Live TV, I have been afraid of it for as long as I started this whole Team Donate Life journey. The thought of being interviewed on live TV seriously freaks me out. Which is why my Mom waited until last night to tell me we would be on Channel 10 this morning. I agreed in the beginning of this journey to do as much media as I need to. My Mom told me the riding wouldn’t be the hard part for (not entirely true) me but the media stuff would be the hard part because I’m so shy. She asked if I was willing to step outside my comfort zone and do it. I figured I would somehow get used to it and to be honest it hasn’t been that bad so far, but today….Wow I was seriously freaking out! I’m so glad I did it though. It was so awesome to see the behind the set stuff while they filmed. Everybody was so nice to me too. My whole class watched from school, actually my whole school watched it! When I got back to school everybody was really nice and supportive. If you want to check it out here is the link.
Cooking breakfast.
Breakfast making.
My Mom believes it’s her job to make sure us kids know how to take care of ourselves, because of that we have to do things like laundry, mow lawns, and cook. Sometimes this is kind of cool but sometimes it’s really hard. Yesterday she decided she was going to teach me and my cousins Hamilton and McKay how to make breakfast. I already know how to make pancakes but I’m new to the whole sausage making. So it took all three of us boys to make 8 patties of sausage and open a can of fruit (mom made the pancakes). Some were over cooked and one was under cooked, but all in all we did a pretty good job I think. I did notice my Mom slipping the last few to the dogs though?
Camp Ellison has hit Folsom!
Just some of the cousins.
Yesterday me and my Mom went and did a quick hard 24 mile training ride. She is getting really strong and I am not happy about that! Anyway it was a fun hard training ride and I was happy to do it. When we got home we got all of my cousins that are visiting from Idaho and Washington and then the ones that live here in Folsom and we did a 12 mile bike ride. It was so funny to see this HUGE train of kids with only three Moms taking all these kids on a ride around the lake. Even my baby sister rode (she is 6). Everybody we passed just gave us a double take. Especially because we rode oldest to youngest so it was like a big chain of tall to short kids. It was really fun to ride with everyone and just be chill. The only sad part was when my little sister Olivia crashed and skinned her knees pretty bad. Then last night we had another big family dinner with 21 people! It’s so great to have such a big family!
Is it bad if I rode from Auburn to Folsom all by myself?
Saturday I went on one of my long rides we were going up to Auburn and back. Should have been somewhere around 45 miles. It was a shorter ride then most Saturdays because we had a bunch of family in town. Somehow I didn’t see my team waiting at a gas station on the corner and I cruised right past them. I was thinking “I must really be far behind them because I couldn’t seem to catch them”. The Team was thinking “Connor must know where he is going because he is just pedaling away”. So shortly after passing the team they came looking for me, and they couldn’t find me? I actually didn’t know where the team had planned on riding and after a while I just started going down Auburn/Folsom road hoping to catch them. I was pedaling as hard and as fast as I could hoping to catch up but apparently they were behind me and I didn’t know it. I started to feel really bummed because I felt like my team just left me. I decided it was a good idea to pull over and ask to use the phone at Folsom Bike and Grind. Little did I know the team had broken up and spread out searching all the side streets for me. I called my dads cell phone but his phone had no service so then I called my Uncles phone, (oh wait he asked me to call him my favorite Uncle when I wrote this) so I called my favorite Uncle Ryan and he answered. He told me to stay put and the rest of the team was on their way to me. I can tell you this… when we got home my Dad was so nervous to tell my Mom what happened . I don’t think I have ever seen my Dad work so hard to tell a story leaving out all the bad parts. It worked out great for me because now my Mom is dead set on me getting my own cell phone. I just want to make sure that you all know I was never lost! I knew exactly where I was the whole time I just wish the team wasn’t so lost.
Allergy Season:(
Itchy eyes, clogged nose, asthma! This is terrible, just when I started feeling better and getting back on my bike I have one of the worst allergy attack years ever. Dont worry I am not letting it slow me down, I just ride with my eyes closed now….just kidding. I will get through it I’m just not enjoying the great weather like everybody else.
So the other day I went for a ride with my Mom and her friend Leann. We decided to go up Beatty which is somewhere around 15-18% grade and a mile long. Most bike riders do not like it, except for me I LOVE it! I don’t know why I love it so much but I think it’s because I can do it and I can do it good. So I was feeling kind of cocky at the bottom of the hill and I let my Mom and Leann take off before me. I was thinking “they are gonna get tired and slow down and I’ll just blow past them”. Well guess what???? They didnt slow down! I had to put on my super turbo and get up out of the saddle and finally pass in the last 50 yards. I do not like getting beat by girls!
What a weekend!
Me my family and the nice people from Sac. State
My new friend Josh.
Saturday I went on a crazy 70 mile bike ride with the team. It was really hard. We went from Folsom to Georgetown. One hill we went up was Prospector. If you ever get a chance to drive up it, you wont believe that I rode my bike up it. My Dad said it will prepare me for the climbs on Race Across America. We climbed 5000 feet total. I only struggled once when I was climbing Lotus and my body was hurting so bad. I felt like crying, and quitting. My Mom came along side me and we rode together for a while, she told me how I’m saving lives by pushing through the pain on these bike rides. It took me a while to understand what she meant? Then she said when people find out that a 12-year-old with a liver disease is riding his bike across America to raise money for Organ Donation, that people get inspired and donate money. The money they donate is used for research, and education, and that is how I am saving lives. It’s kind of hard to understand but when I really thought about it I totally got it. Since our good friend Stacey is back in the hospital with her kidney transplant rejecting it made us want to really work hard.
After the ride we came home and hurried to get ready for the Stockton Thunder hockey game. It was my first hockey game and it was soooooo cool! The PR team at Sac. State has a big “what is your legacy campaign” this month and it’s all about Organ Donation. They invited me out to throw the puck at the beginning of the game. I got a signed jersey from all the thunder players and a hat and stick! I was so nervous at first because there were 8500 people there, but after I threw the puck I totally relaxed and had a blast! The professor I met from Sac. State that hooked us up with all the Stockton Thunder stuff also gave us his seats down in front of the glass. Let me tell you “oh my gosh”. Those guys are crazy! They literally beat the heck out of each other every chance they can. My dad said it’s like Call of Duty only no guns just sticks and punches. I met some really cool people from Sac. State and they were all super nice. I also met this kid named Joshua from Make a Wish he threw out a puck too, he and his family were really nice and it was nice for me to have another kid to share the experience with.
The cast is off!
Today I woke up feeling better then I have in a long time. I was also super happy to be getting my green club off my arm. When I got there the same guy that put my cast on was ready to saw it off. He was really cool and he reads my blog so I want to send him a quick shout out, “Hey there Douglas!” I was pretty nervous when I noticed that it’s a actual saw that he use’s to cut it off with. I was thinking “what if I came in to get my cast off and I leave without my arm”? It all worked out I came out with no cast and my arm. I have to tell you, that cast smelled sooooooo bad you wouldnt believe it. My Mom was grossed out and made me go to the bathroom and scrub my arm because it smelled so bad. It had pencil lead in it from all the pencil’s I shoved down there to itch my arm with. I also had scratch marks on my arm from shoving paper clips, pens, and sticks down my cast. I am going on my first outdoor ride today in 3 weeks and I can hardly stand it, I’m so excited. I’m also worried that my Mom is gonna whoop me on her bike because she has been riding way more then me. I’ll keep you posted, wish me luck!
My friend the Baade’s are going through a ruff time today. Stacey Baade needs lots of prayers because she is having problems with her Kidney transplant. I know I have the very best friends and support anyone could ever ask for so please say a prayer and think good things for her. If you remeber one of my post from way back about the coolest little kid Tucker? thats her son.
..::Race Across America::..