Walk for the cure

I had mixed feelings the day of the walk (Sunday), so this will be a two parter:

#1. To go as a team (AT) we decided to meet at Celebration FL at 6:45. We were then heading off to Disney to make sure that we got parking. The lot was supposed to close at 7:40 and the walk started at 8:05. I was there at 6:40. Early?!! Crazy, I know. One girl decided that she did not need to grace us with her presence until 7:15, so we were running horribly late. Then, in the car, she asks if we signed her up. Uhhhh.... No. That's why there is a huge sign up in the back of the store that says "Don't forget to sign up." and a note was attached to your paycheck two weeks in a row. (All of this is occurring before I have had coffee, btw.) We wait in line in our cars for almost 45 minutes and then run to the shuttle stop from the car, where we wait in line. Then we run from the bus to the registration tent and then wait for 15 minutes while the other girls use the port-o-potties. Then we hustle to the start of the race, where they decided to delay the start. After the race, we have to wait 30 minutes for everyone to finish (It was only 3 miles!!!!). Then we wait for 20 minutes deciding if 50 of us can attend brunch that had a reservation of 12. I finally get back to my car and have just enough time to inhale two donuts and get ready for work.
At work, there were two other people, but the manager was behind on paperwork and the guy decided that he was going to change the outfits on all of the mannequins. So, basically, I ran the store by myself while he puttered around holding up belts against different sweaters. Rrrr.......



Now, forget all of that. #2. I spent the night before making buttons for my ladies: Jacque and Peg. I was so excited that I found the buttons and got them done. When I arrived to meet my coworkers, my friend Julie had a little poem taped to the leg of her shorts. She lost her aunt in 05 and they had passed out little cards in memory of her at the funeral reception with a poem that her uncle wrote *sniff*. We both got a little misty talking about our memorials on our tees.

At the race, it was overwhelming. Survivors got different colored number for their shirts and everyone was wearing a shirt promoting pink ribbon awareness. among them were "Fight like a girl.", "Do it for the ta-tas.", and "Real men wear pink." People also made shirts for their loved ones. Each individual also had the opportunity to make signs for their shirts celebrating survivors or in memory of those we have lost. Many people had multiple family members on one sign. That really hits you seeing "mom, aunt & nana" on one person's sign. *sniff, sniff*

Julie and I had a great time weaving through the people. We kept jogging around people when the crowd got too dense chanting "serpentine, serpentine". The tiny little 5 foot tall girls decided to run for a bit, but we easily caught up with them by walking fast. :)

As we walked, the two of us. We continued to read shirts and signs. The one that really got to us was a 65ish gentleman walking alone. His shirt read "my wife, my friend, my life" and had a photo of her beneath it with a small story. *tear* Julie and I started to cry and had to hustle around him before it became too much.

As we crossed the finish line, survivors were walking hand in hand with their daughters and husbands. The announcer would shout out their numbers and everyone would cheer. It was a very amazing experience.

My buttons (Jacque on the left, Peg Beck on the right. Notice Peg's pic? This is what you get when you call your dad in the middle of the husker game for a pic of his bf's wife. Her 1970 high school graduation picture.)


Waiting to start:




Walking:


All of Ann Taylor: