go it alone.

If you're like me, you probably have a list of things you want to do. I don't mean chores (those are things you probably should do and still don't anyway; it's fine), I mean fun things. Movies. Concerts. Trips.

Now let me ask you a question. When you want to do one of these fun things, do you wait until you find someone to go with you? Or do you go anyway, even if it means going by yourself?

I'm here to tell you that if you really want to do something, don't let someone else dictate that for you. If you want to go see a movie, just go. Seriously. You might feel kind of silly going up to the counter alone, or getting your ticket stub ripped alone, but honestly? The lights will go down in the theater and no one will know you are alone. Especially if it's crowded. You can't talk to the person next to you in a movie (unless you want popcorn thrown at your head). If you really need to talk to someone about what you just saw, call a friend who has also seen it. Likely someone has.

Concerts are a little harder. But it can be done. You go, you blend in with those people around you, and maybe you even make a few friends. You're not there to hang out with your pals as much as you are to see the band you paid $25, $50 or $85 to see. Sure, it's fun to be able to shout at your friend how awesome the live music is, but what if no one wants to go with you?

That's really the key here. What do you do when you want to do something, and no one is willing to shell out the cash to join you? Do you just give up and not go? That might seem easier, but chances are you'll realize how much you really want to go.

I've gone to concerts alone before. I go to movies by myself all the time. It's liberating, and guess what? It means you don't have to wait around for someone else to decide they want to join you.

I think the most important thing about doing things alone is that you've decided to take your life into your own hands and do what you enjoy. It's pointless to let someone else stop you from doing what you want to do, especially if it is something you have been looking forward to, like Captain America or something.

Don't miss Ryan Gosling's abs because your friends are lame.

Think about things in your life that you have really wanted to do and missed the opportunity. Was it because you couldn't find company? If you are always waiting around for someone else to decide they want to tag along, you might miss out on a lot of cool experiences that you obviously aren't going to have sitting at home on your couch watching reruns of The Office on Netflix instant play. Sorry.

There are plenty of chances to go it alone. Go out to lunch, take a trip (even if it's short and just hours from your home address), go to the mall. You don't have to have a friend to do some of these things, even if having someone to chat with makes it a little more fun. Friend, acquaintance or not, don't let someone else be the reason for your regrets later on.

This is really a good lesson for all aspects of life. When you are an individual and feel empowered, you can meet the needs of other people without giving up your dreams and hopes. It's important to maintain a sense of self, and take care of yourself, even when it feels like a difficult thing to do.

Take charge and do what you want. You'll feel better for it.

And because sometimes we all need a little pick-me-up, check out these 7 tricks to stop comparing yourself to others & kick envy to the curb.

london fog.

I'm excited today, because the 2012 London Olympic Games are one year away. The Opening Ceremony is one year from today. 366 days (because 2012 is a leap year - hey, I'm here to educate you) and a few hours. I will be watching. I will probably cry. (If you know me at all, you know I will.)

Last year I wrote about London and it seemed so far away. Now we're nearly there and my view of the Olympic Games is the same.I wrote about one of my favorite Olympic stories, which was not about a gold medal or a podium finish. It was about a swimmer who overcame the struggles of training without a pool. To me, his story is what the Olympic Movement is all about: chances, struggle, succeeding.

Believe it or not, the Olympic Movement and spirit is in all of us, all the time. I wrote a story for today about how the Olympic ideals of excellence, respect and friendship are in age group triathletes all the time.

And they are in you too, even if sports aren't your thing. From relationships with family and friends to our jobs to any of our other personal goals, we rely on excellence, respect and friendship to pull us through and make us the best that we can be.

I have had a long time love for the Olympic Games. And honestly, sometimes that brings disappointment.

If you know my story, you know that I consider myself lucky enough to have snagged an internship with the U.S. Olympic Committee back in 2008. It was the only internship I applied for. If I hadn't gotten an internship with the USOC that summer, my plan was to go to grad school. I'm so grateful for how life has turned out for me, because I moved rather seamlessly from internship to full-time job. I didn't like my first job, and I will be honest about that. And again, I was lucky when I was able to move into my new position. It suits me. 

I was pumped when Chicago was up for the 2016 Olympic Games. They didn't win the bid, and what's more is they were out in the first round. It hurt. I wanted to see another Olympic Games on American soil. Maybe you disagree. Sure, it'll happen again someday. But I had high hopes for Chicago.

I have had high hopes for myself, too. Twice now I have applied to be a Young Ambassador for the Youth Olympic Games. Twice I have failed. That's how I see it. I failed. There were very complimentary things said in the phone calls I got to let me know someone else had been selected. But I wasn't going to Singapore or Austria. Because I will be older than 25 in 2014, I won't be eligible for this opportunity again.

And a question I am asked most often when I explain what I do: "So are you going to London?" I like to be honest with you, so I will tell you now, I'm not going. I'm not going for my job, I'm not going to volunteer, I'm not going on my own as a spectator. It just isn't in the cards this time around. Am I disappointed? You bet. Does it change my love for the Olympic Games and the admiration I have for everything they stand for? No way.

Olympic athletes spend their lives and entire athletic careers seeking Olympic glory. They experience setbacks, and they keep going. They might lose their funding, experience a debilitating injury or miss qualifying by hundredths of seconds. They still keep going.

Life doesn't always work out the way you hope it will, even if you try planning very hard. Sometimes, things work out another way. But that doesn't mean you should stop trying.

Maybe you're not as excited for the London Olympic Games as I am, but if you watch for the stories of the athletes trying to make the Olympic team, I have no doubt that you will be amazed at their struggles and what they have overcome to compete for a chance to say they are Olympians.

366 days, London. I'm ready.

an impulse buy.

It's hard to believe that July is almost over. I'm sure that everyone melting all over the country is oh-so-ready for fall, and considering it is my favorite season, I can't say I disagree. However. Where has 2011 gone? It's more than half over, and I don't know if I have even accomplished anything.

I guess I can run now, but let's just say that I haven't ran at all in an entire week. If you want to get real, today marks 8 days since I laced up my running kicks and hit the road. EIGHT DAYS. I am embarrassed by this fact and it's not made any easier by the fact that I have a 10k on Saturday. I have only ever run 4 miles at one time, so 6.2 seems a little daunting.

Mind over matter, right?

I'm going to have to channel a Jedi master for this one, I think.

In all seriousness, I'm mad at myself for making excuses. Well, yes, it was too hot to run and the humidity did me no favors on the two days I did run while I was in Michigan. But still. I am a runner. I should not be held back by 90+ degree weather or a thunderstorm or two.

And there's more.

I can't pretend like the 10k is the only run weighing on my mind. See, two weeks ago I got to thinking about my original running goal from January (the one where I thought I'd be able to run a full marathon by now) and I realized registration was still open for the 2011 American Discovery Trail Marathon and Half Marathon. I'm no fool (ha!) and I know for sure I couldn't do the full 26.2, but what about the half? I could most certainly do that, right?

Well, honestly, it's probably a silly idea.

But I signed up anyway.

My rationale to myself was that it was only $45, and now I'm regretting my decision. I don't know why I felt like 13.1 miles was a good idea. It was an impulse buy, and not a very good one.

Have you ever signed up for something (a race, a conference, another event) and later realized it might not have been the best choice? How did you resolve the issue with yourself?

I don't want to give up, but I also don't want to push myself to the point of stupidity either. Would love to hear your take on this.


Note: Running Off the Reese inspired my photos. Check out her blog here.

home, or a mid-summer night's dream.

"Let the water lead us home." - Mumford and Sons, Home

It's really no surprise to anyone that knows me that I love Michigan. Adore it. I even wrote about it and was featured on the state's tourism blog. Michigan is not the main focus of this post. It's something a little more abstract.

The view across the road from home, with a thunderstorm on the way.

See, part of the reason I love Michigan is that it's home. It will always be my home, even though for now I live in Colorado. It is where I grew up, and where [nearly all] of my family lives. It is where my childhood home is, and my high school, and loads of memories.

Michigan means Great Lakes, and it's been said that no matter where you are in the state, you're only 85 miles away from one of those lakes. Michigan is home to St. Johns, my hometown and Mint City USA. You haven't smelled heaven until you've passed a field of fresh mint.The trees and grass are greener here. Mountains are nice; some people adore them. Personally I would rather have lakes and trees.

Home is hard to define. It can mean where you live, or the social unit formed by those you live with. A familiar setting, a place of origin. What is it?

I think home is mostly dependent on people you love. Home is not just a physical place, it's a place in your heart. A lovely friend of mine shared a song last week that touched her, for good reason, because her idea of home is not intact right now. When you are missing someone or something, home can feel incomplete.


What is home to you? Is it where you are from, or where you are now? Is it a feeling you have with certain people? Maybe it's all three. That's OK. You're allowed to define home however you'd like.

Maybe your home looks like this:

The view from the boat at our lake house.

Or maybe it sounds like this:

But no matter what home is like for you, it will be unique; it's all yours, which is what makes it matter to you.

Share what defines home for you - I'm curious as to what home means to others.

old facts, same outlook.

I was spending some quality time on my own Facebook page last night (my brother and his girlfriend are in town and were asleep by 9:45 p.m...) and stumbled across this list I wrote in a note in January 2009. Though some things have changed, quite a few of these are still true today. I won't bore you with all 25 points on this list - these are my favorites.

Which of these applies to you? What's a random fact about you?

1) I always have and always will love a good dance party. I have them all over my apartment. And you better believe I am fist-pumping during them.

2) Sometimes I wonder if "living the dream" is really all it's cracked up to be...and then I see an Olympic montage and can't stop crying. That's how you know.

The office... on event weekend.

5) Even when its hard to stomach, I know things are going to work out like they are meant to. Somehow they always do.

7) I still keep the hope alive that someday I will be a singer or at least in a band.

8) I think real mail (you know, stamp, postman, that kind of thing) is a dying art form.

9) I don't believe in regrets. It's easy to wish you had done something differently, but you ALWAYS can learn something.

10) I hate tying the laces on my shoes.

11) I love my job. I love the people I work with. And I love that I get a real paycheck, insurance, and swag. Score.

14) Even though I'm almost 23, I still think you can learn the best lessons ever from Sesame Street and Mister Rogers.

17) I sometimes wonder if I was caught in a fire or an airplane emergency how I would grab all my things so that I wouldn't lose them...because in my brain I have time to grab my bear and my blankets and my computer and my purse... Yeah, right.

20) Don't ever put a mirror in front of me. Seriously. I will be unable to resist looking at it...and making faces...and then laughing at how funny I think I am.

21) I think adults would be happier if we had more hugs in our lives, and if more people said "I love you" to each other. I think there would be a lot less fighting and a lot more peace. Bert Bacharach wasn't kidding when he sang "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." Apparently I'm a hippie.

24) I used to just want to learn how to run better...and now I want to do a sprint triathlon. This may be too ambitious for this year, but I'm not kidding, I'm gonna make this happen.

25) I sincerely believe moving makes you realize who really belongs in your life and who doesn't. Case in point? Some of my very closest friends have been my friends since at least middle school, if not before. Time and space don't have to create a rift unless you let them. It's this point in our lives when we realize who is worth the time to keep around, and who was just a filler for brief moments. It's not hard to be friends with people if you really want to be, and I'm lucky to have some fantastic people in my life.

Happy July 4 everyone!