Introductions

Okay, so I didn't actually drop out of business school, but I might as well.  In May, I'll finally graduate from Samford, and to the dismay of advisors across America, I'll put off stepping into whatever the "real world" is for an additional few months.  So what am I doing during those few months?  I'm so glad you asked...

Introductions are always awkward.  When possible, I always try to skip over them and dive right in with embarrassing stories, stupid jokes, or anything to avoid the whole "testing the waters" feeling everyone has at the beginning of new things.  There is absolutely no "testing the waters" about this upcoming experience - I've already cannon-balled into the deep end and have been treading water for a while now.  I haven't really known how to describe this to my friends and family, so I put off writing about it and I gave very vague answers to all the questions that people have asked me in person.  But the time has come for me to start keeping all you wonderful folks in the loop.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay.  This first post is unlike any other in that I'm about to give you the introduction and explanation to the next few months of my life:

So basically, this May I'll be meeting up with about 30 other young adults in Virginia Beach to set out on a cross country cycling trip to benefit affordable housing groups across the U.S.  We'll pedal 3821 miles across 13 states and work in 10 different cities over a span of about 76 days, but numbers aren't really my thing. Words are.  So I'll be using this space to share stories, lessons, personal thoughts, etc. with friends, family, and intrigued individuals throughout the preparation process and during the actual trip.  Preparation means riding 500 miles, fundraising $4500, and working 10 hours through an affordable housing group.  Additionally, I was chosen as one of the four leaders for this route, so preparation will also include coordinating build days and host locations, soliciting large donations, route planning, and tons of other stuff that I don't even know how to describe.  (I get to meet the other three leaders for the first time in Philadelphia this weekend and I'm uber pumped.  Is that lame? Oh well).

As of this post, I've ridden 152 miles on the bike that I'll be riding from coast to coast, and I've raised $2,975 through a bunch of lovely family members, friends, and strangers. (I plan to work with Birmingham Habitat for a weekend in April).  From this small bit of preparation I've learned two things: 1. people are awesome and have been far more supportive than I've ever dreamed. 2.  Birmingham should be completely restructured because these hills/mountains/walls are ridiculous.  Lessons like these, as well as fun stories and random thoughts will be updated sporadically in the coming coming months.  If I could carry a pocket sized version of each of the wonderful people supporting me, then I would, but I guess that internet story-telling is the next best thing.

Until then, if you'd like to learn more about Bike & Build, or if you're interested in offering some financial support - visit bikeandbuild.org or bikeandbuild.org/rider/7092.