Donations and Sponsorships

August 17, 2010 In Alaska, Donations and Sponsorships, Ohio, Photos

merci, merci, merci

A million thank you’s are not enough to express how happy I am for all the love and support that’s coming in to me and Blue Lollipop Road since being on this trip. I will continue to try and thank anyway and hope that it’s means enough to you all out there and that you’ll continue to follow me on my journey and share yours with me too.

Thank you again to my drink sponsors Blanchard’s Coffee and Fruit 66. You guys have been fueling me everywhere I’ve been. Just one of the spots I have snapped a photo of my constant supply:

*To my hard working, fun, creative intern Sarah who has continually helped with posting my photos on the gallery page above, managing my map and being the brain of 1,000 good ideas; You ROCK. (Check out her ceramics and other artwork. Fabulous.)

*Thanks to Joe; I got showers in Juneau and they even made me s’mores for my birthday. Yeah!
*DP, Lindsay and Nelsey- thanks. You have kept me trucking on the ferry and in my car. This means the Blue Lollipop Road continues. That’s the best gift ever to me. Thank you for being such wonderful friends.

*Cool Cleveland! Thanks for posting my post on your site for your awesome city. Isn’t is grand there are so many entertaining spots around America we can all explore?

XOXOXO and a thousand smiles!

August 13, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships, Photos

more thanks, followers, friends and sights

Happy happenings from my day:

1.) Pulling over at one a place that looks like this on the side of the road to eat my sandwich for lunch. I’m wondering how many times I can say is this real? Am I really here looking at this?- before I sound like the most annoying person ever or a crazy broken record:

2.) Noticing I’ve officially made the tip over 100 followers! Wahoo! All followers welcome…bring it!

3.) Found out a couple guys from high school Jon and Aaron are up here hiking and traveling around too. We’re going to traipse around together. Yes! You’ve gotta love random connections after years and modern technology.

4.) Generous people. THANK YOU to:
*Ratfink; Out of nowhere you come. Fabulous
*Elizabeth and Todd, Lindsey, Drew, Julie; Gas and belly are full. Ahhh…

Here’s to Thursdays like this one!

August 10, 2010 In Alaska, Donations and Sponsorships

BbI and paying it forward

(The title BbI is thank you in Russian. The text is not exactly what it should look like, but my computer can only do so much.) Considering I’m where “You can see Russia from land here!” I though a Russian thank you was appropriate for this time around. Hee hee…

*Thank you to Ann. I appreciate your generosity and the fact that you produced a wonderful person Sarah. She has been such a huge help as my intern extraordinaire!

*Thanks Matt for keeping me connected. Without a crackberry or broadband card, this whole blogging on my journey thing would certainly not work!

*Thank you Joe. I had a couch to sleep on last night because of you and a full shower. Oh if I ever take a couch or a shower for granted again…

*Thank you to everyone who has been trying to finagle and connect me with friends and family here in AK. Oh such nice people. I am very appreciative!

As for paying it forward:

I had noted in the top of my website here that I have a separate bank account open and am saving 10% of any donations to pay forward to another traveler, Someone who submits a story to me via snail/comment or email about a place/goal/thing they have always wanted to do. I am a bit disappointed to announce that I have not gotten one “entry” yet and I will likely be out of Alaska by the 20th ready to give the 10% away as promised. It is not going to be a lot, but the point of my creating a pay it forward campaign was to encourage everyone out there to stir up some creative thoughts, hopes, dreams and wishes and share them with us all. I also think it’s just the right thing to do for me to be generous to someone else, if people have been generous to me. I have not told her this yet, but I have decided to give the BLR pay it forward % to my sister if no one submits their traveling wishes. She has applied to the Peace Corps and been in the process for 7 months. (It’s quite and undertaking and extensive process.) During this time she’s paid out of her own pocket hundreds of dollars for medical/dental check-ups, etc. as required by the organization to be a possible candidate for a position. This is her:

She is proudly displaying the Vermonster. All she wanted for her college graduation gift in May was for us (my family) all to go and indulge in a day of ice cream together. It was so fun. She is an amazing, smart young woman (and a cutie too!) and I have no doubt she’d make a perfect Peace Corps volunteer. I figure if she is going to devote 2 years of her life to help others, has already spent hundreds of her own dollars to be able to do it with no guarantee of getting in, she’d be a good pay it forward recipient.

If anyone still would like to submit a story/wish they have I’d love to hear it. $ is up for grabs! If it is after Alaska, that’s Ok- I’ll still take any stories and I always love to hear peoples hopes and wishes. Thank you all for the continued support on this journey!

August 5, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships

muchas gracias

I am like a giant thank-you fest, but I’m a very fortunate girl so I will continue thanking on:

*Bill, Julie, Jeff and Bobby~ You guys are the bomb. Thanks! Never a dull moment, things never change and I never want them too all these years later. Thanks for the roof, the feasting on cheese, the laughs and for loving me just the way I am.

*Jerry~ What to say to someone I’ve known since kindergarten? Thank you for never forgetting my birthday and always being early for it. I’m not sure I have ever told you this, but I absolutely love your “Diggatro!” beginnings to the voice messages you leave. they always make me laugh, and like above know some things will never change and that’s just perfect.

*Andrew~ The CD kept me up driving in a part of no mans land I’d never been in before. I was belting out tunes and pretending I could be the next American Idol. (Delirious and tired? Yes, because I can’t carry a tune.) Thank you for still being that generous and selfless guy you were 25 years ago. I hope you are being safe over there. Enjoy your visit back home and thank you always for your service. I have so much respect for you.

As days pass, it’s impossible for me to say thank you enough to everyone. I have appreciated every email, phone call, text, comment, Facebook message, conversation, card, well wish, meal, bed- all of it. During this trip and beyond, I hope I can be the friend to you all that you’ve been to me. Not a second goes by I don’t think about how lucky I am to have met and know so many kind, fun and generous people.

In the wise words of the one and only Jerry; Here’s to kickin’ it live and uncut!

July 30, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships

yippee, skippy, wahoo!

Imagine my surprise to get this email from my first perfect stranger/Paypal donation since being on the road:

Hi Diane, I noticed you and the BLR-mobile outside the coffee cafe in downtown Cleveland on Monday. Not having known your story, I looked up Blue Lollipop Road when I returned to my desk a little later. I would have liked to introduce myself, but by then you had hit the highway (apparently to Chicago – lucky you!). Some other day, perhaps. In any event, I’m happy to send some gas money to help your adventure farther along – Good Luck! Bill P.

SO AWESOME!

Thank you so much Bill! This means a lot to me and will totally help with the many miles ahead. I hope you will stay in touch and keep following my journey. Your gas donation timing tonight was the perfect boost I needed after I found myself stressing while looking again at maps and distance I still have to go.

Alaska or bust! YEAH!

July 21, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships

oh how to thank you

There will be many more like this, but to add a few from my first week on the road:

Gabi and Phil
RG
Traci M.
Sam and Bryan
Melissa P.
Sarah the amazing intern

THANK YOU for the beds, couches, the treats, the time, the catching up and so much more. Your time and generosity truly mean everything to me. In fact, I had such a great time in and around NYC that I can’t stop thinking of moving there. You guys are GOOD! I’ll be back very very soon…

July 14, 2010 In Cool companies, De-lish, Donations and Sponsorships, Photos, Virginia

“do you have a french press?”

…”if not I am going to give you one of those, along with a bunch of coffee because no friend of mine is going across country on bad coffee!”

Spoken like a true coffee lover from one to another.

My friend Tom roasts coffee for Blanchard’s Coffee Co. in Richmond, VA. The above is what Tom responded in an email to me after announcing my trip. In enters Blanchard’s as my coffee sponsor.

I got the chance to stop by for a chat and pick up with Tom on Monday. I had been in the roasting house before and the smell is so delicious you want to lick the air. As always Tom was in good spirits, peppy about life and loving his job. He had just finished roasting with the crew for the day so I snapped this photo of the roaster:

…and of course some boxes full of all the hard roasting work:

…and finally my gifted stock to start off my trip (Tom is going to ship me more as I drive.) A French Press too. Ahh…

What a great treat. Bad coffee is a serious no-no for sure. I was happy to pay some of my stock forward to my hosts Gabriela and Phil who I stayed with last night. More fellow coffee lovers. It’s so fun to be able to do that thanks to Blanchard’s.

Thanks guys. No sleepy driving for me!

July 6, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships

branded

Thanks to Matt C., the Civic (AKA Juanita) is now screaming BLR. I did the happy dance when Matt put this on my car this morning. I feel like I’m finally opening the doors to the store I just built or something. So exciting.

Thanks for supporting and contributing to the journey Matt!

July 1, 2010 In De-lish, Donations and Sponsorships, People, Photos, Virginia

get your kicks

I am happy to share the news that Fruit 66 is sponsoring me for the Alaska or Bust road trip. They have stocked me up with more cans of their D-lish drink than I could imagine to keep my thirst quenched. I’m a fan of this sparkling juice because it’s all-natural and there’s the equivalent to one full serving of fruit in every can. You know I eat and drink my fair share of treats and chocolate, so this is a good alternative for me to grab instead of a soda on the road.

Fruit 66 gives a portion of their proceeds to the School Nutrition Foundation. Their product is in a slew of schools and replaces those bad for you sugary/high-fructose corn syrup drinks for kids. I love that. Any program or product that promotes health and activity (especially for kids)- I am all about endorsing.

Here’s a funny addition to my Fruit 66 story:

I leave Richmond, VA (home base of the drink) for the first leg of my trip to meet up with my Uncle’s extended family on their beach week. As I brought a few cans into the house, his 9 year old niece Gillian sees me and screeches “I love that stuff! We have it at my school!” (She lives in GA.) This sassy little cutie whom I had never met before was all about smiling for the camera as she guzzled down her can. What a perfect poster child for this stuff.

Thank you Fruit 66! I am already making friends and keeping the kids happy with your yummy drink.

June 27, 2010 In Donations and Sponsorships

Thank You

Teeny to huge; Every bit of pay it forward in honor and support of the Blue Lollipop Road Project is appreciated.

Thank you’s on the donation and gift side so far:
*Fire boys and their gals
*Greg G.
*Stefani T.
*Jennifer P.

Oh thank you thank you thank you!