well i didn't WANT to be an american idiot...

...but I am. Why? Because I went on a 15 mile walk on the hottest day of the year so far and did not bring sunscreen. WHOOPS. Somehow every year I think, "This. This is the year I will tan. This is IT." But it never is. So now I'm suffering the consequences in the form of lobster skin and lots of Gatorade. At least I'm not this much of an American Idiot:

BUT let me tell you about this walk! I took a 7:51am train (oof) to Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, where I met five other 3Day walkers and we embarked on this delightful walk. We walked through forest, along water, and through these delightful little shore towns, but the scenery didn't hold a candle to the company. These women (and man) were so inspirational. Some of them had done as many as seven walks and couldn't wait to go back for more. We talked about everything from our families, our travels, and our 3Day experiences all the way to the screwed up college application process, the Mets, and Obama's love of the White Sox. One woman, Liz, talked me through the entire 3Day process, from opening to closing ceremonies, giving me the highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. I got sock advice, shoe advice, gear advice...everything! And, most importantly, I got allies in this crazy thing we're all doing. I'm thrilled to be doing this walk, but it's been hard being separated from my other Lady Tatas, and even harder being in a 3Day Walk-less area without the resources of other cities. So I couldn't be happier I found this group of the most inspirational and amazing people. I can't wait for our next walk on the 15th...this time in my hood!

The walk itself, as I said, was gorgeous. And I made it through 15 miles without too much pain! I will say the last mile and a half was a little rough, and I was definitely stiff later in the day, but I survived! I also looked up equivalent distances so I could have points of reference, and I found out 15 miles is also:

• The distance from the NU theatre building to Wrigley Field and back.
• MORE than the distance from my mom's house to my grandma's (11.2 miles)
• Only slightly LESS than the distance from my parent's house to my apartment in Evanston (17.2 miles)
• LONGER than Manhattan (13.7 miles)
• The length of Liechtenstein.

So, I walked the length of an entire country. HOLLA.

In other news, I'm up to 44% in fundraising. WHAT?! So amazing. I broke through the $1000 mark! I'm a little nervous about turning that 44 into a 100, but I'm starting to think outside the box. It's good...it forces me to be creative! That's what I do, right?

I'm going to try to fight the exhaustion that comes along with major burnage and walk 6 more miles tonight. Pray for me.

LOVE and 20/20 hindsight,

KFine

P.S. Here are some pretty pics: