Night before...

It's the night before the big walk and I'm excited and nervous. The bag is packed, all 25 lbs worth! Limit is 35 lbs... I might be up to 28-30... I added more stuff. Yep... gotta decorate the tent ya' know!

I'm excited to walk with my friends and team and to meet other people. I'm nervous - hoping that all the training I did is enough and that I packed all the right stuff and that I can make it! And I hope I can sleep!

I have to be up at Rayanna's by 4:45 and then to the start so I'm off to bed.

Cheers and Good night.
Joyann

Thanks!!

My thoughts

I'm grateful to all of you for your friendship and support. I'm grateful for this place I'm at in my life and I'm grateful for this experience. It has been fun and also difficult.

I've felt alone and then felt very much surrounded by all of you.

I've felt ecstatic and then completely deflated and discouraged.

I've walked when it was hot (ayeyayeyaye!!) and walked in downpour and been completely drenched - every inch thank you!

I've enjoyed my quiet time alone walking and hated my quiet time alone walking.

I've regretted signing up for this and I've really appreciated that I signed up.

I've spent more money on socks than I have in my entire life and realized the importance of body glide and vaseline on feet - YEAH NO BLISTERS!!

I've thought about the people that have had to fight cancer and I've thought about those that haven't.

I've thought about pain that others go through. Physical and emotional. And I've thought about some of my own.

And after all of this I am so glad I'm doing this. I don't have cancer and I don't know what that kind of pain is like. But I do know what it is like to be alone and to hurt and to be afraid of the future and to fight for something you want and love.

I walk for you. I walk for me. I walk for the people I love. I walk to show myself and others that there is hope for whatever it is you go through. Whether it is a life threatening disease or something else. Thank you for this experience. Thank you for the phenomenal friends and family that enrich my life. You each make my life so much more. Thank you for all your support and laughs and hugs.

Love,
Joyann

Almost there

August 25th - 22 miles. Five miles in the morning with hills and a little rain on the roads near home. I was having a bad day so grabbed breakfast with a friend, and decided to keep going... did 6 laps around Green Lake. Emily - it was nice to meet you!! Lap two was much easier!! After lap six though I went home and curled up on the couch. That was brutal! And I have 3 days to do on the walk!!! Rut-Roh...

August 26th - sick
August 28th - Bus to work (total of 2 miles rt for the day to and from work to the bus) and 2-3 miles at lunch.
Kind of slacking this week. I've been run down and sick. And a tad bit whiny... alright Sherri... maybe MORE than a tad bit!! :-)
September 1 - Walked 2 hours 10 minutes in Boise, ID.
September 2 - Walked 3 hours 15 minutes... on my birthday... and yes - I'm 19 again. NOT! Although we did go country dancing... THAT should count as mileage. Although, I have to ask - if you have free dance lessons for country dancing... wouldn't it make sense to continue to play country music? Ohh no... this Country bar had free Country dance lessons and then played hip hop and 80's!! Hilarious! Yes - I had a fabulous birthday and danced my butt off... again!! Last year I was dancing in a club in India. This year I was dancin' with my siblings in Idaho! Lots of fun. Thanks for the great day and of course the drinks!

September 3 - day off and gathering everything together to pack. I'm nervous but excited to finish. I'm looking forward to walking with all of the phenomenal women I'm with and met. I'm looking forward to cheering for survivors of Breast Cancer and supporting the great people we are walking for. I'm looking forward to seeing how I do after all this training. AND I'm definitely looking forward to finishing!