While I was training for the 3-day walk, I got to know Keith through the 3-day Facebook page. Keith lives in Washington, DC and would encourage me on my training walks. He reminded me to not just walk, but to look for things during my walks. He'd ask me what I saw, and at first I'd have to think back, but as my walks continued I would look for things - such as trumpeter vines blooming on a tree or puppies looking out a car window. It did make the walks easier when I looked at God's creation instead of just walking!
As the walk got closer, we got to be better friends. He called me and found out this was my first time to DC and that my sister was going with me and working on the crew. He'd walked DC last year, and was on the crew in Boston this year, so gave my sister and I tips on what to take, and what the experience would be like for both of us. He also gave us tips on what to see in Washington, and offered to be a tour guide of sorts when he could. He had a group of friends he went to high school with that hung out each Wednesday doing karaoke, and they were walking together in the 3-day. He invited us to join them - which we did - and we were welcomed and had a great time! He found out we were coming to DC early, and said his landlady, Nina, had offered to let us stay at her place while we were there. Since I'd never met Keith or Nina in person, I told him Pam and I would stay in our hotel at least the first few days, then decide after we'd met them and got to know them a little more.
Well - after we got to DC and met Keith, Pam and I decided to go ahead and take him up on his offer. We stayed at the hotel in DC for four nights, then on Wednesday moved over to Nina's. It turned out to be the best of both worlds! The four nights we stayed in the hotel gave us freedom to move about in DC on our own time - the Metro (Washington DC's transportation system) had a stop right under our hotel, which made it easy to get around as we were sightseeing. Pam and I were able to go where we wanted without having to depend on someone else. We checked out of the hotel on Wednesday, and Keith took us to the karaoke party Wednesday night along with his girlfriend Lauren. We had a great time! Thursday morning we all went to the Air and Space Museum. One of Keith's friends, Hugo, runs the McDonald's there and had procured Imax tickets for us - along with lunch! We then dropped Pam off at Nationals Stadium for her crew training while we explored more DC memorials - Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, and the Jefferson Memorials. After taking in a little of the National Harbor (and the Peeps Store!) we went back to Nina's.
Keith and Lauren at karaoke
Nina had a wonderful dinner of salad, pasta, green beans, and dessert ready for us! This was the first time I really got to know Nina. She has two dogs, Sneakers and Pip. Sneakers immediately jumped in my lap when I sat down. He's a great dog - has a lot of the personality of my beagle and is, like Retro, a lap dog. Nothing's better than sitting down with a puppy in your lap. Pip is an older dog and tended to shy away from strangers while keeping an eye on us! There's also three cats, but hey, I'm a dog person and the cats, well, they're cats - what can I say. They just laid around. Since we had to get up very early to get to opening ceremonies on Friday morning, Nina made sure we had what we needed before we went off to an early bedtime.
When we got home from the walk on Sunday - tired, more than a little sweaty, happy, and hungry, Nina greeted us with open arms. She knew we had just had the experience of a lifetime, and wanted to hear all about it - after we had showers! She had dinner ready for us, and listened along with her friend Cher (sorry if I spelled it wrong!) as we recounted our experiences. We were really tired, though, and I went to bed at 8:30 - and slept through until 7:30 the next morning! Nina asked us what we wanted to do on Monday (Keith had to work) and I don't think she was a bit surprised when we told her we just wanted to "hang out" and recover from the walk.
Monday was such fun! We did, indeed, "hang out" with Nina! Pam and I shared our experiences and we talked like we were all three sisters! We shared a lot of our lives - Nina is getting ready to move to Pennsylvania to be closer to her mother and was getting things in line for the move. She asked our opinions on things just like we'd known each other for years. It felt so comfortable being with her. As a small token of our appreciation, we took Nina and Cher out to dinner Monday night. When we asked her to suggest a place - she suggested Mount Vernon - only a mile from her home. Since we hadn't been there, and it was close, it sounded great. It wasn't just great - it was fantastic! The food was great (nothing like clam chowder in the east!) but the company couldn't be beat. We closed the place down and had the best of times!
Tuesday morning finally came, and we had to pack up and leave Nina's. Pam and I were both anxious to get home, but really felt like we were leaving a part of ourselves behind. After lots of hugs, Keith took us to the airport and we returned home to our families - but knew that we had left part of our hearts with Keith and Nina in Washington, DC.
Ka-C relaxing at Nina's
Nina does have a friend she visits in Overland Park - so I will hopefully get to see her again! I can't wait - it was such a blessing to have met her. When I started going through radiation treatments, I realized that God put friends on this earth for a reason - to be there for us when we needed each other. Nina and Keith are true friends and I'm so blessed to have crossed paths with them on this earth. Nina and Keith - if I haven't said it enough, thanks SO MUCH for your hospitality and support - and I'm so glad to have met you!
