What a great trip! Oh MAN... I decided to once again combine all my thoughts into days in chronilogical order- and if your too lazy to read that, at the end is my individual mem's with the riders- so here it is:

DAY 1: After flying home from California the night before, i was a bit tired arriving at central the next morning. But once i saw everyone in their bright green shirts, i was awoken! PJ had a nice testimony that Patrick must not have liked since he threw up during it...but i liked it! I had a nice long drive with Jon, Jason and Mr. S to Stillman Valley, really it was just me and mr s. since Jon and Jason both were out most of the time. When we arrived the Nolans realized that they left their key to their bike lock at home so they left to go get it. PJ got a head start at passing out the cards at the gas station and the guys cut in front of the girls in the bathroom! it took a while to get going, but when the Nolans ended up returning, we left. What a rough first day! I had no idea that Illinois could  be so hilly! HILLS + ASTHMA = NOT GOOD. we finally reached KOA after a few minor problems and saw that its the best campsite ever! We went for a little swim and i got to make some dinner with Jon and Kristin. MMM...taco salad and pasta and bread. It was a little rough with the fire constantly trying to eat the bread, but it worked. then the Kremas arrived! Ali had way too much energy... campfire time, Zander was sure that he got to make the fire as we all began to plan more for the services. good thing we remembered the overheads- right Mike? mmm...smores. Ali on the tire swing- it wore me out! Girls sleeping outside and giving back rubs and the guys with their side comments from the tent. Andrew not wanting to hang out with the rest of us so he sleeps in his own tent.

DAY 2:  Mike yells "HEY YOU GUYS!" totally scares me! Man did my legs look bigger already! MMM pancakes...i had 4! Waking Andrew after we are all done eating...Oh how i hate the feeling of sitting on the bike again...very painful! As we began, we rode through town with tar being put down and my shoe definately got stuck in a splotch! The further we got from Lena, the hillier it seemed to get! But atleast Andrew was back to himself! A wrong turn took us an xtra 2-3 miles and up a big hill...i'll blame Brian for that one! i had a great time yelling down the hills and then conquering my asthma and making it up one of the biggest hills on the trip without having to walk my bike! We finally made it to a tavern for a neverending lunch break- which i had no problem with! They were so welcoming and it was wonderful to spend some time in the air conditioning. Mr S started up a game of kickball and i attempted to take a nap. We began to come up with some nicknames for people: Popo, Stink Bomb, Nubins, The Twins...Mike got a random bloody nose- there was more to come! We rode down a huge hill to a break and a bunch of the guys had to make their way back down the next hill because they went to far. We had a final 14 miles or so to the church. While going up a huge hill, Jason gets a flat. This causes me and Jon to really have to go to the bathroom,so we began to be more open about our problems together, maybe a little too open. The church was so welcoming and had some good food! Michelle came out of the bathroom practically showered. Michelle and i made a trip to the truck...i dove on the bags and lets just say, left a present for most of them...snicker snicker...We put on a great service and my family feud team definately got last, but thats ok! After the service we split up and went to the homes of the generous families. Me, Ali and the Nolans all stayed together. Hattie was kind enough to show us around and let Ali and I sleep in her room. The Nolans decided that we were all going to get up at 6 o'clock which had Ali and i a little worried when going to bed...

DAY3: Ali and i got lucky and actually ended up waking at about 7:10, 20 minutes before we had to leave. We had a delicious breakfast cooked by the family and were off to the church a little later than planned. We ended up leaving at 8:10, about 40 minutes later than planned. When we got to the church, we were the last ones there...opps! David was nice enough to grease up my chain for me and then we all posed for a group picture...that lasted forever! I then left with PJ. We went through the town of Dodgeville and there must have been a fire somewhere because within five minutes of our ride a bunch of sirens along the street went off and then about a dozen volunteer firetrucks drove by. It was a neat site to see and definately a lot different from how naperville runs it. We eventually made it to the trail and rode a few miles before everybody else caught up. Thats when Andrew and i led. We led for a good 10 miles and must have been going pretty fast or something because i soon had to drop back. I fell back and then Mr S was kind enough to go the "goalie pace". I had some trouble breathing and had to go really slow til the break. When we got to the truck PJ ordered me to ride in the van, so i grabbed the bag of trail mix and plopped right in the front of the truck with the twins. It was cool seeing the other side of what goes on in the trip. I found out that the van drivers have tons of parties while the bikers are biking. Man was i missing out! Actually, we had some trouble finding our way to the correct streets. We passed by a llama farm and got directions from there. Eventually we found our way after 3-4 people's directions. As we were driving our way to the next rest stop i was snickering to myself because man were we going up a HUGE hill, and i didnt have to ride it! Eventually all the riders arrived. There was the second random bloody nose by Jason. PJ again told me to ride in the truck, so once again i listened! We then were off to the nursing home in New Galenous or something. We found it and waited for the bikers to arrive. After a good lunch we were ready to begin the service. Right before the service began, the man that i was speaking with told me that he has yodelled all his life so i said that i would love to hear it sometime. Withing a few seconds he whipped it out and began yodelling right there. Ali must have thought that it was funny because she started cracking up! I loved it though. we then had a great service and i was honored to walk agnus back to her room. On the way back from the walk i also got to stop and watch some of Kerry Wood pitching. We then all got a group pic with the random cow and were off. We passed by an ice cream place in town and i decided to try and be healthy so me, kristin, the nolans and pj decided to ride ahead and pass on the ice cream. Man should we have been unhealthy because we got stuck in one of the scariest storms ever! within the first 5 miles of the trail we all felt a HUGE gust of wind and within minutes the storm reached us. About every 5 seconds there was a crash of lightning and thunder. I spent so much time praying to God to help us to safety and soon we reached a small town and found shelter in a garage. It was great! We had a great bonding experience in the garage and tried to reach the other group to find out where they were. Unfortunately we couldn't get a hold of them so we just decided to keep on riding. Kristin, PJ and I all changed into the nolans clothes, since ours were soaking and they had some spare ones in the berley. So we just kept on riding. It stayed pretty clear for the rest of the stretch and as we reached closer and closer to the next expected break we saw "THe Pink Shirt" ahead of us and man were we relieved! We got lucky and just by chance ran into the truck. So, we then ate...a lot while waiting for the others to catch up. Man, i ate soooo much. Finally they arrived and Andrew came strolling in with his bloody shirt, literally! It was halarious! After everyone finally caught up, Kristin and I decided to leave early again, i guess we didn't learn from our mistake...? So we are riding then out of no where comes another huge downpour! Kristin was aftraid of losing her contacts so she made me navigate for the both of us and i was supposed to tell her when things were coming in her path. I guess i was pretty bad at it because as she was riding over a pot hole i yelled "pot hole!" oh well. we finally reached Broadhead and waited up for the rest of the crew, really because we didnt know where to go from there. Once some of them arrived we left and reached the church! Man were they welcoming! we were so soaked but they didnt care at all, i felt so blessed to meet such an inviting parish, it gave me chills-or maybe that was because i was wet...Mike R had a great one liner- when i asked how he was feeling he responded "wet". Once everyone arrived we decided to wash up, or dry off a bit in the bathroom and Elizabeth's shirt fell in the trash, which ali again thought was really funny. after we get all...well sordof clean we did the service, and man was it great! The church got so into it and it really made us feel special. It was great! Then FOOOOOOD! mmmm...there was this really good cherry fruit salad that i think i had like 4-5 helpings of! and then they broke out the ice cream and Kristin got so excited that she hit the man and almost knocked it all over! It was classic! after we stuffed ourselves some more it was time to unpack the truck, after the girls had our jiggle contest!!! i definately won! While unpacking the truck we whacked eachother with all the stuff, it was great! We also had to say goodbye to one of the twins, mrs cocalus...i know i spelled that wrong...sorry...it was sad but we sure did enjoy her company and twinness! we welcomed mrs hilger and then left to go to our guest's houses. Me, michelle, ashley and liz all stayed with the pasture and it was great! the house was beautiful! Ashley couldn't stop walking like a cowboy and somehow, even though i called the shower first- and got -300 tokens for it, i ended up actually showering last...how did that work? The Pederson's had a dog that was afraid of people, it was awesome!

DAY 4: The short day!

Again, my house ended up being the late one's to arrive...eh...we had a great breakfast and then met at the church. after saying goodbye to the fam's we all got on our bikes and rode the parking lot a bunch of times in a circle, i dont know why but i thought it was really cool. Finally we began the ride and as some pulled ahead i was left alone with some ahead and michelle about 30 ft behind. Instead of waiting for her i decided to make it my goal not to let her catch me. She didnt know this and she actually was trying to catch me the whole time. After about...40 minutes of this i finally let her catch and she was so frustrated on how hard it was to catch me! it was great! We were getting closer to Rockford, and i could sense the with in one rule and brian coming back as he almost took out a few people numerous times. For some reason I had so much energy that i was going the fastest that i have ever ridden before in my life! I was actually staying with Elizabeth, Jason and Jon! we finally reached the last breaking spot and Kristin and liz had trouble finding the portapotty, but with our help on the walky talkies, they were succesful- you can thank us later! Andrew then decided that he had to go also so as he's going Brian steals and hides his bike and we start to take off. Mrs Nolan was too kind so she waited for him. After some riding we arrived to the camp site, and then ride another 2 miles to actually get to the site! The girls set up the tent first again and we ate a good lunch. We then packed it into 2 vans and took it to the water park. I scheduled a 2:30 aptmt with David- that he must have gotten to scared for because he never showed! There was an awesome roller coaster type ride that i went down with michelle and man was she a loud yeller! really michelle- you have to tone it down a level! we had some races that i won and the lazy river and wave pool- where i dunked david with ease.. then went with Mr S, PJ and Mr K to the fun slide again and got to ride it with PJ. We had a good time! But again i got stuck with the loud yeller! oh well! we then vballed it up and i served the final 6 pts for a comebck victory! and then we won again! Mike had another air baby...he's always doing that! Buffet time! we all packed in the van and made our way there! it was great except michelle really stunk up the van...stinkbomb! This was my first time at a buffet so i really made sure to take full advantage of it with the help of David. we had some interesting convos at the table...4 pounders- right michelle!~ those really make you feel skinny! Andrew's snap job about his seat was pretty entertaining. The Bee and Patrick. the jello and ali. zander and helium. the gas station and andrew hitting his head on the chair. more firewood...we finally reached the camp and had a nice 10 min walk to the bathroom. Mike had some nice songs, including one special one for jon...ya...finally sleepy time... in the middle of the night Kristin sits up and yells...it was great!

DAY 5: to the cottage!

Shawn, once again woke really early. We took a long time to get ready in the morning, i guess the water park wore us. Finally we got started and rode the 3 miles just to get out of the park. We had a long morning haul and had to ride like 20 miles before the first break. We hit this great trail that David and I talked the whole way together with. Good time good time- All i know is i could smell defeat the whole way! After the trail we had a nice long break with the truck and Mike R finished up the nerd ropes. When we started soon, we heard lots of commotion on the walkies and had no clue what was going on. It ended up that Mike F's pedal fell off. SInce Andrew wasn't feeling up to biking he gave mike his bike and plopped into the van. At the next stop, the guys all needed to go to the bathroom so they went right along the rode so what did i do?- broke out my camera of course! A car honked as well! David and I spent most of the ride trash talkin to eachother- david, you've got nothin! At lunch we met a church and played an awesome game of soccer! It was great- we (Mr S's team) won of course by excellent goals by Jason, Mr S and myself. It was great! Then we left for the final haul to the cabin. Mike F found a bike shop- Wally's and i guess he cut him a deal or something. We also all tried to guess the name of that one guy. We finally reached the cabin and i guess shawn was really sad about it because man did the tears flow! She can be so emotional sometimes- it just makes me want to slap her and tell her to get over it! Mr S asked Mike R how he was feeling and once again he came through with another great one liner- "like crap". some of us decided to go swimming and it was finally my time to show up david in all his trash talking. Lets just say that i dominated. THere was a monstrous raft war with Michelle elizabeth and I vs. David, Jason and Zander. It went forever and the girls lost everytime but thats because we just didnt want to show up the guys. My defense mechanism of falling to the raft worked the best of all the girls but it was rough on my skin since the raft was made out of "sand paper". Michelle's defense mechanism worked well and made the boys complain a lot- way to go stinky...i mean with the nails! I finally dunked jason- as much as he denies it, it happend! Ali was there for support, she tried to fight once or twice but gave up...she couldn't handle it! After we all washed up in the lake it was time for dinner- TURKEY DOGS! mmmmm....apparently they gave me one that fell on the ground...grrr....we played the circle of truth and Jason and David took out eachother, as well as Mrs Nolan. A few chairs were broken as well...it was great! Liz also apparently didn't lose weight on the trip since she broke some chairs. After all that we hauled our sleeping stuff to the beach. i decided to continue the tradition of sleeping next to David- even though last year a certain Aaron stole my sleeping bag and my spot last year- but anyway, as we began to lay down rocks were plopping on us - thanks Jon and Jason...grrr...Ali and i decided to go to the bathroom in the portapotty and as she was going Jon comes sprinting over and he cons me into tipping it. As we pushed i didn't have a good handle on it so i thought that it was going over for sure! So not only did ali scream, but i did too! It was the scariest moment of the trip! For a while there were a bunch of seagull noises...Ali attempted to bulldoze..got stuck. Ali and Michelle's superman...failed..Mr and Mrs popo...and David telling me the secret about 3:00...oh man!

DAY 6: The final day!

We all slowly woke and made our way to the cabin. PJ and Mr K made some excellent pancakes and then i got to do my devotional. I only made it half way through my devotional to Mr Vogler, but the tears made me unable to continue. Thanks PJ for the great hug. We began to ride and had a nice long haul before lunch. Wally ended up failing us and mike's bike broke again and just kept making clicking noises. Mr S was nice and rode it for a bit. We stopped finally at a Dairy Queen and a bunch of people got some ice cream. We then were off again to St Charles to meet with the 'rents. It was a long haul but eventually we arrived! I was so happy too see my parents and we had to much to tell. What good food! Oh yes! mmm...dirt pudding....Elizabeth sat in a pile of ants...and after eating we all circled to tell of how the trip went. Thanks ali for telling my dad about me talking about his flatuence..elizabeth's mom informed us that we were on the news! It was a great time going over all the memories! Drew Stiling came and rode the rest of the way back with us. It was a nice 10 miles before we reached the final break and man was it a great one. Not only did i have my only ...half...candy bar but i also totally dominated David and dumped him with tons of water, michelle also! Ya...thats right! We waited for the sladkeys and then left for our final 10 miles or so. It was a nice final stretch and we finally arrived at Mr S's. The only problem was...where were the sladkeys? ...Then came a huge downpour and we all pilled in the garage as we awaited the arrival of the sladkeys. About 15 minutes later they arrived as the rain began to slow to a stop! It was great! We completed the 355 mile trip! Ali and i grabbed the ice water -so she could redeem herself from the embarrasment of last years water attack on Mr S. Man did we get him...on the back and lower...still better than last year's! We all took our final pics and said our good-byes. it was sad, but i really missed my bed!

 

It was a great trip and i was so glad to be a part of my second trip! I would like to thank everyone for their prayers- it was a safe trip! And here are some of my individual memories of each person~

Elizabeth- you were more of just a body on the raft, easy to push off but you'll get better. Your speed on the bike amazed me and also made me somewhat jelous!

David- All i have to say is i totally dominated you the whole trip and on the raft! At the reunion, your going down, i smell defeat in the air! It was a pleasure sleeping next to you on the beach again and how about the 3:00- i would have found a way out of it! Next year- bring back the jammer.

Zander- It was great getting to know a "north sider". You were really good at building those fires! Red Lobster/Rubber Ducky...Your love for life is amazing! keep it up!

Michelle- All i have to say is- remember the trip to the truck! hehe...We had some good times riding together and some good 4 pounders on the trip..oh yes...sleeping in the same bed as you at the Pederson's was...interesting...your a fun person dude with a great laugh!

Kristin- Friends for life! It was so great spending all of day 3 riding with you- we know how bad that storm was! the pink shirt! the pot hole! Riding the ride at the water park...weeeeee! It was a great trip and i am so glad to have such a good friend as you! You amazed me with making it up some pretty large hills!

Mike R- BEST ONE LINERS EVER! "Wet" "Like Crap" "Road Kill" oh yes...man did you eat all those nerd ropes- i would have liked some too! It was great getting to know you, one line at a time~!

Mike F- Air baby...I'm sorry to hear that you had some miscarriages...it's a shame..I'm glad that i earned all my tokens back- i did didn't i? HEY MIKE! I miss your response...the song about me at the campfire, very nice! Oh and your bike...good ol wally! Man were my legs bigger! you do have a bloody and crusty...you know!

Andrew- Bloody shirt- that was great! your quarentine the first night...singing at the nursing home...letting mike ride your bike...you were good at any sport that we played during break or at the water park! i was amazed!

Brian- Popo...jk...you really helped me out when i was not feeling so well, thanks for riding my slow pace and helping me up the hills! You're an amazing biker! You always seem to offer everyone more cheetos...i just dont understand it!

Ashley- you are the best singer ever! oh man...hehe and i will always remember your biker walk...classic! you were also a tough biker who never gave up...and i love your laugh! It's contageous! Keep up your faith!

Liz- Your so great! You have been there for me so much over the year! Mrs Popo...hehe...you were such a help as well on those hills and it was fun leaving early with you on some of the rides!

Jon- Oh man! We had a good time...singing NSYNC! Our testimonies...yours was great! You were such a fast rider! you camel back! It was fun yelling down the hills with you- we totally have to go to great america sometime! We had a good time making dinner! your amazing at vball...nice jello. It was great tipping the portapotty with you! 3:00?

Ali- Your halarious! seriously, way to show up just in time for dinner the first night...jk, we had a good time staying at the first church together. Your tape player was great...oh that portapotty...way to not help us on the raft...we did great at drenching Mr S when he was already wet...youve seriously been such a great inspiration to me in my faith and i am so lucky to have had you as my friend!

Shawn- come on bike! your a weirdo-jk...not really...you also really helped me up those hills! thanks! you and those candy bars...you are really good at soccer shawn- i saw you take out mike! You are a great friend and i look forward to swimming in your pool, i mean hanging out with you!

Jason- It was a great trip! Thanks for constantly checking up on me up the hills asking if i was all right- even though your the one with the gear thing not working! you were such a fast rider- even with your bum knee! I totally dunked you ....and won the king of the raft! you know it...too bad the cubs felt sorry for the sox and let them win again...thanks for being there for me over the year.

The Nolans- It was so great getting to know all 3 of you! We had a great time at the first house together and thanks for not waking us up at 6. It was interesting getting stuck in the storm with you - thanks for the shirt! Patrick is such a great kid and a good sleeper! Thanks for riding my slow pace with me numerous times...

Mrs Chandler, Mrs Cocalous and Mrs Hilger- Thank you so much for driving the truck- it was so great having you with us! the twins! seeing the pink shirt! It was nice experiencing the truck with you- and getting lost...it seriously was great having parents with us that cared so much!

PJ- You are such an inspiration to me! I hope i am in as good as shape as you one day. Thanks for riding with me a lot and ordering me to go in the truck when i needed to! It was fun getting stuck in the storm with you- thanks for lending me your jacket! Your hug after my devotion meant so much and im going to remember it forever! Thanks for opening up your cottage to us and making some great pancakes! I will miss you and i hope i see you again someday, if not, your love for life will stick in my mind forever!

Mr Sladkey- You have helped me grow soooo much in my faith- you have no idea! I hope to someday be as active and faithful as you! Your team always won..i think. Thanks for checking on my asthma a bunch! Our soccer game was great and we wouldn't have won without you!  Me and Ali got you good with that bucket of water! Thanks for the great memories!

I hope to come on the trip again- maybe the last day or in the future as a leader or driver with my own kid on the trip- you never know!!! It was so fun and im glad to have riden with such a faithful group of people! Thanks for the mems!