2nd Annual Saddlebag Stampede

The day dawned clear and cold, blue skies that stretched to eternity, a slight breeze, sunshine so bright that sunglasses (or squinting) was a must.  Amid cries of "I can't walk that far", or "I've never walked that far",  or "I know I can only do maybe 5 miles", we gathered for a group photo before setting off on our 15.7 mile "walk for charity".

I have mapped us a route along county roads (with very little traffic) beginning and ending at my house, with a stop at a local café for lunch just before we are finished.  We have each been raising money by getting pledges from our friends/families for our miles walked today.

                              These feet are made for walking!

                    Here we go!  One step at a time!

That's Joyce and Diane in one of two support vehicles that will track us and offer us water, sodas, snacks, etc. along the way.

We have walked five miles and most of us are ready for a break!

 

 

 What a great day for a walk!

 

Here we are at almost ten miles into our walk!  Everyone is looking good!  Who said they couldn't walk ten miles??  It is mind over matter.

 

 

 

 

A little rest break works wonders!  Not long till our lunch stop now!

 

 

Jeanne found a large chicken along the way!

We began walking at 9:00 a.m. this morning and by 1:30 p.m. we made it to Cozy's Kitchen where we planned to have lunch.  The food was good however it was extremely slow in getting to us from the kitchen!  But we all lived and after eating something, we were ready to walk the final two miles back to my house.

 

 

This was our support crew today--Joyce, Diane, Suzanne, Gill.

 

And here we are at the end--after walking 15.7 miles!  These are a bunch of tough women! (and Paul!)

The money is still coming in and being tallied for the 2nd Annual Saddlebag Stampede.  We are donating this year's funds raised to Never-E-Nuff Acres, a horse rescue and sanctuary in Waxahatchie, Texas.  I know most of us walkers surpassed what we thought we were capable of doing by walking 15.7 miles!  And for a good cause!  What an awesome group of women, and I am proud to call these Saddlebag women my friends!

What a Difference a Day Makes

What a difference a day makes!  On Saturday it was sunny and very windy (southerly winds), temperatures reached 70 degrees, then on Sunday the wind came whipping out of the north and it got colder and colder and this morning it was 14 degrees!  The great thing about living in Texas is that by this Friday it will once again be warmer with temps expected to reach almost 70 again.  Yippee!!

For our wedding, Tom's Uncle Murphy and Aunt Ruth came from Mississippi  and gifted us with a large beautiful hand made crockery bowl from Emmett's Pottery in Brandon, Ms. which began our habit of collecting bowls/platters/serving pieces from potters near and far.  We think of Uncle Murphy and Aunt Ruth each time we make a salad in that big blue bowl, which thankfully is very often!

We are so blessed to spend another Christmas with my Mom who for her age is still living alone and doing so-so.

 We went to her house on Christmas Eve and worked in her yard and burned her gigantic burn pile that had been growing over several years.  Devin, Jacob, and Justice (great-neice/nephews) loved helping their Uncle Tom "play in the fire"!

I was delighted when my son Darrell and his wife Sissy came to visit at Christmas time!!

I am married to the most wonderful man in the whole wide world who makes me feel so special every day in so many ways!  Oh boy does he know how to really make my birthday special!  Am I really old enough for Medicare??!!  No way!  Where did all the time go, all the years go, and so swiftly!

 I am such a sucker for flowers and perfume!

Hope all my family and friends are staying warm during these frigid first days of 2014!