Bike & Build: Prom Edition

Hello from Bemidji, Minnesota! Cannot believe we're just two days away from the great plains of North Dakota. I'm going to dedicate this blog post to all te magic that has been happening over the last few days.

Since anyone who has been through North Dakota knows, not a whole lot to see and do whilst riding on Hwy 2. So, in the spirit of making the best of our surroundings, we've decided to have our own PROM: Llama Proma: A Day on the Farm. The name comes from the fact that we've seen many a llama on our rides.

About a week ago, I purchased my prom dress from a thrift store: a button up, sleeveless denim dress. Something my mom might have considered wearing in 1992 (not knocking your style, mom). Additionally, I purchased a metallic orange belt, a woven sun hat, and some flamboyant, hot pink earrings. I can't wait to look like a stunning beauty queen come August 1st.


While the apparel of the trip will be a definite highlight, it's the way we all got asked to prom that has been so, so, so amazing! All of the boys, and one girl had to draw names out of a hat to select their date. Then, all of our dates were required to come up with the most creative ways to ask their dates.

So far, we've had dates asked out on real, live horses, jumping out of mail boxes, love letters, chalk poems on the side of the road, scavenger hunts, and well, I'll go into a little more detail about the way I got asked out this morning at breakfast. John, you've got some fierce competition, just FYI.

While eating breakfast this morning, I was blissfully unaware of the scheming that had been going on between some of the men on the trip the night before. I sat down with a hot plate of delicious eggs made by the Zion Lutheran Church of Grand Rapids, and was about to take my first bite when my face was brushed with a bouquet of the most beautiful, fluorescent dyed flowers I had ever seen.  I looked up and saw my leader Kyle Gamsby and instantly thought he might be my date. But! Seconds later, Mark Broz sauntered up to my side with a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and like a 5-star restaurant, I was poured a bottle of the finest sparkling beverage. Now, at the prospect of Mark being my date, I was terrified, mainly because Mark's girlfriend, Kira, caught wind of what was going on and was standing at the table shooting me dagger eyes. Best not to be the homewrecker.

And then the moment happened. The song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on over the speakers, and out came Steven, doing the most ridiculously seductive dance toward me. I think I lost it when Steven kicked his shoes off and began pointing at me. Absolutely hilarious. Shortly after making his way to my table, Steven realized he no longer knew all of the words to the song and desperately tried to get Kyle to cut the music so that he could ask me to prom officially. Since Kyle wasn't paying attention, all Steven could do was sing "BABY!" every 10 words or so. As soon as the song ended, Steven was down on one knee and asked me to prom. Best prom date ever!!!

Unfortunately, now the bar has been set very high for any future suitors of any of the NUS ladies. I honestly believe some of these prom proposals have been better and more creative than wedding proposals. LJ, you're going to have to start singing to me every time you want to take me out to dinner.

Well, it's 9 pm and I have a 5 am wakeup call tomorrow for a 90 mile day into Crookston, Minnesota. As always, it's great to be staying at an incredibly gracious host this evening, Bethel Lutheran, in the home of Paul Bunyan.