Five Time Cancer Survivor Ryan Tomoff to Attend ESPY Awards in LA

In a "last minute" call this past Friday, family friend Bill Gawne pulled the coup of all coups, coming up with two tickets to ESPN's ESPY awards this Wednesday, July 12th, in Los Angeles, California!

The "backstory" is when Ryan battled his new tongue cancers and surgeries (May 2016; Dec. 2016; and Jan. 2017), he mentioned, ever so casually, that one of his wishes, if and when he comes out of all this craziness, is to attend an ESPY award ceremony. I know what you are thinking...a naive kid with a big dream that is nearly impossible to attend, and I hear you loud and clear. But as I milled the thought around in my head for a bit, and know first hand how Ryan has courageously battled all five cancers with more focus, drive and passion than any professional athlete that attends this show, I had to at least ask...and I did.

"Feelers" went out early in the year after his last surgery in January, but because it was such a longshot, we forgot all about it until the unexpected call came this past Friday from Bill Gawne. He was so giddy with excitement that, not only was the offer for two tickets to attend the Awards, but also the red carpet parade and the After Party - as are all part of the "package"! We were squealing with delight (Ryan and I were driving through Kentucky) when the call came in. The next call was to Bill Tomoff, and the "coin toss" of who was to accompany Ryan to the event in LA. Of course, I wanted to go, badly, but cooler heads prevailed when I recognized the fact Bill T. dedicated close to 20 years of his career working in sports, and, for him, going to this event is totally fitting. I am thrilled "my guys" will be able to share this very special event from all perspectives of working for, spectating many games and loving sports of all kinds.

Interestingly enough, when the kids were young, we set up on ESPN "booth" in our living room for Ryan to "interview" his soccer playing sister, Olivia, who had just won a big tournament. Donned with sport coat and tie, he was serious as he asked her pertinent questions of her role and her teams' role in winning said tournament. Of course, I had to photograph their ingenuity all those years ago and am glad I did!

My request is for you to try and tune into the show this Wednesday, and if not then, maybe catch some of it afterwards (they tend to show this type of event multiple times on ESPN, or at least I think they do). My hope is to catch a glimpse of Ryan and Bill enjoying their big night on camera...you just never know...

BSoleille! In the words of Chris "Boomer" Berman of ESPN: "HE...WILL... GO... ALL...THE... WAY... - TO... LA..."

Terri

More Observations from the Highways and Byways

As Ryan and I drove 1700+ miles home from Colorado, this time taking US 64 to US 79 to US 68 and then finally to US 70 and home to Crofton, I could not help but notice all the beautiful scenery throughout this great land called America! From the corn fields (and there were a lot of them) to the wheatfields (not as much, but still out there) to the Appalachian Mountains across West Virginia and Western Maryland, it was all so lush and green and truly spectacular. Even the cloud formations kept us entertained with big puffy ones or "storm" clouds out in the distance. It was easy to tune into the beauty when driving about 600 miles each day, along with getting lost in deep thought, and even prayer. Believe it or not, I was thankful for each mile clicked off the odometer until I pulled into my driveway.

My other observations included all the traveling families either coming or going to their next destination, and "all" seemed to be in happy moods, or, at least that was my perception. It's vacation season so why not? This was all witnessed at road stops and gas stations along the way including food stops too.

But one of the most interesting signs noted were in the state of Kentucky. You know those huge (mostly blue) road signs that reveal the fast food/restaurant/gas stations coming up, well, many of them also included thoroughbred race horses as well. So, you can stop at at McDonald's for a burger and coke, then go around the corner and pick yourself up a thoroughbred race horse (a dark brown one is my favorite), all in one fell swoop! And let's not leave out the Bourbon Trail signs, along with more thoroughbred horses and Chik-fil-A's....all conveniently located in a "historic" town, because they ALL are in the Bluegrass state!

BSoleille! The bright side of many, many miles of safe travels...

Terri

Photos of "travel" photos

Home Sweet Home

Thankful for a safe trip back home with co-pilot Ryan; three days on the road with a few great stops along the way. Our last "tourist" destination was the Slugger Museum in Louisville, Ky, this morning, then strapped it in for a 600+mile drive home (though a huge storm in WVA)! Whew!

BSoleille! The bright side of sleeping in my own bed... and over 4700 miles traveled over this great land (return trip: Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Maryland).

Terri
Photos from Louisville bat museum

Cruising through the Heartland

Saying goodbye to the Colorado Mountains was somewhat "sad", but driving back East with my co-pilot/son, Ryan, to the rest of the family and a routine, seems just about the "ticket" right now.

However, the "deal" was to stop at Major League Baseball Parks on the way home for a home game in that city. No home game for the Kansas City Royals as we cruised through yesterday, but thankfully, a day home game for the St Louis Cardinals fit the bill today! And as the 7th Inning Stretch and sing-a-long draws to a close, the Cards lead 4-3 (Cards even had two exciting home runs in the game thus far!)

I must admit, The Cardinal Nation Field is quite lovely with its amazing sight lines and backdrop of the "Gateway to the West" Arch, with the temperature at game time - 85 degrees and sunny skies - what's not to like? Play ball!! Thankful!

One last thing for my blogpost readers (l love you all!), the corn is now about up to my chin (that's through Kansas and Missouri), so its grown about 2ft. in the last two plus weeks-Wow!

BSoleille! The bright side of a baseball rally (almost) and the fact that Ryan (and Daddy Bill) got to a home Colorado Rockies game in Denver as well during the trip.

Terri

Ryan enjoying the stadium and view

Cardinal Field in St. Louis, MO

14er or Bust

To go out with a "bang" on this Colorado vacation, and July 4th to boot, summiting a 14er was at the top of the list for the trip. This "list" also includes "the bucket list" too, since these types of hikes are quite hard to do, but I am thankful I was able to complete the 9 mile trek and climb an elevation of 3,000 ft. on Grays Peak (9th largest mountain of 14, 000 ft. or higher out of 53 total 14ers in the State of Colorado), along with my hiking companions; "The Best Daughter, Brian Phillips and Linda Misencik. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive in the magnitude of this hike, but was advised "slow and steady" with lots of water breaks will enable us to reach the tippy top! It worked! The hike was an unbelievably amazing trek in every step (a lot of slow ones) of the way, and I burst into tears when we all reached the top.

Interestingly, a  week ago in Crested Butte, the snow was too high still to climb a 14er in that neck of the woods. Today I/we learned from a mountain "scout" that up until last Tuesday, Grays Peak also had too much snow to hike through to the top.  Truth be told, there is a very slight window of time to get in that type of hike and elevation with such a short season of around four weeks. Snow will start flying in August. I can't even imagine the "gymnastics" needed to hike Mt. Everest...(seen the movie!)

This adventure was definitely a way to stretch the comfort zone since the wake up call came early at 4:30am, a departure time of 5:00am and on the trail by 7:30am (finished the hike at 2:00pm). It was a great double nickel tour experience for sure!

BSoleille! The bright side of hiking up to 14, 270ft. on Grays Peak (as listed)! And "The Best Daughter and Brian hiking two 14,000 peaks with the add on of Torreys Peak!

Terri

Photos from today's adventure

Cannot Get Enough of Fresh Mountain Air

It seems that the more you hike in the mountains, the more they draw you in and want to be out on the trails. Today, I finally "convinced" Ryan that an "easy" hike would do him good; as that fresh mountain air can't be beat. Thankfully, he completed a four-mile hike to Skunk Canyon near the Boulder Flatirons and was proud of himself upon finishing. Not sure if a pair of bona fide hiking boots will be in his future, but I/we certainly hope today's hike sparked a flame to do more. Only time will tell, I guess. But the rest of the gang thoroughly enjoyed the gentle climb on a very sunny morning.

And to digress for a second, yesterday's "big" hike included one to the Royal Arch in Chautauqua too! Beautiful views of the surrounding area from the top for sure!

BSoleille! The bright side of taking advantage of the Boulder Flatiron trails at Chautauqua!
Terri

Photos from today's hike: Group shot included: Brian Phillips, Don, Beth, Olivia, Terri and Kristin, Ryan Tomoff and Linda Misencik; and yesterday's hike: Brian Phillips, Bill, Don, Olivia, me and Beth Tomoff.

Our Love is Electric

#ourloveiselectric is the hashtag for the Caitlin Misencik and Julian Wheating wedding weekend! And what a wedding it was! Awesome really. I needed another 12 hours to "process" all that went into preparing for their special day in Lyons, Colorado, on a farmette, to post. Their wedding day was truly picture perfect and we are all happy for the newly wedded couple to share their special day with us! I could go on with all kinds of adjectives, but I believe my photos of this blogpost will convey the feeling of "love is in the air"...in Boulder, Colorado!

Kudos to Linda and Mark Misencik on hosting such a beautiful event in every possible way. It was an honor to be a part of the 125....

BSoleille!
Terri

Hikes and Happy Hour

Terrific weather blessed the Boulder area today as the day progressed, all topped off by a couple of hikes near Skunk Canyon as it looks out into the distance to N.C.A.R. (National Center for Atmospheric Research). Another hike with no wildlife in sight (a good thing according to my hiking partners today), though I still keep a keen eye out for a bear or mountain lion...someday?

The late summer afternoon sky was perfect for the "backdrop" for Caitlin and Julian's Cocktail party on the terrace of the Boulderado Hotel. It was a great mingle with family and friends those closest with the bride and groom to be. Everyone looking forward to their big day tomorrow, and so am I.

BSoleille! The bright side of "love is in the air" and wedding bells.
Terri

Photos from the hike(s) and cocktail party

The Gang is Almost Here

The Boulder "destination" wedding (Misencik/Wheating) we traveled out here for is finally taking shape, with guests of the bride and groom arriving daily (many today), and by the hour too. TBD is in the air as I type this post, but should arrive at the Denver airport in the next three hours. I am thankful for the arrival of all safe flights, the motorcycle riders (bride's Dad and Uncle from Ohio) and automobile drivers (several) commencing this weekend for the festivities that kick off tomorrow afternoon.

To keep the MOB "calm" before the storm, an early morning hike (6:30 am start) was "needed" and lovely as we "scratched and climbed" up to the third flatiron to take in the view of Boulder. As the morning wore on, and as both our families began arriving, (staying at different locations throughout the city), we went our separate ways until the wedding festivities begin. Once my husband and son arrived, we quickly made the trip over to Golden, Colorado, home of Coors Brewing Company, to take in the tour and beer tastings (yummy).

Lastly, we met up with the Strongsville, Ohio, Tomoff's and went to dinner in downtown Boulder. It was an epic day for sure, and I am thankful for the good times thus far.

BSoleille!
Terri

Crofton Friend Meetup and an Evening Hike

So M.O.B. (mother of the bride), Linda, had to fulfill her role with the B.T.B (bride to be), Caitlin, today (after our 6:15am run, that is), and I got to window shop on Pearl Street in downtown Boulder. Plans were set yesterday to meet up TBD's (The Best Daughter) former Crofton youth soccer coach, Mark Pfundstein, who moved to Boulder over a year ago, and we had a lovely lunch catching up with each other's lives over a scrumptious taco salad at Centro's. I am thankful for the great day, along with the two hikes this evening when the MOB returned to the cottage.

BSoleille! The bright side of "inching" ever so closer to Cait/Julian's wedding.

Terri

Photos of Mark Pf and me; and a flatiron and moon on the late evening hike

Colorado Chatauqua

In the late 1890's, the Texas Board of Regents determined to establish a summer school for the Texas teachers in a cool climate. Over 4,000 people gathered on July 4, 1898 for opening day in the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, Colorado (though slept in tents that inaugural season). The next few decades nearly 100 cottages were built to house those Texas teachers looking for some respite in mountain air; and today, about 58 of them are rented to visitors with the remaining privately owned (some dating back in their families to 1920!). All this at the foothills of the Flatirons with some great hiking trails for sure!

Interestingly, the Chautauqua movement swept the country at the turn of the 20th century. Named after Chautauqua Lake in New York, chautauquas were idyllic retreats where "average" folks could spend a summer listening to scholars, attend lectures, concerts and plays, and take courses on the great books of that era. A huge learning environment that anyone could partake in.

So it is a "privilege" and great luck that we were able to rent a summer cottage in Chautauqua when our Airbnb fell through less than 24 hours from our arrival! Further, it's fate that there were two cottages available for two Tomoff families traveling to Boulder for the Misencik/Wheating wedding this weekend. I could not be more thankful to stay in this beautiful setting with the mountains/Flatirons and all the great trailheads....right there!

BSoleille! The bright side of history, outdoor adventure, performances and community.

Terri

Photo of Linda Misencik and I on the porch taking in the view and then on a late evening hike.

Denver Dogs

A change of pace today going from Boulder to Denver to visit Linda Misencik's son, Kyle, and his pup, Mhysa (pronounced Meesa). We also had Linda's dog, Gunner, with us, and after a home cooked meal for the three of us, headed across the street to a jazz concert (with dogs in tow) at the Denver City Park. We were not the only folks with dogs, it looked like the only way to get into the park was with a furry four-legged friend or two. There were hundreds of people and dogs sharing a beautiful summer evening in capital city of Denver, Colorado, and I am thankful for such a great and sunny day!

BSoleille!
Terri

Photos: Mhysa on the grass (some dogs just can't read!); Kyle and Linda, the jazz concert and sunset over Denver

Back in Boulder

An easy day driving back to Boulder, CO, still surrounded by mountains in every direction, Linda Misencik and I reflected on the beauty of the Western Colorado wilderness. And though the state of Colorado has lots of mountains, rivers and streams, so many of the ranges differ in their topography, the color and types of trees and the thousands of people (lots of them in RV's) flocking to this state to delight in all it's natural beauty.

A treat to our hosts, Caitlin Misencik and Julian Wheating,  was dinner on us to help usher in their "wedding week"!

BSoleille!
Terri

Beckwith Pass

About 20 miles north of Crested Butte, Colorado, lies some of the most beautiful wilderness in the United States, especially the "white barked" aspens which we hiked through this morning along panoramic vistas at every turn on the pristine Beckwith Trail.

We learned from our waiter, Sam, at the Bonez restaurant last night in CB, that the Kebler Pass, located in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, is home to one of the largest aspen groves in the United States. This aspen grove has been tested and found to be a clonal colony and grows from a single root system and is a single living organism! It is a spectacular sight for sure. The hike was very isolated (saw only a few people) and forded several creeks and rivers (mountain run off) as we continued to be in total awe throughout the entire morning of the sights and sounds in this mountain range with clear blue skies and striking beauty surrounding us. (Photos simply do not do justice with the depth and breadth of the ranges).

Once back to our primitive Lost Lake camp, we were met with an anonymous delivery of hand picked wildflowers set on the windshield of our car, and we felt it was a fitting send off for our time totally off the grid for almost three days!

BSoleille! The bright side of mountain hiking.

Terri

Photos from the glorious day

Lost Lake

Linda in the Aspens