Day 1
We gathered close to the stage so we could get started on the walk towards the front of the line. We started off with a group stretch, which really didn't do much for us since we were crammed in like sardines but we did what we could. Jenné Fromm started the ceremony with a speech that brought most of us tears. Ron, our Hydration Engineer, aka our Captain's husband, was right there with tissues for the team. He is so good at anticipating our every need.
This stop is the where I had my first Uncrustables sandwich. They were the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich, especially after walking for a few hours. They quickly became my favorite pit stop snack. After filling up with water and ice again, we were off to the first official cheering station, near the Target on Arizona Ave, in Chandler. The street in front of Target was just lined with people in lawn chairs, standing on either side of the sidewalk, clapping and cheering and encouraging and thanking us for walking. There were tons of cute posters people had made and little kids were handing us candy and ice pops. People were dressed up in all kinds of costumes and pink wigs, there was even a big sun umbrella draped with bras. Ron, Debbie's husband, met up with us here and was supposed to collect our bra hats and hang on to them until closing ceremonies, but we had such a great reaction on our hats that we just couldn't give them up. So instead, we just gave him our jackets which were tied around our waists by this point. he even had a box of donuts waiting for us. If you can believe it, I couldn't eat one. They feed you so much along the way and I honestly didn't want that much sugar.
I hit the sleeping bag at about 8:30 and wrote in my journal until lights out at 9 pm. I couldn't fall asleep but did finally at about 10 pm.
4:00 AM - The alarm goes off and I am up without hitting snooze even once. My adrenaline is pumping and I am ready to go. I had showered and packed my bag the night before so all I needed to do was brush my teeth, wash my face and run a brush through my hair. After getting dressed, I had some oatmeal, drank a bottle of water and took a few Advil in anticipation of the pain to come. The plan was to be at my team mate Sharon's house by 5:30 AM and I was too excited to sleep last night so I am running on about 3 hours of sleep.
I met Sharon, Izzi and Erica at Sharon's house at 5:30, right on schedule. Jeff, Sharon's husband, drove us to the Opening Ceremonies and we dropped our bags at Truck B, then headed down the hill at Freestone Park in Gilbert. I did get to see my friend Erica W, who was working the crew at Truck E. She has walked the event once and this is her second time working on the crew.
Finding our team in a sea of 2050 people was easier than you would think as we all had our home made bra hats on. Now I know you are thinking, did she just say bra hat? Yes, but I am not talking about Weird Science boys with grandma's over the shoulder boulder holder tied around our heads. We are talking, sexy, cute, pink, sassy blinged out headdresses that only Divas like us could get away with. 
We had planned to only wear them for Opening and Closing ceremonies but we had such an overwhelming positive reaction to them that we wore them all day. I actually wore it all weekend long. People kept stopping us and asking if they could take our picture. Now we know what celebrities go through because it was like the paparazzi were following us and asking to get our photo all day long.
We had planned to only wear them for Opening and Closing ceremonies but we had such an overwhelming positive reaction to them that we wore them all day. I actually wore it all weekend long. People kept stopping us and asking if they could take our picture. Now we know what celebrities go through because it was like the paparazzi were following us and asking to get our photo all day long. We gathered close to the stage so we could get started on the walk towards the front of the line. We started off with a group stretch, which really didn't do much for us since we were crammed in like sardines but we did what we could. Jenné Fromm started the ceremony with a speech that brought most of us tears. Ron, our Hydration Engineer, aka our Captain's husband, was right there with tissues for the team. He is so good at anticipating our every need.
Katie, our team mate who was unable to walk due to a medical issue, came to cheer us on. She was actually the inventor of our bra hats. Before we started walking I had given each of my team mates a pin I made with pink beads and a St. Agatha medal. St. Agatha is the patron saint of those with breast cancer. I had a few extras that I was able to hand out to survivors along the route. I also gave them friendship bracelets that my Munchkin made for everyone so they would know that she was cheering us on in NJ.
Our Captain, Debbie, was a participant in the opening ceremonies. She carried the Generations banner. The first group of flag bearers carried titles of who we walk for. When they brought the "My Grandmother" flag out onto the stage is when the tears started for me. They had flags with who we walk for, why we walk, and then ended that portion of the ceremony with 8 survivors on a platform in a circle facing out and holding hands. It really brought home why were were there.
As we headed out, they had us file down a center aisle and we were getting high 5's from everyone waiting to get going. Of course there were lots more comments about our bra hats and more requests for photos. It was 7:41 when we hit the trail and 54 degrees. 
We walked from Freestone Park in Gilbert to Chandler and Tempe. Before we hit our first pit stop at about 8:30 am, we went past the Gilbert Arts Academy which looked like a pre-school where a bunch of little kids were yelling and cheering from inside the fence. 
The first pit stop had the zoo theme and all the port-a-johns, had photos of animals on them and on the inside there were facts about the animal. At this point we had walked 2.5 miles. Tracey K and I were the first from our team to arrive and we the shortest line and quickly hit the road again. At each stop they gave us stickers, sometimes based on the pit stop theme. On the way to pit stop # 2 we passed Gilbert Elementary School where the entire school yard was cheering us on. They were yelling go walkers and was really pretty cool. Pit Stop #2 each day was the same theme, Saving Second Base at Boobie Ball Park. Here I had my first snack, some banana, a part of a bagel and some carrots. Of course we reloaded on water and ice, re-grouped with some team mates and then we were off again. 
On our way to the 3rd pit stop, we walked through The Lakes area in what I think was Chandler but may have been Gilbert. There was a group of kids that were cheering for their teacher and she went running across the street to them. They all ran up to her yelling and cheering and hugging her. It was really quite touching. Before we got to Pit # 3 I ran into my friend Kitt and her daughters cheering us on. She had walked a few years ago in memory of her Mom and knew exactly what I was feeling and what was yet to come. When I finally make it to pit stop # 3 (Disney theme) I was able to find my friend Kate E who was also walking. This was after several text messages and voicemails through out the morning.
The first pit stop had the zoo theme and all the port-a-johns, had photos of animals on them and on the inside there were facts about the animal. At this point we had walked 2.5 miles. Tracey K and I were the first from our team to arrive and we the shortest line and quickly hit the road again. At each stop they gave us stickers, sometimes based on the pit stop theme. On the way to pit stop # 2 we passed Gilbert Elementary School where the entire school yard was cheering us on. They were yelling go walkers and was really pretty cool. Pit Stop #2 each day was the same theme, Saving Second Base at Boobie Ball Park. Here I had my first snack, some banana, a part of a bagel and some carrots. Of course we reloaded on water and ice, re-grouped with some team mates and then we were off again. 
On our way to the 3rd pit stop, we walked through The Lakes area in what I think was Chandler but may have been Gilbert. There was a group of kids that were cheering for their teacher and she went running across the street to them. They all ran up to her yelling and cheering and hugging her. It was really quite touching. Before we got to Pit # 3 I ran into my friend Kitt and her daughters cheering us on. She had walked a few years ago in memory of her Mom and knew exactly what I was feeling and what was yet to come. When I finally make it to pit stop # 3 (Disney theme) I was able to find my friend Kate E who was also walking. This was after several text messages and voicemails through out the morning. 
This stop is the where I had my first Uncrustables sandwich. They were the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich, especially after walking for a few hours. They quickly became my favorite pit stop snack. After filling up with water and ice again, we were off to the first official cheering station, near the Target on Arizona Ave, in Chandler. The street in front of Target was just lined with people in lawn chairs, standing on either side of the sidewalk, clapping and cheering and encouraging and thanking us for walking. There were tons of cute posters people had made and little kids were handing us candy and ice pops. People were dressed up in all kinds of costumes and pink wigs, there was even a big sun umbrella draped with bras. Ron, Debbie's husband, met up with us here and was supposed to collect our bra hats and hang on to them until closing ceremonies, but we had such a great reaction on our hats that we just couldn't give them up. So instead, we just gave him our jackets which were tied around our waists by this point. he even had a box of donuts waiting for us. If you can believe it, I couldn't eat one. They feed you so much along the way and I honestly didn't want that much sugar. Also along the route, there were people that would set up and had decorated their cars. I am still not sure if some of these people were part of the crew, or just supportive family members. They would be dressed up in costumes and would pop up in different areas in a variety of costumes. They did this for all three days. Some themes we saw were cheer leaders, can can girls, and music for all generations.
Next we came to the lunch stop where we were served a chicken sandwich, chips, cookies, potato salad, and an apple. I ate every thing but the cookies and the apple. I saved them for later but never actually ate them. During our lunch break we were able to treat any blisters and change our socks. The best part was being able to sit down for a while. We also were able to meet up with the rest of our team. We stayed for about an hour and then we were off again.
The next pit stop was theme Mission Impossible. Leading up to the pit stop we passed an elementary school. It felt like the entire school was out there cheering for us. The younger kids were behind a chain link fence, jumping up and down and cheering "go walkers" and they were sticking their arms through the fence holding out hand made pink ribbons they made out of paper with bags of M & M's taped to them. They were so proud of their creations and each kid was so excited if you picked their ribbon. The older kids were wearing pink school shirts that supported the walk. They lined each side of the path giving us high 5's and handing us stickers. Through this section I kept thinking of my Munchkins in NJ and how much they would have loved to be here for this, the school mascot was the Huskies and I know their school mascot was/is the same. All the kids loved our hats and the boys in their pink shirts were cracking up and telling us how much they loved our hats. We also were given Agent 003 stickers. When we actually made it to the pit stop, I was able to get into a port-o-potty with no line at all. Again, I reloaded with water and ice. I passed on all snacks here and off we went again.
Our last pit stop was about a mile outside of camp and the theme was Pirates/Treasure Chests. I saw a sign that read "We Treasure our Chest" I almost skipped this stop but I was walking with Kelli who has a bladder the size of a hamster so we stopped here. 
I was never so happy to see a sign that said we only had one mile to go. One mile, that was nothing, less than 20 minutes, that less than walking from Tumbleweed park up the canal to Tibrshraney Park, 1 mile was so close, I knew I was going to be able to say, I walked the entire way on the first day. Next we walked into camp, found our luggage and set up our pink tents or as Jenné later referred to them, our pink kingdoms. Once we set up our tents I was really wishing I could have fit my $5.00 chair from Target into my bag. Somehow, some way, next year, I am fitting that chair in the bag. It would have been so much nicer to sit in a chair than sitting on the ground. Well I think the best part would have been the getting up again would have been easier. My team did not decorate our tents but many people did. We just didn't want to take up valuable luggage space with decorations. Maybe next time we could get someone to deliver our decorations to us at camp and pick them up on the last day. After we set up camp and organized our stuff, we headed to the showers. Honestly, they were not as bad as I had expected. The water was warm and the wait was relatively short, although I really didn't mind the waiting part since it was the first time I was able to sit in a chair all day. I will say, a shower has never felt so good in all my life. I paid the extra $12 for the towel service and although the towels were small, it was nice to just drop them in a bin when I was done. After we finished with our showers we stopped by the medical 
tent to take care of our blisters. Mine were not bad at all, but I thought since I was walking in flip flops, it was best to keep it clean. Next we went to dinner and for as much food and snacks as they gave us all day long and the fact that I had been full most of the day, when I got in line for dinner, I was suddenly starving. We were served spaghetti with meatballs, salad, steamed veggies and a chocolate brownie for dessert. My team sat together and there were many laughs to be had. Each night after dinner, they had people get up and tell their story and each one is more heartbreaking than the next. The stories are also inspiring. During the announcements for the first night, we were recognized for things like our fundraising, largest teams etc. I was awarded a pin for exceeding the required $2200 and reaching $3k in my fundraising. (thanks to all of you who helped me reach this goal). Next time I am going to shoot for the $5k pin. Only one person on my team hit the $5k mark, rock on Tracey K! They give pins for $3, $5 and $10,000 in fundraising. The team with the most members and the most money raised was Las Bambas which had 97 people and raised over $100k. They also award power teams with a pin. These are teams where each team member raises $1000 more than the required $2200. The team with the highest average per walker had an average of over $13,000 per person. Wow!
I was never so happy to see a sign that said we only had one mile to go. One mile, that was nothing, less than 20 minutes, that less than walking from Tumbleweed park up the canal to Tibrshraney Park, 1 mile was so close, I knew I was going to be able to say, I walked the entire way on the first day. Next we walked into camp, found our luggage and set up our pink tents or as Jenné later referred to them, our pink kingdoms. Once we set up our tents I was really wishing I could have fit my $5.00 chair from Target into my bag. Somehow, some way, next year, I am fitting that chair in the bag. It would have been so much nicer to sit in a chair than sitting on the ground. Well I think the best part would have been the getting up again would have been easier. My team did not decorate our tents but many people did. We just didn't want to take up valuable luggage space with decorations. Maybe next time we could get someone to deliver our decorations to us at camp and pick them up on the last day. After we set up camp and organized our stuff, we headed to the showers. Honestly, they were not as bad as I had expected. The water was warm and the wait was relatively short, although I really didn't mind the waiting part since it was the first time I was able to sit in a chair all day. I will say, a shower has never felt so good in all my life. I paid the extra $12 for the towel service and although the towels were small, it was nice to just drop them in a bin when I was done. After we finished with our showers we stopped by the medical 
tent to take care of our blisters. Mine were not bad at all, but I thought since I was walking in flip flops, it was best to keep it clean. Next we went to dinner and for as much food and snacks as they gave us all day long and the fact that I had been full most of the day, when I got in line for dinner, I was suddenly starving. We were served spaghetti with meatballs, salad, steamed veggies and a chocolate brownie for dessert. My team sat together and there were many laughs to be had. Each night after dinner, they had people get up and tell their story and each one is more heartbreaking than the next. The stories are also inspiring. During the announcements for the first night, we were recognized for things like our fundraising, largest teams etc. I was awarded a pin for exceeding the required $2200 and reaching $3k in my fundraising. (thanks to all of you who helped me reach this goal). Next time I am going to shoot for the $5k pin. Only one person on my team hit the $5k mark, rock on Tracey K! They give pins for $3, $5 and $10,000 in fundraising. The team with the most members and the most money raised was Las Bambas which had 97 people and raised over $100k. They also award power teams with a pin. These are teams where each team member raises $1000 more than the required $2200. The team with the highest average per walker had an average of over $13,000 per person. Wow! Next they entertained us with a Rock Star contest, which was really a Karaoke contest. Two of my team mates, Tracey E and Lesa A participated. Unfortunately, neither one made the finals for the second night but we cheered them on and enjoyed every minute of the entertainment.
I hit the sleeping bag at about 8:30 and wrote in my journal until lights out at 9 pm. I couldn't fall asleep but did finally at about 10 pm.
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