One month ago today 7 of us participated in the Dublin Marathon on a quest to raise funds and awareness for the Arthritis Foundation . . . and to share in a bit of fun.  Today we are thankful for a mission successfully completed (over $64,000 raised, multiple articles, TV interviews, loads of fun, etc.) and thrilled that we have such supportive family, friends and co-workers. 

Thank you.

Be ye thankful, for we are blessed.  AMEN!

Here we go . . .  everyone's still enjoying our collective & individual "high's" from completing the marathon in Dublin and ready to dream and strategize about our next adventure. 

So! We are aiming for a destination which hosts marathons between October and mid-November.  If anyone has suggestions, please chime in! 

Yes, all 7 of us crossed the Dublin marathon finish line within the required 8 hours!  And, we enjoyed ourselves (for the most part) :-).

Thanks to you and friends like you, we have also raised more than $60,000 for the Arthritis Foundation!

Next big decision . . .  when and where will our next adventure take us  . . . ??? Chime in if you have suggestions.  Remember, most of us are walkers so we need an 8 hour time frame and late October early November is the best time of year . . .

WALK ON!

One week from today we will be in the midst of our great adventure, the Dublin Marathon.  Some of us will run, most will walk, and each of us in our own way will have accomplished a very special dream - participating in a marathon.  And, in particular, we are participating in order to raise funds and awareness for the Arthritis Foundation - we are participating for others as well as ourselves.

Enthusiasm for the trip continues to mount and I for one finally have in my hands Frommer's Ireland 2008. Now I can begin to capture in my mind's eye which of the thousands of tourist opportunities about to unfold before me I will focus upon and enjoy while during our brief stay in Ireland.

Fun, exercise, hopes and dreams all lay ahead . . . only one week and counting! 

We're almost there  . . . we leave a week from today to live our dream . . . participating in a marathon raising funds and awareness for the Arthritis Foundation! 

Jackie made it through her longest walk yesterday inspite of her on going foot issues and major pain - way to go, girlfriend!

And, our team has raised over $57,000 - very, very near our goal of $60,000.  With a little more help from our friends, we'll be able to hit our goal and reach more people with the importance of prevention, controlling and curing Arthritis.

Our goal is a world free of Arthritis Pain!! So, on behalf of  all "WALK ON!".....

It is hard to imagine we are less than three (yes, 3) weeks from our big walk in Dublin, Ireland.

Most of the team  . . . well, a little over half . . . have completed their longest "Training Walk" and a little over half have raised their "Fundraising Goal" so we're, well, ALMOST there!

We've arrived at the stage where most of us are a bit hesitant to try ANYTHING new.   Our hesitation extends to new snacks during walks, new shoes, new types of clothing (including socks), etc.  It's not that we're superstitious, we're simply super cautious.

Now's the time to hunker down, continue to train, make those last fundraising appeals, and enjoy the books by Irish authors, Irish music and travel options :-).

Well wishes always appreciated!  Join us in our passion, our dream and our mission - WALK ON!

Imagine, just three weeks from now most of our A2A4A team will be on our way to Dublin, Ireland.  The excitement of the adventure is beginning to build and is becoming contageous.

Team member Dody Nolan and I had dinner last night and you could feel the energy bouncing off of us as we shared our walking adventures over the past several months.

What a joy it is to experience this with others who are enthustiac, focused, and having fun!

Two of our members (Dody and Caroline) have reached their financial goals ($6,000 each) and have walked their longest training walk successfully (24 miles).  Several of us are a little bit behind the curve, but we still have time and determination to meet our goals successfully and while having fun.

Today's focus continues to be WALK ON!  So join us in spirit and action and WALK ON with enthusiasm and fun.!