Like a Bow and Arrow

Well, we had another very successful garage sale this weekend: this time in Renae's hometown of Mound, MN. We are very grateful to the Pool's for letting us set up truckloads of donated clothes and toys in their yard for the weekend. Over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we made $1836, which puts us over the the $5000 mark for fundraising...WOW! And we couldn't have done it without all the help from friends and family. It's amazing to think about how many people have already chosen to be a part of our journey, and how many people have invested a piece of themselves in our dreams... and the actual trip has yet to begin! It's a very humbling feeling, and I feel full of both excitement and responsibility, to make the most of everyone's faith and support, and to make the absolute biggest impact possible.

Renae's sister Elena helping make signs

Just like at the sale in Grand Forks, we collected people's stories, advice, and well wishes along with the money. It's crazy how many people either know someone who has, or they themselves have gone on an adventure similar to ours. And what they have to say always seems to fall along the same lines: it's a great experience, and it will change your life forever. I don't have many complaints about my life so far, but I'm sure the change will still be for the better. My born-and-raised North Dakotan viewpoint is about to get a bit of a shock, that's for sure... And I can't wait!

Side Note: NDSU starts classes tomorrow, all my friends are buying notebooks and printing off schedules, and I'm on campus surrounded by freshmen, all of whom seem so excited and energetic. Based on how sad I was on my last day of school in May, I thought I would be way more sad to not be a part of it all once classes rolled around again. And as excited as I am for all of these seemingly tiny new college kids, it definitely feels right to not join their ranks. I have loved my time in Fargo so, SO much, but I'm finally feeling like it's time to move on. The world is at my fingertips, and I can't wait to explore it. Plus, like my friend Zach said to me tonight, "just like an arrow in a bow, you can't move forward toward your goal, toward your target, until you let go of what's holding you back." So as hard as it sometimes is to leave a part of your life behind, especially if it was an awesome one, you can't take the next leap ahead until you do. So for now, I'll leave all that studying to those eager freshmen (yes, you actually have to study in college), the cheering to the Bison fans (national championship #3 coming our way!), and the easy-going college lifestyle to all of those out there living it. It's a great time of life so live it up, but you better believe it only leads to bigger and better things. And those things can come in many forms, so decide what makes you happy, or what your dream is, or how you can attempt to change the world for the better, and make it happen.

Over and out,
Jenna Flynn

P.S. 41 days and counting

From the minds of dreamers...

Well, we counted it up.... 66 days until we leave the country! It seems crazy that we've been talking about this adventure for four years now, and it's finally so close. Granted, the details have changed a bit from when we were carefree 18 year olds, dreaming of a horseback journey across the continent, but I couldn't be happier with the direction its taken.

I can't even remember the first conversation Renae and I had about the trip. Where were we? Who said it first? I think it's just been a part of us as long as we've been friends, embedded in our friendship from the day we sat by each other at freshman orientation. From that moment we knew we'd be friends, just like we've both always known that we have the need to explore the huge world in front of us, in hopes of making a difference and finding a greater purpose. So throw that in with a couple Spanish classes, a viewing of the movie The Motorcycle Diaries, and a few epic conversations about life, and what you get is a South American dream. And so the idea was born: we would buy horses, make our way all the way through North America until we reached the southern tip of South America, stopping whenever we found a worthy cause. We would sell everything we had, stop and work along the way when we ran out of money, and narrowly escape many potentially fatal situations, just like Ernesto and Alberto. We would go without any semblance of a plan, open to anything and everything. Like I said, the details have obviously changed a bit, but I think it's for the better. I would also like to point out that at some point during that same year we also aspired to be cross-country truck drivers and recluses in the woods of Minnesota (which, you never know, we still might do some day).

Four years later we've grown, we've changed, we've learned so, so much. We've definitely gotten more mature, and more realistic, even though our freshman selves vowed we never would. College has been absolutely amazing, full of new people and new experiences. There have been ups and downs for both of us, but what has always remained is that drive to explore, to change the world... our South American Dream! Over time we've made the realizations that horses probably aren't the most convenient way to travel, and it's probably pretty dangerous to head down there without contacting anyone or telling anyone where we'll be. So the design has changed but the underlying spirit remains the same. Trip planning this summer has been more work than I ever imagined, and I think I've sent out more emails in the last month than in the rest of my life put together. But 66 days from now it will all be worth it. My best friend and I will be living out our dreams. I can't even tell you how excited I am! It's all starting to feel so real...

P.S. I have to give a shout out to everyone who's shown the love in the last couple weeks, I've been receiving letters in the mail, and they never fail to make my day. The financial help is obviously wonderful, but I love reading the messages people send my way even more. Everyone's faith in me and in my ability to make a difference in the world reinforces my excitement and my faith in myself, every single time. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I love you all!

Jenna Flynn :)