Welcome to January 2013! Hard to believe that 2012 has come to an end, but I am always up for a chance to reinvent myself again by setting new goals and objectives for the upcoming days. I am heading back to California today after spending the last two weeks in Kansas. I was so sad to have to leave, knowing that I am going back to my tedious days of work, running and sleep. With the ultra-marathon just 10 days away, I am trying to prepare my body for the task of running over 40 miles in a single setting. As overwhelming a task as that seems, I am so excited. After training for 6 months, early mornings, freezing temperatures, and more Clif shot blocks than a person can count, the moment that I have been waiting for. Temperatures are scheduled to be in the 60-70’s which brings up another challenge: deciding what to run in. The wrong gear seems to be the root of any problems I have running, so I will spend the next week trying to decide what feels best on the treadmill, and hoping that I will be able to fit it all into a suitcase for the trek from San Jose to Orlando.

My mom is meeting me down there, which I have mixed feelings about. This adventure is something that I know I couldn’t do without her. She takes great care of me and has great advice for any issues that may arise. But since the A-bomb got dropped in July, or should I say GAY-bomb, my relationship with my brother, and the rest of the family for that matter has not been the same. That news was not something that I was, or am, prepared to handle, and I still have very mixed feelings about it.

California has made me a must more cynical person, and I almost hate that about myself. Everything and everyone is so impersonal, which is so much different than in the Midwest where I grew up. But life there is what I consider actual reality: bad drivers, traffic jams, lots of Asians, rushed work schedules, and beautiful scenery. Haha, that’s a funny sentence. Oh well, freedom of speech, right? I miss the innocence of Kansas, the crazy weather, the flat land, and the hometown people. You never meet any farmers in San Jose, that’s for sure.

Anyway, like I listed in my last post, I have set some goals for myself this year in hopes that I expand my horizons, fill the hole that seems to be growing larger by the day, and enjoy the beautiful state that I have the wonderful opportunity to live in.

I plan to try to make it down to Disneyland at least once a month, since I have an annual pass and have only used it once so far. I also need to make it up to The City. I have been in San Jose for 6 months, and haven’t made any trips. I want to go places to run and take photos as I don’t think that I explore my surroundings enough. 1,500 miles in 2013 is my goal. I have .65 down, and 1499.35 to go…

I have a ton of travel planned this year, from Orlando to Ohio, Birmingham to hopefully Hawaii, I can’t wait to explore these locations a lot more. I am so excited for the possibilities that lay before me, and I am grateful that I have the opportunities to see and do so many things. 2013 is going to be epic! I just know it. And the best part… I am going to share it all here, with you.