The First Blog and the Set Up...

So....this is the first blog to keep a record of my own great adventure. Recently divorced and begining an adventure of traveling the world to help the cause of Limbs for Life and to experience all that is out there beyond my own fears and limitation.

The adventure starts with examining my own life and trying to live the life that I can only dream of and not being limited by own self imposed limitations and by what society expects of us in social norms. Further, my passions involve pushing myself physically through outdoor sports and helping both collegiate and adults understand sports business. This includes teaching at the University of Oklahoma and leading Limbs for Life through an international strategy.

Limbs for Life is a non-profit that offers prosthetic limbs that can't afford them....www.limbsforlife.org. We have an outstanding board who is very committed to the cause and everyone contributes in fantastic ways. Mine is to try to expand LFL throughout the world.

This Sunday, February 1, I leave with two of my good friends Jerry Isbell and Craig Gavras (executive director of LFL), both OU grads, to Paris, Italy and England to begin the preparation of establishing a European division. We will be in these countries for 8 days and possibly longer if all goes well.

We have established a "triangle operation" in the Dominican Republic that is just underway after two years of establishing relationships and attempting to understand the culture of this beautiful country. I am going back down to the D.R. at the end of Feb. for the Masters of the Ocean run by one of my new friends Marcus Bohm. (www.mastersoftheocean.com). The Masters is quickly becoming one of the most respected water sport competitions featuring surfing, kite boarding and wind surfing. The competition is based in Cabarete. I hope to support my friend, get a little surfing in, and help promote Limbs for Life to the media that will be attending. One of the residents in Cabarate is a dude that lost a leg in a motor cycle accident and he surfs and kite boards with one leg. It is truly amazing. We are going to get him a prosthetic limb as well, if he will accept it.

My plan is to update this each day of our travels. The Dominican was first, then Europe with possible trips to Tokyo in March and Sierra Leone in June.

These trips are always an adventure because of the amazing things that happen along the way. I refuse to sleep on these trips because so much can happen at any time of the day and night. And that is what is all about right? Experiencing all that life can offer....

John