I read tonight that 2012 is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. I was born in a year of the Dragon. It's an even year. I turn 36 this year. There are lots of superstitious reasons to think this is going to be a great year.
The break was dreamy and it was harder than normal to leave on Sunday. I feel like I could move back to Utah and slide right back into a life there surrounded by people I love and a city that I miss way, way more than the 25 year old who jumped at the chance to get out of there in 2002 would have predicted.
But I have a good life in Colorado too and the long solo drive across Wyoming was a nice opportunity to do some serious thinking. And planning. And maybe just a little bit of stressing out over the first six weeks of 2012.
I leave tomorrow for Innsbruck for the Winter Youth Olympic Games. You have likely heard nothing about them and you probably won't but for the next three weeks I'll be with our team of 58 athletes aged 14-18 enjoying a small scale Games before the complete zoo that will be London 2012. Then I am off to a few days of scouting potential locations to process the 2014 team. It will be long and tiring but I'm excited to do something outside of my normal job description for a few weeks.
Then my friend Lance will meet me in Munich and we will spend a few days road tripping through Europe. Lance is an old pal from my Boston days and he's coming home from a deployment in Afghanistan so I imagine our conversations will be lively.
After we say goodbye in Amsterdam, I head to London for six days for meetings with the team leaders for all the summer sports and final venue walk-throughs with the sponsors I work with. Words like "final" make my stomach turn a little bit and the truth is, I've been somewhat freaked out this week worrying about getting everything done in the office, how much there is left to do for London, and how close on it's heels Sochi will be upon us.
Tonight as I'm pulling out all my warmest clothing and packing for what seem like an eternity, I feel some nerves about the unknown we take off into tomorrow morning but mostly I feel really gosh darned lucky to be living this life right now. Sometimes going to Utah can make me feel like I'm missing out on all the husband and kid stuff that honestly EVERY SINGLE HUMAN I KNOW is doing there. And there was some of that with this trip. I am not giving up on that dream-it's still something I definitely want. But there are worse things than seeing that glint of jealousy in the eyes of your lady friends when you talk about the hot 26 year old cyclist you made out with or the fun trips you've been on. I'd like to sing lullabies to sleepy babies one day but for now, I'll take playing den mother to a bunch of super stoked 16 year olds and crossing some countries off my TO DO list to kick off my year. I'm getting opportunities I never dreamed big enough to imagine and I'm thankful every single day for that.
Since I know I won't have much time to blog this summer I'm hoping to capture a little bit of what a Games really feels like. It might not be interesting to anyone else but I'd like to write about that part of my life. So hopefully I'll have a chance to update more often than I typically do when I'm dealing with thousands of pieces of apparel until all hours.
I'll leave you for now with a song from a band I'm somewhat obsessed with right now. They are called Pickwick, they are from Seattle, and this song is keeping me company tonight while I pack my face off.
5 comments:
Maybe it is the extra two years I have but - that that feeling that I'm not one of those "ever single person" gets less powerful all the time as I realize what amazing gifts I've had instead.
Enjoy your travels!
I understand you all too well. My one resolution for 2012 is to have more faith and hope that the things I've been promised will happen and to enjoy the great life I do have.
And it really is going to be a great year.
Oh Katie, I would love to read all you want to write about your adventures this year! Most of the time I feel like my own blog must be so uninteresting to others, but I have to keep reminding myself that I keep it for 2 reasons - a record of our family for myself, and a chance for far away family to keep up with us when I am less than awesome at phone calls. It's an added bonus that others read it too, and well, if I'm too boring, then they don't have to!
Also, on the jealousy note... I too am having to get over some pangs of green envy. It seems no matter how often I count my blessings or realize how much I have that others don't, that stinking jealousy creeps in when I least expect it. But, we are both blessed and we do have plenty of which to make others jealous. I will continue to live exciting adventures vicariously through you :)
Katie, I know I'm not the only one who sincerely hopes that you do have some time to capture the experiences you have with the Games and to share them all with us. You are doing such amazing things and I can't think if anyone who deserves it more!
I am so jealous of your job and the traveling you get to do. Say hi to Sochi for me. I served there on my mission and it is seriously my favorite place in the world. Good luck and have fun!
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