Here we go.

Right now, I AM LIVING IT UP IN DENVER (and wishing I had my bicycle. the hills here would be amazing to take on). I am really excited about this blog. I am hoping that it will read like a story when this adventure is all said and done with. By no means did I mean that in a way where you will not see any grammatical errors. If you know me, you know that I inherited my dad's concept of english. :) The last time I decided to blog was when I was in high school and looking back on those days, I'm not too sure that was such a good idea. But I figured that it's not like my bike has a couch seat on it where I can sit back and tell you over the phone how each and every day is going. My butt is probably going to hurt more than I can imagine (thank you grandma for the butt paste for my birthday) and not that I will be talking out of my butt, but I imagine time is going to be precious.

Really, this blog is meant to let everyone know how training, fundraising, and the trip itself goes. What I learn along the way and how God is working in this crazy adventure he is sending me on. I want to remember little details about this trip that I would otherwise forget if they aren't written. Sooooo, I will do my best not to bore the boom scooter out of you if you decide to follow me state by state!

I never knew how hard fundraising could really be. But at the same time it is so easy. Well that doesn't make sense. Okay...dollar by dollar, I feel like asking people is almost torture, but remembering that every dollar given has nothing to do with me and everything to do with poverty makes all the hard work totally worth it. Last weekend, I walked around asking my fellow neighbors if they were interested in buying these amazing butter braid pastries that have different fillings in them like raspberry or strawberry....you know just another fundraiser. I swear half the people didn't want a silly butter braid but they just wanted to give. A neighbor two houses away that I had never met, pulled out her check book and gave me a fifty dollar donation right there on the spot. My jaw dropped. Now, not everyone is going to give so freely, but it is those people who humbly and graciously give that make me even more motivated to get off the couch and get things done.

I was given a book this week by a friend that a few other people had actually recommended I read. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I was aware that this guy had biked across america and wrote a little about it in this book. Essentially, this book was about stories. A book on stories... sounds so thrilling. But seriously, I could not put this book down and even started crying in a starbucks. Call me a baby, but...well...okay you can call me one.



There are few huge things I was able to take away from this book.

1. The bible repeats over and over, "Do not fear." Which is going to imply a couple things. One, that we are going to be afraid, and two, we should not let fear boss us around. If we let fear boss us around, it is a great guide in "keeping us safe," leading us into a BORING life. There are so many times when I am freaking out like, "WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?" Which kind of leads me to my next point...

2. "JOY is what you feel when the conflict is over. But it is conflict that changes a person.... and there is no conflict man can endure that won't produce a blessing." If fear is going to take over my life, I will never face conflict and if there is no conflict, then what sort of offering do I have to give to God. So... bring on the hills, bring on the sore butt, bring on the hard floors to sleep on and the flat tires. Bring on the conflict.

3. And if you are on my team this summer....i hope this quote speaks to you like it did for me...

"None of you is in the kind of shape to do this. I don't mean that to be offensive, but it's going to be harder than you thought. But you will make it. Just don't stop and stay together. You'll make it." Don't let me stop guys. And i wont let you.