Pablove Across America :: Day 1

Pablove Across America kicked off yesterday! The boys and I woke up bright and early to drive Brian to the start of the ride. He'll be officially riding the third week, but also joined the group today on their ride from Milwaukee to Chicago. It sure was a beautiful day for it. Tour de France rider Christen Vande Velde even joined the ride for part of the way. That afternoon, H, C and I drove down to Oak Park. The boys got to hang out with their good friends Emma and Finn (and talk about how much they miss our old house, their old school, our old neighborhood ....), and I went over to David & Anne's for a fundraising dinner they threw for Pablove. Melissa volunteered to cater it. Other friends gave up their time to help serve. I met Brian there when the other Pablove riders came. We got to see some old friends from SRAM, get to know the Pablove team better, enjoy some great food -- pretty much a perfect night.

I'm so happy Pablove Across America kicked off in Milwaukee. All the riders really make a huge commitment and sacrifice to do the ride. And I think it was especially important that the boys see first hand why their dad is going to be gone for over a week, riding a bike across the county to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer. Why he's so dedicated to the cause, and why we support him in doing that. They met the people behind it all. They met Pablo's parents. They met children who have had cancer and survived. They met other parents who's children had/have cancer. It's powerful stuff. These are all children who were perfectly healthy, and got cancer. It's unimaginable. I'm not going to be posting about this every day. I promise. But if you are interested in following along, make sure you subscribe to the PABLOg.