Us, In Paris

Allison Wright from Livestrong snapped this street shot of us shortly before the final lap of the 2009 Tour de France. We'll never forget this day.

After a waiting for the peloton in the sun for hours, we got a major payoff: a head-on view 10 feet from the riders, on the final turn of Place de la Concorde. The best viewing spot in France. We watched five laps from the street. We could feel the buzz and thrum in our bodies as the riders hammered over the cobblestone road. It was wonderful. And we are so grateful to have come here.

On the topic of us being here and gratitude, we want to thank Joanna Sims, Tony Hoffer's wife, for planning this trip for us. She offered, and we accepted—something we've learned to do quite well over the past 14 months. Joanna put three weeks into masterminding every step of this trip so that we could simply step on the plane and enjoy ourselves. That's exactly what we needed, and it's exactly how it's been so far. Our hotel is four steps off of Rue de Rivoli, and a block from the Champs-Elysees. Stunningly easy for us to get around to all the right spots.

Acacia Newlon and Kat Sambor at Dangerbird also put a lot of effort into this trip, helping us expedite our passport renewals (I travel a lot internationally, but hadn't flown international since before Pablo's treatment started), phones and logistics of all kinds. We are thankful to be on the receiving end of this kind of love and dedication. It has made a huge difference in our lives.

I keep thinking: as we are held safely and securely in the arms of our families and our community, we now have the ultimate blueprint for how to be of service to others.

That's a good feeling to have.