3/31/02, Sunday
The early morning started out with rain. The forecast did not look promising so the group did not meet. However, the day cleared up really nicely. Keith and Sydney were game to walk with me a couple miles at Tod's Point in Greenwich. Lots of people showed up on this Easter Sunday.

3/30/02, Saturday
Definitely more bird action this morning. During my walk I spotted more birds flying about as well as singing their tunes. Birds I spotted included Mourning Doves, Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks and American Robins (I used The Sibley Guide to Birds to figure out a couple of these.)

Good news. Just got an email from my mother-in-law with a pledge. Yay! 

3/29/02, Friday
I spent mid-afternoon fundraising in the SoNo business district which is the South Norwalk downtown area -- my neighborhood. I chose to focus on obtaining donations from this area because I would love to highlight and show-off the area. I think SoNo is such a lively and happening place in Norwalk. I would be proud to advertise the many places on one of the t-shirts I will be wearing during the 3-day walk.

I spoke with 16 retail shops, 1 fast food chain and 1 restaurant. The one restaurant I spoke with emphasized that it was lunch hour and a bad time for anything but lunch. I conceded and decided to avoid the restaurants until after the lunch rush. I got 4 flat out NOs and the rest took information for reflection or should I say subtle NOs.  I tried to entice people with the idea of advertising on our team t-shirts but people just didn't seem interested.  hmmmmmmmm, is it my approach or bad timing due to the upcoming Easter weekend?

Ah well, there are still more shops in the area to try and the restaurants of course. I'll need to drum up the courage for round 2 of solicitations again next month. I have hope.

I must say I did meet an interesting person - Logan at Caffeine Chocolate and Coffee Lounge who is studying to be a Graphics Design Artist. He is available to work on artwork, namely logos for teams who may want one for their team t-shirts. So, any fellow walkers reading this should feel free to contact him if interested. I may take him up on the offer if I manage to obtain SoNo sponsors. Keeping the fingers crossed...

3/27/02, Wednesday
I've been pretty lucky with my morning walks these past two weeks. It's been clear in the early a.m. hours but later in the day we've been getting rain and snow! March is definitely leaving like a lion. After yesterday's rainfall, I woke up to a damp morning. I found myself dodging earthworms. What in the world? They seemed to ooze up from the pavement. 

3/25/02, Monday
The first team walk happened on Sunday at Tod's Point in Greenwich. All four Rocky Road Walkers were present and accounted for.  It was a bright and cool morning. The walk was in a wonderful scenic spot with a view of the ocean.  It was slow going, but I think our time will improve as we continue to walk together.  

3/21/02, Thursday
Phyllis and I attended an orientation meeting regarding the 3-day walk. We got more information about the event and more inspiration. It got us more excited to keep on truckin'.

3/19/02, Tuesday
I saw 3 deer today! Amazing! I'm always amazed when I see out-of-the-ordinary things. However, I'll probably start taking them for granted as I continue the morning walks.

3/1702, Sunday
St. Patrick's Day walk was at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford. Gloria joined me on the cold and brisk morning. The trees were still naked for the winter season so there wasn't much to admire. I'd like to return to the Arboretum after the spring blooms to see how beautiful the place can be.

3/16/02, Saturday
Eti, Lindsey, Sydney and I spent the day at the Cannon Grange 152 St. Patrick's Day Fair in Wilton. This was our first attempt to fundraise via the selling route. We set up our table with books, beaded dragonfly hair pins, misc. beaded jewelry and clothes. Unfortunately the event was not advertised well and there was a very low turn out. Most of our customers were people who were hosting other tables. After hearing about our participating in the AIDS walk a couple people donated money to us without purchasing anything. A hearty thanks to all who stopped by our table! We came home with $17.50 to go towards our fundraising goal. Hey, every cent counts!

here's a sample of my beaded dragonflies (inspired by my daughter, sydney)

3/15/02, Friday
Did my usual morning walk and saw Bambi! Four of them! Three of them ran off while one stood its ground and stared at me with the same amazed look that I had for it.

3/14/02, Thursday
ANNOUNCEMENT:  We came up with a team name! Rocky Road Walkers!  The girls Eti nannies for came up with the wonderful name. Thanks to Lindsey and Jenna. It was raining steadily during lunch time so Phyllis and I could not go on our half hour walk. We're considering converting the extra large room in our office into our gym. We may do some yoga or leg stretches.

3/13/02, Wednesday
Here's a picture of me all dressed up and ready for my early morning walk...

As you can see, it is a bit chilly in the early morning here on the East Coast. Here's an interesting note... while walking this morning I noticed that the other people I've come across in the neighborhood have been fellow women walkers. Where are the men? Is being healthy and keeping fit mainly a woman's concern? hmmmm

Good news! I got another sponsor donation today! Thank you Gretchen! During these hectic times for her, she was so generous in showing her support for me. Love ya!

3/8/02, Friday
I added some finishing touches to this website so that it could be informative to our beloved sponsors and supporters. After all, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to participate in this exciting event! Thanks a bunch!

I started the walking schedule this week. The hubby, Keith, made sure to get me up at 5:45 am to go out and do a 60 minute walk everyday. Except on Thursday. I was up on Wednesday night until 1am creating the meat of this site. It can be really fun when you get into that web creation mode. Back to walking...  Phyllis and I have been keeping to a half hour walk during our lunch break.

Eti, Phyllis and I had our first walk together last Saturday, March 2 at Cove Island Park in Stamford. Daughter Sydney was with me so I had to cut it short. I got a mile in before Syd wanted to go and play in the park section.

This weekend's forecast calls for a mix of snow/rain. We'll see what the weather god's really throw at us. The team will be meeting at Cranbury Park in Norwalk for a good walk of at least 2 hours -- ideally 6-8 miles.

Eti, Phyllis and I got together to talk about things we still need to do. The pressing item on the agenda was coming up with a team name.  Here were some thoughts..

apollo feet
apollo walkers
blazing feet
gvgv
magic walkers
the blisters
toe jams
toe prints
trail walkers
vgvg

3/7/02, Thursday
I attended the Association of Fundraising Professionals monthly luncheon to see if I could gain some fundraising insight on this world. I found the announcement for their meeting in the newspaper which prompted me to attend. The topic of the meeting really was not appropriate for me. It was about creating a Living Legacy. However, I met a couple people who gave me some great ideas on how to approach fundraising for my event. A special thanks to Maggie who happens to have a daughter who participated in a 3-day ride event in the past.

3/3/02, Sunday
I told my weekend neighborhood walking buddy, Gloria, about participating in the 3-day AIDS Vaccine New York walk.  She got excited about it as I did and decides to join the team. 

3/2/02, Saturday
The team gets together for a first walk at Cove Island Park. My daughter, Sydney joins us as I couldn't get a babysitter. I end up only doing a mile. While Phyllis and Eti continue onto 2 more miles of walking, I hang out with Sydney by the swings and slides.

read February entries 

read April entries

read May entries

read June entries

read July entries

back to the top