Yeah for video!!! Special appearances by Katy, Aden, Tracey, and Miles.
Today we arrived in Cuzco. What a vibrant city! Lots of color and people moving about. Protest and parades… these people spend a lot of time hitting the streets. Derrick and I got in a did a little wandering around as well. Lots of excitement as people trickle in. I spent much of the day feeling like I was waiting for Otto to show up. Almost like he was just upstairs getting unpacked and would be back for dinner.
Speaking of dinner. Dex had the hook-up and we enjoyed a nice meal with some lovely girls from Colorado, Meghan and Colleen. Hilarious meal conversation about the social scene and dating in our respective cities. Missing Sara even more now.
The whole team got together tonight for an introduction session. Everyone went around the circle and spoke about their motivation for being here. I am humbled to be a part of such a powerful group. Survivors and champions for the cause, these people took action. More than just raising money, each of us had a vision to make it to Peru and with the support of our loved ones back home, here we are. Give Thanks!
The stress of Otto’s passing is really beginning to hit. I can’t make it through a mention of him without tearing up and tonight I broke down a bit thanks to Shannon for priming the pump. All day I kept expecting Otto to come rolling in and set the mood. It was after I had taken my turn explaining why I am here that I finally realized that Otto was already here. When we were raising money for his treatment I would send Otto a list of donors every night and he would read each name out loud before he went to sleep. No dollar amounts, just the names of people who were able to contribute and a few names of people the donations were in memory of. The weirdest thing has happened since I arrived. There are like 65 of us and I remember every single person’s name. No tricks or practice. I did read through all of the bios on the plane but I really feel Otto is grateful for all the souls of those around me. Give Thanks!
Talking about souls. I met Julie Peters today and she reminded me so much of the Julie who held everything together after Otto passed. Immediately I knew this was a good spirit and was surprised to find an equally beautiful soul in her husband Mike Peters. Mike is one of the founders of LHS and is the lead singer in the band The Alarm.
Energy, sincerity and passion for the cause good people for sure. Give Thanks!