I feel like rambling about nothing in particular. I have thoughts bouncing around in my head and I'm not someone who talks to my plants. So my five regular readers get to read my rambles instead. Maybe I'm finally getting settled into life here in Lousyana. Perhaps I shouldn't call it that any more because its really not that bad. Its not Monterey or Tokyo or Colorado, but it could be worse. I secretly really like my job, even though its incredibly busy and the hours are long. I love the challenge of all the moving pieces involved. I have great people working for me for the most part and I like who I work for, so I certainly can't complain about that. I have a brand new shiny house in a quiet neighborhood with endless quiet country roads at my disposal to ride, even if they are painfully flat and I have to carry pepper spray to keep the occasional mean dog at bay. And there's sweet single track only 30 minutes away.

But a few things are missing. I have three things I love more than anything in the world--Terry, racing my bike(s), and photography. I wish I could get paid for living a life that involves just those three things. Right now I feel like I'm living without any of them because the first one remains in California while I've been so busy with the new house and new job and new commitments and, in typical Beth fashion, taking on too much stuff to have time for the others. But things are starting to settle down. I'm starting to get an idea of what's important. And my overly competitive imagination is starting to wander towards training routes and intervals and tempo rides and hill repeats. Maybe I can start training again. And maybe, just maybe, I can start racing again. And maybe I still have a chance to find out how good I can be at something if I focus. And thinking about that makes me excited. Excitement leads to motivation. Motivation leads to getting out there to do it. And being out there doing it makes me happy. I just have to get my priorities in line, because the only one who can impede my excitement and motivation right now is me. As easy as it might be to say no, I don't like saying no to me.

And if nothing else, Terry is coming to visit me for two weeks in June and then we get to go to Colorado together for a few days and take photos in the mountains. There's a lot that makes me happy in that statement.