First post!

Well, here it is, my first post. I'm officially "official", whatever that means. OK, here's the deal. The main reason I'm starting this blog is to chronicle my riding/fundraising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundations LIVESTRONG Challenge. Yes, that's right, I've decided to take my efforts to fight cancer beyond simple thoughts and prayers. I've decided to raise some dough, moo la, green paper, coin, dinero, cash money...all to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the fight against cancer. Here's the link to my personal fundraising page.

http://philly09.livestrong.org/don_page10

And the link to the LIVESTRONG Challenge itself.

www.livestrongchallenge.com

Why have I decided to take on this challenge you might ask. Because I've been affected by cancer in many ways, most recently, by losing a client to cancer. I can't disclose their name due to confidentiality issues, but I can tell you that they had an amazing spirit, a fighting attitude, and not one ounce of feeling as though they were a powerless victim. That inspired me to look into some volunteer activity related to cancer...and just a few clicks later...I found the LIVESTRONG Challenge! What a great opportunity! I am extremely excited about it for a number of reasons.

I've always wanted to take a stand against cancer as I've witnessed what the disease does to people on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Having the opportunity to raise money for research is the perfect way for me to contribute...and it doesn't hurt that I get to help others spirits LIVESTRONG by riding my road bike 100 miles in honor of those affected, and those that have lost the battle along the way. This is going to help others and help me at the same time, as I am setting some personal goals to help the LIVESTRONG spirit transcend not only those fighting cancer, but those that can be leading healthier lives. I'll chronicle my personal goals at a later date...for now I'm going to close with my favorite quote.

If one advances confidently in the direction of thier dreams, and endeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ~Thoreau

Peace.