Once again my team is the best. We stick together through thick and thin, blisters and wheelchairs and I look forward to 3 peating with them all again in 2010!
I had two friends participating in the event that were not on my team. I ran into Tina quite a bit over the 3 days but I only saw Marcia once. 
Anthony & Keith are two of the traffic guys that are the most fun. They always have the best music, they make everyone dance when stopped at the lights and we always look forward to the intersections where they are located.
I loved this t-shirt. I saw a few guys with it on during the walk. I don't know a guy that doesn't feel this way! :)
This photo was online on the local ABC news website. It is our team walking into closing ceremonies. This is the second year, I have made a website photo at closing ceremonies. Last year, I was on the 3 day site. Just lucky I guess. I think they just like the hats. :)
This was a photo of our team on night two. B of A had a tent and they took the photo on a green screen and put the Grand Canyon behind us. As you can tell we were a little punchy at this point in our pimp daddy hats.
The final flag was raised which means we are all in. Each night at camp the crew escorts the final walker into camp and they raise the flag. On day three when the flag is raised the walk is over.
During the closing ceremonies, we take off one sneaker and hold it up to salute the survivors as they walk into the stadium.
Ashley and Ashley at the end of the walk. So sad that Ashley M. had to go through closing ceremonies in a wheel chair.
Dillon, Marcus, Mia and Bridget tried to come out to cheer on Saturday but Marcus had football and then Bridget couldn't find us and then it started raining so they came out on Sunday instead. They were so excited to get the beads I had for them. People hand them out along the route and I always make sure to get enough for the kids that I know are coming out to cheer me on. They were just as excited to be climbing on the tree behind me as they were to see me.
Kelly's husband, JB, is someone who we never thought would come out to cheer us on but he surprised Kelly and came out on day 3 to cheer her on. He had called her on her cell and was giving her a hard time about where the route was going and how to find her and all along he was waiting at one of the pit stops for her. She was very surprised and happy.
This was taken while walking through Papago Park. This is one of the worst sections of the walk, it goes past the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Gardens and has no shade and is all little hills. Last year this part killed our feet but this year it was not quite as bad, but I still didn't enjoy this part. It was pretty with the mountains but I would not be upset if they took us on a different route to get into Scottsdale.
Sharon just thought the way this guy decorated his motorcycle was hilarious. The traffic guys come up with the craziest things. Nipples on their helmets, pink sequin hats, this year a bunch of them had on pink camo pants. They really make the walk fun and interesting.
Kris and Christi brought Dillon and Parker out to cheer me on. I love that my friends come out to cheer me on. Parker and Dillon sent me letters at camp, well Parker sent a letter, Dillon sent a paper with a bunch of crayon marks on it. I loved them both very much. While there Dillon was more interested in the doggie that was there than she was with me. I was also very grateful for the Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate they had waiting for me. I had passed two pit stops and walked at a much faster pace to get ahead of my team so I would have time to visit with them and then continue walking with my team. It was a great plan and I will need to remember that one for next year.
Kristy couldn't walk with us this year because during our training she found out she was pregnant. But she still came out to cheer and even at lunch with us on day 2.
Kelli Lewis another member from last year's team came out two times to cheer us on and had the cutest signs. She was so inspired by us that she has decided to join us again when we walk next year. That's right you read that correctly I am doing it again next year. I just don't feel like my work to find a cure is complete. I feel I need to keep walking as long as I can.
Megan came out every day to cheer us on. I love how our team members from last year were still a part of our experience. Once a team member always a team member. You don't have to actually walk 
to be a part of our team.
to be a part of our team. 
This was the start of day 3, It was really cold when we headed out. I had on 4 layers of shirts, a tank top, short sleeved t-shirt, long sleeved t-shirt and a fleece pull over. Thank goodness it warmed up and I was able to give two of my long sleeved tops to Christi and Kris when they met me at the first cheering station. You will notice that Tracey and Ashley M are not in this photo getting started on day 3. Tracey did not walk the entire 3 days and did not camp out with us so she was not there when we started out but she did meet us at the closing ceremonies with Ashley who she picked up since Ashley hurt her foot on day 1, was red carded, meaning she needed to be cleared by medical before she could walk on day 2. After being cleared she walked a little on day 2 and the pain was too much, when she took the bus back and was checked out by medical, they sent her to the hospital and she ended up in a wheelchair for closing ceremonies. And people laugh when I say we need to train for this event. Walking 60 miles does require training and people can be seriously injured when participating. I am so fortunate that I have not had any injuries either time I have participated.
End of day 2, Kelly, me, Sharon, Gayle, Ashley S and Debbie.
Almost finished for the day! 39 miles down, 21 to go.
This year they reversed the route on day two so many of the hills we had to go up last year we went down this year. There were still a few that required walking up hill but this route was so much better. This photo was taken going down hill in Guadalupe.
On Day 2 it rained. We found it very funny that there was a sign telling us to reapply sunscreen when there wasn't any sun. We are covered in rain ponchos instead of sunscreen.
On Day two I thought this kid was cute with his sign, saving the A's B's C's and Double D's. I also liked this one about saving second base.
They have a tent decorating contest and we stuck with the military theme. We had our area set up as Boobie Boot Camp. It is hard to tell in the photo above but the sign is hanging from camo netting. We hung signs we made with dog tags with our names on them and we each had a star for each year we have participated in the walk. We also made purple heart medals to celebrate and honor those people we were walking for. I tried to get photos of all my hearts but not sure I captured them all. The names were sent to me by the people who made donations and told me this is who they wanted me to walk in honor or memory of. Many of them are my personal friends or family. Not all were diagnosed with breast cancer but they all had some type of cancer. If we can find a cure for one cancer the others can't be far behind.
Once we made it back to camp, we had our tents set up and this year we didn't have to do it ourselves. They had Tent Angels (volunteers who set them up for us) and they truly were Angels. After walking 20 miles, who wants to come back and set up a tent. The tents of course are pink so when they are all set up all you see are rows and rows of pink tents. This year since it was not so hot, we were able to take our showers in the morning when there were no lines. In this photo the big smile is because I am finally off my feet and my shoes are off.
End of day 1, Kelly, Gayle, Sharon, me, Ashley S. and Debbie.
This was a sight for sore eyes! Almost home for the day! Day one this year was not nearly as bad as day one last year. I think it was because it was so much cooler. Last year, it was so hot and really required sunscreen. This year, the cooler weather made me not have to drink as much, which meant less trips to the smelly port-a-potties and no blisters on day one. Yeah! Also tried a new trick this year wearing nylons under my socks which really helped. I carried my blister care package with me the entire walk and never needed it. Better safe than sorry I guess.
Thoughout the walk people have signs up or create their own little cheering stations along the route. This sign was one that really caught my eye, especially since I was so worried about the results of my pending biopsy. It really said it all and made me realize I didn't have control of this and worrying about it was not going to help anything. I had to let go and give it up to God.
We had several of our team members from last year who did not walk with us this year come out to cheer us on. In this photo is Sharon, Gayle and Isabel. Thanks Izzy for coming out to support us and your sign was just awesome! I love how you found pink camo tape! I love that you are crafty like me.
Each pit stop has a theme and last year's themes I think were a little better. This pit stop was all about the Irish. It was very corny, but being Irish, I had to do this photo.
All along the route were signs letting us know how much further to the next pit stop or to lunch or camp. We were always excited to see these signs as it was our way of knowing how much farther we had to go. When we trained we had the same route and you know your landmarks to figure out about how much longer you have to go. When doing the 3 day event itself, you don't know the actual route (for security purposes) so these signs really help keep you in check with how much longer you need to keep walking. The best sign is the one that tells you only one more mile to camp.
We made it to pit stop 1, grabbed a snack and kept on walking. No potty break here as we wanted to get ahead of the crowds. In this photo, me, Sharon and Gayle.
While on the walk in the first half of day one, I had my friends Kitt and Jodi come out to cheer me on. The funny part was they were hanging out with friends of two of my team mates that were further behind me in the crowd and I found out later that the people Jodi and Kitt were with were friends of Gayle and Sharon. We only realized it because they all recognized the shirts. What a small world...
This was the back of our shirts this year. We had to change our name to the Bra Hat Brigade this year because last year we had so many people commenting on our cute bra hats and saying they were going to make some too. We wanted everyone to know we started the bra hat trend so we changed the name. We figured since we were a brigade we would go with the military theme having a medal in our logo, stating it was our 2nd deployment since we were walking for the second time and you probably can't read it but it says fighting for a cure. The pink camo went well with our theme too. We even used the pink camo material to cover our bras when making our bra hats.
Finally we were ready to head out Ashley and I were very excited to hit the road and get things started. 
During opening ceremonies, they bring out these flags that have the titles of people we could be walking for like my sister, my mother, my friend and other words like courage, love, faith, hope, etc. Many of the flags are carried by breast cancer survivors who form the circle of hope up on the platform. It is really emotional and most people need tissues at this point. You haven't even started walking but they have you in tears with the speach that Janae gives. She hosted this year as well as last year and she is very good. Not only can she make you cry but she can really make you laugh too. This year this walk was especially emotional for me since I was scheduled for a breast biopsy 3 days after the walk was completed, so the entire time I was walking I didn't know if I had breast cancer or not. I was so thankful for all the prayers and well wishes from my friends and family and I guess the power of prayer really works because everything came back clear and I was stressed out for nothing.
Prior to the opening ceremonies getting started they had someone there to lead us in a warm up but it was a joke, she was from a yoga studio and was supposed to be getting us stretched out and it was more like an aerobics class. So Ashley M and Debbie had a little fun with it.
We met at Freestone park in Gilbert at 6:15 AM for opening ceremonies. Kelly and I were ready to get started.
This year our team was a little smaller, we only had 8 members walking this year but we still managed to be one of the top 20 fundraising teams in AZ having raised over $23,000 between us. In this photo Ashley M., Debbie, me, Kelly, Tracey, Ashley S and Sharon. Gayle somehow got lost in the crowd and missed our pre-walk team photo.
During opening ceremonies, they bring out these flags that have the titles of people we could be walking for like my sister, my mother, my friend and other words like courage, love, faith, hope, etc. Many of the flags are carried by breast cancer survivors who form the circle of hope up on the platform. It is really emotional and most people need tissues at this point. You haven't even started walking but they have you in tears with the speach that Janae gives. She hosted this year as well as last year and she is very good. Not only can she make you cry but she can really make you laugh too. This year this walk was especially emotional for me since I was scheduled for a breast biopsy 3 days after the walk was completed, so the entire time I was walking I didn't know if I had breast cancer or not. I was so thankful for all the prayers and well wishes from my friends and family and I guess the power of prayer really works because everything came back clear and I was stressed out for nothing.
Prior to the opening ceremonies getting started they had someone there to lead us in a warm up but it was a joke, she was from a yoga studio and was supposed to be getting us stretched out and it was more like an aerobics class. So Ashley M and Debbie had a little fun with it.
We met at Freestone park in Gilbert at 6:15 AM for opening ceremonies. Kelly and I were ready to get started.
This year our team was a little smaller, we only had 8 members walking this year but we still managed to be one of the top 20 fundraising teams in AZ having raised over $23,000 between us. In this photo Ashley M., Debbie, me, Kelly, Tracey, Ashley S and Sharon. Gayle somehow got lost in the crowd and missed our pre-walk team photo. 
