Sure wish I knew that before...

While in Germany, I found the best mustard ever. Another thrower told me about it last fall but I had forgotten until I was browsing at our neighborhood Rewe (German grocery store) in Cologne. It's called Thomy and comes in mittelscharf delikatess-senf, scharfer senf, and other varieties I cannot spell or pronounce correctly. It's packaged in a foil tube, later earning it the nickname "toothpaste mustard" from our friend Les. All kidding aside, the stuff is AMAZING and I packed a handful of tubes in my luggage for friends and family that I knew would appreciate the stuff. Upon arrival at my mom's house in Colorado Springs, I proudly presented the mustard and told of it's awesomeness. Mom tells me that there is a German deli on the West Side that sells brats and other authentic German dishes so we make time to swing by and grab some brats for the grill. The place is pretty small but as I'm looking on the shelves, what do I see? Yep, they carry the same kind of mustard at a deli 7 miles from my mom's house that I brought on a 7,500 mile journey. I was crushed but at least we know a place where we can replenish the supplies...

Welcome Home, Part 2 (early September)

I always feel a little lost for a few days after a long competition season draws to a close. I get so used to the busy schedule of training, travel, and competing, the slow pace of vacation takes some getting used to. I love going home to Colorado though, especially in the fall. It'd been nine months since I'd been back and it was great to see my folks again. I was also excited to share a Colorado fall with Kara. We'd been planning a backpacking trip for over a year and were looking forward to actually going. Of course we'd need to get properly outfitted and there isn't much I like more than buying new outdoor gear (except for using it, of course) :) In addition to backpacking, I had plenty of camping, hiking, fishing, card playing, and road tripping planned for my time off. Eating too...lots of eating...

Welcome home, self! (early September)

After many hours of flying and just as many hours of waiting in airports, I arrived home in San Diego. Feeling great, I began preparations for the start of my vacation only to discover that my car battery had died completely while I was gone. Waylaid for an extra day, I visited some friends and enjoyed the last little bit of southern California weather I'd see for a few months. The drive to Colorado Springs was fairly uneventful. At around 1250 miles, it's a bit far to try to do in one shot and I aimed to get to Albuquerque by 10 or 11pm, grab a hotel room, and make the rest of the drive in the morning. As luck would have it, I was driving through over the Labor Day weekend and every hotel I stopped at for 80 miles was full. Eventually, I gave up the search and napped in the front seat of my car for a few hours. I timed my drive through southern Colorado perfectly, as I met my dad and our friend Les at a lake for some much needed fishing. Three days earlier I had been in Germany and now I was catching smallmouth bass from the deck of a pontoon boat, tired and jet lagged but so happy to be home.