9TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 10 – 19, 2024

#104

Wild Mavens

We met at our local off-road park, Kansas Rocks Recreation Park, in 2018 at an event focused on getting women on the trails. Over the years we kept running into each other out wheeling and at various events, and found a twin flame in each other. Lisa is considered for many, “Mom” on the trails because she is always looking out for everyone. Everytime we wheel together she is there for me, pushing me, helping me, and watching my back. We came together for the Rebelle Rally because of our friendship on the trails, how well we always work together, and make each other laugh. After Katie decided to compete in Rebelle at the suggestion of her boyfriend James, she started thinking of who might be a good partner. Someone with experience wheeling, someone competitive and who would match her competitiveness, and ultimately…someone she could spend 10 days in the desert with. 😉 Katie put out a few Facebook posts doing a roll call for all the lady wheelers she knew or had met over the years, with no hint as to what she was really up to. She wanted to see who was out there that she might not be thinking of right off the top of her head. As soon as she saw Lisa comment on a second post, she face palmed because she couldn’t believe she didn’t think of her right away! Katie told Lisa she needed to talk to her at an upcoming event they were both attending, the annual Frostbite season opener event and Kansas Rocks. As soon as she told Lisa about Rebelle and what they would be doing, Katie asked her to be her partner as a navigator and Lisa said yes! She knew by Lisa’s excitement after she asked that they were going to make the perfect team.

Our most memorable moment is our friendship overall. Just through a shared love of the outdoors and 4×4 we kept finding each other on the trails and at various club events. It’s friendships made through chance that are the strongest of them all.

Sponsored By:

REDARC Electronics
Kansas Rocks Recreation Park
4×4 Land
Method Race Wheels
General Tire
Goose-Gear
Antigravity Batteries
Dometic
Midland USA
Adventure Motors
Switchback Outdoor Safety
Ozark Overland Adventures
Shop Overland Apparel
ToyTec Lifts
MOORE Expo
Big Iron Overland Rally
Lady Overlander Radio
Bats Offroad
Oscar Mike Overland
Life Without Doors
The Wrap Factory Kansas City
Family of both Katie & Lisa, Friends, and fellow 4×4 enthusiasts across the world

Katie Abraham

Driver

I love my family, pushing myself, exploring everything I can in life, learning anything and everything, having great integrity, and being fiercely loyal. I am passionate, hard working, I want to truly LIVE my life, and spread genuine happiness and joy to those around me.

Occupation:

Manager of Client Strategy - I work at Go Local Interactive, a marketing agency in Kansas City that works with M&A Companies that range in 25 - 200+ locations. Primarily Pest Control, Self Storage, Banks, and Multi-Family developments. I am a manager of the Client Strategy team that focuses on client relationships, retention, growth, project management, marketing strategy, and assessing business goals. I don’t like to see myself as a “boss” but as a resource to help others grow professionally or personally and reach their goals.

Residence:

Shawnee, KS (Western suburb of Kansas City)

Favorite Quote:

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln

Fun Fact:

I subconsciously turn my hat around backwards when I tackle a big obstacle or tough trail. This stemmed from me hitting the brim of my hat on the roof of the cab on my rock crawler, and now is just a trademark when people see me about to try something sketchy on the trails.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

Rebelle came into the picture when my boyfriend, James, and I were watching some Rebelle YouTube videos. He turned to me and said, you should do this! I thought about it for a few minutes and got more excited as my brain wrapped around taking this on. Now I look back and wonder why it never crossed my mind before! I get excited for Rebelle not just because it’s the Rebelle, but because it’s a life changing experience. It’s already impacted my life tremendously over the past year and a half prepping. I can’t wait to build lifelong friendships with other competitors, advance my own skills, and look back when I am 90 years old and remember the kick ass things I did. I want to live my life to the fullest, push myself into new experiences, see the world, and meet as many people as possible along the way.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

My dad, and my mom. My dad, Bill, passed away when I was 14 from agent orange poisoning due to his service as a C-130 pilot in vietnam. He was an amazing man, husband, and father. He never met a stranger and was my best friend when I was growing up. He was fiercely loyal, honest, kind, and loved his family and life. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1967 and went on to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his retrieval of a downed aircraft under fire in Vietnam. I strive to make him proud everyday and he will always be one of the most important people in my life. My mom, Betts, is brilliant, hard working, the strongest, and kindest woman I’ve ever known. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her. She is always teaching me and helping me grow. To know I make her proud of the woman I have and will become, fills me with so much joy. If I can have half the strength and joy in life that she has, I will be completely fulfilled.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Book: My favorite book will always be Roxaboxen from when I was a kid. It’s the story of imagination with just boxes and sticks. It planted the seed of adventure early on and it’s the book I always gift to new parents to read to their kids in hopes they will feel the same.

Show: Yellowstone is my all time favorite show. It has grit, drama, passion, and hard work. I love the character development and the family dynamic. I also appreciate the pain in the show. Life is hard but it pushes you and makes you stronger when you embrace it and push through.

Show: Great British Baking Show: This is my favorite fun pass time show. It has terrible jokes and awesome cakes. I love to cook and miss cooking professionally, but don’t miss the hours and heat of the kitchen. My daily life has changed and I don’t get much time for cooking anymore, but this show gives me a place to clear my head and feel like I’m back on the line, pan burns and all.

Greatest adventure to date?

Riding my favorite horse Frankie “Ultra One” in the KY State Fair World’s Championship Horse Show in 2005. He was an amazing horse that really taught me how to ride. We placed sixth in a class of 15 I believe, and it was the most thrilling ride of my life. I’ll never forget that experience, and taking a horse like Frankie the farthest he would ever go in his career or mine. I hope to get back to riding regularly soon, and eventually have land to tend to my own horses again. My ultimate retirement plan would be to teach lessons to kids and share my passion for horses and the outdoors.

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Lisa Addington

Navigator

I am a very outgoing person. I’ll try just about anything once, given the opportunity, I am always up for an adventure and I guess that is what appeals to me about the Rebelle, the adventure and the challenge.

Occupation:

Paraprofessional for the Odessa School district. I have been the Behavior Interventionist for the Upper Elementary for 22 years, I can work with just about any student at any time. Most of the students I work with are on behavior plans or a 504. They will come to me to triage, calm down, take time to work through an issue, have a more quiet place to work, or many other reasons. I love working with kids, I fell into this by chance as my degree is in Interior Design, which I did for about 5 years before we started a family.

Residence:

Blue Springs, Missouri, USA

Favorite Quote:

Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off, avoid the drama, take chances, and never have regrets. Because at one point, everything you did was exactly what you wanted. ~ Marilyn Monroe

Fun Fact:

I have two. First, when the Rebelle starts we will have our first grandchild,a boy, Lincoln, by about two weeks at the most. He was originally supposed to be due while I was gone, so that would have been a great story for him that his grandma was doing the Rebelle Rally when he was born. Secondly, I am twice the age as my teammate Katie.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

My teammate Katie’s boyfriend saw Youtube videos about the Rebelle and said she ought to do it, she agreed, then thought about who to do it with, that's when she thought of me. She knew we could do it together, we are both competitive, outgoing, we both like to have a good time, we share a love of off-roading, we have a great time together and we would be a great fit.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

I can’t say that there is one in particular that is my who or my what. I think it’s more about the moment and the feeling that goes with it.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Shows: Netflix- Virgin River & Longmire, podcasts:anything off road related

Greatest adventure to date?

In July of 2020, the year of the pandemic, we went with a group of friends to Ouray Colorado for the week. We all camped whether it was a tent or RV. My husband and I both own jeeps. We usually take turns driving on long distance trips to keep expenses down and this year was my turn to drive for vacation, which I was ecstatic about. Our goal was to drive all five Jeep Badge trails of Honor weather permitting, which we did. The day of Black Bear I was really nervous because I had watched videos on Youtube, good and bad, and I almost talked myself out of driving it. What I had going for me was three great friends that had driven it before a few times and had wheeled for years and I knew I could trust them to take care of me. They positioned me between them and off we went. Was I scared? Hell yes! Did I do it? Hell yes! I don’t regret an ounce of it. It was the best experience I ever had, not because of the scenery, but because of the sense of accomplishment that I felt when I got to the falls at the end. I will never forget that day and that experience with my husband and friends that I love.

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Vehicle

Toyota, 4Runner, 2005 V6