A beautiful day, not unlike September 11, 2001. Blue skies. A beautiful friend who chose to accompany me to the Flight 93 Memorial on that Sunday afternoon.  One of my favorite days of the year.  Flight 93 is a beautiful testament to the lives of the passengers and crew of Flight 93. While the entire museum serves to honor all the lives lost on that unforgettable day, to stand on the specific site of Flight 93’s fateful demise was sobering. The park rangers shared stories, without adding shock and awe, rightfully committed to reminding us of the ordinary-ness of passengers [...]

Advice I received from people who don’t work out with me: - I’d ride a few miles consistently before attempting that. - You will need a new seat, gloves, shorts, liner, etc. - Cycling is different than what you do in your workouts. I think you should give yourself ample training time and tackle this in the Spring Advice I received from those who work out with me every week or take my classes: - I’ll go with you! - You’ll be fine - pack snacks. - I can loan you my padded shorts and gloves. - Can I come? [...]

Yeah, that's me. Over there. Behind my son's paddle. It was my glorious attempt to get a shot commemorating this #50before50 moment where we paddle-boarded together on a weekend trip to Lake Chautauqua, New York. Never mind that you can't see me. This trip was a BLESSING. The last leg of our 2018 summer festivities, which, frankly, were quite legless due to work and school commitments for my double graduate degree chasing spouse. We fought to get away for this weekend. And we won. Why not paddle-board with my daughter? She was happily content skipping rocks at the water's edge. Just her. [...]

#3 on my #50before50 journey was not planned. It was completely spontaneous. A dare. While on a fabulous walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh, we came upon PPG place. Children were running through the fountains with squeals of delight. The sun was shining. I'll be honest. I've always wanted to do it. And it crossed my mind while standing there. But I remained silent. "Jo, run through the fountains. Hashtag 50 before 50!" I wasn't surprised to hear that challenge coming from mouth of my friend Cassie, who is known for instigating  inspiring ideas and nurturing them to life. It was Cassie [...]