Wow! I know some amazing people!

Today has been wonderful! As of last night, around 10 pm, I was about $215 away from my $4000 goal. Not bad, I thought, but I was preparing myself to maybe have to donate a little more than the 10% I had committed to contribute toward the trip in an effort to get that money raised by Tuesday.

I decided, given that I leave for New Hampshire on Tuesday morning, that I should send out an email to those near and dear to me about how they can follow my journey via blog and the Bike & Build Web site. As of right now (8:30 pm) I am $45 away from my goal. I cannot believe the generosity!

I have always felt so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life who have been so supportive of everything I do. Today that feeling reached a whole new level. I included one of my professors on my mailing list - Ahna Skop - because she was a great professor, but also just a great mentor who I really enjoyed getting to know over the last semester. Well, Ahna passed on my email to some of her colleagues, and I have been delighted by emails of encouraging words and even more unbelievable, donations to Bike & Build! To have people donating to a cause in my name that have never even met me is testament to what an amazing organization Bike & Build truly is. I have had a grin on my face from ear to ear today, and I am just so, so, so grateful to have such great friends and support as I excitedly, but nervously, embark on this experience of a lifetime!

Thank you all so much! Now, every mile I bike will be worth a dollar to support affordable housing. This experience will surely change my life for the better, but what's more important is that this experience, and my involvement, will forever change the lives of hundreds of families I meet along the way. I can't wait, and I couldn't have done this without every one of you who has contributed to this cause and sent me well wishes.

I have just entirely moved out of my bedroom as of tonight. It's sad to leave places you've built so many memories in. However, the memories I make on this trip will be well worth the small sacrifice of not spending a summer in lovely Madison.

Four more days!