Hey Everyone!
I'm sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. It has been a crazy past couple of week, and I'm sure it will only get crazier with Christmas just around the corner. I have some really exciting updates for you!
Update #1: MY ROUTE HAS CHANGED! 🙂 Instead of starting the trip in Puerto Rico, we will start in Columbia. I am actually really excited about this because we will be the first squad to venture into Columbia on a World Race route. It's history in the making, baby! Smells good, eh? Our second route change came with a little less joy at first. We will not be going to Vietnam in month 7 for the safety of us racers due to unrest in the country. I was really looking forward to Vietnam, as I had heard amazing things about this country from past racers and from my own research. We will instead be going to Japan during month 7! All in all, while I am bummed not to go to Vietnam, I really am starting to get excited about Japan!
Update #2: I have had crazy favor and some pretty cool testimonies come out of buying equipment! I got my both my hammock and tent both at crazy discounts! Also, I may or may not be posting this from inside the tent that came in the mail today. I also recently purchased my pack! The whole experience was really fun. My amazing friend Elizabeth accompanied me to REI to test out packs. We were there for about an hour packing and unpacking different packs full of weights so that I could get a feel for how it would feel out on the field. It is starting to feel real. Take a peek at the pack I chose! It is an Osprey Ariel 65. I love it!
All this to say, I am really excited to be moving forward in this process! Thank you so much to all of the supporters who have been supporting my equipment fund! You guys have purchased these items for my trip! I would not have been able to do it without you!
Update # 3: If you ordered a t-shirt from me, they will be here by Monday! :)) This means I will start passing them out/shipping them ASAP! If you missed the t-shirt deadline but would like one, click here to go to the blog that walks you through the ordering process. Act fast because I only ordered a limited number of extras so it will be on a first come basis!
Thanks again to each and every one of you for supporting me and believing in me as I go on what I'm sure will be the most exciting, challenging, and hardest thing God has called me to do yet!
All my love,
Shelby
