February 4, 2011

Overall the last 48 hours have all run together. As I sit pondering the last two days here at Cafe D' Orleans on the corner of Rue Ducouedic and Avenue Du General Leclerc in Paris, I am wondering how the 17 hours of flight, the restless 2-3 hours of sketchy sleep I got on the plane to Paris, the 1-1/2 hour Parisian one-on-one tour in a vintage European car, the odd underground cemetery tour of six million Parisian bones at the Catacombes, and finally my three laps around the blocks near my hotel Sophie Germain just finding the courage to choose a place to eat because I would have to try out my miniscule French (breath) is going preface this journey.
Back on the plane tomorrow to Biarritz, France and then train to St. Jean Pied de Port.

At the Boise airport now, waiting for my first leg to Seattle. It was a bit of a bumble getting through security check gates, but all worked out well. Yesterday Chicago was closed, but visibility looks good today. Off to Paris today, then hit the trail in Spain Sunday morning. Talk soon...

Getting Prepared VIDEO

When it's easier to bloom...

My aunt sent me this wonderful quote today in a letter of support for my journey-

"And there came a time when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. - Anais Nin

I spent this evening sorting my packing list, checking it twice, then actually packing it. I'm at 19 pounds in the load. I don't want to take more than 15 pounds. Oh, what is a girl to do? Camino just 3 days away...

To Help My Feet Keep On Smiling. . .

This is to help keep me and my feet smiling when I'm about 200 miles into a 483.6 mile trek to Santiago de Compostela.  Thank you to Elizabeth at Allay Spa on Fairview/Milwaukee.  Your Great!

LETTER TO SUPPORTERS-- Pledge to the Nampa Family Justice Center

I am embarking on a solo, long-distance walk called El Camino de Santiago- Camino Frances.  The translation, literally, is “The Way of Saint James”.  The Camino Frances is the most popular of all the Camino routes to Santiago de Compostela in North West Spain.  This route starts in St Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees and finishes about 780km (483.6 miles) later in Santiago.  There are well over 100,000 pilgrims who walk or bicycle this historically religious trail each year.  But, I am considered a Winter Pilgrim, so it is likely there will be few walking along with me.

My Camino will begin February 3^rd and end in Santiago de Compostela on March 8, 2011.  I will walk through many small villages and some larger towns, such as Pamplona, Leon, Burgos, and finally to Santiago de Compostela.  There are numerous Albergues and Refugios (pilgrim only hostels) along the way.  You must have a pilgrim’s passport in order to stay at these adequately-equipped shelters.  I will be walking an average of 16-18 miles each day—some days longer, some shorter.  As with many spiritual journeys, I am confident that the Camino de Santiago will, for me, continue well past the Praza do Obradoiro in front of the Santiago Cathedral at the end of the trail.

As part of my life’s journey, I have had the remarkable opportunity to work with and on behalf of so many bright, funny, resilient, and extraordinary children—who also happen to have been physically or sexually abused and neglected.  The unmistakable spirit and strength in these children are reflections of the ability that exists in all of us to overcome even the most challenging of life’s oppositions—even when the barrier only remains within ourselves.

The Nampa Family Justice Center, a facility I have been working with since its inception in 2005, is currently in the process of expanding the Children’s Center.  The NFJC provides forensic interviews, medical exams, and other services for children with domestic violence, abuse, and neglect history.  While the FJC has been awarded a Community Development Block Grant which helps fund the renovation of the Center, there are still many costs to be derived through community donations. 

As a life-long advocate for children and a future Camino Pilgrim, I am asking for your monetary pledge per mile that I walk (483.6 miles), a flat amount per day on the trail (32 days), or a flat rate for the entire trip to be donated to the Family Justice Center Foundation of Idaho via the Nampa Family Justice Center website.  You can make a secure on-line donation by clicking on the “Donate” button at the bottom of the NFJC website screen and follow the PayPal prompts.  You can also make a donation by check or money order to the “FJC Foundation of Idaho” for “Brandy’s Walk”.  For more information, please contact Joni Buckley at 208-475-5740 or buckleyj@cityofnampa.us.

Thank you for your support and Bueno Camino!