Well, here it is, the beginning of the rest of my summer: my first “blog” post. Please excuse my inexperience with blogging- by August 15th I’m sure I’ll be a pro…I’m also not sure how I’ll feel about that.

So far it’s been a wild ride, or literal lack thereof (I’ll speak of my training later). While my fund raising hit a sudden spike and rocketed to almost my required amount it has slowly come to within a couple hundred dollars of what I actually need. The whole process feels a bit like a rollercoaster ride (a bit cliché but hear me out).

I’m all strapped in: in this case with a few carbon fiber tubes strapped mechanically to my feet. I’ve started up the climb of fund raising and stop just before the peak. I’m staring down at one of the most shocking things I’ve ever seen: two months on a bicycle. A BICYCLE! You know when your dad or mom is running right behind you when you are first learning how to ride that sweet Ninja Turtle bike you got for your birthday? Maybe not. But ask me at 5 years old on that bike if I would one day ride across the U.S. on something much like it, I would have laughed, nailed the curb, broken an arm and maybe a leg and given up bikes all together.

But now, even as I stare at this…this…Titan of a rollercoaster straight down the rails, I am still inside; and doing back flips in/on my seat outside. This will be the most incredible thing I’ve ever done and I can’t wait for the rush to begin. Plunging wheels deep into my country to bring empathy and respect to people with disabilities who so often get exactly the opposite. I hope you will follow me on my Journey and see what Push America does for the people who need it. Not only will you see the thousands of faces everyone’s support has led me to paint smiles on, but you will see me change. You’ll see me bear white knuckles holding on for dear life as I speed through America and try as often as I can to slow it down and bring it to you.

Oh and did I mention you will also see how ridiculous I look in bike shorts and a helmet? Soak it in people, soak it in.

Here we go…