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.  

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.