Casey's First Training Walk

I went for my first training walk yesterday - 6 miles along the Potomac. One of the great things about living in this area is that in just going for a walk I did so much sightseeing.

The Mount Vernon Trail winds along the bank of the Potomac River. I chose to walk along the portion closest to DC because it is close to my home and has free parking (always a blessing around here!). I was able to watch airplanes taking off from DCA (the park is at the end of the runway) and saw plenty of chipmunks (which we all know will never cease to make me giddy). Here are a few photos from my first training walk:

The Washington Monument

What a beautiful walking trail. Surely my degree in parks is the reason I took pictures of the walking trails...

Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

They are a little hard to see in this photo, but I stopped to watch this cute family of geese- there were eleven babies!

Life Changing

One of the ways that I am training for the 60 mile walk is by making lifestyle changes. Sure, I'll be taking plenty of training walks, but I'm also changing the way I live. Several weeks ago I gave up driving to Safeway - my new rule is that I have to walk to the grocery store. Chris and I have also started exploring more of DC in an effort to spend time walking rather than sitting around the apartment. Its easy to cover a few miles just wandering around the National Mall for an afternoon. I will continue to add more ways to walk daily as part of my dedication to the 3DAY, our environment, and my own well-being!

Casey

Get Started Meeting

Last night we attended our first real 3DAY meeting. Cinnamon and I learned a couple of new things - like the fact that we can get a towel service for the 3DAY! Wonderful. Bathing in the back of a semi (yes, really) will be much better if some one else is washing and drying towels for me.

We also learned that the goal for the DC 3DAY this year was to get 2,200 participants... as of right now they have about 4,000 of us signed up! How awesome is that?! Other than that we probably could have led the meeting ourselves. I mean, seriously, all of you know us - we had already looked up all of the information online prior to the meeting of course. I also learned that they DO have caffeine along the walk which was a great relief to those of us with Diet Coke addiction problems.

Here is a quick photo of us at the meeting - the girl on the left is Emily, the "DC some-snazzy-title" (basically she is in charge of walkers for DC).

The meeting only reinforced our commitment to the 3DAY and got us even more excited (apparently it was possible for us to get more excited!).

For all of you who are wondering about what the 3DAY will REALLY be like for us - check out this video on the 3DAY website - "Inspirational Video."

Excitement

There is something incredibly exciting about getting real mail - the kind that comes addressed with my actual name on it (and not something like "mr. casey duncann") and has something other than a credit card offer inside. Last week I received my official 3DAY packet in the mail. It arrived as a large 8x11 envelope with photos of the 3DAY on the outside. My name was correct and it was full of glossy pamphlets, a 3DAY button and a lanyard. There was not actually any new information in the packet - I'd read all of it already online- but there was something so official about receiving it in hard copy with my name on it in my mail box. Tomorrow night Cinnamon and I will attend our first area meeting. We will (in theory) learn more about the 3DAY and will (definitely!) meet other area participants training and funraising alongside us. We are hoping to receive tips on great local places to walk, and this will be the official start of our training for the 3DAY. We'll be sure to post on how the big "get started" meeting goes!
Casey

Support

On Wednesday, another colleague who had previously shared the story of her participation in 3Day gave me an "awareness bracelet." I've seen countless of these plastic bracelets, in various shades, on various wrists, since they became popular a few years ago. If I may be honest, I think I had written them off as trendy, meaningless, unnecessary. Even if I thought they were a great idea, I think I'm suspicious of the newest thing--I'm not on Facebook, I don't text, I never watched Survivor. That combined with the fact that I haven't worn bracelets since slap bracelets went out meant that I never thought about supporting a cause by wearing a bracelet. Then again, no one had ever GIVEN me a bracelet, especially one that would proclaim the message of a cause I'm supporting. This all changed on Wednesday. I will wear this bracelet with pride, not because I now love awareness bracelets :), but because of what it symbolizes, and because my friend Kathleen gave it to me.

Cinnamon

We DO Have a Direct Connection

You may've noticed that our in our "Our Story" blurb, we mention that " neither of us has a direct personal connection with breast cancer." I've discovered over the past week or so since we announced our decision to participate in the 3-Day that we were wrong. So many people have approached me and told me a story about how they walked, or how a friend walked, or how someone they know has survived breast cancer. Or has NOT. I realize that this gives me a sure and definite "direct personal connection." I'm pleased and proud to be participating in this event, and I'm glad that it is opening my eyes to just how many people have been affected by breast cancer.

There is a quote that pervades life here at VTS, and it comes from William Sparrow, former Dean. It asks us to "seek the truth come whence it may, cost what it will." I'm grateful to the truth many of you have shared with me and I'm grateful to the Susan G. Komen foundation, through which the truth about breast cancer is shared with the world.

every penny counts

I remember as a kid writing an essay for the "Every Penny Counts" contest hosted by a local bank. We wrote essays about saving money and focused on the fact that even something as trivial as a few pennies can quickly add up to be a lot.

The older I get the more I believe this to be true. My husband and I keep a piggy bank in which we toss all of our spare change. In January Chris and I opened the pig to find a couple hundred dollars! A spontaneous trip to Disney World soon followed. A few months of spare change turned into a memorable weekend in the happiest place on earth.

The point is... every penny really counts. Even if you can only donate $5 to the fight against breast cancer- it is enough. Your $5 will help make a difference in someone's life. Your $5 might go to teach a woman about self-exams. It might become research supplies used to find the cure. Your $5 might go to treatment, helping someone to win the fight against cancer.

So, even if you are on a seminarian's budget it is possible to make a difference. Every penny truly counts. I encourage you to start your own piggy bank of spare change. Toss your change into it and in a few months see how it adds up. Perhaps tie a pink ribbon around a jar and throw change into that. At the end of a month donate what you've saved to the fight for the cure. Every penny counts... especially when it comes to saving lives.

Casey

some facts about breast cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cancer among American women and is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths.

One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States.

An estimated 40,460 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2008.

Only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.

African Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer of any racial/ethnic group in the United States.

Without a cure, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer — a devastating disease with physical, emotional, psychological and financial pain that can last a lifetime.

Making a Molehill out of a Mountain

Echoing Casey's excitement...I received my first donation today from a fabulous colleague at VTS, Mrs. Mary DiPerna. Last night at the end of our meeting, we sent out an information e-mail to the VTS Community. It's exciting to see how we will actually get this done! Many thanks to Mary and all those who are donating to this worthy cause.

WHOOP!

Special thanks to one of my lifelong best friends LIZ LEVACY! She was the first person to donate to the cause under my name, and I could not be more excited! Getting my first donation is so motivating and certainly a great step in the fight against breast cancer. Thanks so much Liz!

And just for kicks (and because photos make the blog so much more entertaining) - here's a pic of me and Liz from my wedding in 2006:

First Team Meeting

Tonight was the first WalkyTalkys team meeting, and we were surprisingly focused!

We discussed strategy and fundraising ideas.

Luckily Chris was on hand to document the blessed event with these fabulous photos.

Behind the Name

So upon entering our bloggy world you may ask "WalkyTalkys??? What in the world??"

Of course, if you know me and/or Casey, you'll understand. :) We are going to walk for 3 days for the CURE, and we're probably going to talk the entire time. And there you have it. This is Casey in the VTS cafeteria, accepting an award for competetive talking. Okay, okay--it was for winning a Library Week contest. But we ARE ready to walk and talk our way through 60 miles. And we are considering carrying real walkies. We'll take your advice on this point.

Meet Cinnamon

Not to be outdone by Casey, I list the TOP TEN things you should know about me. Maybe 11, just to be sasssssy:
11. I am married to Chad, the coolest soon-to-be Anglican priest I know.

10. My family (Mom, Dad, sister Colleen and soon-to-be bro-in-law Mohammad) are all in New Mexico, my favorite state. Sorry, Casey. :)

9. I went to Baylor University in Waco, TX. Sic 'em, Bears!

8. I taught high school choir for 6 years at Waco High School. Go Lions!

7. I sing Soprano in the St. Paul's K Street (DC) choir and in the VTS Seminary Choir. That's a lot of singing, folks.

6. We have 2 cats, Hugo and Phuti. We have several vicarious dogs and cats via housesitting and our families. These include: Toby, Percie, Daisy, Sandy, Pete, Bobby, Annabelle, Charlie, Cheetah, Charcoal, Warlow, and Duke. We have no human children.

5. I tried to play soccer with the Washington Area Women's Soccer League. I was loving my team, Crush, until I pulled my groin muscle. Stay tuned.

4. I'm currently studying Spanish. Estoy viviendo la vida loca!

3. I work in the Bishop Payne Library at Virginia Theological Seminary, where Chad is a student. Go Fighting Friars!

2. My favorite food is my dad's chile beans. Yummm....chile beans....

1. And I am walking 3 days for the CURE!

60 Miles

October 3-5 we will be walking 60 miles to raise money and awareness about breast cancer.

60 MILES!

To put that in perspective:

4455 calories

Walking from Houston to Galveston (well, thats really only 50 miles)

316, 800 feet

570 copies of the Washington Monument laid end to end

1, 056 football fields

Meet Casey

ten things you should know about me:

10. The only thing that could get me blogging is a great cause! And this is it!

9. I am currently working on my Master's in Theological Studies at Virginia Theological Seminary.

8. A little known entertaining fact: I drove a bus in college. Yes, a real bus.

7. I am a proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2005! WHOOP!

6. I firmly believe that no ice cream will ever top Bluebell's coffee ice cream.

5. I am an Episcopalian from the Diocese of Texas.

4. I am hopelessly addicted to watching LOST

3. I have been to Disney World at least 15 times... at some point I just lost count.

2. October 3-5 I will be walking 60 miles! http://08.the3day.org/

1. I know that we will find the CURE!