BOO!

Happy Halloween, everyone. It's time for the kids to have fun and the dentists to benefit. I'm not a huge candy person, but I do find myself picking out all the Snickers and PB cups after I put my girls to bed. But, I won't eat the PB cups until after they've been in the freezer for a few hours. I'm weird that way. The last few years I've noticed a lot of sugar alternatives on the market. It started with the mini micro popcorn, pretzel bags, and now there are even tiny playdough cans. I guess that's all good and fun and the kids will take a treat of any kind, unless we're talking apples. (I do remember receiving one apple in my life. I think that was when it was actually safe for a child to be outside alone.)For those of you taking the kids trick/treating tonight, have fun! And get some pictures of those costumes. For those of you celebrating an adult Halloween, take er easy! It's only Wednesday and that could make for a long rest of the week. Been there.

And doesn't this couple look like Fergie and Justin Timberlake??

Time is on my side

(no it's not!)

Occasionally the time stamp of these postings is relevant, and other times it is not. I can remember a few situations where it may have either looked like there was a post before the event actually happened, or as if I was sitting there with my laptop at that exact moment. Of course we all know that isn't true, because I do have somewhat of a life.

Anyway...an fyi. It appears that postings are usually stamped a few hours earlier than when I post them. (The last one was 2 hrs and 13 minutes off.) What the? Is that important to anyone? Maybe, maybe not. I just don't want to cause any confusion. I know in the past I had looked at the time when Carol blogged, for various reasons. It's probably some silly time zone thing, so I'm going with that.

There's no I in team

What a day.

Turns out nobody cared whether we had a ticket to get in or not. And it wasn't chaos at all with the racing going on. I don't even think there were people actually watching those stock cars going around the track. It appeared to be just "us". And even though there weren't any problems finding the team, I'll apologize for telling you all to meet by the wall. The wall wasn't. Instead of having a survivor wall standing tall, they had paper draped over tables by the registration area. So, a few changes here and there, but it all worked out.

We had a mixture of almost-rain, clouds, strong winds and sun. By starting time (noon) the clouds were clearing out and blue skies were bright. It made me smile...blue-sky days were important to Carol.

The walk was brisk and hard to predict! One corner brought fierce, strong winds into our faces that encouraged everyone to zip up a little higher and gasp a "good grief!"....then the next corner would be hot and we'd start shedding layers. My face is bright pink and warm tonight. I can't decide if it's sunburn or windburn, but I'm figuring maybe a product of both.

The star of the day was Carol's dad, Dick. Unbelievable. The guy is a machine. He lead the pack when we started out, carrying Carol's walking stick and a bright pink sign announcing that we were Carol's Crusaders. It bore a beautiful picture of Carol. As the team broke up here and there I passed Dick at one point, but always kept a close eye on him by the sign. He caught up, said hi to me, and then marched forward. That was the last I saw of him! A few of us tried to track the pink sign over the next few miles and it got further and further away from us, meaning that Dick was really cruising! He finished four miles in one hour and three minutes! We were so proud of our leader. Not bad for a 75-76 year old. (I apologize for the uncertainty there, Dick, but your daughter, Sue, wasn't sure how old you are....so she thinks that's your age.) :o)

Dominic was dubbed the "Pied Piper". He walked with all the young cousins...another moment that made me smile.

The walk was good, as was the company. The team really rocked this year.
Bert, we sure missed you!

We had a nice dinner at Brian's house after. Food was plentiful, the kids ran crazy outside and everyone enjoyed the time together to catch up and chat. I can't speak for everyone, but I felt a warm feeling tonight. (Maybe it was my burnt face....kidding!!) It was a day of Carol's favorite people, all together in one place. That gives me a warm fuzzy.

A huge thanks to Sue for all the organizing and team announcing. It was a job well done that does not go unappreciated. Thank you to Brian for opening up his home to us and hosting the dinner gathering, not to forget the Stecker family that did all the setup work. Thanks to Deb for inviting, reminding and dinner planning. Thanks to every member of the team for taking time out of their busy lives to walk today and raise the pledge money that could make a difference. And last but not least, a big thank you to all of those that read this blog and donated to this wonderful cause.

I must also extend a hug to those that provided fabulous therapy for me today. There were many, but words from Jerry and Kate stuck out. You're all good people.

Who found the golden ticket??

A few people have been asking today if the entrance tickets were coming in the mail. I didn't get mine...until I got home today and saw it in the mailbox, finally. You should get a small white postcard that has a little map on it. That is your entrance ticket. If you do not get yours by tomorrow (Friday), and the walk is creeping up right upon us, there is a ticket that you can print off from the American Cancer Society. Sue asked me to post it on the blog here, but the stupid software won't let me post an attachment. Grrr. Please call me or Sue and we will email you the ticket to print out.

They also said that they'll have a list of all registered participants at the gate, so I don't think that anyone will get kicked to the curb without a ticket.

Some of you know that there will be stock car races on Saturday, also. That is NEW to everyone. Usually the track is all ours and it's a very pleasant day/experience. We have NO idea why they booked two events of this size on the same day, but we're thinking it may be a little chaotic. Lord knows there are plenty of people there just for the cancer walk. I can't imagine what a zoo this may turn into, but let's all hope they know what they are doing. There are races in the morning, a break for us to walk, and then races in the aft. Ugh.

It could be a little tougher finding everyone by "the wall" than we had expected. Please call me or Sue if you have trouble. Most of us know a few people on the team, so keep your eyes open and do your best to find Carol's Crusaders. Sue will have a TEAM sign...and most of us should know some of the Stecker or Breiter crew.

Dress in layers, be prepared for some rain (cross fingers) and better early than late.
And thanks to all for being a part of this great team!!!
I know that Carol is looking down, incredibly proud.

What to wear, what to wear

Sue has all of the T-shirts for next Saturday (for those of you that registered before 10/15). If you'd like to pick yours up before the walk, she will be in Sheboygan by mid-afternoon on Friday, the 26th. She will be staying at the Sleep Inn off of I-43, just north of Oostburg.
You may contact Sue at 608-516-6811.

The day of the walk we will be meeting by "the wall" between 11:00-11:30. I would recommend checking in and submitting your donations before then. I don't know the official name of the wall, but it is where the survivors and family members may sign and/or leave messages for loved ones. It's not far from the starting line. If you have any problems finding the team, call Sue's cell (above).

This is by far a record number of team members and dollars raised for Carol's Crusaders.
Let's make it a great day!!

We interrupt this program

Sue has an important message for all walkers. Please read:

Hello Carol's Crusaders! I picked up the t-shirts today from the ACS in Madison, and found out something that is a HUGE change from years past. If anyone you know is planning to walk or come along as a spectator, but is not registered, get them registered! Since there is a Road America stock car race that day, Road America is requiring that all walkers AND spectators have an entrance ticket. Tickets will be mailed a week before the event, but will only be mailed to registered participants. (By registering before the 19th, the $15.00 registration fee will go to the American Cancer Society, rather than to Road America the day of the walk.) This applies to my family, for example. I only registered myself, even though all 5 of us are walking. I have to go in and register the other 4 members of my family so that we can all get in on race day. If you have any questions about this or any other walk details, give me a shout.

When does it stop hurting?

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've show my face around here. I guess at times I'm either not sure of what to say, or I'm afraid to really say it. Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but I'm starting to doubt that. The pain may have eased a bit since July, but I'm still having a hard time coping with Carol's absence. I know I'm not alone and have recently chatted with family members and friends that are unsure of how to deal with their anger and frustration, too. Nobody has any answers. We just all miss Carol so much!

The RA walk is something I look forward to each year. It's an emotional event for most and a celebration of life for others. It's going to be tough this time. I always looked for Carol and the team at our "meeting spot" before the event started. During the walk we all talk of our families and the events going on in our lives. Even when the weather was cold, rainy or close to miserable (which was often the case), it was such an invigorating walk that we'd tend to forget about the dreary day surrounding us.

The last two months I have been excited about the walk getting closer. I can't wait to see all the family and friends again! I was anticipating some hard moments, but overall I thought it was going to be a day for us to celebrate Carol and put our happy hats on. Now that it's nearing...I'm a little nervous. Of course I'm still looking forward to seeing everyone, but there's this anxiety setting in. Ugh.....