Partying in NJ

May and June were extremely busy for us. We spent much of it going from place to place for big events including a memorial, a wedding, a graduation, etc. Also, Guillaume's parents came to visit for two weeks. It has been fun seeing everyone! Here are two photos from a trip to my parents' house to celebrate: Amy's graduation, mom's birthday, father's day and Guillaume's parents' visit. We ate some delicious food that my mom made (despite that it was her birthday) and had a blast. 

America's most beautiful bike ride

From Jodi Heller:

Hi Everyone!

Stephen and I returned home yesterday morning. We had a great vacation beginning in Tahoe. On June 1, I woke up at 5:00 and started my 100 mile ride at 6:15. The majority of the bikers were riding with Team in Training to raise money for Lymphoma and Leukemia. As you know, I decided to ride alone and raise money for The American Cancer Society on my own. Even though I wasn't riding with a Team, they were all very welcoming and encouraging. I did ride with Team Long Island for a while and ran into familiar faces at each rest stop. I repeatedly heard how this was one of the hardest centuries out there from many of the Team coaches. It wasn't hard to believe as I pedaled my way up a mountain only to squeeze my breaks back down the mountain. There were definitely moments of fear riding on a mountain with traffic not bothering to move aside for us bikers. It was a great accomplishment for me, and I'm so glad I took this challenge on! I won't bore you with all the highs and lows of the long day. I crossed the finish line much later than I was anticipating, but I didn't feel as tired or sore as I expected. I'll be sending photos soon. I wish I would've had a camera throughout my ride, but I didn't, so most of the photos are from the day prior when we drove around the lake. Stephen took some before/during and after the ride as well. You can definitely see why this is named "America's most beautiful bike ride!"

Our vacation began to feel like one as we headed to Napa for a couple of days. After that, we returned to San Francisco and spent some time with our friends Liz and Will. 

All of your support and encouragement have been so greatly appreciated! Thanks to so many of you, I raised over $1,200 for the fight against cancer!  The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is still over a month away, so if you have not yet donated, but would like to, please visit my web site and donate before July 18. 


Please click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeMidwestDivision?px=4910347&pg=personal&fr_id=7197&et=AUMDFF8sunSyzX-RGAa17A..&s_tafId=110958

Thanks!
Jodi

For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society's Privacy Policy, please paste this link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp

Amy Graduates from College

A couple weeks ago, Amy earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Art from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. It was a huge accomplishment after four years of intense studying. It was so amazing to see her walk across the stage and get her diploma. Around her neck, she has various honors cords. Congrats to Amy!

Jodi Heller Supports the American Cancer Society

From Jodi Heller - a training update on her Relay for Life training:

Hi Everyone!

I've been so busy riding and working that I haven't had a chance to send an update for a while. On Saturday, I put in my longest ride so far- 65 miles. What's 35 more miles? No problem!! I just need to keep myself hydrated and eat throughout the ride.  It'll be nice to have a planned route so I won't have to do the same route 4x in a row to get my miles in. I have a few 15 mile routes that I take quite often, but I'll be happy for the change of scenery. I've never been to Tahoe, but I've heard it will be amazing! I can't wait!

All my training will be put to use in less than a week!!! Now, just a few logistics to figure out, like shipping a bike. I was able to get a bike box from One on One. Thank you Charles for helping me with the box and getting it in my car!!! Now, we just need to get it shipped out tomorrow and sent to the hotel. Luckily Stephen is quite handy, so he'll be able to take my bike apart and fit it into the box. When I signed up for the ride, I never thought about actually getting the bike to Tahoe.

I'll send photos from the ride when we get back! Thank you all again for the great support- I appreciate it so much!

Thanks!
Jodi

If you'd like to check out my personal page or support me and donate to The American Cancer Society, please copy and paste the link below:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeMidwestDivision?px=4910347&pg=personal&fr_id=7197&et=AUMDFF8sunSyzX-RGAa17A..&s_tafId=110958

My Eighth Birthday in 1984

Here is a photo from my eighth birthday at my grandparents house in NJ. We also celebrated my grandma's birthday that day. I was super excited about my air brushed cat sweatshirt with my name on it. I also loved wearing pig tails. This was all before Amy was born. The little wind chimes that hung from the lamp over the long dining room table are making a funny shape near my grandma's face. It took us a while to figure out what that was. Also, my mom is making a funny face. She was probably exhausted from the roller skating party we had the day before!

Easter 2008

Here's a more recent Easter picture.

Easter at Grandma's in NJ!

We spent most holidays at my grandparents' house in Bridgewater, NJ. I remember these events well. The ranch-style house was filled with my relatives and the sounds of laughter and conversation.

For the first 9 years of my life, I was the

 youngest person at these events, so many times I would just sit at my little red schoolhouse desk and color or draw. Sometimes I would sit on the brown couch in the huge dining room and read books (pictured). My favorite things were to read and draw. It was soothing to hear the chatter of the adults and hear my grandmother and aunt moving around in the kitchen.  Later when my sister was born, I ended up taking care of her or playing with her.  

When the meal was ready, we would be herded

 to our seats in the dining room to find our usual seats. I always sat at the end of the table near the kitchen next to my grandma. My mom sat on the other side of me. Easter was different than the other holidays because it usually entailed two meals -- lunch and dinner. This was a lot of work for my grandma, but I always enjoyed. Later, when my grandmother moved into my parents' house, my mother took on this task.

Many times, my cousins and my aunt and uncle wouldn't stay for the second meal. We usually had roast beef and mashed potatoes and green beans with cucumber salad. Oh, and there was always mandarin orange Jello! 

The picture above shows one of the last Easters we had with my grandpa Jules. He's cut off because whoever took the photo (I guess my mom) had some trouble with the viewfinder. A lot of the photos from that camera turned out that way, so it was probably something with the camera. 

Anyway, Grandpa Jules passed away in 1989. I was very close with him, so it was very hard for me. My sister is just a cute toddler and my grandmother isn't sick, yet. She still has that sparkle in her eye.