East Coast

Karla & Jim on USS Wasp

Both professional and personal commitments took me out east for the last week.  I flew out to VA for a conference that I've attended annually for the last several years.  This year, the location changed from Las Vegas to Norfolk, and the purpose went from being critical to the performance of my job to being a self-funded continuing education opportunity.  I have earned and maintained several certifications over time that enable me to stay informed, current and connected in the overlapping fields of nutrition and human performance.  Maintaining certifications in these two fields however, is both time-consuming and expensive.  So although the conference wasn't at a resort in Vegas this year, the fact that it was in Norfolk persuaded me that it was worth the effort since I could combine it with a visit to Jim & Karla's!

I arrived the weekend prior to the conference to spend some quality time with Jim & Karla.  Jim had duty on the ship one day, so Karla and I brought him lunch to eat with him on the USS Wasp.  After lunch, he gave us a tour and explained his role onboard.  Having been an aviation sailor, and a land-based one at that, I had never been on an active Navy ship.  I found the environment and facilities fascinating, but I'm still thankful that my brown shoe Navy service didn't include ship time.  Don't get me wrong, I love the water and have no problem living in austere environments, but I don't think having such little personal space for such long periods of time would be that much fun.

Karen, Robyn and Jon.

The conference itself was informative and nostalgic.  Although my new position still involves performance, the focus and environment is quite different.  It was great to catch up with numerous colleagues and friends from my time with the THOR3 program as well as from the US Olympic Committee.  It really is amazing how small and intertwined the human performance community is.  The presentations and interactions rekindled a spark in me for educating and facilitating passion for performance in others.  The combination of quality time spent with Jim and Karla, Rob & Barb and a satisfying conference certainly made the time, effort and money invested worthwhile.

Jess and Dano.

The cherry on top of this great week was that it coincided with Jess's baby shower.  Yes, I know what you're thinking...Karen...baby shower?!  I'll admit I do have a bit of an aversion to showers of any type, but I knew that with Christi hosting, there was no way the shower would be traditional.  I was not disappointed!  I drove a rental car from Norfolk to Fayetteville where I got to hang out with Christi the night before the shower.  Although the weekend was filled with the all-day BBQ/shower at Jess and Dano's, I still managed to catch up with my Airborne buddy, Bridget, and her husband Will.  It never ceases to amaze me how flexible my military friends are.  After finding out at 9:00 pm that I was in town for such a short period of time, she invited me over for breakfast with her and Will at 9:00 am the next morning.  Now that's a good friend!  It was a short visit, but enough time for us to get caught up.

Christi, Jess and Karen

As for the shower, you know it's not going to be a traditional party of games and etiquette when a keg of beer and wine table is involved!  Similar to Whit and Kathie's baby shower years ago, it was an outdoor event for both adults and kids celebrating the impending arrival of another Ranger into this world.  With the distinguished careers and characters of both Jess and Dano, we will now forever refer to them as hero-makers :-)

It seems that every important event I wanted to attend in 2013 is inconveniently bunched into April and May.  I tried to triage them and figure out if there were any I could cut out to facilitate an easier transition into my new job.  Ultimately, I decided that they all bring value to my life, either professionally or personally (and in some cases both), so I will continue to juggle them with my new responsibilities and make it work.  The type A personality in me is cringing, but the little bubble on my interior level is floating with glee that I'm participating in these events that help bring balance to my life.