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!

"You've Got Mail"

An excerpt from the latest 3DAY newsletter:
There’s nothing like a letter from a loved one to inspire you to keep going. Your friends, family and supporters can write a letter to you, which we’ll deliver to you on the event at the Breast Cancer 3-Day Camp Post Office inside the 3-Day Cafe.
Send letters to:
Breast Cancer 3-Day Camp Post Office
ATTN: INSERT NAME OF PARTICIPANT
P.O. Box 50273 Washington, DC 20091
Envelopes only, please. No boxes or large packages. Mail must be postmarked no later than September 23rd in order to ensure delivery at the Breast Cancer 3-Day Camp Post Office.

Saturdays With Cinnie

This morning I had Crush soccer practice on the Polo Grounds near the Lincoln Memorial. I had convinced Leigh Vicens, a seminarian friend, to accompany me, and since she drove I was able to plan a walk from the fields all the way home to Van Dorn in Alexandria. Google Maps now allows you to get directions for walking, so after checking these directions meticulously (not meticulously enough, as it later turned out) and then writing them out on a pocket-friendly post-it note, Leigh and I set off for practice. The weather was gorgeous, which made for a nice hour of practice. Afterward, I set off across the Memorial Bridge toward Arlington Cemetery. Google Maps routed me through the cemetery, and it was very pleasant. I had an ipod malfunction early on, so I spent the entire walk really focussed on my surroundings. I walked through a part of the cemetery less travelled by tourists; in fact, signs said it was the "funeral route." As such, there are some things I saw that remind me Arlington is a real, "working" cemetery.

Things were going really well until I began to get suspicious that my Google Map directions were shady. They had me exiting the cemetery on the south side. Really wasn't sure how that was going to happen, and in fact I missed the answer the first time past: a service exit. After a 20-minute detour, I found the service exit onto Columbia Pike. Unfortunately, in order to use the service exit, one must be able to exit through a keypad gate. A large, metal gate. Oops. I was really relieved when I found a way to hop the very tall, impaling-Huns-if-they-try-to-exit-the-cemetery fence. Thank goodness for that chain-link fence!

Thank you, Google Maps. The great thing was that once I hopped this fence, I was right on track, and walked right past the Air Force Memorial. Although the view from 395 is good, the view from the sidewalk is better. PLUS I got to see this fabulous fire hydrant. Never mind the way the Memorial security guard was laughing at me. Hasn't he seen a tourist before?

Reasons to walk through Arlington:

• Pleasant excursions through Condo complexes, like Arlington Village. Make one want to buy a condo.
• Ethiopian cafes next to Sheratons. Can't beat that.
• Urban renewal. I know it's faddish now, but it IS neat to see old neighborhoods coming "back to life."
• Quirky eateries.
• Discovering why the street bordering Shirlington Village is called "Arlington Mill." Yes, it's a working lumber mill, folks.

All in all, an excellent 8 miles.

$3,500

After the overwhelming response of my friends and family (and even some of my friends' friends and family!) I have increased my fund-raising goal for the 3DAY to $3,500. With about two months left until the 3DAY I intend to keep my promise of fund-raising right up to the event. Thanks everyone for your love and support!

$4,825

Its funny... for months I've been working to raise money, striving to get that little thermometer to rise. I thought that once I finally raised $2,200 I would be ecstatic, bouncing off the walls with glee. Yet, this morning when I finally opened my personal page to find the thermometer going crazy, I felt the incredible calm that comes with total amazement and gratitude. I thought I would be proud of myself, but in reality I am proud of my friends and family. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this journey. Thank you for donating to such an amazing cause. Thank you for your generosity. As of today Cinnamon and I have together (with your help) raised $4,825 for breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.
Thank you.

Casey