The Walk

Today was the March of Dimes walk. I got up at 6:05 AM, ate a strawberry NutriGrain bar (I know it's not on my meal plan, get over it), loaded the wagon in the back of The Bus, put in the coolie bag I'd packed last night, woke Reyna up, then woke Carson and Maisie up and put them in their carseats. I almost forgot the directions which would have been bad since I had no idea where I was going. Surprisingly, we left right on time at 6:30. Sleepy-head Kelly decided she was going to stay home.

The drive over to Clearwater was beautiful. There was hardly any traffic, the sun was just rising up over the water, and the weather was gorgeous. I surprised myself by making it to the walk without getting lost or having to turn around 20 times. Many of the homes along Bayshore Blvd were dreamy and Reyna and I enjoyed pointing out our favorites. To my surprise, we arrived right on time beating the Tampabaymomslikeme.com coordinator, Liz, by 5 minutes. We loaded the kids up and headed for the tent area.

It was great to see the many different teams that busnisses, friends, and families had formed. Publix had the largest team by far with Wachovia coming in second. At the registration booth, I was able to pick up my free purple T-shirt since I'd raised $100 which was double my goal! This was due to the generosity of my biological dad and my 2 sisters-in-law, thank you all sooo much! Liz and I met up with another TMLM mom, Sabrina, who had her mom and baby with her. A little bit later another mom, Jessie, arrived with her 12 year old daughter (she's the reason I dragged Reyna along, haha).

We all had on our white TMLM shirts and were ready to go! Everyone lined up and began walking while we waved to a Fox News cameraman who was filming the start of the walk. We quickly reached the first check point which was so crowded I have no idea what was there. The next one had bananas and orange juice so we all stopped to get some. The third check point had American Flags which Reyna and her new friend grabbed and stuck in their hair. We missed out on the Cracker Jacks but did sign up to win Rays baseball tickets at the halfway mark! We walked and chatted the whole time and I found I had a lot in common with the Jessie, the mom of the 12 year old. Apparently we walked a bit too slow for Liz, Sabrina and Sabrina's mom because they kept getting way ahead of us.

Before we knew it, we were back at the start line and it was just after 9:00. Jessie had another activity to get to so we said good-bye. The rest of us headed for Main Street where we found a little Greek restaurant that served breakfast all day. Chatter was contstant as we exchanged "mom"stories, laughed, and had a wonderful time.

One by one we went our separate ways. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. We raised money for a worthy cause and made some new friends.

Slacker Fattie tip- Get involved with a local charity or organization. It's good for the soul to do something for someone othan yourself or your family. Volunteering is good for the soul.

Sexy Meal Plan tip- Make sure you eat a healthy meal before starting a walk or marathon. Don't forget to stay hydrated during the event as well. The banana and oj (though not on my meal plan) gave me the energy I needed to complete the 3 mile walk.