Dad's 1200 mile bike ride

Hey everyone! So tomorrow my dad leaves for his 1,200 mile trip from Greenville, NC to Key West, Florida... on a bike!!! How crazy is that?!? He is making this 1.5 week trip to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. For those who don't know, Boys and Girls Clubs give disadvantaged kids a chance to succeed by providing academic help, teaching healthy lifestyles and character development. My dad will make stops along the way at Boys and Girls Clubs across the east coast to give talks about nutrition, oral health, and bike safety. His goal is to raise $100,000 and he is at about $61,000 right now.

This challenge fits my dad perfectly because 1) he is a "fitness guru" and 2) he loves helping others and giving back to the community.


I am very thankful that I see many traits in myself daily that come straight from my dad. The first, although not always a good thing, is my extreme type-A personality. My dad can never sit still and is constantly looking for new challenges to undertake. He is not satisfied until his goal has been accomplished completely and perfectly. I am the same way, which results in me being stressed out 99% of the time. I can thank my dad for my constant desire to succeed and for showing me that I should never settle for less than I deserve. While my mom (and Garrett) is constantly trying to prevent my mental breakdowns by telling me to stop worrying about school so much, my dad is pushing me to go to med school and telling me he knows I can do it (which isn't happening... not now at least... sorry, Dad). I am thankful for my dad's example that no goal is too high.

My dad worked his butt off to get into dental school, and got accepted into UNC Chapel Hill's program (go heels!). He worked his butt off in dental school and graduated 1st in his class. [Side note: his professors didn't tell him that he was top of his class, so him and my mom didn't go to the awards ceremony. They called him and asked where he was, which was when he found out! Woops!] He decided he wanted to put himself through 2 more years of stress (orthodontic school), but UNC did not accept him. Crazy! But instead of settling, he took a year off and taught at the dental school and reapplied. This time he was accepted!

Pray for safe travels for my dad and for physical and mental strength! Follow his journey here: http://riding4areason.blogspot.com/?spref=fb and if you would like to donate you can do so here: http://riding4areason.org/

"No descipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."  -Hebrews 12:11-12