Thank You

"It is ok to choose your path and your pace...just stick to the path your heart is setting out for you.” My friend

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There are no expectations other than having a great meal surrounded by the people I care most about. It’s a time when I start to reflect on the past year and think about how grateful I am for everything that has come my way – the good and the bad. I think about how appreciative I am for the support I have from my family and friends and how YOU continue to enrich my life.

So I’d like to say thank you. Thank you for supporting me in my life choices, thank you for supporting me in my athletic adventures and most of all thank you for continuing to donate to me on behalf of JDRF’s Ride to Cure Diabetes. The Ride to Cure has saved me in more ways than you could know and I am eternally grateful of your support. I asked you to make a decision to act and you did - you helped me raise $4,000.00 for this years ride in Vermont. As a whole the Vermont venue raised over 1.4 million dollars towards research – a first for the ride program!! All thanks to you.

That weekend was another life-changing experience as it challenged me like never before. You see I’ve never ridden in the rain. That day I rode 100 miles in the cold, wind and rain. I didn’t think I’d do it when I started; I was just going to see how I felt and take the day as it came. It’s a great thing when all is said and done, when you realize what you accomplished despite the adversity. I wrote in great detail what the experience was like in my blog. If you get a chance please copy and paste the link below to read all about it.

http://trainingdiabeteslife.blogspot.com/2009/08/coldwindrain100-miles-in-vt.html

As you may already know, this year I have become a triathlete and have now planned to race an Ironman by 2011. I can honestly say becoming an athlete has saved me. It’s helped me in dealing with loss, taking better control of my diabetes, becoming more involved in the diabetic community and as I have been positively influenced by the experience I want to continue to pay it forward. I have much to look forward to next year in preparation for 2011; lots of training, many races and new adventures as well as my annual century ride for JDRF. So I wanted to let you know you’re making a difference in my life and in the research being made with your continued support of the ride program. I couldn’t do this without you.

The path I am traveling right now is incredible and I’m enjoying every minute of it. Thank you so much for sharing it with me!!!

All my love,
Jen