Peace Be The Journey

I haven't written in awhile, but I'm back. This post finds me in Lake Placid once again starting my 7th season on the team. WHAT?! How did I get here? When did I become a "lifer"? I've been around so long my new teammates haven't even heard of people that were on the team when I started! Sorry, minor freak out. Deep breath. Ok. Moving right along. Our team selection races have just concluded and the months of testing and competitions just to make our team are done. I have to say it's a relief. Even though I didn't place where I wanted, at least I know my path for the season. Having at least some direction for the next 5 months is nice.  I'm packed up and heading off to Whistler, British Columbia, in the morning for our first set of North American Cup races.  Here's a recap of my life this summer/fall. I was home in Dallas training and working from April through June. Starting in late July, I flew to Calgary for 2 weeks of testing and nation...

How can it already be January 14? Two weeks of a new year have already gone by. Reminds me of watching the sunrise one year on a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina (which is one of my favorite places to visit). My mom and I woke up early to watch the sun crest over the water. There's something so magical about seeing dawns first light over the vast ocean and watching a cloudless sky light up with pinks and oranges and yellows. I remember sitting there watching the sun appear and start to move above the horizon. We watched for a few minutes and the sun was already swiftly ascending in the sky. I said something like, "We gotta get going. The sun's already way up in the sky. We're going to miss the whole day!" To which my mom just laughed because she knows me. I walked back up to the house, grabbed some breakfast, and took an hour nap before heading out to the beach again. What can I say? To enjoy the sunrise you have to get pretty early. And if ...

Can you believe it's 2017?!? It's here! I have already had to scratch out 2016 several times and write 2017. Am I the only one who takes weeks to get that right every new year?  I'm writing to you from Park City, Utah. The second half of my bobsled season has started. North American Cup races 5 & 6 are happening here next week. It's currently -18 degrees and there's several feet of snow on the ground. Practice was canceled today because half of the ice on curve 6 fell off due to the cold weather. Yikes! I'm excited to be sitting in a warm house with my furry friends to keep me company!  As the calendar rolled over, I took some time to reflect on my 2016. Here are a few questions I asked myself: How did 2016 go? What victories did I have? What challenges did I overcome? What could I have done better? Am I a better person -  Mentally? Spiritually? Physically? Family wise? Financially? Personally? Vocationally? After I took time...