I am a Corporate Nomad

As I was working out the other day in the fanciest hotel gym I think I'll ever have the privilege of using, I was listening to Matt and Kim when the song "Wires" came on. The chorus came and belted out were the lyrics "cut and crossed wires/ electric fires/ reset your clocks/ and rewrite your thoughts". When I was picking the name of my blog back in 2012 for my time abroad, I just liked the line and found it applicable to my trip then; little did I realize that it would continue to foreshadow all the adventures after.

My first real time travel was 8 hours ahead to study abroad in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria my sophomore year of college; at the end of my semester, geographically, I went a little further to spend time with my family in Beirut, Lebanon. After coming home, I spent two years finishing my degrees in Kirksville, MO and living in CST. By the time graduation rolled around, I was in need of another adventure and decided to work my way through the US time zones from east to west as I cycled across America for affordable housing with Bike and Build. I came back to live with my parents and now my journey has taken another traveling turn the last seven months: I entered the somewhat exclusive world of business travel.

I am a corporate nomad. When people ask me what I do, that's how I answer because it's the easiest way to describe it. Every week, for the last six months, I have commuted 1,559 miles one way and jumped back two time zones, living Monday through Thursday on PST in Spokane, WA and Friday through Sunday in Kansas City on CST. I hopped on two planes twice a week that delivered me to my final destinations. I lived out of a suitcase and I ate exclusively at restaurants (that definitely hasn't helped my indecision).
Because of that, I can tell you all the good restaurants in the Minneapolis, Denver, and Salt Lake City airports and which terminals they are located in. Shelling out $85 on TSA Pre-Check was probably the best $85 I've ever spent. I stayed at the same (swanky, thanks to my client) hotel, the staff knew me by name, and I them. I got to drive a different car every week, dropping it off on Thursday always wondering what vehicle I'd get the following Monday. I'm enrolled in all the rewards programs and have pretty quickly acquired status for airlines, rental cars, and hotels.

While all that sounds really dreamy, it's not always fun. It's really hard on the body having to eat out for every meal. It's lonely sometimes; I got really lucky that the people I work with like to hang outside of work, sit on the patio, go to dinner, play frisbee, and explore the city. I get asked quite often if I'm sick of traveling yet, and though being on the physical plane is starting to get old-being cramped, it sometimes being smelly, sometimes getting stuck in the middle seat, the occasional screaming child-I really don't mind the travel. It's just something you have to get used to, but it's a great way to see the country while also making a living.

Though my time in Spokane has come to an end with a couple weeks in KC, I know that I still have a lot of travel in my future and I'm excited to see other parts of the country that I wouldn't get to travel to normally. My life motto when I set out to study abroad was "Adventure is out there" and while the purpose behind my travel has changed, the essence of being a corporate nomad still holds the excitement I felt as a leisure traveler-seeking adventure, making my dreams come true, and being able to stumble across the truly beautiful and unexpected. 

The Adventure Starts Here

It's been three and a half weeks since ME2SB14 rode onto the beach in Santa Barbara. The GroupMe keeps everyone together even though I am now thousands of miles apart from my B&B family.
I miss the wind blowing on my face and the feeling of flying as I crouch over Ruby (my bike), the hum of wheels on pavement in my ears as I descend a mountain. I miss the sound of Thermarests being deflated and other bodies groggily moving as we would get ready for a long day of riding. I miss Luscious' outbursts of Broadway tunes and Margaux's puns and KTLee's laugh.

It was hard adjusting back into life at home. I didn't really know what to do with myself most of the time because a lot of my friends don't live here so it was strange going from being around 32 people to being by myself (and I like being by myself; I craved alone time on the trip haha). I'm not saying it isn't hard anymore, but it has gotten easier since starting my AmeriCorps term with Habitat for Humanity Kansas City. It has given me a routine, trips to look forward to (the National Service Leadership Conference in Talladega, AL and Build-A-Thon in New Orleans, LA), new people to work with (I'm the youngest one in the office), and new people to meet every day because it's what I do as a Volunteer Coordinator.

AmeriCorps is kind of a big deal and I didn't realize it until we celebrated its 20th birthday on September 12th when I was sworn in with the rest of the new members. I am part of a new family now, one that is over 900,000 strong, one that is willing to commit a year of their life to serving their country. I never looked at it like that. I was just so excited to have something to do after Bike and Build, especially in the realm of affordable housing, that I didn't really take the time to consider what I signed on for outside of the stuff I had to know.

With time to soak it all up, I'm lucky to be where I am. To work alongside this affiliate as we work to alleviate the AH problem in midtown Kansas City. To be surrounded by my co-workers who love what they do and care more about the neighborhood impact than the money they make. To interact with volunteers who willingly take the time out of their week to come and spend time building someone's home. To see good things happening in my hometown and to see the pride we take in the place we live.

I saw this written: "You will never be completely home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."  I felt this when I got home from studying abroad and I feel it now after Bike and Build. While these experiences are over and I'm left with memories and lifetime friendships, I'm on to another great adventure that, while it might not seem as crazy as the others I've had, will be just, if not more, rewarding. In the cheesiest way possible, I'm #blessed.  

A Whole New World

I'm sitting at my desk...in my room...at home. It's strange. Not just for the fact that my parents did a stellar remodel job to make it look 22 instead of 16, but also that I am in my room...at home. Considering I've been a nomad for the last two and a half months, having a fluffy bed and my computer back are all wonderful and hilariously foreign. This summer was a beautiful journey of limited communication and minimal living; now I'm tasked with the job of cleaning out my closet of unwanted, or more like unneeded, clothes, getting ready for AmeriCorps to start on Tuesday, and plain and simply getting back into a real world routine.

Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked to be starting the next adventure with Habitat. I get to do something I enjoy and really care about every day and so in that, there is something to look forward to. It'll also be hard to wear underwear (with biking shorts you don't), to not have three pockets on my back that I can shove anything in to, to not eat everything I want because I won't be biking 80 miles a day, but mostly it'll be hard to not be surrounded by 32 hilariously witty people 24/7.

The closest thing Bike and Build is akin to is studying abroad, for me anyway, where you get to know people really quickly because the circumstances require it. Yet even so, this was unlike anything I've ever done. My teammates got to know me in ways that even my closest friends haven't experienced, and trust me, we've been through a lot. ME2SB14 lived, ate, biked, and built together all summer and the hard hitting questions were asked very early into the trip (like road trip quick, aka before we even got to Maine) and they saw parts of me that I would have normally never shown anyone, and it was okay because I trusted them and knew they wouldn't judge me at the end of the day, even if I did get gut-busting laughs for it. Plus, we were all going through similar situations down there, if you know what I mean, so it was a relatable issue for all of us.

I am lucky. To have this adventure. To meet the people I met along the way: strangers, hosts, old friends, new friends. To have been a part of a team that cared so deeply about one another. To do something I loved while helping people. To learn about a cause that is in dire need of attention and support. To experience a problem I don't have to deal with every day because of where I was born and the opportunities I've had. To know that even though I set out to help change the lives of others, the life I know that changed the most was my own.

So yeah, I'm a little sad. And that's okay. Because I know too that this family I made over the summer, it won't be the last time I see them. And while the difficulties of acclimating back into daily life in Kansas City will be brutal, I know I will slowly get back into the swing of things and life will go on. That doesn't mean I won't talk about Bike and Build all the time or wish I could be on my bike, but I'm going to try to emulate things the trip taught me, like taking risks and slowing down to actually experience things and taking the time to hear people's stories. 

To my team, you were the best companions a girl could ask for (in Katie Lee vernacular, you're straight fire) and I'm glad you're all as crazy as I am. I love you and I miss you and I'm going to visit. To those on the outside who supported me with care packages and words of encouragement, thank you. It got me through the tough days and reminded me of why I was doing the trip in the first place. And to Bike and Build, this opportunity is like no other and words are inadequate to describe how it helped to open my perspective and see our country in a new light. 

We live in a beautiful place people, so let's appreciate her for all she's worth. And with the parts that are not so good, let's join together to make her whole again. Because only we have the power to do so. 

Times They Are A Changin'

I'm in Payson, Arizona. I got here by pumping and cranking my own two legs over hills, across plains, and through desert land, as well as swinging hammers, sawing wood, and nailing boards.

Seriously?! What is this life?! Most of the time it still doesn't seem real. 

Life is all about perspective and mine has shifted significantly since starting this trip. How could it not? When you spend all your time with 32 like-minded people striving toward a common goal to help a greater purpose, if you don't come out changed you did something wrong. 

It's about seeing the generosity of folks all across the country willing to sacrifice precious resources to help us achieve our goal. It's about small interactions we have with people in gas stations and at host sites where we get to hear their stories and share our own. It's about getting to be part of a family that never stops supporting you and loves you for who you are no matter the circumstance. It's about being part of a once in a lifetime opportunity where you get to experience your homeland in a way not many people are willing to risk. 

Yes, obvious aspects like geography, food, and the physicality of my body change; some of the more important takeaways I've discovered about myself are the fact that I am more mentally strong than I thought; I want to do something with my life that makes me happy and that does good for other people even if I don't make a ton of money; I'm going to be a damn good driver when I get home. 

We as a society spend too much time worrying about where we have to go or what the next thing we have to do is. Slow down! If this trip has taught me anything, it's the joy in taking the time to talk to people, actually seeing the scenery you're passing by, being considerate of other people (drivers, please when you see a cyclist or hiker or whoever, see them as a human and not a nuisance. Too many times have we been passed by assholes who, for no good reason, try to intentionally cause us harm because we try to share the road with them.) 

With only three weeks left, there is still a lot left to see and experience. Like having my first time camping be at the Grand Canyon or seeing Southern California. And doing it all by bike, nonetheless. Every ache, pain, mental breakdown, laugh, and smile has been worth it to get me to this point. Call me crazy, but this is a crazy life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We've gotten to ride on historic Route 66 

Mountains in AZ we descended through 

Chris Benson and the mayor of Portales, NM with a proclamation stating that August 2 is Bike and Build day in Portales. 

When You Run On Fumes...

A place to sleep: free

Clif bars, energy drinks, and other carbs, proteins, sugars: $20 

Tubes, lube, and chamois butter: $45 

Being able to bike 276 miles in three days: Priceless

I'm running on Clif shot bloks, Nutella, and perpetually sore muscles at this point. We are, when looking at a map, halfway across the country, (currently in Springfield, MO) but we still have a little over 2,000 miles left to cycle in the next month and a half. A lot of good things have happened since our last day off, which was around my last post. 

I didn't realize my lack of free time until the trip actually started. We bike about 5-8 hours a day, depending on mileage, shower (yet the stench never fully washes away), eat (always ridiculous mountains of food), and get ready for the next day. It's a monotonous cycle that allows for spontaneity and joy in who you ride with, what you see, where you bike, and what you do with your time. It's a beautiful mutiny on my body. 

We had some awesome build days in Columbus where we got to put up the first walls of a house, help start the second floor on another, and build garage walls. Supervisors like Bill, Dave, Dan, and Tim really make build days worth it; who wouldn't want to be on the A-Team?! We're like a swarm of locusts that come through, but instead of devastating everything we get so much work done. It's incredible to see what we can accomplish in one day. One of our commandments for the summer is "biking is the perk, building is the reason" and each time we work with Habitat it's another reminder of that. It gets me excited for the fall when I'll be joining Habitat KC as a Volunteer Coordinator. 

Building has it's ups and downs, although that couldn't be truer for ride days. The Midwest, and Missouri (or Misery as my teammates...okay sometimes myself included...call it) in particular, has surprised us with how challenging it can be. The Midwest is NOT FLAT. Brutal finding that out. To get through MO, we biked through the Ozarks and it was hilly-steep, long, and constantly rolling-rivaling the mountains of western PA we hit a couple weeks ago. 

Everyone is sore, tired, and excited to get out of the Show-Me state. We have a little more showing to do, but I think we have done pretty darn well considering the circumstances with terrain, increased heat and humidity, and overall morale. It's strange to know we only have a month and a half left. We still have half our build days, the desert of NM, AZ and CA, and the Pacific Ocean to look forward to. I may be tired, but this has by far shown me how tough I can be, how much it means to have solid support, and how beautiful our country really is, not just the landscape, but more importantly, the people. 

From the most epic Bike and Build ride day ever...hehe 

Nuff said. 

My first legit century ride from STL to Belle, MO. 

The Bike and Build Bubble

Including today, I've been on the road for 23 days now and it's felt like years. But in a good way because our group has gotten close really quickly. I have been surrounded by everything B&B and I've discovered that what they say about the B&B bubble is true, made evident by our day off in Pittsburgh for the Fourth.

• When you put 33 people in substantial isolation together, boundaries go out the window and anything goes (within reason). 

• It's weird to see each other in anything other than the two outfits we wear after each day in the saddle. 

• Spandex is not awkward to wear in public when 32 other people look exactly the same as you do. 

• We go everywhere in packs and we get lots of stares because it's abnormal to travel in groups so big. 

• We eat an ungodly amount of food at any and all meals. Especially cake, cookies, and other junk food. We crave fruits and vegetables. No need to count calories though when you burn thousands of calories every day. 

• Biking 70-85 miles a day isn't out if the ordinary. And 60 mile days feel very short compared to the norm.

• Applying Chamois (pronounced shammy) butter is quite the production every morning. 

• Civilization is a beautiful thing.

Pittsburgh, at the Point 

Biking through PA somewhere 

Since the Last Time

Sorry for the delay folks. The last two weeks have been crazy but so so good! Orientation was a blur of name games, presentations, and getting to know one another. I have to say, this group of people is incredible. Everyone is super cool and funny and really interesting in all our own quirky ways, but we all mesh well. From the very beginning it felt like a family.

Anyway, we've been on the road since Friday (aka 6 days now) and it has been an overload of luscious green trees, winding roads, and most recently, hills (the Midwest failed to train me on that one). We ride in groups of 2-6 and I've had the pleasure of being with different people everyday and it's cool to see how we all ride and the kind of encouragement we need when the times get tough. Three states down: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and we have been spoiled with the weather and scenery. Beautiful blue skies and bodies of water. Not only that, but we have had fantastic hosts who feed us crazy good food and help us get whatever we need. 

Example: yesterday the hanger on my bike (Ruby is her name; and the hanger is part of the rear derailleur) was bent and Sherry took me to two bike shops around North Hampton, MA to get it fixed. I was late for showers so Karen took me and waited for me while I got clean. That is generosity and selflessness at its finest and I was thankful to be on the receiving end. We had some really good conversations too and it was really nice to get to know them, especially since they were hosting us. 

We are in Pittsfield, MA for tonight and tomorrow while we build. It'll be number three and the other sites have been full of framework, laying flooring, ladders, saws, and hammers. It's slightly overwhelming when 33 willing volunteers show up, but all of the site supervisors have been great to work with, outside of an older volunteer named Bob (we think) who I nicknamed Mr. Grumpypants. It's never boring on a construction site, at least not when Bike and Build is there.  

A trail in western Mass 

On site in Fitchburg, MA