Beauty Behind Faith

“Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. “ Khalil Gibran

Does anyone else ever have those days/weeks/months where it feels like every question running through your head is being answered through daily occurrences? Well, that has been the case for me in this summer tour finale. I’ve had my questions about faith and about the power of God’s grace, and all have been answered directly or indirectly through all the amazing people I have had the privilege to meet along the way. Sermons I have attended seem to be directed straight at me, religious metaphors have nailed it on all on the head, and every person I meet brings a new unique light into my life. I am more comfortable in my thoughts and my words with these experiences and it is all because of faith. A thank you is owed to everyone that I have met along the way.

As we headed to Colorado I felt more and more in my comfort zone. The rest of the trip was more or less worked out, so the rest of the trip was all about enjoying it. Colorado feels like a second home to me and this was only my third visit to the area. After jetting to the venue we headed to stay with some couch surfing friends. My friend Jackie had made a great recommendation for a girl she stayed with on her visit earlier this year. Sara turned out to be a great fit. She had done a similar tour with a gospel group a few years ago so she was totally aware of life on the road, and knew exactly how to accommodate us. We ventured out in Fort Collins (my new favorite town) and found a good beer and some Ethiopian food, over rich conversation that Jesse always seems to spark. We figured if we are trying to raise funds for Ethiopian women then it was crucial that I knew the taste (however Americanized it was) of the culture.

The next day was the festival. This time the festival was only one day so it was quite refreshing not getting burned out on saying almost the exact same thing over, and over, and over again, at least not for days at a time. We still did fairly well, connected with some old friends, and I learned quickly that I dislike the smell of coconut. With only one day we made some awesome contacts in the Colorado area, it is great to see people so pumped about joining the stand.

Sara was extremely accommodating here as well, we had two extra festival tickets so we gave them to her and her roommate. They showed up with deluxe sandwiches and root beer milk, yes, root beer milk. … best stuff ever! I made nearly all our festival friends try it. It was a hit, although when most people hear root beer milk they don’t see the beauty in the combination.

The next day we went to church with Sara. The moment we walked in the door it seemed so fitting. The church was held in a coffee shop with local art all over the places. The worship music was full of moving and uplifting lyrics and the sermons filled me up for the day. It was the most uplifting service I have ever been to, and clarified for me that I believe in beautiful things. Jesse and I had to take off early for a big MyFight meeting in Denver with the Micro Financing Institution that we are working with in Honduras. Jesse attended the meeting and I wandered downtown Denver and found my favorite bookstore where I spent some time absorbing the morning. After finding some books to my library I wandered back to meet up with Jesse. While I was sitting on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop waiting for Jesse I was joined by a seemingly addict and radioactive homeless man, who upon reading the title of my books tried to engage in a theological discussion that was out of both of our leagues. As I was sitting there while he was saying some pretty harsh things about religion I kept myself calm and distracted by playing with my iPod, with my phone on my lap, and my Kindle in my bag. I realized how fortunate I am, I felt to guilt of my fortune instantly. This man treating me like an equal and addressed me as “sister,” despite the fact that I was clearly in a different class than him. He didn’t ask for anything from me, just a listening ear. The man had his issues and had made some intense statements that had ignited an unfriendly fire inside me, but it was nice to relate on some level.

This was a nice day off overall, we got some coffee, I went on a hike, and we had a nice dinner after a bold phone call to the host stand made by Jesse to get noticed. That evening we stayed at a friend from the roads new apartment. We rested up for the long drive to Vegas the next day. This drive was beautiful. We started in the mountains of Colorado, and heading west we got to drive through most of it. After a pit stop in Grand Junction to see the Light Gives Heat office (friends that I met on the road next year,) I think that Jesse got a lot out of meeting them and seeing entrepreneurship from another perspective. The rest of the drive was through the red rocks of Utah. A-Freaking-Mazing. One of the few drives I was entertained through the whole thing.

We pulled into Vegas late where we had amazing arrangements with our new friends from Grand Canyon University. Lucky us they had two extra beds and extra money to spend on dinner that night. We had some tasty Indian food and then wandered the strip. I can honestly say I think that Vegas was way better when I was seven. Everything seemed brighter and bigger back then. Now it seems it would only be enjoyable somewhat intoxicated. Although, it was nice to meet up with some other roadies and watch the local street drum crew and the August Rush style guitarist.

The next morning Jesse and I enjoyed an awesome hotel breakfast (sparking motivation for the next part of our trip) and hit the road. The drive to California wasn’t nearly as intoxicating, but it was neat driving right up to the coast upon our arrival. California is more dynamic than popular culture makes you think. Monterey proved to be extremely chilly with a dense fog sandwiching a powerful daytime sun. It was like a real fall, kinda nice since we don’t get much of those up north. The one issue that we really had was the wind. Since our booth space was much bigger this festival, when Jesse felt the wind he decided to set up his tent on the vendor island. Since we paid for the camp space and because I like camping I decided to set up at our site-located on top of a hill. Not my wisest decision yet. The second night I returned to my tent to find it flipped. Luckily I had left my bag in it so that was holding it to the ground; otherwise my tent would have blown away. I ended up having to crash in our friends’ booth space. They had a nice futon so it made my sleeps quite nice.



I found this festival extremely entertaining because people started figuring out my true nature. One, that I am a wanderer. I have a hard time staying in one place for an extended period of time. Especially when there are exciting new people to meet. Two, that I am a mooch. Or as I like to put it, I surround myself with people that take care of me and let me utilize those things that they have and I don’t. Food, water, showers, floor space, and access to the cyber world all fall under this category. I’m just good at embracing it and meeting the people who let me be me.

Another huge bonus this festival had was the luxury of time. Jesse and I allowed ourselves to stay up later so we could fully enjoy what the last festival had to offer. We hung out at friends hotels rooms, stayed up past close to chat with other vendors, had a beach campfire with our new favorite band, and tested out the local brewery for a farewell brew. New and old people enriched our experience and it was worth every minute.

This was the festival it all started clicking. We made the right connections. Figured out the power of connecting and helping bands. Hopefully we will see continued growth through those famous connections we made.

The excitement didn’t end at the end of this festival. The morning after close we woke up bright and early to go sailing in San Francisco. Jesse had a friend who made amazing arrangements for us. We sailed with her friend who had done cross-world sailing trips. What he has seen seems magical and you could tell he enjoyed everything about it. It was a nice relaxing Sunday, we were strangers to
the people we were sailing with so we were allowed to really enjoy the full experience internally. Naturally, being the social beings that we both are, we eventually socialized and made a few new friends. Jesse says no one is safe talking to me. I have the luck to be able to befriend those I wish and in effect encourage them to get on board with our mission, by buying a shirt or an event. You can say the sailing trip, in that respect, was no different than the festivals.

Beyond the people, sailing itself was the most peaceful experience I have had. As life goes on around you, you are allowed to fully enjoy the turns and fresh air rushing by. I was nearly thoughtless when I got to sit on the front of the boat.

San Fransico was more than a success. Sailing set the day right, and then Jesse and I both got time to spend time with some dear friends of ours. I was lucky enough to enjoy some overly spicy food with the one and only Sarah Craig. We both are in similar points in our lives and it was excited to exchange all the fun new opportunities life has presented for us. Plus, we tested out a pie shop. Life doesn’t get much better than pie with a good friend.

After staying the night on his friends sail boat we headed home. Being the site seers that we are we headed for the redwood forest. Being the little person that I am it was utterly amazing, what was neat about it is that it would have the same effect on a person of any size. We left the Redwood Forest and I wanted to see the drive that everyone talked to highly about up California 1. Minor mistake. This decision took us on a road trip twice as long as intended. For anyone who is wondering, you can’t get off of 1 or 101 as easily as you might think, but it is totally worth it. Winding up coast was beautiful, scaling over the 4000 plus feet of mountains was quite a view, and getting onto the interstate in time to enjoy breathe taking colors of the sun set topped off the day. No matter how long it was, it was one of the prettiest days I have had.

We made it to Craig’s in Corvallis to get some sleep and breakfast before we headed to Missoula for the night. Again, it was nice to be able to catch up with friends in both places and share our journey.
The last day of the trip Jesse was nice enough to let me stop and see my Mom in Butte and my Dad at home. In the end he got experience his first pasty, something no Montanan should go without trying. We pulled into Billings late in the evening and got some time to on our own, and relax…kinda. Relaxing isn’t something that is easy for either of us to do.

The festival tour was an overall amazing experience. I got to travel, meet new people, learn about myself more than I thought possible in two months, all in the name of something that I am passionate about. MyFight has showed me my calling, and got me hooked on its mission… and opened up the door for endless adventures.

Friends, Family, and Fire

Before the last festival I received a letter. The letter told me I was beautiful and what I was doing was admirable. What is most interesting is that the author of this letter met me and greeted me with a warm hug only two hours earlier. The letter had already been drafted, but it was evident that what I am doing with MyFight has been a guiding force in her life this summer. It made me proud of what I am doing and hope that I have had the impact and the power to inspire more people to follow through on their ambitions and to “be the change.” I fell upon MyFight at a coffee shop to a random visit home. After following up on my findings I was hooked and sucked in to a whirlwind of adventures that has become my life this summer. If I can do it, anyone can. I have found that the most important things are to follow through, listen to your heart, and trust.
The past few weeks have been full of comfort. After leaving some new and old friends in the cities I was greeting by a show of support in Jamestown. We held an event at Meeting Grounds with very little to it. People still showed up and bought shirts without fully knowing our cause; they just came to support me and learn about what I have been busy with. Others bought shirts when I was hanging around the coffee shop the next day and my old coworker did her fair share of promoting for us. After a long first month on the road this is exactly what I needed to get a second wind for the last push of the summer.
In Jamestown I followed my routine from the start of summer. Morning run, morning walk to the coffee shop, life chat with my dear friend Courtney, walk to the res with Lauryn, and an evening topped off with a good beer and Mac and Cheese pizza with the whole crew. It was comforting to see that life hasn’t changed much since I left, seems like the small town will still has its quirks. This time was perfect for both Craig and I to catch up with our minds.
From Jamestown we headed to the next festival in Rapid City, South Dakota. Again, I got refreshment from old faces. We stayed with my friend Quinn the first night to fully experience their downtown Summer Nights. The night was filled with random bar hopping, and meeting the whole town whom Quinn seems to play soccer with. The next morning I went on a hilly run and was reminded of what training is really like. Through this I’ve found that I really miss the feeling of exertion that used to consume my summers when training for soccer. It just means I have to start pushing for something more.

After finding a delicious local sub shop, Craig and I headed to the hills with my old soccer Coach. Ben is a new dad and loving his lifestyle since he relocated to the Black Hills. This is the fourth time I’ve stayed with him since he moved down there and he never fails to keep every moment eventful. The hike was a perfect way to top of the week. I had really been missing the great outdoors and needed the fresh air that you can only find at the summit of a hike. Something about the view at the top never fails to remind me how great life really is.

The week seemed to get us back on the right foot to make a solid showing at the hidden secret of Hills Alive. Little did we know the heat that awaited us for the weekend. The afternoon reached to over 100 degrees with an intense amount of humidity, quite a change from the rainy and cold festivals from the start of summer. I easy downed a gallon of water and never had the need to pee. One of our fellow roadies got stuck in the sun for the heat of the afternoon without any sort of covering. Poor kid had quite a week full of unlucky event, and ended up suffering from heat stroke the first day of the festival. Luckily while I was covering for him to get some shade a festival official noticed the blaring sun and got him a nice tent to keep him cool for the remainder of the festival.

Once again this festival proved to be a different atmosphere than the others. This one was a free music festival in the heart of Rapid City. The people walking around seemed to be those C and E Christians just out to enjoy a day in the park. Something that I think is needed in a religious society. Although it was healthy to see the less extreme practices of Christianity because it was a better picture of the true American society, it caused a bit more anxiety about keeping a closer eye on inventory. Yet, we all made it out alive (barely in some cases) and with a significant amount of success.

The next journey proved to be one of our tightest journeys. We had to make it the West coast (or close to) in two days. We headed to Billings and met up with Jesse for a nice treat with nachos, spinach dip, and margaritas. I’ve decided that food and drinks is one of the best ways to say thank you, even if it takes three restaurants to get the best of the best. Afterwards I got to break away to spend some time with my mini me’s. They wanted to go swimming and didn’t believe me when I went to get my swimming gear on. It was a good way to enjoy and summer weather and drop of gifts from the road. My niece Brook asked me why I got them presents, my only response was that maybe I liked them/ how could I not buy Oshkosh overalls while in Oshkosh. After our stop in Billings we went to stay at my house. My family treated us to some of my favorite pizza and “Birthday” dessert. It was a good time to be home and make a few pit stops to check in with my people.

The next morning we left bright and early and powered through the rest of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. In Idaho we stopped to see Craig’s friend (the one who wrote me the letter). I let the two of them spend some time together, while I explored one of my favorite downtowns. Later that evening we met up with the rest of our team in Enumclaw and made some hot cocoa over a warm propane stove and hit the hay to recover from the journey and rest up for the big weekend ahead of us.

Creation Northwest proved to be our best event by far. People in the Northwest were easily attracted to our booth with the best spot in the venue. Also, adding an interactive part of the booth made it easier for people to comprehend the power of micro-financing and the value one t-shirt can have. This was enlightening after struggling to get light of understanding to turn on for people all summer. At Creation, nearly every conversation you could see it click in their eyes the significance of the issue and the impact of their purchase. We even got other vendors excited and involved in the count of the number of people we were empowering. Good time all around.

What was best about the trek to the west was my day to get away. For the traveling crew of MyFight I am the only one on all summer. So when I heard that Jesse was bringing some friends out to Creation I jumped on the luxury of more people and requested a day off. I spent it in Seattle with my lifetime friend and neighbor, Katie. We explored Pikes Place, where I found cherries (my summer addiction) for an amazing price, and saw the more local atmosphere of the city. We even got our nose and ear pierces (my nose, her ear) by the best rock, paper, scissor champion there ever was.
I was extremely glad I got to see her while I was out there. Our friendship has endured a lot of changes and there is no one more deserving of a friendly visit. After telling Katie about the summer and breaking down what we do at MyFight, she told me that she could tell this is where my heart is. As much as I jump around with what I want to do with my life she keyed in on how fitting this was for my lifestyle, passions and knowledge base. Hearing that from someone who knows me so well reaffirmed the value of this summer.

After packing up from our successful weekend we met up at the bar with other roadies. For a lot of them this was there last festival, and it was fun to have a nice send of karaoke style. The next morning we headed to out after filling up our fortieth coffee stamp of the weekend. Our next destination was my families cabin on Ennis Lake. We met up with remainders of the YWAM crew and Caleb- my partner from the first part of the trip. The evening was spent with amazing conversation and reflection of the summer under the Big Sky Country. It was excited to share this with everyone, especially Andrew who got to see his first shooting star. The next morning we celebrated the start of Jesse’s birthday by going cliff jumping and rope swinging. By midday we sent the YWAMers off and greeting my friends from home for a trip to the old ghost town Virginia City, a little more cliff jumping, and a night around the fire with friend and other roadies. Jesse was impressed by my ability to unite life on the road and life at home, because of the difference of the people and lifestyles.

(c) Caleb Stumberg

We bid Ennis adieu the next morning and headed to Bozeman to see Jenn-the girl I originally traveled with last year to Creation East. The three of us wandered downtown and headed to the farmers market for all of us to learn our kidneys are off balance and livers are on edge from the acupuncture booth. Ah the life of a man needing some new customers. Jesse and I then headed to Billings where we have an event tomorrow. He and his friend Tensy, who helped at Creation, treated me to a surprise day at the spa with a nice massage, haircut, and eyebrow wax. What a treat! Appreciation and gratitude for all the work I have put in are unnecessary, but definitely make it more worth the ride and give me able to enjoy the few hours of serenity before we hit the festival life again...

Smiles for MIles

There is nothing like the expressions of amusement and complete happiness on a friends face. Nothing. It is so completely contagious that it is hard to tell if it is radiating from you or others. This is something I have come to fully embrace watching friends and families at festivals and being around my new and old friends on the road. Whether it be the simplify of a chocolate covered banana, amazing lyrics in a song, or the adrenaline rush of a water park- complete bliss is written all over peoples’ faces and is one of the most enlightening experiences I have encountered….

Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin proved to an amazing reunion with old friends that we had to split ways with before our trek to and from the east. The night before the festival I was lucky enough to time a reunion with an old friend from home who happened to be in the area. It was nice to catch up and get that taste of home after missing the typical Montana Fourth of July festivities. Although it was great, it did not take relieve the chaos of the next day. With inventory and set up completed at the last minute we were running of fumes going into day one. It helped that our Visible Music College friends were just across the isle from us while our first festival neighbors, YWAM were almost directly behind us. Plus my new fair trade friend located behind our big curtain. It was easy to escape for a few minutes to share a random fact, get a rejuvenating hug or high five, or point a sneaky loaded rubber band gun in the middle of conversation. Initially, Lifest seemed like a bust, but that quickly changed when a few groups became very passionate about what we are doing and bought multiple shirts. This is more of what we are pushing for this festival anyways; people who want to keep working with us to host an event in our fall tour. So after a rough start it really picked up and people pulled through for us as usual.

The overall atmosphere of this festival was a bit skewed from that of previous festivals. It was more of a family event then a Christian event. But it was here I really started to feel my religious pull. I wasn’t as deterred from an overly strict atmosphere that surrounded the other festivals. After and amazing dinner and chat with the old friends with the group Restoring Eden I was able to fully verbalize my sentiments towards organized religion and my internal spiritual pull. Which in my experience, seem to continuously butt heads. This tour is proving to be an amazing experience in so many realms and is motivating me to really touch base with the benevolence of a higher being. Simple things, like the beauty of a smile and the joy of laughter are continuously reminding me that this life is a gift and needs to be continuously celebrated and explored. I’ve been extremely encouraged to push myself outside my comfort zone and continue learning in order to be fully able to define my connection to the divine.

Going to the biggest water park in the Country, Noah’s Ark really solidified how awesome this experience is. I went with the YWAM crew and loved every minute of it. The look of Andrews face going down the Sting Ray, the scream let out by Stephen before a straight drop on a slide, the nonstop smile of Erika, the childish nature of David, and the calm and daring nature of Rheanne. I’ve found that beyond feeding off of other peoples energy I am completely addicted to adrenaline and love the steep drops and moments of weightlessness that send your stomach into an explosion of butterflies. The park can be summarized in one word. Epic.

Speaking of adrenaline, my endorphin kick has been very much satisfied on this cross-country adventure. I’m finding amusement in running in different areas of the country, city to farmland. It keeps it from getting monotonous, and I seem to be able to find all sorts of new places.
After a relaxing drive the Twin Cities, it was refreshing to touch base with my close friend Kendra. As different as we are, we have a strange understanding and acceptance of each others lifestyle's and outlook on life. It is always good to be reminded of that comfort. Plus, I felt pretty special this morning when I got to walk her to her first day of grad school and send her off on the bus.
The rest of this week has been long anticipated and I am overly excited for tonight’s birthday celebration, my visit to Jamestown, and the festival in South Dakota. The familiarity of my second home is a perfect halfway mark for my summer long journey.

Rugged Roadie

A day in the life of a roadie is one that involves very little sleep, a lot of dirt stuck in between your toes, much talking, lots of new faces, and an overwhelming abundance of ice cream. In all, its a pretty fantastic fit for me. I have missed the comfort of familiar faces, but that void is starting to be filled with my traveling festival family whether it be at the festivals themselves or stopping in for a night in the city. It is absolutely great!

Creation was the same way. It was the one festival I had already been to so I knew my way around the place as well as the pace of the festival. I was excited to get there and see our booth buddies from last year, sadly enough this was the first year in the thirty plus years of the festival that they haven't been there. They had held down the exact same location for every festival up until this year... kinda sad. Even with that minor hiccup I found that the most comforting thing at this festival was asking people if they had heard about us and them responding in a positive note about having our shirts, loving them, and loving what our organization does. All I could do was smile at this response, because it shows our progress. I even started talking to a girl, made eye contact and blurted out "I have a picture of you on my computer!" Needless to say she had been by to visit last year too.
Overall creation was a huge success, once we got on the right page we were really rolling and sold out of a lot of gear. Which, despite how hard as it makes still selling the shirts, was awesome! Seeing and hearing about it all clicking together is the best reward ever.

Outside of the business end of things we made some great new friends with new organizations, got to know some others that we had already been traveling with a bit better, and fully embraced the camping experience. Up until this festival we had failed to have a camp fire or s'mores. For those of you who fully register this, you know that me without my marshmallows just doesn't fit. It was a much needed treat. I also learned an awesome new treat... hobo pies! Possibly the greatest camping idea ever. Two pieces of bread, pie filling, put in a sandwich skewer and cooked in the coals of the fire. Second best pie I've had, right behind the famous Randi, Griffin, Fred, and Kodee pies. Great way to top off a festival.

The festival was full of spaz moments on my part. Some classy quotes illuminating my intelligence (or lack thereof), kept everyone on their toes. So did the lovely rubber-band I shot at my own face trying to get someone across the booth. Karma. Just to be topped off with me leaving my phone in Columbus after lunch and coffee and not realizing it until we were 27 miles out. Joy.

Sunday we hit the road again and missed a possible sailing trip with the ice cream man previously mentioned to get to Indianapolis to spend some time with our Undignified family. Like I said, it is comforting to have those familiar faces that you get so excited to see. We had a blast with Joel and Sarah, meeting their friend who had just returned from a mission and summarizing all their awkward animal jokes/ funny daily sayings. There is a good chance I gained 10 pounds in a six hour period while in Indianapolis. We had to try the classic Steak & Shake milkshakes at one in the morning, and of course 6' 5" Joel had to get us all larges as an appetizer to our 6 am breakfast made up of Oreo pancakes. Absolutely delicious, totally worth every pound that may result from it!It was unfortunate that our stay had to be so short again, but at least I know I always have a place to visit.

From Indianapolis we headed to the Windy City to spend our Independence day. Here we met up with the YWAMers and got a taste of Chicago... the big silver ball, the John Hancock building, and the Navy Pier with fireworks. Not to forget the classic deep dish pizza that made me feel as if it would have been easier to roll down the street rather than walk. It may be one of those once and a lifetime experiences, because that is far too full for me.

I have come to a conclusion, after spending the past two Fourth of July holidays in New York and Chicago I have decided that cities are not for me. Too many people, too much planning. Take me to my Mountains, with my overly nice people, little traffic, and I will be set. This tour of the U.S. is showing me that more and more with every stop. I am learning a lot about myself along this trip, and I hope to continue learning and define myself more.

Wisconsin is our next stop, I am so excited to be in familiar territory close to some of my favorite people in the world!

Toes in the...errr... Mud...

I feel like the song "Rain rain go away, come again another day." Has been constantly going through my head at the first two festivals. The funny thing is it doesn't really rain... it pours... for a good hour or two, and then the weather is perfectly comfortable. Our last day in Indi was just like that. Driving around we found out what flash flood and water planing really meant. The water built up on the roads to completely cover the entire sacrifice with a solid six inches of water, making it nearly impossible for some cars to maneuver. In addition to that, water planing was probably the word of the day around the city. Ask our new friend James. We were traveling around town with him when we got to experience it first hand. The car water planed right into the back of a van that already had a dent in the exact same spot we hit it. No damage done, we just continued our journey after a nice hand shake with the van driver.

The rain lasted long enough for me to have the most amazing Chai ever, and for everyone to catch up with internet usage. After the storm spit we headed over to house pool with our Undignified family. It was the perfect day to relax and BBQ with friends (and family for that matter.) I also got to expand my new Mac and Cheese fascination by putting it on my turkey burger. Thanks Tony for the BEST IDEA EVER! Mac and cheese burger, mac and cheese pizza, what else can mac and cheese make ten times better?

As it turns out Indianapolis is a pretty neat city. We got to see all different ends of of it. The best part was walking the canal with Joel and Sara while getting a reenactment of their engagement. The canal was beautiful, although somewhat disappointing that we couldn't swim in it due to the city's need to dye it for random holidays.

The next day we headed to Columbus Ohio for some good old fashioned couch surfing. We were wandering what is called the German district and met an amazing lady, Betsy, who informed us the neighborhood we were arranged to stay in wasn't the safest of places. She mentioned that she had an Avatar tree and fireflies at night. Sold! We opted to stay there and spend the whole night under the tree and watching the fireflies. Fireflies are a new thing for me and I have to say they are awesome, although I constantly thought there were sparks from the candle flying in the air. I've spent too much time around fire shooting fires.

We packed up our stuff the next morning and headed out bright and early to Alive. Alive is located on Atwood Lake and it is an awesome camp site. Unfortunately our camp site was a good half mile from the vendor tent which made our breaks that much shorter. Alive was much less stressful. People actually knew where to go and who to see, it was a big load off of my shoulders since I seemed to have inherited my mothers ability to worry about the little things. At Alive we met some more awesome people. The ice cream man Keith was overly generous with his old fashioned ice cream. He loved my visits and always left me with a full bowl of ice cream afterward. Delicious! What a great man.

As for other merchandise vendors, I was most impressed by the organization Ride Nature which is designed to bring board sports to kids in poverty. Their attitude about everything they did was so positive and incredibly contagious. Because of that, I want to go on a surf trip with them and try to help them tap into Montana's beautiful mountains with some kids. Uh oh... another project.
Alive proved to be another rainy festival. Except this time we got to fully experience mud. After a downpour the field you had to travel through was a complete mud pit. If only I wasn't trying to sell people sweet shirts I would have been sliding it in without hesitation. Mind you, this could have presented an issue seeing how I refuse pay three dollars for a shower (my only clean option at this festival.) Maybe next time...

I have now made my way further east to Pennsylvania. The past few days have been relaxing hanging out with my friend Jeremy that I met out here last year. His hometown Bellefonte is fully of amazing architecture that has been fun to experiment with my Nikon's photo abilities. It's been nice to get some Kodee time after dropping off Caleb. Being around people 24/7 leaves little you time, but it makes your really appreciate it when you get it. My second roadie flew in last night so the adventure can continue...

Next stop Creation...

Way Down South

Oy….the beginning of this journey has completely taken me by storm (followed by a double rainbow.) Instead of catching up on sleep I should have practiced surviving on little to no sleep. Little did I know my summer was in the hands of the best procrastinator I have ever encountered, believe me I know some hard people to beat in that category…  but it’s all a part of the adventure.

Upon arriving in Billings I was thrown into a frenzy or rolling t-shirts, setting up the booth, taking inventory, and packing the car like the game Tetris.  As exhausting as it was, it was very necessary to be a part of. In the process of this all I learned a lot about the structure and practice of My Fight that I wouldn’t have known without hands on experiences. Not to mention, it was a blast to hang out with the people behind the movement.

The best part about it was the run we did. We drove two hours out to Fort Smith, Montana for the “Not Another Dam Run.” This seems like a horrible idea when we were as crunched for time as we were, but it was totally worth it. Driving out there I was planning on running the 5K, but upon arriving I heard that that 10K was basically a one-time opportunity (at least on an annual basis.) The trail went up and over the dam defined as the “grand canyon on Montana.” Sounds fun right? Welp, after I huffed and puffed at a snails pace up the mile long hill ending at the dam’s crossing it totally was. The view, along with the endorphin high was phenomenal. I could easily say breath taking, if at that moment I had had any breath to take away.  After making it up the hill I coasted the last half of the race over more easily terrain and met some amazing people along the way, and ended up making a contact for South Africa if I ever get around to visiting.

But… now we are on the road and it has been a pretty eventful experience so far. The driving is never the most enjoyable part of the ride, but we did our best to take time and enjoy the scenery. We found Mount Rushmore is less than extraordinary, but something every American should see.

As for Ichthus, it has been quite an adventure too. I’d like to introduce this festival with one story in mind: Andrew Hammond and his Jesus fish story. Ichthus is the name for the Jesus fish, and I can’t help but giggle to myself when I think of Andrew and the girl who Jesus fished him. Snap!

To continue the adventure, when we were about a mile out we were in a flash flood twice. When we finally made it to the farm the vendor booth that been “compromised” meaning that the combination of a man in a golf cart and a huge gust of wind had successfully knocked over a portion of the tent. Sales were delayed long enough for Caleb and I to regain our strength for the long days of breaking down the idea of micro financing.

What really helped keep us going through the long hours were the amazing people we met at the festival. I feel like I’m using the term “amazing” far too much, but it is completely appropriate. The booth next to us was a mission group called YWAM, all of the people who work there are energetic and have a contagious passion for everything they do.  Not to mention they took care of us by sharing food and a shelter during the severe thunderstorm that shut down the entire festival for a few hours.  I’m looking forward to getting to know them better with all the festivals we will be at with them. It has been enlightening being around them and discovering the true power of a prayer.

Friends are not hard to come by at these events. Another t-shirt company at the festival has been gracious enough to open their homes to us and take us around Indianapolis for a few days to fully experience the meaning of southern hospitality. Thank you to everyone with Undignified you all are awesome and great to spend time with.

Needless to say I am excited for what is to come with the rest of the festivals. I hope to build lasting relationships and continue to make new and different friends along the open road.

Salute to Jamestown

After leaving Jamestown I find it fitting to start a Blog, especially with the adventures I have before me with MyFIght and teaching English in South America. With that said, I know I will have a hard time leaving this place behind. I came to Jamestown an athlete and I left a student of life. Sounds corny, I know, but it’s the truth.

People always asked me, “Why Jamestwon?” after hearing I come from beautiful Bozeman. My answer was always athletics, but the question should really be “What keeps you coming back?” My answer to that would be the atmosphere and the people. I came here because I wanted to be college athlete, but in the process I found out more about myself than I thought was possible. I now have the tools in life to succeed in anything I might want to do, whatever that may be. Something amazing for someone as lost in dreams as me.

As for the is the people. The people I have met here have had huge impacts on my life. I don’t know what I would do without my friends and family that I’ve acquired here. I know we’ve all had our ups and downs, but because of that I have grown in so many spectrums of life. So as I leave Jamestown I’d like to give a big thanks to all who have supported me in my random endeavors. To the professors who sparked and maintained my interest in so many random subjects, to teammates who pushed me to be a leader on an off the field, to coworkers who inspired me to be my best in everything I do, and to my friends who have been the shoulder to lean on and to bring on all my adventures.

This place has taught me more than anyone could expect, I am glad I ventured to where said I never would. It just goes to show, me at least, how important it is to step outside your comfort zone…. Now the real adventure begins with my first step (and wheel) my long open road….