I’d Like to Thank…..

Can we all agree that awards shows are lame and tedious? Whether it’s the Emmys, the Oscars, the Grammys, or the Espys, these shows all boil down to one thing: we have to sit around and listen to a bunch of self important windbags prattle on about themselves so we can find out who won the various awards, when finding out who won the awards is the only reason we tuned in to begin with.

I mention that because a staple of all of these speeches is the inevitable list of people that need to be thanked at the end of each speech. While some keep it mercifully short (mom and dad, spouse), most thank everyone from their hairdresser to their fourth grade gym teacher.

Well, this is not an awards show – I promise no idiotic skits, no ridiculous song and dance acts, and no self-important speech – but I do think it’s appropriate to thank those that have helped us along the way. There are a lot of people on this list, and I’ll try to remember all of them, but if I forget to mention you, it means that either I’m a thoughtless ingrate (likely) or you’re simply not as important as you think you are.

So, without further adieu and in no particular order:

Scot Burns, Gray Green, Kent Sterling, and Pete Sebert all navigated the RV, which was not an easy chore. Kudos, boys.

Susan Skelton, Kevin Lee, Chris Denari, The Young Fella from Muncie, Brownsburg Kevin, Dan Dakich, and Michael Grady all shared the walk with me, and while I was more than happy to walk with my iPod most days, it was nice to have human companionship once in awhile.

Jim Kelch, Diane Fisher, and Stacy Paetz were in regular communication via text, and kept me plugged into the outside world.

Connie from Marsh, the various Marsh store managers, and Janette Hensleigh kept us fed and hydrated.

We had a chance to meet several sheriff’s deputies and police officers along the way. The simple concept of north, south, east, and west has always eluded me, and without these guys I’d be wandering around Dallas about now. They also kept me safe, which was appreciated by, well, me (though, I suspect not by everyone), and meeting these guys renewed my appreciation for law enforcement folk everywhere. These are potentially dangerous jobs, and though there are many people that hold these professionals in low esteem, I am not one of them. Please remember that, men, if you have occasion to pull me over for speeding.

We stayed in a number of different campgrounds, and while all of those operators were great, special thanks go to Jacque and Pete in Nashville and Dave and Marcie in Brazil. They made camping, an activity I’ve never particularly enjoyed, something less than the loathsome experience I feared it would be.

Bob, Tom, Kristi, and Chick from the Bob and Tom Show, Steve Simpson and Terri Stacy with 93 WIBC, and Dan Dakich from 1070 the Fan all gave us a regular platform to update the walk and generate interest.

Countless television and radio stations and newspapers all over the state also gave us extensive coverage, and that coverage assisted us in our fund raising effort.

Though not a sponsor, I feel compelled to mention K-Swiss. I’ve worn the same pair of shoes all summer, which means that between the four months of preparation and the walk itself, these shoes have logged over 1,300 miles. Take that, Nike.

Without the support of the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund and the Indiana Pacers, this journey would have been impossible. The same is true of our major sponsors: Wheaton World Wide Moving, Camping World, Marsh, AT&T, and Forum Credit Union all have my gratitude.

This has been a fun and rewarding experience for me, and without the aforementioned folks – and others that I’m sure I forgot to mention, which makes them no less important – none of this would have been possible.

Thank you. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege.

Tuesday’s Journey: Zionsville to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Mileage: 12.9 (We’ve already hit my goal of 500 miles. Don’t think I didn’t give serious thought to blowing off Tuesday’s walk all together).

On the iPod: Nothing. There are over 2,000 songs on my iPod, and I am now officially sick of all of them. Besides, I’m walking with Dan Dakich Tuesday, and his view of the world is far more entertaining than anything the iPod has to offer.