It's not Goodbye it's a See You Later

 We made it to Tulsa, Oklahoma…1,705 miles…53 days of cycling (44 consecutive after our trip home in late June)…averaged a little over 30 miles a day…best of all, with your help we raised over $10,400 for Fetal Surgery families at CHOP!!!


How do we feel? 


TIRED. RELIEVED. BLESSED.


Tired…of being away from home…of dirt…of trucks…of the heat.


Relieved…to be going home to see family…to have made it to our destination safely each day. 



Blessed…to have had the opportunity to do this to help others…to know all of you who encouraged and cheered and listened and advised. 


In Tommy’s words: “The biggest thing I learned is patience. Whatever was happening…whether good or bad…I learned it wasn’t going to last forever. I could’ve quit but I didn’t. 


In the beginning I’d get mad when I’d see a hill but by the end I thought, ‘Ok, there’s a hill. I could just stay here and not go up that hill but then I’d be stuck here…so might as well just climb the hill.’”



Tommy’s right. Hills and mountains don’t really DO anything…they just sit there. We can decide whether to stay where we are or get past them. 


Between Mantoloking, New Jersey and Tulsa, Oklahoma, we sometimes rode, sometimes pushed our bikes up A LOT of hills and a few mountains…some real, some in our heads. 


Mostly, though, we feel GRATEFUL for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for YOU…and for moments we’ll never forget. 



Big moments like finally reaching the Great Allegheny Passage in Pennsylvania…crossing the Mississippi River…making it to Oklahoma. 


And so many little, quiet, beautiful moments that just happened…a sunset…a Mama horse nuzzling her colt…a barnyard kitten who wanted a hug. 


Thank you for being there with us along the way!!


(To be continued next year??????)

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