You're the only TEN I See

Hey guys! I'm sorry I have not updated my blog as much as I should have in Tennessee. From now on, I am going to try to update every three days. Right now I'm coming to you from a cool local coffee shop in Memphis called, Otherlands. We finally have a day off! This past week has been filled with so many fun adventures, but I have also been through every emotion on the human spectrum. I have laughed, cried, hugged friends, sat on the side of the road in disbelief, become closer to my teammates, met new people, conquered fears, and overcome obstacles. Tennessee has been a challenge, but I'm thankful for everything it was thrown at me. I'm becoming stronger, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Tennessee has rocked my world. 

After Maryville, we headed to cleveland and then over to Dunlap. Every ride this week has been spectacular in one way or another. Since I'm so behind in my blogging, I'll give you guys one story from each ride this week. 

On the way to cleveland I rode with Marlee, Scott, and Jackie. We had a blast! As we were riding a long, a bug got lodged between my eye and my sunglasses. Ouch! It hurt so bad. I couldn't see and there were tears streaming down my eyes. I screamed at my group to "bail" just after I had called "semi back!" Needless to say, everyone thought a semi truck was coming to take them out and so we all hopped off the road into a shoulder that was not the greatest place to pull off. Scott got a giant tree stuck in his bike and he was super salty. My eye is fine and everyone is okay. 

I really enjoyed the ride to Dunlap. I ride with Steven and Michael, two really strong athletes. We were crushing the  60 mi ride when Steven got a flat! Not only did he get a flat, his gatorskin tire was completely ripped. We think he may have run over some crazy scrap metal. Then we climbed 2,000 feet to get to lunch. It was a super painful climb, but I felt so accomplished when I got to the top. 

The ride to Monteagle was 40 miles, which was a nice break for us. We stayed at a camp, where we had a bonfire and got to go swimming. Such a great day. The next day we headed to Pulaski and I rode with Tess, Ben, Melissa, and Scott. My exciting story about this ride involves my poor gatorskin tire. So I'm leading the group, just riding along trying to get to the host when I hear a pssssttt noise. I was in such denial that my tire was deflating I didn't wanna pull off. I pulled off and we came to a quick realization that my tire was done for. We also hit 1,000 miles on this ride! Yay! Pulaski greeted us with food, a pool, bike mechanics, and a chiropractor. It was a really great day. I want to thank all those who helped us while we were there. Y'all's kindness is very appreciated and I'm so thankful for everything you guys did for us. 

The next day was my first century and I've never felt like that in my entire life. First of all, I was completely exhausted and second, I am so proud of myself for getting through that. A century is a huge accomplishment! I rode with Carolyn, vinny, and Jackie. This ride was amazing because I felt like we laughed the whole day away. Even though the ride was really challenging, I had a great time with these people. They made it that much better. I love this team. Sometimes we'll be riding along and I'll be hurting and someone will scream out song lyrics or encouraging words. It makes all the difference to have that when you're riding your bike. 

After a short ride to Bolivar and a fast ride to Memphis, we had a day off. I know I keep saying this, but I had one of the greatest days yet. Last night we danced the night away on Beale Street. 

Today I had coffee at a great local place and got a massage with Jackie. After that we went to the civil rights museum and it was one of the most powerful museums I've ever been to....

 

I'm really thankful I had the opportunity to visit this place. I felt moved by everything I saw today. 

I also wanna give a HUGE shoutout to my friend Kaleigh and her husband, Grant for taking me out to dinner tonight and for spreading the word about Bike and Build. Through their church and gym, they were able to donate lots of food and snacks for us! Yay! Also to Teresa, who had a poker tournament and raised 80$ for our trip. Thank you guys so much. This trip wouldn't happen without yalls kindness. 

More coming soon..... 

We have a duty to help one another. Don't forget it.