25 Random Facts

There is this post going around on Facebook that asks you to fill out 25 random facts about yourself, then tag 25 people. In turn, those 25 people will fill out 25 random facts, tag 25 people, and it goes on and on. I thought I'd post by 25 random facts on here, but spice it up a bit!

1. I have been skiing since the ripe age of 1.5 years old. Basically, as soon as I could walk, my father pushed me down a snowy hill with two plastic planks on my feet.
2. My great grandmother was a survivor of the Titanic. When I was in high school, we took a trip to Sweden to visit our relatives. We found out that my great grandmother's fiance came back to Sweden from the US to bring her to America with him. My grandmother was in the 2nd to last life boat and her fiance tried to get in with her. He was shot and killed.
3. My great grandfather was a politician in Chicago, and whacked by Bugsy Moran, mob boss of the Polish mafia. Bugsy Moran was whacked by Al Capone.
4. My obsession with the HBO series, The Sopranos, is indescribable. I have seen every single episode at least 5 times, if not more, and will watch them all many many more times.
5. My biggest fantasy is to travel to every country in the world. I have a life list that includes some of the specific things I want to do in each country. It includes, yodling in Switzerland, meditating with the monks in Thailand, watching the flying sharks in South Africa, Octoberfest in Germany, etc.
6. I would love to take a month or two to volunteer my time and efforts in Africa. There are so many volunteer programs that go to the countries in Africa to help build homes or schools, or help make the water drinkable. It would be such an honor to help!
7. I can ski anywhere in the country for FREE. I have the privelege of working for the US Ski and Snowboard Association. We can request gold passes that will allow us to ski at any resort!
8. I work at an Olympic Training Facility and have the opportunity to watch Olympic athletes put their heart and soul into the training to become gold medalists. I can't think of anything more motivational!
9. I have to have a schedule or some kind of plan in my everyday life. I'm not that spontaneous, but can be....sometimes! I think having a plan helps you become a successful person overall.
10. I have a 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year plan. My yearly plans may be cut back to monthly due to the economy.
11. I create short-term and long-term goals that I ALWAYS complete. I guess it's the athlete in me. I wouldn't be able to achieve anything if there weren't goals to strive for.
12. I'm pretty low maintenance, not like the typical girl. It takes me 20 minutes max to get ready, either for a regular day, or a night out on the town. I'm pretty casual in my every day life.
13. I hope to one day be a sports agent or a special agent (in organized crime, obviously). A sports agent would require law school. A special agent has different requirements, but equally difficult. I would be proud to either.
14. I'm very punctual. I hate procrastinating and I hate being late.
15. I strongly believe that Brett Favre should have retired as a Packer. His comeback was a disappointment, and his trade to the Jets was a shame.
16. When I read a book, I can't stop in the middle of a chapter. I lose my place and usually re-read several sentences or paragraphs. I have to stop a place that's meant for breaking.
17. I am very religious and have been attending the same church my entire life, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. I was baptized, confirmed, and will one day be married there.
18. I could possibly live off of bratwurst, cheese, and beer. The typical choice for a true Cheesehead.
19. If I ever became a fan of a football team other than the Packers, I would be disowned. My family is proud to be from Wisconsin, and proud to be Pack fans!
20. My brother is a camera operator for the Black Entertainment Television network. He is one of the few white people working for the company. He loves it!
21. I don't like talking on the phone in front of other people. There's something about it that makes me nervous. Usually when people call when others are around, I will ignore them and call back at a time when I'm alone.
22. I am, and always will be, an athlete. I have been playing sports for as long as I can remember. I love everything about sports.
23. I don't like getting help with things. I think it's better for people to figure things out on their own....which is probably why I suffered in Math.
24. I quite possibly could be the coolest person you know. Fact!
25. All of my DVDs are alphabetized. I'm very proud of my DVD collection and my love for films. There's a lot about the films I watch that make me who I am. Movies are so powerful and really can change someone's life. Movies in general have definitely changed my daily life, in that, most of my daily vocabulary is movie quotes.

There's a lot more to me than just these 25 facts, but it's a start!

Sundance 2009

Another year of Sundance begins today. This will be my 11th consecutive year attending the festival. My experience at the festival has given me low expectations throughout the years. They keep telling the locals that there will be more tickets available to the films, but for the past five years or so, it feels like the tickets are minimal. I used to be able to get tickets to all the movies I wanted, and that included the opening night film. Now, I basically go through my list, crossing out all the films that are sold out, and only get the ones at the bottom.

Sundance used to be different. It used to be fun! I'll be honest, when I was younger, I would go to the films depending on the celebrities that were involved. Now, I'm more involved with the films themselves. I have seen too many horrible films at Sundance. It's not worth it anymore.

Main Street is even different. The young people around the area have discovered how amazing the festival is and flock to Park City to see celebrities. But because they are doing that, the celebrities don't go to Main anymore. I used to see Jake Gyllenhaal, the cast of That 70s Show, and Luke Wilson walking up the street, but now, you can't catch a glimpse of anyone. This year, they have completely shut down the street to vehicles because it has gotten so big. There is no parking on Main, and the chance of finding parking on Swede Alley (the street behind Main) is slim to none.

Basically, the Sundance Film Festival is becoming a circus and is no longer fun. Sure, I'll still attend, but I think there may be a point in the next few years where it just won't be worth it anymore. Purchasing tickets has already been disappointing for the last few years and is becoming more and more depressing when you don't get the movies you want. But, what can you do? Being a local doesn't really have it's benefits anymore. It's discouraging and fustrating.

A New Beginning

It is only day eight of 2009 and already I feel changes, both good and bad. Let's start with the bad.

The school and credit card debt is hitting me hard. Recently, I decided to purchase a few items that are quite costly, such as a car. Now, I look back and regret a few of them, especially since I just received a phone call from my orthodontist letting me know that my credit card was declined for my January payment. Excellent! Tomorrow I will go into my credit union to see what I can do to decrease these costs, and maybe take out another loan with less interest. The only thing I'm really concerned about as far as debt is my ridiculous American Express card. This company is amazing. They can suck you in with the airline miles, and then they rack up your bill with monthly and yearly fees, as well as the 11% APR.

I have a great job, but unfortunately, the money isn't there. With the economy the way it is, USSA has enabled a hiring, travel, and salary freeze. My hopes for a raise after six months in my position have gone down the drain. My hopes for a raise after one year in my position will most likely not happen. Right now, I'm getting by. I'm lucky to even have a job in this economy. But, if this continues I will have to get a second job, just to pay the bills.

I'm still single, another negative. Looking back at my last blog, I'm trying my hardest to get over the last big thing to happen, but it's been tough. I still have hope that things could still happen, but I think it might be false hope, which is holding me back from other prospects.

On a good note, I've been spending a lot of my time with good people and good friends! I couldn't ask for better people in my life. I'm very lucky!

One of the benefits of my company is that we get season passes to two ski resorts, Deer Valley and Park City. I've been trying to get up on the hill to ski as much as I can. I will be going out again this weekend! It should be good snow considering the amount we got these past few days. I snow blowed over a foot!

I can only pray that this year will continue to go as well as it has been (in the eight days)! I have a ski trip to Big Sky, MT planned in February. I need to get up to Boise to visit Amy and some other friends. I also plan to go to New York to visit my brother in May. And I plan to ski my little heart out for the rest of the season!!

A Year in Review, 2008 Comes To An End

Wow! I can't believe 2008 is over. The year went by fast. A lot happened in just one year.

I changed positions at my job a few times. First, I went to Membership where I basically processed memberships all day long, which was not enjoyable. Then, I was saved and was offered a position in Coaches Education, where I now work in the US Olympic Training Center. It's pretty exciting out here. I get to watch all the Olympic skiers and snowboards do their training and testing so they can become gold medalists! The USSA is currently building a $20 million facility which will be known as the Center of Excellence (COE). The COE will include the training facility as well as the offices for the staff. It's pretty amazing to be apart of such a great company. And with the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver around the corner, things are really getting exciting!

Besides work, I met someone who changed my life. I actually thought he was going to change my life forever, but things didn't work out. He was my first love and, unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to tell him how I truly felt...or still feel. It was a heartbreaking experience, but I suppose everyone goes through it at some point in their lives. The worst part about it is that I keep looking back and knowing the things I should have done differently and how I was given the opportunity to do something, but never did because I was too afraid. Fear seems to be the only thing that is holding me back from being myself and getting what I want in life. But, then again, he may have been in the same boat. I blame myself. We could have had something great, but I blew it...one of the only regrets I have in my life.

Other than work and the short-lived love life, not much has happened in the last year. I was able to spend Christmas with my family, unlike last year when I was in Cancun with the Alvords. I was told that I could never be away from family at Christmas ever again. It just wasn't the same on the beach. Christmas should be spent in the snow!

This coming year, 2009, is going to be big! The USSA is preparing mentally and physically for the 2010 Olympics. I know the next 12 months will be highly demanding in every aspect of my job, as well as everyone else involved with winter sports. It's going to be a good year for skiing! Lots of snow so far, and winter has only just begun! As one of my co-workers says, "Ski ya later!"

No Longer Confused

I recently told the guy I was "dating" how I felt about him. In return, he tells me he's dating someone else. My heart shattered, but I was prepared. It had been over a month since we last hung out and of course all of the possibilities were going through my head. I have shed far too many tears for this guy and I'm ready to move on. This week has been surprisingly easy. He's on my mind constantly and of course everything reminds me of him, but I've been doing better than I predicted.

All of this happened on Sunday after church. I basically ran after him in the parking lot and had to talk to him or else I would be putting myself through anguish. Thank God for friends! Liz came up to Park City with me and we ended up driving to Evanston, WY, just for the hell of it...and to buy good beer! We took the scenic route back and just had a good time, which is what I needed.

More tears were shed throughout the day, but overall, I'm hangin' in there!

Brett Favre...JETS?!?!?

Brett Favre officially retired from the NFL....then came back. The whole thing is a joke! I shed far too many tears for Brett when he left the Pack, and when he returned I just got angry. Poor Aaron Rogers..thinking he's going to be the starting QB and then Brett comes back and says that he will start and be the main QB or he wants to be traded. But Brett signed a contract a few years ago saying that he would stay with the Packers until 2010. The Packers gave in and traded him to the Jets. It will be very difficult to watch Brett in a Jet jersey. He should have stayed retired or not retired in the first place, and if he's going to continue playing, he should finish his career as a Packer, not as a Jet. I guess the only plus side to this situation is that Wisconsin will never have to be in winter wonderland.

Confused...

The worst part about dating is playing the stupid games. Hard-To-Get seems to be the most popular. Why can't we just come out and say, "Hey, I like you"? Why does everything have to be so difficult? First of all, the games are a waste of time, and you're only playing this "hard-to-get" because you're trying to show the other person that you actually have a life and don't sit around waiting for them to call you. Let's get real here. You don't have anything better to do and you are sitting by the phone waiting. Whatever happened to communication? I hate when people put on a stupid front. Why can't we just be ourselves and openly admit that we don't have a life and don't ever make plans, so the week is wide open. Ok, I'll be the first to admit it. I don't have a life, I never make plans, and my week is wide open. There ya have it! If someone calls and says, "What are you doing tonight?" why would I say, "Oh, yeah, I'm busy, sorry!" when really I should be saying, "Absolutely nothing! Let's go out!" I'm not afraid to say this to anyone. Let's get out there, people! Show your soon-to-be lover that you really don't have a life, and when he/she really enters your life, you will be all theirs! Perfect!

On a side note, what does it mean when you're dating someone for three months, and then they all of a sudden start ignoring you and blowing you off? This is when communication comes into play. All you men, can you please just tell us what we did wrong, or at least a good reason as to why you're shutting us out? Don't make us confused and try to analyze everything, 'cause that's what we do, and it hurts. Don't give us excuses like, "I've been busy," or "I've been working a lot". By now, we know what you're schedule is like, and those are lies. Tell the truth. BE A MAN, for God's sake!