The first van day

Yesterday was our first time in the van! Travis and I got up around 8 to get the van and hit the road! From Philadelphia, we rode about an hour north to get Nate and then another hour to pick up Carlee. At Carlee's house, we had lunch with her family and took some time to relax, which was really great!

Having a full van feels really great and it's definitely starting to sink in that I'm doing bike and build again! We have all been working so hard on this trip leading up to now and it's awesome that we can now actually talk about it and sort out everything that we weren't sure about. The van ride from Carlee's to our overnight host was full of conversation, laughs, and really great music. We also took the opportunity to jump off the highway and visit Sleepy Hollow, NY. Unfortunately we didn't see the headless horseman though. 

We were supposed to go up to Providence from Carlee's but we didn't know where we were going to sleep. Luckily we had two B&B alumni offer to have us sleep in their place at New Haven, CT. Alex and Anthony both live in East Rock, New Haven and were so incredibly kind and giving to us. It was the best way to start our trip by getting the chance to hang out with some NC2SD14 friends. It's actually ironic because when I did SUS14, we crossed paths with NC for a few days so I had met them two years ago on B&B! It was nice to catch up, reminisce a little, and talk about the upcoming P2S trip. They took us up to a huge overlook where we got a full 180 view of New Haven, went on a short walk, and then went out to a really great restaurant where they treated us to beer and food! I had pesto mac&cheese:). Afterwards we went back to their place, worked on some last minute stuff, and then got some sleep.

Now we are on the road again and making our way to providence for our first day of leader orientation with Natalie. Alex and Anthony made a full breakfast and sent us on our way. They were so great for everything they did for us! I'm so excited for today to get started!

Cheese steaks and crab fries

Woohoo!! I made it to Philly! Started the day with a mommy made breakfast, 3 hour car ride with Zachary, a super short flight, and a ride from my little, Justine! Justine picked me up at the airport so that she could give me her little tour of Philadelphia. We first stopped at the steps where the famous Rocky scene was filmed. Then we went over to love park and city hall. For lunch/dinner, we got crab fries and cheese steaks at chickies and petes. And lastly got some of the best cannolis I've ever had at termini! Now I'm at travis' house before leaving for RI tomorrow. It's been quite a day and we finished it off with pizza and editing cue sheets! Great start to a great summer. 

Here We Go Again!

I can't believe this is happening and I get the opportunity to do Bike & Build again! I never thought I would be in this position but I leave tomorrow morning at 8am for a flight for Philly! From there I will be driving our van and trailer to RI where I will be meeting up with Natalie for leader orientation. This year, I will be completing B&B as a leader, rather than a rider, meaning I am organizing the entire trip, along with my three other co-leaders. My co-leaders are Carlee, Nate and Travis! It's going to be very interesting to see how this trip might be the same or different than the Southern route trip I did in 2014. Thank you so much to everyone who donated this year and in 2014, B&B has changed my life and has impacted dozens of families who got their new homes. Also, thank you to The Right Gear bicycle shop for all your hard work getting me the gear I need for the ride and Lending Tree for so graciously funding the gear I need for this trip! I could not do this without each and every person's donation and support, from both 2014 as well as this year. Affordable housing is a cause I'm truly passionate about and I'm so grateful Bike & Build showed me that.

Photos from my sweaty equity day with the ReStore

My bike getting all ready to be shipped off to Rhode Island!

Photos from my sweat equity day with Charlotte Habitat for Humanity while the NC2SD route was in Charlotte. This was also AmeriCorps week for Habitat!

My first training ride day in the rain!

Hopefully this time around I will get a chance to blog at least everyday! Let's do this thing!!