A Walk To Remember

Here in Hudson, WI - where I live, we are considered part of the Twin City metro...as in Minneapolis/St. Paul...Minnesota. We participate in all of their activities. Our T.V. stations are Minnesota based. We hear about all of the Minnesota candidates...never Wisconsin. (We have to really research those out...) It's so weird whenever I have to explain things to family and friends...yes, I live in Wisconsin...no, we don't participate in Wisconsin things...it's always Minnesota. I (usually) shop in Minnesota. I see all of my cultural and sporting events in Minnesota. I have not given my heart over to the Vikings, though...I *heart* the Packers, yet...but I must say I favor the Twins and the Wild (that's hockey for you who don't follow...). And, when they aren't playing the Packers, I have gone to Vikings games and cheered on the Vikings...so sue me. ;) (I can't help it! All of the Minnesota stadiums are a hop, skip and a jump away! The Wisconsin stadiums are 5 or 6 hours away!)

Anyhow, yesterday was no different. For my regular readers, you know I have M.S. The Wisconsin Chapter of the National M.S. Society held their M.S. Walks last weekend. The closest one was about an hour or more away. The chapter in my hometown is part of (you guessed it) the Minnesota Chapter, because we are considered Twin City Metro (even though we are Wisconsin). So, since the Minnesota Chapters held their MS Walks this past Sunday (yesterday), the one in Hudson, Wisconsin was yesterday, too!

A bunch of my friends formed a team and dubbed it "Pennie's From Heaven." Cute, huh? (My son Aaron read my team shirt and said, "Nice, Mom! A little conceited, are we?) I didn't name the team! ;) Anyhow, our team raised $1,435! That's pretty impressive, if you ask me! Thanks to a few of my bloggy buddies who contributed! We worked for our money...the temp here in Wisconsin yesterday was about 34 degrees! Crazy! There was a 1.5 mile walk and then others could continue on for a 3 mile one. One of my friends has bersitis and she headed back early. A few of us were FREEZING and I don't do too well in extreme temps, so I did the shorter walk with a few of my friends (one had a stroller with a couple of young kids, so they were cold, too). A few braved the cold and did the longer loop.

But...we did it!!!

I had plans to go out to dinner with a few friends, one who was a walker with me (sans stroller and kids). Afterward, we had plans to meet up with others and see another friend speak at an event. I made it to the dinner date, but I had to bow out of the rest. I was so exhausted! It was a long day!

I came home, took a bath, and vegged out.

I still feel exhausted and sore today. I think it was being out in that weather.

I have plans to have coffee and meet with a writer friend of mine this morning at Caribou. We do this every few months. She has self-published one book, but has written another that we've been gnoshing over. This one has gone to a publisher and is in the works! I'm so excited for her! She's been after me to get going on one myself, but with my ministry stuff, I seem to run out of time. So, we'll probably talk about her book and I'll make excuses why I'm not writing myself. :) I don't know...the publishing world isn't what it used to be. If you actually get a book published, you have to do a lot of marketing yourself...you have to be willing to travel around and I'm not sure I'm willing to leave my family. I tire easily these days.

I sound like I'm making excuses, don't I? Maybe I am.