3 Day Expo

Apparently, one trip to the Cleveland area wasn't enough for one month. Bright and early yesterday morning I got myself out of the house, coffee and Egg McMuffin in hand, and headed to Independence, Ohio. The Cleveland 3 Day Walk, to be held in August, was holding a 6 mile training walk, to be followed by an Expo at the Independence Civic Center. There was no way I would be able to get up early enough to make the walk, and after all, it's a two hour drive each way and I had to work last night. In any case, it was the Expo I was interested in.

I arrived promptly at 11 a.m., just in time for the doors to open. It didn't take long for the Main Room of the civic center to start rockin' with happy and enthusiastic 3 Day walkers, many who had just finished the 6 mile training walk. I didn't know where to start first, there were so many things to see. Off to my left I saw a table that wasn't surrounded by people, so I headed there. It happened to be a team sign-up table. I explained to the woman in charge that I was actually headed for San Diego, and she told me that was just fine, she had all sorts of souvenirs that could be obtained with a small donation. My eyes lit upon the neatest pin I've ever seen, and I had to have it. The pin is a silver heart, with the pink ribbon in the middle and surrounded by filigree work. If I had to leave that moment I would have been happy with just that pin.

Then went over to the New Balance booth. New Balance is one of the official sponsors of the 3 Day. They were doing foot analysis. You had to walk on a pad, that had a piece of paper in the middle topped by an ink pad. When the specialist looked at my imprint, he said "you have all kinds of issues with your feet!". Tell me about it. I have a super high, rigid arch; my feet roll out, and most of my weight centers on the balls of my feet. Then I got fitted for a pair of shoes that were recommended for my "problems" and yes, I bought another pair of shoes. I need two pairs anyway.

My next stop was at the "camp". They had the actual type of tents we would be using. They showed us how to set up the tent, which we will do every day, and ideas for how to decorate them. There will be a prize for the best decorated tent. They encouraged us to get in and get a feel for the space and believe me, there's not much. Just enough for two people, two sleeping bags, our duffel bags, and that's it. And getting in was a lot easier than getting out.

The camp councilor also showed us how to pack, as well as what not to pack. Our duffel bags can't weigh any more than 35 pounds, and that includes our sleeping bags. We can't bring food, make-up, radios, headphones, laptops, hair spray, or any superfluous gear. Just exactly what we need for the three days.

I also got the chance to speak with several different people, men included, had done previous walks. One woman had done 6, in different parts of the U.S. This was her second Cleveland. They told me what to expect, gave me advice on taking full advantage of all the rest stops, and tips for decorating my tent. I stayed long enough to hear the names called for the door prizes (which I didn't win) and then headed home. I'm even more excited about my 3 Day then I was before. I can't wait!

"I'm Late, I'm Late, For A Very Important Date!"

I'm feeling a little like the Mad Hatter (pun intended) from Alice In Wonderland lately. Rushing, rushing, always rushing. Kinda like a rabbit on roller skates.....my feet are going in all different directions but getting absolutely no where.

Last week I only managed to get 6 miles walking in and no trips to the gym. I had to work Tuesday and Thursday, I went out to dinner with friends on Wednesday, I don't remember Friday at all, and Saturday I went up to Stan Hywet Hall, in Akron, with The Chicks for our June event. I did do a lot of walking there, and walked up and down steps every chance I got. Then 40 minutes after I got home, I had to go to work, and I was there until 11:45 p.m. And all during the week I was going back and forth to Lowe's to set up my bathroom remodel. I slept most of Sunday.

This week has been much better. I've already ready walked 10.5 miles so far. My goal was 16, so I'm really close. But in order to get enough training in, I'm seriously thinking about cutting down to two days at the bookstore. I'm not sure about that.....it's hard to give up the money, even though it's not a lot.

I hit a milestone this week with my fund raising; I'm at the 25% mark. Not bad for the first four weeks. Sunday I plan to start printing my letters so I can have a mass mailing go out by Wednesday. And I have my first corporate sponsor: Happy Tails Pet Sitting Service. Lee, you're A #1!

"I don't pretend to be captain weird. I just do what I do.".......Johnny Depp

There is rarely a week that goes by that someone doesn't tell me I'm weird. A lot of the time it's my boss, Nikki E. who, though she loves me dearly, doesn't really "get" me. My love of words, reading, going to office supply stores for no reason at all, taking my first ballet class at 51, joining the Red Hat Society and purposely going out into public in purple clothes and exotic red hats so people will look at me....it all mystifies her, as I might say, it does a lot of the people I know.

I can't tell you how much it used to bother me to be told I was weird, or different. As much as I tried to be a cookie-cutter girl, that just never worked for me. It started when I was a kid. A case in point was my favorite toy, my stuffed mouse, Retina. You read correctly....my stuffed mouse, Retina. Yes, he was, at one time over 45 years ago, a real live rodent, scampering happily through the rice fields in China. Retina had a family; a little mousie wife, many small mice children, a nice tiny home with an itty-bitty mortgage. Then, one day on his way to work, he suffered a heart attacked and died. His family, being of a charitable nature, donated his body so that even in death he could continue to bring joy to others. He was stuffed, given red bead eyes, placed in a tiny gilded bird cage, sold in a Chinese marketplace to the grandmother of one of the little girls in my neighborhood and brought to America.

I can still vividly recall the first time I ever saw Retina. It was late on a sunny summer afternoon, and my sister and I were playing on the sidewalk in front of our house. Jonjee, who lived two doors down and was a couple of years younger than Debbie and me, called us over. She held in her hand the little gilded cage her grandmother had just brought back as a souvenir of her trip to mainland China. A beam of sunlight bounced off of one of the golden bars of the cage as I laid my eyes on the most perfect little white mouse I had even seen. His little red eyes twinkled at me, and I knew I must have him for my own. But how?

I needn't have worried. Jonjee was quite astute for a girl of 6; she knew right away she had something I wanted, and I had something she wanted. She laid it out quite simply: I could have Retina (whom she had given the unimaginative name of Squeaky) if I would give her my life-sized baby doll with all her clothes. Now, this doll, Baby Ruth, was special because of her clothes. BR had been a Christmas present from my Aunt Velda. Every piece of her clothing had been sewn by hand by my aunt, who was a seamstress of unequaled talent. She had stitched every seam and hem herself. There was no sewing machine involved at all. Tiny stitches barely visible to the naked eye. Absolutely magnificent.

It was a no brainer; I ran to get BR, and handed her over straight-away to Jonjee. And into my trembling hands was placed my beloved Retina. No, the tiny gilded cage was not part of the bargain, as Jonjee really liked that. I felt like I had made the best deal in the world and took my new acquisition home to show my mom. Boy! did Mom hit the roof! She was furious that I had given the doll away for a stuffed rodent. After all, my aunt had spent months making those outfits. But no amount of threats or cajoling would make me take Retina back to Jonjee. He was mine. Forever. And I still have him to this very day. All of his snowy white fur has rubbed off, his red bead eyes dropped out, and his ears are gone. But he's my prized possession and I love him dearly. Heck, even my own kids were never allowed to play with him when they were little.

So, you ask, what has all this got to do with anything? Well, I went to Staples Office Supply and got to buy tons of stuff today! (Please refer to paragraph one, sentence three above). I bought new ink for my printer, nifty new paper, pink envelopes, pens, a day planner, a paper cutter, notebooks.....so much stuff! I'm all ready to begin my letter campaign for donations! Oh, how I love the smell of an office supply store in the morning!

I told you I was weird.

May Round-Up

It’s June 1st! What happened to May, and to spring, by the way? It’s been up into the 90’s and it’s all humid and sticky. Yuk. Anyway, May shout-outs go to: Cousin Frank, you’re the best! Friends: Nikki, Renee, Suellen, Steve, Anna, and Michele, thank you, thank you!

Well, we’re at the 23 week mark until the race. There hasn’t been a change in my weight since I started training, but I can tell I’m feeling better from eating more wholesome foods, and less fats and sugar, and my sleep has improved. Suellen and I are going to Antrim Lake for our first walk together after work, and I’ve scheduled training days for next week all ready. So much is going on that I will have to get my butt out of bed early and do some walking in the early morning hours. At least it will be cooler then!

p.s: And to all the people who have given me such positive feedback on my blog, it’s so nice to hear all the great comments. I’m having a lot of fun.