This morning I headed off to Napa to meet my older sister, and the two of us drove down to San Francisco, to Pier 39, to join a large crowd of people, many of whom were wearing some form of pink. My sister, as leader of our team, had purchased hats for all three of us, although my little sister won't get hers til she comes down in July, so at least we had our own pink on, and could blend in with the crowd.

We found what was quite possibly the very last parking spot available in the garage across the street and had a little discussion on how best to stuff our purses under the seats so we would not have to carry them - an effort which was made completely moot by the fact that when we showed up at the registration table we were handed goody bags, full of samples and magazines and lots of paperwork about the organization. And there wasn't enough time to go back to the garage and drop off the bags, nor was there enough time to get lunch, so we bought pretzels at a stand right near where the practice team was gathering and inhaled them while the perky young leader gave her spiel about safety, and then as a group, we all headed down the pier for the very first practice walk of the San Francisco Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

We do the Sisters Only weekend every year, but this year, instead of going off to a cabin or a hotel or a resort, we are going to spend our nights in tents with thousands of other people, and our days walking the streets of San Francisco for areally good cause. In a way, it will be just as much a sisters bonding thing as our trips to Reno and Las Vegas, and walking 26 miles in two days will be our 'extreme' activity this year, instead of singing karaoke in a bar full of strangers or rappelling down a rope into the vast emptiness of a very deep hole in the ground, like we've done in years past.

We've signed up as the Sisters Only team, and our team goal for fund raising is $5400 total ($1800 each). We're each going to have to do a lot of preparation to get to the point where 26 miles of walking is doable, but we're committed to making it work.

The money raised is managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity with a mission is to fund access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. The Avon Foundation funds both local and national organizations in five key areas: medical research, education and early detection programs; clinical care; and support services, all with a focus on the medically underserved.

Please help to support my efforts and this important cause by making a generous contribution. You can make your donation online by simply clicking here. Please remember as you're making your donation that in less than the time it took to read this e-mail, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer.