THE RELAY FOR DAVID!

Below is a very detailed synopsis of my Relay for Life experience:

At 3:30 yesterday me, Lara, and Charlie went to set up the tent. My dad let us borrow the "big Eureka" as labelled in black permanent marker on the outside of the tent. :-D. Then we left to come back to the apartment to chill out because our "shift" didn't start until 8:30. We went to the grocery store to get hot dogs, cookies, candy, and chips. We should have bought bottled water. The Relay people were supplying water but it was Dasani Taste Sensations. Which is supposed to be flavored, carbonated water. It has sodium in it. It was naaaasty. Anyway back to chronology...we (me, lara, charlie, Katie, and chris waugh) headed to the Relay at 8:30. It was held in the Intramural fields. They had set up a track using cones and luminaria bags. It was already pretty cold but I tried to mask my fear. I packed a duffel bag of layers so as time went on I would just keep adding a shirt or a pair of pants.

First Lara and I joined a country ho-down going on where we did lots of square dancing. The caller was really fun so we enjoyed it and got really warmed up. Then around 9 they started the Luminaria ceremony. So basically that means that everyone had a chance to write the name of a cancer survivor or someone who died of cancer on a bag and put a candle in it. So during the ceremony people stood by the bag that meant something to them. We didn't have a bag for David, so instead we called him on my cell phone and chatted. A few people talked, one man about his wife who fought breast cancer for 5 years but then died in January. Then we were to do 2 silent laps the first in memory and the second in honor of cancer survivors. We did a third lap for people still fighting and we called David during this time too. It was lovely. They of course played very emotional music over the speakers!

Then it was just a free for all. We took turns with the other girls in my sorority walking laps. Charlie and I played a game of Root Beer Pong. We lost...They started a battle of the bands around 11 but none of the bands were any good. I did like one band that did a bunch of covers that i like. CDubs and I walked around for awhile together with our iPods turned up really loud :-). I wanted to do the really early morning shift so at 12:30 I decided I would nap. Katie and I got bundled up in our sleeping bags. Battle of the Bands was still going on so I didn't really fall asleep. Then my best friend Darrel came to visit me though he wasn't participating. He stayed with me for like 45 minutes which seriously cut into my nap time! I was happy he came though! Anyway I did eventually fall asleep and Lara and Charlie came in later to sleep too. Chris Waugh woke me up around 4. It was devastating. It was much, much, much colder then than when I had gone to bed.

CDubs and I walked and chatted and grilled hot dogs. By this point I had almost all of my layers on. Those last few hours were hard! My feet were really the only thing that was cold. But all five of us made it all night. Chris Waugh and I didn't wake up the others until it was time to go at 7 AM though. Only one other girl from my sorority and two of her friends stayed until the morning too. We got back to our apartment in the morning and we were soooo tired! I slept til about 12 today. I felt very very very very hungover when I woke up. Probably because I was unable to drink anything but Dasani Taste Sensations...bleh

Just so you guys understand how cold it was:
Highest temperature we experienced was 38 F; Low temperature was 27 F
Everything that was outside, chairs, blankets, the tent had frost all over it
I was there for 10.5 hours though I slept for about 3 hours.
This is a list of what I was wearing on top: sports bra, tank top, long sleeve shirt, turtle neck, other long sleeve t-shirt, huge hoodie, winter coat, colts hat. on the bottom: long johns, yoga pants, flannel lined warm-up pants, huge sweat pants, two pairs of socks. ahhhh!!!!

I had fun, but we've decided that from now on we will only hate cancer when it is warm out ;-) I took some pictures at the event and so eventually I will put them online with a link in my profile.

<3<3<3
Kyle