Baking, baking, and more baking!

For those of you who ordered treats from my bake sale, here is a photo of me working on the food. I'm holding two plates of brownies and there are cookies on the stove behind me. Daisy is hoping I drop something, but so far I have been pretty clean surprisingly. Also, I felt like I should wear my helmet since this photo was going on this blog. I love my helmet =) The white you see on my shirt is from the puppy chow I was making earlier... When I opened the container after shaking it, it spat some powdered sugar on me. Awesome. There is a ton of holiday bark and popcorn mix in the fridge, and I still have some food available if you are interested in ordering. Thank you everyone who has ordered food and donated! I will have an update on donations after my bake sale is complete, but its more than I expected already! I also want to post a shout out to Kyra and Randi for helping me with some of this baking. So glad I have awesome friends who support me!

I plan on heading downtown Frederick tomorrow to talk to some local stores to see if they would be interested in sponsoring me. I'm also working on sponsorship terms with a local bike shop - I'm extremely excited about this!! 

Christmas Bake Sale!

For those of you who don't have time to bake this holiday season, or those of you who just aren't great with baking, I will be making numerous types of desserts and goodies for purchase. The full list of available desserts are below. If you would like to help bake, please let me know what you would be willing to make and I will add it to the list.

If you would like to purchase something, there will not be any actual prices, but a donation of your choosing. Unless you want to pick up the food yourself, I can only deliver to the Frederick, MD area from Dec. 10 to Dec. 19 and the Huntington, IN, area Dec. 20 to Dec. 23. Examples of quantities to order are also listed by each food. Please specify what quantity you want.

All donations from this will go towards my trip! To donate (even if you don't order any food), please go to http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747 before you pick up your food, or you can pay me when you receive it. Please leave a comment below to order.

Available Goodies:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies - regular or with white or butterscotch chips. (by dozen)
• Peanut Blossoms - peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kiss (by dozen)
• Puppy Chow - Chocolate/peanut butter deliciousness (by quart baggie)
• Brownies - regular or with chocolate or white chips (by dozen)
• Fudge - Layer of chocolate and a layer of peanut butter (by the dozen)
• Holiday Bark - white almond bark with M&Ms or peppermint pieces
• Popcorn Mix - popcorn, peanuts, pretzels, and M&Ms mixed together with a thin layer of almond bark.

Thank you in advance, and I look forward to baking for you!

Let the Riding Begin

I got my helmet yesterday! I figured that was the most important part of my riding gear... The chammois will likely be next! I say that because I went for my first ride today and, wow!, I could feel it. I only rode a couple miles on my good old mountain bike, but I learned a lot from those first couple miles:

1. Riding is amazing! The feel of the wind in your face and the freedom as you speed along, I love it! (which is good news since I'll be doing a lot of it for a while...)
2. Chamois (pronounced shammies) are a must and will be the next thing purchased.  Since it was only a couple miles, my behind isn't sore, but I could definitely see why chamois are needed.
3. I have a lot of work to do. My legs were likely sore due to yesterday's Insanity work out (the last 4 minutes are in a squat position), but riding, running, and Insanity are all very different. It should be interesting and challenging to get my legs into shape for cycling! I just hope my quads still fit into my skinny jeans at the end of all this :)
4. I have a lot to learn. I know nothing about switching gears, bike maintenance, or anything about cycling in general. I'm planning on going to different seminars at the bike shops around the area and learning a lot through them. I also want to meet some fellow cyclists in the area and have them teach me what they know. That doesn't even begin on learning more about the affordable housing cause.

In fundraising news, I'm still at $100 (Thanks Mom and Dad!!) and would like to reach $500 by New Years. After the new years, I plan on hosting bake sales around the area. I was hoping to get one in before Christmas, but it doesn't look like it will happen sadly. Remember, everyone that donates will receive a little something from along my ride, and donations are tax-deductible. Thanks again for all your help and support!

What is the money going towards? The money the riders raise are distributed four different ways:

1. En-Route Donations:  Bike & Build supports housing groups in the communities our events visit.
2. Competitive Grants: Riders on each trip will receive grant applications and award funding through a team based competitive selection process.
3. Individual Rider Grants: Each rider can allocate a portion of their fundraising to an affordable housing organization of their choice.
4. Pre-Arranged Donations:  Bike & Build will make pre-determined contributions to fund projects executed by the groups we work with to produce our events. 

Finally, here is another short video for your enjoyment!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxisZC4YOX4

The Start of a New Adventure

So what are you doing for your summer vacation next year? A couple hundred young adults will be spending their's pedaling for affordable housing. I will be among those pedaling. While many of those participating in Bike and Build 2013 will be pedaling from coast to coast, I will be doing a shortened version of the trip - a two week journey from Richmond, VA, to Philadelphia, PA. This ride is called the Capital Ride.

This is the fifth year of the Capital Ride, and we will ride approximately 575 miles and help build 4 days. We will have two days of orientation at the beginning of the trip and have one day off to explore DC. On our ride days, we will ride an average of 70 miles. Before the trip begins, I must raise $2500, but my goal is $3000. Once I reach $1000, I will receive my bike and be able to begin training.

Throughout my experience - fundraising, training, and the actual trip - I will try to update every couple weeks on how things are going, more on the Bike and Build Organization, and the nation's affordable housing problem.

Please consider donating towards my trip for this amazing organization. If  you are under the age of 25 (as of May 1, 2013), consider applying and joining me for this incredible journey! If you would like to donate, please visit: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/6747. Thank you in advance for your help and support!

See below for a short video about Bike and Build:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsYmwQNzu5A