Struggling....

Happy Easter!!!!!

Well, I have only been on four rides since March 17 for various reasons. First, it took about two weeks to get my bike back from the Fuller Spring Ride. Meanwhile, I had that pesty kidney stone removed (which I should have had removed before the ride), followed by some complications with the removal. So, I ended up in the emergency room twice, then back in the doc's office to make things right. Nothing serious, just extremely painful for a few hours, and uncomfortable ever since. So, now things are ok, except every time I ride, I have some minor bleeding, so I've not ridden much, waiting to get the stent removed this coming Wednesday. After that, hopefully only a day or two before I can start some serious riding to get ready for the East Coast ride starting May 25th.

Good news that this this morning my weight was back under 200 lbs. I don't think the kidney stone weighed 8 lbs, so maybe it's helped that I've not been eating packages of cookies all in one day, or maybe going without my chocolate malt for a few weeks helped. Duh, who'da thunk it? No cookies, no ice cream equals weight loss? But, going without my favorite cookies and ice cream is almost tougher than riding 75 miles per day. I think The Fuller Center needs to start a winter ride so I can stop gaining weight over the winter.

I have done a little fundraising so far, but I really need to get it in high gear. I have a lot of money to raise if I am to ride both coasts; so far I can only make about two weeks. I need about $1.39 per mile to be able to ride the entire 3,600 miles on both coasts. So, if my three readers could split that $5,000 between you and donate, I could make the entire trip! Ok, that may be a little more than I should expect, so anything you can help with will be appreciated by me, and greatly appreciated by the families we help. And I do mean any amount. Here is the link to my donation page:  Tom's donation page  And, thanks for any amount you can help with.

I now have a slide presentation ready that Matthew and I created, and will present to his church next Sunday. So, if you know of any groups that I could get in front of I would love to present info on The Fuller Center, and a recap of what it is like to ride across the country with a great group of people, meeting more great people along the way.

Peace

PS: that small dish of ice cream this evening was yummy.