Friends, Fundraisers, and Goodbyes

All good things must come to an end and here in Austin they certainly have. After a week filled with long days we were able to take it easy Saturday night. We attended a fundraiser in our honor at a local Austin art gallery and were greeted by the Soul Force Board of Directors, donors, potential donors, friends, family, and a few locals.

It was our first experience being out in the world as Equality Riders, having been hidden away in the bowels of Best Western thus far. Seeing all the excited faces at the fundraisers was refreshing. And having news cameras pointed at me was interesting. It's something we're going to have to get used to.

After the fundraiser, the Equality Riders made their way to a local bar -- Charlie's -- for some drinks and dancing. A pool table was the first thing after the bouncer. Yup, we're in Texas! Cutting loose with all of the Riders and not having to worry about schedules, and policies, and plans for once was a bonding experience we all were happy to have. Joey spotted the news coverage of our fundraiser on the television above the bar and the DJ gave us a shout-out. I think the evening really brought us together as a group. USA here we come!

Sunday was a bitter-sweet day. I for one was happy to be going home to my own bed and the prospect of not having to work 15 hour days was enticing to say the least. We spent our last evening together sharing where we were before Austin, where we are now, and where we're going. There was LOTS of sharing and it took us a solid 3 hours to wrap everything up but doing so really gave us a sense of who we were as a group. These people are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. They come from all around the country and they bring them open minds and loving hearts. I cannot wait to share them with the world and grow to know them even better.