The Most Painful/Memorable Experience of my Life AKA The 3-Day

I traveled to Chicago on a Wednesday night, so the Thursday before the 3-day I got to relax a little bit.  So what did I do?  I went into the city, met a friend for breakfast, did some shopping, met my sister and her husband for lunch, shopped some more, and then watched my sister's volleyball game.  Yep.  Didn't relax one bit.

But I did get some of these little beauties.

 

And took the baby's first picture at the bean.

Clearly, Friday morning came early, early, early for us.  We were up by 3:45 (yikes!) and arrived at Opening Ceremonies around 5:30 a.m.  We took some time to walk around and explore and take a few photos before the event started.

This was our favorite saying of the walk.

It fit well.

Let me just tell you, the crew was amazing.  They were so enthusiastic and supportive...always there to give you a push when you needed it.  Or, you know, candy.

My goal for the walk:  Stay healthy for baby R!  Success.

Jessi's goal = Enjoy!  Hm.  That one's debatable :)  Ha!

The Opening Ceremonies were unbelievable. I can't even begin to describe to you how emotional it was to hear more about what Susan G. Komen actually does and what they stand for.

And to see actual breast cancer survivors participating in this event, unreal.  What kind of person goes through chemo and then says, hey, you know what sounds fun?  Walking 60 miles.  Amazing, inspirational people.  That's who.

Day 1 started off with a bang.  We were fresh, optimistic, and the weather was really nice.  It was hot, for sure, but not too bad.  We enjoyed pit stops along the way with yummy food, water, and Gatorade.  And of course...those blue port-a-potties.  Who could forget those?

We finished the day at 15 miles and decided to call it quits.  Our feet were killing us.  And unfortunately I had developed a major blister on the ball of my right foot which was very painful.  So we headed back to camp, showered up, and ate dinner.  All before the last walker came in.

We even had time to set up camp.  Check out the sea of pink!

 

This was also the day we learned to never, ever trust a crew member who says, "You're almost there!"  You're never almost there.  Two miles is NOT almost there.  Not even close.

Day 2.  We were up early again, deciding to get out on the route as soon as possible to spend the least amount of time in the sun as possible.  I expertly taped up my blister and we were on our way.  Two miles into the walk, squirt!  Blister = popped!  Jenny = pain!

I got the medical team to fix me up at the pit stop and I was good to go.  So we soldiered on.  Plus, Little Caesar's stopped over and gave us free pizza.  I wouldn't have wanted to miss that!  It was practically the highlight of my walk!  And the police and firemen of Mt. Prospect dressed in PINK!  Yummy!

We made it 11 miles on Day 2 before we keeled over.  How we made it 15 the first day, I will never know.  Plus, my blister started growing another blister on top of itself?  Didn't know that was possible.

Day 3 was the day we had been looking forward to the most.  It was when we finally got to walk in downtown Chicago!  We were up bright and early again (4:45!) to pack up our tent and gear and hit the road.  Again, we were optimistic about being able to make it the full day!

We were stupid.

We made it to the lake and got to walk all along the beach.  Then, it started to rain.  We ate lunch in a drizzle and debated catching the bus to the end.  But we thought, NO!  We'll just start walking and if we can't make it...we'll take a sweep van to the next pit stop and be done. 

Again,  we were stupid.

This leg consisted of trails where there was no sweep access.  AND, it started pouring a monsoon type rain that was so windy and cold we had to laugh at how awful we felt. 

I have no idea how we made it to the pit stop, but we did.  And we were finished!  12.2 miles for Day 3 put us in at just under 40 miles for the walk.  We were ridiculously proud of ourselves.  I mean, 40 miles?  Insane.  There is definitely a part of me that is disappointed I didn't finish the entire 60 miles, but I'm pretty sure the two months prior to the walk that baby R forced me to lay on the couch instead of train did me in.  So in reality, I couldn't be happier.

We took the bus to Soldier Field and took the baby's first pictures there!

The finish line was inside the stadium so everyone got to cross it which was such an amazing feeling!  We were done!!!

Want to take a little gander at how many people walked this event?

Any ideas yet?

Give up?

1600 walkers.  Isn't that incredible!?!

And we raised over 4.2 million dollars!!

The Closing Ceremonies were just as fabulous as the Opening ones.  And we got to celebrate with the family and friends of all the participants.

The survivors were again acknowledged which was so touching.

Overall, participating in the 3-Day was an incredible, life changing experience for me.  It was so hard.  Much harder than I thought.  And my feet hurt more than I ever thought possible.  But it was amazing.

People poured out love for us all along the walk and thanked us for doing it.  At first, I thought, why the heck are they thanking me?  All I'm doing is walking.  But then I realized....I'm doing more than that.  I raised money.  And I'm out here with thousands of people raising awareness for a devastating disease.  And it's working!  So many people are saved each year because of this organization and their donations...and I got to be a small part of that.

So will I ever do it again?

Hm.  Not next year!

I think I'll give crewing a try!

But talk to me in maybe 5 years or so.  When the pain finally goes away :)

I'm Alive!

Hey y'all!

I accidentally stayed away a little longer than promised.  Apologies! 

So many of you have asked me about the 3-day and I am so grateful for your continued interest and support.  It was nothing short of amazing and I cannot wait to recap it for you. 

Highlights:

• lots of laughs
• some intense mosquito bites
• the worst pain my feet have ever felt
• blisters spawning more blisters
• an amazing peanut butter, jelly, and graham cracker concoction
• inspiration to last a lifetime

And to top off the trip, I got to visit with a long lost college friend on Thursday AND take the baby's first picture at the bean.  I mean, this child has already been to the bean AND Solider Field.  Talk about spoiled....

I'll try to prep all the pictures for a recap next week.  But up tomorrow....

I'm 17 weeks!  My third appointment is tomorrow....and then in only two short weeks we will find out if we're having a little girl or a little boy! 

Oh....and our house....it has a roof.  An actual roof people.  It's absolutely beautiful and so far the most gorgeous house on the block.  You know.  Out of the three that have been started.  And I'm not biased at all.

The Time Has Come

Well ladies.  It's finally here.

Remember a few months ago when I told you I was going to walk 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day in Chicago?

It's this weekend.

Somehow the 3-Day got lost in the shuffle of this pregnancy.  Between puking my guts out and napping on the couch, training to walk 20 miles a day for 3 days has definitely not topped my list of "things I want to do today." 

But, I'm gonna try!  My doctor's given me the okay so I'm going to go into this thing and do as much as I can.  But I'm also going to let little Baby R lead the way.  If baby is tired, I'll rest.  If baby is hungry, I'll eat.  And if baby feels like puking...hey I'll do that too.  But this time I'll do it all in front of over 1,000 people.  Because I committed to this event and I want to see it through to the finish. 

So I'm heading to Chicago tonight to stay with my sister.  Tomorrow will be spent prepping for the big day...and then Friday morning, bright and early (well, come to think of it, it won't even be bright yet...) we'll be off! 

Although I'm nervous because of the whole carrying a child thing, I am really excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event.  The whole experience has been incredibly eye opening thus far and I have been so moved by the generosity of my friends and family.  And to be in the presence of so many woman committed to ending such a devestating disease, well, I'm sure inspiring is not even close to summarizing how it's going to feel.

I'm using Monday as a travel day...so I'll be back on Tuesday with a full report!  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend....and send some good vibes my way if you think about it, okay?  Babes and I could really use them!

Bake Sale for a Cure

Hey friends! 
I had such a crazy, busy weekend...and work has been so...well...awful...I am just now getting a chance to catch up with you!  Don't you hate when life just gets in the way?  And as an aside, if you had a masters in biology...what would you want to do?  Go.

As I mentioned last week, I hosted a bake sale at work with all of the money going to benefit Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  So I spent the weekend baking and truffling.  I ended up with over 50 cookies and about 150 truffles.  Insane.

They all turned out really well and my co-workers could not have been more gracious with their donations.  I'm so glad I did it even though I was not enjoying it on Sunday.  At all.

I also found time to chuck out an 11 mile walk...which almost killed me...and made me mighty nervous about what I have gotten myself into.  Eek!

To Wear or Not to Wear

There are a lot of things to think about when training to walk 60 miles.

What shoes should I wear?

How about socks?

Should I carry a water bottle with me?

Where can I find a pretty pink sports bra?

You know.  Important things like that.

So my newest concern is this:  What kind of underwear do I wear to walk 20 miles a day?

Yes, I'm going to write a post about underwear.

I've been struggling to answer this question for several weeks now.  And so far all I've come up with is a pile of underwear NOT to wear. And I've only walked a maximum of 7 miles so far. 

I have a problem.

Thongs are not comfortable...and leave me looking over my shoulder in secluded neighborhoods to make sure no cars are coming so I can nonchalantly dig the material out of my butt.  I know.  It's not pretty.  And my regular underwear just gets all bunchy.  Plus I have these cute pink capri pants I wear and you can totally see right through the material giving spectators a clear view of my colorful undergarments.

I need help.  And the neighborhood children who have been scarred for life need help too.

Any suggestions??

Viva Las Vegas!

Busy, busy weekend over this way girls!

Friday afternoon I finished up one of my favorite cakes I have made to date.  It was a roulette wheel for a going away party a girl at my work was throwing for one of her friends that was moving to Las Vegas.  I think it turned out just fantastic...and the best part?  It didn't stress me out one little bit.  Everything went just perfectly!

I spent the remainder of Friday evening at the Indians game!  We had a suite....and thank goodness because the wind made it absolutely freezing!  So I plopped my booty down inside and watched on the T.V.  Ha!  What a fan...

Redo...

We spent the remainder of our weekend booking everything for our Texas trip (yeah!), finalizing housing details, and relaxing.

Oh...and check out my new kicks!

 

I think I'll fit in at the 3-Day just perfectly now!  And please forgive the blinding whiteness of my legs.  I need to work on that...hm.

A Confession...

I have a confession to make.

I've been keeping something from you. No, I'm not pregnant. Believe me, I couldn't hide that from you if I tried.

No. I have done something that I simply cannot wait any longer to tell you about!

My sister and I have signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Chicago!

We are completely stoked and freaked out all at the same time. But we think it will be just an amazing experience to say the least and I cannot wait to share it with all of you!

We're in the beginning stages of our fundraising (AKA: ask everyone and anyone you have ever met for money...which is time consuming and uncomfortable to say the least) and I thought I would share my letter with you, my friends! So here it goes....

My dear bloggy friends,

I'm writing to you today asking you to take a stand. A stand against one of the most devastating diseases of our time.

Breast Cancer.

Did you know that 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer? I sure didn't. What an astounding number! But it makes sense. Nearly everyone is connected to someone who has battled the disease. And I am no exception.

My grandmother, Shirley, was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was very young. Although I've been told by family members that her disease was incredibly serious and her odds of survival were slim, I never, ever remember her being sick. The woman was fighting cancer for years and I didn't even know! Granted, I was young and probably didn't understand the concept of being terminally ill. But because of her strength, I am blessed with memories of a woman who lived to see me graduate from high school, who came to every one of my sporting events, who called me during college just to see how I was doing, and who sent me $5 in "mad money" for no reason at all. She had the most incredible sense of humor and I wish more than anything my husband could have met her just once.

Although she has since passed away, my grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. A 17 year survivor to be exact. But some people aren't so lucky. And in order to make sure everyone gets the chance at a lifetime they deserve, my sister and I are taking a stand.

We are participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Chicago. It is a 3-day, 60 mile walk. Yes. You read that correctly. We are walking 60 miles. In one weekend. Crazy? Perhaps. Challenging? Definitely. So why?

For a cure. We believe the money we raise by walking these 60 miles will help fund the research needed to find a cure. We're walking because we can. We are healthy women who are willing and able to make a difference. And we're doing it for those who can't. For those who need us the most.

We've committed to raise $2,300 EACH. That's $4,600 as a team! A daunting task to say the least. We're going to need as much support as possible to hit our fundraising goal and are looking to YOU to make a difference. Please consider making a donation (hey...it's tax deductible!) by either visiting my person fundraising webpage here or by clicking on the 3-Day for the Cure button in the top right corner of my blog.

We sincerely hope you'll share with us in taking this bold step in the fight against breast cancer. Remember, we'll be doing all the walking! All you need to do it make a donation. Because everyone deserves a lifetime.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

Warmly,

Jenny


So what do you think?? Did it make you want to throw piles of money my way?? :)

In all seriousness, I'm really excited this is all out in the open because I am dying to share my training with you! Saturday I did a 6 miler and I got my very first blister!

See.

I'm official.