Some final thoughts before I go

I am almost finished packing and getting ready to take off for two days of relaxation at the beach, then 66 days of BIKE AND BUILD.

Things I am excited about:
(1) meeting 29 other young adults passionate about affordable housing & the Gulf Coast region and crazy enough to bike cross country in the name of this cause
(2) becoming an expert on affordable housing both through our rider curriculum and hands on/real life lessons
(3) working with local, national and global non-profits like Habitat for Humanity, EDOLA-ODR, and Rebuilding Together
(4) seeing so much of my country so closely (of the 10 states and 55 destinations, the Grand Canyon and Napa Valley are definitely my two favorite destinations)
(5) giving presentations to the communities where we stay, meeting the locals, and (hopefully) passing on my excitement for affordable housing in America
(6) perfecting some sweet shorts, glove, tee-shirt, sock, etc. tan lines
(7) writing lots of letters and postcards (if i get time, I really like snail mail)
(8) biking (since this is what i am doing the majority of the time anyway) hopefully, i won't die and my skills and endurance will sky rocket.
(9) eating A LOT (i.e. becoming more of a pig than I already am) since working out all day gives me a great excuse to inhale food all night long.
(10) meeting the people -- current or future home owners -- whom my team and I serve. Through all the community work I have done, I still believe that I learn and gain more as a volunteer then the work I attempt to give despite generally self-less intentions. My most recent (and favorite) homeowner in New Orleans schooled me (and a group of Dallas executives) on financial management and the power of women. This lady's strength and knowledge was absolutely incredible.

My computer access will probably be sketchy, at best, since there will be 30 riders fighting over 1 or 2 computers. I hope to update about once a week. But this is a trip journal which will be updated daily by different riders; it can be found at http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,67/

Also, a few other riders are keeping personal blogs which should also be interesting and will probably cover things that I forget to mention. These can be found at http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,213/

San Fran or bust, baby. I'm ready!