Momma makes you Move It!

There is nothing like a walking buddy to get your booty moving! And my favorite walking buddy is my Mom!

I have clearly not mastered the art of looking good in "The Selfie"

Due to the chilly weather here in Chicago, we have been forced to move our walking indoors, but our local walking establishment has windows which means we get to look at all the snow outside and remember that we are not in it! It makes the walking MUCH more enjoyable!

My Mom (who I am positive will be a constant guest star on here) is kind of a rock star.  A few years back she had open heart surgery and scared the life out of me and the rest of the family - as soon as she could walk again, we started walking to get her heart healthy again (and so I could watch her every single second of the day)!  And walk we did. And walk and walk and walk and walk. And she hasn't stopped since. That woman moves all the time. You would never know what she went through.

And now, she's helping me walk. We talk about an endless number of things and the miles fly by.

Total to date: 85 (!)

Don't forget to message me how many miles you are walking and I'll add them to my "Followers Totals" on the blog! Keep Stepping Up for Epilepsy!

And grab a buddy...it's easier that way ;)

Why am I doing this (aka "Why you so cray cray??")

So, now that I am 20 days and 65 miles (!) in to this, I am the first to admit that it is an ambitious goal. First, it is COLD in Chicago and getting outside to move is haaaaaaaard. Second, getting steps/miles inside is much more difficult than you think. Third, sometimes I am just lazy. (You heard it here first.)

But, I am committed.  This will be done. 2,015 miles in 2015. All to raise awareness for Epilepsy.

Why?

Well, for almost 20 years I have been living with Epilepsy and I think that living silent with this disease gets nothing accomplished.  The more we raise or voices (or move our feet) to get the word out - the more people know about it and the more action happens and the closer we get to a CURE!

I was 17 years old when I had the "diagnosis" second seizure and it was in a pretty public out there forum - the football field of my Senior year Homecoming game specifically - my world could have ended there.  But, I decided instead to use that moment as a platform to educate and change the negative myths and misconceptions out there about myself and the other 50 million other people living with Epilepsy.

So, if anyone out there wants to join this crazy crusade of miles, education, and humor - let me know in the comments below.  Negativity doesn't belong here - positive we stand strong. :)

She has no idea her world is about to change on a football field

Day one (or day twelve, but I just figured out how to set this thing up...)

Huzzah! It's official because I am blogging about it! This year, we (currently meaning the Hubs and myself) are "Stepping Up for Epilepsy Awareness"!

But, what does that mean??  Specifically, we are walking/running/jogging/crawling (if need be) 2,015 MILES for Epilepsy Awareness.  I know, I know how does walking raise awareness?  Well, a lot of our walking/running will be done training for some big scale races...where we will wear some Purple Day swag.  I am also going to promote the program on the blog and through my talks at all my schools this year.  I am also encouraging people to join me! Walk, run, get your miles and let me know when you have done them!  Comment below...

Finally, we are going to do 3.1 of our miles at the FIRST EVER Purple Day Walk at the Mall of America in Minnesota! See below for more information or to join in on the fun!
www.purpledayeveryday.org

So far, I have done...21.3 miles...hmmm...better get moving. :)

We are both so excited