I told you I had some exciting news and surprises coming!
To check out what I have to say about why solo travel is a great option click HERE.
Thrilled?! Oh you have no idea…:)
Champagne anyone?
I’m sure you all have seen the fantastically awesome new Honda commercials for the CRV the Leap List. There are lots of good ones, but my favorite is Ferris Bueller of course! Gotta love his last line:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Here’s my current leap list. I’ve already checked off things like running a marathon, working at the Olympics, road tripping across the country and spending time in all 50 states, whitewater rafting on the Grand Canyon, Hiking to Half Dome at Yosemite, skydiving, etc. but there’s always room for more.
Make your Leap List here today and start jumping. There’s always a safety net on the other side. I promise.
I have planned a weekend for female soccer alumni of my high school in Vermont to come together to reconnect and reminisce, play soccer, honor our past teammates, and give back to the community we grew up in. I’ve been working on things for months. Some of the biggest pieces are now set in place, so I wanted to finally share!
The Blue Lollipop Road Reunion Soccer Weekend will take place the weekend of August 18, 2012 in Shaftsbury and Bennington, VT.
Part of the festivities will include the STRONG MOJO summit- which will be  an opportunity for current female athletes to meet with former soccer  players. (That’s us!) We will share our life experiences since leaving high school through a leadership/mentor forum. There will be a memorial dedication to Maria Greene and Brandy Brown (our lost friends who inspired me to start BLR), an alumni soccer tournament, and of course, social gatherings.
…having a conversation about living on the east coast or the west. I always think of the following when I talk east or west:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97.
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…Â
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…Â
You’re not as fat as you Imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.Â
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind.
The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy;Â
Sometimes you’re ahead,Â
Sometimes You’re behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults;Â
If you Succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
Life.
The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/baz_luhrmann/sunscreen.html ]
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t Congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.Â
Enjoy your body, Use it every way you can… Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people Think of it,Â
It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own…Â
Dance… even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Brother and sister together we’ll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you’ve been hurting, but I’ve been waiting to be there
For you.Â
And I’ll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.Â
Everybody’s free.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings;Â
They are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.Â
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;Â
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will Philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you.Â
Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you’re 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…Â
~Baz Luhrmann
As I ran along the lake this morning, It dawned on me:
Never fail, my absolute best moments of clarity are when I am either running or driving- down a road alone, and in complete silence. Like a mom rushing to kiss a child’s bruised knee after a fall, my road time by foot or by car is for me what “makes it all better.”
So today I would like to thank my legs:
Thank you legs- for allowing me to pound that pavement and push those pedals.
“You have to represent something bigger than yourself.”
Amen to that Viola Davis! Inspiring quote, incredible performance in The Help, and that green dress you are wearing tonight? Gorgeous.
You will see a lot of these thank you posts in the coming weeks.
A long overdue THANK YOU to my web guy and friend Bobby for helping me maintain this site. Bobby has more on his plate than most people, but is always willing to help. He has never taken a penny for any design or maintenance work he’s done. My goal is to share some loot with him from the fundraising campaign BLR will be launching very soon.
Also, another big THANK YOU to Constance. She’s helped me corral the monkeys when I start to babble, and is always there to guide and advise to make me sound my best.
As I type this short thank you, my mind fills with many names of people that have been so good to me over the years while I’ve been pushing to follow my dreams. Specific to Bobby and Constance, they are two that believe in the work I am capable of, and the message of Blue Lollipop Road. They’ve always given so much more than they’ve taken. I look forward to the day I can pay back their generosity. One of the most exciting parts of reaching my goals is that I plan to continue to take all those people with me (like Bobby and Constance) who have stuck with me through all the blood sweat and tears. I don’t ever want to forget where I came from, or who was there with me along the way.
Thank you Bobby and Constance. I hope you realize how much I always appreciate all your support!
…this week- PROMISE!
The announcement on the BLR event I’ve been teasing about for 2 months is coming by March 1. And? I just got some other AMAZING big news this morning on something that will be happening in the next few weeks. More on that too.
I need live video and audio streams for when this stuff happens. I am having a lot of screeching dance parties with myself in my apartment lately. In other words, things are finally hitting the tipping point.
Whoa.
Funny how even if you ‘re one of those people who believe all things are possible, when they actually then become real- you’re also one of those people standing around saying: WHAT?! Are you kidding me?!
Awesome.
Advice for the day: Spend time doing things you love. The rest will happen from there. Period.
Serendipity? Luck? Perfect timing? Meant to be?
All of the above and then some.
In 2009 a girl LeeAnne (whom I’d just met once when I lived in Wilmington, North Carolina) sent me an email one day out of nowhere:
Hi Diane,
I saw that one of my friends from high school is living in New York City now and has a pretty interesting job. She does running tours of the city. Basically its much like a running group, except they also give tours of the city while running different paths/distances/etc. I know you are a runner and this might be an interesting way to generate some income in the busy tourist months here by taking a unique approach to tour-giving! Here’s the link to their website so you can check it out: www.cityrunningtours.com
LeeAnn
Of course I checked out the site and thought City Running Tours looked awesome, but at the time Wilmington wasn’t one of their tour cities to be a guide so I just sent them a “Hello- you are awesome!” email, and have followed the company ever since. When I lived in Napa I thought I might end up living in San Fran and be a guide, after that I was hell-bent on moving NYC so I imagined I’d guide tours around The Big Apple. Well here I am currently living in Chicago a year via Virginia. (You following with a map? Good. Welcome to the life of a traveler.) The point is to illustrate how far and long I have followed this company, and that I’ve kept up with my running habits.
Several months back in 2011 I sent City Running Tours a second email: “You should hire me to be a guide because I am a runner, I can talk to a brick wall and I am awesome, and I think you are too.” We finally connected this week and Chicago Manager Marlin invited me to meet up and join in a run this morning. I happily accepted.
Let’s just say this was one of the best, most energizing, inspirational mornings I’ve had in a very, very long time.
Just like LeeAnne’s email to above said, City Running Tours is much like a running group, except they also give tours of the city while you run. Well, today was so much more than a tour and daily get my miles in. A group of Fantastic fun runners gathered at The Bean at Millennium Park bright and early to meet guide Marlin. Even though I have now only spent a few hours with him- Marlin could possibly be one of the coolest, most humble, interesting, I can’t wait to learn more about and hopefully work with- people. Check out this video!
I googled Marlin as soon as I got home after hearing some of his stories today, I had to. This video was shot and posted in 2007. Get your copy of Marlin’s book Our Life on the Run, HERE.  I know what I’ll be reading this week! A fellow 50 stater. Yeah!
I have a feeling there will be many more stories in the future about Marlin and City Running Tours.
If you’ve followed here regularly you know I’ve posted less frequently than usual the past few months. This is because I have been working my tail off on a big transition for BLR and a huge event, as well as going through one of those times in life that have been exhausting and less than inspiring. As I plug away slinging burgers and beers to pay debt I was left with a few years back, I keep my heart and soul here figuring out ways to keep this entity of BLR trekking.
The past few months have been the hardest, but best and much needed months. Admittedly even with this needed- nose to the grindstone/good for the long term time, there have been a few days I’ve thought- That’s it! I am giving up my dreams! I’m just going to go work in a cube so I can rest easy at the end of the week and have a few extra bucks in my pocket!- Then? Somehow (my Mother would tell you it’s that stubborn sass) thankfully I shake that crazy talk in my head. Who else am I trying to be anyway? I’m not meant for the cube. It always happens that right when you are at the end of that rope, if you push with everything you have to keep going you always meet someone or happen upon something like I did today, that shows you giving up dreams is not an option. There is no “rest easy” in giving up what fuels every part of you. Not for me anyway.
What fuels your good fire?
Thank you to LeeAnn for taking 5 minutes 3 years ago to share information because you thought of me. Thank you to my super fun new running buddies from today Amy and Anne. Thank you to Marlin, for being one of “those” people. The ones you admire, learn a lot from and who make you want to do and be even more.
Here’s to following what gets you up out of bed excited at 6am on a cold Saturday morning!
***Very important side note to anyone out there who likes/loves/digs someone or something: Turns out if you call or write to that someone/thing that you genuinely dig, tell them you think they are awesome and the reasons why- you always get invited to the party. Seriously. My batting average is 100% so far. As you read above that’s how I even ended up on the run this morning. Even a behemoth company like Honda responds to to “I love you” messages. How did I ever get to talk to them and then have one of their cars loaned to me to do a road trip a few months ago? I stopped into a Honda dealer in Mechanicsville, VA last year- asked a service guy if he had a general  800 number for Honda corporate, called the number and asked to be patched through to someone in PR/marketing. I left a voicemail with my information adding “I love your cars, you should call me” (and they did.) The Secret is out! I have never shared that here before. Awesome right? I have lots more stories like these two. Don’t be afraid. Life is too short. Walk up to whatever/whomever  you totally dig and tell them you do and why. What have you got to lose? When you get invited to the party (because I promise you will)- write to me and tell me about it! Then I’ll share your story here 🙂
Reader and friend Grace sent this to me yesterday with a caption: “Only in Wisconsin!”
Hilarious. I wonder if they are all booked up? Nothing says Valentine’s Day love like a White Castle burger!
Thanks Grace! Keep ’em coming. I dig reader participation.