Word Cloud

Thanks to my friend, Rob, he found this cool program called wordle.net, which takes the most common words on your blog and combines it into a word cloud. Check it out!



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Vail Pass

Amy, Kari and I decided to ride UP Vail Pass. In previous years, my family and friends have always ridden DOWN Vail Pass, which as you can imagine, is a lot of fun! It's about an 18 mile path that starts at the top of Vail Pass and goes through Copper Mtn, Frisco, over the Lake Dillon Dam and into Silverthorne.

Now that Kari and I are bikers, we thought it was due time to try our hand at going UP. So we started at the Dam in Dillon and began our trek up. The first 13 miles was a matter of finding a good pace. It was a relatively slight incline, and while it was a workout, it was doable for anyone. Once we hit Copper Mtn, we knew the hard part was about to start. The sign said 6 miles to the top, and we knew it was going to be steep. Sure enough, it was. I made it about 4.5 miles before turning around. Kari and Amy both made it to the top.

Next time (yes, I'll give it another go), I WILL make it to the top!

We happened to choose to ride on the same day as the Triple Bypass, which is a ride that covers 120 miles and goes over three Passes. We were not part of the ride, of course, but we rode in the mix along with several thousand other riders. We got smoked by rider after rider, but it was cool to semi be a part of the Triple Bypass

He's Ready

Can you believe this? I'm actually getting request for blog posts! My friend, Rich, sent me a special email that said: "It has been 4 days since your last post, I am jonesing for another on your seat post from the great Shiloh." His memo said, "I'm Ready!"

No joke.

The problem is I don't really have anything to blog about. I did have a fabulous night last night with friends, but I didn't want to write about that until I got pictures from Kari. Friday night I was in bed at 9:30, so obviously nothing too exciting happened that night. Today, I took a two hour nap, so nothing too exciting to report from today.

I'm out of things to talk about, Rich!

The good news is summer school is over this week. I took tomorrow off (I get paid for one sub day, so I figured I would take advantage of it). Thursday is our last day with the kids, so I just have Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then I am done!

Friday after work, I'm headed to Lake McCaunaghey in Ogallala, NE, to go camping with my girls. We're going to spend the weekend swimming, chatting, sleeping and playing games. I'm really looking forward to it.

That's about all I have to report. Sorry this blog post isn't more exciting, Rich, but I'll post pictures from last night once I receive them from Kari.

We Did It!

Team Thunder From Down Under

Me, Dean, Dave, Collin, Ben, Kari

I am so proud of my MS 150 team. Every single one of us completed the ride, and I know at some point every single one of us had to overcome some difficulties to make it to the finish line. No matter how good of shape my team was in, or no matter how many miles we put in before the ride, there were parts of the ride that sucked. While the thought of giving up crossed each of our minds, we all pushed hard and made it to the finish line.
Congrats to Kari, who rode for her sister, Amanda. She was a solid rider and encouraged me to finish the last 15 miles.
Congrats to Collin, who of course rode for our dad. He beat his big sister by several hours each day. Congrats to Ben, who rode for his mom, Pam. He rode alongside Collin, and even waited at the finish line for Kari and me.
Congrats to Dean, who rode for his sister, Kristi. Dean had a dislocated shoulder and pulled hamstring, but he persevered and made it to the end despite his pain.
Congrats to Dave, who gave riding tips to Kari and me throughout the entire ride.Congrats to me, who may have come in last from our team, but at least I came in. This ride has the most amazing people, both participating and volunteering. You can hear shouts of encouragement all around, and people are willing to stop and help out if needed. As I struggled up some long hills that I thought would never end, the shouts of encouragement I received brought tears to my eyes. These people, despite their own personal struggles, took an extra breath to cheer me on.

I made a few friends along the way, too. One man could see I was struggling up a hill, so he slowed down and talked me through the hill. As we neared the top, he looked me in the eye and said, "You, my friend, are my inspiration. You're going to finish this ride because you care for those with MS." He continued on his way without even realizing he gave me the strength to carry on.

On the next big hill, another lady my age rode alongside me for a ways. She told me the story of her friend with MS, who up until this year had ridden the MS 150 for seven years. This was the first year he couldn't ride because of his disabilities. As we neared the top of the hill she said, "Remember that we ride for those who can't. Remember that we ride to help raise money to find a cure. Remember that the pain you're experiencing now is only for a few short days while people with MS have a lifetime of suffering."

My final friend was a lady with MS. She wore her jersey with pride that said, "I ride WITH MS." She was struggling up the final five miles of hills, and she was all alone. I was also alone, so I rode with her for the final stretch. She was all smiles as she neared the end, and I couldn't help but think to myself, "She is MY inspiration."

Who is YOUR inspiration? You may not know someone with MS, but you know someone with cancer or you know someone who has lost loved ones or you know someone who has lost a baby or you know someone who is hurting financially or you know someone who is sick or you know someone who is living in so much pain they can barely get through the day.

And yet that person with MS wakes up every morning despite the pain. That person with cancer lives on despite having no hair or being brutally sick. That person who has lost a loved one wakes up and goes to work despite that void in their life. That person who lost a baby will never forget but they keep smiling despite their empty arms. That person who is hurting financially works just a little bit harder despite being so dog tired. That person who is sick pushes through the pain and makes dinner for their family. That person who is living in so much pain, whether it be emotional pain or physical pain, puts on a brave face.

We all know someone who inspires us, who helps us get through the day, who gives us that extra little push to make it to the top of the hill. Have you told that person they inspire you? Three little words, "You're my inspiration," can give someone just enough strength to make it to the finish line. Without my three new friends I made along the way, I'm not sure if I would have made it this year. I will admit, I wasn't in as good of shape as last year, and if a SAG Wagon would have come along between the 16 miles right before lunch, I honest to God think I would have quit.

But then I thought of my inspiration: my father. My sweet, precious father who inspires me and gives me the strength to live even though some days I would rather stay in bed. Four years ago he heard the words, "You have MS." I haven't heard a single complaint come from his lips, so you, dad, are my inspiration. I ride for you, dad.

Truth

Sometimes the truth hurts.
Sometimes the truth sucks.
Sometimes I don't want to hear the truth.
Sometimes I would rather skip the truth and move on to the subjects that don't hurt as much.
Sometimes I wish I could close my ears and my mouth and not hear the truth.
Because I've learned in my 28 years of life that the truth isn't always very nice to me or others around me.

There have been times when I have spoken the truth to someone I love, and it ruined friendships.
There have been times when I have spoken the truth to someone I care so deeply for, and I never heard from that person again.
There have been times when friends have spoken the truth to me and it cut me so deeply I wanted to throw them across the room.
There have been times when I spoke my heart, my most secret thoughts, my deepest desires and the person beside me ran away.

It is times like those when the truth hurts. When the truth sucks. When I wonder if I should have ever spoken at all.

But then I remember, "The truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Jesus spoke the truth and he was not well liked among many people. I am not striving to be hated, don't get me wrong, but I am striving to be more like Jesus, so it goes without saying that I must continue to speak the truth, accept the truth and listen to the truth.

Master Shiloh

The month of June has been a whirlwind for me. First was my reunion, then my graduation, then the MS 150, then the 4th of July. I haven't been able to sit still long enough to post pictures, but I have a TON of pictures. I did post pictures of my reunion, so now it's time to share my graduation photos with you.

My graduation weekend was such an amazing weekend. I am so so so very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who love me enough to drive to Denver to help me celebrate. April and Michelle came up Friday afternoon. April lives in Kearney and Michelle lives in Omaha. I was still at work when they got here, so they went shopping. My friend, Katie (who lives in Denver), met us for dinner, and then we went back to my place for a few drinks. Jeff and April took on Michelle and me at horseshoes. Jeff and April won!April and Michelle

Saturday was my graduation. There was lots of family and friends around, so I was kind of sad to leave the house to go the ceremony, but the ceremony proved to be fun, too. Yes, it's signed!Mom and dad screamed really loud when they read my name. My good friend, Courtney, who has been by my side through the good, the bad and the ugly.Courtney and Rich, my two good friends from the program. Our other friend, Rob, was MIA for the picture. Tiffany was my cooperating teacher for student teaching at Columbine High School. She taught me everything I know, and even better, we've become good friends. A party isn't complete without good friends. I've talked often about Kari and Abby. Abby married Corey in August and moved to Kansas. She just happened to be in Denver this weekend celebrating her niece's birthday, who was born two days before Case in the same hospital. I was thrilled to have her at my party!Sonya, Kari, Abby and MeSome of my very dearest friends: Tiffany, Sonya, Kari, Me, Abby, Michelle and AprilMy grandparents came from NE. These are my dad's parents, Leon and Reva.My aunt and uncle (Kevin and Ginger) came all the way from Wyoming. This is my dad's sister, Ginger. Some people say we look alike. Any resemblance?Thanks to my family for making my day very special. Mother and son.

(Not pictured: my dad's brother and his wife (Jan and Dallas) came from NE, and my mom's sister and husband (Lisa and Jimbo) came from Thornton, which is practically another state away from Littleton).Case turned two, so Shan made an awesome M&M cake. Kye is looking a little mischievous

After my party, April, Michelle and I went and did a little country dancing.

Everyone packed up and left the next morning. I, on the other hand, had another party to attend. I drove to Castle Rock to celebrate with my fellow classmates.

Erin and Courtney in front. Rich, Me and Rob in back. Rob has a 1966 Jag, so he took me for a cruise around Castle Rock.

Thanks to family and friends for making my graduation weekend so fabulous!

Congrats

I wanted to Congratulate my fellow classmates on getting a job. There are four of us that are really close: Courtney, Rich, Rob and me. We have dinner together once a month, and we constantly stay in touch via email, texts and phone calls.

I am happy to say that all four of us got jobs!

Rob is going to be teaching engineering and math at Castle View High School in Douglas County. He previously worked for IBM in his former life as a rocket scientist (literally). He's a brilliant guy who is going to be a GREAT teacher. Any student will be lucky to have him, as he's not only smart but he's funny, too. He's clever, kind and a great encourager. Maybe I would have liked physics in high school if I had Mr. Hazelhurst as my teacher.

Courtney is going to be teaching accounting and business at Gateway High School in the Aurora Public School District. The students love Mrs. Tanguma, or Mrs. T as she is called. She is able to connect with students within moments of meeting them, and while she can be tough, it's a tough love. The diversity of students at Gateway is right up her alley, and she will do an incredible job teaching our future business leaders.

Rich was just offered a job yesterday at Rangeview High School in the Aurora Public School District. He will also be teaching business. He speaks Spanish and is certified to teach Spanish, so there's also the possibility that he will eventually teach that as well. The kids will love Rich. He's funny and likes to tell jokes. His ability to speak Spanish will also help him connect with the students.

I am so proud of my fellow teacher friends. They are all going to be loved by their students. It's a big responsibility to be a teacher, and I have no doubt that my friends will make a big impact.

I'll post pictures from our graduation soon!