3 Day Chicago

What an amazing few days it has been! Besides being in Chicago since Thursday with one of my dearest & sweetest friends in the world, Kristy, I have gotten to experience one of the most heart touching & emotional events of my life. The 3 day 60 mile walk benefitting Susan G. Komen is now something I have to do & has been officially added to the bucket list.

Back in the latter part of this last winter, I got the privilege of meeting a very special person, Gloria Cooley. I had only communicated by e-mail & blogs with her. Another friend, Jeanine Joyner had been put in touch with her through a mutual friend of hers & Gloria's. So Gloria & her precious baby Ella, made a leap of faith & decided to come visit us. Let me tell you...what a darling! A genuine friend from the get go. She smiles from ear to ear & her spirit for our Lord is evident.

To get on with the story, Gloria's mom had breast cancer several years ago & Gloria while still living in Texas at that time, decided to do the 3 day in Dallas. Last year she took off because she had a baby on Aug 12...pretty lame excuse if you ask me. This year she decided to walk again & her fundraising page featured me. I was blown away. Earlier in the week after viewing her 3 day page, a little voice was pushing me to go. I'm a very spontaneous person to begin with, so I got a flight, room, & rental car set up & Kristy Gross decided to be spontaneous with me. I knew I could count on her. We got there on Thursday afternoon & got checked in at the hotel, then went to Gloria's house. We flew into Midway, so of course everything was at least 45 minutes away. Gloria's friend, Lindsay Rogers, who is from Texas flew in to walk with her. Gloria's sweet hubby, Daniel, & Ella joined us for pizza at Giordano's. It was delicious as always. We made a quick trip to Target for a few last minute items then back to Gloria's house so they could get up early.

On Friday morning, we met them for the opening ceremony. The music, the speaker & the sea of pink gave me goose bumps. I have been to many SGK events, but this one was extra special. We found Gloria & Lindsay & got hugs & pictures before the walk started. They herded all the walkers in one area so they could file out down a path with supporters on each side cheering, throwing confetti, & basically having a big pep rally. We saw some crazy get-ups...boobs on caps, men wearing hot pink bras over their shirts. I saw women in wheelchairs, ones with oxygen, arms in slings, feet that could hardly carry them & those that looked like they were in therapy or just finished. Amazing women everywhere you looked.

After leaving the opening ceremony, we grabbed some breakfast. From there we had some time to waste before they would make it to the first cheer station. We had time to go make a sign & get Dove chocolates & charms blow pops to hand out to the walkers. Cell phones & the GPS made life somewhat easier those two days. Although a few times the GPS decided to have a mind of her own & take us out of the way. Right after lunch the rain set in for the evening. When they finished for the day, we picked them up at camp at Oakton Community College. They were drenched & so cold. I forgot to add that we had this "smurf blue" Dodge Caliber rental car. You could spot us a mile away. I told Kristy that God knew what he was doing when we got this car. We took them back to the hotel to shower, & get to bed.

Kristy & I went to Shaw's on Friday night to get some great seafood. When you go to Chicago it is a must to eat at Shaw's. After getting back to the hotel & settling in bed, Kristy started feeling bad. I had fallen asleep & had woke up to the room door closing. Bless her heart...she was so sick, but I have to say she is one of those graceful, quiet vomiters. If that is a word.?. She will kill me for writing this. She might have gotten 2-3 hours of sleep at best. The next morning I just let her sleep & brought her back something to eat. She was too weak to even pack her bag, poor thing. We checked out & got on the road to see Gloria one last time. Fortunately we found the walkers quickly & drove to a shady spot & waited. I could tell Kristy was struggling, so I found their next checkpoint & we met up for one last hug & goodbyes. It was hot & humid by midday, but they only had about four miles to go.

The drive back to the airport had to be the longest and bumpiest ever. I was starving and could feel my blood sugar dropping by the second. I was wanting one good hotdog before boarding the plane. It was not to be found on Cicero ave that is for sure. One of the longest roads from the airport to the North Shore. On top of that the Garmin GPS went bonkers again, so I'm sure we went a few minutes out of the way. I finally got my hotdog, but it was in the airport. I must say not bad, but at that point anything would have satisfied the hunger.

Gloria and I texted and called with updates. Sunday was on Lakeshore drive and downtown. The closing ceremony was at Soldier Field. She made it with two blisters on each foot, which is much better than her first time. By 4p or so the closing ceremony had started. How I wish I could have been there, but my two kiddos were in a two day golf tournament, so I wanted to be there for at least one day of it. I told Gloria I hoped her feet were ok and her response was blisters don't require chemo. She is such an amazing person. She is one of the few in life that is so selfless and giving. I believe God made women with a special kind of strength. One that influences, perseveres, and endures. Here's to you Gloria. I love you!

...be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Eph 6:10