Introducing the Juggernauts

I have been walking in the breast cancer 3-Day since 2004. I became involved with the adventure in July 2004. I signed up for my first walk as a commitment to my husband's 2nd cousin's wife, Jenny. The female members of her family had been obliterated by breast cancer and she needed someone to walk with. It was the 1st year the walk came to AZ. Alex was 9.

Fast forward to 2005, after my 2nd walk with my mother-in-law and a coworker, Alex had become accustomed to the craziness of the 3-Day. Pink was slowly woven into the culture of our family. Words like "boobies" and "juggs" became commonplace in a house with only one female (1 man, 1 boy, 3 male dogs, and a mom). My family readily accepted the new obsession, sometimes standing for hours by the side of the road, just to catch a glimpse of me walking by. After washing his brain pink, Alex came up with the pact: if I walked in a 3-Day each year until he was old enough (there's a 16 year old age limit), he would walk with me!

Alex knew his time was coming. Training walks occupied weekend mornings. Every donation prompted a quick happy dance in which he would participate. After each annual 3-Day weekend, I would come home with stories of blisters, walker stalkers, and camping. The tales always ended in, "and in "x" years, you'll know what it's like" With all of this preparation, I don't know that it's actually hit him that he will be walking in 9 short months.

There are a few goals I would like to achieve during the next year of walking with my son:

First, I want to know my kid better. When he was younger, I knew everything about him. I controlled, for the most part, almost every aspect of his life. Now that he is a teen, he is becoming mysterious. I try to talk to him about his dreams, his beliefs, and his friends...but he's a tough nut to crack...8 hours of walking makes people loopy...maybe he'll let something slip ;)

Second, I'd like him to know me better...the good, the bad, the blistered. Although I will need to modify some of my walking stories (those of you that have walked with me know what I'm talking about) I have some things I'd like to pass on that just need the opportunity to come out.

Third, natural learning opportunities. I've learned so much from the 3-Day. Adversity, challenge, conflict, triumph, joy, silliness, sadness, frustration, pain, admiration, and possibility are just some things I hope he experiences during this journey. I hope the comittment of raising $2300 will teach him goal-setting and planning. Basically, I hope that this experience will teach him things that will make him a productive adult with compassion and the realization that he is not the only person on earth.

I'm excited about the journey I'm about to take with my child! I hope to document the ups and downs of training, fundraising and completing the 60 mile walk with a teenager...I hope you enjoy reading about it! We are Seattle bound (forgot to mention...he picked the city AND the name of our team...Juggernauts, "you can walk whether you have juggs, or not") and ready to take on the challenge of walking 60 miles and raising $5,000!!!! We have agreed that we want to raise as much money as possible to fight breast (and all) cancer so the sky's the limit!!!!