Day two....

Day two, Kendra and I were determined to get up and on the route as soon as we were able so we would be lagging behind. When we got up, the only thing I wanted to do was shower and brush my teeth. I felt SO gross.. haha! They had very large shower trucks with very large tanks of water.. and that felt almost as good as home at that point. After we got dressed, we went over to the dining tent and got some food and walked back to grab out things and get on with our 21.6 miles. And.... we walked. And we walked. We passed one lady's home that had a little table set up in front of her house. She had a basket full of plums off of her tree. She said she had so many and she was so glad to give them because she wasn't sure what to do with them. They were increadible! We started up one small hill and I just wasn't quite into it. I stepped to the side so people could pass by. I was out of breath. Everyone smiled, kept walking. I was just fine with that. Then a girl says "wow! You must be tired! How far along are you?" And thus started my day two.

There were many more people cheering for us. A sweet lady who had dyed her hair pink playing a drum for us. Many drivers and passerbys honking, giving us thumbs up. Houses decorated with signs and small stations with signs that say "Thank you walkers, help yourself" to water, treats, lemonade, etc.

We continue to walk and get to the next pit stop. We stop and use the restroom and tried to find some sunscreen. I ran out! Kendra and I had been sharing a spray bottle and actually ran out! I called my dear sweet boyfriend and her husband and made a request list for things they should bring to the cheering station. A bandana to dip in cold water and tie around my head, more spray sunscreen, claritin. Kendra decided she would also find some moleskin because one of her toes was bothering her. I started chatting with two ladies who were sitting down in the pavillion while I waited. And the dreaded words came out of her mouth "I don't know HOW you do it. I can barely do it now, I can't imagine how it would have been if I were pregnant." I just tried to hold it together and gracefully exit the area. Luckily Kendra was ready to go. So.. off we went.

More cheering people, more smiles, more signs, more beautiful scenary. Then we came to the first cheering station. They had a freakin' AMAZING cookie buffet. They had large pieces of foam board in which we could write names of people we would like to have prayers said for. It was so touching! At this point we had been walking so much that I couldn't figure out if I liked uphill or down hill better. When walking up hill, it burned and it was tough. I would get winded easier. But downhill seemed to be overall more painful. At some point we saw a lady walking down a hill backwards. That was a whole new feeling. I loved it, with the exception of the fear of walking into something or stepping on my own feet.

Somewhere along the line, Kendra had to use the restroom. After walking through a residential neighborhood, we finally came to an area with some businesses. So we popped our heads into a gas station and a Subway and they refused to let us use the bathroom!! I was dumbfounded. Anytime we have had to stop in a business to use their restroom, most of the walkers made it a point to buy something. So.. I could understand if there were thousands of women wanting to use the bathroom and leave but.... WOW! Luckily, right after we turned the corner, there was a bar that volunteered there bathroom (just as shocked as we were that someone wouldn't let us use the bathroom) though... we didn't buy anything in the bar. Heh. Bar and Beer cooler in two days! :) We were just waiting to see "Caboose" when we stepped out of the bar. Hehe. I have to say that even though there were some businesses that weren't all that gung ho about particpating in the fun and the spirit of the event, there were SO many others that went above and beyond, that their very presence and outpouring of support could be overwhelming at moments. That is what helped me get through 60 miles. This event did much for helping to restore my faith in mankind.

After the next pitstop, I realized I had left my camera on the table by the portapotties. GRR. Luckily we saw a sweep van shortly thereafter and they said they would go grab it, if we stayed put. They made a comment as they drove away about me being pregnant.. and here came the tears. I just couldn't stop em. I didn't have the heart to correct them. The ladies in this particular van had come to be a familar face and I just didn't want make them feel bad. I felt bad enough. I kind of a came to a point that day that I just didn't much want to finish the event because the preganancy comments were just too much for me. But I kept going anyway. Poor Kendra. Not that I didn't know it already, but I am convinced that she is a saint. For real. She just loved me anyway, even though my crying and forgetting my camera slowed us down she just loved me anyway. Next stop was lunch. As we walked towards it.. we got a great view of the water. It was.. amazing! The homes in this area are what most people just day dream about. What a treat!

Just before lunch, we came across many decorations reading "Mama Fox's Block" We were trying to get to lunch and not get swept so I don't know the whole story, but if i remember right, a family member that lived on that block had passed away from breast cancer. You can tell she was very loved. There were pictures, streamers, refreshments, and a balloon arch, and many many people cheering.
Not two far down the road, Kendra decided to be swept to lunch. I really wanted to finish so I kept going. Teri, the Caboose, caught up to me. But luckily she didn't have me swept, she just walked into lunch with me. It was kind of nice because I got to chat with her and it was nice to know about her and why she was here. What a neat lady! She told me about her small baby at home and how she would get to see her that night. I think we were all looking forward to seeing familiar faces, crew and walkers alike. Day two, I was the last person to lunch. At this point, Kendra and I both were looking forward to the afternoon cheering station as our family would be there to cheer us on. We were both dying to see them. So we just kept trucking on. When we went through the intersection and at first sight of my boyfriend I just wanted to bawl. Kendra did. That is the longest time she has ever gone without seeing her baby. She had on a little pink cape that kendra made to mimic ours and she insisted Kendra walk up and down the sidewalk with her. I think she enjoyed the attention. She was pretty adorable. We did stay a little too long and ended up getting swept to the next pit stop. That shorted us about 3 miles. I was a bit sad about that. Though, it was worth it to get to see everyone for a few extra minutes. I have to say I was very sad that we didn't get swept by our "surfer girls." Everything after that was a blur until close to the end. My calves were killing me as were my feet so I did alot of stretching that afternoon. Our path lead us behind camp into a wooded area. I think it may have been some sort of dog park. That was a nice, brief, change of scenery. We came to the end of many lined up at the fence cheering as we walked through.
Even though I was tired, I had much more energy that night. We went to dinner, checked out some of the sponser's tents, the remeberance tents, and watched a Pirate Wedding! I love you dear friends and family that have been married in my presence BUT.. This was the COOLEST wedding I have EVER been to. The vows were very customized, it was full of humor and smiles and.. .LOVE. So much love in so many ways. Love for each other, love for mankind, love for the cause. Love. We also got to meet "Caboose's" beautiful daughter and husband AND saw our "Peeps" for a few mintues. They had been marking day three and said we would love it.

Kendra and my game plan was to shower at night so we could get right up and pack everything up on day 3. So we didn't stay up too late. 4:30 came a bit early.