No Dream is too Good to Come True

This photograph is from the opening night of the Before I Die Wall at the Kershaw County Public Library. The idea is that everyone writes one thing they'd like to accomplish before they die. It's a little hard to see, but I wrote at the very top that I want to ride my bike across the country.

Hello and happy Sunday! I wanted to update everyone on my cycling adventures and my bike ordering process. I am eligible to order my Giant road bike and will be doing so next week. On Wednesday I am headed to Summit Cycles in Columbia to get fitted for my Bike and Build bike. As most of you already know, I ride my Trek Hybrid everyday to and from work. I absolutely love it and it's a positive way to start and end my day. I really don't count it as a part of my training though. It's just me having fun. :) However, TODAY I went on my FIRST OFFICIAL training ride. Since I don't have my Giant yet, I took the Trek for a spin around Camden. I learned many things from this experience. First of all, I need proper cycling leggings and gloves. What I wear the Crossfit just is not going to cut it. My poor legs were extremely cold in the forty degree weather. I realize that many people are surrounded by snow and CAN'T even ride their bike. I am grateful that I live in a part of the country where I can get out of my house and start training. I also realize that i have A LONG way to go. I'm super excited to get started, but I've got to kick it into high gear once my road bike gets here. And last, but certainly not least...there are a lot of pit bulls in East Camden. 

Next, I'd like to talk about the title of today's blog post. It comes from a poem Iyanla Vanzant wrote in one of her devotionals called, Faith in the Valley. This week I was thinking about my dreams and all that I want to accomplish not necessarily in this life, but in my twenties. Just like a lot of twenty-somethings, I fear the dreams won't come true or I'll run out of time to accomplish them. Then I ran across this poem and it was so inspiring! She talks about how when you dream a dream, all things are possible. I have a lot of gratitude for the adventure I am about to embark on, the people I'm going to meet, and all the people who have supported me thus far. I am so amazed of how encouraging people have been about my Bike and Build adventure. I cannot thank all of you enough! One of these awesome supporters send me a GREAT gift in the mail the other day... 

  Coffee and bikes...two of my favorite things. Thanks Jake! I have not only been inspired by my friends, family and supporters, but also by one of my teammates. The other day, I was looking at the 2015 riders to see if anyone else had created a blog. I was interested to see what others are doing, especially since I struggled even creating this blog! I stumbled upon Stacy Sprewer's blog and was totally impressed. Not only is her blog AWESOME, she is selling her artwork and other goods/services to raise money for this trip. I have mad respect for artists because quite frankly, it's something I think is so beautiful, but I'm not good at it...at all.  I ask those of you who were planning to donate to my ride, but haven't done so yet, to please donate to Stacy's ride. She has not yet met her fundraising minimum and I have. OR if you are DEAD SET on donating to me, donate a portion of that money to her ride. I have already corresponded with her about this and she is on board! You guys can check out Stacy's blog at http://stacymariesprewer.weebly.com/bike-and-build-store.html. If you'd like to check out her B&B bio page please go to http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/7971. I'm going to end this entry with a quote that sums up how I feel about this Bike and Build experience. 

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” -Mahatma Gandhi

HAPPY CYCLING!