A Tourist in my Homeland, and Rumblings of the Future

Bas and Rik left last Saturday after a fun-filled week of horseback riding, mountain carvings, museums, a rodeo, hiking, and every traditional mid-western food I could think of.

Ruud stayed on, and will be here until Tuesday. We've kept busy near and far with Devils Tower, Storybook Island, Reptile Gardens, and more hiking.

Unfortunately, I don't think I've been the easiest person to live with these past few weeks. I was rather grumpy, because of all the things I could think to do with the next few months, none of them were striking me as THE thing. I was restless.

But then. One day. It came to me. And now, two days later, I've put the wheels in motion. It'll only keep me busy for about a month or so, and there are a few things that have to come through before it's a definite, but it's looking good. I'll tell you more as things come together. For now, just know that by October 9, I'll be out of the country.

The "where I'm from" home.

I got back to the Hills region after a delightful week-long journey that started in Las Vegas.

I rode to Vegas with my roommate Diana and stayed at her house for a night while I waited for the Dutch boys to catch up. They got there the next day, and we stayed at the Circus Circus until I caught a flight to Denver and they began their drive through Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.

So these days have been tourist days. Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the winery. A day at the ranch -- shooting, riding, roping. Mammoth Site, Evans Plunge, Custer State Park, the Playhouse. Hiking Harney Peak. Shopping at WalMart. You know. Everything a foreigner should experience.

And we've had some fun. Bas and Rik are leaving already on Saturday; Ruud will be here another week.

And then? Your guess is as good as mine. I have been browsing some job listings in Bahrain, Singapore, Chile, and Fort Collins.

One DAY?

There have been some good moments these last few weeks.

I taught a class last week we call Cardio Queens. It involves a lot of drills, running, stadium stairs -- intense, not for pansies. One day, I led them in ins and outs (jog one minute, pace 45 seconds, sprint 15 seconds) for 15 minutes. I had two girls complete the entire thing running. "Great job!" I said. "We covered about a mile and a half."

"What?" one said. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"I haven't run a mile in four years."

Not only that, we did another 15-minute running workout, which she completed without stopping. She went on to run -- RUN -- the 5K that weekend...in under 30 minutes.

She came up to me the day afterward. "It's because of class! I didn't know I could push myself that hard."

I LOVE this job.

And I leave it after tomorrow.

One week? One week!

I'm approaching the beginning of my last week at work. After a killer workout schedule this week (1: Strength training. 2: Kickboxing MWF, sprints on the track THS. 3: Free, but they have indoor volleyball this week, so I've been playing along and spiking like a champ. 4: Glutes and abs -- meaning lots of stadium stairs. Add in a late night after a trip to Pageant of the Masters on Wednesday, and...), I'm dragging like you wouldn't believe. Next week, however, my final week, I'm teaching pilates, yoga, and glutes and abs. So hopefully, after having this Sunday off, I'll be able to recover.

Last Saturday I made my very own yoga DVD -- the perfect combination of my two favorite things. Today we took pictures for the cover. It will be sent out to camp participants throughout the year.

And last Sunday, I journeyed back up to Santa Monica with Aunt Cathy for one more visit with Aunt Dolores. We made tentative birthday plans, in case I can swing a trip out here in November.

Tonight I'm hitting the baseball game with Uncle Omar and Aunt Cathy. Will Bonds break Hank Aaron's record tonight? Stay tuned.

My beautiful friend Anja (you might remember Anja because I stayed at her apartment in Slovenia last January) is here in San Diego! HERE IN SAN DIEGO! I can't wait to see her. Hopefully this weekend.

Also this weekend, I'm hoping to catch up with my two lovely LA friends before I leave this part of the country.

Or will I? It has been suggested that I leave my resume with the head honchos in case an office job for the camp opens up this fall. Um.