6439 miles on a tandem bicycle.

On August 1, 2009, The Pedouin family embarked with their 3 daughters (ages 6, 4, & 2) on a cross country bicycle journey starting in Kentucky and arriving in Fairbanks a year and 6439 miles later. Over the last winter they wrote a book about their incredible journey on a 5 seat tandem bicycle. Now they are traveling by bus across the country doing a book tour.
On friday the Pedouin family stopped at REI for a few hours to sign and sell copies of their books.  They are an incredible and inspiring family. My shift ended early so I was able to go and talk with them for awhile. They showed me around their bus and the little girls told me stories of their bike ride. It was so much fun! The mother and her 3 girls all gave me a hug before they left and the father told me "Abbigail, whatever you do, live big"

Check out their website www.pedouins.org

I don't know if I'd ever do a 6500 mile bike trip across the country, but at some point in my life I want to do something that qualifies as "living big!"... most of the ideas that I come up with I kinda chuckle at and say to myself  "haha, come on Abbi, think realistically here"... but maybe thats the point, to NOT think realistically! so here's my list of UNREALISTIC adventures I would like to attempt!
- Climb Mt. McKinley.
- Motorcycle trip from southern point of South America to northern point of North America
- Back-packing trip from Pacific to Atlantic
- Bike from Alaska to somewhere in the lower 48 states
- travel to Antarctica
- travel to the MOON!
- .... ok i cant think of anymore at the moment. but i'll come up with some good ones later.

I refer to my black sweatpants as my formal sweatpants.

Life right now feels like.... well that I'm at the starting line ready to go, but no one has fired the shot to start yet. I'm getting anxious and impatient and... well frustrated! I spent a lot of my time today sitting on my air-mattress in my bedroom that I have barely filled with the essential items I need. Way to be proactive, yes? In my last post I mentioned that I felt like I was stuck in a hole. I've decided to move into my sisters apartment in Anchorage and do some job hunting around town. One job seems very promising and I'm just waiting on the official call saying, "You're Hired!".... but... my phone has been silent today (except for a call from my dad trying to convince me to become a police officer...).  Yep.... waiting... it's great.

On another note - Today was probably one of the most beautiful Alaskan summer day's I had ever seen! It was absolutely perfect ♥  

‎10:00pm - Windows down and Tom Petty cranked up - 

My drive back to Anchorage was spectacular! I LOVE this state!!

Whats my age again?

I found this book I made when I was in Elementary school (more like 3 pieces of paper stapled together) bout what my future would look like. I wrote "When I'm 23 I'll be cool!"... (it went on to say I'd be married and have babies too... but 7 year olds dont know anything). Well, my 23rd birthday is this Friday! And I think it'll be a pretty "cool" year :) How can it not?!........ (I had to go knock on wood, I could feel a cloud of misfortune start to drift my way as I said that).

MY OUTLOOK FOR 2011:

GO BACK TO COLLEGE: I plan to start school again in the fall at LDSBC in Business Entrepreneurship.

TAKE A ROAD TRIP WITH A FRIEND: I gotta get my jeep down to Utah some way don't I?

GO THRU THE TEMPLE: I'm cleaning up my life so I can achieve this goal. I have found myself happier in pursuit of this.

MORE OUTDOORSY:  I want to kayak, bike, hike, raft, snowboard, ski, camp, snowmachine, atv, fish, hunt, sled, snowshoe, & climb all within the next year.... oh yes! And I want to go paintballing!

TAKE MORE PICTURES: I've noticed I take pictures when I'm bored and not when I'm actually out doing stuff... most of my pictures from last year are pretty lame... gotta fix this.

GET OUT AND SEE THINGS: concerts, sports, plays.... etc.