Pink feathers and rhinestones

Thirty-some-odd hours from now we will begin our trek across north Texas to create awareness and stand together against an all-too-common disease – Breast Cancer.

I joined the Chestie Besties and the 3-day journey about 5 months ago, preparing for an interesting endurance challenge and new adventure for a cause I believed needed the attention. I did not expect that the hours spent walking, training, crying and contemplating not just breast cancer, but LIFE, sisterhood, family, love, and laughter would lead me to where I am today. The choices and decisions I have made in the past 5 months have all largely been steered by this empowering and phenomenal event. Training allowed me to spend several uninterrupted hours learning about my neighborhood and communities, facing new challenges, appreciating a hot Texas summer and learning about myself. Since those first steps I have taken a completely new direction in life both emotionally and mentally, I have decided to rise to the challenge of taking a chance, be part of an adventure and push myself farther with a greater purpose.

I am so thankful I decided to stop by the C.B. fundraiser on my way home from work, early this summer, I never expected a quick pop into the local pub would result in a new career/life path, a happier self and a new outlook on life. I have yet to walk the 3 day and I am already blessed with new friends in the C.B.’s (Steph G. I plan to stalk you LONG after this is over) and tons of encouragement from family, friends and even strangers who have shown every step is worth it.

Thank you ladies for letting me share this with you – and congratulations on already coming so far.

Go Besties!

Nikki

when i say chestie, you say bestie!

and this is why mo is my bestie. we decide to blog at the same time. yes, i should be in bed but this is the last chance i will have before the walk and there are a couple of shout-outs i need to give.

first, thanks to everyone who has supported us. this included our families, friends, co-workers and people who honked at us on walks. (yes, the honks and hollers are encouraging). it would crazy to think that this adventure hasn't affected you. when we say, we are going walking, most people don't expect to wait 3 hours. thanks for your ongoing support encouragement and love.

second, to my chestie besties. your commitment, dedication and friendship is something i will hold in my heart forever! when i first signed up for this, i NEVER would have imagined that 1) so many amazing women could be one team and 2)we could do so much to help the fight. we have raised over $25,000 to help end breast cancer. not bad, ladies. you should be very proud. i thanks you from the bottom of my heart and feet:)

finally, to my bestie, mo. there is no one in the world i could have walked all those miles with and not run out of conversation. do we ever shut up? we should have a radio show. look out oprah and gail. you have been an amzing co-captain who has done so much for the team. thanks for doing this with me. thanks for crying when i cry and thanks for making me laugh when maybe i didn't want to. you knew how important it was to me and never thought twice about camping, fundraising and walking 60 miles. that is a true friend. no, that is soul sister. what are we going to do on fridays? we can talk about it in the tent. or on the road between southfolk and smu. do you still have your rollerblades?

oh, i forgot. thank you body, for carrying me all these miles. namaste

this has been an amazing experience that i wish more people could share. i hope to see everyone at closing ceremonies on sunday of the walk-weekend. 4:30 pm. smu. check the 3 day site for more details.

i celebrate my sisters walking with me and i honor my sister who can no longer walk with us. we will carry you across the finish-line. you will be with us.

see at the finish line. and bring kleenex.

much love,
e

The Final Countdown

So a week from tonight, the Chestie Bestie will be sharing their pre-walk dinner together. I cannot believe it is this close! The final countdown is on! (i love that song!) So where are the Chestie Besties? Let us here from you!

Last Friday, Elise, Mom (you know her as Kay, Nana, or Jenny) and I walked 16 miles around Denton. It was a good walk - mainly because the weather was so nice! I am not used to walking in any temperature under 95! We had the traditional pimento & cheese lunch which was delicious! We stopped by Stephanie's work & dropped off our small box of Cheezits that we bought at Kroger. We also picked up some Frappuccinos at Starbuck's. Now, I'm not a fan to drink or eat such foods but that frapp was the best damn pick me up ever!!!! It was a funny walk too. At lunch, my mom said, 'i bet your boss will be glad when this walk is over.' About 4 miles later she said, 'i bet your boss will be glad when this walk is over. Did I say that already? Well, I still mean it!' Elise sounded drunk when she slurred, 'Dude, that guy can suck it, dude.' Delirium seems to set in around mile 12 or 13. At mile 15, a fire truck honked at us! Elise was very excited - she get's crunchy when no one waves or honks. It was a good day. One of the things I love about walking is that you just fall into bed at night. Of course that night I day I had to take care of my kids so I was exhausted!

I think I am done for the long walks before the 3Day. We may do 10 on Sunday if it doesn't rain. I know we should train in the rain but I've done that once so I think I am good. So far it looks like we'll have rain on the 3Day. Keep your fingers crossed that that doesn't happen! Pray to whomever you choose for good weather next week! PLEASE! Oh, by the way, one of our besties - Linda - is somewhere up North watching polar bears. I'm serious! I just had to let y'all know.

I have just 6 miles tomorrow....'just'! I'm going to spray down with BioFreeze and call it a night!

The Official Chestie Besties Mascot

I almost forgot about one of the highlights of my day on Sunday at the fair! I saw an Alpaca up close & personal! For some reason, it was shaved like a poodle. It was sort have sad & took the excitement away but I figure it still had the capabilities of carrying our goods so I had to look past the poor hair cut! They are a little dirty but you get the picture! I like the black ones better than the beige ones.

Captain E, this one's for you!

We Survived...We Thrived!

However, we were obviously tired if it took over a week to blog about it!! Last week's training walk was a success! Seven Besties walked 18 miles on Friday the 21st around White Rock Lake and 15 miles on the 22nd in Highland Village. 32 miles!!!!

Friday was good but challenging. It was terribly hot and White Rock does not provide a lot of shade or breeze or cold drinks. The first 9 miles flew by but after lunch it heated up and we all began to feel it. We learned a lot about the things that the 3 Day experts tell you. We decided to move our Saturday walk to the hills of Highland Village where cold beverages would be more readily available. It was a smart move for our hydration but not so much for our calves! The hills in this place are brutal after walking so far!

So, what did we learn? Oh, the list is long.....
1. Speak up if you have any issue going on! If you feel faint or have a blister starting, say something right away! Bestie Kay said she thought she might have a blister so we stopped on the curb and as soon as she took her shoe off she had all of us over her with a product in hand! Everyone had something in their packs for blisters! We all became so excited & sprung into action. I was frankly a little disappointed! While I know it hurt, it was not as sensational as I was led to believe! (I might have just sent some bad karma my way! I am going to body glide my feet before bed!)

2. Electrolytes are important! After a near dehydration scene on Friday, we have learned the importance of electrolytes! Of course, some of us don't like Gatorade so we are looking for alternative sources, of which there are many so we should be good. I have to learn to eat Sun Chips since that is the snack of the 3 Day - it provides the salt that we will need.

3. We can do it!! The most important thing I learned was that we are fully capable of walking 60 miles! It is so motivating to be with the team. We missed the rest of the Besties though!

Some of us hadn't met till this weekend so it was great to learn about each other. I even learned new things about the Besties that I have known for years. Here is a just a little insight into the Chestie Besties:

Lori - Lori numbers her socks so that she always has a matching pair - of white socks. She had the number '27' on her heels on Saturday. She is by far the most organized! She learned that she likes homemade pimento & cheese!

Tami - Tami tells it likes it is. Towards the end on Saturday she said that she hurt all over and she was cranky. She also said she doesn't like chit chat. Love it! I totally agree! Something funny is always coming from Tami!

Stephanie - Before this weekend, Stephanie had never done a long walk. She did amazing! Also, she wore cropped pants the two days! Impressive in this heat! Oh, her kids include a college student, a high school junior and a son that just started kindergarten!

Nikki - Nikki is the youngest Bestie on the team. She wasn't very physical before signing up for the 3 Day so for her to do so much walking is amazing! She is doing great too! She even walks to the pet store with her dogs and to run errands. It is funny how errands used to seem so far away but now walking to a grocery store is nothing!

Kay - Kay has trained very hard and even had foot surgery in June! On Friday, when she felt so faint, she said she was so happy because her feet were doing so good! She was going to start hallucinating but it didn't bother her because her feet felt good! A certain kind of gum makes her sneeze - weird! Also, she is the best pimento & cheese maker ever! That was the lunch of choice for both days - with extra pickles!

Elise - After a car wreck on Thursday, Elise opted out (after our encouragement) of walking on Friday. I was so happy that she joined us on Saturday. She is the training brains behind the Chestie Besties. We were on the phone with her a lot on Friday during our trials. She is also the greatest cheerleader! She did get a little testy about the lack of cheering from the cars that would pass us by. She thought that there should be more honking and cat calls. We did get a big honk & thumbs up from a woman who had a 3 Day sticker on the back of her car. That lifted us for our last few miles!

After the walk on Saturday, we all met at my house with our families and friends for a cook out. I have to thank my husband, Jaret and Elise's husband Erik for putting our lunches together for the two days, cooking us an amazing dinner on Saturday and just being such great supporters! Jaret and my daughter, Emma brought our lunch to us on Saturday. We had an amazing crew for our training walk!













I am so ready for the 3 Day! I'm already packed and ready to go for the real deal. I have to admit that I wasn't so eager to walk this past Friday and only went 9 miles. Once you walk with the team, it is hard to walk any other way.

Thank you all for your support! Thank you, Chestie Besties for being such an entertaining group of girls!