Ok. So this will be the last blog associated with Ride For The Wish. I'll be using another site to individually blog not connected to Wendie's Wish or this ride (Though that may be the content of the occasional entry). None of that is really important to this post outside of I hope you continue to read and not be completely bored with my now boring life.
Yesterday was surreal for so many reasons. Firstly, from an athletic standpoint, it was a pretty big sign of how far the three of us have come in the last month. We put together two back to back 100 mile days and yesterday we were flying. Coming into the park our fireman escort had to put his sirens up because we got up to 40 mph...on our bikes....awesome. Secondly, I can not even begin to explain to you the excitement and chills we got riding into Georgetown yesterday. Pretty sure Davis captured it on camera and there was a pretty epic fist bump that happened between Cameron and I. I will never forget what it was like to follow a firetruck all the way in to San Gabriel with my two best friends and for that memory alone I am forever grateful.
And guys, this community is awesome. There were more people there than I could have imagined and for every person that was there there was another that wasn't because it was July 4th weekend. The best part was all of the people I DIDN'T know and had to be introduced to. That says a lot of each of those people because watching me pedal in and almost pass out due to caffeine over dose isn't as exciting as it may sound. Not to mention tights are not flattering for these legs people. Don't worry they won't be making an appearance any time soon.
I also really enjoyed getting to meet the people we have been so lucky and blessed to help. To walk by your sides through your different battles has been the biggest blessing of this journey thus far. To hear some of you call me a hero was humbling and eye opening. Wrong. But humbling. I promise I'm still just a kid with a few crazy ideas and the time to make it happen. That being said, I do love each of you.
AND SO MANY THANK YOU'S. The Best Sign Group in Springdale, Arkansas for doing an awesome job on banners and promo. MinuteMan Press for putting all designs on the trailer, truck, and pamphlets. Emmert Productions for doing video and taking care of us riders. Ben Decker and his kick butt designs that you people love so much (seriously this guys is awesome). All our sponsors who I can't actually name each of you because apparently more and more checks came in while I was gone. The community and donors who made the trip a reality and also make Wendie's Wish a reality on a daily basis. The Sun for covering our story and all the news stations along the way who wanted to interview a kid who stumbles over his words like a newborn giraffe. A FAMILY LIKE NO OTHER. Seriously I could not do what I am blessed to do without the love and support of the best family in the world.
Lastly, my riders. Cameron and Evan have been by my side for the last two years and I can always count on them. Sure, after a month I'm sick of these dudes, but I love them to death. I will never forget the hell that we went through together and how it felt to ride in with the two of them and see the faces of everyone. You guys are an inspiration to me, and your friendship surpasses all of my angry feelings toward you in the last month, I promise.
Alright, I'm wrapping this up I promise (I have a movie to catch AND I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY THIS SUMMER). The Lord has blessed me infinitely in this trip, in the journey thus far with Wendie's Wish, and with friends and family that love me. To each of you that have been inspired, I'm glad I could play a tiny role in that. But I challenge you to use it for loving and serving others. I'm no hero and I never will be. I'm awkward, selfish, and often inconsiderate (seriously ask my girlfriend, she's been gone for two months and probably still knows these things to be true). So, thank you again. This has been the biggest blessing and honor of my life thus far.
Glad to be home. Eagle Never Dies.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Ride is Done, But We're Not.
Tomorrow we're done. That sentence was the sweetest thing I have typed in a month.
A little over a month ago I wrote a blog about how important College Station was to this trip. Even in writing that post I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that we would actually eventually be back here. There was nothing sweeter than finishing a hundred mile day in the Promised Land. Just to have something so familiar around me that has shaped who I am today made me feel like the last month didn't even exist. I can't put into words what it feels like to be back in this place and be 100 miles from home. That huge number seems like something so minor to stand in the way of the three of us and a what I hope to be an awesome homecoming.
But as I sit on the eve of the end of this trip there is so much racing through my mind.
Physically I feel fantastic at this point. It's a little terrifying to admit that I can feel fantastic after a hundred mile day and almost a 2000 mile month. To see the extent that I can push my body on any given day continues to blow my mind. But what's really on my mind is the reality that it's over. Don't get me wrong I am more than ready to step off this bike and slip into a coma where I don't wake up till the fall semester has started. But I have invested almost all of my emotional and mental energy into this trip over the last two years. Wendie's Wish exists as a product of this trip in a sense. And I have spent the last month investing more than all of my physical energy into it and in less than 24 hours I will be home. No more bikes. No more camp sites. No more videos. Done.
So what's next?
We grow.
We grow until the community doesn't want us to grow anymore. We serve until we can't serve anymore. We love until we can't love anymore. Then we continue to do those even past that point. A bike ride will not help a family and it won't change a life. It maybe changed my life as a rider but it won't change yours. It serves to get your attention. To spark something in you that motivates you to be a part of something bigger. And we hope that bigger exists within Wendie's Wish. But if it doesn't, we hope it turns into a flame to serve someone else.
So you've followed us, you've prayed for us, and you've encouraged us. But the truth is we don't need it. There are a lot of people that need those things from you but we are not those people. However, we want to serve those people. So help us serve them.
Thank you guys for an awesome month. Y'all have been fantastic. Tomorrow we party. Goodnight.
A little over a month ago I wrote a blog about how important College Station was to this trip. Even in writing that post I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that we would actually eventually be back here. There was nothing sweeter than finishing a hundred mile day in the Promised Land. Just to have something so familiar around me that has shaped who I am today made me feel like the last month didn't even exist. I can't put into words what it feels like to be back in this place and be 100 miles from home. That huge number seems like something so minor to stand in the way of the three of us and a what I hope to be an awesome homecoming.
But as I sit on the eve of the end of this trip there is so much racing through my mind.
Physically I feel fantastic at this point. It's a little terrifying to admit that I can feel fantastic after a hundred mile day and almost a 2000 mile month. To see the extent that I can push my body on any given day continues to blow my mind. But what's really on my mind is the reality that it's over. Don't get me wrong I am more than ready to step off this bike and slip into a coma where I don't wake up till the fall semester has started. But I have invested almost all of my emotional and mental energy into this trip over the last two years. Wendie's Wish exists as a product of this trip in a sense. And I have spent the last month investing more than all of my physical energy into it and in less than 24 hours I will be home. No more bikes. No more camp sites. No more videos. Done.
So what's next?
We grow.
We grow until the community doesn't want us to grow anymore. We serve until we can't serve anymore. We love until we can't love anymore. Then we continue to do those even past that point. A bike ride will not help a family and it won't change a life. It maybe changed my life as a rider but it won't change yours. It serves to get your attention. To spark something in you that motivates you to be a part of something bigger. And we hope that bigger exists within Wendie's Wish. But if it doesn't, we hope it turns into a flame to serve someone else.
So you've followed us, you've prayed for us, and you've encouraged us. But the truth is we don't need it. There are a lot of people that need those things from you but we are not those people. However, we want to serve those people. So help us serve them.
Thank you guys for an awesome month. Y'all have been fantastic. Tomorrow we party. Goodnight.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
You ALWAYS Get In The Strangers Truck
We're in Texas. Honestly, I should stop the whole blog there because let's face it, Texas trumps all other good news. There is no greater feeling than crossing that state line. I imagine one day a woman will have to compete with my love for this holy place and she might just have to settle at second. Tough stuff. That being said, getting here didn't happen without a rough road. Literally.
Twenty miles into our 80 mile day today we came across a gravel road. This is the most evil of evils. Our precious delicate road bikes were not made for the abusive gravel roads that get dirt in our chains and wear down our 23mm tires. We hate these roads so much that we made a rule for them. That being said, we are prone to breaking just about every rule we have made for ourselves and the trip. That rule was made after my first flat (There have been a total of 6 flats this trip), that we would no longer ride on these poor excuses for paths of transportation and would instead choose to wait for Davis to help us cross them. He's our boyscout to our old lady. Just yesterday we took a nap on a gravel road while we waited for him to show up. Yes, we can nap anywhere at this point (I will now be accepting all napping challenges for cash). But today was different, because Davis had to get his own flat on the truck fixed, which put him about 30 miles from us with no truck. We might as well have been Moses before he parted the sea. Except we had no staff and I don't think God was parting this one (That being said I didn't ask him too so I guess I'll answer for that one later in life). It's important to note that we've tossed the directions multiple times at this point and Evan has navigated us by phone, which does not tell you the mileage for each road. So when approaching the gravel Evan claimed it was only about 2-3 miles of gravel before we got to the main road. He was wrong. He's always wrong. He will continue... to be wrong.
After five miles of riding (taking nearly an hour because you don't move in this stupid stuff) a kind stranger pulled up in his truck and asked why in the world we were out there. This man was obviously a scholar because we were asking ourselves the same thing EXCEPT he had a solution. Climb into the truck. Kids, your parents will always tell you to not talk to strangers and I vote that you listen to your parents as authority. But if you ever find yourself crossing hell on a bike, you throw that rule out and get into the man's truck because dang it, you're tired and he has two more wheels than you and a hemi.
After sitting in a truck bed flying probably 60 down a dirt road we were returned safely to the smooth paved asphalt. It was like riding on glass compared to what was behind us. As we pedaled on and our knights in dirty denim drove off, we crossed the state line and a tear rolled down my cheek as the angels sang hymns and Jesus descended on a cloud (This may or may not have been in my head but you weren't there so you can't prove me wrong).
All in all it was a great day! We're 4 more rides from Georgetown and I can smell San Gabriel. Today I got chills just thinking about all the things that wait for me Saturday. Like, not having to wear tights, never getting back on my bike, COCA-COLA, mi familia, friends friends friends, COCA-COLA, Honey, and COCA-COLA PEOPLE.
But really, 4 days. See y'all Saturday.
Twenty miles into our 80 mile day today we came across a gravel road. This is the most evil of evils. Our precious delicate road bikes were not made for the abusive gravel roads that get dirt in our chains and wear down our 23mm tires. We hate these roads so much that we made a rule for them. That being said, we are prone to breaking just about every rule we have made for ourselves and the trip. That rule was made after my first flat (There have been a total of 6 flats this trip), that we would no longer ride on these poor excuses for paths of transportation and would instead choose to wait for Davis to help us cross them. He's our boyscout to our old lady. Just yesterday we took a nap on a gravel road while we waited for him to show up. Yes, we can nap anywhere at this point (I will now be accepting all napping challenges for cash). But today was different, because Davis had to get his own flat on the truck fixed, which put him about 30 miles from us with no truck. We might as well have been Moses before he parted the sea. Except we had no staff and I don't think God was parting this one (That being said I didn't ask him too so I guess I'll answer for that one later in life). It's important to note that we've tossed the directions multiple times at this point and Evan has navigated us by phone, which does not tell you the mileage for each road. So when approaching the gravel Evan claimed it was only about 2-3 miles of gravel before we got to the main road. He was wrong. He's always wrong. He will continue... to be wrong.
After five miles of riding (taking nearly an hour because you don't move in this stupid stuff) a kind stranger pulled up in his truck and asked why in the world we were out there. This man was obviously a scholar because we were asking ourselves the same thing EXCEPT he had a solution. Climb into the truck. Kids, your parents will always tell you to not talk to strangers and I vote that you listen to your parents as authority. But if you ever find yourself crossing hell on a bike, you throw that rule out and get into the man's truck because dang it, you're tired and he has two more wheels than you and a hemi.
After sitting in a truck bed flying probably 60 down a dirt road we were returned safely to the smooth paved asphalt. It was like riding on glass compared to what was behind us. As we pedaled on and our knights in dirty denim drove off, we crossed the state line and a tear rolled down my cheek as the angels sang hymns and Jesus descended on a cloud (This may or may not have been in my head but you weren't there so you can't prove me wrong).
All in all it was a great day! We're 4 more rides from Georgetown and I can smell San Gabriel. Today I got chills just thinking about all the things that wait for me Saturday. Like, not having to wear tights, never getting back on my bike, COCA-COLA, mi familia, friends friends friends, COCA-COLA, Honey, and COCA-COLA PEOPLE.
But really, 4 days. See y'all Saturday.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
An Early Homecoming
I'm writing this at 7:30am after very little sleep so you'll have to excuse almost everything after this line of text. If you're sitting there thinking I'm irresponsible for not getting enough sleep before a 70 mile day of riding, you might be right. But I'm also in Little Rock, Arkansas and it was worth giving up a couple hours of sleep for the best time I've had this trip thus far.
I can not talk about riding into Little Rock without mentioning a fun little story as we were riding in. As much as I'm sure you all want to read about the party that was waiting for us in Little Rock, right outside the city my family had already started hunting me down. When riding through Conway and Mayflower I was wondering if anyone in my family would actually attempt to try to find our route (which had not been made public and changed THAT MORNING). I wasn't surprised when flying down 365 we were flagged down by my aunt who just had to take pictures. She was pretty proud she actually found us and got to see us before everyone else. Also if you enjoy the most recent pictures of us riding in to Little Rock, those were taken by her and they are AWESOME.
Pulling into my Nana's driveway yesterday after a 60 mile day and the haunting hills of Little Rock never felt better. It was an early homecoming. My dad's family was sitting in the garage waiting for us and as soon as we rode up they were cheering and taking pictures like we were the Miami Heat. After laying down in the driveway due to lack of motivation to make it inside, my Uncle Jason showed up. Also, if you're trying to connect all the branches of my family tree, figure out which uncle is on which side, or anything close to that, give up now. You would have an easier time tap dancing on water. BACK TO THE POINT. As soon as Jason showed up he unloaded a truck full of roughly 100 pounds of shrimp (with the head), coolers, vegetables, a ton of boiling equipment and tables and chairs. We were setting up for quite the front yard party. Trust me, no one parties like this family. No one. We packed out my Nana's front yard in a residential neighborhood with around 40 people. Forget trying to get your car down the street because we had claimed all curbs as ours. For those of you reading this who did not get to experience the other worldly food that my uncle makes, I'm sorry. Really, I sincerely feel bad for you simply because your life is worse for it. These guys went all out, Jason's cooking, burgers from my Uncle Tom, SODA ON SODA ON SODA, cheese cake, fruit, pizza, it just keeps going (I even helped myself to half a package of oreos and a glass of milk before bed...don't judge me).
But after all the food, the chaos of kids running everywhere, the tickle fights with my little cousin, and the confusion over a couple t-shirts, it started to wind down. It all went by fast and I wasn't really able to spend quality time with any specific family member and that kinda sucks, but I can't wait to see most of them back in Georgetown (Some of them I'll even see in Tyler... I'm telling you they are hunting me down). It was a huge blessing to get to have my friends with my family. It was an even bigger blessing to see my family love them the way they love me. You can't feel like a stranger when you're there, it's impossible, no one will ever let that happen. But none of that is even the best part. This was...
Growing up I spent time with my mom's family and then I spent time with my dad's family. Never together. Not once. My best memory of both families was at my oldest brother's wedding three years ago. I hate splitting time and I always feel like one family is getting robbed. So yesterday's biggest blessing was having both crazy and total polar opposite families together in one front yard. Something that I'd like to think my mom would have loved more than I did.
After staying up late with my cousins (because let's be fair, they're my best friends and I was not letting sleep rob me of time with them) I woke up to make my morning cup of coffee and write this blog. Before the first pot was even done channel 7 news was at the door. The poor reporter stayed with us all morning as we ate, got our bikes ready, and patiently awaited Grandpa Evan to get all his stuff ready to leave. Then we were off.
If you want to hear more about the interview and the tv stuff you aren't going to see it here. If you're in Arkansas and got to see it I sincerely hope you enjoyed it, because it was a fun interview on both channel 7 and 11 (who hunted us down on our ride). If video comes online I'll be sure to share it but it's all things you already know and this journey and this organization isn't about the interviews or my time spent in front of a camera so I don't want to make it about that. I love doing it because people get to learn about us and I will do every interview that anyone wants to do and I am SO blessed to have a family that set both of those up for us before we left. You guys are my biggest fans and foam fingers are coming soon. But I want to continue to challenge you and push your focus on the mission, to love and serve people. In our case, these people are specifically impacted by financial struggles that are a result of having cancer. So be encouraged to love and serve them, not to be inspired by a feeling of a kid who lost his mom two years ago. Six more days. We're close.
I can not talk about riding into Little Rock without mentioning a fun little story as we were riding in. As much as I'm sure you all want to read about the party that was waiting for us in Little Rock, right outside the city my family had already started hunting me down. When riding through Conway and Mayflower I was wondering if anyone in my family would actually attempt to try to find our route (which had not been made public and changed THAT MORNING). I wasn't surprised when flying down 365 we were flagged down by my aunt who just had to take pictures. She was pretty proud she actually found us and got to see us before everyone else. Also if you enjoy the most recent pictures of us riding in to Little Rock, those were taken by her and they are AWESOME.
Pulling into my Nana's driveway yesterday after a 60 mile day and the haunting hills of Little Rock never felt better. It was an early homecoming. My dad's family was sitting in the garage waiting for us and as soon as we rode up they were cheering and taking pictures like we were the Miami Heat. After laying down in the driveway due to lack of motivation to make it inside, my Uncle Jason showed up. Also, if you're trying to connect all the branches of my family tree, figure out which uncle is on which side, or anything close to that, give up now. You would have an easier time tap dancing on water. BACK TO THE POINT. As soon as Jason showed up he unloaded a truck full of roughly 100 pounds of shrimp (with the head), coolers, vegetables, a ton of boiling equipment and tables and chairs. We were setting up for quite the front yard party. Trust me, no one parties like this family. No one. We packed out my Nana's front yard in a residential neighborhood with around 40 people. Forget trying to get your car down the street because we had claimed all curbs as ours. For those of you reading this who did not get to experience the other worldly food that my uncle makes, I'm sorry. Really, I sincerely feel bad for you simply because your life is worse for it. These guys went all out, Jason's cooking, burgers from my Uncle Tom, SODA ON SODA ON SODA, cheese cake, fruit, pizza, it just keeps going (I even helped myself to half a package of oreos and a glass of milk before bed...don't judge me).
But after all the food, the chaos of kids running everywhere, the tickle fights with my little cousin, and the confusion over a couple t-shirts, it started to wind down. It all went by fast and I wasn't really able to spend quality time with any specific family member and that kinda sucks, but I can't wait to see most of them back in Georgetown (Some of them I'll even see in Tyler... I'm telling you they are hunting me down). It was a huge blessing to get to have my friends with my family. It was an even bigger blessing to see my family love them the way they love me. You can't feel like a stranger when you're there, it's impossible, no one will ever let that happen. But none of that is even the best part. This was...
Growing up I spent time with my mom's family and then I spent time with my dad's family. Never together. Not once. My best memory of both families was at my oldest brother's wedding three years ago. I hate splitting time and I always feel like one family is getting robbed. So yesterday's biggest blessing was having both crazy and total polar opposite families together in one front yard. Something that I'd like to think my mom would have loved more than I did.
After staying up late with my cousins (because let's be fair, they're my best friends and I was not letting sleep rob me of time with them) I woke up to make my morning cup of coffee and write this blog. Before the first pot was even done channel 7 news was at the door. The poor reporter stayed with us all morning as we ate, got our bikes ready, and patiently awaited Grandpa Evan to get all his stuff ready to leave. Then we were off.
If you want to hear more about the interview and the tv stuff you aren't going to see it here. If you're in Arkansas and got to see it I sincerely hope you enjoyed it, because it was a fun interview on both channel 7 and 11 (who hunted us down on our ride). If video comes online I'll be sure to share it but it's all things you already know and this journey and this organization isn't about the interviews or my time spent in front of a camera so I don't want to make it about that. I love doing it because people get to learn about us and I will do every interview that anyone wants to do and I am SO blessed to have a family that set both of those up for us before we left. You guys are my biggest fans and foam fingers are coming soon. But I want to continue to challenge you and push your focus on the mission, to love and serve people. In our case, these people are specifically impacted by financial struggles that are a result of having cancer. So be encouraged to love and serve them, not to be inspired by a feeling of a kid who lost his mom two years ago. Six more days. We're close.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
No More Hurdled Benches
We're in the countdown days people. Less than 10 rides left. I feel like every day someone from Houston is stating how many days are left but it's just not going as quickly as it does before the rockets take off.
Today was pretty much flawless. Seventy miles of pure bliss. What I mean by that is, we had a full 60 miles of flat road. Flat roads mean a fast and easy pace with minimal pain (The last 10 was kind of a nightmare though). In the bible when the man finds a treasure in a field and sells all he has to buy the property...I imagine he was about half as happy as a cyclist who got a day of full on flat roads. We even crossed our second to last state line into Arkansas.
Let me just preface this by saying that I am first and foremost an Aggie. I love BTHO all things and the War Hymn runs through my veins. Not to mention if anyone asks where I'm from I will always say Texas. It's home. Done deal. However, Arkansas is my second home. It's a very distant second but a second none the less. I was born in Fayetteville, home of the Razorbacks, and raised on crimson and white. So it's always a personal inner battle not to let out a Woo Pig Sooie every time I cross the state line (But then I remember what John L. Smith did to the Hogs this year and I begin to contain myself). Needless to say I am stinkin excited to be here and SO ready to be in Little Rock on Saturday. My family knows how to party. Mom's family knows how to party. So naturally, we're gonna party. But let's get back to what happened on today's ride.
When riding through the tiny town of Marmaduke, Arkansas, Evan got his second flat tire of the trip. No big deal though because we had our hand pump handy and a spare tube in our bag. Easy and quick fix for the machine that is Evan Hibbs. The cool thing though was when a nice woman came out of our home to talk to us and tell us how she had seen something in the paper about bikers (not us, so apologies to stealing your spotlight other bikers). She then brought us out glasses of cold water which we received thankfully. BUT EVEN COOLER was when she brought her grandkids out to meet us and proceeded to tell her grandsons that, "These are real men," or, "These are tough guys". Can we note that those to phrases are not normally used to describe me (standing at six feet and two inches tall and weighing in at a whole 140). Those little dudes must have looked at us as if we were super heroes. Not to mention I don't think I've ever been used as an example to someone's grandkids who I was just meeting for the first time. But in that moment, as we got to shake their little hands and introduce ourselves, we were like something out of the comic books. She was so overly excited to hear about what we were doing and eager to check it out online, then hugged me with a quick, "bless your little hear," like I was one of her own, before she left.
Lastly, I'll let you into my mind again on today's ride. Sure this would be something better to write about as we approach Georgetown, but I might forget it. Next Saturday we get to finish in San Gabriel park which is cool for a number of reasons. First off, the three of us riders spent many hours and miles in that park sweating and beating our bodies into nothing in order to become better athletes, better teammates, and better men. To finish there together on what is definitely my last major athletic endeavor with them means the world to me. But also it's home to one of my most favorite memories.
My junior year of high school I was battling for a spot on varsity (as I was every year of high school except my senior year). I wasn't an exceptional athlete compared to some of my teammates who were often some of the nations best. As a matter of fact I didn't win my first race till I was a junior and I won less than 5 races in my whole career. I wasn't much of an athlete to brag about or write home about. Especially not in the legend that was Georgetown Cross Country. BACK TO THE POINT. At the Georgetown home meet that year, Coach Hunt ran me on JV, as he often did to help me build confidence after a butt whooping I probably took the week before. Two miles into 5k I had basically led the whole race with another kid from Cedar Park. We hated Cedar Park. Almost like Auburn hates Bama. We were the central Texas power houses and you made sure that if you got to line up next to the green and black you embarrassed them. Not to mention this kid was likely to be the same athlete I was (battling for his spot on Varsity). Coming into the last mile, leagues in front of the field, a crazy woman and co-pilot come running over the hill and hurdling benches just to see the race. Crazy woman was mom and co-pilot was Tyler Martin. They were more than ready to see me get my first victory and at home none the less (spoiler alert: I lost in the last 100 meters because I got out kicked). But I will never forget that moment ever, and it happened in San Gabriel Park. That place is quite honestly nothing special but it means the whole world to me. I taught myself how to punish my body there. I ran 6 races there in my career. I made my best friends there who are on this trip with me today. And I captured the excitement of a mom who wanted to see her son win. And a friend who wanted to see his brother beat the crap out of a rival. Both are truly missed. But Saturday we ride into those moments and we finish at those moments and I know it'll give me chills.
Although no one is going to be hurdling benches and it's not a race to win but a race to finish (though Evan will say differently). Another memory will be added to that park and I can't wait. 9 more days. We're comin in hot.
Today was pretty much flawless. Seventy miles of pure bliss. What I mean by that is, we had a full 60 miles of flat road. Flat roads mean a fast and easy pace with minimal pain (The last 10 was kind of a nightmare though). In the bible when the man finds a treasure in a field and sells all he has to buy the property...I imagine he was about half as happy as a cyclist who got a day of full on flat roads. We even crossed our second to last state line into Arkansas.
Let me just preface this by saying that I am first and foremost an Aggie. I love BTHO all things and the War Hymn runs through my veins. Not to mention if anyone asks where I'm from I will always say Texas. It's home. Done deal. However, Arkansas is my second home. It's a very distant second but a second none the less. I was born in Fayetteville, home of the Razorbacks, and raised on crimson and white. So it's always a personal inner battle not to let out a Woo Pig Sooie every time I cross the state line (But then I remember what John L. Smith did to the Hogs this year and I begin to contain myself). Needless to say I am stinkin excited to be here and SO ready to be in Little Rock on Saturday. My family knows how to party. Mom's family knows how to party. So naturally, we're gonna party. But let's get back to what happened on today's ride.
When riding through the tiny town of Marmaduke, Arkansas, Evan got his second flat tire of the trip. No big deal though because we had our hand pump handy and a spare tube in our bag. Easy and quick fix for the machine that is Evan Hibbs. The cool thing though was when a nice woman came out of our home to talk to us and tell us how she had seen something in the paper about bikers (not us, so apologies to stealing your spotlight other bikers). She then brought us out glasses of cold water which we received thankfully. BUT EVEN COOLER was when she brought her grandkids out to meet us and proceeded to tell her grandsons that, "These are real men," or, "These are tough guys". Can we note that those to phrases are not normally used to describe me (standing at six feet and two inches tall and weighing in at a whole 140). Those little dudes must have looked at us as if we were super heroes. Not to mention I don't think I've ever been used as an example to someone's grandkids who I was just meeting for the first time. But in that moment, as we got to shake their little hands and introduce ourselves, we were like something out of the comic books. She was so overly excited to hear about what we were doing and eager to check it out online, then hugged me with a quick, "bless your little hear," like I was one of her own, before she left.
Lastly, I'll let you into my mind again on today's ride. Sure this would be something better to write about as we approach Georgetown, but I might forget it. Next Saturday we get to finish in San Gabriel park which is cool for a number of reasons. First off, the three of us riders spent many hours and miles in that park sweating and beating our bodies into nothing in order to become better athletes, better teammates, and better men. To finish there together on what is definitely my last major athletic endeavor with them means the world to me. But also it's home to one of my most favorite memories.
My junior year of high school I was battling for a spot on varsity (as I was every year of high school except my senior year). I wasn't an exceptional athlete compared to some of my teammates who were often some of the nations best. As a matter of fact I didn't win my first race till I was a junior and I won less than 5 races in my whole career. I wasn't much of an athlete to brag about or write home about. Especially not in the legend that was Georgetown Cross Country. BACK TO THE POINT. At the Georgetown home meet that year, Coach Hunt ran me on JV, as he often did to help me build confidence after a butt whooping I probably took the week before. Two miles into 5k I had basically led the whole race with another kid from Cedar Park. We hated Cedar Park. Almost like Auburn hates Bama. We were the central Texas power houses and you made sure that if you got to line up next to the green and black you embarrassed them. Not to mention this kid was likely to be the same athlete I was (battling for his spot on Varsity). Coming into the last mile, leagues in front of the field, a crazy woman and co-pilot come running over the hill and hurdling benches just to see the race. Crazy woman was mom and co-pilot was Tyler Martin. They were more than ready to see me get my first victory and at home none the less (spoiler alert: I lost in the last 100 meters because I got out kicked). But I will never forget that moment ever, and it happened in San Gabriel Park. That place is quite honestly nothing special but it means the whole world to me. I taught myself how to punish my body there. I ran 6 races there in my career. I made my best friends there who are on this trip with me today. And I captured the excitement of a mom who wanted to see her son win. And a friend who wanted to see his brother beat the crap out of a rival. Both are truly missed. But Saturday we ride into those moments and we finish at those moments and I know it'll give me chills.
Although no one is going to be hurdling benches and it's not a race to win but a race to finish (though Evan will say differently). Another memory will be added to that park and I can't wait. 9 more days. We're comin in hot.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
If You're Only Inspired, I've Failed.
Tonight is our last night in Missouri. You have no idea how good it feels to have typed that out. As much as I hate West Virginia, I hate Missouri infinitely more. Today should have been a short day of flat easy riding. Instead we had 20 mph head winds and an escaped convict who stole a cop car was on the loose. Here I was just thinking local law enforcement was filming the next Fast and Furious, when really we were just a couple miles from a stolen cop car and a lasting stay behind bars.
So yes, today was awful for riding. No cyclist in their right mind would go out for a ride in what we went through today. That being said, today was a great day for me mentally. However, before we get there I'd like to apologize for the lack of revisions in previous blog posts. I slept through the majority of my four years in high school, therefore I rely on quick wit and sub par comedy to get me through writing. Punctuation and correct spelling is an after thought.
So after reading a friend of mine's blog I was inspired to just write down a list of things I've learned. They could be about me personally, my faith, the trip, other states, or random knowledge you may never need to know till you're stupid enough to ride across the country.
1. No state in the United States compares to Texas. Done. End of Conversation.
2. Nothing can save you from the pain of a bicycle seat in your butt for seven hours. I found hell and it's where my butt meets seat.
3. West Virginia is where cell phone service goes to die.
4. Coca-Cola is the nectar of the God's. Anyone who says differently can drown in a vat of your soda of a choice.
5. I have the best friends in the world. I hate them all. But they're still the best.
6. I miss everyone. Literally every day. Georgetown and College Station are the greatest places on earth and I miss both of my families from each place. Side note: Family isn't just a term for those with the last name Melikian.
7.(They'll probably start to be more serious) I love to blog and write. I'm not great at it but I love it. So I'll probably write my own after this trip is all said and done separate from Wendie's Wish. I process and learn better when I get them out there.
8. I am a man of faith. Though my actions may say differently, I am. I suffer serious conviction on what the Lord calls of me every day, especially on this trip, and most days I'm beat to a thin nothing spiritually. So it begins to become an after thought of everything else I do, and that is the saddest truth of life.
9. Wendie's Wish is not a memorial or memory of my mother. It wasn't created to be and never will be. That's a hard truth for a lot of people. And if Wendie's Wish is made only to give a good feeling to others and to be inspired without action by something a 20 year old kid and his friends did, I've failed. On a deeper note for me personally. If it only makes an impact in this present life (though this will often be the case and it will still be a great success to see that family come out of a bad situation), I personally have failed. But if I am able to make eternal impacts for the Kingdom in loving and serving than I can rest sound that I am where I am called to be.
10. At the end of the day, interviews, newspaper articles and magazine articles don't mean a thing if what I stated above isn't true. Which brings me to my next point.
11. Wendie's Wish is most definitely not about me or anything I can do. I'm not that great and the last thing I want is for people to make me to be great.
12. I'm stronger than I should be. What I mean by that is I've always been an endurance/aerobic athlete. I can endure pain longer than most and it leaves me with a lack of dependency. I need dependency. Because I can carry myself longer and harder than most people I meet I forget that Jesus saved me so I could be dependent on him and do more than I could by myself. That's pretty cool.
13. (lighter note) My friends are superior to me. This trip is proof of that. I know because my best friend Cameron Foreman keeps claiming to be out of shape and he keeps laying it to me on the bike. Not to mention Evan Hibbs is an aerobic machine. He just can't be beat.
14. Wendie's Wish is a product of what the Lord has done. Anyone that disagrees or thinks differently has obviously never met me. I'm not capable of near as much as what the Lord has made capable through me.
15. Before the last two years I had a heart for people with hurt. But it was just a heart for those people, almost filled with pity. Now I have been that person. And I'm not upset about it.
16. My family rocks. My sister wants to do inner city missions and God bless her she'll leave Texas to do it (read number 1). My brother loves this organization and will do anything to see it succeed. My dad will disagree with half of this post because he thinks I'm "extraordinary". My sister-in-law thirsts for biblical knowledge more than just about anyone I've ever met and THAT is the biggest blessing in knowing her.
17. My girlfriend supports me more than anyone I have ever met and it's driving her absolutely insane that she can't be in the middle of all that's happening in Wendie's Wish like she gets to be in College Station. I count myself pretty lucky to have tricked her into sticking around.
18. This trip is much harder than I thought it would be. Not because of the mileage, but because we're on our own out here. Also something I don't regret. These guys are my family.
19. I hate biking, but I love the time I get to pray. Student Life is probably the most rocking camp out there because it's being soaked in hours of prayer. My family and friends should be killing their personal ministries and I'm sure FBCGT youth is on fire right now (This is even without my prayer). Big things are going to be coming as soon as I can get back and get them on paper and organized for Wendie's Wish.
20. Lastly, I miss youth ministry. It is the greatest blessing of my life to get to teach and grow with students as they learn about a God who loves them and cherishes them and has a better plan for them than they have for themselves. It is an even bigger blessing that the Lord uses someone like to me to do his work, because I'm pretty sub par, and that's how I know the gospel is alive and well.
That's not all I've learned this trip but I figure 20 is enough. I know tonight wasn't a lot about riding and cool stories of thunderstorms. But it's what happened within me in today's ride and I wanted to you get to experience that. Can't wait to be back July 6th. I miss Texas, y'all!
So yes, today was awful for riding. No cyclist in their right mind would go out for a ride in what we went through today. That being said, today was a great day for me mentally. However, before we get there I'd like to apologize for the lack of revisions in previous blog posts. I slept through the majority of my four years in high school, therefore I rely on quick wit and sub par comedy to get me through writing. Punctuation and correct spelling is an after thought.
So after reading a friend of mine's blog I was inspired to just write down a list of things I've learned. They could be about me personally, my faith, the trip, other states, or random knowledge you may never need to know till you're stupid enough to ride across the country.
1. No state in the United States compares to Texas. Done. End of Conversation.
2. Nothing can save you from the pain of a bicycle seat in your butt for seven hours. I found hell and it's where my butt meets seat.
3. West Virginia is where cell phone service goes to die.
4. Coca-Cola is the nectar of the God's. Anyone who says differently can drown in a vat of your soda of a choice.
5. I have the best friends in the world. I hate them all. But they're still the best.
6. I miss everyone. Literally every day. Georgetown and College Station are the greatest places on earth and I miss both of my families from each place. Side note: Family isn't just a term for those with the last name Melikian.
7.(They'll probably start to be more serious) I love to blog and write. I'm not great at it but I love it. So I'll probably write my own after this trip is all said and done separate from Wendie's Wish. I process and learn better when I get them out there.
8. I am a man of faith. Though my actions may say differently, I am. I suffer serious conviction on what the Lord calls of me every day, especially on this trip, and most days I'm beat to a thin nothing spiritually. So it begins to become an after thought of everything else I do, and that is the saddest truth of life.
9. Wendie's Wish is not a memorial or memory of my mother. It wasn't created to be and never will be. That's a hard truth for a lot of people. And if Wendie's Wish is made only to give a good feeling to others and to be inspired without action by something a 20 year old kid and his friends did, I've failed. On a deeper note for me personally. If it only makes an impact in this present life (though this will often be the case and it will still be a great success to see that family come out of a bad situation), I personally have failed. But if I am able to make eternal impacts for the Kingdom in loving and serving than I can rest sound that I am where I am called to be.
10. At the end of the day, interviews, newspaper articles and magazine articles don't mean a thing if what I stated above isn't true. Which brings me to my next point.
11. Wendie's Wish is most definitely not about me or anything I can do. I'm not that great and the last thing I want is for people to make me to be great.
12. I'm stronger than I should be. What I mean by that is I've always been an endurance/aerobic athlete. I can endure pain longer than most and it leaves me with a lack of dependency. I need dependency. Because I can carry myself longer and harder than most people I meet I forget that Jesus saved me so I could be dependent on him and do more than I could by myself. That's pretty cool.
13. (lighter note) My friends are superior to me. This trip is proof of that. I know because my best friend Cameron Foreman keeps claiming to be out of shape and he keeps laying it to me on the bike. Not to mention Evan Hibbs is an aerobic machine. He just can't be beat.
14. Wendie's Wish is a product of what the Lord has done. Anyone that disagrees or thinks differently has obviously never met me. I'm not capable of near as much as what the Lord has made capable through me.
15. Before the last two years I had a heart for people with hurt. But it was just a heart for those people, almost filled with pity. Now I have been that person. And I'm not upset about it.
16. My family rocks. My sister wants to do inner city missions and God bless her she'll leave Texas to do it (read number 1). My brother loves this organization and will do anything to see it succeed. My dad will disagree with half of this post because he thinks I'm "extraordinary". My sister-in-law thirsts for biblical knowledge more than just about anyone I've ever met and THAT is the biggest blessing in knowing her.
17. My girlfriend supports me more than anyone I have ever met and it's driving her absolutely insane that she can't be in the middle of all that's happening in Wendie's Wish like she gets to be in College Station. I count myself pretty lucky to have tricked her into sticking around.
18. This trip is much harder than I thought it would be. Not because of the mileage, but because we're on our own out here. Also something I don't regret. These guys are my family.
19. I hate biking, but I love the time I get to pray. Student Life is probably the most rocking camp out there because it's being soaked in hours of prayer. My family and friends should be killing their personal ministries and I'm sure FBCGT youth is on fire right now (This is even without my prayer). Big things are going to be coming as soon as I can get back and get them on paper and organized for Wendie's Wish.
20. Lastly, I miss youth ministry. It is the greatest blessing of my life to get to teach and grow with students as they learn about a God who loves them and cherishes them and has a better plan for them than they have for themselves. It is an even bigger blessing that the Lord uses someone like to me to do his work, because I'm pretty sub par, and that's how I know the gospel is alive and well.
That's not all I've learned this trip but I figure 20 is enough. I know tonight wasn't a lot about riding and cool stories of thunderstorms. But it's what happened within me in today's ride and I wanted to you get to experience that. Can't wait to be back July 6th. I miss Texas, y'all!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
It's The Little Things...
Since my last post we have officially cleared Kentucky AND Tennessee. Tonight we're sleeping in the middle of nowhere on the border of Missouri (seriously no camp site, just an awkward pond and enough space to clear a tent). That being said a lot of awesome things have happened.
To say Kentucky was good to us would be an understatement. It was like Christmas morning compared to the awful state of West Virginia which was more like walking on hot coals. Despite one popped tire (me), we had smooth riding and high mileage. In Louisville we got our first home cooked meal and was shown some awesome hospitality by the Sheehan family and we could not be more grateful. I was able to get my bike all fixed up and the local Louisville news station covered the ride (go to www.wendieswish.org/media).
Nashville was the one night we spend in Tennessee and a good friend was able to put us up for the night and we couldn't be more thankful. The closer the we get to Texas the more stops we get with friends and family and it makes things infinitely better. We were even taken to dinner in Nashville by my Uncle Tim and his family which was a huge blessing because we needed a good reload on calories.
To say that we are exhausted at this point would be an understatement. As I'm writing this, Evan Hibbs is napping on the table at McDonalds and it's only 7:00pm. We can't wait to see everyone back home and be back in our own showers, our own beds, and our own dogs (lets be fair I miss Honey more than my own girlfriend some days). Unfortunately the posts are getting shorter but that is mostly because things are getting easier and there's less crazy stories to post.
Again, thank you so much to everyone who has put a roof over our heads, paid for a meal, sent us texts of encouragement, or took care of us in some way along the route. At this point it's the little things that make it worth being out here. For example, the 2000+ calories I just pounded at McDonalds will not be regretted.
Hope y'all have a blessed night and pray for us as we most likely shower at a truck stop and sleep off the side of a gravel road. See y'all July 6th!
To say Kentucky was good to us would be an understatement. It was like Christmas morning compared to the awful state of West Virginia which was more like walking on hot coals. Despite one popped tire (me), we had smooth riding and high mileage. In Louisville we got our first home cooked meal and was shown some awesome hospitality by the Sheehan family and we could not be more grateful. I was able to get my bike all fixed up and the local Louisville news station covered the ride (go to www.wendieswish.org/media).
Nashville was the one night we spend in Tennessee and a good friend was able to put us up for the night and we couldn't be more thankful. The closer the we get to Texas the more stops we get with friends and family and it makes things infinitely better. We were even taken to dinner in Nashville by my Uncle Tim and his family which was a huge blessing because we needed a good reload on calories.
To say that we are exhausted at this point would be an understatement. As I'm writing this, Evan Hibbs is napping on the table at McDonalds and it's only 7:00pm. We can't wait to see everyone back home and be back in our own showers, our own beds, and our own dogs (lets be fair I miss Honey more than my own girlfriend some days). Unfortunately the posts are getting shorter but that is mostly because things are getting easier and there's less crazy stories to post.
Again, thank you so much to everyone who has put a roof over our heads, paid for a meal, sent us texts of encouragement, or took care of us in some way along the route. At this point it's the little things that make it worth being out here. For example, the 2000+ calories I just pounded at McDonalds will not be regretted.
Hope y'all have a blessed night and pray for us as we most likely shower at a truck stop and sleep off the side of a gravel road. See y'all July 6th!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Bring on Kentucky
First off, I'd like to apologize for the insanely depressing posts. This trip has been interesting to say in the least and it wasn't looking up.
Last night the weather radar said we would have rain the next two or three days which wasn't ideal to be riding in and tears up our bikes. The storm came in hard and fast in the middle of the night which meant not much sleep was gonna be had. When we woke up this morning the rain was still coming down and it was cold, especially once the wind got going as we're riding. Looking like another miserable day we fought through for about twenty miles. Then we crossed into Kentucky and the sun started shining, the temperature rose, and things finally looked up. Let's just say West Virginia can sink into the core of the planet and I don't think we'll be missing much.
We finished an 80 mile day dry and in the warm weather with clear skies! Despite a pretty big crash on my end (Stupid slippery roads and rail road tracks. Who still uses trains?!) we had a great day. I can say I'm looking forward to what's to come in Kentucky and the deeper we get in the more family I'll get to see, which is always exciting.
To all of you, thank you so much for the encouragement and prayers. This morning I woke up to a good morning voicemail and encouraging texts from Haley, picture mail from my good friend Clayton Messinger, text messages from The Shanna Downs (because lets be fair, she deserves a "The") and still texts and calls rolling in from friends and family. Your support means the world to the whole team and we can't wait to see you when we get home (or ride through your city).
Thanking God for the opportunity I'm given and the physical ability to take on such a task no matter how bad it gets. I'm finally resting on that joy and that knowledge after being pushed in that direction by some awesome people in my life.
Continue to pray for our bodies, minds, and focus.
Last night the weather radar said we would have rain the next two or three days which wasn't ideal to be riding in and tears up our bikes. The storm came in hard and fast in the middle of the night which meant not much sleep was gonna be had. When we woke up this morning the rain was still coming down and it was cold, especially once the wind got going as we're riding. Looking like another miserable day we fought through for about twenty miles. Then we crossed into Kentucky and the sun started shining, the temperature rose, and things finally looked up. Let's just say West Virginia can sink into the core of the planet and I don't think we'll be missing much.
We finished an 80 mile day dry and in the warm weather with clear skies! Despite a pretty big crash on my end (Stupid slippery roads and rail road tracks. Who still uses trains?!) we had a great day. I can say I'm looking forward to what's to come in Kentucky and the deeper we get in the more family I'll get to see, which is always exciting.
To all of you, thank you so much for the encouragement and prayers. This morning I woke up to a good morning voicemail and encouraging texts from Haley, picture mail from my good friend Clayton Messinger, text messages from The Shanna Downs (because lets be fair, she deserves a "The") and still texts and calls rolling in from friends and family. Your support means the world to the whole team and we can't wait to see you when we get home (or ride through your city).
Thanking God for the opportunity I'm given and the physical ability to take on such a task no matter how bad it gets. I'm finally resting on that joy and that knowledge after being pushed in that direction by some awesome people in my life.
Continue to pray for our bodies, minds, and focus.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Conquering Virginia
Since I last wrote we have crossed state lines. However, it didn't happen without an adventure. Yesterday we woke up at our site and when going to put my bike together I noticed the piece to my front wheel was nowhere to be found. Obviously a great start to the day. After riding shotgun with Davis and letting Cameron knock out 50 miles with Evan we moved his piece to my bike so I could knock out the next 50. What had been a great day up to this point was going to end with being lost in the West Virginian wilderness with no service and cars that don't stop for stranded bikers. Evan was pretty determined to get to the state line before dark so we were throwing down a difficult pace in the mountains that had me wanting to bust out a wheelchair at the end of the ride. Upon reaching the border before dark we realized we had no service and no way of contacting Davis and Cameron. After sending multiple maps and both people going in circles it began to get cold and dark. To sum things up it wasn't until 10pm that we were found and able to finally get dinner and a bed. If you're wondering if I was frustrated, that would be the understatement of the century. I thought I was about to be bear dinner or West Virginian cannibal dinner. Let me just say if I'm gonna die, it will be in the great nation of Texas.
This morning we got a late start due to getting in bed late and things took off smoothly...right until I got on the bike. We still haven't found a store for the part I need so we're doing a lot of bike rotating. We probably won't find a part till we find a larger city along the way. When I got on to ride I popped my front tire within about 10 miles. We had to go ahead and change both tires because my spare was bigger than the ones I already had on my bike. After that we climbed a mountain, in the rain, going the wrong way. After going back down to get to our turn we had to climb another mountain that was gravel so I picked my bike up and walked it for over a mile (because the last thing I wanted was another popped tire and no spares). We have come to the conclusion that bad things only happen when it's Evan and I riding and even more so to me personally. The mileage isn't as exhausting as I thought it would be but the scenarios are beginning to be pretty frustrating. As a matter of fact, it's raining outside as I'm typing this.
Tomorrow is our last day in West Virginia and Tuesday we'll cross into Kentucky. Praying for less difficulty and a bike shop in the near future.
This morning we got a late start due to getting in bed late and things took off smoothly...right until I got on the bike. We still haven't found a store for the part I need so we're doing a lot of bike rotating. We probably won't find a part till we find a larger city along the way. When I got on to ride I popped my front tire within about 10 miles. We had to go ahead and change both tires because my spare was bigger than the ones I already had on my bike. After that we climbed a mountain, in the rain, going the wrong way. After going back down to get to our turn we had to climb another mountain that was gravel so I picked my bike up and walked it for over a mile (because the last thing I wanted was another popped tire and no spares). We have come to the conclusion that bad things only happen when it's Evan and I riding and even more so to me personally. The mileage isn't as exhausting as I thought it would be but the scenarios are beginning to be pretty frustrating. As a matter of fact, it's raining outside as I'm typing this.
Tomorrow is our last day in West Virginia and Tuesday we'll cross into Kentucky. Praying for less difficulty and a bike shop in the near future.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Meeting New Friends (even if you didn't want to)
Again, if you follow me on instagram or twitter you saw what we ran into and I promise we'll get to that in a minute (my tag on both is lwmelikian for those of you that have been asking). We first woke up this morning ready to embark on our 94 mile day to our next site, which isn't as terrible as it sounds. About 15 miles in we realized about half the roads we needed to be on weren't marked well or were covered in gravel so we had to result to making our own route. The only problem with that is we don't have distances in roads so we have no clue how far anything is and about 65 miles in (7 hours from having breakfast) we finally arrived in a town where we could take a break and refill on liquids (which was good because we had been dry about the last 15 miles). Up this point the first 50 miles had been fairly easy filled with rolling hills, a stop to pet a horse, and tons of shade and cool weather. The last 15 was filled with being passed by tanks, drained by heat, and a "Caution Tank Crossing" sign.
By the time we got to Hardees to break and refuel we checked the rest of the make shift map and it was another 56 miles to our campsite. For those of you that don't do math well that's 120 mile day...on day 3. When we checked the radar we also saw that a huge storm filled with tornado warnings, hail, and pouring rain was coming in hot. Cameron (being the responsible rider) helped Davis organize the trailer, while Evan and I grabbed the GoPro and headed toward the storm...only because it was in the way of our site and we weren't getting off our bikes till we had to. After eating and refilling on water and Powerade we were off and had a rude awakening waiting for us about 7 or 8 miles in (This puts us above 70 miles just as a side note). If you follow me on instagram you saw the picture I posted of the darkest most intimidating group of clouds I'd ever seen. I kindly sent that picture to my girlfriend in which case she continued to yell at me via text message and call me by my full name for taking that risk...and that was before the storm actually hit us. After calling Davis and Cameron to meet us at the intersection because Evan could see funnel clouds all hell broke loose. I wanted to keep going toward the storm (strictly for a great video opportunity) while Evan talked me into waiting. At about that point winds upwards of 50 mph (rough guess by Evan Hibbs) came in and took us off our feet. I immediately went into survivor mode realize the storm was coming in faster than our support vehicle and through my bike on my back and ran into the ditch as fast as I could. Then I realized Evan had taken off down the road without me on his bike. Preparing my heart to meet Jesus a lot sooner than I expected I could hear the power lines snapping and going down around us as I got back on my bike and followed Evan about a mile down a trail (with trees falling down behind us) toward a log cabin...where we met a nice stranger.
Parents this is where you stop letting your kids read because you're busy teaching them to not talk to strangers, but to be fair life was taking precedence over stranger danger. A 62 year old ex NFL player who went to the University of Tennessee was kind of enough to open his home (with no power) to us and offer us food and water while we waiting for our truck to show up. Honestly, the whole time I was waiting for him to come out of the bedroom with a sawed off shotgun and end us right there, but it never happened. Actually, the whole time we were on the phone with Davis and Cameron he was on the phone letting people know he had some crazy boys from Texas in his house riding across the country. After a good half hour we were finally able to meet out at the main road with Davis and Cameron so we could get to our site safely. Yes, I said safely.
Tomorrow we have 77 miles ahead of us hopefully full of good directions and no storms. Even so it'll end up being a pretty cool story and hopefully I wasn't dumb and turned the GoPro off so you can see how it all went down. O, and don't worry, I already made a promise to someone I wouldn't try that again, so Dad you don't have to text me. G'night.
By the time we got to Hardees to break and refuel we checked the rest of the make shift map and it was another 56 miles to our campsite. For those of you that don't do math well that's 120 mile day...on day 3. When we checked the radar we also saw that a huge storm filled with tornado warnings, hail, and pouring rain was coming in hot. Cameron (being the responsible rider) helped Davis organize the trailer, while Evan and I grabbed the GoPro and headed toward the storm...only because it was in the way of our site and we weren't getting off our bikes till we had to. After eating and refilling on water and Powerade we were off and had a rude awakening waiting for us about 7 or 8 miles in (This puts us above 70 miles just as a side note). If you follow me on instagram you saw the picture I posted of the darkest most intimidating group of clouds I'd ever seen. I kindly sent that picture to my girlfriend in which case she continued to yell at me via text message and call me by my full name for taking that risk...and that was before the storm actually hit us. After calling Davis and Cameron to meet us at the intersection because Evan could see funnel clouds all hell broke loose. I wanted to keep going toward the storm (strictly for a great video opportunity) while Evan talked me into waiting. At about that point winds upwards of 50 mph (rough guess by Evan Hibbs) came in and took us off our feet. I immediately went into survivor mode realize the storm was coming in faster than our support vehicle and through my bike on my back and ran into the ditch as fast as I could. Then I realized Evan had taken off down the road without me on his bike. Preparing my heart to meet Jesus a lot sooner than I expected I could hear the power lines snapping and going down around us as I got back on my bike and followed Evan about a mile down a trail (with trees falling down behind us) toward a log cabin...where we met a nice stranger.
Parents this is where you stop letting your kids read because you're busy teaching them to not talk to strangers, but to be fair life was taking precedence over stranger danger. A 62 year old ex NFL player who went to the University of Tennessee was kind of enough to open his home (with no power) to us and offer us food and water while we waiting for our truck to show up. Honestly, the whole time I was waiting for him to come out of the bedroom with a sawed off shotgun and end us right there, but it never happened. Actually, the whole time we were on the phone with Davis and Cameron he was on the phone letting people know he had some crazy boys from Texas in his house riding across the country. After a good half hour we were finally able to meet out at the main road with Davis and Cameron so we could get to our site safely. Yes, I said safely.
Tomorrow we have 77 miles ahead of us hopefully full of good directions and no storms. Even so it'll end up being a pretty cool story and hopefully I wasn't dumb and turned the GoPro off so you can see how it all went down. O, and don't worry, I already made a promise to someone I wouldn't try that again, so Dad you don't have to text me. G'night.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Getting through the storm
First off, I'd like to apologize for not posting or updating anything besides twitter and instagram until today. I'll also continue to apologize because due to time constraints in setting up camp, eating, and of course riding all day, I'm not entirely sure how often we'll be able to post. That being said, when we do post we'll make sure to include a good summary of the days up to that point. So, here's what's happened since I woke up Sunday morning.Buckle up.
Sunday morning I woke up and it was already raining outside. We hadn't even left and all signs were pointing to bad. We lucked out big time when the Steele family came to help us load, which was awesome! Everything held together all the way to Virginia perfectly. That morning we had breakfast with our families and proceeded to head out on a 24 hour drive to the East Coast where our first night would be spent. It basically rained the entire way there, and not only did it just rain, it poured to the point of barely being able to see the car in front of you. If you follow me on instagram you saw that we ran into Godwin from Duck Dynasty on the highway and he gave us a peace sign as we subtly/creepily took a picture of him in his truck.
Finally we arrived to our beach front camping spot! Which was awesome except it was still pouring rain so we had to set up a tent in the dry periods and not really enjoy our stay. Up to this point the trip had been terrible, rainy, boring, and to say we contemplated coming back to Georgetown would be an understatement. The next morning it took us forever to get loaded up and out on the road but we finally did and we had about 40 miles ahead of us, which is a great first day. However, about not even 10 miles into the day we realized our directions took us on a major highway that we were not down for so we had to reroute and turn around a thousand times (seriously, I counted) and it resulted in about a 7 hour day instead of a 3 hour day. The highlight was probably eating rice and beans off of a camping cooker out of the back of the truck in Wells Fargo parking lot. Nothing says poor college kid like that moment. At this point everything that could go wrong had and I had fallen more times than I care to admit. Not to mention the beautiful town of Suffolk, Virginia (Proclaimed top 100 best town US) made me wanna hop off my bike and lay down on the train tracks. At this point I hope you are wallowing in my depression with me of a rough start and are ready to put Flintstones band aids on my boo-boos.
Luckily, it started to look up. Our site last night was incredible. We had no rain and a beautiful lake to look over. We were able to take some time and get organized as well as cook a great dinner and get a good nights rest. Honestly, that might be the best site we see for most of the trip. Today we woke up ready for a day of roughly 60 miles and I must say, it was absolutely beautiful. We were spoiled with farm roads and rivers for the first 30 miles. Again, if you follow me on instagram you saw that we came across a "Warning High Water" moment where the street was flooded up to our knees. Naturally we ignored the closed road and just picked up our bikes proceeding to walk across the disease infested water (at least it was cold). After a lunch stop that included sandwiches in a Hardee's parking lot we finished the next 30 miles that was mostly uphill and would definitely kill our legs.
All that being said, today was infinitely better than yesterday! Yesterday was like walking on glass shards in hell while today was like a nice stroll in San Gabriel. It's not Town Lake but at least it's not sharp glass. We're crashing at another camp site and tomorrow will ride 97 miles to our next site. If you cringed when you read that, it's ok, I cringed when I typed it.
Lastly, I'm going to give a quick shout out to Davis. He's been awesome so far. He's taken care of us well and we've had an awesome time with us. This trip wouldn't happen without his help, at least not as easily as it's been thus far. He's the perfect soccer mom at stops as he passes out fruit, protein and Powerade (Ladies, get in line).
Continue to pray for us like you all are and we are loving all the support from back home. As hard as the days are and the nights on the ground, knowing we'll be home in roughly 24 days makes it all worth it. Continue to pray for good weather and consistent directions to make our days and nights smoother and everything should pan out just right. Outside of that, feel free to share the blog, the videos (which rumor has it Davis will post every Wednesday) and the website. People in Virginia are excited to hear about what is happening in Texas and that's all thanks to you guys. As for now, I'm going to relax in Starbucks and find out if steroids are available via UPS.
Sunday morning I woke up and it was already raining outside. We hadn't even left and all signs were pointing to bad. We lucked out big time when the Steele family came to help us load, which was awesome! Everything held together all the way to Virginia perfectly. That morning we had breakfast with our families and proceeded to head out on a 24 hour drive to the East Coast where our first night would be spent. It basically rained the entire way there, and not only did it just rain, it poured to the point of barely being able to see the car in front of you. If you follow me on instagram you saw that we ran into Godwin from Duck Dynasty on the highway and he gave us a peace sign as we subtly/creepily took a picture of him in his truck.
Finally we arrived to our beach front camping spot! Which was awesome except it was still pouring rain so we had to set up a tent in the dry periods and not really enjoy our stay. Up to this point the trip had been terrible, rainy, boring, and to say we contemplated coming back to Georgetown would be an understatement. The next morning it took us forever to get loaded up and out on the road but we finally did and we had about 40 miles ahead of us, which is a great first day. However, about not even 10 miles into the day we realized our directions took us on a major highway that we were not down for so we had to reroute and turn around a thousand times (seriously, I counted) and it resulted in about a 7 hour day instead of a 3 hour day. The highlight was probably eating rice and beans off of a camping cooker out of the back of the truck in Wells Fargo parking lot. Nothing says poor college kid like that moment. At this point everything that could go wrong had and I had fallen more times than I care to admit. Not to mention the beautiful town of Suffolk, Virginia (Proclaimed top 100 best town US) made me wanna hop off my bike and lay down on the train tracks. At this point I hope you are wallowing in my depression with me of a rough start and are ready to put Flintstones band aids on my boo-boos.
Luckily, it started to look up. Our site last night was incredible. We had no rain and a beautiful lake to look over. We were able to take some time and get organized as well as cook a great dinner and get a good nights rest. Honestly, that might be the best site we see for most of the trip. Today we woke up ready for a day of roughly 60 miles and I must say, it was absolutely beautiful. We were spoiled with farm roads and rivers for the first 30 miles. Again, if you follow me on instagram you saw that we came across a "Warning High Water" moment where the street was flooded up to our knees. Naturally we ignored the closed road and just picked up our bikes proceeding to walk across the disease infested water (at least it was cold). After a lunch stop that included sandwiches in a Hardee's parking lot we finished the next 30 miles that was mostly uphill and would definitely kill our legs.
All that being said, today was infinitely better than yesterday! Yesterday was like walking on glass shards in hell while today was like a nice stroll in San Gabriel. It's not Town Lake but at least it's not sharp glass. We're crashing at another camp site and tomorrow will ride 97 miles to our next site. If you cringed when you read that, it's ok, I cringed when I typed it.
Lastly, I'm going to give a quick shout out to Davis. He's been awesome so far. He's taken care of us well and we've had an awesome time with us. This trip wouldn't happen without his help, at least not as easily as it's been thus far. He's the perfect soccer mom at stops as he passes out fruit, protein and Powerade (Ladies, get in line).
Continue to pray for us like you all are and we are loving all the support from back home. As hard as the days are and the nights on the ground, knowing we'll be home in roughly 24 days makes it all worth it. Continue to pray for good weather and consistent directions to make our days and nights smoother and everything should pan out just right. Outside of that, feel free to share the blog, the videos (which rumor has it Davis will post every Wednesday) and the website. People in Virginia are excited to hear about what is happening in Texas and that's all thanks to you guys. As for now, I'm going to relax in Starbucks and find out if steroids are available via UPS.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Cooler Things Are Happening Now
A lot of you may have seen the video below yesterday considering it was shared over 30 times just within my feed. That being said, you guys are awesome! We are in the last few days of prep before we pull out on Sunday and I can't even put into words how excited myself and the rest of the guys are.
We will be fully packed and loaded on Thursday night (due to a wedding this weekend of some of my best friends.) Then on Sunday we'll get to have one last breakfast with our families and hit the road. After that you will hopefully be hearing from us almost every day and be seeing us via video every week. As awesome as all that is, cool things are happening even right now. Just yesterday we brought in the most donations we've ever brought in during a 24 hour period. People are getting excited about the ride like never before and it'll result in incredible things I'm sure. Even right now, we are in the process of using some of that money to bless an incredible woman who's story will be up shortly! Outside of money, I've had multiple bike tourists themselves contact me to give me advice and be praying for us along the way. As much as just four of us will be leaving on the ninth it is definitely a much larger group effort.
This past week we've been riding together, setting up demo camps, getting logos ready for the truck and trailer, calling and reserving camp sites, as well as just mentally preparing that we are here.
That being said, I'm going to keep today's short for y'all. Starting next week you'll get to hear from all of us and the things we are seeing, the people we're meeting, the stories we're telling, and how you were apart of it!
Hope your summer is off to a great start and continue to be blessing to the people around you.
We will be fully packed and loaded on Thursday night (due to a wedding this weekend of some of my best friends.) Then on Sunday we'll get to have one last breakfast with our families and hit the road. After that you will hopefully be hearing from us almost every day and be seeing us via video every week. As awesome as all that is, cool things are happening even right now. Just yesterday we brought in the most donations we've ever brought in during a 24 hour period. People are getting excited about the ride like never before and it'll result in incredible things I'm sure. Even right now, we are in the process of using some of that money to bless an incredible woman who's story will be up shortly! Outside of money, I've had multiple bike tourists themselves contact me to give me advice and be praying for us along the way. As much as just four of us will be leaving on the ninth it is definitely a much larger group effort.
This past week we've been riding together, setting up demo camps, getting logos ready for the truck and trailer, calling and reserving camp sites, as well as just mentally preparing that we are here.
That being said, I'm going to keep today's short for y'all. Starting next week you'll get to hear from all of us and the things we are seeing, the people we're meeting, the stories we're telling, and how you were apart of it!
Hope your summer is off to a great start and continue to be blessing to the people around you.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
It's still not a real thing...but it's close....
As I'm writing this blog I'm sitting on my couch at my house in College Station. There's quite a few reasons that this is a weird feeling considering I spent my whole sophomore year in this house. A lot of great and not so great memories surround it but that isn't the weird feeling I'm getting right at this moment. The weird feeling I'm getting now is one that involves the future and not the past. The next time I'm in this house, on this couch, will be in July. It'll be our last night of the trip before we arrive in Georgetown and though it seems pretty far away at this point it really isn't. The next time I'm in this house I, as well as the two other riders and Davis, will be roughly 100 miles from our destination, which is weirdly kind of scary. At that point we'll have 1700 miles of road behind us, experienced 21 different state parks, multiple flats and hopefully (fingers crossed) no accidents. Everything we have worked for and built up to for two years will have become a memory and something complete rather than something unknown.
Quite honestly I feel like that day will never come and will probably feel that way until I'm sitting on this very couch again writing a blog about the day and how we covered x amount of miles in x amount of time and can't wait to see our families the next day. But until then I continue to sit and wonder just what that day will feel like. July 6th of 2013 is nothing but a dream, something in my imagination, until we actually get back here.
But until then here's what's to come in the next week or so. We are still gathering everything we need in order to make this trip happen, and after a 40 mile ride in the wind yesterday I'm confident in the machine I'll be riding. All riders are in Georgetown and can't wait to depart on this adventure, or journey, or whatever you would like to call it. Our truck and trailer logos are in and ready to become an icon for 30 days.
Remember that this blog will become a daily thing after our last pre-ride post next week. Weekly we'll be uploading videos as well so you can see some of the scenery we'll get to enjoy and all the crazy camp sites we get to stay at. Lastly, keep an eye out for one last video before the trip that Davis Emmert will be uploading fairly soon. We always get excited about his work and so should you.
Quite honestly I feel like that day will never come and will probably feel that way until I'm sitting on this very couch again writing a blog about the day and how we covered x amount of miles in x amount of time and can't wait to see our families the next day. But until then I continue to sit and wonder just what that day will feel like. July 6th of 2013 is nothing but a dream, something in my imagination, until we actually get back here.
But until then here's what's to come in the next week or so. We are still gathering everything we need in order to make this trip happen, and after a 40 mile ride in the wind yesterday I'm confident in the machine I'll be riding. All riders are in Georgetown and can't wait to depart on this adventure, or journey, or whatever you would like to call it. Our truck and trailer logos are in and ready to become an icon for 30 days.
Remember that this blog will become a daily thing after our last pre-ride post next week. Weekly we'll be uploading videos as well so you can see some of the scenery we'll get to enjoy and all the crazy camp sites we get to stay at. Lastly, keep an eye out for one last video before the trip that Davis Emmert will be uploading fairly soon. We always get excited about his work and so should you.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Since the beginning...
Hey everyone, my name is Evan Hibbs, and I am
another one of the riders going on the cycling journey. Laine and I are
the two individuals that brainstormed up the idea for this bike trip. He and I
share a sense of adventure and affinity for endurance sports that combined with
our desire to do something for others on a large scale, which snowballed into a
cross-country cycling trip. After Mrs. Melikian passed it became obvious to us
what our cause was going to be centralized around, cancer. After struggling for
a few months on who we would be riding for and where the proceeds would, Laine
told me that he had been giving a lot of thought to a new direction he wanted
to go. A few weeks after that Wendie’s Wish was official and our ride now had a
purpose and a cause to benefit. All in all, I have been in this journey with
Laine since the beginning. However, my contribution to the workings of the
organization has been minimal. The organization is Laine’s brainchild, and he
has done very well with it to this point. I have worked primarily with the Ride
for the Wish, trying to organize that and make it as simple and feasible as
possible.
As the past few months have gone by and the trip
gets closer I have been thinking about why, besides my love of adventure, do I
want to do this. What has been motivating me? Laine and I are very close
friends, and I know that it was a difficult experience to have his mother pass
at such a young age. I can’t imagine how tough it was, and I want to be there
for my friend when it counts. That has been something that has motivated me
since the beginning of our journey. The best example of what really lights my
heart on fire for our cause is our newest beneficiary Charlie. Charlie is a four-year-old
boy who has been diagnosed with leukemia. In my opinion, letting something as
meaningless as money keep a four-year-old boy from getting life-saving medical
care is indescribably inhumane. I want to do everything I can to make sure that
people like Charlie, that can’t make money for themselves, have a way to
overcome the financial obstacles that our society places in their way. I use
that to keep my emotional fire going.
I’m finding that my motivation is building, as the
trip gets closer too. I cannot wait to get out on the road with my friends and
teammates. This experience that awaits me is going to be something that sticks
with me and benefits me for the rest of my life. I hope to take what I learn
with my friends on our trip and use it to make bigger and better events that
will make a bigger and better impact on good causes.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wendie's Third Son
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Hey guys, my name is Cameron Foreman and I am one of the
four riders going on the bike trip! Ever
since Laine and Evan told me about this wild idea two years ago I’ve been
longing to be a part of it. I’m really
excited for the adventure that awaits us as well as the opportunity to be a
part of something bigger than myself.
I want to take this time to tell you about my relationship
to the Wendie’s Wish cause. Laine and I
have been best friends since the 1st grade and I’ve been very close
to his family these past 13 years. The
news of Mrs. Melikian’s illness hit very close to home because of the constant
interaction with her and the Melikian family I had growing up. I can still remember the paralysis that
overcame my body when Laine told me how little time the doctor’s had given
her. It is easy to see why Wendie’s
Wish is something I want to support as much as I can, and I feel that spreading
awareness through this bike trip is the least I can do.
As the ride gets closer I’m becoming more and more anxious
to get in the best shape possible and be as prepared as I can be. I also look forward to the adventure and
fellowship that lies ahead with some of my best friends. It’s not every day that you get the
opportunity to do something so crazy with the ones you love, so I’m going to
enjoy this trip as much as I can and try be as much of an outlet to the cause
that I can be.
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| Middle: Cameron Foreman |
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
For the first time in a long time I'm doing nothing...
Today has been a weird day and this week will be weird for a lot of college students. In college this weird thing happens where your parents send you off to college and you spend all this time making new friends. However, you forget that in May all those people will go back to where they came from and you will do the same. No more tests, homework, quizzes, all nighters, or tireless meetings with professors.
Two years ago when Evan and I first planned this trip I wasn't thinking about this awkward phase we call summer. Last summer I came home and immediately started working as an intern at First Baptist Church in Georgetown. I took no down time and I liked it that way.
This year is different. This year I left College Station and all my friends and on the two hour drive here I thought to myself "I have nothing to do..." I have no 9-5 job, scheduled class, youth ministry meeting, or date night with my girlfriend. Thinking about it kind of scared me honestly, because I love being busy. Outside of intense training, getting my eating habits back on track, one wedding, and a few days in Sanger, Texas I have nothing to do with my life until June 9th when we leave on this trip.
But this is a good thing. Because the truth is, I have so much to do until we leave still! I will finally spend my time looking for sponsors for the trip, gathering all the supplies we need, working on my bike, getting designs for the truck finalized, and DELIVERING YOU GUYS YOUR SHIRTS. I'll get to focus on something that I love so much and is so dear to my heart and can fully focus on this one thing without distractions of school or business.
So what does this mean for you guys? It means that I am finally fully focused on the people we want to serve. That all the things and ideas that have been set aside will be looked at and monitored. It means that you will frequently see a shirtless kid with tattoos all over his back running around town and you're just going to have to accept it.
Lastly I just want to continue to ask for your prayers. Prayers for the riders, for sponsorship, for continual donors, and lastly for the Lord to continue to bring us more people to help. This week we were fortunate enough to interview with someone else who needs our help at Wendie's Wish. I can confidently tell you there is no greater blessing than to hear the stories of these people and know that we can be a small answer to their own prayers.
(Sorry for the lack of pictures and media. Be on the look out for one more video before the trip!)
Two years ago when Evan and I first planned this trip I wasn't thinking about this awkward phase we call summer. Last summer I came home and immediately started working as an intern at First Baptist Church in Georgetown. I took no down time and I liked it that way.
This year is different. This year I left College Station and all my friends and on the two hour drive here I thought to myself "I have nothing to do..." I have no 9-5 job, scheduled class, youth ministry meeting, or date night with my girlfriend. Thinking about it kind of scared me honestly, because I love being busy. Outside of intense training, getting my eating habits back on track, one wedding, and a few days in Sanger, Texas I have nothing to do with my life until June 9th when we leave on this trip.
But this is a good thing. Because the truth is, I have so much to do until we leave still! I will finally spend my time looking for sponsors for the trip, gathering all the supplies we need, working on my bike, getting designs for the truck finalized, and DELIVERING YOU GUYS YOUR SHIRTS. I'll get to focus on something that I love so much and is so dear to my heart and can fully focus on this one thing without distractions of school or business.
So what does this mean for you guys? It means that I am finally fully focused on the people we want to serve. That all the things and ideas that have been set aside will be looked at and monitored. It means that you will frequently see a shirtless kid with tattoos all over his back running around town and you're just going to have to accept it.
Lastly I just want to continue to ask for your prayers. Prayers for the riders, for sponsorship, for continual donors, and lastly for the Lord to continue to bring us more people to help. This week we were fortunate enough to interview with someone else who needs our help at Wendie's Wish. I can confidently tell you there is no greater blessing than to hear the stories of these people and know that we can be a small answer to their own prayers.
(Sorry for the lack of pictures and media. Be on the look out for one more video before the trip!)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Man Behind The Camera
Hello all! Davis Emmert here. As
you may know, I have been given the privilege and honor to be named Wendie’s
Wish official videographer/photographer. It’s hard to believe how much time has
passed since I first talked to Laine about joining him and Evan on this trip,
and how close we are to seeing all of our planning and hard work come to life!
 |
| Shooting a promo video with Laine Melikian |
A little about me: I’m a
21-year-old Advertising student at Texas Tech University. I grew up with Laine
and have been on board with this trip ever since fall as the
videographer/photographer. The vision for my purpose on this trip is to film
every aspect of us on this journey, whether it is setting up camp, driving 24
hours to Virginia Beach, the guys biking, how we entertain ourselves when not
doing any of those things listed, etc. You will get to see all of our point of
views during this trip through weekly, possibly even bi-weekly video blogs,
(depending on internet available), that will feature exactly what we are going
through to keep you folks at home with electricity updated. We are SO excited
that we will have a GoPro camera for the riders to do a little filming of their
own without my supervision (you’ve been warned).
 |
| Davis Emmert and his tool of the trade |
I remember the first time I talked to Laine
about this trip and how I was interested in tagging along side him and Evan
with a camera to help spread the word of what Wendie’s Wish wants to do. He was
so excited, and his enthusiasm made me excited. With this excitement, as the
countdown approaches the end, there has come nervousness. A couple weeks ago I
was driving from Georgetown back to Lubbock, and on that 5 ½ hour drive I
started to think. I then realized “Uh oh, we leave for the trip in 2 months.
I’m in no way prepared to camp out for 30 days. I can’t even force myself to
drink water from the sink, how will I last camping out for that long?” and
other related concerns. I immediately text Laine and told him a time to meet me
on Skype so we could talk about the trip and he could fill me in on what’s
happening. Shortly after talking to him I was relieved and the excitement
kicked back in.
 |
| Aggies support Wendie's Wish--shot by Davis Emmert |
As we approach June 10, 2013 I cannot help but get more
excited about this trip. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for the
rest of the guys and I. Being in college and having little responsibility
during the summers, what better way to spend a summer than traveling the
country to gain attention for Wendie’s Wish with 4 great guys! We’ve been in
contact nearly every day on our Facebook page and I’m sure I can speak for the
rest of them when I say, this is going to be the trip of a lifetime and we’re
all excited for what the future has for us, and most importantly Wendie’s Wish!
Shameless advertising: Here’s our promo for Ride For The
Wish! Let’s break 1,000 views!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
We aren't looking for a cure
This morning I went on my run. Just a nice 7 miler to get my legs under me because I've been feeling a little flat. I went by myself and no music either. Quite honestly this was a new and terrifying experience for me. I didn't want to be stuck alone with my own thoughts for a whole 45 minutes and I was afraid it would seem like forever. It was miserably cold for April which I hated. At this point I should finish runs drenched in sweat, not barely able to move my fingers because there isn't much to me so I get cold as soon as it drops under 70. So during this 45 minutes of just me and my thoughts (and the occasional awkward glance at my pale white thighs) I thought a lot about what Wendie's Wish was doing and I thought a lot about a little boy named Charlie. First, I would like to say that as of right now Wendie's Wish aims to work in Georgetown and the Bryan/College Station area solely because that is where we have Directors who can tend to families needs. Charlie is from the Dallas area and honestly we almost passed on this opportunity because of that reason. Thankfully, Amy Washington had already made plans to raise funds for this little boy so we decided to partner with her in an agreement that we would match every donation given to Team Charlie up to $1000. This will take place at the Red Poppy Fest in Georgetown on Saturday from 10-5 and I strongly encourage you to come out. Learn about us, learn about Charlie, or simply just love someone you may never meet (Shameless advertising over). In leading up to this weekend I have gotten to learn a lot about this four year old and his fight. I could sit here and give you the huge story and type through tears but I'm not going to. You can go to our site and read the stories tab for that. What I will say is he is exactly what I envisioned two years ago when we wanted to go on a bike trip.
We tossed around just exactly what it was going to be that we did. Obviously we could have gone the "For the Cure" route. But we didn't. What I'm not saying is that route is wrong, I am saying it was wrong for us. As much as I would love to see a cure and I hope that it's found one day and doctors and scientists continue to do their thing and that money is continually donated to those causes. I want to meet people. It's who I am and who I always will be. I want to be a part of a direct hope brought to those people. That's where our heart's at Wendie's Wish have lied from the very beginning. That is where they will continue to be for as long as you guys allow us to operate.
That being said Thank you for the support that you have given. Not just to us but to people like Charlie who need a community. Who need a hope. I'm thinking there's a good chance we can be both of those to quite a few people.
We tossed around just exactly what it was going to be that we did. Obviously we could have gone the "For the Cure" route. But we didn't. What I'm not saying is that route is wrong, I am saying it was wrong for us. As much as I would love to see a cure and I hope that it's found one day and doctors and scientists continue to do their thing and that money is continually donated to those causes. I want to meet people. It's who I am and who I always will be. I want to be a part of a direct hope brought to those people. That's where our heart's at Wendie's Wish have lied from the very beginning. That is where they will continue to be for as long as you guys allow us to operate.
That being said Thank you for the support that you have given. Not just to us but to people like Charlie who need a community. Who need a hope. I'm thinking there's a good chance we can be both of those to quite a few people.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
What are we getting ourselves into...
As we get closer to our trip there is quite a lot to be excited about. One thing is that we will be releasing a new video in anticipation of the ride. Davis Emmert is really a stud behind the camera and has been so awesome in doing promo videos for Wendie's Wish and we honestly could not be more thankful. Another thing is that shirts have been for sale online so people can support us in their community and really show their love for this organization and all that is to come. For a look at those you can go to the link at the end of this blog (shameless plug). But these are only secondary things to be excited about for me. I have been waiting a full two years to make this trip and I plan on making it one to remember and here are some behind the scenes things that you can look forward to reading about through the summer.
What you might not know is that we will spend almost every night of this trip camping out. Bring on awesome tans during the day and sweaty nights in sleeping bags. I honestly have not looked at these sites quite yet because Evan is in charge of all trip oriented details (lodging, mapping, etc.) That means for thirty days the five of us will essentially be homeless with nothing but what's in our truck and trailer and underneath us on our bikes. A lot of needed gear comes with this so if you are someone who maybe you don't have the financial means to help us out, we would also love for people that have an abundance of camping gear or bike gear to get involved because we can never have enough equipment. For specific needs feel free to email me at lwmelikian@gmail.com
Another thing that we are going to try to make happen depending on interest is a departure rally. If you don't know this already, our trip does not start in Texas. This means we'll be loading up the truck and trailer and driving to our starting place. What we would like to make happen is a rally in the parking lot of City Lights (already approved) where you will get the chance to hear from some of the riders as well as donate in person, wear your shirts, get excited about something that is happening in the area that is long over due. But again these are all secondary things and what I really want to write about is what this trip means to me specifically.
If you know me or the organization you know that Wendie was my mother and she is the namesake for our organization so maybe your first assumption is that this ride is something to do in memory of her and that it's all about her and being her son. While I do constantly remember my mom and she is a big inspiration for Wendie's Wish (duh) that is not at all what this trip is about. Honestly, that may offend some people, but Wendie's Wish is not about my mom. Wendie's Wish is about everyone else. This trip is a chance to capture the public's attention so they know who we are and what we can do for others. Not so people can know who my mom was. That wasn't the wish. If we're here on earth to make our own name known then we have failed as people. One thing I've learned in the past two years is that your name is temporary the products of the things you did can last much much longer. That's what Wendie's Wish is about. It isn't about satisfying the hole that you may think is left in a family from not having a mom. Why? Because there is no hole. What my mom did for this family left us with a situation where there was no hole, but a realization of people that have a need. So we want to fulfill this need. This trip is about doing something big that makes people ask, "Who and what is Wendie's Wish and why are they doing this?" Because we want to serve people in the midst of hardship and show them people who don't even know them already love them.
So that is a small part of what this trip is for. We as people are given abilities to make a difference. The guys on this trip are using those abilities for other people rather than themselves. That we can do something that other people can not so that the community might notice a group of people that want to make a difference.
Next week I promise will take a look more into our training and maybe you can get some insight from another rider, but for now you just get to hear from me. School is winding down and getting pretty hectic but keep knowing that things are coming along beautifully.
Copy and Paste the link below into your url bar to order shirts. Closes Thursday at midnight.
https://www.cccreationsusa.com/orders/Orders/PurchaseOrder.aspx?id=1150&code=96CCC16754&spin=1
What you might not know is that we will spend almost every night of this trip camping out. Bring on awesome tans during the day and sweaty nights in sleeping bags. I honestly have not looked at these sites quite yet because Evan is in charge of all trip oriented details (lodging, mapping, etc.) That means for thirty days the five of us will essentially be homeless with nothing but what's in our truck and trailer and underneath us on our bikes. A lot of needed gear comes with this so if you are someone who maybe you don't have the financial means to help us out, we would also love for people that have an abundance of camping gear or bike gear to get involved because we can never have enough equipment. For specific needs feel free to email me at lwmelikian@gmail.com
Another thing that we are going to try to make happen depending on interest is a departure rally. If you don't know this already, our trip does not start in Texas. This means we'll be loading up the truck and trailer and driving to our starting place. What we would like to make happen is a rally in the parking lot of City Lights (already approved) where you will get the chance to hear from some of the riders as well as donate in person, wear your shirts, get excited about something that is happening in the area that is long over due. But again these are all secondary things and what I really want to write about is what this trip means to me specifically.
If you know me or the organization you know that Wendie was my mother and she is the namesake for our organization so maybe your first assumption is that this ride is something to do in memory of her and that it's all about her and being her son. While I do constantly remember my mom and she is a big inspiration for Wendie's Wish (duh) that is not at all what this trip is about. Honestly, that may offend some people, but Wendie's Wish is not about my mom. Wendie's Wish is about everyone else. This trip is a chance to capture the public's attention so they know who we are and what we can do for others. Not so people can know who my mom was. That wasn't the wish. If we're here on earth to make our own name known then we have failed as people. One thing I've learned in the past two years is that your name is temporary the products of the things you did can last much much longer. That's what Wendie's Wish is about. It isn't about satisfying the hole that you may think is left in a family from not having a mom. Why? Because there is no hole. What my mom did for this family left us with a situation where there was no hole, but a realization of people that have a need. So we want to fulfill this need. This trip is about doing something big that makes people ask, "Who and what is Wendie's Wish and why are they doing this?" Because we want to serve people in the midst of hardship and show them people who don't even know them already love them.
So that is a small part of what this trip is for. We as people are given abilities to make a difference. The guys on this trip are using those abilities for other people rather than themselves. That we can do something that other people can not so that the community might notice a group of people that want to make a difference.
Next week I promise will take a look more into our training and maybe you can get some insight from another rider, but for now you just get to hear from me. School is winding down and getting pretty hectic but keep knowing that things are coming along beautifully.
Copy and Paste the link below into your url bar to order shirts. Closes Thursday at midnight.
https://www.cccreationsusa.com/orders/Orders/PurchaseOrder.aspx?id=1150&code=96CCC16754&spin=1
 |
| https://www.cccreationsusa.com/orders/Orders/PurchaseOrder.aspx?id=1150&code=96CCC16754&spin=1 |
 |
| https://www.cccreationsusa.com/orders/Orders/PurchaseOrder.aspx?id=1150&code=96CCC16754&spin=1 |
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
It's been a long time comin
Wendie's Wish is a non-profit organization that exists to serve cancer patients in the community financially. Specifically our mission is "Connecting families struggling with the collateral damage of cancer to a community that brings hope with finacial and service oriented assistance." Our namesake is Wendie Melikian and her wish was that people would love and serve each other, that's the idea that we were born out of. But that wasn't necessarily the beginning and it's definitely not the end.
Two years ago (Summer of 2011) an old teammate of mine, Evan Hibbs, was suffering from an injury due to his running career and needed a way to train. We dragged the old road bikes out of his garage that might of originally been built by the Wright brothers. We started pedaling along every day and in one conversation we joked about riding across the country one day. Boom. The spark to start the fire. We were just stupid enough to have an idea that only college kids with no responsibility could think of. The idea had followed my mothers passing so it only fit that we ride for a non-profit and save money. We sat down with other college kids around my kitchen table putting together ideas, budgets, possibilities, routes, things I never thought would actually take form. Thinking anyone would take us I set up meetings with potential organizations in the fall of my freshman year at Texas A&M University (Whoop!) After multiple "almost" meetings and liability issues I gave my dad a phone call and told him it wasn't possible...unless we did our own thing so we didn't have to sell our souls to another organization.
During that Christmas break multiple other types of meetings happened. Meetings with the people that would eventually become my Board of Directors. Meetings with older men who sat across from a 19 year old kid with a bike and a dream and said "We can do this". I trusted those men with everything and in March of 2012 Wendie's Wish was born but was far from being any sort of real shape. To fast forward you through the year and spare you from boring stories it is now April of 2013 and we have come a long way. We were featured in the Georgetown View and most recently The Battalion at Texas A&M. People have been inspired by the selfless hearts of a few college kids who want to give up their summers to make a difference. We have a fully functional board (For the most part, let's be fair those guys were crazy enough to name a 20 year old as their director) and people are helping us build a solid base so we can FINALLY begin to help and make a difference.
Let it be known to anyone and everyone that none of this is possibly without the college kids who want to make a difference, the community that selflessly gives, the board that works their butts off and my God who is infinitely good. It has been two years and here we are, two months away, from an 1800 mile ride starting on the East Coast.
It has been multiple maps, phone calls, bike rides, video shoots, runs, and experimentation and after two years things are finally about to feel real. So...what's the point of this blog? Just to vent about how excited I am that I get the chance of a lifetime? no. Believe it or not this blog is for you. I often have people ask me about the ride and all the details and who is going blah blah blah. Well...over the next two months I (Laine) or another rider will be posting on here about their training that week, what they are looking forward to about the ride, how they have been prepping the trip, what their heart for Wendie's Wish is, and many other subjects that may bore you out of your mind or may make you think, "Who is stupid enough to ride a bike through West Virginia?" Our answer? We're crazy enough. So crazy it's all we talk about and think about. What started with a woman in a wheelchair trying to help with Christmas dinner because she was a servant, has become a movement of people who have seen a hurt in the community through this thing we call Cancer. And those people are here to help. And those people are Wendie's Wish. And Wendie's Wish is you. So...to start off...meet your riders.
Two years ago (Summer of 2011) an old teammate of mine, Evan Hibbs, was suffering from an injury due to his running career and needed a way to train. We dragged the old road bikes out of his garage that might of originally been built by the Wright brothers. We started pedaling along every day and in one conversation we joked about riding across the country one day. Boom. The spark to start the fire. We were just stupid enough to have an idea that only college kids with no responsibility could think of. The idea had followed my mothers passing so it only fit that we ride for a non-profit and save money. We sat down with other college kids around my kitchen table putting together ideas, budgets, possibilities, routes, things I never thought would actually take form. Thinking anyone would take us I set up meetings with potential organizations in the fall of my freshman year at Texas A&M University (Whoop!) After multiple "almost" meetings and liability issues I gave my dad a phone call and told him it wasn't possible...unless we did our own thing so we didn't have to sell our souls to another organization.
During that Christmas break multiple other types of meetings happened. Meetings with the people that would eventually become my Board of Directors. Meetings with older men who sat across from a 19 year old kid with a bike and a dream and said "We can do this". I trusted those men with everything and in March of 2012 Wendie's Wish was born but was far from being any sort of real shape. To fast forward you through the year and spare you from boring stories it is now April of 2013 and we have come a long way. We were featured in the Georgetown View and most recently The Battalion at Texas A&M. People have been inspired by the selfless hearts of a few college kids who want to give up their summers to make a difference. We have a fully functional board (For the most part, let's be fair those guys were crazy enough to name a 20 year old as their director) and people are helping us build a solid base so we can FINALLY begin to help and make a difference.
Let it be known to anyone and everyone that none of this is possibly without the college kids who want to make a difference, the community that selflessly gives, the board that works their butts off and my God who is infinitely good. It has been two years and here we are, two months away, from an 1800 mile ride starting on the East Coast.
It has been multiple maps, phone calls, bike rides, video shoots, runs, and experimentation and after two years things are finally about to feel real. So...what's the point of this blog? Just to vent about how excited I am that I get the chance of a lifetime? no. Believe it or not this blog is for you. I often have people ask me about the ride and all the details and who is going blah blah blah. Well...over the next two months I (Laine) or another rider will be posting on here about their training that week, what they are looking forward to about the ride, how they have been prepping the trip, what their heart for Wendie's Wish is, and many other subjects that may bore you out of your mind or may make you think, "Who is stupid enough to ride a bike through West Virginia?" Our answer? We're crazy enough. So crazy it's all we talk about and think about. What started with a woman in a wheelchair trying to help with Christmas dinner because she was a servant, has become a movement of people who have seen a hurt in the community through this thing we call Cancer. And those people are here to help. And those people are Wendie's Wish. And Wendie's Wish is you. So...to start off...meet your riders.
 |
| Cameron Foreman |
 |
| Dorian McCradic |
 |
| Evan Hibbs |
 |
| Laine Melikian |
 | |||
| One man Media Crew-Davis Emmert |
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