SGK Washington, DC Walk – Day 1

My team mates and I arrived at the DC Armory nice and early for the first day of the walk. We also met up with the other 5 Dallas Angels for the Cure team mates who would be walking as well. We had time to register our SmartCards with Facebook for automatic check-ins during the next three days. (If anyone is a 3 Day Walker, I will recommend bypassing the long line for this. Basically it’s 3 check-ins each day of the walk and I’m certain that you will probably already be checking in at key points throughout the day anyway)

For me the Open Ceremony is always emotional. I think about what brought me to this place…my family, my friends, my donors, and all of the people who I walk for. I also think about all of the people I will meet over the next 3 days and what their story is. I think about all of the people I pass on the streets who are there to cheer us on and what their stories are. All I know is that I’m where I’m supposed to be and couldn’t imagine not being there.

Before I knew it the walk was starting!

I did have the chance to take pictures with Santa AKA Mr. December 2012 of the 60 Mile Men and with Gerald who is walking all 14 cities this year! Yes, that means 840 miles and raising over $32,000. How amazing is he??? I later learned that Gerald's Father had passed away the night before and he had just arrived at the DC walk that morning. His family wanted him to be with his PINK family and decided to have his Father's burial after his return on Monday.

 

The route took us past the Pentagon Row and I was able to see a small portion of the 9-11 Memorial. A friend who toured the memorial a few months ago told me that depending on how you read the names on the benches, it depicts whether the person was in the air or on the ground of the day of the attack.

 
I had the honor of carrying the 'Grandmother' flag for 3 miles of the walk. My Grandmother was a breast cancer survivor and is the reason for my passion for finding a cure for breast cancer which will hopefully lead to a cure for other types of cancer. My Grandmother was always an important part of my life, and I could not have imagined growing up without her.

I also had the pleasure of seeing the SGK National Spokesperson Dr. Sheri Phillips! She is such an inspiration and I was glad she had a few moments to take a picture and chat.

We also walked past the Georgetown Waterfront which was absolutely gorgeous! While in the area I had a chance to see Georgetown Cupcake and the ton of people lined up outside to get one of their fantastic cupcakes! At that moment I was so happy for my Mom and sister’s thoughtfulness to have a dozen of their cupcakes delivered to my hotel. Their cupcakes are soooo good and they started a cupcake war conversation on my Facebook timeline!

 

Before I knew it, Day 1 of the walk was over and we were headed back to the hotel. Thankfully our Walker Stalkers had order pizza for dinner and it was ready and waiting when we arrived at the hotel! It was great to be able to come in, eat, shower and then go to bed. Especially since Day 2 of the walk would be a tad bit longer.