About Me

Profile

About: I’m Phoebe Hambright, a “Beaumontite” from down in the southeast. Probably the ultimate misspelling of my name to date is Faby, found on a food ticket, which is winning for pronunciation purposes. But there is a cherished legacy of failed attempts and I encourage your creative contribution. Some great perks of being from Beaumont, Texas is that I can boast being from the town with the third largest fire hydrant in the United States, it’s the home of four waffle houses, and has been “gushing with fun since 1901”. It’s here that I grew up with the coolest big sister named Rosemary, an artistic spirit who travels so much you’d forget she’s a United States citizen, a stepmom named Kathleen who spends every minute of her day doing things for others and has been simply the best since I was four years old, and an absolutely amazing dad who not only is the wisest, smartest, funniest, most genuine person I’ve ever known, but my number one pal forever. We obnoxiously belt out “the hills are alive with the sound of music” riding up ski lifts, among other things.

From my world entry, my mission as a kid was to entertain. I thrived on people’s laughter. Whether I was successfully driving a Barbie jeep into the swimming pool with my best friend at my sister’s birthday party, performing an interruptive “hillbilly moment” in front of the family at holidays by sprinting into the room wearing fake bubba teeth and playing this ridiculous banjo music from my awesome boombox, or doing the “worm” in the center of the dance floor at a Debutante ball, antics like these kept my childhood upbeat and hilarious. Indeed, I frequently faced school disciplinary consequences. But there are boundless great memories from growing up. I even still own this unheard of orange top and matching skirt with beaded fringe that I insisted on wearing with leopard plastic heels to church every Sunday.

Fast-forward to today. I still maintain a mad sense of adventure, have a crazy imagination, keep things interesting, am goofy, appreciate the little things, and pay much attention to detail. I’m constantly dreaming up ideas with a mind that’s always bubbling with creativity, get really excited about things, and the philosophy I stand by is that growing old isn’t an option but growing up is. I’ll always be young at heart. But my tool belt keeps filling with the more experiences I have and the more lessons I learn. I’ll still get equipped as the world gets bigger, and I’m positively eager to see where it guides me.

Why I Ride

I feel that we fear action because we ask ourselves what if I do it? when the real question is what if I don’t? Accepting this was transformative, not only for personal obstacles but also in understanding what “purpose” actually means. My understanding is that in life, if you aren’t contributing to someone else’s happiness, you’re missing the point. You know, it takes a mind to hop on that bike but a heart to keep it moving. Not for just us riders but for everyone who can feel defeated. Life happens and you do what you can. My dad says that you have to take what you have and run with it. In this case I’m riding with it, because losing my step-grandmother to cancer’s grip and learning of the other homes cancer has made itself in people has cemented my purpose for joining Texas 4000. James Arthur Baldwin decided that not everything faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. Cancer’s injustice is devastating and ultimately just can’t be understood. But how we humans react to it, face it, and do about it deserves far more attention. Faith exists and can be contagious. Without the vital hope of a people we allow the darkness and dangers of life to creep in and rob our hearts of the joys and blessings we easily forget to recognize.

I ride for a woman who went by “Sweetie” – a vivacious individual who left every person she met with happier than when she found him or her. I ride for her memory, the unimaginable mark she made on the world, the love that she gave me, and for our family and her friends that she embraced with her gold-dipped heart. If you never saw this woman decked head to toe (seriously though) with burnt orange cheering in front of the TV at Thanksgiving, heard her laughter from about three rooms over, or felt the warmth of her presence, then perhaps even with her absence I can bless you reading this with an honor to the person she was and still is in the hearts of countless. Sweetie seemed to have life figured out. She danced with it! Didn’t matter the circumstance, she loved it so much. She was a fire no hardship could extinguish! The last words she managed to speak before she passed away were “Thank you God for life. Amen.” Even with her gone her lively spirit clearly remains. I mean, the Eyes of Texas was blasted from the piano at her funeral. And I definitely heard her laughing. We know that Sweetie will still be around, because the gift she left with us is rather unforgettable.

I also ride for my teammates taking on this journey with me, their stories, and all the more I’ll hear and treasure. I ride for those who lift their swords and charge with me! And for the people who will never get the chance.