Vince's Journey

OK, so maybe riding 80+ miles on a bike isn't exactly a breeze but I was able to complete our final tune-up for Tahoe and due to a couple wrong turns, actually rode closer to 85 miles this past Saturday. I'll admit I was a bit sore and extremely tired at the completion of the ride but I do feel pretty confident that I'll be able to complete the 100 mile trip around Lake Tahoe on June 1. We'll have one more group session next Saturday, probably 20-25 miles, belfore we load up the bikes and ship them to Tahoe. This has been a great experience and I've really enjoyed getting the miles in the past few months; I've definitely found a new hobby.

My fundraising has gone very well. I'm close to the $7000 mark, about $2500 over the original goal. I would like to hit $7500 so if you have not made a contribution; there's still time to do it. Just follow the link to my web page...

http://www.active.com/donate/tntsoh/tntsohVHopkin

Finally, we had a huge night at the 2008 Man and Woman of the Year event to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year we raised over $230,000 which was a record locally but this year we almost doubled that amount, $430,000!!! I don't know how we'll top that amount next year but we'll worry about that then.

Hope all is well with everyone as we head toward the Memorial Day weekend. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes out in Tahoe. Thanks to everyone for your support!!!

Vince

I saw this story on a website recently and wanted to share it with everyone. It's about a young man from the Pittsburgh area who is losing his fight with cancer but continues to inspire everyone he meets with the way he has approached his situation. He is a very brave young man who is wise far beyond his 17 years.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08125/878966-364.stm

There's just one month before the big bike ride out at Lake Tahoe. Our team has been working hard and putting in some major miles the past few Saturday mornings. This week we'll do 60 miles and then do 70 and 80 the following two weeks. Hopefully, at that point, we'll be ready for Tahoe. I've already exceded my fundraising goal but if you haven't contributed and would like to, there still is time. Just follow the link....

http://www.active.com/donate/tntsoh/tntsohVHopkin

Judd finished up his first year at UD and is now home for the summer. He thinks he had a pretty solid semester and is now looking for the right summer job. He wants to play a lot of golf this summer so he's focusing on working at a golf course. If anyone has any leads, let us know.

Aaron went to Moeller's prom last week and is winding down his junior year. He'll probably continue to work at Wendy's this summer and is looking forward to that big 18th birthday on June 22nd. We'll be in Aruba on vacation and Aaron is fired up because 18 is the legal drinkng age down there. We're going to have to keep our eyes on him while we're down there.

Abbey just landed a job at Wendy's, as well. She's had a great first year at Mount Notre Dame but I think she's ready for the summer break. She has her temporary license and has been driving a little the past couple weeks. Her birthday is in September so she still has a ways to go before she can take the big test.

Jules is busier than ever with her business. I think she could work 24/7 at this point. We're also having some major work done on our house so it currently looks like a disaster area. We needed to replace our siding which was rotting away - they still have about a weeks worth of work left to do but the outside of the house is looking better everyday.

I think that's an update on everything. Hope all is well with all of you and we'll continue to update the blog.