STP 2013

July 13 & 14

 I have to start this post off with the reaction that

 people have had since our news paper article came out. 

Here is the link to that blog post.

http://terijwiley.blogspot.com/2013/07/super-excited-we-made-local-paper.html

I have had lots of people calling and telling what a great article it was, 

I can't tell you how many people that have come into the Centralia 

office that make sure they let me know how much they enjoyed it. 

We even had a couple of people leave their copy of it on our door 

step with a little note. 

Here is one of them.

I even had one of our clients who is very shy come in and want to talk to me about it. 

I wasn't there at that time so he came back later just to talk to me.

He just kept saying are you sure you didn't do anything athletic before this? 

I just said "no nothing before before the day I decided to do the STP"

He told me that he had just come out of his shell this year and signed up for a 

baseball team and has really been enjoying it. 

I told him all he needed  to do is set a goal after baseball is over and
 then make is happen. 

That was pretty cool that he wanted to talk to me in person about it. 

Well,on to the STP 2013: 

I can't believe #4 is in the record books. 

This is the 4th year in a row that I have done the 

STP - Seattle to Portland Classic Bike Ride.

206 mile self propelled bike ride. 

I was really excited for this year, my cousin Wes (who rode with me last year) 

and my aunt Pam (she rode it the first year with me) both did it with me. 

Pam came over Friday night and we had a mani/pedi date.

It felt good to be pampered for a couple hours before we were about

 to put our body's through hell. 

Wes came down and stayed the night as well. 

(no he didn't get his nails done) LOL 

We all got up way early and Denny drove our sorry butt's to 

Seattle and dropped us off. 

I was a little nervous just because I was riding my 

new bike LBB  (little black bitch)

and I wasn't used to the drop-down handle bars. 

My daughter Sami had gotten me "Handy" the monkey. 

Handy rode on my shirt the whole 206 miles holding a picture of my dad. 

I have carried my dad's picture with me on every ride, 

every run and every event I have done. 

I have to give him all the credit for my life change. 

Love and miss him.  

 Off we go! 

Portland here we come! 

All these pictures were taken by me or the 

professional photographers along the ride. 

They all rock!

What a beautiful ride. 

This guys jersey said something like

"Team Dumbass"

We flipped a coin and I lost 

Seattle to Portland 

here I come. 

This is us coming down the street to my house.
The route goes right by it. 

At the end of the first day Pam and I felt great... Wes was having a hard time. 

He told us that night "if you guys want to keep up the speed you 

were doing today, tomorrow, then you are on our own and I 

don't give a crap if you have a flat tire or not". LOL 

We said OK we will go at Wes's pace. 

Denny had a great dinner ready and waiting for us. 

Pam and I took our dinner and beer/wine out on the front porch

and cheered on the other riders going by. 

We were so glad that wasn't us still on the road. 

Sunday morning we took off about 6am.
Next stop Portland.

These next two pictures are of the park down the street from my house.
It overflows with bike riders and their support people all
sleeping  on the ground in tents.
Actually our Twin city area gets flooded by all the bikers.
It is awesome for the local economy.
I couldn't imagine riding 100 miles then sleeping in a tent and
getting up and riding another 100 miles.
I"m so lucky that I get to sleep in my own bed.

Wes got his way all day Sunday. 

I think he had sucked all the energy out of Pam and I 

and given it to himself because Pam and I were pretty much dying and 

Wes was totally good all day. 

That happened last year with Wes and I, 

I was great on Saturday and hurting on Sunday and he was the opposite. 

I felt so honored that a couple of my co-workers took the time 

out of their weekend to come out and root us on. 

This is Melissa and myself.

This is Heidi, Calvin, Darryl and myself. 

They even made us a sign. 

THANK ALL OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SUPPORT ME. 

LOVE YOU! 

Chris and Denny were at the finish line waiting for us to cross. 

OMG this was so emotional. 

We got to the top of the last hill and started getting closer 

to the finish line, and I started crying. 

We could hear the people on the block before 

the finish line all lined up and cheering all the riders on. 

Wow that is always way cool.

I think it was all hitting me at that time, the thought that I made it to the

 finish for the 4th time, the newspaper article had just come out 

and that brought up so many memories of what I have been 

through in the past 4 years, and that my aunt Pam and Wes 

were riding it again with me.  

And that Denny and Chris were on the other side of the line. 

Here we come from around the corner.

Pam, Wes, then myself.

Yup I was crying all the way.

 STP 2013 Team 

Teri, Wes & Pam

Off to the beer garden. 

So glad it is OVER for another year. 

NO this was not us, this was a table full of guys that had also finished. 

Dad and I did it again... #4 in the books!

Thank you to everyone for all the support and encouragement. 

And a  BIG thank you to my husband, whom without his support

 and everything he does makes everything I do possible. 

Love you TONS...