Quote from Zig Ziglar

Tuesday: I awoke around 4:00 AM this morning after a night of tossing and turning. It wasn't so much nervousness as it was anxiousness that interrupted my sleep. The minutes wouldn't go by fast enough as they flashed across my alarm clock.

Before going to bed last night I went out into the back yard to reflect on what might happen on the Scott and BR show the next morning. With my feet in the cold water of our little pool and Butternut beside me we stared up at the moon which was full and large on this clear night. There was nothing to say, no more to accomplish, what was done has been done. Peace, there was a sense of peace.

Nina and I met at the back door of the studio. It didn't surprise me that we were the first to arrive. Soon Jeffery Essakow, Kristine Entwistle and Jim Carbaugh arrived. We were escorted to the studio by Mike one of the radio techs.
Scott and BR where already in full swing with the show. It was about 6:20 at this point. After some intros they had myself and Nina sit at the microphones for some short interviews. It's hard to go back in my mind now and remember everything that happened. Before leaving I asked the techs if they could send me a copy of the show for myself and my family back in Ohio.

I do remember talking about the fund raiser with Todd and that I had over $12,000 in funds. Nina talked about her job in the Navy as a welder. For some reason I still don't see that but she strikes me a person, a lot like my wife, who will take on those kinds of jobs that often are associated with men only.

I'm an emotional kind of guy and those feelings where starting to bubble up as we came closer and closer to hearing who the winner would be. Scott let us know that a request of a vote had been sent out to the remaining radio contestants and count produced a tie.

Scott pulled out an envelope opened it, passed it to BR who looked at it and then passed it back. He hesitated for what seemed like an hour and then...made an announcement. "Mike Henderson is the Winner". Even as I write this I feel the goosebumps on my skin and that cool sensation running around my body. What do you say, what do you do, how do your prepare for something like this?

Scott talked about that last year someone called in at the end and offered up another $5000 to ensure both radio contestants would go on the ride. I had been thinking long and hard about what I would do with the $12K I had raised and knew that part needed to go to the Challenged Athletes who had not raised enough as yet to go. I quickly spoke to Kristine and she let me know that things would be OK there so I told Scott I would donate $4000 from my funds to Nina so she could go. He announced it on the air and Nina started to cry. We hugged and I started to cry too. (I'm just a big baby)

It's hard to sum up in 22 minutes of air time what this experience has been all about or why in the end I was the winner. In my mind it could have been anyone in our group of 30 but for some reason the stars aligned for me.

In the parking lot I called my mom, my wife, my brother, and my sister. My sister in law had hooked up a phone to the Internet for my mom to hear the broadcast back in Ohio. I took a few minutes and thanked my dad who had passed away last year because without the values he and mom had instilled in our family this would not have been possible.

When I returned to my home office there where hundreds of phone calls and emails of congratulations but one that really stuck out from my wife.

"You can get everything you want in life, if you are just willing to help enough other people get what they want". Zig Ziglar

The helmet cam and regular cameras will be with me and rolling on this trip down the coast. My plan is to daily update the blog with clips and notes along the way. If you've been reading this blog then you have been on the journey as well.

Thanks to all the friends and family who have been a part of this with me. It took a village to get here and it would not be possible without your help.