Now, having walked the 3Day before myself (twice), I know what it's like to have people cheering you on...and passing out snacks. It is amazing how much farther your feet will go when you have some sugar! So I wanted to make sure that I was saying thank you (see my sign above) and offering some sugar treats for anyone that needed a little pick-me-up.
Another fun thing about the 3Day is all the people supporting the event and the crazy costumes and decorating of vehicles that you see. Plus, I love to see the walkers that have come up with great team names. (Probably because I suck at such creative endeavors). I think the best one I saw this year was a group of guys calling themselves the "Chesticles."
Once I figured out that the route would be in Redmond on Friday, I basically invited myself to a friend's house, who invited us to another friend's house where we camped out in lawn chairs in the front yard, eating hummus and drinking beverages while the walkers went by over the course of about 4 hours. Armed with a bag of candy to hand out, and a thank you sign that I had made, I was able to clap, cheer, and say thanks to everyone that passed by. It was a really fun time! And it reminded me why participating in this event is such a moving experience. (It also made me really want to walk in a 3Day again...soon. Maybe next year? I'd really like to walk with the whole family, but you have to be 16 so we have 5 years until AJ would be old enough. Maybe some of us (which one is going to take it for the team? Husband? Or surly teenage boy?) could walk next year...marking 1 year cancer-free. And then we could all walk in 5 years to mark that anniversary? Hmmm...this has potential...though I might have to start fundraising now. That's a LOT of $$$ to come up with).
Here are some highlights of the day:
I saw kilt guy! But I wasn't quick enough to snap his picture. Ask anyone that has ever walked a Seattle 3Day, and they will know who I'm talking about. LOVE THIS GUY!! And that he always walks...in a kilt and boots.
I was able to give a hug to someone I knew in high school but had NOT seen since graduation. What are the odds that I would have seen her amid the sea of walkers?! Okay, she saw me first, but you get the point...
Loved the people who painted their tractor pink and drove it around all day.
All the bicycle cops were sporting pink tires. Awesome!
I was presented with a "survivor" bracelet by this Seattle Police Officer. Normally, these bracelets are blue and black and worn in honor of fallen police officers. Someone in her precinct made them in pink/black for the event and she handed them out to those of us battling in honor of her own mother's fight with breast cancer. I did not get her name or her badge number/station, so I am incredibly lame, but am so honored to be wearing it. (Of course, when she pulled her vehicle over to stop and present me with the bracelet, some of the people cheering with me were scared they were in trouble for the beverages they were drinking, so that was a funny story in itself).
Here's a picture of my friend Julia and her group of friends (all moms of current/former Evergreen students).
Here's a picture of the Sole Mates (who were amazing enough to invite my family to join their families at their post-3Day dinner celebration). Two of their group is actually missing from the picture as they were not walking with the group at the time.
Here's my friend Deb and her son Nolan. So grateful to all of you that answered the plea and donated to the cause so that Nolan could participate in this experience! I think I might be interviewing him to find out what he thought about the weekend. Kudos to him...and his mom...I'm not sure I'd really want to walk 60+ miles with a teenager that was related to me. (Hmmm...maybe I should re-think my family fun idea above).
So grateful to all that walked! Glad to be there to say "thanks!"
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