King... my brother from another mother.

            I am trying to get used to the idea of blogging.  Sharing with the world what I am going thru on a day-to-day basis isn’t as easy as I had anticipated.  But in keeping with that spirit I am going to write about the last few days.

            Sunday evening I received some terrible news.  One of my roommates from college passed away after a very long battle with a rare type of anemia.  King was a fighter. I will refer to him by nickname because in the 10 years that we were friends I don’t think either of us ever called each other by our given names.  He battled his illness with the strength and faith that I wish I had.  For the last two years he had been in and out of the hospital, he came thru chemo, bone marrow transplants, and countless other procedures, all while maintaining a positive attitude. 

            Thru-out his illness the only time that he seemed really down during our conversations, was when he called to tell me that he was not going to be able to make my wedding.  I am sure that he had up and downs but this was the only time he let me hear it.  It was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever received.  My college housemates and I were and still remain very close.  The prospect of missing another reunion due his illness was very difficult for all of us, especially King.  He told me that he was tired of missing out on stuff because he was sick, that he had already missed so much in the past few years and didn’t want to miss any more.  I told him to keep fighting, that we were all think of and missing him.  That he was going to beat this and we would all get together to celebrate his recovery.   Unfortunately, some battles can’t be won.  If anyone had the ability and attitude to overcome this illness it was him. 

            I am thankful that King no longer has to suffer, but I am devastated by the loss.  He is in a better place, but the world is less of a place without him. 

            King I love you and will miss you.  May the road rise to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.

            Tomorrow is not a promise.  Live each day to the fullest and make sure the people around you know that you love them!

The first blog entry.

           Well things are starting to come together.  After a whole bunch of back and forth with the bank and the lean holder we finalized the deal on van and picked it up last Friday.  I am going to be sending it in to the shop later this week to have the bed and some additional storage put in, with the appointment for the decals and other extras being later next week.  I will post some before and after pictures when it is finished. 

            It is hard to believe that we will be leaving in 6 weeks and that the ride will begin in only 10 weeks.  I remember when 2 weeks seemed like a long time but I know that we will be pulling out of the driveway to leave before I know it. 

            For now I am just focused on continuing to train as hard as I can and hopefully spread the word about the ride as quickly as possible.  For now it is exceedingly difficult because I am continuing to work until the 7^th of May.  Hopefully I will be able to balance everything until then.

            People that we have already told about the ride for the most part have been very supportive.  Hopefully that attitude continues after we part ways, and they tell as many people as possible. 

            The website still needs some work but for a guy who is pretty much computer illiterate it has come a long way.  All we need now is some donations to start rolling in and more website visits. 

            Thanks for reading, additional updates to follow.