Thursday, April 15, 2010

In the beginning, there was soreness.

The Journey so far… Days 1 to 3.


Day 1

First, let’s begin at day Minus 1… where all truly incredible journeys really begin. – AFTER we packed up our WHOLE apartment and put it into storage (not my favorite Sunday afternoon activity) we then left, at 10:30pm, for DC.

I decided that I would drive, as it’s been almost 3 years since I drove a stick (for all you Brits out there, that doesn’t mean I’m driving a branch of some kind, it means a manual…) and our generously provided pace car, (thank you SO MUCH Jared Huntsman) is in fact a stick shift. Baptism by fire, I lasted an hour before I began to feel TOO sleepy to drive. Aren’t husbands so SO useful! But I only stalled once… I can live with once an hour.

But here we are now, it really is upon us. The day has arrived. Today, my husband will begin his epic journey, and I, ever the dedicated roadie must follow on.

The press conference went well – having never been to Capitol Hill before, I enjoyed myself immensely, and even found time to eat a little Sandwich... (Yes Zach – I call it a little sandwich… it’s just my small hands that make it look big! Oh and you may find that much of this blog revolves around food – I am not fat – I’m pregnant. Apparently there’s a difference…)




Zach was in some fantastic shots.. oo he's a handsome fella. When I work out how to add pictures, you'll see him too...

Ooo wait check out my skills!




Zach came back to the hotel tonight and took an ice bath… my hands and feet have been a little swollen from the pregnancy today, so I asked if I could put my feet in with him. He encouraged it, laughing at me when I only lasted around 10 seconds – he was in the tub 15 whole minutes! Now that’s dedication. He also ate ¾ of a large pizza… almost as big as the bed I’d wager. He insists he’s going to eat the rest for breakfast.

As I lay my head down (carefully – the pillows aren’t so fluffy) at the Econo-Lodge tonight, I miss my apartment a little in Buena Vista. I definitely feel so grateful though, that I have a fairly sturdy roof over my head, only a very slight gap in the front door that can’t be closed, blankets to keep me warm and prenatal vitamins. We have no idea what kind of luxury the Econo-Lodge would be to the people of Haiti.



I'm getting very fond of this car now... Bring on the stick.

Total Miles Walked: 18
Blisters: 0
Pairs of socks worn: 3

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Day 2

He truly did eat Sausage and Peppercini pizza for breakfast.



Who would have thought paradise was just a one hour drive from the Eco-Lodge…

We made a pact to definitely get up earlier tomorrow. He has to walk a certain number of hours a day and I have noticed that his dedication is slightly deflated at 8pm… so its best to get it the majority of the miles done as early as possible. We decided this of course BEFORE we saw where we were staying tonight. OH MY GOODNESS. Talk about the blessings of service!!! We stayed at the Richard Johnston Inn (www.therichardjohnstoninn.com), in Fredericksburg. It was truly beautiful. They donated one night’s stay to the cause, and for this we are truly grateful – I know Zach particularly enjoyed the HUGE bath… man, that’s a lot of ice. We even got upgraded on our free stay (it’s a made world I tell you) because they were having some work done on the air conditioning. The pictures on their website really don’t capture how lovely the place is. If you are every here in town, I urge you to stay there. You won’t be disappointed – and not that we sampled any, but they even give you complimentary brandy – bravo old chap! The place reminded us so much of our honeymoon… in the Peak District. It was very romantic… that was until dinner came. Nothing like a microwave meal to get you in the mood. Say no more.

And, just to prove what a small world it is, it turns out, my boss’ brother has a store on the same street as the Richard Johnston Inn (I work at Celtic Tides, Lexington – check out their facebook page). His store is called Irish Eyes – also worth a visit if you’re ever in Fredericksburg. He gave me a free Bounty (like the older, more glamorous British cousin of the almond Joy (minus the almonds and infinitely more delicious), and pledged 10c per mile to Zach. I almost cried! As if the bounty wasn’t generous enough! Seriously though, if we could get everyone to donate that much, even in this economy, Haiti would be a changed place. So really, thank you Irish Eyes, let’s hope you brought us luck of the Irish… The Welsh aren’t famous for their fortune…

So we must get up earlier tomorrow... let’s see if a 6am wake up is possible considering the quality of the bed… oh and there were robes too! As my brother would say, Zach reminds me of Hugh Heffner in his – GET AWAY FROM THAT BRANDY!… (I’ve been in a much better mood today… all it took was a little luxury…)

Here are some pictures we took at the Inn... aww I miss it already.



Zach forgot his lady razor, but luckily they provide these accessories free of charge...



Number 10 - a Court Yard Suite...



Zach's not that big is he?



Ooo vintage



We love Fredericksburg



We'll be back...

Total Miles Walked: 38
Blisters: 0
Pairs of Socks Worn: 7

CLICK THE DONATE BUTTON NOW http://www.lengthenyourstride.org/

Day 3

Ok 6am wasn’t realistic for a pregnant woman and a man who thanks to two days of straight walking now feels 80. I knew I should have married younger… just kidding Zach (I LOVE Bruce Willis...) All I can say is we made it to the continental breakfast (in an beautiful dining room might I add – you gotta love the contrast – yesterday I was drinking Gatorade from a plastic cup and today I’m drinking freshly squeezed orange juice from crystal flutes). Zach will probably have to walk a little later today… I hope he brought his reflective gear. I am doing my best to support him – I refused to pick him up until 10pm. I said “Babe, I love you enough to help you reach your dreams. Call me if you need dry socks.” I should teach a marriage class.

Anyhow, I now sit here in a Country Kitchen restaurant, in beautiful Ruther Glen, (or as I call it, Ruther Glen Dross) Virginia. I’m having the buffet (it’s the cheapest) not bad, not bad. Not sure I have had the combination of Asian cabbage, mac & cheese and pulled pork before but I have to say, it’s not at all repulsive. The waitress is lovely – I’ll call her Flo… very attentive. And hands down, it beats the mall food I had for lunch yesterday.

Time is pressing on, and Zach is somewhere between Fredericksburg and here - I love that man…

The car is pretty packed. I hear ice rattling in the coolers every time I turn a corner. I looked for a scissors (Zach thinks its funny when I say that – he says “a pair of Scissors” – and I say “I only needed one”) yesterday but instead of scissors, I found a mallet, a Cliff bar, and a clipboard. Not to mention the many, many bottles of vitamins that were rolling around. Not sure how that’s helpful, but after 20 minutes searching I decided to call it a day. I’ll make Zach look again when he gets home.

I am going to check in now at the Days Inn, who have kindly donated a free night tonight. I am excited to test it out – I am sure it will be lovely. We did have a discount offer from The Comfort Inn, but being as they wouldn’t let me check in without Zach because of the “special discount which we never normally do”, and even with the discount we were still looking at 60 bucks a night without tax. In addition, the manager kept laughing in a fairly distinctive way… I’m still not quite sure what was funny... it was quite disturbing actually. I’ll write more of my findings later – look out for pictures and logos of the places we stay on Zach’s website, www.lengthenyourstride.org.

p.s. I’m starting my baby scrap book today for Zachary Tiberius (I will laugh so hard if it’s not a boy), I’ll scan in my progress later when I can get the scanner working.

3 hours later…

The Days Inn is seriously great for the price… take that Comfort Inn, Ruther Glen… They gave me a ground floor, double queen room, which is great incase Zach’s REALLY sweaty when he gets back… and I managed to bring in all the luggage by myself because I could practically park in my room, which made all the difference. Thank you front desk lady...



Total Miles Walked: 52
Number of Blisters: 0 (incredible I know)
Pairs of Socks Worn: 11

CLICK THE DONATE BUTTON NOW http://www.lengthenyourstride.org/


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