nothing ever works out quite like it's supposed to

This past Saturday the youngster and I did 53 miles in an MS Society sponsored practice ride. They held three of these over the summer and this was the last.

At each one, I'd get one of the MS Society employees to take out picture when we finished, so I could attach it to an e-mail I'd send to friends and family, basically begging for money.

I sent this one out on Saturday, and more than anything else, the response has been...why the big smiles? You can't tell me you just finished a 53 mile bike ride and look that happy. You look too damn happy.

Well, honestly, we did finish the ride, but we finished it about 15 minutes before the picture was taken. We did cool down a little, go to the car and get the camera, and cajole someone working there to take the picture, but it was pretty soon after finishing the ride. The smiles were because the woman who took the picture absolutely refused to push the button to take the picture unless we smiled, so we really had no choice.

That may be the biggest response (as in number of replies I got to the e-mail), but it's also having the desired effect. Little by little we are raising money for the cause....so we're getting there.