Fundraising Minimum Met!!!

We did it...my thermometer finally hit the top! Thank you to all of you who helped me to meet my fundraising minimum!!! I am so excited to have accomplished this part of the journey! With gratitude, I will carry you all in my heart during the 3Day and know that we were all a part of touching the lives of those directly affected by breast cancer.

Hiking at Glacial Lakes

Happy 4th of July!!

The kids and I spent the week before the 4th at Mom and Dad's place! It was a blast to spend some time with all of my nieces and nephews. They helped me keep up with my walking, too! Lydia, Mikayla (my niece) and I formed a walking choir, singing multiple verses of "Down By the Bay" and "Down on Grandpa's Farm" while we marched along (best verse--Did you ever see mosquitoes eating Doritos...down by the bay!!). Andrew (my nephew) walked with me too. I was so impressed with his determination to make it to the end of the street and back. I was ready to turn back...but he just wanted to keep going! What a trooper! We had a lot of fun and I am so thankful to have them as a part of my life!

Itasca State Park

Anna, Caleb and Isabella joined us on our camping trip this past weekend. We were determined, in spite of the rain, to get in a good, long hike!! So, on Saturday we drove to Itasca for the day. Isabella and Lydia joined us for the first 5 and 1/2 miles of our walk. We pushed them in the double stroller while we attempted to outrun the swarms of mosquitos. We took the bike trail from the Visitor Center to the Headwaters where we met up with Erik and the boys. How devastated we were to find out that the cafe was all out of the wild rice soup that we were so looking forward to!! After lunch Erik took all of the kiddos so that Anna and I could hike the 5 and 1/2 miles back...in the POURING rain!! Our shoes were soggy and we were dripping wet, but we had to be thankful that it wasn't a balmy 90 degree day!! What a fun adventure!!

Back on the Road!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers...my back is feeling so much better! I have been out and walking again and was even able to push mow the entire yard yesterday! I will try not to just take my physical ability for granted and learn from this experience. I guess that stretching before and after my walks will have to become a part of my routine too!

The Best-Laid Plans....

When I was deciding whether or not to participate in this event, my only hesitation was in regard to the fundraising part of the event. I am not a very assertive person and I knew that raising $2200 would be a challenge for me. But the physical part of the event, walking 60 miles over the course of 3 days, wasn't an intimidating thought for me. I have to admit, I pretty much felt like I could wake up tomorrow and be capable of doing that...no problem! Well, I am experiencing a little bump in the road. I am having some issues with my back...and it has definitely slowed my pace a bit. Erik and I decided to start doing pilates about a month ago (okay, if you know Erik you may pause now and chuckle at the thought of him "rolling like a ball"). I must have had the wrong technique...because all that I ended up with was a lot of pain in my lower back. It was tolerable until our trip to Chicago. I think all of the riding agitated it and on Thursday I awoke with muscle spasms that pretty much immobilized me! After a couple of adjustments, lots of icing, and a few days of attempting to rest my back, I think I am on the mend. If you are a prayer warrior, please pray that my back will continue to heal! I am determined to complete this event!

"Stones in the road? I save every single one, one day I´ll build a castle."- Fernando Pessoa

Chicago!!

We kicked off summer vacation with a trip to Chicago! The kids finished school on Friday the 23rd and the following morning we, and our good friends, the Lotti's, took off for a quick adventure to the Windy City! We visited the American Girl store and the Lego store, Navy Pier, the Children's Museum, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Sears Tower and became Cubs fans for one chilly night at Wrigley Field. We also got to spend Memorial Day with Erik's cousin Jeff and his family (thanks guys...Lydia spent the rest of the trip telling us how much she misses Claire!) We got quite use to public transportation and did LOTS of walking...which helped me to stay on pace with my miles! We had a great time....thanks Quinto, Rita, Bekah and Levi! We love you guys!