Sleeping bag...check, six pairs of socks...check, 2 pairs of REALLY good running shoes....check, lots of bandaids and Ibuprofen...check.  I think I may actually be ready to do this thing.  The countdown is on and we only have 20 days left to get ready.

After a 20-mile training walk last weekend, I have begun to wonder, can I actually do this?  What was I thinking?  Will my body survive or better yet, will my friends survive 3 days and nights of ME?  This walk will be the true test of a lot of things.  However, when I pause to consider all the people who went through surgery, chemo, radiation and recovery and made it, I know we can do this.  We will do this to honor the survivors who won the battle and the ones who didn't.  This walk isn't about me and my aching feet.  This walk is for them and I am incredibly proud to be part of such and amazing event. 

I am also grateful for the 3 wonderful friends who will take this journey with me.  We will laugh, cry and maybe get annoyed with one another, but we will be able to say we did it together.  Won't our kids be proud?

Raising money for any cause can be a daunting task.  Making countless calls and licking lots of stamps is hard work.  There is always the question of "when will I have the time?" and not to mention the fear of rejection.  I myself am incredibly fearful of rejection.  However, breast cancer is such a devastating disease that can rob a child of a mother or a husband of a wife or even a mother of her daughter, that most people don't even think twice about saying yes to a donation.  Our team, Mamas With A Mission, has been so blessed with generous and caring friends, family and even strangers who are willing to give us what ever they can afford in order to support our fight against breast cancer.  Thanks to all of them, our team has gotten very close to our goal of $10,000.  As of now, we are at 74% of our goal. 

Our big fundraising event is scheduled for Sat., August 22 at the Millersville VFW at 7 p.m.  Titled "End of Summer Fling", it promises to be a night of fun for everyone.  We are having a DJ, all you can drink soda and beer, snacks, and best of all, a Chinese Auction with lots of choice items that I REALLY want to win!  We are hoping that this event will bring us to our goal.

Fundraising is only a part of participating in the walk, but it is a large part.  Honestly, I think my friends and family may be just as relieved as I am when our team reaches our goal..

I am walking in the Breast Cancer 3-Day to show my support of the women and men who have suffered with this disease.  Breast cancer has an impact on all of our lives in one way or another and I am walking so some day my 2 young girls don't have to walk for me. 

So far, the fundraising has been slow, but steady.  Raising $2.300 a person is quite a daunting task, but many friends and family have risen to the challenge depsite the current state of our economy.  As of now, I am about 75% of the way to my goal!

Being a working mom makes it a little challenging as well to complete the training aspect of the walk, but I am getting better at organizing my time and fitting in walks whenever I can.

Our team recently completed a 15-mile training walk which took us about 5 hours.  It was tough and I think we were all hurting in the end, but we still managed to have a great time together.  Mama 1's parents were so kind as to take care of us during our walk.  Thanks Grumper and Pop-Pop Laubach!

Looking forward to the rest of the summer, our fundraisers and strengthening my legs for 60 miles. 

Mama 3

Alison