Lance Armstrong LIVESTRONG ride - 100 Mile ride against Cancer
I vowed to do this race when my Mom, Gail Buckles was diagnosed with breast cancer.  
She is a survivor.  There was nothing else I could do.  However, I promised myself / her 
I would do this.  Help with raising awareness.  I raised over $6,000 
and I did my part to help others. 
I Brad Buckles rode 103 miles.  I could not have done it alone.  
I rode with  the LCC, Lakemont Cycling Club.  A great group of men and women much faster than I.  
It was emotional from the start.  Anxiety built from the moment the national anthem played.
Adrenaline rushed my body as the horn blew.  And it was great fun along the way!  
I have never eaten so much food in my life.  
My computer calculated I used up 8300 calories in roughly 6 hours.
I ate GU, peanut butter sandwiches and more powerade than I can remember.
I finished later that day at a Mariners game with a hamburger a hot dog and another peanut butter sandwhich!   
"Great work Lakemont! 
I was thinking of you and the rest of the Lance Armstong riders this afternoon" 
The Mariners game after the ride was great, all the family together and all!
"Congratulation goes to all of you that participated in first Seattle LIVESTRONG 
Challenge by riding, fundraising and donating.  We had a total of 12 of us from the Lakemont team.
Also, with a big boost from Brad Buckles.(donations and powerful riding! :) way to go Brad! )  
Fantastic work everyone!"
 
"Finish was fantastic, somebody radioed my number to the staff at the finish line, 
they announced my name, fact that I did 100 miles, and how much I had raised (over $6k by now). 
Lots of people applauding"  
All in all this was easily the best organized ride I've ever done.
- Wonderful start, "Lakemont Club" leaving in a very big pack of 100 mile riders, 
riding through Seattle, all roads cleared for us, police escort - no cars anywhere.
- Then over the bus lanes to the express lanes to Mercer Island -  Round Mercer Island
- Then great course including plenty of hills, including Tiger and Montreux 
(what a hill that is . tougher than zoo hill)
- Great rest stops and plenty of them, lots of food, water, peanut butter Sandwiches and LOTS OF GU!
 
Weather couldn't have been better.  NO RAIN!!!!  
At the end I had done 103 miles and 6,400 feet straight up. 
 
I think we can be proud of the money raised (over $33k collectively so far).
Hope we can have more participants next year although 12 is not bad.
Brad Buckles - LIVESTRONG finisher :)






 
		

		
Brad Buckles & Lance Armstrong - Livestrong 100 miles! 
Sunday 6/21 Fathers Day  LIVESTRONG Challenge Seattle 100 Miles around and thru Seattle Washington
LET'S GO, Brad Buckles-Seattle!
I need your help, support & any fundraising possible.  Even if it is a dollar.  I don't care.
If I can spend Fathers day riding 100 miles, you can help me with a few dollars. 
It is for cancer, it is in the name of my Mom.  She has, is enduring breast cancer. 
I have cancer in my direct family.  I have experienced, second hand, this disease.    
Please help any way that you can :)
Brad Buckles
Riding a GT Carbon frame (for those that ask)
I am looking forward to this race/fight on Sunday!!! 
Here is a LIVESTRONG posting from thier blog.
Show us your spirit! SEATTLE ROCKS!
The LIVESTRONG "Show Us Your Spirit" Rally is underway! 
The 'prize' is a City message and 'tweet' from Lance Armstrong, but most importantly: 
bragging rights over the other LIVESTRONG Challenge cities in terms of who has the best spirit!
What do we need to do? For the next two weeks, up to May 7, 2009, 
we need to raise as much money as possible, and bring on as many new participants as we can!
I KNOW that as the newest – and first – 2009 event city of the LIVESTRONG Challenge Series, 
that we can also be the first in registration and fundraising!
Let's compare the other Challenge Cities (this is where we throw down the gauntlet)
What does Austin have? Longhorns? "Hook 'Em"? What the heck does that mean?
What does Philly have? A cracked bell and humidity? Rocky? Cream cheese?
What does San Jose have? High tech? Heat and earthquakes?
... but ...
What does Seattle have? Clean air, snow-capped mountains, the ocean, lakes, hills, forests, 
a huge cycling and running community, and an amazing group of LIVESTRONG people with big 
hearts and relentless fundraising energy!
(Call me biased.)
The excitement is definitely building on all sides! The course route is set, 
the weather is getting warmer – but we need you to put Seattle on the LIVESTRONG map!
We welcome all Seattleites and out-of-towners to this great event, 
and LIVESTRONG Challenge participants will enjoy an unforgettable event! 
The course will take advantage of all aspects of Seattle – from starting under the Space Needle, 
to riding through downtown, to closing off a floating bridge for the riders, 
to taking in the beautiful lakes, hills, mountains and forests that form our topography. 
This truly will be a unique, fun and challenging ride.
So, go ahead, Seattle! Let's pick a fight with cancer!
Let's show Austin, Philly and San Jose who really is number one!
Let's put ourselves on the map! Sign up for the Challenge in Seattle, 
and FUNDRAISE, FUNDRAISE, FUNDRAISE!
Gooooo, Seattle & Goooo, Brad Buckles!
 
		

		
This week I have had the opportunity to attend and help organize one of the greatest gatherings in the wedding industry. 
60 Bridal show producers, representing hundreds of bridal shows, from all over the world have come to gether to discuss the wedding industry.
Everything is on the agenda from bridal trends, fashion, marketing and of course the economy.  
The best minds of the industry have indicated that although there are drastic changes in the industry this year, 
brides are getting married and they are "JUST" booking later in the year than in times past.
www.bspishows.com www.andyebon.com
More to come,
Brad Buckles
 
		

		
According to many brides and wedding professionals that I am talking with lately.
Thursday night is becomming the new Saturday night, most important wedding day in demand.
Facilities have the date open, always.
Wedding professionals are always open and willing to make it worth your while if you would like to book them.
And it get the party started before the weekend really starts.  
For brides, you can affor to take a day or two off and enjoy a little honeymoon downtime before friends have to be back to work on Monday.
It will become much more popular in the months to come.  
We feel the need to spread the information as fast as possible because we are here for you...Always.
Brad Buckles
 
		

		
Bridesclub.com vendor listing - We're here to help!  Check us out!
Weddings are a ceremony!  A Celebration!  One part reality and planning.  
A HUGE part fantasizing, dreaming, hoping and orchestrating.
We here at bridesclub.com are trying to bring to you the latest and best vendors in the field of wedding planning.
Tips and trends, the newest in wedding services.
We want to inspire you with wonderfully innovative ideas to personalize your wedding celebration.
 
First things first:  What do you want?
FAMILIARIZE yourself with the options and available services.
FANTASIZE about all that can be.
PRIORITIZE which points are important to you/your significant other.
VISUALIZE what it is going to look like as it comes together.
ORGANIZE it into smaller pieces.
SYMPATHIZE - although it is your day, others should to be able to enjoy it.  It is a celebration/party.  You want others to enjoy it with you!
SYNCHRONIZE your dreams, cultures, abilities to come together.
DEPUTIZE your team!  Who can you really rely on!
   
Write down all of your thoughts on a piece of paper and start.  
You'd be surprised with what a little creativity and knowledge can bring you.
....and remember to ENJOY LIFE!
 
		

		
The Choice Is Yours, In Reality and In Life - 
ENJOY IT!
I made the decision early last year to enjoy life.  To not let anything get to me anymore.  
I meet tens of thousands of brides every year at the Tacoma, 
Bellevue and Lynnwood Wedding Expos and over in Hawaii at the Hawaii Bridal Expo.  
I challenge them constantly to enjoy the process.  Enjoy life! 
We are all a great big family.  
At a wedding we participate in this reality by celebrating the uniting of husband and wife.  
We get together and we throw a big party as a family.   
The last several months have awakened me!  
Im sure that it is safe to say we have been nervous, worried, 
and little scared about all the changes and uncertainty.
But I choose to be inspired,   Why...?  
I look at this time to celebrate a new dawn.  
The coming of change....  whatever the outcome.  
We need to turn to each other, talk to friends, 
and families - we're all part of several families 
and "friends are the family we choose for ourselves". 
Celebrate the differences in yourself and those around you. 
Enjoy the life you are living and those you are living it with!
May we all be grateful for what we have and celebrate by sharing even more.
Enjoy Life!
 
		

		

				
So it's offically been 72 hours on our new diet using the Take Shape for Life plan with Lynda Anderson, our meal coach. The change in eating has been the hardest part, plus we're addicted to food, and learning to cook the food properly for taste is a learning process. But, it hasn't been bad, just a learning curve we're willing to go through to loose this weight.

So I'm ashamed to say that I didn't get our pictures earlier. It's so easy with the digital camera, but it didn't happen. Today we've succeeded and our before pictures are complete.

The good news: I've lost 5 pounds in 72 hours and my wife lost 2 pounds in 72 hours.

The bad news: We're doing so well I'm tempted to eat a Big Mac. Just one. My thought is that if I can lose weight this quickly then what's the harm right? Don't worry. I'm not going to. My wife won't let me.

So follow along in our weight loss journey:

Diet to Lose 10-15 Pounds

Diet to Lose Weight - 1

Our cruise to the Western Caribbean is only two (2) weeks from today and now we're confident that we can drop our weight beforehand so we can maintain it while on our cruise.

Tags: Diet, Weight Loss, Losing Weight
			
 
		

		

				
This is Day 11 of our new diet to lose weight before our cruise this weekend. It's been a interesting journey to say the least because we've changed so much about our eating habits. Mostly the changes have been phycological about food. I was totally addicted to food and I believe that this comes from my naturally addictive personality. The scary thing is once you're in that mode it's very hard to change and it takes a radical move to make the difference. However, you must be committed in order to last.

The good news: I've lost 7 pounds and my wife has lost 6 pounds in 11 days.

Keep following and we'll let you know how the cruise goes as well:

Diet to Lose 10-15 Pounds

Diet to Lose Weight - 1

Diet to Lose Weight - 2

Tags: Diet, Weight Loss, Losing Weight, Cruise
			
 
		

		

				
As promised in my last diet post, I will keep you updated as to how our new diet is working for us.

Our food arrived yesterday, earlier than expected, and so we got started right away. Food for 30 days for 2 people and I was expecting a pretty good sized box, but apparantly we're not going to be eating much. And, this is the point. The first few days our caloric intake will only be around 1000 calories each day.

 

But we're genuinely excited about this because we've finally changed our lifestyle to include a regular exercise regimen at the gym and now we're taking care of our diet and eating style.

We plan to be on this program for less than 60 days (and we'll see how it goes), but more than anything we want to "learn" about food and how our bodies react to it. This way we can have a healthier approach to everyday foods.

So we opened the box and got started deciding what to eat.

 

There's maple and brown sugar oatmeal, chili, soups, snack bars, shakes, caffeine free cappuccino and chai tea, and a couple of things like measuring cups.

I started with chili for lunch and it smelled like a chef was in my kitchen, but it had no taste. Apparently there are tips to add flavors, but I was already finished with it.

My wife started with chicken noodle soup. She said it was fine flavor wise but it wasn't much soup. Again, we're getting used to cutting way back.

Then our next meal was an orange cream shake. It was actually really good. We added ice and blended it up. I'm looking forward to another flavor today for my afternoon shake.

For "dinner" we had a fairly large salad with chicken, low-fat low-carb ranch dressing, and tomatoes.

For our 1 cup of vegetables we ate home canned green beans. Today we'll go get some more vegetables to snack on.

And lastly we each had a snack bar. I had the Oatmeal Raisin and my wife had the Smores bar. Both were the best tasting food all day. In fact, I would eat these every day for a snack knowing the protein intake is twice any other average bar.

So we're through day 1 and on to day 2. I'm hoping to get the pictures and measurements today so we can track every little detail from the first 24 hours.
			
 
		

		

				
 Manolo had a great post today featuring tons of pictures of wedding hairstyles and some tips on do-it-yourself kits from Wedding Hair.
But brides can still walk into the salon armed with a picture of what they want. And while it’s important to be realistic, I’m convinced that good stylists are magicians in disguise.
Photo from Manolo for the Brides