Why My Family And Friends Are Amazing

I think one of the hardest things about making this type of decision is to convince people this is simply not a pipe dream, that in a few weeks, the excitement of the prospect of this trip will NOT die down and I will not be still sitting here at my desk in three years wondering where the time went.  I've read enough trip blogs to know that the initial barrier of support from family and friends can be in surmountable and frustrating.  And this is why my family and friends are amazing.

I decided to make announce my decision on Facebook.  Oh the irony.  But it seemed like the easiest way to go, rather than having to take the time to tell the same story over and over again and rationalize why I made this decision.  And the response was overwhelmingly... supportive.  Most of my friends weren't surprised.  This was clearly the next step in the craziness that my life has ended up being.  Crazy good, that is.  My best friend's immediate reaction was "do it!"  Others have already told me they will come support me and take part in at least some part of this trip.  One good friend, who came to Cozumel to support me at the Ironman and has always been there to give me words of encouragement as I crashed my mountain bike or worked 90 hours a week, immediately started scheming a way to join me to climb Aconagua.  Another good friend decided to break his lease early so we could move together to a cheaper apartment so I can save money for this trip and has promised to join me at some point in South America, and even possibly by byk.  Others have been sending me links to blogs, gear lists, and "must see" places, trying to connect me with their host families from when they lived in South America.  I'm overwhelmed by the support.

The 3rd Annual Byk Ride Crew aka How LeeAnn Fell In Love With Byk Touring

And my family, who have, despite not quite understanding why I tick the way I do, supported me in all my crazy adventures, were probably the most supportive of all.  My big brother is considering coming down earlier in the trip to do some camping in Colombia with me.  My parents, without batting an eye, also gave me their support.  Not in a "good for you  honey" kind-of-way, but in the "is there anything I can do" and "can we visit you during the trip" kind-of-way.  That, my friends, is unconditional love because I know they have spent the last 10 years of their lives holding their breath while I throw myself out of airplanes, raft down the Peruvian Amazon on a rickety balsa log I made myself, whitewater raft over waterfalls, and everything in between.  They have supported me from the moment I walked away from having a free college education in Michigan to move to Washington, DC for a much more expensive school, to the moment I decided to go to law school, to the moment I decided to attempt an Ironman triathlon injured, and now to this.