Old Friends...

My dear friend Leah Hickman. Let me tell you how I met her. In 2003 while living in Dallas, I heard a radio ad for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. I was inspired to attempt the adventure. In order to participate, walkers had to pledge to raise $2100 for breast cancer research. Once I registered, I was given the name of a team captain who had volunteered to train the group of walkers in our area. By my lonesome, I went to the first walking meeting and started training every Saturday with an amazing group of women. Leah was one of them.


We began to walk and talk, at some times for hours. Our team was the Asphalt Angels. Believe it or not, they are STILL walking together as a group!

When we started training, Leah had recently lost her dad when we met and during our training, her mom, Sara, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a tough time for Leah and her mom. Today, Sara is cancer-free. Since our 3-day walk in 2003, Leah got married, had a son Tommy (who is the same age as Kennedy) and when he was just a few weeks old, they moved to Longview. She also had a daughter, who is the same as Brady!

So since Leah lives in Longview, which is about an hour from here, we try to get together to catch up, trade kid stories, commiserate about the hectic nature of our lives... and we also try to RUN! Yes, we have moved on from walking to running. Our walking friends would not approve. We got together last weekend to run a Longview 5K race. Good earth!? It was HILLY! I had no idea Longview had such big hills!!

Leah is the kind of friend you can not see for months at a time and then pick right back up where we left off. She is a wonderful friend and I am lucky to have her in my life.