Friends.......

[obxeyeguy]

This evening another friend of mine has passed.

Cancer has claimed another victim. It has taken another friend.

So this is a reminder to you all. Let your friends know how much that you care about them. Keep in touch. Show them their importance to you!

DO IT NOW, WHILE YOU CAN, WHILE THEY ARE STILL HERE!

Be a friend!

Thanks for the phone call Fezz! Very nice to chat with you, and we won't wait as long in between next time.

obx

[Fezz]

Have you told a friend how much they mean to you today?

Go ahead, it feels good......just do it!!!!

[obxeyeguy]

Thanks for the message Fezz!

[Fezz]

Aw Man!!!!

This totally bums me out!

Ill give you a ring sometime this weekend!

[Steve Machol]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I really hope for the best.

[kat]

I'll keep positive thoughts for you

[optical24/7]

Expect a call from me too Mark.

[obxeyeguy]

....

[obxeyeguy]

I deleted my original post, as it missed the meaning of this tread. To all my optiboard friends, I will let you know I am cancer free, as of today. Scary time, and thanks to all my friends here for their support and encouragement though this trying time.

[Judy Canty]

Yay!!!

[optical24/7]

Glad to hear buddy!

[Fezz]

I am so glad to hear this!

You had me pretty worried!*






*I am sure not nearly as worried as you were!

[NCspecs]

That is fantastic new! Hurrah!

[SeaU2020]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Your friend is not in any discomfort or agony. I think when we mourn, we are really mourning for OURSELVES because the loved one is in a much bettter place. And it's so true the saying, "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all". That sure seems to sum up your friend. ((((((((((((((BIG HUGS)))))))))))))))

[Johns]

Last week, I got to "refriend" 3 guys that I grew up with.

2 weeks ago, one of the guys called me up and asked if I was up for a bike ride. I see this guy occasionally, but we've NEVER ridden bikes together, so I asked him what was up. He said that he and 2 other mutual friends had talked about going on a bike ride from Pittsburgh, to Washington, DC. (I play b-ball each am with one of the guys)

I told him that of course I'd be game, even though I've never ridden more than 20 miles in a day. It turns out, the other guys hadn't either, and one of them had to go out and buy a bike, as he didn't even own one.

Well, we all went out and bought panniers (bags for the back/sides of bikes), lights, and all the accessories necessary for a trip like this. We e-mailed back and forth like we never have before, busting each others' chops about being out of shape, defibrillators, and who knew CPR.

Well, last Sunday we took off from Myersdale, Pa, and rode across the Continental Divide to Cumberland MD., Hancock, MD., Harper's Ferry, and on to Washington DC. We all rode mountain bikes, and had the time of our lives! The scenery was spectacular, the weather a true gift, and our bodies actually held up! Most importantly, I had the chance to reconnect with 3 guys that I once knew extremely well, but had drifted apart from in the last 10-20 years.

We talked about relationships, parenting, what our kids were up to, teenage conquests, what we got away with as kids, and what we didn't get away with. We shared Cliff bars along the Potomac, and ate Barbeque sandwiches at White's Ferry. We had an awesome steak dinner and shared cigars in a club in DC. After a relaxing night at the Capitol Hilton, we rode our bikes to the WWII Memorial, and spent the morning shaking the hands of, and thanking WWII Vets (on an Honor Flight trip) for their service.

Later that day, a van picked us up in Georgetown, and drove us the 4 hours back to our cars. We had dinner at a place called Mourgen Toole (It used to be a morgue!), and began planning another trip for next year. We pledged to each other that we would all work harder to keep in touch, and the planning of the next trip will help with that.

I still cannot believe what a great time we had, and can't believe that it had been so long since I looked at my 3 brothers as "friends". We were all raised in the same household, but moved away and started lives on our own. Wives, kids, jobs, businesses, all consumed time, and we never really had the chance to get together and discover who we'd become. This gave us that chance.

My oldest brother is 52 years old
My other brother is 51 years old
I am 49 years old, and my younger brother is 47.
We invited our dad, who is 77 years old, and is actually in better shape than all of us. He bikes between 15-20 miles per day, but he was afraid that his knees wouldn't hold up. It was a good call, as our knees were really sore by day two, and we ended up averaging about 70 miles per day.

In the 3 and 1/2 days we were on the trail, we pedaled 238 miles, our average speed was 11.03 mph, and we were actually on the trail for 21 hours, 49 minutes. If you think this is a great way to lose weight...it's not. I gained half a pound, and my little brother gained a pound and a half! (The other 2 won't say how much they gained) We joked that we trained so well, that we had conditioned our bodies to eat the moment we stopped pedaling!

Our next trip will probably be NYC, and our Dad will (God willing) most likely accompany us.