The last few weeks were a bit of a whirl wind to arrive here in sunny San Diego.  Make sure to check out the pictures in my photo section.  I had a blast zooming across the country for a trip to Seattle for the P-I Sports Star of the Year banquet.  Seeing family and friends, coaches and supporters from my home town is really fun for me.  Home always brightens my day and motivates me to keep representing my country, community, university, and especially my family the best I can. 

 

After the quick trip, I landed in New York in time for the annual National Rowing Foundation annual meetings, followed by the Power Ten Dinner.  Our women’s eight were guests this year and we had a blast getting dressed up for a night on the town.  One of the highlights of the night was receiving a Proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg that that day, January 26^th,  2007 was officially Women’s Eight Day in New York City! 

 

Of course, getting flown about the country and dressed up for formal dinners are a total rarity.  It is back to the grind for us.  As the East Coast plunged into the low 20s, we packed up and headed out to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.  We will be spending eight weeks here, just outside of San Diego. 

 

The first few days were quite a relief.  I had time to read, spend some alone time thinking about life, and even finally get a start on my thank you cards from Christmas.  Better late than never?  My boyfriend thought his was a joke it was so late!  Either way, the first few days here are always good. 

 

And then….. the stir craziness sets in.  I haven’t have it hit me this early before.  I know having a boyfriend 3,000 miles away and not having a vehicle to leave the “compound” is making this extra hard on me, but here I am, seven weeks to go and totally counting down the days!  Granted, we have taken it easy getting back into training so no one gets injured doing too much too fast so I have energy to be stir crazy.  That is definitely going to change as we pick up the training, but still.  I need some things to look forward to and this is what I have so far:

-Get my nails done
-I need a captivating novel
-Take advantage of my Blockbuster online 3 rentals at a time
-Read my weekend New York Times cover to cover

-Find a ride to take a tour of the USS Midway, a huge air craft carrier here
-Get out to Fashion Valley, yeah Nordstroms!
-Buy craft supplies at Target
-Shop at the Spirit Store for my nieces
-Send care packages to my boyfriend
-Find rides to church on the weekend

-Next weekend, we go to Lake Casitas for a row!

 

If you have any ideas for me, PLEASE pass them along.  Or, if you really want to be a super supporter and help me win a gold medal at the Olympics, you can send me something in the mail…. (2800 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista CA 91915).   Ha ha, I’m serious!  Thanks Mom and Dad!  You are already so appreciated!  OK, take care you all and thanks for being entertained by me.