This is gonna be so rad. (Yes, I said "rad".)

I am trying something totally new. You see, I have this very dear friend of mine, Zachary Chipps, who has started a non profit organization called, RISE. He and his friend Thomas Brown are bicycling their way across the United States to raise awareness about suicide, suicide prevention, and the healing power of art. I am not going to go into too much detail about them and their mission, but if you want to know more please visit their website, look 'em up on Facebook, Twitter, and/or YouTube. Seriously, it's pretty impressive what they've done and are continuing to do.

Okay, I am digressing. Sorry.

As Zak has been riding his way across the country from San Francisco to New York, I've been listening to his story over the phone, on Skype, and by picking up little bits and pieces through the blog, videos, and Facebook posts. I am literally writing as they are riding. Trying to capture the nuances of their ups and downs, successes and let downs as they go. The awesome thing about this particular writing process, is that I cannot move forward until they do. I honestly do not know what is going to come next. They plan to wrap up their ride on September 30th, 2012.  I have about another month and a half before I can think about finishing this particular piece. Crazy, right? Especially when you realize they started on March 1st, 2012.

I am so anxious to figure out how this particular piece is going to end!  Gah, the suspense is almost too much...but no worries, as soon as it is done I will absolutely post it here or link to it or something. I'll figure that out later.

Here is a picture of Zak and I at a wedding reception for a friend of ours in April 2012. Seriously guys, we've been friends for 11 years. For someone to tolerate me that long who is not my parent, sibling, or husband? Must be a great friend, indeed.