A great big THANK YOU!

I want to send out a huge Thank you to everyone who has stepped up and donated to the AHA. Your donations bring hope, not only to me, but to everyone living with Heart Disease.

The hike is still on, too! I have accumulated a small amount of cash donation towards the expense of this hike and I truly appreciate every single dime of it. It is with your help that I just know I can do this to show you how important this is for me. What I want is for everyone to realize how huge this undertaking is and to wake up your need to take care of your heart every day!

I just had a follow up appointment this morning to a test I had done last week. All news was good! He's happy with the fact that my heart has not gotten any worse. He was kind enough not to badger me about my weight, but did encourage me to continue with losing weight. Carrying extra poundage is not good for your heart, you know. I will do my best to take care of mine.

I put out the challenge before and I will do it again. It involves self-regulation but if you can understand how serious I am, then it shouldn't be a problem! The challenge is that for every mile I walk on the Pacific Trail Crest, you give up one day of adding any salt to your food. We all know that there is a drive for our government to start regulating the salt manufacturer's add to their processed food. While this sounds like a good idea, we can do it for ourselves. We do not need big brother regulating what we know to do for ourselves. Challenge yourselves and take me up on it. The ultimate goal would be to not add any salt to your food for over seven years!

Now, I know that's optimistic but it can be done because I know that I can hike the 2600+ miles on the trail. See how huge this is and the commitment I am willing to make? I do not take this lightly and neither should you. Do the challenge for your heart!

Please share this cause with family and friends knowing that I am doing this for you and them. Everyone breathing has a heart and that's who this is for!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hiking in the desert!

And poof! Just like that another year is gone and we are already 4 days into a new one! Wow, does time really fly or what?

I recently had the occassion to test out my skills as a hiker and boy was I surprised! Dup and Jenny, two of my most wonderful friends, went with me on a hike here in the Phoenix area. They are great at this stuff! Me, on the other hand, did some dumba** stuff. For one, I read the map wrong and believed it to be only six miles. 3 miles out and 3 miles back. But in reading it wrong, I did not realize until later that it was actually 6 miles one way! So, to make a long hike short....lol...I mean story, it was 12 miles round trip. I can't believe I read that wrong! Won't ever do THAT again! Note to anyone reading about hikes in a book, take your time to actually read what the writer is trying to say, not what you think he/she is writing! Sorry, Jenny and Dup, but thanks again for your patience and support! Let's do it again soon!

Christmas was great! Got some great donations for my hike. I recieved a backpack that should make my hike that much easier. It's a North Face and purple! I love it! I also recieved a Spork. Not just a spork, but a Titanium spork! That will last me the whole time, I am sure! I might even have to defend myself with it! Hey, you never know!

I also recieved some much needed monetary donations for those items that I must shop for, like a tent, boots, sleeping bag. Just last week, my husband, Charlie, my son, Charles and I went to Dick's sporting goods and I got a real good idea that I am going to be spending some serious moola for this stuff.

I commented to Jenny and Dup on the hike that it really does surprise me that for as little as you want to carry on your back during such a hike, those few things cost out the wazoo! So, smart shopping is key and so are the donations that I recieve to help me obtain my goal.

Donating to the American Heart Associaton is what is important, too. They are doing serious work for a serious cause and I want everyone to know how important this is to me. If you know someone who has a heart, then more than likely you know someone who is at risk for heart disease. It does NOT have to be this way.

Creating a healthy lifestyle is very important and to stress this point I am doing this hike for you and the people you love. I do not, however, believe that even I understood the impact of this decision until I did this hike with Jenny and Dup. But, I finished the 12 miles, it was not easy for me by any means, but I was determined and I did it.

I also have finished my participation with Charles in doing the P90X workout. While it was great to exercise every day and get my heart rate up, it was most definitely not sculpting my body like it did for my son. Instead, I have started back and the gym and will continue that workout. I like that I can get my husband to go with me as we both need it.

I have started to try different recipes for food, too. Alot of heart-healthy recipes are out there, all you have to do is look. Here's a great place to start: www.americanheart.org/deliciousdecisions

Remember that you can donate directly to the American Heart Association by clicking on my personal donation page, created by the AHA, and giving what you can! Get there by clicking on the heart at the top of the page. Thanks!

My commitment to this hike is to make a point to each of you that its important to take care of your heart, encourage those you love to do the same and know that someone out there is doing this huge thing for you to be aware.

Take care of your heart! It's the only one you have and it's THE most important muscle in your body!

Thank you to all those who have given and for all those about to help me achieve my goal this year! Check the list on the right to see if there is anything there you already own and are willing to loan!