One of the most difficult things for myself in writing a blog is keeping things up to date and relevant. It takes me such a long time to process an idea and then put it down in words that by the time I actually get to it, it doesn’t really fit anymore. So while things are happening to me right now, I am determined to get it down!

I just arrived in Oberhof, Germany on Monday and am busy getting adjusted to being back on European time before I have to race on Friday. I am not very good at just hanging out or sitting still and I always love being home because I always have projects to do or at the very least laundry or dishes or something like that. Plus, any time I don’t have something to do I can bother my older sister who lives next door! When I first come over to Europe it is always a little weird because I haven’t gotten busy with racing yet and I am trying my best to stay awake all day so I can switch time zones. So that being said, I am the master at creating dinky little things to do with my time!

Yesterday I got the best post New Years present! I was hyper with the excitement of seeing one of my closest friends from my days as a University of Utah skier. She is here helping the Norwegian team as an assistant. When you are on the road, anything that makes you feel like you are home is the best feeling. I rarely get to see any of my good friends from Utah because we are all sadly scattered about. Having a close friend around is like having a piece of family with you. During training that day the wind was gusting like crazy, knocking things over, and I was a total train wreck with the jet lag; but all I wanted was to hit my targets so that Ingie would see me and be proud even though I kept telling myself that she was totally focused on helping her own athletes. I couldn’t help wanting to show her that I could do well. Every time I skied by the Norwegian team, I totally had to suppress the urge to wave at her like some little kid in a school concert. But seriously, how cool is that!!!!!

Ingie and I from Utah

Ingie and I at the Oberhof World Cup!

In addition to the excitement of seeing Ingie, I entertained myself today by getting my hair cut. It was nasty and I didn’t have any time at home. A friend of mine who lives in Oberhof helped me to get the appointment and then I was on my own. Even though it is a small thing, it is a bit of an adventure to get your hair cut when your command of a language arms you with two words that are relevant, “short and long”…. I had to fight the urge to get some sort of cool stylish haircut so that I wouldn’t end up looking like a freakshow. Luckily it worked out in my favor and I like it!

I realize that seems like a luxury to have so much time on your hands, but it can be quite challenging. I don’t want to be a boring person and I also don’t want my mind to turn to mush. I am so lucky that I get to try this lifestyle because it is incredibly exciting but that definitely comes with a price. There is a huge difference between reading books and watching movies as a cozy treat to your day versus doing the same in an effort to pass time while you are waiting to go out and train or race in the afternoon. It’s just not relaxing in the same way. I also don’t want to replace human contact with time spent on facebook seeing what everyone at home is up to. Plus, your mind is always a little more pre-occupied with exactly how you are feeling than when you don’t have lots to distract you. I make a concerted effort to not become super focused on what my legs felt like climbing up the stairs, or did I feel a weird twitch in my neck???? (I am prone to muscle spasms that are scary bad) because that is not the type of person I want to be but it is very easy to fall into that trap. My remedy is to do things like get my hair cut, make trips into town to go to the drug stores and find things I need, read good books, think hard about sponsorship stuff (but never actually get anywhere productive), paint if I feel creative (not pretty), spend as much time during meals having awesome conversations (hopefully), and now blogging. Annelies