If you can’t come, but still want to donate click here!

Thanks for you continued support!

You Scream!

I Scream!

We all Scream for Benefit Ice Cream!

What: I am training for a century bike ride with Team in Training.  Dairy Queen is hosting a benefit night in which 10% of profits will be donated to LLS.

When: Thursday July 14^th from 5-8pm

Where: DQ at 13150 West Maple Road

Want to help Team in Training and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but cannot attend?  Go to my fundraising site to make a 100% tax deductable donation!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ne/seagull11/rfusselman



This morning I woke up early (530) to meet the team. Good thing I went to bed early and was able to slept through the night.

We started the ride with a huge hill. My lungs and legs were not ready.  I made it to the top feeling like my lungs were going to explode!  I was worried that this start was going to set the tone for the whole ride.  Thankfuly, once we got on the trail was a bit easier. The ride out was full of headwind and my muscles were burning! I could not get to the 17.5 mile mark just so that I could turn around.

On the way back I had the wind at my back so I worked on some speedwork.  It is always nice when the ride back seems fairly easy.  Well easy until we had to climb a killer hil on Fort street to get back.  I did not think the hill could be worse than the hill we began the ride with. I was wrong, the hill at the end of the ride was much worse!  When we came to the end I did not know if I was going to be able to get off the bike let alone walk.  All ended well and I sat in the sweet air of my car for a few minutes before I headed home.

Todays training ride is in the bag!  My big plans for the rest of the day includes a nap and out to dinner. The best way to spend the weekend!

Update…rode my first 30 on Friday. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was really hot though and I drank about 4L of water en route.

Tonight I went the easy route and went spinning at the gym.  I came home for a fresh vegie, chicken, and black pepper sauce stir fry.

Up this weekend…35!

Today was supposed to be a 10 mile ride.  I am glad I told myself to follow the schedulr and turn around when I hit the 5 mile mark! It is getting so hot out and my legs were begging me to stop this morning. I am glad that I did nog just come home and lay on the couch like I wanted to. Kevin told me to just get it over with and stop being lazy! He said people with blood cancer do not get that choice. Point taken and miles crossed off. Now it is time to relax!

I decided instead of feeling sorry and negative about myself I needed to channel my energy into something positive.  I figured, while I was doing something for myself other people should benefit as well.  I signed up for a century bike ride to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  For some crazy reason riding 100 miles on my bike has always been on my bucket list and I figured it was time to cross it off.  I am now on week three of training and thus far everything is going well, well except for the fact that riding 25 miles really is a pain in the ass:) The ride is in October and by the time it rolls around I will have had just under 2,000 miles of training.

As I tell people about my endeavor I am amazed to hear just how many people’s lives have been touched by blood cancer.   It seems like every time I tell someone new about my goal and my cause they too know someone personally battling  some form of blood cancer. Personally, I have had an uncle pass and a sister-in-law in remission since childhood.

With so many people being affected by the disease I figured it is only right to campaign on the behalf of so many courageous people.  By the grace of God I am healthy and vibrant and somehow when I look at my life in comparison to others 10lb does not really seem all that important.

So join me over the next four months as I campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I will update on my rides, my progress, and maybe I will even get back into the swing of blogging:)

My personal goal is to raise $3,800.00.  I know that no task is to great when taken one step or one mile at a time.  If you would like to donate please click here.  Know that no amount is too small and no amount will go unnoticed.

Thank you for not only supporting me in crossing an item off my bucket list, but for also all of those people who fight each and everyday for a cure!

God Bless!

We are digging out from a snow storm.  We got just under a foot of snow.  Schools have been closed for the last two days, but work has been on of course.  Let me tell you that I am more than ready for a snow day of my own! Three mor days of normal work and then I get a small break before I work at Trader Joe’s for the weekend.  What it boils down to is that I am am ready for a vacation.

This past weekend Kevin turned 28 and we celebrated with Gregg and Patti by going to Del Mare.  Kevin loves seafood so it has become our traddition to celebrate via seafood.

Kevin had stuffed swordfish with grilled asparagus.

I had a a salad that had a great sun dried tomato dressing with a side of ghnocci.

To make breakfast extra special for the birthday guy I made some really fun pancakes.  I found some Star Wars pancake molds at William Sonoma.  Sometimes you just have to have silly breakfast via fun shaped pancakes when one turns 28.

It was a really fun way to spend breakfast, however it was a lot harder to get the pancakes out of the molds than the lady said. This will not become a every weekend tradition, but we will break them out for something special:-)

We are going to continue to celebrate kevin’s birthday by going out for burgers, glow golf, and a movie. It will be a fun week!

Besides the birthday not too much else is going on besides trying to keep warm.  Well keeping warm and wishing we could move somewhere warmer!

Christmas Eve is finally here, two Christmas celebrations done, and my tummy is full of bread and soup. We are doing the usual Christma Eve Clouston celebration. In years past we have always had pizza for dinner, this year we tried something new. This Christmas we had a soup supper.

Christmas is full of tradition and Hickory Farms was kind enough to send me a party box full of tasty meats and cheeses. Hickory Farms is a sure sign of the holidays. I remember the strawberry candies and minty meltaways that we would get when we were young. We were able to make really nice meat and cheese trays for the family to nibble on throughout the festvities.

Christmas Eve has been full of lots of good food, traditions, and an evening full of games awaits!

One of the funniest parts of the evening has been the yard of licorice eating contest. Kyle ate the licorice in less than 5 minutes. So much fun!

Have a great Christmas Eve!