Good Times

These tickets can be yours!
Keep reading to find out how.

Has it really been three weeks?
Well, dear reader, it has been a busy three weeks!
Traning is going well, Coach Bryan is proving himself to be an excellent coach (not that I had any doubts, TNT doesn't hire any slackers), and I have managed to stay upright on my bike long enough to let my boo-boo knee heal.  I am still plodding along on my trusty old Schwinn, but my bike savings account is big enough now where I can start shopping!  Who doesn't love shopping?! 
I must admit that I am a little nervous about the shopping part - isn't that weird?  It's kind of like shopping for a car, I guess.  I know basically what I want, and how much I have to spend, but as for the rest of it, I'll have to trust my local bike shop to not rake me over the coals, and make sure it fits me right.  Thre are so many different components to know, and pick, and price - do I want an "off the rack" model or can I get a better deal by getting all the parts separately?  I promised Coach Bryan that I would not base my decision solely on the color (maybe I had my fingers crosed a little).  I'll probably start shopping this week - stay tuned!
My fundraising is off to a very slow start, but that is my own fault - I haven't been pushing anyone too hard (you're welcome).  I'm planning several fundraisers, so hopefully those will get me most of the way there.   
I had my first fundraiser this week - a jewelry party at my house.  I invited lots of people, and had 12 women attend the actual party.  We had so much fun playing games, drinking wine, eating snacks, and trying on all the beautiful stuff. Many who couldn't make it to my house pre-ordered from the catalog, and at the end of the night, we totaled over $1100 in jewelry sales!  The Premier Designs consultant is going to donate 25% of sales to my fundraising and I sold raffle tickets to win one of my free hostess gifts.  At the end of the night, I had raised over $400 towards my goal! Whoo-hoo!
My next fundraiser is a raffle for two pairs of AMAZING seats to the FL Panthers game on March 10.   These seats are in row 13, section 116 - close enough to see ALL the action, but not close enough to get any blood on you (always a good thing).  And, dear reader, these tickets can be yours.  Simply click on my fundraising link (over on the top right) or go here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/ambbr11/leannewelch
and make a tax-deductible donation of at least $5.00.  For every $5.00 you donate, I'll give you one ticket for the raffle - the drawing is on March 3, so don't delay!  You know what?  I'll make you an even better deal!  I'll give you THREE raffle tickets (yes, three) for every $10.00 you donate!  Now, how can you pass that up?
Disclaimer: Two prizes available: each consists of two tickets for the March 10, 2011 FL Panthers hockey game.  Prize does not include transportation to the game, but does include parking.  Prize does not include beverages or food, so you're on your own for the hot dogs and beer - Hey!  It's a fundraiser, folks!

It hasn't all been fundraising and bike training, but I don't blame you for thinking that - I'm getting a little obsessed.  I did manage to take a trip down to Miami last week to visit with some of my best girls for a little girls getaway.  Well, you can get the thoughts of bikinis at the beach, and cute cabana boys out of your head.  The actual purpose of this weekend was getting some peace and quiet and the chance to work on our scrapbooks for a few uninterruped days.  The only problem is that I don't scrapbook.  I worked on one page (a gift for someone), made Isabella a friendship bracelet (these are all the rage among 6 year-olds), tried to remember how to cross stitch (I'll finish this one in a few years), and mostly watched in awe as my friends made magic on their own scrapbook pages.  I probably annoyed the heck out of them as well, but that's what friends are for!  It was a relaxing getaway, and a reminder of how truly blessed I am to have such good friends, and a wonderful husband who not only did not gripe about me leaving for the weekend, but cleaned the house, did the laundry, and finished Isabella's homework with her!