Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Hubby says it gives me an "edge." Friends told me now I'm truly "badass." One of my most favorite family members said, "You crack me up." It's funny how people react when they see my new tatt, but for me, it is a constant reminder of all my new friends from the ride this summer, all the beautiful scenery we witnessed as we rolled along at 15 miles and hour (sometimes only 7 miles an hour when we were climbing mountains like Monarch Pass), and Mom. Though the ride is only a teeny tiny fraction of my entire life, it's impact on me has been way bigger than I had ever dreamed.

Yikes! I am totally distracted by BTUSFMS and the fact that my fundraising goal is so close I can almost reach out and touch it. But really, my distraction today isn't so much about the excitement of reaching goal. No. Rather, it's about the envelope that was handed to me this morning at work and what was tucked inside, clipped to the donation, that is creating a whirlwind of thoughts. Yorktown Tattoo My mom loved temporary tattoos. She often talked about putting a rose on her ankle, but due to the compression socks she had to wear to keep the swelling down, she wasn't able to ever don the rose she so wanted. Today, paper clipped to the donation offered to me was a temporary tattoo. It's not a rose, but it is whimsical and one I know Mom would have liked. I'm going to apply it to my ankle the morning I start out from Yorktown, leaving it on as long as the dirt and grime from the road allow. And since I've been talking about getting a real tattoo for the ...