Pictures

I know I promised to put the pictures up over the weekend, but then I realized that the pictures weren't on the computer as I had thought. Here they are now! Enjoy! (sorry the pictures won't be in order but I'll try and explain them as I go...)

Sarah and Jodi one morning at breakfast.

Our home! We were the pink sprinkes! The white tarps on top were shower curtains. We're so creative.

You can more clearly see downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.

This boy was on our walk the 2nd day. He was wearing his sister's princess dress riding his bike up and down the street calling "Lemonade! 25 cents!" while his sister was at their table selling lemonade.

The walkers.

I thought this was a really cool picture. You can see both downtown St. Paul (bigger) and downtown Minneapolis. This was the first day of our walk after lunch.

Sarah at breakfast one morning.

On the 2nd day of the walk we walked by a fire station all decorated for us walkers.

Jodi and I had to get a picture with the fireman.

A grand ladder salute to us walkers!

This is me on the 2nd day of the walk. You can see all the pink tents behind me. We all slept in these pink tents.

Jodi one day on the walk.

Sunrise on walk day 2. We got up before sunrise every day and began walking around 7/7:30

There were flags which people carried throughout the walk. On the first day Jodi was passed the flag "My Daughter." She was a trooper and carried it about 5 miles until we got to the next rest stop where she passed it on.

Ahh... Home sweet home. Even though this picture was taken in the morning.

I have close to 100 pictures so I'll just post them over the course of the week. So keep coming back to see more pictures!

Melissa and I walked the Mall of America on Saturday and then went shopping in the mall. We figured we walked somewhere between 6 and 7 miles on Saturday! Official training doesn't even begin until the middle of March too!

I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK!

If there is anyone out there who is reading this blog still. I wanted to let you know that I'm back. After a few month hiatus I decided to come back and blog because... I'm doing the 3 day again! This time I am going to be fighting the heat of the Minneapolis summer in August. This year my one hope is for someone to be at a cheering station for my team (besides Will and his dad).



I will be putting ALL the pictures up from the walk this weekend. So, check back then!



And don't forget, Donations are very important!

2 days!

The walk is just 2 days away now!! I can't believe that after 6 months of training and fundraising the walk is now here. We only lost 1 team member along the way too. Unfortunately, my mom isn't walking with us. Oh well... there are many more years down the road for her to walk, if she wants to.

I did a quick 5 mile walk yesterday with Jenni. She did the Chicago one and was telling me all about the walk and what an amazing experience it is. I cannot wait! I'm excited and only nervous about day 3. I know I can do 2 days of walking, but 3? I guess you'll just have to read how I am on Monday to find out. Jenni was telling me about this "sweep van" that the 3 day has which will bring you from one point to another if you don't want to walk. I told her the only way I was using that is if I physically couldn't walk anymore. But yoga has taught me to appreciate my body and what it can do. I think about that every day when I don't want to take the stairs up 3 flights to my car (I always park in the same spot). More than yoga, this walk has taught me that I have two very strong legs and they can take me anywhere I want to go. Further, I should be happy that I do have two legs which allow me to do these activities.

Just something to think about every day. Be glad you have a strong capable body which will allow you to walk 60 miles (hopefully) over 3 days. I know training for this walk has changed my mentality on a lot of things, and all for the better. But I guess I should reflect more once the walk is actually over.

Tomorrow is going to be crazy, but I'll try to get a post in before I go! We have to be at the Fair Grounds between 6 and 630 on Friday morning! Eek!

Here are the cheering stations if you want to come and cheer us on!

Friday, September 19th:

8:15 am - 10:15 am
Syndicate St. at Summit Ave.
1280 Summit Ave.
St. Paul MN 55105
(Park at Kowalskis Market, 1261 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 55105)

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Johnson Pkwy. at East Shore Dr.
1290 Johnson Pkwy.
St. Paul MN 55106
(Park where available)

Saturday, September 20th:

7:30 am - 9:15 am
Holiday Inn Express
1100 County Rd. E
Vadnais Heights MN 55110

10:45 am - 2:45 pm
Lake Josephine Park
3025 North Lexington Ave.
Roseville MN 55113

11:45 am - 4:45 pm
St. Paul Regional Water Services
1900 Rice St.
St. Paul MN 55113

Sunday, September 21st:

7:30 am - 9:30 am
North St. Paul Tap & Grill
2379 McKnight Rd. North
St. Paul MN 55109

11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Indian Mounds Park
1113 Mounds Blvd.
St. Paul MN 55106

If you want to attend the closing ceremonies here is the information:

Minnesota State Capitol
The Closing Ceremony will begin at 5:00 pm.
Your friends, family and supporters should arrive at the Closing Ceremony site at least one hour early to secure a space by the stage that will give them the best view of the program.

A HUGE THANK YOU

This thank you goes to each and every person who contributed to my walking effort! I have now exceeded $2,200!! Currently, as a team, we have raised over $8,875.00. That is just 4 people. Can you even comprehend what $8.875 will do for one person? And there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of women and men walking who have all raised at least $2,200. All of the money we have raised goes to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I highly suggest that you read about this foundation and all it supports. If you want to read about exactly where you donations are going click here. Amazing organization.

You have no idea how much each donation meant to me; from the people who donated $20/25 to those who donated $100+. I was amazed how many people donated and who I connected with just by sending a random email. Thank You!

The walk is this week! Sarah, Melissa and Jodi came over today and we made signs for in front of our tent and pink sprinkle covers for the tops of our tents. Pictures of each of these items will be posted after the walk.

Once again, thank you everyone who donated! I have now reached my goal!!!!! Now all I have to do is walk 60 miles...

Training Walk in the Rain

We are now less than a week from the start of the walk! As in, one week from today I will be walking the last day of the 3 day walk! Hard to believe. It has been an amazing experience so far and I have even made a few new friends along the way. I am now this close to making my goal of $2200. Its kind of weird how things all sort of come together in the end.

Jodi, Melissa and I decided to do a training walk yesterday afternoon. Well, if you live in the Twin Cities you know what yesterday afternoon was like. And for those of you who don't it was in the low 60s, misty, then raining, then wind. And yet, we walked 9 miles. It felt like walking 9 miles in the wind, rain, snow, sleet, and baking sun. Haha. Not baking sun by any stretch of the imagination, but you get my drift. And for some reason, Melissa and I had mascara on. Well, needless to say mascara and mist/rain/wind do not mix. It did make for walking around Lake Calhoun amusing on my part. I"m sure Melissa was glad that no one was really running/walking/biking around the lakes. By the time we got home we looked like a bunch of drowned rats. I had never been so happy to take a hot shower and put sweat pants on in my entire life. The walk wasn't even all that bad. 9 miles goes by very quickly when you have friends to talk to along the way.

I can't wait to get a pedicure.

Less than 2 weeks

We are now less than 2 weeks from the walk and I am $80.00 short from my $2200 goal. Just $80! I can't believe I am that close. Not only that, but our team will not only meet our goal but surpass it! That means that my team (minus my mom because she had to drop out) will have raised over$8,800 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Just 4 people will have raised that much money to support breast cancer research, medical treatments and family support.

To help us all reach our goal, our silent auction raised over $900.00! Thank you everyone for bidding on items in the silent auction. You helped us contribute almost 1/8th of our total. We greatly appreciate your support!

In addition to the silent auction, I need to publicly thank Peter N. for making such a generous donation. At the beginning of the baseball season he said he would donate $1/walk the Twins earned between the beginning of the season and August 20th. He came through with no questions asked. I hope this public thank you only emphasizes how much that donation meant to me. There were several other people who generously donated per walk the Twins earned, as well as one hard-core Cubs fan who donated per Cubs home run. If I do the walk next year, I hope to have more than just the handful of people who contributed.

If you live in the the Twin Cities Metro area and want to come cheer us on here are the cheering stations:

Friday, September 19th:

8:15 am - 10:15 am
Syndicate St. at Summit Ave.
1280 Summit Ave.
St. Paul MN 55105
(Park at Kowalskis Market, 1261 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 55105)

12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Johnson Pkwy. at East Shore Dr.
1290 Johnson Pkwy.
St. Paul MN 55106
(Park where available)

Saturday, September 20th:

7:30 am - 9:15 am
Holiday Inn Express
1100 County Rd. E
Vadnais Heights MN 55110

10:45 am - 2:45 pm
Lake Josephine Park
3025 North Lexington Ave.
Roseville MN 55113

11:45 am - 4:45 pm
St. Paul Regional Water Services
1900 Rice St.
St. Paul MN 55113

Sunday, September 21st:

7:30 am - 9:30 am
North St. Paul Tap & Grill
2379 McKnight Rd. North
St. Paul MN 55109

11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Indian Mounds Park
1113 Mounds Blvd.
St. Paul MN 55106

I don't have an exact route for the walk as of right now. But these cheering stations should give you a good idea about where we are going to be.

11 DAYS UNTIL THE WALK!! $80.00 to go. Please feel free to help me get the remaining $80!

Silent Auction is Over

Thank you everyone who bid on items for the silent auction. We will not be accepting any more bids on the items posted. We will contact you within the week to inform you how to pay for the items you bid on.

I don't know about you, but it was exciting to check every day to see who bid and what items were bid on. We now know that you are a bunch of coffee loving people out there. I guess that means next year we just need more coffee related items up.

The walk is only 3 weeks away now!! I'll be putting information up on how and when you can come and cheer us on as we walk. Thank you for all of your support.

Arthur Murray Dance Lessons

We have a new item up for auction!! 2 20 minute private lessons at Arthur Murray Dance studios in St. Paul!! These dance lessons are for a couple, or you could go with a friend. It is a great gift for you girlfriend, fiance, or wife!

Retail value - $100

As always, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!!

One full day

One full day has gone by with the auction and it is going very well. We hope you consider bidding on these items! Remember all the bids go to supporting the Pink Sprinkles which means that each donation supports Susan G. Komen for the cure. The auction will be up until next Wednesday.

Pat Neshek Autographed Baseball

Two baseballs autographed by Pat Neshek, a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. Thank you Pat Neshek for such a generous donation! When bidding on this item please specify the number of items you are bidding on. (Max. Number - 2).

Each baseball has a minimum bid of $20.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Homemade Almond Cheesecake

Yum! This is a great cheesecake for any occasion. Just think, its one less dessert you have to bring to that holiday party! It will be a cheesecake made from scratch for you on the date you choose. If you win this item, you should consult with the donor at least a week in advance to when the cake will be desired. This cheesecake can serve about 20 people. This cheesecake was generously donated by Kathy Rivard.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Homemade Apple Upside Down Cake

YUM! This is a great cake for any occasion. It will be a cake made from scratch for you on the date you choose. If you win this item, you should consult with the donor at least a week in advance to when the cake will be desired. This cake will be made by one of our own Pink Sprinkles! Thank you Laurie for this donation!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Karma Gift Card

Karma is a fun clothing store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. The value of this gift card is $15.00. There are multiple of this item. If you are interested in bidding on this item, please specify how many you are bidding on (max. number - 3).

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Punch Pizza Gift Certificate

This gift certificate is good for any location of Punch Pizza. The value of this gift certificate is $25.00.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Core Power Yoga - Free Unlimited Yoga for a month

Looking for a new way to build your strength or maybe gain some flexibility, or just get back into shape? Try Yoga! This gift card is good for 1 month of free unlimited yoga at Core Power Yoga. There are locations in St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Edein Prairie, Edina and Uptown with a new location opening soon in the Stadium Village area. Thank you Core Power Yoga for this donation!

Retail value is $150.00

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Bibelot Gift Card

Bibelot is a great gift shop with locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul! This item is a $25.00 gift card to any of their stores for any item(s) of your choosing. Makes a great birthday, holiday or any occassion gift! Thank you Bibelot for this donation.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Caribou Coffee - 1 free drink each month for a year!

1 free drink of you choice of any size each month for a year! That means that you can get that large Camp Fire Mocha each month and not worry about spending the big bucks on it! Thank you Caribou Coffee for this donation!

The retail value of this item is: $40.00

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Caribou Coffee - 1 pound a month for a year

One pound of Caribou coffee beans of you selection each month for a year. You get to choose the month on which you start this offer too! Great for any coffee lover! Thank you Caribou Coffee for this donation!

This item has a retail value of $125.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Pink Ribbon Fleece Tie Blankets

There are 2 fleece pink ribbon tie blankets up for auction. These blankets are warm and cozy and perfect for those fall and winter days. These blankets have been hand made by one of our very own Pink Sprinkles!! Thank you Melissa for this donation!

There is a minimum bid of $10 for each blanket. Please specify in your bid the quantity you are bidding on. (Max. number 2).

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Laptop Computer Lock

Targus Laptop computer cable lock. Great for those people who study in libraries and coffee shops. No key required! Works with any laptop computer!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Sony Sports Armband Radio

A Sony Sports Armband radio. This item includes headphones, arm band and a belt clip too! FM/AM tuning, preset keys.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Iomega 100MB Zip Drive and Disks

An external zip drive used for storing those large files. Zip discs are included.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please review the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!!

Chipotle Family Pack Gift Cards

Multiple Chipotle Gift Cards. Good for 4 Burritos, 1 order of chips and guac., and 4 drinks. Please specify the number of cards you are bidding on. (Max number 2). Thank you Chipotle for this donation!!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Chipotle Gift Cards

Multiple Chipotle Gift Cards - Good for One Burrito, Burrito Bowl, Salad or Order of Tacos. When placing your bid on this item specify the number you want. (Max. cards 10). Thank you Chipotle for this donation!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Smile Picture Frame

Yellow Smile Picture frame. The Phrase: "Go on and smile! let that charming grin spread across your face!" Thank you The Afternoon for this donation!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Giggle Picture Frame

Green picture frame with pink heart. Phrase written on picture frame: "So its True! You're the giggliest girl in the world! and what a delightful title to have..." Thank you The Afternoon for this donation!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Healthy Sexy Hair Products

Pumpkin Rehydrating Shampoo and Conditioner. Product is endorsed by Katherine McPhee. "Perfect for all hair types."

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Pink Ribbon Lipstick Case

A black lipstick case with a pink ribbon on the outside. Lined with pink material and includes a small interior mirror. Thank you Regis for this donation!

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Pink Ribbon Change Purse with Key Chain

A black change purse with the pink ribbon logo. The change purse is lined with a pink ribbon fabric. There is a key chain attached to the zipper too! Thank you Regis for this donation!! We have multiple of this item.

Minimum Bid: $1

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions posted in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Gucci Compact

This is a purse size black Gucci Compact in black protective case. Thank you Gucci Watches for this donation.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post. Thank you for your support!

Gucci Keychain

Silver Metal Gucci keychain. Thank you Gucci Watches for donating these items. We have multiple of this item.

If you are interested in bidding on this item, please read the instruction post on August 26th. Thank you for your support!

Czech Crystal Purple and Black Bracelet and Earrings

This item was made by one of our own Pink Sprinkles! Thank you Sarah for this donation!!

If you want to bid on this item, please read the instructions posted on August 26th. Thank you for your support!

Czech Crystal Purple and Black Bracelet and Earrings

This item was made by one of our own Pink Sprinkles! Thank you Sarah for this donation!!

If you want to bid on this item, please read the instructions posted on August 26th. Thank you for your support!

Multicolored Bead Necklace, Bracelet and Earring Set

This set was made by one of our own Pink Sprinkles! Thank You Sarah for the donation!!

If you want to bid on this item, please read the August 26th post. Thank you for your support.

Pink Swarovski Crystal Bracelet

This item was may by one of our own Pink Sprinkles! Thank you Sarah for this donation!

If you like this item, please read the instructions in the August 26th post.

Black Necklace with Clear Swarovski Crystals and Matching Earrings

These items were hand made by one of our own pink sprinkles! Thank you Sarah for this donation!

If you like this item, please read the instructions from the August 26th post and place your bid in the comment section.

Silent Auction Instructions

Hello Readers! Welcome to the Pink Sprinkles last fundraising event before the walk!!! Our Silent Auction. All the items will be posted on this site tomorrow. We thought that you would benefit from the instructions prior to the auction starting.

All the items will be posted in invidual posts with comment sections.

If you would like to bid on an item, please put your name (or other designation), email address and bid in the comment section.
(Example: Pink Sprinkle pinksprinkle@email.com $50.00)

*** BY POSTING IN THE COMMENT SECTION WITH A BID YOU ARE OBLIGATING YOURSELF TO DONATE THE AMOUNT OF THE BID TO THE PINK SPRINKLE'S SILENT AUCTION. YOU ARE FURTHER OBLIGATED TO PAY THE AMOUNT NO LATER THAN ONE (1) WEEK AFTER THE BID CLOSES****

The auction will close on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 9pm.

If you are the winning bidder, you will receive an email from the host of the Auction confirming you won.

You will be emailed direction to make payment and arrangement for your item to be delivered. (Payment will be accepted in the form of cash or check only). We are willing to mail items to the winning bidders if the winning bidder does not live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

We will not deliver the items to the winner until we have received payment for the goods.


All donations will be donated to the Susan G. Koman for the Cure Foundation to support breast cancer research and to help those who have breast cancer, and their familes.

Thank you for your support! We appreciate everyone's help!

Warmest Regards,
The Pink Sprinkles
-- Melissa Hunt, Sarah Squillace, Jodi Young, Laurie Young --

The Auction

Tomorrow night we are meeting to arrange stuff for the silent auction. So keep an eye out right here for all these fun items. The rules will be posted tomorrow night. We are absolutely willing to ship items to you as well. So, even if you don't live in the Twin Cities and you like something, feel free to bid on it. Remember, everything is going to the Pink Sprinkles! It is our last fundraiser before the walk so make it worth it!

Its the End...

I have been meaning to post for a few days, but I was looking for the connector for my camera to the computer. I have yet to find it. I wanted to post the 2nd to last day of walks with the post, but I guess I'll have to do that at a later time.

Will and I went to see the Twins/A's game on Tuesday night since we both couldn't make it to the Wednesday day game. At the Tuesday game I took pictures of the players who walked. I thought it would be a cool thing to add to the post, but as I said, I'll do it at a later time.

The "Walks for a Walker" program officially ended Wednesday afternoon after the day game. So, if you said you would donate according to the number of walks the Twins earned from the first day of the season until August 20th, please feel free to donate at any point. If you did not say that you would donate, but feel the need to support the "Walks for a Walker" program, it would be appreciated if you could donate too!

Here is how things stand at the end of the Program:

Twins walks as of 8/20/08: 396
total walks in august: 79
walks in July: 82
walks in June: 71
walks in May: 106
walks in April: 58

Cubs home runs as of 8/20/08: 142
Cubs home runs in August: 20
Cubs home runs in July: 28
Cubs home runs in June: 32
Cubs home runs in May: 33
Cubs home runs in April: 29

Like I said earlier, I will continue posting. The next "big" thing that will be on the blog is our silent auction. We have some great items for you guys to bid on. As a teaser, some include chipotle gift cards, jewelry, gucci items and other fun stuff!! The auction will start next Wednesday!!!

Thanks for your support thus far! I greatly appreciate it!

One more day

There is only one more day left of my "Walks for a Walker" program. Its kind of sad that it is ending. I really don't know why... I guess it was something to always write about. I do think that I will keep track of the number of walks the Twins get during this season. Maybe Will will want to bring back his blog someday and write about it. I'm sure there are some statistics that can be formed from the number of walks a team gets.

If you are just reading my blog for the first time, I established this "Walks for a Walker" program to help raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 day walk in the Twin Cities. With this program people are donating a certain amount of money (of their choosing) for every walk the Twins earn from the first day of the season until tomorrow. I chose tomorrow because it is 1 month from when the walk is and it is the end of the A's series. If you want to donate, feel free to use the walks the Twins earned this season as a basis for your donation. Look at it this way, if you donate 5 cents per walk that is $19.40 or if you donated 50 cents per walk that is $194.00. (those numbers are based on walks as of last night) So, you can see the wide range of donating options.

I have also been keeping track of the number of home runs the Cubs hit because one of the people donating is a huge Cubs fan. I would even be willing to find the statistic of your choosing and figure out a donation plan for you.

I currently have raised almost $1400 for the walk. This value does not include all of the donations coming from the Walks for a Walker program. I need to reach 2200 by next month. I hope you will consider helping me out with this effort.

Don't worry, even after tomorrow I will keep you informed on what is going on with my walking. As a side note, Betsy, Will's little sister left for college today. It is really weird that she is going to be a freshman in college. When Will and I started dating she was only in 6th grade. How is that for making a 26 year old feel old? Oh well. Everyone needs to grow up. I wish her the best in her new adventures.

Here are your statistics:
Twins walks as of 8/18/08: 388
Cubs home runs as of 8/18/08: 142

Up North

Once again, I'm up north with my friend Sarah. She is also on the pink sprinkles and we walked at the beginning of the training (I posted pictures from that one earlier). This time we walked up in Ely. It was a great day to walk too. We walked almost 11 miles. We planned to walk today, but Sarah developed the grossest blister so we didn't walk. I really don't blame her for not walking because this blister looks PAINFUL! Instead, we are beading (or Sarah is) and making bracelets and earrings to sell for the silent auction. We will be having an online silent auction at the end of the month. Look for it!

I haven't watched the Twins recently. I guess the last time I watched the Twins was Wednesday night, but I was flipping back and forth between the Olympics and the Twins. That's the problem with the Olympics, I can't watch the Twins at the same time. I really do need the screen in screen sort of thing.

Anyway, here are the updates: (Only 3 more days to go!)

Twins walks as of 8/17/08: 377
Cubs home runs as of 8/17/08: 142

Same Old, Same Old

Nothing new is really going on with the walking progress. Yesterday, when I woke up to walk, it was raining and cold (mid-50s). Needless to say, I didn't walk. I slept in and it was wonderful. However, when I got home from work yesterday I did walk. Will was home and I asked him if he would walk with me. He said he would (which is always nice). He was editing some manuscript for a book for a friend so I waited until he was done. In the mean-time I got dressed and played with Hildy. Well, Hildy decided that she wanted to be a "pack-dog" and bring Will her toy dog. So I put it on her back and she walked into the "study" with the dog on her back. Then Hildy came back into our bedroom (where I was) with my bandana. So Will and I started this game. (We torment hildy). I sent her into the study with a tshirt for him to wear when he walked. She came back with the tshirt, so I sent her back into the study with a tshirt and a pair of shorts. However, she kept losing the shorts on her walk from the bedroom to the study. She would look at the shorts, then look at me, so I would put them back on her and she would carry on to the study. Hildy is a smart dog. Its too bad that I didn't get her when she was a puppy or I would have her trained to do all sorts of things.

Will and I walked our first mile in the rain. It actually didn't bother me at all. I needed to do a walk in the rain anyway. As part of the training we are supposed to do walks in all types of weather. Pouring rain, I hadn't done before. You dry off really quickly too when you are just wearing running shorts and a tshirt. My knee brace was even completely dry when I went to put it on for yoga this morning.

The Twins lost last night, but they put in a good effort.

Twins walks as of 8/13/08: 367
Cubs home runs as of 8/13/08: 135

Deck Furniture!

This weekend was quite the eventful weekend. Relaxing, but eventful. First on Saturday, I walked about 10 miles. My goal for the day was 14-15, but I only made it 10... I set out to walk from my house to the Minnehaha waterfalls, back and around lake harriet and back to our house. However, when I got to the point where I could either turn left and go home or continue straight and go around the lake, I turned left. I was SO BORED! I had my ipod, but even that wasn't motivating. I wasn't tired or anything, just bored. I really needed someone to talk to during the walk and it would have been better. Will couldn't join me because he was home waiting for the gas guy to come out and fix our grill. We have a grill in the back yard that is hooked up to our central gas line. I guess next time I try that walk, I will recruit someone to walk with me at least part of the way.



Once our grill was done, Will and I decided it was time to go out and buy deck furniture. Let me tell you, buying deck furniture in August in Minnesota is the smartest thing ever! Everything was well more than 1/2 off from its retail price. I know this because I spent my winter researching patio/deck/outdoor furniture for work. The furniture is supposed to be delivered today! We also bought other stuff for our backyard (light bulbs, stepping stones, etc.).



Saturday night we went to see Betsy (will's sister) dance at the Irish Fair and then saw Flogging Molly. What a great show!!!!



After this busy Saturday, I woke up Sunday and walked 5 miles. It wasn't bad at all. Then we spent all day yesterday at the Irish Fair. Betsy danced for her last time. Sad! I guess not for her though seeing how she managed to hurt her foot again. I guess her foot is telling her its time to stop dancing. :(



Today is a day off for walking.



Twins walks as of 8/11/08: 364

Cubs home runs as of 8/11/08: 135

The girl in the back with her leg kicked is Betsy.

The girl in the white is Betsy.

A Twins Win

The Twins won yesterday (finally!). They had some pretty horrible losses for the past 2 games. Will and I were watching the end of the game yesterday and kept thinking that the Twins were going to mess up and lose the game. They almost did, except Denard Span made an amazing-home-run-robbing catch in the 8th. It was very Torii-esqe. For those of you who don't follow the Twins Torii Hunter was the king of robbing home runs from players.

Slowly we are getting our house put together. Yesterday we got rid of almost all of the boxes in our living room. Now we just need to figure out where the bookcase is going to go that is sitting in the middle of the living room floor. We also need to figure out where our lamps are going to go. My dad was very generous and sent us 2 beautiful lamps for our house that are from the same time period as when the house was built. We just need to find the right lightbulbs and outlets to plug them in. Hopefully we can get some of that done this weekend.

There aren't many more days left until my walks for a walker program ends. So, think about donating without the program. Or if you are still at a loss for how much to donate, use the amounts below as a guide (you can do 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, etc.) Just consider donating.

Twins walks as of 8/7/08: 342
Cubs home runs of as 8/7/08: 131

Meeting Neighbors

Last night was National Night Out for those of you who didn't feel the need to hang out with your neighbors. Will and I took the opportunity to meet our neighbors (well not the ones immediately next door to us, but a block away). See, we live on a "busy" street that wouldn't really work for a block party. But, we were invited to the block party around the corner from us. It was amazing how many people where there who were within 5/10 years of us. AND we weren't even the "newest" neighbors. There was a couple at the block party who just bought a house and are moving in at the end of the month. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. It made us even happier about our move.

I made these amazing brownies too - S'mores brownies. I can't take complete credit for the recipe, it really belongs to Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. But I did make a slight improvement. I used graham cracker crumbs instead of quartered graham crackers. Anyway, here is the recipe:

- Make 1 box of brownies as normal.
- Bake for 5 minutes less than the recipe calls for
- Take the brownies out of the oven and cover the top with miniature marshmallows
- Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the minature marshmallows
- Cover the top of the chocolate chip/marshmallow mixture with graham cracker crumbs
put brownies back in the oven for the remaining 5 minutes
- Take out of oven after 5 minutes and let cool COMPLETELY (about 1/2 hour to an hour) uncovered. (This is very important otherwise your knife gets covered in marshmallows and you can't cut the brownies properly).
- Enjoy!!

I only watched part of the Twins game last night, but I heard it was awful. Here are your updates:

Twins walks as of 8/6/08: 338
Cubs home runs as of 8/6/08: 129

I know... It's August!

I have been kind of slacking in posting the past few days. I went up North for the weekend and didn't have cell phone access, much less internet access. However, I did keep up with my walking. I love that there are trails all over the state of Minnesota! It makes walking so much easier. Really, if you can't find a trail within 5 miles from where you live, then you aren't really looking (or that is the way it seems).

I didn't walk yesterday morning, or go to yoga, and I really felt it. I was SO tired all day. Then this morning I did my 5 mile walk and I am not tired or anything. I think waking up and walking gives me time to really wake up and focus my day. And there seem to be plenty of people like me. Every time I walk around the lakes, whether it is 5:30, 6 or 7a there are always people there. Minnesotans are so healthy compared to living in New Orleans. It could also be the weather. In New Orleans it is already 85 degrees by 6a. Here, it is in the 70s. Kind of nice, right?

I guess the Twins lost big yesterday, but it wasn't for a lack of walking. Here are the updates:

Twins walks as of 8/5/08: 334
Cubs home runs as of 8/5/08: 128

By the way, today is my mom's birthday! So if you want to give her a present, she would really appreciate a donation. If you want to donate to my mom, or myself or any of my teammates, send me an email or post and I'll let you know how to do it. THANKS!

OH! Here are the monthly updates:
Twins walks in July: 82
Twins walks in June: 71
Twins walks in May: 106
Twins walks in April: 58

Cubs home runs in July: 28
Cubs home runs in June: 32
Cubs home runs in May: 33
Cubs home runs in April: 29

Another Month is Just About Over

Well, it is the last day of July. This means that my Walks for a Walker program is close to ending. I will be ending my Walks for a Walker program one month prior to the day of the walk. This means August 19th. I know! Its getting really close! Hopefully in the last month the Twins will go on a walking rampage and have at least 5 walks a game! I doubt that will happen, but it would be nice.

Another sad thing is happening today too. It is my secretary's last day! She is leaving me for another law firm. Oh well. Everyone needs to move on with their career. But I will miss her! She is also moving just a few buildings down, so it is not like she is moving to St. Paul or something where we can never see each other again. :-P

I did go to the Twins game last night where Will was dubbed "Ball Point Guy." There were TONS of beach balls flying around the upper deck last night and Will thought it would be funny to pop one of the millions with his pen. Well, needless to say Aaron, Greg (Will's friend not his brother) and I all ducked for cover and sort of scooched a few inches away from him. You do not want to upset drunk college kids who are tossing a beach ball around. Nothing happened to us, but it is now something we will talk about for a while. Why people bring beach balls to baseball games is beyond me. You are there to watch the game and if you don't have the attention span to watch a baseball game and need a beach ball to distract you, maybe you shouldn't come to the game.

The game was pretty awful. Livan was Livan without his run support. This means that he pitched horribly. The White Sox had 8 hits before he was taken out of the game in the 4th inning. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that he is traded or released today. The Twins have enough pitchers that don't pitch "batting practice" to let Livan go.

I am glad I woke up early today (or normal for this week - I have been waking up at 530 every day). There is a massive storm coming our way and I was able to get 5 miles in before coming into work. This means that I am now around 13 miles for the week and it is only Thursday! My goal is to be walking around 30/40 miles a week before this walk.

One last thing... keep coming back to this website and tell your friends about it because the Pink Sprinkles will be hosting an online auction in the middle of August to raise money for our walk. We are hoping to put everything up around August 10th.

Here are your updates:
Twins walks as of 7/31/08: 317
Cubs home runs as of 7/31/08: 121

Will Walking

Today started out with pretty nice surprise. Will actually walked with me! It all started when we were driving back from Omaha and I told Will that I really needed to start walking again on an everyday basis (or every day I'm not going to yoga). He said that he would try to walk with me too. I told him that I would probably be walking in the morning and he responded, "Well, wake me up." So, Monday I woke up at 5:30 to set out to walk. I tried to wake Will up, but its Will and he wouldn't wake up. I ended up doing a nice 5 mile walk and still making it to work on time, if not slightly early. Then this morning I decided to do the same thing. The alarm went off at 5:30 and I asked Will if he would walk with me. Since he thought it was 6 (I didn't tell him what time I set the alarm for) he said he would walk with me!! Well, I think it took him until around 6 to actually get out of the house and therefore we only did 3 miles. Still, it was nice to walk with him. I think he was pissed when we were walking that we were up so early, but hey, we both got exercise and got our day rolling.

Tomorrow is another yoga day. I love yoga days. :)

The Twins have been pretty lucky the past 2 days with these games against the White Sox. They won yesterday as a birthday present to Sarah (Sarah's golden bday was yesterday!) and then they won today! Now the Twins are only 1/2 game back from the White Sox in leading the division! I don't know what we would do without Mauer and Morneau.

Here are your Twins and Cubs updates:
Twins walks as of 7/29: 315
Cubs home runs as of 7/29: 121

Omaha

Will and I just spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend in Omaha. Why Omaha you may ask. Will's family is from down there and we decided to surprise his grandparents. We called Will's grandparents on Friday when we were about 4/5 hours from getting there. They were so happy to have us.

We really didn't do too much in Omaha besides sit on his grandparents' porch and read. It was wonderful!! Then we spent time at Will's cousins' to play with his new daughter (who just turned 1 year old). Chloe, the daughter, was super cute and is learning how to "dance." This means bouncing up and down to shows on "Sprout." Overall, it was a great weekend.

However, I didn't get out to walk. I opted for sleeping and reading and hearing stories from Will's grandparents. So much better than walking. You know, sometimes you just need to spend time with family. So, tomorrow I'll walk again.

As for the Twins walks and Cubs home runs:
Twins walks as of 7/27/08: 311
Cubs home runs as of 7/27/08: 120

No New Posts This Weekend

To all of you diligent readers, I will not be around to post this weekend. I know you will greatly miss checking up on how I'm doing and my constant nagging for donations. I do hope to get at least one walk in this weekend. Maybe I can even convince Will to walk with me.

Will has been walking with me too. I don't know why he doesn't want to do the walk, but it is his choice. I can understand him thinking that the walk is an only-female-thing. However, I am a firm believer that men should be doing this walk too. After all, isn't it the men who want the boobs to be around? Should they be the ones out there with signs that say "SAVE THE BOOBS!" and "I LIKE BREASTS!"? I understand why it is mainly women, but every year there are a significant number of men diagnosed with breast cancer too.

When I was doing the expo walk I was talking to another walker who had participated in the 3 day 2 times before. The last time she walked she met a man who was in his 70s and was doing all 12 of the walks (there are now 14 different cities hosting the walk). He was walking because he had been diagnosed with breast cancer. We couldn't believe how great of shape he must have been in because he was essentially walking 30 miles every weekend for the entire summer.

All I have to say whenever I decide to do this walk again, I hope that there will be some members of my team from the opposite sex.

Have a great weekend!

No new stats because the games haven't been played yet today.

Another Fundraiser!

For the Pink Sprinkles to walk, each one of us needs to raise at least $2200. I know I keep saying this, but it is on the forefront of everyone's mind right now. Therefore, the Pink Sprinkles' are hosting another fundraising event. This time it is... COOKING SUPPLIES AND FOOD! Everyone loves food, right? Well, you aren't my friend if you don't love food. :) It is a Pampered Chef Party!

Here are the details:
August 14 (Thursday)
2034 Forest Drive
Richfield, MN 55423
From 7p - ?

There will be food samples and cooking supplies and entertaining supplies galore! I hope you will make it to the party! If you can't make it, but you still want to support the Pink Sprinkles, you can always order online and the proceeds will still go to the Pink Sprinkles. Just visit: www.pamperedchef.biz/cheftamisue then enter the code M5E3

I have been pretty good about exercising this week too! Like I said earlier this week, I walked Monday and Tuesday. Then I went to yoga yesterday and I walked today. I will be going to yoga tomorrow too. If all this yoga talk is inspiring you to try out yoga, I go to core power yoga. www.corepoweryoga.com. It is a great workout! I really started going about a month ago and my strength has seriously improved.

The Twins are off today, so no walks. :( Here are your statistics:

Twins walks as of 7/24/08: 305
Cubs homeruns as of 7/24/08: 113

Newly Painted Deck

The deck is complete! We have painted it and we have sealed it. Now all we need is furniture for it!! But now that the deck is complete my new goal is to raise enough money for this walk.

I am currently $1300 from the amount I need to walk. That's right $1300. Its a scary thought. I have 8.5 weeks to raise $1300. I hope you have as much confidence in me as I do to raise this money. If you need to know how to donate, just click the link on the side of this post. If you want to send in a check then there is a form once you click the link which you can download and print.

The Twins walks help out a lot! I will be keeping track of these walks until the day I walk. This means that if Aug 1 comes around or August 15 or September 1 and you can't figure out how much you want to donate, look at the Twins walks and figure out if you want to donate 10 cents, twenty five cents, or maybe even a dollar per walk. Any amount is greatly appreciated.

We will be having another fundraiser in August with Pampered Chef. Please let me know if you are interested in coming to the event! Remember, it is a fundraiser for the Pink Sprinkles!

Here are your update:
Twins walks as of 7/22/08: 305
Cubs home runs as of 7/22/08: 110 (the game is currently in the 3rd inning)

Keep On Walking

The garage sale/bake sale was somewhat of a success. We raised money, but we didn't sell everything, and we had a lot of baked goods left over. Oh well. At least we each have more money than we did on Friday, right? That's the point of this whole thing...

Yesterday I went to the Twins game with my friends Sandra and Ben and Will's friend Nate and his mom showed up in the 7th inning. It was a fun game to go to and the Twins got a few walks too! I love Twins walks! They also contribute to my walking in the 3 day.

I got an email this weekend reminding me that the walk is only 9 weeks away!! EEK! I got to get walking again! I did 3 miles today, and I'll walk tomorrow, and I'll go to yoga on Wednesday and so it goes. I need to beef up my walking, or the distance at least. I need to do more long walks than short walks now...

Here are the updates:
Twins walks as of 7/21/08: 300!!!
Cubs home runs as of 7/21/08: 110

PS - we painted our deck today. It looks amazing!!

Pink Sprinkle Garage and Bake Sale ~ Tomorrow!

The Pink Sprinkles will be having a garage sale and a bake sale tomorrow!! All the proceeds from the garage sale and the bake sale will be going towards helping the Pink Sprinkles walk in September for the 3 day. So, I think you should come!

Location: West 50th and Harriet, Minneapolis
Time: 10a - 4p

If you have stuff you would like us to sell for you (either for the garage sale or the bake sale) you can bring it by tomorrow and we'll price it and put it out for sale for you.

The Twins get back to playing baseball today, so for the past few days there have been no walks by the Twins. Sad. At least they are back to playing tonight. I think I'm going to the game on Sunday too. Let's hope they get me some more walks!! Remember, it is never too late to donate, just click on the link on the side!!!

Just to let you know what I have been up to for walking, I actually haven't walked since last Saturday when Jenni (the person I met on my 13 mile walk) and I did the 3 lakes. I thought it was 12 miles, but it really was only 10. Oh well. I have been going to yoga a lot more recently. I have no idea why I quit for a few months. I don't do the hot yoga right now, though. With it being summer and not having AC in our house, waking up and going to yoga in a 90+ degree room just isn't my idea of fun. I'll probably start hot yoga when it gets cooler outside, or we get AC in the house.

Hopefully, I'll walk on Sunday. Since tomorrow is the garage sale, I don't think I'll have time. I hope to see you there!!!

Back in Action

I'm back posting now. I had to take time off to study. The past few weeks I have been preparing to take the patent bar exam. I needed to take the patent bar to become an official patent attorney. In the U.S. there are specific requirements to becoming a patent attorney, and the most important one is passing the exam (100 multiple choice questions in 6 hours). I took the exam today. Since the exam is computerized and multiple choice, you get the results immediately. And... I PASSED! That means that I don't have to take another test for the rest of my life! (or I hope!)

It also means I get my life back. I can go back to walking, fund-raising and posting on this blog! Speaking of fund-raising, the Pink Sprinkles are having a garage sale/bake sale this Saturday, July 19th. If you want to stop by and look though our stuff or buy a baked good or two, feel free! Also, if you have anything you want to contribute, baking or selling wise, we are more than happy to take it! So, get your spring/summer cleaning done and bring your stuff over so we can sell it to raise $ for the Pink Sprinkles and therefore the Susan G. Komen fund!

We are also having a Pampered Chef party in August. If you are interested in coming to the Pampered Chef party, let me know!!

Since it is the All-Star break there are no baseball games. But, since I haven't posted in a while, lets check out to see how the Twins and Cubs are doing...

Twins walks as of July 14, 2008: 289
Cubs home runs as of July 14, 2008: 107

On another note, Happy Bastille Day! If you don't know what Bastille Day is you need to beef up on your French History!

I promise to post a lot more often now that I'm back!!! Also, my office is starting a blog related to Intellectual Property Law. Make sure to check it out! You can find the blog by clicking on the blog link at www.nm-iplaw.com.