LYS Diaries: 24th - 28th January Part 1

Hello! Connie here.

Another week down, another week closer to the launch. Just 17 days to go until Feb 15 Love Your Sister Launch at Federation Square in Melbourne. I’m loving the buzz of the excitement building up towards launch. Sam and I have been dreaming of this moment for 2 years and it is really happening now.

I spent another few days in Melbourne this week preparing for launch which was awesome. Though I did miss my boys and was glad to be home again. They keep asking me why I have to go to Melbourne and explaining what Love Your Sister is and what I am doing for it isn’t that easy, but we are getting there. They now know that Uncle Long Legs (Sam) and I are working together on a project to raise money for breast cancer. When I was explaining it to the boys, Wib said, ‘just like you Mummy, ‘cos you have breast cancer don’t you?’ Oh they are so innocent! They are looking forward to launch because they want to say good bye and good luck to uncle long legs before he leaves on his unicycle.

LYS Diaries: 14th - 21st January

Safety Lesson #1

Attention to detail is so important when it comes to staging a year-long event such as this. Especially when it comes to safety matters. Every day I make dozens of decisions through a safety filter.

When I take my step-son to the skate park, for example, I don’t try 180’s off a ramp into fakie. I sit at the side and watch enviously, hankering for the day when I can get back to being my good old reckless self (don’t even get me started on quitting tree-climbing).

So, in hindsight, it was kinda odd that I started training without my knee-pads. It’s hot, I told myself. I’m on the relative safety of suburban bike paths, I told myself. Don’t want to get a rash on the back of my knees, I told myself. It’s funny how you can tell yourself absolute crap to help convince yourself of something. A rash on the back of my knees? I mean, really? So, of course, I had a spill at high speed (high speed, for a unicycle, that is) and came an absolute cropper. My shoelace got caught around the crank and I knew I was coming off so was able to prepare for the fall and barrel roll out of it. But I slammed my knee pretty hard, and felt very lucky to have done no further damage. Pads are on from here on in. 

As a consequence, I’ve been referring to myself as Mr Bozo for the week, just to re-enforce the importance of paying attention to detail, especially with safety matters.

Part 3 Glenn Ridge’s interview with LYS

200 pink balloons. One Sister.  One Brother.

LYS Diaries: 13th - 24th January

Hi everyone, Connie here.

After a visit to Melbourne for a Love Your Sister photo shoot and meetings I got home to my beautiful boys (big and small) to a lovely welcome.

Willoughby had made me some Hama Bead craft and Hamilton had saved the last cup cake for me (then asked me to share it with him!). Although I was busy and having fun in Melbourne, I did miss them. :)

It’s school holidays so we have been doing the sort of stuff I can do with the boys, making Lego, building train tracks, and craft, and the trusty old drawing and coloring in. I love doing these things with them, as it can be hard for me to get outside and involved in sports, so Daddy tends to take care of that stuff.

I have found a new hobby, checking out the Love Your Sister Facebook and Instagram accounts. I just loving watching the likes go up and seeing all the comments. It is so good to be hearing from people we have never met through social media. We are really starting to get our message out there and people are really getting into the event. It’s such a buzz!

Back to Melbourne for a photo shoot with New Idea and an interview with The Project. It’s so exciting, I guess Sammy is used to it, but it is new to me and I am finding it really interesting. FB likes went over 2000 on Thursday! How amazing!!

Part 2 of Glenn Ridge’s interview with Love Your Sister

LYS talks to Glenn Ridge on Mornings on MyMp! Part 1

LYS Diaries: 7 - 14 Jan

When I told Cathy Freeman about LYS at the very beginning of this whole shamozzle (nearly two years ago) and she smiled at me and said ‘You’ll make it - the spirits are smiling on you and Connie’. At first, it all seemed really far away.  This week, I’m beginning to think she might be right.

Wow. What a week. We’ve secured four new supporters for the ride, done a kick-arse professional photo shoot with Gina Milicia, been raided by mainstream media, had Connie down in Melbourne for the week, got cranking on all things to do with community liaison  merchandise, design, printing and online. We doubled our reach into the social sphere, expanded the LYS crew by at least two, heralded the arrival of our on-road crew and have been inundated with messages of support from the public! This has of course, only strengthened our resolve! This is the week that, after nearly two years of solid work, the Love Your Sister event became real and it’s been an absolute thrill.

Even though Connie is so sick, we’re all feeling so happy. Connie is the happiest out of the whole mob! Which is, of course, one of the main reasons why I’m taking on such a big, crazy, amazing task. I’d always hoped that this event would provide something…anything that could excite Connie enough make her forget she has cancer. Something, beyond her kids, that is so wonderful, and personal to her, that she simply must stick around for it. It’s hard to believe that the buzz she’s getting out of this isn’t buying her more time. 

Can’t wait for next week.

Love Your Mobile

Jayco were amongst the first to jump on board our little-engine-that-could by providing an awesome Expanda Series caravan that will get Sam and the crew around the country in luxury that they are not yet accustomed to.  Without the house on wheels we wouldn’t really have a goose on a unicycle riding around the nation. Our heart expands every time we think about what Jayco have done for Love Your Sister.

www.jayco.com.au

www.loveyoursister.org

Love Your Workout

Attempting to unicycle 15,000kms on a unicycle isn’t something you want to attempt without a few hours of training under your belt.  OK, so maybe it’s something you want to attempt…. never.

Fitness First were one of our firsts supporters to come on board the Love Your Sister journey, they’re working towards a fitter Australia. 

Fitness First have whipped Sam into shape, and done their best to make sure he makes it the whole way ‘round Australia. If they can help Sam make it around the country on one wheel, they can help anyone with their fitness goals, crazy or otherwise.

www.fitnessfirst.com.au

www.loveyoursister.org