Happy Birthday G-Ma!

We love you & hope you have a great birthday!

Aloha!

We are off to Hawaii for a week! We are so excited to take Thad to one of our favorite places! Have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

PS Happy Anniversary Michele & Dan! xoxo

Carmel Weekend

Last weekend we went to Carmel and had a couples weekend to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my dear friend Lindsey and her fiance Lane. It was a beautiful weekend filled with good company, cute babies and fun times. I love my friends soooo much! Can't wait for your big day Lindsey and Lane!

Tour of California - Part 4 - San Francisco Start

The last and most exciting event we participated in as part of the Tour of California was the start in San Francisco at Ocean Beach. Pat got to tell his story and meet some of the riders as they signed in for the race. He also was given the most courageous jersey from Tom Rabou who earned the jersey the day before. About 15 minutes into being on stage Pat spotted his doctor in the crowd!!! Dr. Schmidt came down from UCSF to get a glimpse of the riders. He is a huge cycling fan so Pat had him come on stage and he got to meet some riders and be a part of the event too! They met some big names including Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish, and Lance Armstong!! It was so neat! To finish the morning off Pat got to shoot the starting gun!

When we were leaving Pat said it was one of the best days of his life - besides Thad being born and us getting married - Ha! It really was a day to remember. Thanks Amgen, The Wellness Community and of course Dr. Schmidt who made this day possible.

The funny thing about the day was despite the VIP passes and meeting some of the most famous athletes in the world, the best part of the day was seeing Dr. Schmidt and having one last chat with him about Pat's health. Of all the people we would have wanted to share the day with it was Dr. Schmidt. We are so glad we shared this day with you, Brian! ; )

Tour of California - Part 3 - Stage 1 Finish in Sacramento

We got to see the finish of stage 1 of the Tour of California in Sacramento. The riders made three laps around the capital building before the finish and each time they rode by was more exciting than the last. Thad came with us and sported some dang good ear plugs - he slept through the noisy finish!! It was an exciting day and we enjoyed every second!

Tour of California - Part 2 - Team Presentation & Gala

Last Friday we attended the Tour of California Team Presentation and Gala as guests of Amgen. All the teams and riders in this year's tour were introduced. It was amazing to see all the athletes up close, we sat right near the stage - and man what crazy thigh muscles they have! Ha! The night was SO spectacular! Wow!

Team Saxo Bank

Pat and George Hincapie

Red Carpet

Lance!!!! and Team Radioshack

Stuart O'Grady

Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwin

Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium

Pat's Survivor Story

When Pat was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in August 2008 he went online in search of survivor stories to get some reassurance. As a cycling fan he found himself on the Tour of California Breakaway From Cancer website where many survivor stories were featured.
As a survivor and participant of some of the Tour of CA events this year, Pat is one of the featured survivors on the Breakaway website. Everything has come full circle. Pat now has the opportunity to share his story, offer hope to others that are newly diagnosed, and raise awareness about the emotional support offered at The Wellness Community.
Read his survivor story - click here. Check out the great photo of Pat and his favorite guy! : )

Tour of California - Part 1 - Breakaway Ride

Some of Pat's biggest fans.

Go Pat!

Big George!

A few weeks ago Pat participated in the Breakaway Ride in Santa Rosa. The Breakaway Ride allows amateur cyclists a chance to ride a segment of the Tour of California that the professionals ride and is a fundraiser for the Cancer Support Community. The breakaway ride in Santa Rosa was also ridden by professional American cyclist George Hincapie. Pat represented the Wellness Community and made his first public speech - he was great! Pat's mom was in town and it was great for her to be a part of this special day!

It is so important for us to give back to the organization that gave us so much support through our cancer journey and we are thrilled to be a part of such wonderful events!

More on the event - click here.

Pat in The Press Democrat newspaper - click here.

Feet and Rolling Over

Some exciting things are happening around here!
Thad has discovered his feet and he is rolling over!

Thad's First Trip to Tahoe

A few weeks ago we took Thad up to Tahoe for family weekend in the snow. We all had a great time. Pat and Michele went skiing with the kids and we got to see some relatives, but mostly we just hung out at the cabin and enjoyed each other's company.
Oh... and the most exciting event of the weekend was that saw a big bear. It was very exciting! We checked out the prints the next day and it was a big bear!

Busy, Busy and a Little Sad

We have been very busy the last couple of weeks. We were out of town, then had family in town and have just been busy being parents. On top of all the business my grandfather passed away. So... I have not been a dedicated blogger, but I hope to get caught up over the next week. I'm looking forward to sharing some fun times we have had and I'd like to share about what an amazing life my grandfather had. More to come.