"Friends should be preferred to kings." --Voltaire

I'm running around crazy here, trying to get everything packed, done, and ready for me to leave school for 3 days and attempt the biggest physical challenge of my life.

So I will be leaving you now, and will return next week...with lots of stories, no matter what happens. It's all about the journey and the adventure in my book.

I'm amazed again at the generosity of friends and family, and of people that I've never even met, as my fundraising has reached almost $2,000. This is what my day is really all about.

Thanks to my friends and family for supporting me, and to those of you out there who give me encouragement in all different ways. I'm inspired by each and every one of you.

When I got home, I had a little package from one of my best buddies, Sammy. She, as usual, knew JUST what to say to me through the card she sent. The card has a picture of a little girl getting ready to dive off a pier into a lake, and the quote on the card was this:

"BE NOT THE SLAVE OF YOUR OWN PAST--PLUNGE INTO THE SUBLIME SEAS, DIVE DEEP, AND SWIM FAR, SO YOU SHALL COME BACK WITH SELF-RESPECT, WITH NEW POWER, WITH AN ADVANCED EXPERIENCE, THAT SHALL EXPLAIN AND OVERLOOK THE OLD."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, in a few days here, I'll dive in.

Thanks for being with me.