Status report

June 13-I walked 4.22 miles.  I took a pack of pizza sticks with me.  I sat at the top of a hill, in our boat storage area 2 times to rest and ate them.  I wanted to do 5 miles but didn't think I could.
June 14-I walked 3.41 miles.  I took a short break.
My cousin Jane called.  She said she got my letter, and wanted to know who to make the check to.
My lumbar pack and buttons from the 3Day shop came.  I love them.  The pack is able to be carried several different ways.
June 15-My uncle Jim called, saying he got his letter.
I did 20 minutes yoga.
June 16-I walked 5.27 miles.  It was very humid.  I saw the orange and black cats.  I didn't have to stop and rest.
In the mail I got $25 from my cousin and $50 from my uncle.  
June 17-I did 30 minutes yoga.
I walked .57 miles with the dogs.  Part of it was trying to get Grace out of the dog's pen across the street.  I ran a little with her.
June 18-I walked 6.39 miles.  
I have the beginning of a blister on my big toe.
June 19-I walked 5.12 miles.
June 20-Saturday evening my grandnephew Aaron told me our neighbor Lance wanted to talk to me, so after I got dressed I went and talked to him.  He gave me a $100 donation!
Coming in from seeing Lance, I stumbled and twisted my right foot a little.  I tried to put on my tennis shoe, but it hurt.  I got my dad to come and get us so I wouldn't have to drive.  After we got home, I put it up and wrapped it in an ace bandage, and put ice on it some.
June 21-My foot felt much better.  I went shopping in Cumming and only felt a few twinges.  
I did 15 minutes yoga.
June 22-I walked 3.29 miles.  My foot felt OK.
June 23-I walked 5.1 miles.  
June 24-I did 30 minutes yoga.
June 25-I left home at 7:30, meaning to walk 7 miles.  About a mile and a half in I had to stop and rest.  My right leg hurt.  I sat, caught my breath, and listened to my favorite morning show on 104.7, through the radio in my iPod.  After that I had to stop every lap, which is a little over a mile.  I felt light headed a little, especially toward the end.  
I carried my lumbar pack with me-I like it, especially as a waist pack or slung over my shoulder with the strap.  Training, using it as a regular backpack is too hot.  On the event that way may be OK.  It didn't bump me at all any way I carried it.
I think maybe several things made my walk as bad as it was-I only made it 6 miles, I had to cut home across the lake and up through the woods, and it took me over 2 hours. (Only 3.7 miles is recorded because of an error on my part.)  One, it was the first walk I had with the pack.  Two, either PMS or some illness seems to have weakened me.  Three, it was about 80% humidity.  It was like the perfect storm, and a miserable walk was the result.  I thought for a while it was the pack, so on my last loop through our boat storage area, I stowed it between some sheds.  
One good thing-I was crouching in the street resting when a small black lab came to me.  She licked my hand a bit.  Her owner saw us and asked if the dog was scaring me.  I said no, and told her about our chocolate lab Levi, who outweighs her by about 50 pounds.  She said she's seen me walking a lot.  I told her about the 3Day, and asked if she'd like to give.  She said yes, so we went in her house so I could give her my email address, but then she decided to give me a check right then.  She gave $25.
When I got home I was drenched in sweat.  My bra was soaked.  I've walked that far (and farther) but have never sweat so much.  I'm very glad the walk I'm participating in is in October, when it's cooler and less humid.  I think if ours was before Labor Day here it'd be pretty bad.
I put seven miles on my training log because I logged about 2,000 steps at Wal-Mart.
June 26-I walked 6.25 miles.  It went much better than yesterday's walk.  I felt pretty good when it was over.
I helped a 3Day friend from Twitter get going on the Nike plus website.
Yesterday, through someone I follow on Twitter (I think)  I got led to a blog entry about a lady who is running the Chicago marathon to raise money for World Vision, whose work partly is to help those in Africa who don't have access to clean water.  On the blog she is keeping about her training program, she put this verse: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)  This verse has really inspired me last night and this morning, and also the song by Twila Paris, How Beautiful.  I'm thinking of changing my team name (at this point it's just me) to Beautiful Feet.  I can't think of much better tidings than an end to breast cancer once and for all.

Status report

May 30-I printed my letter and donation forms, and took them to church.  I gave out several.  Also my friend Mary, and Todd, who preached, prayed with me over the envelopes.  
I got a pair of blue shorts to walk in.
May 31-I walked 3.25 miles, in light rain.
At the end of my walk, a car passed me-he rolled down his window and said something like, even in the rain?  I said, I have something big to train for.  Later, I was out on the porch calling Grace, our dog.  He lives next to us, and he asked what I'm training for.  I told him about the 3Day, and asked if he would like to donate.  He said he would, so I came in and got my donation form and a business card and took it to him.  We had a nice conversation about the 3Day, what made me do it, and the Lord-they're believers too.  
June 1-In response to the entry I wrote on June 1, my friend from school Kesa wrote me a nice note on Facebook.
June 2-I walked 4.14 miles .  
I ordered more business cards with printed backs.
We got stamps.  I stamped envelopes, put our address on some, and put the SASEs in the original ones.
I called the 3Day coaches, and spoke to a lady named Carol.  I asked if the things in the shop would be available at the Preview Expo.  She wasn't sure so I called the 3Day shop and asked-they said no.  I also asked about shipping-it is about half the price to ship if you order over the phone.
June 3-I did 30 minutes yoga.
June 4-I walked 5.94 miles.  I saw a rabbit.  The black cat at see on my route let me pet him.
June 5-I walked 4.11 miles.  
June 6-I tweeted some celebrities I follow about the 3Day, and Mandisa retweeted me.
June 7-I walked 3.72 miles.  
I called the 3Day shop, and ordered a set of buttons and the lumbar pack I wanted.
My new business cards came, and they look great. 
I printed my letters, stuffed envelopes, got them ready to go, and put them in the mailbox.
June 8-I did 15 minutes yoga.
June 9-I walked 4.2 miles.  
My teeth, especially my false front one, hurt badly.  It hurt so much that I was crying.  It was just throbbing.  I knew it was my sinuses because the pain kept jumping around my mouth.  I tried to eat but I would accidentally bump my teeth and it hurt very much.  Finally at about lunch time I called and was blessed enough to get a doctor's appointment that day.  At the doctors' I spoke to a physician's assistant and then the doctor. He thought I have a sinus infection, and maybe some allergies.  He gave me an antibiotic, a tablet that is bigger than the seizure pills that I take.
June 10-I woke up in less pain.  I did 30 minutes yoga.
I was unable to train on Friday and Saturday because my infection and the antibiotic made me a bit dizzy and weak.  I am getting better every day, thankfully. My appetite is returning to normal.  These trials in my training seem to be a real test of my will, but I am determined to not give up and meet my goal of doing the 3Day walk.

Discouragement and the 3Day

It may just be brought on by a bout of hormonal emotion, but yesterday evening and today I have felt great discouragement about my 3Day journey, especially the fundraising efforts.  Over the long weekend I addressed envelopes to all our extended family, and I also edited my  fundraising letter, mostly by trimming it considerably.  Last night, and really the night before, my mom raised the issue that I should not ask for a donation of $50, because she knew some in her family would not be able to do that.  I told her, several times, that those who run the 3Day have said that it's best to name a figure, instead of just saying "give what you can", which is what she was wanting me to put.  (I think I see where the fundraising advice is coming from--we as outsiders do not really KNOW anything about anyone else's financial situations or their ability to afford anything.)  She, as usual, would not listen to me.  Sometimes I feel like I am the only positive person here.  My mother, and as a result, my grandnephew, is angry a lot and very negative.  I am doing my best to keep a positive mindset about this whole process, but it is very difficult here, because I seem to fight opposition at every turn.  It seems like no matter what I say at times, it starts an argument with one of them.  My grandnephew in particular has a very short fuse.  I avoid conflict here at every turn; yet sometimes it cannot be avoided, like when I am alone with the boy.  
Also this weekend, I edited my letter a bit and distributed it to some at my church, along with my donation forms.  I am going to print them out and put them in some mailboxes around my home, which is in a lakeside community where a lot of summer people come up on the weekend.  I have also sent out several emails to friends. I have kept my facebook status and twitter status mainly about the 3Day, always including my fundraising link, yet they have resulted in NO donations.  The only donations I have gotten as yet have been from a girlfriend at church, my neighbor, and from a friend of my virtual pet Elizabeth.  I do not know how else to promote this to my friends.  I have thought of sending them all personal emails.  I am totally underwhelmed at their response, and totally disappointed.  I was also hoping to spread this abroad at our church some, but I could never get a firm answer from our leadership about doing it.  I had the thought of trying to get someone to walk with me, so I am not in Atlanta in October among a sea of strangers, but I couldn't get anyone to even express interest.  Again, I am totally disappointed.
I am hoping to take advantage of the increased population in our neighborhood until Labor Day by possibly having a pink lemonade stand and maybe selling homemade pretzels and other baked goods.  My grandnephew could help me.  I am loving the fundraising ideas I hear from the 3Day community, but most of them take money to do or put on, and that is in short supply here.
I have to fight this discouragement with all that is within me, and remember "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" (Eph. 3 20).

May 24- I walked 4.18 miles.  My orange striped cat friend let me hold him, and on my second and third passes of his house as I went by he was chasing me down the road.
May 25-We went to Cumming.  I got pink envelopes at Office Max.  I got some blue shorts to walk in at Target.
May 26-I walked 4.13 miles.
I got over 100 miles in training.  I went to Longhorn to celebrate.  I had a coupon for a free appetizer-I got fresh potato chips with BBQ dip (which is great), grilled citrus chicken and fries.  It was all great.  My waitress was great. I watched Spongebob and How I Met Your Mother on my iPod.  I brought part of the chips and most of the dip home.
May 27-I did 30 minutes yoga.
I got my letter written!
May 28-I walked 5.3 miles.
We went to the elementary school for a pizza party, and I gave my grandnephew Aaron's teach my 3Day business card.
May 29-I walked 3.19 miles.  At the bottom of a big hill, where the road is over a small creek leading to Lake Lanier, I saw a goose, a gander, and 5 goslings.
My mother was reminded about how much I have to raise, and so she gave me all her saved change.  It filled a large pickle jar more than halfway.

3Day training update

May 17-I walked 3.78 miles .
May 19-I walked 3.69 miles .
May 20-I did 30 minutes yoga.
May 21-I walked 5.75 miles.  At mile 1.3 I stopped because my shoe felt too tight.  I pressed pause, and it somehow reset the iPod, so it erased my workout.  I started it again, and I got 4.45 more miles.
I called the 3Day coaches with a question--can I break up longer distances on the schedule?  I spoke to a lady named Nancy, and she was very helpful.  She said it's OK to break up the distances some.
I did almost 6 miles.  I cannot believe I did it.  I thought I was unable to do 5 miles, so it surprised me greatly I got nearly 6.
May 22-I walked 3.05 miles .When I got to where the orange striped cat I've been petting lives, he was standing at the end of his driveway.  It's like he knew I was coming and was waiting for me.
The dog stepped on my shoe and made a hole in it and my sock.
I got a tweet of encouragement from Heidi this morning.
May 23-I walked .21 miles with Levi.

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

The Map, by David Murrow, is a great book for men everywhere.  It reveals a long-ignored life pattern found in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first half of the book is a fictional journey in which the author spins a tale of intrigue concerning how he first discovered the map, that is the pattern of life.  

    The map consists of three journeys, which occur in life, and also as seen in the life of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first journey is the journey of submission, as displayed in Christ's life in Matthew 1-7.  The second journey is that of strength, as demonstrated in Matthew 8-25.  The final journey is that of sacrifice, as displayed in Matthew 26-28.  The author uses a diagram of a mountain to illustrate this:  on the left side of the mountain is femininity, and on the right is masculinity.  

     In the first journey of submission, which usually occurs in a man's life as he goes through childhood and young adulthood, he is moving toward the feminine side of the mountain.  As he moves into the second journey, he moves back toward the masculine side of the mountain.  Finally, in the journey of sacrifice, he moves up the mountain and more towards a balance between the masculine and feminine.  While the journeys are never truly completed, i.e, one can begin before another ends, unlike a physical journey.

     Morrow also points out that this pattern of the three journeys can be seen in other Biblical characters, such as Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul.  They can also be seen in secular culture, such as in movies, television and literature.  

    In this book Morrow also points out a weakness in many churches: they are more geared toward women and more feminine that masculine, so many men get bored in attending church.  The Map was a response to this partly, and partly an attempt to help men on their spiritual journey, no matter what stage of their journey they are on.  There is much to be found in this book, for both men and women.

Update

May 5-I walked 3.23 miles. 
May 6-I did 20 minutes yoga, on our porch.
May 7-I walked 3.28 miles .
May 8-I walked 3.43 miles. At the boat ramp I saw 2 geese and their goslings.  I walked a bit slower than usual.
May 9-I got pink M & Ms and 6 more pairs of pink ribbon socks at Kroger.
May 10-I walked 3.66 miles.  I saw an orange striped cat, and he let me pet him twice.
May 12-I walked 4.02 miles.  I saw a turtle in the road.
May 13-I did 30 minutes yoga.
May 14-I walked 3.56 miles.
May 15-I walked 3.79 miles.  I saw a little turtle, and a couple of cats, one of which I think was a Maine Coon cat.  He looked a lot like my cat Harry, who died in December 2008.

This week I have felt tired and have felt leg and foot pain, due to walking and also to pollen.  However I have kept on walking, and I feel better both physically and mentally because I have done so.  I have truly loved every bit of this journey and am looking forward to all that is to come.  Thanks for your support and prayers.