Well, I finally got it. I finally got my bike. I swear it was like Christmas in October. I was so excited because I knew I was getting more than a sweater or socks. I was getting a pretty radical bicycle.

It was like this essentially

Jack and Adam's has been really good to us. They even gave us helmets along with our bikes. Super sweet deal. Fight cancer and get a free helmet? You can count me in! WE GET SO MUCH STUFF!

I CAN'T HANDLE ALL THE STUFF I GET

Now of course comes the part about riding the bike. This was challenging, seeing as how I haven't ridden a bike in quite some time.

You see, I was a chubby little kid. I was raised predominantly by my mother, and when she tried to teach me how to ride a bike, she lacked the strength to hold me upright. It wasn't her fault that I couldn't ride, and it wasn't my fault I didn't know how. So it just turned into this:

BUT NOW I'M BIKING FROM TEXAS TO ALASKA. And not just from edge to edge. I'm coming from heart of Texas to middle of Alaska. Not the panhandle of Texas to the Canadian border. We're in it to win it here.

Falcon's ready

Fundraising has been going well. I'm always surprised to see how generous people are. Cancer does not have a "look". You can't tell just by looking at someone if they know someone who has had cancer or even if they have had some type of cancer in their past. Whenever someone makes a donation, I always realize that they probably know someone who had cancer. Or has cancer. Or they love someone who is going through cancer or had to go through it. In the same vein, the people who donate are not always the rich "spendy" type. Sometimes they come from a low income background, and that makes their donation even more special and forces me to remember what I'm riding for.

Sir Moneypooch would gladly donate

My roommate Chad decided it would be a good idea to take me on a bike ride. Like I said earlier, I haven't been on a bike in forever. So we were riding down the street, with cars passing and me being very clumsy on two wheels, when I realized:

We're riding for reasons bigger than ourselves. That's what makes us so strong and that's why we'll keep pedaling even if things get hard. 

even if this happens