A Little History

This blog began in 2010, I was at sea, I needed an outlet, I was having a hard time keeping in touch with friends and family, I started to write. Nautie Mermate became a strange nebulous friend of sorts. This little slice of the internet has kept me connected and kept me sane. More importantly, this little slice of the internet has brought people into my life that I just can’t imagine not having in my life.

One of my very first blog posts was a tribute to my Uncle Rocket. It is one of the singularly most important things I’ve ever written. It built the foundation for me to reconnect and become friends with his daughter, my cousin Rhiannon.

She’s become one of my favorite people. Ever.

Many of you are long time readers and you’ll know that each year I campaign on Rhiannon’s behalf as she participates in The Ride to Conquer Cancer. One year I even got to meet her at the finish line!

To say I’m proud of her doesn’t even scratch the surface. She earned her Golden Helmet last year! That means she’s ridden five years in a row!!

More Recent History

This year I travelled to Nepal with an amazing group of ladies. I call them ‘The Girls’ and they have been one of the best things to happen to me in a long time. The Girls were all somehow connected through Rhiannon - when I heard she was going to Nepal I shamelessly invited myself. These Girls. They’re amazing. They’re positive - uplifting - hilarious - fun - loyal - strong - smart - gorgeous women.

Currently

This year in support of The Ride to Conquer Cancer - and I’m sure in support of their friendship to Rhiannon - quite a few of The Girls (and their dudes) are participating in this years Ride. As in all previous years we're rooting for Team Finn.

Everyone has their own reasons for Riding - while I’ve never participated I have my own reasons for being such a staunch supporter and fundraiser on their behalf! (You can read about more of my reasons - along with an old plea to donate to Rhiannon! It’s outdated friends!)

This year I’m campaigning on behalf of Farley.

Why I Love Farley

When we were in Nepal we did a four day hike through the Annapurna’s. One of the days called for an insane early morning wake up and an insane trek up an insane amount of steps to watch an insane Himalayan sunrise. I was struggling. Like struggle-bus central. I was hands down the most out of shape in the group. The hike was a total stretch for me. A set of stairs straight up in the dark was a stretch of a stretch. Farley walked behind me with her hand on my back. Literally on my back. She coached me the whole way up, ‘ten more stairs’ ‘ten breaths’ ‘make it to that tree there’ ‘ten more steps then you can have another break’ ‘you got this’ ‘lets shoot for the next bend’. If she hadn’t been there I wouldn’t have seen the sunrise. I would have either quit half way up or been late. She had my back.

Call To Action

Please, head over to Farley’s page to read her personal story - it's an incredibly touching one.

Go one step further and donate because, let’s face it, we all know someone who’s been affected by cancer.

DONATE TO FARLEY HERE

I'd be incredibly honored if you took the time to click through some of the links to read some of the back stories. They matter.

I donated to Farley this year in honor of Russ. Russ was a long time family friend - and supporter of Nautie Mermate. He generously donated to Rhiannon's Ride every year. Sadly, this year he lost his own personal battle with cancer. I know he'd be incredibly proud to see Rhiannon finish her sixth ride!