Calling in Reinforcements!

Hey there! Crystal asked me to fill in for her since she's traveling with her family for the holiday weekend. It gives me a chance to introduce myself and later I'll return to you with a fresh perspective on the walk and to share a bit of my experiences.

First, who the heck am I and what am I doing here? My name is Erin and I live in Little Rock, AR. (That's Arkansas, not Arizona as I've had to explain to a few customer service reps over the phone). I've walked in the Atlanta 3 day twice to honor both of my grandmothers who were survivors.

How do I know Crystal? We met during our middle school years in good ol' Snellville, Georgia. We had a lot of friends in common, shared a few proms (you know I had to include a picture, Crystal and I are in the middle) but went our separate ways for college. We managed to keep in touch over the years and reconnected here and there when I would come home. She was the one of the few friends to visit me when I lived in Philadelphia, PA finishing up school.

In February of 2008 I received an email from Crystal that she sent to multiple friends explaining that she was going to participate in a 3 day, 60 mile walk for breast cancer. In this email, she asked us to join her. Most friends probably thought, "Girl, you want me to do what? And raise how much money?". I thought about it for a minute and signed right up! Here I was, a new girl in town in Little Rock, no job (yet), no kids or husband to have to take care of...when would the time be better for me to do this!? (Now I know, when it comes to the walk, you make time, no matter your circumstances). 2008 was a great year for us: I got a job, I got my first apartment on my own, Crystal bought her first home, got married (Hi Mike!) and we did the 2008 Breast Cancer 3 Day walk in Atlanta, rain and all.

Okay, what else should you know about me? Like Crystal, I love to cook and bake, spend time with my family and travel (she gets to travel much more than I do). I enjoy trying new foods and places to eat. I’m an Administrative Assistant for a local religious non-profit organization and am a proud mama to one fur baby named Willow, pictured here.

I have so much more to tell you about my 3 Day experiences and look forward to being invited to blog again. Feel free to leave any questions you’d like me to answer, especially those pertaining to fund raising, training apart from your team, and living outside of the host city. I'll leave you with this photo from Day 1 of the Atlanta 3 Day Walk last year- we found a park that I share a name with!

Happy Easter!
-Erin