First Training Walk!!!

Not only did I sign up for the 2008 3 Day Walk immediately after completing the 2007 event....I also signed up to be a Training Walk Leader. I had gone on some training walks last year and found that the tidbits of information I received from the leaders I met were invaluable in helping me to prepare. I wanted to ne able to extend that knowledge to others.

This past Sunday, I held my FIRST OFFICIAL TRAINING WALK!!!!

I held it at Neshaminy State Park. I chose this location for multiple reasons. A) close to my house. B) combination of paved and "off road" surfaces. C) path goes in a "loop", which means that I simply repeat the path multiple times to reach the desired mileage (and people can drop out after completing one circuit if they don't feel up to going the full distance).

The weather was generous this weekend. I was fortunate to have dry weather for both my trip to NYC on Saturday as well as my walk. There was a bit of chill in the air, enhanced by the wind. But once we got moving, our bodies warmed up nicely.

I met 3 ladies on this walk: Mickey, Pam, and Sam. All of them are 3 Day "virgins", so I was excited to be able to pass along some of my enthusiasm for the event to them. They peppered me with lots of questions and I feel relatively confident that I was able to provide sensible and informative answers. We all had similar personalities, so there were no awkward moments along the walk.

Pam and Sam are sisters. Since I am not great at putting names to faces, I told them that I would simply combine their names and refer to them as the SPAM Sisters! They loved it so much that they are considering making it their official team name!!!

We logged in 3.2 miles, which brings my total of walking for the weekend to something around 6.5 miles. It was a great experience, which simply cemented my decision to become a Training Walk Leader.

The only downfall is that I woke up Monday with a killer upper respiratory infection and it is putting a crimp in my workout plans this week. As much as I want to get to the gym for some cross training, I know from personal experience that if I force myself to go, I will make myself sicker (and end up missing an additional week). So it's lots of green tea, oj, echinacea, and sleep for me this week.

The Big Apple!!!

Yesterday I spent the day in New York City. My sister (a senior in high school) was going there on a class trip. My mother was going as well as my best friend and her daughter. I decided to take the train and meet them up with them. I was up at 4:30 am in order to get my things together and pick up the 6:30 am train. By 9:00, I was in the Big Apple.

I walked the 25 blocks or so to join them at Carnegie Hall. What a stunning building!!! It was built in 1891 and I learned that Tchaikovsky headlined on opening night. I also learned that the building was very progressive in the fact that it was run by electricity instead of gaslights as most theaters and music halls were, as a means to prevent destruction by fire. The acoustics were absolutely amazing!!! An oboist was warming up on stage and whether we were sitting in the front row or the "nosebleeds", the sound carried to us perfectly (no amplification needed).

After the tour, we headed to Times Square for lunch and then to The Schubert Theater to see Spamalot. I have to admit that I went with some reservations. I had seen The Holy Grail when I was in high school, but wasn't exactly enthralled. However, I had a great time and laughed so hard that I had concerns about "soiling my armor". Clay Aiken starred as Sir Robin and I really love his singing......that added to the experience for me!

Next was a visit to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. It was an experience that was a creepy as it was fun. The figures are set up in such a way that you can get right up close and personal. You can pose with them....you can touch them. And even though you know that it's not a real person, you are expecting them to reach out and grab you. In fact, as I was walking into the exhibit, I tried to hand my ticket to the woman with an outstretched arm.....until I realized it was actually a figure of Whoopie Goldberg! They had a figure of Jon Bon Jovi (quite possibly the sexiest man on the entire planet). I posed for a picture of my giving him a kiss.....the closest I'll ever get to planting on on the hunk!!!

Dinner was at Planet Hollywood (cheeseburger and fries hit the spot after a hectic day) and then I headed back to the train. Ended up missing the train that would get me home by midnight, so I ended up not hitting the hay until 2:00 am or so Sunday morning.

I logged about 3.2-3.3 miles of walking towards my 3 Day Walk training!

RIP Faithful Friend!

Black Jack was put to sleep yesterday, at the age of 17. Although he was the "family dog", he really belonged to my younger brother. Devin was 3 yrs old when Black Jack was born, so they basically grew up together.

When my sister was much younger, Black Jack would follow her down to the creek behind our house, keeping an eye on her.

One time he got caught in some animal traps for many days. Every single day, multiple times each day, we would walk through the forest calling his name. We passed the spot where Black Jack was trapped many times but could not see him through the brush. I wondered why the dog didn't bark....my dad theorizes that he didn't think he needed to. He heard us coming and patiently, faith never wavering, awaiting his rescue.

Black Jack had been fading for the past few months......the end coming more rapidly in the past 2 weeks. It was a hard decision to make, especially for my brother. He told me, "He seems as though he's fighting to survive. I hate the idea of forcing him to die". I explained to Devin that I had been through it before and while difficult, it was a better option than letting things drag on and having Black Jack's suffering prolonged (he already wasn't able to walk more than a few steps at at time and was losing weight rapidly).

The next morning I received a text: "We are taking him to the vet now. Last night, he began to shudder while breathing, as though in pain"

I feel that Black Jack sensed Devin's struggle with this decision and "told" him that it was indeed the right time to let him go. It was Black Jack's final gift to his owner.

Devin sat in the vet's room, petting Black Jack until the dog started dozing off before allowing the needle to make that sleep permanent. Devin buried him under a tree right outside of his bedroom window, and in the ground he placed a playing card.......a black jack.

First Donation of 2008!!!

I already had $125 in the record books for the this year's 3 Day Walk, but that was actually some of the leftover checks and donations from my 2007 donors (those who donated after I did the walk told me to go ahead and get a head start on this year's fundraising).

Today, completely unexpectedly, I received my first donation in 2008!!!!! YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!

Thanks to Tom and Connie from church. God Bless You!!!

Happy Easter!!!!

I hope that everyone had a great Easter Holiday!

Mine was jam packed. Took Friday off from work...."slept in" until 7:00 (been waking up at 5:00, so it really was sleeping in!). Went to the gym, WW, and ran errands. Came home and took a 2hr nap!

Got in the car around 8:00 pm to head up to my parents'...only to turn around 45min later b/c I though I forgot something at home (turns out I didn't. what can I say...blonde moment!). Went to bed at midnight and got BACK UP at 4:00am and left (for real this time) at 6:00am.

Picked up my niece and we spent the day together. We had breakfast, had a "play date" with my BFs kids, and went to Grandma's house to jump on the trampoline. After I dropped her back home, I went and visited another friend of mine. Then grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out to visit with my Aunt Tina. THEN I met up with my friend, my sister, and sister's BF for a late night snack. FINALLY got to bed around 1:00am.

Here it is, Easter Morning. After I update my blog, I have to get Easter Dinner started for the family. Then will visit my BF. Then will head back home.

Aren't holidays (and long weekends) supposed to be RELAXING?!?!?!?!

Happy Spring!!!!

Spring is a time of fresh starts.......clean slates.......rebirth. It's also a time for "cleaning house"......tossing out those old things that just clutter up your life, while brushing the dust of off some older (let valuable) treasures.

This year, I plan on doing some serious Spring Cleaning. I'm not talking about my closets; I'm talking about me. My mind, body, and spirit.

Obviously, with the body, I have already taken the first step(s). Eating better, going to the gym. I'm only about 30% of the way to where I want to be with my weight loss, but that's quite an accomplishment.

Mind and Spirit are a bit more difficult to tackle. I know that I am tired of carrying around resentment, mistrust, and insecurities (baggage from past relationships). I know that I need to stop over-analyzing EVERY SINGLE THING and driving myself INSANE. I know that I want to be able to ENJOY the relationship I'm in, rather than waiting for that next shoe to fall (more baggage!!!!).

I'm not really sure where to start with any of the above things. Guess I'll have to take it Day By Day!!!

Happy St Patty's day

Yes, I know.....a day late. Better a day late than never, right?

It's been shamefully long since I've had a post. I've been very busy since November.

I'm registered for the 2008 Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. I will be walking at the Philadelphia event, October 17-19. I am also going to be a training walk leader. I'm hoping in doing that, I will be a little more steadfast in my own training schedule. I had spurts of motivation last year, filled in with periods of stagnation. I made it through the walk with the help of my wonderful teammate Kimm, but it was a lot harder than it should have been b/c of my slacking off in the training.

I joined Weight Watchers right after the walk have lost slightly over 30lbs to date. I recently started going to the gym for some cardio and strength training. I have been incorporating some running and inclines into my treadmill routine, as well as using the elliptical machine as part of my 3 Day training. One thing I learned last year as that the cross training (of which I did NONE) is crucial. As soon as the weather gets warmer, I will take to roller blading and bike riding on the weekends in addition to my walking.

Still seeing my "old-new" boyfriend and it's been decent. Not to say that there haven't been some "hiccups" along the way, but what relationship doesn't have them?!?!?! I'm just not sure if his anger issues with his ex are surmountable or not. Guess time will tell.

I guess that's all for now. TTY Soon!!