Yes I'm definitely nervous & excited. But in a great way. I feel like I've been preparing for this for ages, and now that it's just around the corner, the suspense couldn't be greater! When I applied to B&B back in November I was definitely excited, but I didn't know anything about it. Now I know everything about it, but I haven't even started yet. It's time to start!
Ready? Yes I'm ready! I've been training, fundraising, asking questions, buying gear, testing that gear, packing, re-packing, and doing whatever else is necessary to prepare me for this trip over the past 5 months. I think I can confidently say I'm ready, or as ready as I'll ever be! There's this funny thing about the future--you don't know what's going to happen, until it does--and I LOVE that. I love going into a situation knowing anything can happen. I love that In 2 days I'm going to fly to Florida, stay with friends I haven't seen in 4 years, meet a group of 33 people for the first time, then spend the next few months building houses with them and biking to cities I've never been to. I don't even know all the details of how our trip works, but I know our leaders do, and that's enough assurance for me.
So how have I been spending my last weekend at home? Well, it's actually been quite relaxing and not too eventful. On Friday I woke up at 6:30am, went for my last ride, and got a massage (recommended by Galen, one of my teammates). Post-massage, I felt GREAT. Today (Saturday) I feel incredibly sore, as if someone used me as a punching bag last night.
My brother's prom was Friday night, so I was entertained by that whole ritual (the hair! the dress! now we have to take pictures!! Awwwww).
I did some baking today, one of my favorite hobbies. I will definitely miss baking while I'm on the road. I'm sure I'll eat great food down south, but nothing beats a home-cooked meal accompanied by some fresh-baked bread mmm! This morning I made some biscuits, my tradition. (For any Kiwis/internationals reading this, I mean baking powder biscuits that I make for breakfast, not cookies :P) I also have been trying to finish a colored-pencil drawing I've been working on. I know if I don't finish it before I leave...it will never get finished heh.
Tonight I'm getting more serious stuff done. Boxing up my bike & packing my duffel bag. Those who have seen me travel know I'm a pretty light packer. WELL my B&B friend Daisy came over and totally re-vamped my packing strategy so instead of using a large duffel she got everything into a regular sized one! (Magic, I swear!) Having a down sleeping bag definitely helps...
Here's a photo of my bag half packed for reference:
Next update will be from FLORIDA!
PS: OH YEAH I MADE IT TO (and passed) MY $4,000 FUNDRAISING GOAL! Thank you everyone who donated! And if you would still like to donate you can here (more support for affordable housing!)
Melanie, you go girl! So happy I found your blog, will follow it daily! Keep us posted!
ReplyDelete