Hey everyone

Sorry we have been off the grid for about a month.  It has been a really busy time for both James and me. James is still keeping busy with Purdue NROTC. I however have made a bit of a change in my career goals. With a lot of inspiration from James and Marines currently serving, I have decided to pursue a career as a naval aviator in the Marine Corps. I am really excited about the opportunity.  It is definitely a long road ahead, and I by no means have a guaranteed spot.  The first step towards my goal is getting corrective laser eye surgery, which I will be having in a month.  After that I will still have to be tested and compete for a contract.  Even though it will be a difficult path, I have received a lot of support from my family and friends.

With less than a month before the race we still need just over $500 to reach our goal of $2,000 raised to support the Wounded Warrior Project. With James and me both seeking careers in the Marine Corps we feel so strongly about this campaign.  With the added motivation of our brother Sean currently deployed to Afghanistan as an Army physician, and my girlfriend Erin who is an active duty nurse in the United States Navy currently stationed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD we could not feel any more passionate.

The Wounded Warrior Project, in my opinion, is one of the most deserving charity organizations in the United States.  The people with WWP seek to serve the needs of our nation's wounded military members and their families and also to advocate for our nation's heroes in our federal government.  With only $500 left to meet our goal, we need everyone to pitch in and help us.  We have had some enormous donations from extremely generous donors in the past, but if we could just get $10 from 50 people, we would just about have our goal. $10 is two drinks at Starbucks, or maybe a lunch out. I am challenging people to consider doing without, just once, to help a veteran.  If you knew that by giving up your latte just for one morning, you could brighten the day of a wounded veteran in a hospital somewhere, wouldn't you do it?

I know a lot of you have been planning on donating, but haven't yet.  I understand that things happen, money dries up a little, or we simply just forget.  Now is the time for everyone who had been intending to donate to get to our donation page and pledge.  Not a ton, it can be as small or large as you are comfortable with.  Every little bit will help.

Thank you all so much again for reading this and following our blog.  More than raising money, I really just want to get the message of the Wounded Warrior Project out there, so thank you for educating yourself.

I had a great time with James this week in DC.  We had a lot of fun, but also some humbling times for reflection.  Being in the nation's capitol, the epicenter for so much history, has that effect. It has been pretty amazing.  We saw a lot of the memorials, spent some time at the Naval Academy, and visited a few of the Smithsonians.  Also, while spending time with James he showed me this new commercial for the Marines:

Not only is the commercial awe-inspiring because of the power displayed by the Marine Corps, but the message of the commercial, "Which way would you run?" is exactly what the Marines are about.  They volunteer to move against the grain, towards danger, for the good of people they may never meet.  We are currently at $1,425.  We need just $575 to meet our goal of $2,000.  We are so close, and we have about a month and a half left.  Please keep following and if you haven't yet, we would appreciate your donation.  Your donation will help support those who run toward the sound of chaos and away from their homes and family, for the good of you and me.

James and I are in Washington, DC this week.  Today we walked around the National Mall touring the monuments, including WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lincoln, and Washington.  While checking out the Korean War Memorial, I came across this and thought it was really moving.  The day helped to put into perspective the countless sacrifices people throughout history made for our country.  This picture captured the overriding theme of the entire day.  We are probably headed to Arlington National Cemetery later this week.  I am sure that that will be even more moving than the monuments.

We are at $1425! Thank you everyone who has donated. We are nearly at 75% of our goal.  Keep following us and tracking our progress!

This has been a really great week for our campaign.  We have had a number of very generous donations, raising our current total to $1,325!!!  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far.  With just under two months before the race we are over 65% of the way there.  We can't begin to explain how grateful we are to our friends and family who have donated, but we have truly been left speechless by the generosity of people we barely know.  This campaign and this organization mean a great deal to us.


Thank you all again!!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to me today at Three Rivers Running Company.  I really appreciated everyone giving me a few minutes of their time.  Thank you especially to those of you who are now visiting our blog after talking to me today.  We are really excited to have you follow us and appreciate your generosity if you decide to donate to us.  We are nearly half way to our goal.  Thanks again everyone.  Keep following us.  We are hoping that our campaign really takes off from here.

Wow!!!!

Great night guys!! We got some great donations tonight, and as promised I matched our donation that put us over $500.  Amazingly we are now at $875!! This has been a great night for our campaign as we jumped to nearly 45% of our goal.  I will be at 3 Rivers Running Company in Fort Wayne tomorrow to talk to customers about our campaign.  For those in the area, stop by and say hi. I will have some WWP items to give away.  3 Rivers Running Co. is now currently located at:

4039 North Clinton
Fort Wayne, IN


Hope to see some of you tomorrow! Thanks again so much to everyone who has donated so far!

Hey everyone,

It has been a while since I last posted.  We are still looking for our $500 mark.  We are only $10 away, and remember, I am willing to match whatever donation puts us over $500.

As an update on how training is going for the race, James and I are both running hard, and cross training hard as well.

Last week I visited James at Purdue and together we saw Act of Valor.  If you have not seen Act of Valor yet, I cannot urge you enough to go.  If you have not heard of the movie, it stars real, current active duty Navy SEALs.  The movie is a great action movie, but it also provides a look into the personal lives and personal struggles of our nation's servicemen and women.  All around it was a great movie, I am hoping to see it again in theaters, and I will no doubt buy it the day it comes out on BluRay.  For those still on the fence, I am posting a trailer to get you to the theater.

The most moving part of the movie however was the credits, during which they name all of the casualties that Naval Special Warfare has suffered since September 11, 2001.  These are our nation's heroes and they leave behind sons and daughters, wives and husbands, and mothers and fathers as well as friends and loved ones.  It is easy to forget, 10 years after the start of the war, how many have lost loved ones, and how many more have had their loved ones return wounded physically and mentally.  I cannot stress enough how important the work is that The Wounded Warrior Project does for these people.  Every dollar given to this cause is a dollar given to help those coming back from the war having made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of you and I.

Thanks again for reading and following!!

Here is the trailer for Act of Valor, now in theaters