2012 in Review

It’s hard to believe 2012 is already over! They say time flies when you’re having fun and as I look back on the past 12 months that statement proves to be true. I look back on all the things I got to do and all the places I got to go and I can’t help but feel extremely blessed for the past year of life that I have been able to live.

JANUARY-2012 started out in Scotland as I got to represent Team USA for the first time.

FEBRUARY-My highlight from February was getting to watch my college roommate and one of my best friends get married!!

MARCH-In March I got to go to the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Ohio and watch the Azusa Pacific women win a National Championship!

APRIL- April marked my return to the steeplechase after a 3-year hiatus. It also marked the start of an unforgettable track season.

MAY- In May, we lost a good friend and great man, Alex Moore. I think of Alex everyday, and for the rest of my track season wore a North Carolina blue bow in my hair in his memory. In the first race after Alex’s death I was able to break 10:00 in the steeple (a goal that I had set back in 2005).

JUNE- June was a bittersweet month. I got to go up to Portland, where I set a new PR in the steeplechase and got to spend the weekend with another one of my college roommates and her husband. June also marked the end of the Santa Barbara chapter of my life. My 9 years in Santa Barbara was absolutely incredible and will forever be a special time in my life.  June was also the month of the Olympic Trials where I narrowly missed qualifying. While it was really hard to put so much into a dream and come so close and yet, not make it, I look back and have no regrets. There is nothing more I could have done and I would not change the journey for anything.

JULY- In July, I got to fulfill another dream and go to Belgium with Athletes in Action and race on the European circuit. It was an amazing 3 weeks spent with an amazing group of people and to top it off we got to spend the last couple of days in France!

AUGUST- August marked the start of a new job at Azusa Pacific University. It was a crazy month after a summer of travels and trying to get settled into a new place, but so far I am loving every minute of it and am excited for what is to come! As part of our pre-season we took the team to Mammoth for some altitude training.

APU XC 2012 on top of Red Cone. (10,500 ft. altitude)

SEPTEMBER- By September, I was full swing into coaching and trying to figure out the balance between coaching and training. I was also trying to adapt to huge change in weather. Azusa gets HOT! Definitely not like anything I was used to in Santa Barbara.

It gets hot here…

OCTOBER- October brought my 27th birthday. I am officially in my late 20s. As a birthday present, our family got to go to the Carrie Underwood concert at the Staples Center. In addition to that, I got to go to Hawaii for the first time with APU for the Cross Country Conference Championships. In addition to the race and our 1st Pac-West Conference Championship, I tried surfing for the first time and went to my first luau. All in all I would consider Hawaii a very successful trip!

NOVEMBER- In November, I got to be a part of my first ever National Championship team. The APU women’s cross country team won the National Christian College Championships in Cedarville, Ohio. (Apparently APU has some good luck with winning National Championships in Ohio.) I also got to celebrate another Thanksgiving with my incredible family.

DECEMBER- December was full of Christmas festivities! Lots of Elf watching (and other Christmas movies this year too!) and baking and ugly sweater wearing. In the middle of it all, I got to go to Orlando for a few days for the National Coaches Convention but got home just in time to celebrate a wonderful Christmas with my family!

So that is my 2012 in a nutshell. I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store!! Happy New Year to all of you! I hope 2013 brings you blessings and happiness!