Building in NOLA with the Saint Bernard Project

Building in NOLA has been absolutely incredible. Typically Bike and Build stops to build in areas we are biking through for one or maybe two days at a time. However SUS stops and builds in New Orleans for a week each summer. We are working with an organization called The Saint Bernard Project. The Saint Bernard Project is working on homes within the Saint Bernard Perish and they do some really awesome things. Our site supervisors for the week also happen to be past Bike and Builders who are currently in Americorps :):):) For the week the team has been split in two working on two separate build sites. Nate is my site supervisor for the week and we started out working on a house that needed to be finished. I spent the day doing odds and ends such as scrapping junk off of the newly installed flooring and making sure everything was swept and looking pretty. I worked with Dre, Mel, and Edie for most of the day. Others worked on finishing up railing on the stairs and scraping paint off of windows from a previous group that had volunteered but caused more harm than good.

On our second build day we headed to a new location that was close enough to bike to!!!! Again we split into groups according to tasks and I ended up taping off windows and painting for the day with Christine C. Alyssa, Edie, Kenan, and Josh A. ( Josh had chosen me as his person to pick on for the day! Lucky me lol) Painting in this house has been fun because we are literally painting the entire house. It's nice to see the transformation day by day and even hour buy hour. The home owner stopped by and it was nice to meet him. An elderly gentleman born and raised in NOLa. Unfortunately I don't really know anything else about him or his story because I was unable to talk to him for very long :( All in all the day was wonderful. Filled with lots of lunch time jokes, conversations over paint, and bonding.

After returning "home" for the day Steph and I walked to Walmart so that she could restock her food bin. ( She has a peanut allergy so she has to keep all of her food separate) The walk was nice and relaxing and it was good having one one one time. Walmart was a blast and we got a ton of food :) After arriving back at our host for the night we had dinner. Mark's parents cooked for us. Dinner for the evening was beans and rice and I actually enjoyed it. Kristen should be proud!

After dinner the leaders gathered the entire team for an announcement. It was then that we found out a leader on SC2SC, Christina G., was struck by an SUV and killed. It's hard to describe the whirlwind of emotions that we went through. Although I didn't know Christina it didn't matter. She was one of us. Although she wasn't one of my teammates she was someone's teammate. I am deeply deeply saddened by the loss of a fellow rider and my thoughts and prayers go out to the entire SC2SC team as well as the Bike and Build community and Christina's family. Hearing this news was not at all easy and it really just reminded me that what we are doing is dangerous. Each and every day that we get on the road, even if we as cyclists do everything right, there is always that risk. Many many prayers for peace of mind and healing of hearts. However, even in tragedy there is good. Seeing the entire team and Bike and Build community come together and love on one another during this difficult time has been a wonderful wonderful thing. SO MUCH LOVE. SO MUCH SUPPORT. We are a family and we will get through this together. It is with that mindset that we face each new day. We ride united for Christina.

Day Off NOLA Style

We had our first day of on Saturday and it was super fun. Being able to sleep in was absolutely wonderful! After waking up I started my day with some cinnamon toast crunch. I would highly recommend doing that:) After everyone was around and ready a huge group of us headed for the bus stop. Riding on the bus is always fun because generally we take up half of the bus each time. After arriving at the french quarter we stopped for some McDonalds and then broke off into groups. I explored the city with Prachi, Dre, Kelly, Kelsey, Sadie, Alyssa, and Lama. We went to the french quarter and we looked at a ton of local art that lined the streets. We went inside The Catherdral of St. Louis and it was breathtakingly beautiful! High ceilings with art painted on top, intricute stained glass windows, hard wood floors. Just absolutely beautiful. After the catherdral we decided to stop for lunch at a local place called La Divina. I had a delicious sandwhich with mushrooms, eggplant and olives. After lunch we took in more of the city. We stopped and admired the architecture and the flowers and the the culture. We ran into a few other Bike and Builders on our way to the French Market. While there a man made some remark about my tan lines and then laughed lol Eventually we ran into Alex, Steph Sonia, Coleman and Edie and we all decided to take a trolly ride together. On the trolly we were able to tell lots of people about Bike and Build and get them excited about it all. Around 6 a large group of girls decided to head home and take showers before going out for a nice dinner. A group of 12 of us ended up eating at a local place called THhe Gumbo Shop. I had my reservations but it turned out to be delicious! I had the best garlic mashed potatoes and of course dessert :) Dinner conversation with Steph, Kelly, and Tiffany was lovely as always. After our nice layed back dinner we pilled 6 girls into one cab lol Alyssa, Kelsey, Prachi and I crammed in the back and Kelly sat on Christine's lap in the front seat. The cab ride was very enjoyable and we learned a lot from our cabbie. He is from Pakistan. He knows a lot about agriculture from living in that region. He holds a masters degree in law from his home country and he is very very proud of his children's intelligence. Getting to know him instead of just riding in the cab quietly has been one of the many many highs that are Bike and Build!

Biloxi to New Orleans

I woke up this morning determined to finish the day without riding in Vanessa even if it took me all day. I would not be defeated this time. After reviewing the cue sheet and noting that today's ride was 95 miles in length I hopped on my bike and we were off. Today I rode with Alyssa and Kelly. Riding along the water for a good part of the day was definitely a highlight. I conquered the first bridge without any problems at all and then we were at first lunch. My body felt great and I couldn't wait to continue. After lunch we joined Sonja, Josh E, Coleman, Galen and Lyndsey. Riding with new people was awesome!! The roads were not busy at all and again the landscape was beautiful. We encountered a HUGE bridge, that from the distance looked like a wall. I swear it was vertical!!! But again, I would not be defeated today so I powered up the hill and then down the hill:) We made it to second lunch without any issues what so ever. My body felt great which made me happy because I think I am finally getting acclimated to the heat and the biking:) The last leg went well also. I ended up riding with Kelly, Alyssa, and Galen. We had a slight reroute when we were about 15 miles from our host and I was starting to get tired but Christine and Lama talked me up the last bridge! I love team encouragement :) Riding into NOLA was somewhat scary because traffic was very busy and not exactly cyclist friendly. About 8 miles out I just wanted to stop but I powered through because it was busy and I knew that everyone was supporting me. Prachi and Lama encouraged me for a while and then it was only three miles left and then we were at our host and then I realized that I JUST BIKED 96 MILES!!!! Arriving in NOLA at our host was a surreal moment for me because I remember two years ago watched SUS09 pedal out from Biloxi headed to New Orleans and I remember thinking how crazy and bad ass they were and now I have done that!!! What!?!?! Is this real life? We are staying at Camp Hope this week while we build and the facility is wonderful. We have washers and dryers, 15ish showers and BEDS!!!! Beds with pillows!!!! AMAZING.

Mobile to Biloxi

The Mobile to Biloxi ride was very interesting. The roads didn't have any shoulder but thanks to the early hour we were riding and some constructions the roads were not to bad. It was very humid but still comfortable that morning. Riding out of Alabama has been my favorite ride so far. Trees overhung the road providing lots of shade. The pavement was smooth the entire time and the bright red/ orange sand was a beautiful constrast to the fresh black pavement. The morning went very very well. Kelly and I rode with Jillian which was nice because I haven't ridden with her before :) Crossing into Mississippi was fun. There was no state line so we chalked it in and took our pictures by the chalk :) Mississippi gave us a nice warm welcome with it's crappy roads. There was a very very long stretch with nothing but bumps. Not ideal for your butt or lady parts. After we got through the bumps we passed over a "Entering KKK Territory" message that had been spray painted across the road. I cannot tell you how mad this made me. It reminded me that we are in fact in the deep south, hate and ignorance and discrimination do still exsist and that my job as a follower of Chirst and decent human being is to love everyone, even the difficult.

Our first lunch stop was great and I was ready to get back on the road. Coleman decided that he would join our group so we headed out. 10 minutes later I had to ride in the van after having acollision with Jillian. I was so so so angry because I was having a great day and my body was feeling great and I hate riding in the van but what can you do. When life gives you lemons make lemonade I guess. So after arriving back at first lunch i was overjoyed to see three dogs :):):) Two healers and a rat terrier. The boys gave them very interesting names but I don't remember what they were. Being the dog nerd that I am I aged them all and noted that none of them were spayed or neutered. In fact I have yet to find a dog that has been altered. This just further inspires me to educate people on the importance of spay and neuter and the huge need for shelter animals to find homes. anyways, back to Bike and Build. The day finished fine and riding in the van and encouraging the other riders as we pass is a lot of fun. Tomorrow we ride to NOLA!!!!

Mobile, AL

My first ride after arriving back was a 90 mile ride into Mobile, AL and I was so excited that I was able to ride with the team when we crossed our first state line!!!!! The ride had some hills but we didn't let that get to us. Temp was somewhere around the 93ish mark. Kelly and I plugged along but about 5 miles before second lunch I started crashing:( Kelly was very patient and talked me through the last five miles and we arrived safely at second lunch. Christina and Alyssa were so nice and had waited for us to arrive so that we could all ride together. Sadly I was too hot and dehydrated so I was unable to finish the day so I joined Mel and Tiffany in the van. At first I was really beating myself up about it but then I realized that I completed a 63 mile ride and that's not nothing. Today I rode in the van but tomorrow is a new day!!!Dinner was very good. Our hosts provided us with lots of salads and fresh fruit. It's so exciting to be in one place for 3 whole nights! I am sharing a room with Tiffany- love this girl- David and Mark. After dinner Galen started a people pile where we all layed our head on each others' bellys and got our heads scratched:) Gotta love team bonding!

Build day number one started out awesome as well. We all pill ed in VANessa- our van's name:) and headed to Starbucks where we each received a free drink of our choice and a pastry. I had a WONDERFUL cranberry/orange scone. Excellent way to start the day. After breakfast we hit the road!!! On the way to the build site we all rocked out and rocked the van at red lights. It was a good time. After arriving at the build site Justin gave us the low down on the house we would be working on. It was a repossessed home so we needed to fix a whole list of things but then the home owner would be able to move in. After signing waivers and such we broke into groups and received tasks. I worked with Eddie, Brettly, Richard and Alyssa and we tore our old carpet and nails and then we painted an entire master bedroom after Brettly patched some holes that were i n the drywall. Lunch was fun- i got Taco Bell because the rest of the team had pulled pork sandwiches. Christine C. lead a few ladies in a dance party as well. Overall the day went well. Other highlights include hearing Katy Perry's ET approximately 6 times throughout the day. This is Will's favorite lol once I got home and showered I was able to Skype with Kristen!!! All in all a great day :) Build day number two went just as smoothly as day number one. The team got a lot done!! Prachi's group finished the flooring in all three bed rooms. My crew painted almost everything there was to be painted. Groups working outside got siding put up and other things accomplished. At the end of the work day Justin told us that all of the work that we did would have taken him about 8-10 days and we did it in 2!!!! He also told us we are welcome to come back anytime and that this Habitat has 3 dedications in the next 3 weeks!!!! So the highlight of this day for me was defiantly meeting the home owners. None of us were expecting to meet her but apparently there was an article in the paper and so she made it her mission to find us and thank us for all of our work. Her story was heart breaking but I am so glad that I got to hear it. Her mother was a drug addict and so she lived with her grandparents growing up. She lives in a dangerous neighborhood with shootings everyday. She has been battling a rare form of liver cancer for over 10 years and she is only 27. She just lost her job. Her life has not been easy by any means but she was both faithful and joyful!!! She just kept saying thank you and that this isn't just a house it's a life change for her I think that's really important to recognize. We aren't just painting or siding or whatever. We are putting people into homes. We are helping them have a better, brighter future. We are making a difference and for me that is the only reason I am able to bike every day. Mobile has been fun!! Onto our third state line tomorrow!!!!!

Wheel Dip and Ride #1

So I am incredibly behind in blogging and am trying to play catch up lol So orientation went well as you all have heard. The 21st was our official wheel dip. Everyone was SUPER PUMPED! The leaders each gave short speeches and then we dipped our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and officially started our trip!!! After dipping our wheels we all lined up to rinse our bikes and break into safe riding groups. During that time I happen to stumble upon a beautiful senior german sheperd! Thats right I found a dog right before the start of my first ride :D For those of you that don't know I have made it my life's mission to love on as many furry friends as possible throughout Bike and Build and my life really :) Anyways back to the ride. The first 25 miles went beautifully!!! Kelly lead us out of Jacksonville and on our way out we road through some very pretty areas. We also passed a TON of cyclists. Jacksonville is very cyclist friendly it seems:) Passing all of these bikers just reminded me that I have not only joined the Bike and Build community but also the larger community of cyclist. First lunch went well and for a while Kelly and I were riding in the middle of the pack. Several gas stations along the way let us fill our Camelbacks with ice and water. I am already learning that it doesn't take much to make me happy because ice water rocked my world. About halfway to second lunch Kelly and I caught up to Prachi, Eddie, and Mark so we all road together into second lunch. I was getting very tired and the heat was rising but we all made it to sencond lunch. I had my first fall pulling into lunch lol There was a bunch of sand on the shoulder where we needed to pull over and as you might guess road bikes aren't good in sand so I just tipped over. No major injuries just a giant purplish bruise to mark the occassion. After eating lunch I felt much much better so Kelly and I continued along our journey. Highlights of the last leg of the journey include more ice water, Kelly got her picture with her street sign and encouraged me when I struggled and we made it up a MASSIVE bridge that was at the end of our journey. All in all a great day with a few challenges.