Let me introduce you to Sasha.  Ok, this really isn’t Sasha, but Sasha had a similar swimsuit on when I met her.  She looked so cute in the ruffled skirt.  Can you guess what her favorite color is?  Red.  How did I miss that?

Friday night I was painting faces at a 4^th of July celebration.  I decided this is one way that I could raise funds form my TNT event in September.  My daughter, Heather, always loved having her face painted so I thought I’d give it a try.

When I first met Sasha I wondered about her short silvery hair.  Some girls like short hair, but this was really short.  I didn’t ponder it very long because I was busy helping her choose what design she would like painted on her check.  She chose a stencil with one big heart and two little hearts. Above the hearts was the word, LOVE.  I then asked, “What color would you like?”  She responded firmly, "Red!" How could I have missed it?  She was wearing a red swimsuit with little white polka dots. Red was obviously her favorite color.

One design was not enough.  She also wanted a design on her arm, and then “BFF” on her foot.  As I painted the design on her arm she nonchalantly shared that she had had Lymphoma.  The haircut now made sense.  This little nine year old has been through chemotherapy.  She didn’t talk much about it, but was more interested in her designs, all done in RED.

We talked about Sasha’s BFF and her final design was done.  With a big smile she said thank you and bounced off with her brother to enjoy the evening’s fireworks.  Me, I sat humbled, thankful to have made a young girl smile.

Sasha is my personal hero as I prepare and raise funds for my ride in September.  As I climbed hills on Saturday, I thought of that smile and it encouraged me forward!

Ok, for the amateurs out there like me.  You can add a comment if you choose the anonymous profile.  I tried it and it worked.  This way it is more than just me adding comments.

Leukemia is the number one cause of death in children between the ages of 1-14 and takes the lives of 50,000 people each year. Through the Leukemia Society’s Team In Training program, I will have a coach, a training regimen, and a great group of cyclists with a common goal. Besides the challenges of training for and cycling 100 miles, I am committed to raising at least $3,000 to support the Leukemia Society in its battle against leukemia.  Would you consider a gift of $10, 20, or 50? Whatever you can contribute matters . . . it all adds up! If you are able and interested in giving a donation, I have listed my webpage below.  Thank you!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ne/vbvegas12/ShellyBikes

Hah! Beat the rain and got 18 miles in today!

Training Hill

This is training hill.  From this hill top the only way is down.  Riding 30 miles is easy on paths, but our coach takes us on these hills after about 15 miles.  The final 15-20 miles are a little tougher that I'm used to. :)

Have you heard the quiet whisper, “I can’t?” Early one morning this week, I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I guess I was worried about not riding with the team on Saturday because of an injury and I also began to doubt that I could raise $2,900.  I heard that whisper, “You aren't going to succeed.  You will look silly.  Give up!”  At one point in the morning I thought about some of my prior 4th graders. I pondered about how they might think, "I can't" when attempting multiplication, division, or reading.  I decided after another cup of coffee that I would say, “I can!”  Hopefully in the fall my ride might encourage my future students to say and believe, “I can.” A shout out to all those who have encouraged me to keep on riding by your example of refusing to accept “I can’t,” and believing “I can!” 

Here I am during the Men's College World Series, held every late June in Omaha.  Mark & I are big fans of baseball and enjoy this event.  One of my support coaches recommended selling 'spirit bead' at the event, but it didn't quite work for me.  Whether I'm too old, too shy, and basically don't know how to sell the idea, it was a flop.  As a mom, I guess I knew how to approach the kids, but they wanted them for free! :)  I'm sticking to my area of expertise in the future.

Today was more healing for my 'toe' accident!  The good news is that it isn't as bad as it felt yesterday! I could wear shoes today.

I tried a fund raising ideas at the College World Series, but I think I'm too old for the idea.  So, back to the drawing board again.  I'm trying to think of some ideas around the 4th of July.  Any ideas, let me know.