Thank You and Goodnight

It has been an amazing couple of weeks since the 3Day. Even now folks are STILL asking me about my walk, about my feet, and about whether I'm doing it next year! Talk about feedback!

1. The walk was incredible, as you can see.
2. My feet are healed--still peeling dead skin away (eeww!) but I'm fine.
3. I'm considering doing it next year.....I'm also considering other causes that are just as worthy but don't yet have the mainstream "voice" that breast cancer does.

So there. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all of those who supported us. We won't soon forget it.

This post may be the last for a while--but we may have other ways of connecting with our fans, so stay tuned for that.

It also seems that what has come out of this is a lasting friendship. Just last weekend Casey and I (oh, ok, we took our husbands) went to Leesburg, VA to a corn maze. Loved the corn maze; loved Leesburg. For your viewing enjoyment:

Casey, Chris, and Chad outside the AWESOME bakery in Leesburg

Self-explanatory

Prom picture post-maze

The 3DAY in photos

3 days. 60 miles.

WE DID IT!

On Friday morning Cinnamon and I met at 515 AM and decked ourselves out in our WalkyTalky attire.

It was so cold outside, but the opening ceremony was beautiful. Breast cancer survivors carried the 3DAY flags which were then carried and passed along on the route and displayed at camp.

On day one we walked 20 miles, enjoying plenty of pitstops along the way! Every few miles there was a pitstop with plenty of food, drinks, medical tents, and "bathrooms"

After 20 miles we arrived at our home away from home: a city of pink tents.

We grabbed our gear and our pink tent and headed out to join the thousands of others in setting up our temporary home.

We spent the weekend showering in the back of a semi. The showers were surprisingly great - they were private and had hot water!

3DAY camp was like a small city! On the second night we kicked our feet up on a comfy couch, had sparkling water & Milanos, and read magazines!

After relaxing for a while we somehow managed to get out on the dance floor despite our aching legs and feet:

Even with all of the relative comforts of camp, we spent most of the weekend walking. 20 miles a day is no piece of cake!

Cars driving by honked and cheered for us and there were plenty of people out on the streets to cheer us on.

Despite her horrible blisters, and frequent trips to the medical tents, Cinnamon walked every single step of those 60 miles!

On day 3 we struggled through our last 20 miles. We walked through the streets of DC to the closing ceremony.

The 3DAY was so amazing. It seemed as though every time I became lost in my own world walking, I would be slapped back to reality: I passed so many women on the sidewalks who said to us "thank you for doing this for me, I have breast cancer;" I walked by a group of three girls my age wearing shirts with a photo of the three of them with a fourth friend who died of breast cancer. I met men involved with the 3DAY who had survived breast cancer and men who had lost wives. The 3DAY was an incredible journey and one I will surely walk again.

Over 3,000 walkers participated in the DC 3DAY raising $7.3 million dollars for breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. Thank you for supporting our journey. If you want to hear more about the 3DAY Cinnamon and I are more than happy to talk about our experience.

Thank you!

Casey

tomorrow...TOMORROW!

At 515 tomorrow morning the walkytalkys will be decked out in pink and headed to Potomac Mills for the 3DAY! My bag is packed, my clothes for tomorrow are sitting out, and all I have left to do is get to bed early tonight! I've been downing gatorade all day and even found a hiking fanny pack in our closet (talk about a last minute wonderful surprise). Be sure to check the blog on Monday for pictures and stories from the 3DAY! Thanks again everyone for all of your love and support.

Supporter Guide

3DAY Videos

Here we go!

Thursday... FRIDAY

Today is the last day we have to get ready for the big event. Tomorrow we'll be at work (Cinnamon) or in class (Casey) all day and then hopefully each going to sleep very early in the evening. So that means... today is the day for packing and final planning!

There is a last minute run to Target on the schedule for me today and we finally thought of a simple way to decorate our tent without having to spare much gear space. We are going to tie strips of pink fabric all over our tent with a sign that reads "walkytalkys sick of walking? frayed knot!" Classic.

And, because we all know that I love blogs with photos, here you go:

May 6, 2008: 5 months to the 3DAY, Our first meeting to create the blog

September 26, 2008: One week to the 3DAY, Costume creation meeting

Tuesday... Wednesday... Thursday... FRIDAY

From raising money to raising awareness to raising my heart rate on long walks, I have been living and breathing 3DAY for the past five months. And here it is, Monday night the week of the 3DAY. I am giddy with excitement. I'm scrambling to get all of my work done for this week and the beginning of next (cause lets face it - I'm probably not going to get much done next Monday). I have poured over the message boards getting tips from 3DAY veterans and trying to find out as much about this weekend as I can. Weather.com is predicting an amazing weekend for us and the 3DAY site has a general route map posted. If you are in the area and interested in going to one of the designated cheering stations along the route (you can cheer in other places, these are just spots that you'll be guaranteed to see the walkers) head out to one of the locations listed at the bottom of this post. The closing ceremony will take place at: City Center Lot900 9th Street NW Washington, DC 20001 and will begin at 530 PM on Sunday. Cinnamon and I will have very limited cell phone access on the 3DAY so if you have questions about it be sure to call us before Friday. Thanks again everyone for all of the encouragement and support!!! Its almost here!



Friday, October 3rd
10:30 am - 1:00 pm Dale City Fire Station 1313511 Hillendale Drive Dale City, Virginia 22193
Saturday, October 4th
10:00 am - 1:00 pm Crosspointe Animal Hospital8975 Village Shops Drive Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Sunday, October 5th TBD

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... FRIDAY!!

Here it comes! Here it comes! The 3DAY is almost here and I can't wait! This morning I made 3DAY sized pillows for us (we're each only allowed one bag so smaller sized pillows are a must) and then created the best ever WalkyTalky pink tutus. Seriously, what could be better than WalkyTalky bright pink tutus? I've started a huge container in the middle of our den as Duncan 3DAY central. I'm trying to pack as I think of things and will transfer everything into a backpack later this week (the container keeps my curious and devious cats from inspecting my gear). I'm scrambling to finish all of my work for both this week and next so that all I have to concentrate on is enjoying the much anticipated 3DAY. With only a few days to go I feel as though I might burst of excitement before its even here! WHOOP!

ONE WEEK!

With one week to go Cinnamon and I spent Friday afternoon (and well into the night) preparing for one of the most important parts of the 3DAY... our costumes.

First we headed to Target where we dined on popcorn and cokes but had no luck finding anything pink and inexpensive. So we headed out to AC Moore crafts and hit the jackpot!Pink shirts were actually on sale!

We wandered around the store to check out everything PINK. Cinnamon found this: We weren't sure what it would be good for besides a tail or making a poodle costume... until Cinnamon found its value as a backpack (no, we didn't buy that).

After a successful trip (shirts, paint, hot pink feathers, hats, ribbon) we headed to JoAnns sewing to get toole for some fabulous tutus - I'm in charge of making the tutus... hopefully I'll make them this weekend!

Finally we headed home where Chad and Chris had Valentinos waiting - which equals: yummy pizza the size of your head.

Chris modeling the pizza.

After pizza we convinced the hubbies to head out for ice cream and got started on our shirts. First we covered cutting boards with foil to slip in the shirts: also good for catching some rays

Then we had a blast painting away!

Only after finishing this one did I realize I had put "WalkyWalkys." SIGH.

A Cinnamon Original

By the end of the night we had the beginnings of some fabulous 3DAY attire:

offical walkytalky homemade hats? check.

"brest in show" and "flat and sassy" sashes? check.

To the Eastern Market

Cinnamon in front of the White House.  

Today after church Chad and I took an easy little walk down to the Eastern Market.  From St. Paul's K Street one can basically walk all the way down Pennsylvania (with a couple of detours) to Independence and then back on to Pennsylvania SE.  One walks past the White House, the Newseum (which we've heard is worth the $20 entrance fee), the Capitol, etc.etc.etc.  There was some sort of bike race going on, and we noticed that, according to the sign on the FBI building, the FBI turns 100 this year.

Chad's Head and the FBI sign.  Chad is so thrilled to be in this picture.

It was a nice afternoon--minimal sweating.  Oddly enough, once on Capitol Hill we ran across a few seminarians!  No, really!  This town is already too small!  We didn't really buy anything at the Market (except that smoothie at Ben & Jerry's), but it's always fun to just browse.  We added a few things to our list of "DC must dos" while walking:

* the double decker bus tour--in October or November

* the Newseum

* gelato at the National Gallery--many, many times

All in all--a decent afternoon. :)

Never, never, never...

We are less than one month from the 3Day. And we are still raising money! E-mails have gone out into that great void; requests for publicity have been made; publications have been published (see Casey's previous post). We will continue to raise money until we walk in the event, and we don't plan on "going quietly." We just won't stop!

During yesterday's training walk I noticed early fatigue--"not a good sign," I thought--yet I persisted. Today my mom and I were joshing about me whining in order to get what I want. I simply commented that I just usually don't give up. I'm excited about the 3Day. But I'm also, truth be told, a little nervous about the inevitable...shall we say "discomfort" we will feel after walking even 20 of those 60 miles. I'm nervous about being up to snuff with the thousands of people who are walking because they've lost a loved one to breast cancer (as opposed to me). Heck, I'm nervous about sharing a tent with Casey Duncan! Ultimately, though, I won't give up. I just won't stop. And if I do, there will be thousands of others who do not.

As promised...

For those of you who have not yet opened the latest edition of the Texas Episcopalian and for the benefit of those who have not yet left all else behind to live in the splendor that is the Lone Star State:Okay, so those of you who know us will notice that some of the details are spotty (as in... Cinnamon would rather die than have people believe she is a native Texan...) but the important details are correct and accounted for. AND we even got our own fancy box with a photo - much more eye catching than just text! Woo hoo!

Texas Episcopalian!

The WalkyTalkys are in the latest edition of the Episcopalian!! How exciting! The Episcopalian is a great newspaper-style publication that circulates in the Diocese of Texas. The best part - people actually read the Episcopalian (it isn't one of those "straight to the recycling bin" mail outs). News of the WalkyTalkys is spreading and raising awareness about the battle against breast cancer!! If I can find a scanner I'll get a copy of it onto the blog. Yippee!

The Last Frontier

Fishing and pleasure boats in Seward

Chad and I have been in Alaska for the past week.  Needless to say, it has been fantastic. 

Cars must be plugged in in the winter so that the engines don't freeze!                 

A "lady" moose in the wild near Girdwood, AK.        

We've had a chance to spend time with my best college bud, Becca, and we've seen everything on our checklist:

*moose

*bear (on a glacier, no less!)

*bald eagle

*salmon

*glacier

Chad stands in front of Portage Glacier.  We had the RARE privilege of seeing a black bear ON the glacier.

Since everyone here is so out-doorsy, and since there are just an amazing amount of things to do outside during the 15 hours of sunlight per day in the summer, there are always opportunities for hiking and walking.  

Cinnamon survived climbing Flattop Mountain.  It was scary.  I'm not going to lie.

All in all, a good time was had by all!  And a great deal of walking was done. :)

3DAY GEAR

I've had a few requests for the WalkyTalkys to sell 3DAY shirts. Out of fear of being left with 100 extra shirts and a hole in our wallets we shied away from designing and printing our own. However, some of you may have noticed the new tag on the right side of the blog. 3DAY gear is available! Its a great way to donate a little money to fight breast cancer, get a cool new shirt (or hat, or sunglasses, or fleece, or ... well you get the picture), and raise awareness every time you wear it! Be sure to check out the new link!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

Yesterday morning I awoke to the sound of rain and (feeling appropriately guilty) decided to hit the snooze (okay, okay, I didn't feel guilty enough to hit "snooze" - I actually turned OFF the alarm). This morning I again awoke to the soothing sounds of rain and could see that beyond our mini-blinds it was dark and gloomy out. Today, however, I heard the words "it might rain on the 3DAY" annoyingly repeating in my brain. Wishing I could stay snuggled in all day, I hopped out of bed and headed out on my first rainy day training walk. And... to my surprise... it wasn't that bad! I have a great new breathable raincoat and without all of the other morning walkers and joggers I was able to sing along with my mp3 player unabashedly. Now that I've done my one obligatory walk in the rain, lets all say a prayer (or a few!) that we have cool beautiful weather for the 3DAY in October!!

Casey

15

Yesterday Cinnamon and I met bright and early for a journey down the Mount Vernon Trail. Chris was kind enough to drop us off at the trailhead and 15 miles (and many hours) later Chad was our knight in shining armor (his shining armor in the form of a car) when he arrived to pick us up near Mount Vernon. Luckily, it was a beautiful morning and we made it through our long walk without acquiring any new blisters!

$5,005

As of today the WalkyTalkys have raised a total of $5,005 in the fight against breast cancer. Thanks again to all of our friends and family for your continued support!

And... just because photos make blogs much more intersting - here's a pic of the WalkyTalkys at a Counting Crows concert last weekend:

A 10 Mile Sunday

Cinnamon and I spent this afternoon walking to (yes, that does say walking TO) the National Mall... a wonderful 10 miles from our apartment complex. We "passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then walked through the Lincoln Tunnel" (elf). Well, maybe we didn't exactly take that route. We traveled by Shirlington, through Arlington Cemetery, over Memorial Bridge, and onto the National Mall. Once on the Mall we continued to live up to our WalkyTalky name walking and talking and talking and walking all the way to the Capitol building and then back to the Washington Monument. It was wonderful to finally get a long training walk in together (usually we're on our own with our mp3s). Now that we have both raised over $2,200 each, purchased plenty of wicking socks, and spent months training, we're just ready for October's 3DAY to get here already!

Sundays in the Park With Cinnamon

I spent Sunday afternoon in and around Glover Archibold Park , which you may remember me "oohing" and "ahhing" over in a previous post. I have some more oohs and aahs to share, since while walking through a particularly lovely section of the park near Mass Ave. I came across 2 does and their fawns--spotted fawns at that! After spending a few moments mentally kicking myself for not bringing my camera along on this walk, I remembered my cell phone camera. By that time, the deer had begun to recede into the background, so the best one I got was of this doe. I'm not afraid to say that it was a magical moment. After Saturday's walk sans ipod, I decided against listening to it during this walk. I was excited about the opportunity to ruminate and "commune" with nature--and along comes this magical moment! I had, once again, turned to Google Maps for my walking route, despite the potential disaster I had faced on Saturday. Since several streets cut across the park (New Mexico, Cathedral, Massachussetts), I decided to pop out of the park at Cathedral and walk the 5 or so blocks to the National Cathedral.

First I went inside, thinking I would sit in one of the smaller chapels and soak up the silence. Survey says "nnnnnnn!" How could I forget the incessant tours? I've taken those tours! Instead I ending up walking around the entire perimeter of the Cathedral, craning my neck to look at gargoyles and coming across some fun things. Like the office side of the Cathedral, where some wonderful cloisters are decorated with these reliefs (aren't they reliefs??). Each one was different, but I was drawn to this one due to our upcoming trip to Alaska.

Soon I was back in the park, where I saw yet another deer, this time a lone buck. When sharing these sightings with colleagues, I found that no one was particularly surprised, or, for that matter, excited. I guess deer are sort of considered vermin in this area?? Nevertheless, I found it all enchanting--and I come from a family of hunters! Deer = meat, right?

I rounded out my walk by walking past American University (a surprise) and down Foxhall, which is construction-free and actually now has a nice sidewalk!