Pre-Marathon Activities

We made it to Memphis with no problems. We are all settled in for the evening. Here s the recap of the activities.

We checked into the hotel, and it is right across the street from the expo. Very convenient!

This is the view from our hotel room. The campus across the freeway is St. Jude's!

We went over to the expo and got my race packet. We quickly boarded a bus for the hospital tour.

Here is the entry to the hospital. No cameras were allowed inside.

Walking through the hospital was a very moving experience. We learned all about it. It costs over one million dollars per day to keep it running. WOW. They do so much good work there. I am motivated to be a St. Jude Hero again ASAP. In fact, I want to donate personally on a regular basis.

When we got back, Chasen went up to the room to work on a paper. Not fun! I went to the expo to do some shopping. After one pass of it all, I wasn't going to buy anything. But... then... I did! I bought a blue Christmas ornament that says 26.2 -- how fun! And I bought a short-sleeved blue wicking shirt that says "Will Run For Chocolate" -- ha ha ha! And I got a darn good deal on a long-sleeved orange wicking shirt (my favorite color). And I rounded out the day-o-shopping with a Brooks jacket that is glow-in-the-dark. Chasen was VERY PLEASED to see that purchase. :)

I returned to the room for a bit, then it was time to head over to the FedEx Forum for the St. Jude Heroes Pasta Party.

This is what greeted us there.

We walked in to the huge space to see many, many tables. There were probably over 1000 people there.

We were thanked over and over!

After geting our plates of pasta and goodies, we sat down. I did not know we would be entertained. You won't believe who was there. ELVIS!!!!

I wasn't kidding. Here he is on the jumbotron.

And here he is in action.

Awards were given to the top individual fundraisers and teams. A family told their story and everyone was again moved. St. Jude's does amazing things for people from all corners of the world. I am extremely proud to be a fundraiser!

Tomorrow I am going to give it my all. After today I couldn't possibly do anything less.