't sleep well following her departure.  Needless to say, it was a full day of travel and I was ready to call it a night.