we haven’t left yet

we were supposed to pedal away this morning for the start of our cross-country journey.  however, we’ve encountered some obstacles. 

on tuesday, we moved out of our apartment in dc.  it was the worst of all worst moving days.  i know all moving days are horrible and i feel like i say that it’s the worst every time but this one was actually the worst.  we were physically moving for 16 hours.  throughout those 16 hours, we were appalled by the amount of stuff we had accumulated.  we were humbled by our greed and attachments to these material possessions — what IS all this stuff?! and why are we moving it to seattle if we never use it?! 

i know i get attached to things because of the memories that go along with the items — memories of sitting in certain chairs drinking coffee out of certain mugs with certain people.  i love those happy thoughts that i think of later when sitting in the same chair.  but does it mean that i need to hold onto the chair/coffee mug/table/coaster?  if i no longer have those things, will i lose the memory as well?  i don’t think that’s how our brains function….. 

but how can we make sure to hold onto the most important memories and lessons and let go of what doesn’t matter? how do we carry the good stuff with us?  where is the balance between purging and hoarding?! because david and i definitely haven’t found it. 

so anyway, we had to shed some belongings that wouldn’t fit in our moving pods.  there was no time to prioritize really so we just had to let go of stuff.  and thinking back on those moments, i feel refreshed.  and i’m also thankful that our stuff can sit for 2+ months while we live happily without it.  i’m really excited to live for a while without all of our things.  i’m hoping we’ll learn a little bit about what is really important which will make shedding some more things in seattle a bit easier.  

also from those 16 hours of physical movement on tuesday, our bodies are achy, injured, and exhausted.  we needed more time to recover before enjoying any sort of bike ride.  we hurt all over but david’s knee is a specific concern.  it hurts him quite a lot to pedal a bike at the moment so that’s a bit of a problem for our planned journey.  we are using some of our built-in buffer time to rest and hope the issues resolve themselves.  we’re trying to be patient and not let the calendar dictate our schedule.  we’re taking it a day at a time.  

#ryansacrossamerica

race across america (raam) started today.  the participants of “the worlds toughest endurance bicycle race” have a maximum of 12 days to complete their 3000-mile journey from oceanside, california to annapolis, maryland.  that math works out to riding 250 miles a day (without any breaks to eat or sleep) — and that’s the slowest possible speed to make it before the deadline.  THAT’S INSANE.

some people think we’re insane.  but we’re not that insane.

in 15 days, i’ll be the stoker on the back of a tandem bike bound for seattle.  don’t know what those words mean or anything about tandem biking? we didn’t either until about march.  since the hatching of this plan almost 10 months ago, it has slowly come to fruition.  we’ve been doing tons of research (mostly david does the research and gives me the skimmed version) and gathering so so many things we didn’t know we needed.

the crucial step one in our plan was getting a tandem bike.  thanks to dave and rhona in keyser, west virginia (and a very rainy drive there on a tuesday night), we’ll be riding a 1998 cannondale los dos tandem (we’ve named her nina).  nina will be hauling two panniers and a trailer– we’re not exactly traveling in the most streamlined, aerodynamic fashion.  we’ve gone on group rides and practice solo rides and lots of kids stare at us and point when we pass.  with the trailer, our set-up is probably 20 feet long so it’s actually incredibly comical to see us biking down the streets of dc.  

instead of trying to make it across the country in 12 days like raam, we’re choosing to be homeless and jobless for 2 and a half months while we bike from washington, dc to seattle, washington.  we’re just biking there because we thought that’d be the most exciting way to get there.  when moving from one coast to the other, why not go by bike?!  better yet, why not go by tandem bike?

are we insane? maybe a tiny bit…..

here is our route (for the most part).  do you know anyone who lives on or near it?  do they want to let us shower at their house or bring us lunch/dinner/a beer?  we would love to meet them.

we’ve already met so many interesting and inspiring people on this journey and we haven’t even left dc yet.  we’re excited to spend time in parts of the country we’ve never seen and learn how to be comfortable with strangers in unfamiliar places.  we’re excited to be very much outside of our comfort zones (mentally and physically) and reliant on the generosity and compassion of others.

we (mostly me) will be updating as much as possible along the way — keep tabs on us and our progress!

xx

my newest lofty goal

i’ve always kind of wanted to ride a bike across the country.

i say “kind of” because it’s always been just in the back of my mind and i’m not sure i’ve ever mentioned it out loud until recently.  i never thought that i’d actually have the opportunity to do it or anyone to come along and keep me company.

but now, i’m married!  and husband = constant forever travel and adventure partner.  right?

well next summer we’re planning a dc-to-seattle move.  we’ll have a few months off so why not move across the country on bikes?!  i mentioned this crazy idea to my brand-new husband and he was actually intrigued!  intrigued so much that we say “when we bike to seattle,” not “if we bike to seattle.” since making this the official plan for our cross-country move, we’ve modified the simple “bike across the country” plan to include some interesting details.

the official dream is: tandem bike across the country with a pet trailer pulling our dog.

are we crazy? or are you jealous?

marriage. say what?!

on june 22, 2013 i went to williamsburg, va to celebrate the marriage of two dear friends.  i was single.  near the end of the reception, i went out to the dance floor with the rest of the single ladies and then…caught the bouquet.

on july 12, 2014, i got married.

our story is one of perfect timing.  a year before our wedding, i was already in awe of perfect timing and now i’m even more convinced that the plan for us all is perfectly determined and should not be rushed or slowed.

my husband, david, does a wonderful job telling the story of us so i’ll allow him:

“David and Liz both grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and met for the first time the summer before their freshman year in high school.  Shared classes at Patrick Henry and Governor’s School led to a great friendship that carried over into their years in college at the University of Virginia.

As their studies and activities took them in different directions and to different places with studying abroad in college, David and Liz began to keep in touch through email.  Writing managed to give them great opportunities to get to know each other even more and made it easier to get regular updates despite different schedules and lives.

After college, David and Liz’s careers took them in very different places.  Liz went to Cambridge and Italy to teach before returning to the States to DC, and David went to Chattanooga, Chicago and Pittsburgh for work then to Houston for graduate school.  However, emails and letters and phone calls continued and Liz and David kept up with each other’s lives.  Whenever they were able to visit with each other, a comfortableness with each other’s company always allowed them to pick up wherever they left off previously and talk about whatever was going on in their lives.

After a few missed opportunities to meet up and visit each other, David and Liz finally got together in July 2013 to attend FloydFest, an annual bluegrass festival in Floyd County, VA.  David was coming in from Houston for his brother, Mark’s wedding and Liz was spending the summer in Roanoke recovering from ankle surgery.  Like always, their friendship picked up right where it left off and they spent days together in the sun, rain and copious mud listening to good music, talking about anything and everything, enjoying good food and friends, and sharing their hopes and dreams for the future.

David was struck instantly with how much he loved spending time with Liz, and knew that those days in Floyd were the best he could ever remember.  Unfortunately, an eight-month old beard stood in the way of mutual feelings.  Fortunately, David shaved his beard, invited Liz as his date to his brother’s wedding the week after FloydFest, and the rest is history…

After returning to Houston and spending his fall semester at Rice, David moved to DC for an internship at the start of 2014..but mainly to “go see about a girl”.  They have enjoyed their time together this year, and have been especially grateful that they now live 2 miles apart instead of 1400.”

then in march, he proposed on those same floydfest grounds and wedding planning began.  our engagement was quick because, “why wait any longer then we have to?!” (and the uva chapel had a miraculous opening.)  we had the most beautiful wedding in one of our very favorite places and today marks one month of married bliss!

don’t worry, we’ll still be adventuring.  and it’s going to be great.