however, I can't guarantee that it will always make sense, flow in the current timeline or have the correct grammar or punctuation. Thanks for the forgiveness.
ALSO: I am having some major technical difficulties tonight. And, I have no idea why...but it's irritating me to no end. All the pictures that I took today aren't uploading to my laptop. I'm going to continue working on it, but until then....here's a verbal recap.
Well, hey everybody! I hope you all had a great Friday! It was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Atlanta. The temperature when we left the house, heading for Stone Mountain (where the opening ceremony was held & where the walk officially began), was a brisk 39 degrees. We were all decked out in our team shirts, team hats, and lots & lots of pink! We had a taxi bring us to the start & ended up having about an hour or so before everything "began" to just walk around and take in all the amazing sights. I can't even tell you how many times I had to lose the group for a few minutes simply to regain my composure & wipe the tears from my eyes. It's hard to put in to words the emotions that erupt when music is playing loudly over speakers, signs & banners are flying overhead and all around you are women (and men) walking & singing & dancing with so much pride and joy and exhilaration. There were women there with short hair like mine, women with long hair in pony tails, and women who were bald, some even with bandanas covering their cold hairless heads. There were women who had walked this path before and women who, like me, were walking in for the first time - wandering around aimlessly with nowhere to go but 20 miles to cover. There was, undoubtedly, a buzz in the air that was intoxicating. You couldn't be there and not be drunk.
The opening ceremony kicked off & there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Dr. Sheri Phillips, the national spokeswoman for Susan G. Komen, was the hostess of ceremonies and she was incredible!!! She, herself, is a survivor and a past walker of the 3 Day. She talked about the many different reasons we all do this walk. Some walk for ourselves (survivors), some walk for our family members, & some walk for our friends. All walk for those who've suffered, not only those who have won the battle, but also those who have lost and aren't with us anymore. Regardless of why we walk, everyone deserves a lifetime and that's why we all were together as the sun came up over Stone Mountain Park this morning.
Once the walk officially began, we were greeted throughout the day with many cheering sections (2 of which included local elementary schools. O.M.G. How adorable were the small children standing out on the street, holding homemade signs of pink ribbons they drew & colored themselves, chanting, "Find A Cure!"). In addition, there were many pit stops set up for us. There we found port-a-potty's, water & gatorade and many delicious, healthy snacks. We were set up & didn't have to worry about a thing all day!
The day is where the meat & potatoes of the story occurred. It's where we met others on this journey and learned about their stories. It's where we laughed (and cried) together as a team as we retold our own story. It's where we hugged strangers, held hands with the walker right next to us & took picture after countless picture of the scenes we were witnessing - just so we could hang on to this feeling of camaraderie in the midst of war. I am so upset about the picture issue (not downloading to the blog) right now, I can't even focus. I promise to get this problem resolved just as quickly as I can. Even if it means downloading one picture at a time. ugh.
The day wrapped up downtown (Um, Stone Mountain to downtown Atlanta on foot?! Anyone who knows this city knows that is bonkers! And, if you don't...check out a map just to see how much terrain we covered today! Whew.). Team Diamond Stone finished feeling sore & pretty pooped. But so thrilled that Day 1 & the first 20 miles was under our belt.
We have made it home, had a delicious dinner & have all showered and are winding down the day. Everyone's tired & worn out - but so thankful to be here together experiencing this amazing event. Thank YOU for being here with us, too!
Stay tuned. We’ll be back at this in just a few hours. Time for some shut eye.
xoxo,
Kim
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” ― Audrey Hepburn
Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown
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