Here I go!

Oh my goodness, where to begin…! I can’t believe that I’m leaving tomorrow to begin my bike ride across AMERICA for the American Lung Association! Well, as most of you know or have been able to figure out, Montana to D.C. is not quite all the way across. I was taking biology at Dallas Baptist, and I needed to finish up the class. Today, I went to lecture, took the fourth exam, took the final exam, and made up two labs. Phew! It was a lot, but it was totally worth it! I get to start my ride!!

I’m not going to lie. I’m quite nervous about the actual ride and meeting 25 new people. Hopefully my legs and butt will be able to handle the 2,700 miles with an average of 83 miles per day, and meeting new people is a good type of nervous. I guess anxious is a better way to describe it.

So, initially I was just going to keep a twitter during the ride, but my parents got me an ipad for my birthday! Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. So far it’s a neat little device, but I really haven’t had much time to mess with it. The first half of my summer has been a whirlwind. I was working part-time at Learning Express and J. Crew, taking summer classes, attempting to train for the ride, and fundraising! The fundraising was definitely the hardest part, but thanks to all the incredible and amazingly generous support from my friends and family, I was able to raise the minimum goal of $6,000 in less than a month! Annnnnd, I even exceeded my goal by more than I could have ever imagined. The funds will go to the American Lung Association in Washington to support research, clean air legislation, programs to stop teenagers from smoking, and so much more. It’s awesome!

I hope that one day I’ll be able to make the world a better place by being a part of similar programs whether through my career or volunteering on the weekends. Just as a disclaimer, I am in a complete and utter state of confusion as to what I want to do with my life. I guess no one really knows, and I’m exaggerating. In more realistic terms, I don’t know what I want to do after I graduate next year—grad school, work force, Peace Corps, and maybe even law school…? The list goes on. Struggle. Oh, and if you haven’t had a conversation with me recently, “struggle” is integrated into my speech pretty regularly. Hence, struggle bike. So, to counteract my struggles, I am going to list 25 things that make me happy or just make me smile at the end of each post. I figure that after 40 days, I will have a list of 1,000! That’ll definitely come in handy on those days that I’m feeling down in the dumps or have 3 papers and 2 tests in one week. Struggle. :p.

As far as the other half of my blog title goes, I realize that being out in the sun for 4-7 hours a day will result in some awkward tan lines-- raccoon eyes, tans on my legs that extend only from knee to ankle, watch tan, etc. Fabulous!

Just to make sure I have all the essentials...

Hot pink handle bars? Check!














Fingernails and toenails to match? Check!












Glittery jelly flip flops? Check!














Celebrate my birthday with the family? Check!














(Note the start to a great tan line on my leg...)

Ok, I think I'm ready to go! :)

Oh, and how could I forget! 25 things that make me grin from ear to ear…

(1) family (2) friends (3) my Big Ride (4) triathlons (5) Pumpkin, my bike (6) taking pictures (7) Doreen Apple Pie, my future fish (8) The Little Mermaid (9) crafting (10) frozen yogurt (11) jumping in puddles while wearing rain boots (12) paying in $2 bills (13) picking wild flowers (14) towels hot out of the dryer (15) bright bright bright pink (16) Nike Tempo shorts (17) sending care packages (18) the word doily (19) matching (20) squishing my toes in mud (21) watching the sunset (22) catching up with old friends (23) the smell of cookies in the oven (24) jingle bells (25) rain on a warm summer day

Here I go!
Love love love!
Suzanne