USA - USA - USA (Everybody now!)

In the early 1990s, I was a young girl with crooked teeth. I was also an Olympic champion in training.

You may not have heard about my incredible gymnastic abilities because girls like Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller and Kerri Strug stole the sports news spotlight but I was a part of it all...in my own mind. I mean, I did take a year or two of gymnastics at Louise Noel's School of Dance!

My training facility was located in West Springfield, MA...almost in my backyard. Okay, fine. It was my backyard.

Around the in-ground pool, my parents had installed wooden beams to section off the patio, contain the landscape, and enhance the overall atmosphere of our seasonal living room. Being a creative youngster, I doubled these beams as Olympic balance beams and even downed trees. (Shout out to all Troop Beverly Hills fans!)

I'd throw on my bathing suit, which was as good as any leotard, and leap, twist and dismount with my hands in the air and everything. I'd also get slivers in my feet and fall into the fence. Perhaps it's a good thing that my career was short lived.

From experience, I know how much blood, sweat and tears goes into being an Olympian. Now that I've retired from the sport, the least I can do is watch the current athletes compete and, hopefully, make history.

I guess I'll be glued to NBC and NBC affiliates for the next few weeks. "USA - USA - USA..."

Headed In The Right Direction

My father has always been there for me to help guide me through life.
He helped me onto the school bus the first day of Kindergarten and followed the bus to school so he was there when I arrived. He was great for helping me with math homework during my stint in elementary school. He taught me how to drive a stick-shift in a Downtown Springfield parking lot. He has always given me great advice about choosing a college, dealing with a car accident and purchasing a home. He is great for developing budget spreadsheets so I don't overdraw my bank account...again.
But this time...he's really outdone himself. He has purchased me a Garmin GPS.
For those of you who don't know, I've been teased and mocked for years for being Ms. Mapquest. I've been told that with the technology these days, there is no reason to have print-out Mapquest directions on the passenger seat.
I wouldn't say I've been resistant to this new technology but I typically go to and from the same places. If I don't know how to get there by now, I have bigger issues to deal with.
I will admit that there have been a handful of times where I've, simply, had a mental block and have just driven in the wrong direction to get some place.
There was this one time in college where I was driving from West Springfield, MA to Newport, RI and I looked at the Mapquest directions and quickly skimmed down....90 East...blah blah blah...146 South....yeh yeh yeh...95 South... I instinctively drove on the Mass Pike to 95 South, adding approximately two years onto the trip. Not smart!
Another time, also in college, I drove from Framingham, MA to Marblehead, MA by going on 290 through Worcester. Don't ask...crazy college days?
Well, my friends, never again. Thanks, Dad, for always pointing me in the right direction.