The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! Several charity projects have kept me busy, and I've photographed several adorable canines and one energetic feline. And of course I've been looking after my two boys. My weekday afternoons belong to them. Last Sunday morning, however, belonged to me and to my family and friends affected by cancer. I rode 45 miles in the LIVESTRONG Challenge, and the weather couldn't have been more cooperative. Overcast skies and and cool breezes kept us comfortable, and -- no kidding -- the sun came out during my last mile as I was vocalizing a prayer of gratitude and supplication. I finished strong with a big smile on my face, high-fiving my kiddos and husband as I rode through the chute. I thought my allergies would end up dampening my enthusiasm, but I was absolutely wrong. I have not done all that many organized distance rides, but of the ones I have, the LIVESTRONG Challenge is my favorite. This year's was FAN-TAS-TIC.
A friend of mine asked me if it's too late to donate for this year. It's not! If you would like to make a contribution to help me reach my goal, please do! You can reach my personal donation page by clicking here. Sadly, I did not do the best job spreading the word this year (seriously? shame on me!), so I've decided to start waaaay ahead of time for the 2011 ride. And I'm planning to go back to 65 miles (I didn't train at all this year so I took it easy with the 45-mile route). To kick it off early, I created a collage with bits and pieces from my bike-riding life over the past two-and-a-half years, mostly LIVESTRONG stuff. You'll see it just below this post. Being the credit-conscious photographer that I am, I'll tell you that about 60% of the images were obviously not snapped by me (although I did enhance all of them) -- thank you to my husband, some fellow riders, the gal at the Chris Carmichael book signing, and Kreutz Photography for providing the original images. And to whoever took my mom's picture back in the 1950's.....guess which one that is? ; )
On a different subject, I am happy to tell you that my sweet dog, Lucky, made it into the Austin Humane Society 2011 Calendar! The Star Search was held a couple of weeks ago and I did manage to spread the word on this one. I am excited to be one of the official photographers for the 2011 calendar, and besides Lucky, I was assigned to photograph a beautiful, playful young cat named Levi. I'm told that the calendar will be available for purchase sometime in November.....I'll post it as soon as I know the exact date. The proceeds will benefit the AHS's efforts to help numerous dogs and cats find permanent homes.
That's all for now. Please leave comments for me if you're so inclined, I love hearing what my peeps have to say.
Ciao for now............
K
