One Month Later… Jamie

First of all, I missed you all.

I honestly mean that. The blog provided an appropriate forum for reflection. The opportunity to look back on what happened and give it the appreciation, or lack thereof, it deserved. For instance, I went to a birthday party for a dog this past weekend.

Part of me wishes I was lying, but the other part of me wishes it had happened during the trip, because that’s exactly the kind of weird, where-did-that-come-from moment, that made writing the blog so much fun.

Yes, after a month off, it feels natural to write about Team GCC.

This reminds me, there’s some things I forgot to tell you.

1)      Frank – During the trip, Loosy received daily phone calls from banks/credit collectors inquiring about an individual named Frank. Depending on the day and his mood, Loosy’s responses would vary. Sometimes he would inform the caller that he was not Frank, sometimes he would complain and demand that the companies stop calling him, and by the end of the trip, Loosy was determined, one way or the other, to hunt Frank down and demand restitution for months of harassment. Frank, if you’re reading this, please pay your bills and update your contact information, people are looking for you.

and

2)      I’m officially the winner. By winner, I mean that I’m the only member of Team GCC without a flat tire. 50 miles biking, 10,000 miles driving, and 0 flat tires, that’s roughly 16 less than the rest of the team.

There are some other things, but their inclusion would make this post terribly long, and then none of you would buy the tell-all behind the scenes book we plan on publishing in five years.

I was instructed to write a “where are they now piece” so I’ll begin by answering literally. In a physical sense, I am back at Grove City College, on the Okie hall, located on the third floor library side of Hopeman, where my senior year began three weeks ago.

I spend my time going to class and being thankful that I don’t have to find a new place to sleep and shower every night. To compensate for my lack of blogging, I write inspirational emails to my IM sports teams. Lacrosse practice started last week and we have a lot of talented freshman on the team this year, so we’re excited to see what the season has in store for us. Practice means that my exercise routine has changed drastically. Now instead of watching people ride bikes, I’m running, lifting, and doing other activities that don’t involve driving minivans. My body is slowly but surely adjusting.

In addition to playing Lacrosse, I’m also serving on the team’s officer board as the Director of Communication.

This means that I will be blogging and partially responsible for fundraising. Too bad my summer internship didn’t provide me with any transferable skills for the position.

Beyond classes and lacrosse, I spend my time finding creative ways to annoy people with stories from that one day I spent in Glasgow, Montana or Iroquois, Illinois and telling freshman girls that I “biked” across America (*I don’t actually do this. I tell every girl I biked across America, not just freshman).

No one can separate this special bond.

In other news, I pass the Grover Rover on a semi-regular basis and I’m touched with a pang of nostalgia every time I see it. One time I walked all the way over to it before I realized that I had neither the need nor means to actually drive it anywhere. Real smooth on my part.

I’m also in the process of reading the blog. When we made it to the east coast, I would occasionally meet devoted followers of the blog, and they would ask about certain events, and I would have no answer to elucidate their points of inquiry, let alone any recollection of ever recording them. It has been an enjoyable experience to go back and relive moments, refresh memories, and enjoy a good laugh over ridiculous experiences.

I have to admit, there have been times where I made myself laugh out loud. Anyone who knows me knows that it’s not necessarily hard to make me laugh, but if I do say so myself, I impressed myself at moments.

I also noticed a couple posts where I wasn’t impressed and the blog felt a little off, and for those subpar posts I blame the cyclists. I feel bad throwing the cyclists under the bus like that, so I’ll take some of the blame. I have enjoyed looking back and convincing myself that this was real life.

As much as I’ve looked back, I’ve realized that upon completing an adventure like ours, it is tempting to refuse to let it go and do everything in your power to hold on to it. To desperately try and prolong it because you were comfortable, and you can either grasp for something that is never going to be the way it was, or you can focus pouring your time and energy on something new, something else that has the potential to make an impact.

You can talk about your one success, or you can try again and believe that you have something else to offer the world.

Homecoming is an opportunity to look back in a healthy way. To celebrate what was accomplished, reunite with friends we made along the way, and share with people who weren’t aware of what happened this summer.

I’m excited.

Reading Mack’s blog yesterday just reminded how great this weekend is going to be. So I guess the answer to the question, “where am I?” is that I’m in a great place. The bands getting back together, how could I not be?