Buddy Walking Prep!

Every year we do the Buddy Walk.  We have always done the walk in San Diego for a variety of reasons.  We started there, and we were so pleasantly shocked to learn that not only had so many of the Sailors that worked for Eric happened to be newly stationed in San Diego, they also seemed to like enough of us to want to come out every year and walk with us.  We should have just carried Japanese flags, we were surrounded by the people that made up our life of active and dependent military friends and their friends.  When the walk was in Balboa Park, we moved to the Japanese café outside the Japanese Garden and enjoyed lunch together every year.  A different venue the last couple years just put us at lunch in a restaurant out of the sun which was even better.  So even when we moved to Camarillo, we still made the epic trek to San Diego to have a reunion of sorts with these people that are the reason I refer to family as by blood or by love. 

Along with our core group, we had my best friend and her family come out and even have had my cousins from up here in Camarillo and from San Diego come out and walk with us.  One year, by complete happenstance, a very tall young Corpsman got on the elevator at Balboa Naval Hospital with us, and his name tag was at my eye level and as I read his name I remembered him and his words to us: "This is a very special baby you have here."  He was Bradley's first Corpsman, and he was and is very dear to us; yep, he walked with us too. 

One year we had one of my students from Japan.  He planned his Southern California vacation so that he and his wife could walk with us for the Buddy Walk.  He was supposed to be my student for only a year, but then three and a half years later he was still my student and I was opening a present of shoes from his family to my newborn son as he sat proudly holding Bradley. 

We also loved having Madison's Kindergarten teacher come along with us, much to Madison's joyful surprise.  And we've had people who we never knew who came along with their friends and made our day all the brighter. 

The nice part about the San Diego Walk was that it happened in October, during Down syndrome Awareness month.  So fitting, and so fulfilling.  I always felt like we had taken large strides to spread awareness and acceptance for Bradley by these reunions with our Team.  Our Team.  Our Team is more than a walk though; our team is a group that checks in and prays when Bradley needs them, our team sends their support and their love when Bradley is struggling and when he is going through all the medical nightmares he goes through, our team is the one that picks up Eric and I and holds us tight, helping us through every moment.  Our team...they may be spread out all over the world, but their love is still right here, wrapped tightly around this little boy and his family.  We miss you all terribly!

So this year, we didn't make it to the San Diego Buddy Walk.  Eric is having some trouble with his heart that required a lot of tests and meds and prayers and he just couldn't make that kind of trip.  But he is getting better and we did take note of the Orange County Buddy Walk.  We decided to do it a couple weeks ago; back when we could probably have found team members to walk with us, I just for the life of me couldn't get the website to let me register our team and get the ball rolling.  We finally got it today so our little family of five is now registered to go down and walk the walk with whoever shows up at this particular walk.  This is our first time in this venue so we have little to no idea what to expect, but I did see something about maybe base running??? Just don't quote me on this. 

In case you were looking for something fun to do this Sunday, you are welcome to join us in walking through our post Halloween Trick or Treat night hang over morning.  We're missing the fact that our team has transferred away and the health of someone other than Bradley has prevented our ability to walk with the couple members we still have in San Diego, but we also felt that NOT walking somewhere would be letting down those that have never ever let us down.  So for all the years you've made it out for us, this year we are making it out to a new venue and I am going to admit to being a little nervous, but also excited about this whole new place. 

This link will take you to the Bradley's Buddy Brigade Team page if you would like to register to walk with us or to donate. Thanks and those who jump in on this short notice are superiorially (my word, though not a real word) more awesome than usual! :-)))

http://dsaoc.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=portal.team

Thanks everyone and have a wonderful night!!!  Monday is officially in the books and I am looking at being in bed and asleep before 10:00!  Wow!  It is a crazy night indeed!