Of All Roads, I Chose the Backroads...

When times are good, adventure is high, and life seems generally more interesting, it's easy to share with friends and family. When the routine drags you down, and there is little excitement in your day to day activities, the "sharing bubble" bursts. I've been under the soggy residue of a burst bubble for a bit, but I'm feeling much better with some big life changes, and new opportunities.

Let me give you a quick recap of my winter and spring:

After football season ended I picked up the coaching duties again, which in the rainy winters mostly include indoor cycling classes. I also continued to write my football articles on the Pac-12 and Oakland Raiders. Those can be found at collegesportsmadness.com and thepenaltyflag.com respectively. I feel as if I turned out some interesting pieces, even though the weekly tasks became a bit monotonous. I also spent most of my winter months dating, both online and traditional, with little to no success and a generally apathetic view on the whole process.

January rolled around and I began triathlon training again, in an attempt to be a "normal" triathlete that simply enjoys the training and throws in an occasional race. I was, once again, setting my alarms to get up before 5:30am and swim with a master's swim team. Joining in on organized track workouts and watching Friday Night Lights while I rode my bike trainer in the living room. It wasn't the most glamorous of workout routines, but did create some fitness in my lungs and legs.

In February, while visiting my mother and grandmother in Pennsylvania, my dog Linus died of cardiac arrest at the animal hospital. I found while I was standing in line to board the plane from Dulles to Seattle. That may have been the longest, and most miserable flight of my life. Linus was a great little guy with HUGE personality and a million friends, both human and canine.

As the pain from a recent loss of a human relationship, and a man's-best-friend relationship, began to wear off, I found myself in the all-too-familiar "where do I go from here" zone. So, I started moseying down several different avenues to find what was going to motivate me. Although I am enjoying the coaching aspect of my life, and certainly the football officiating, I decided to take a long shot at being a cycling tour guide for Backroads Travel. I filled out an online application and began the waiting game.

While waiting to hear something, anything, I began thinking about my summer without the cycling tour job. I began contacting sponsors, planning a race schedule, getting ideas together for possible travels, and even moved pretty far along in looking for a new dog. My plan B was coming together nicely, and in many ways even started to feel just as appealing as Plan A.

Well, I only had to wait for a couple weeks before I received a call from Backroads looking to do a phone interview. The phone call was short and sweet, and then I received an email several days later inviting me to a "hiring event" in Berkeley, CA. I paid a pretty penny to get to the Bay Area just eight days after being invited. I flew to Berkeley, did an eight-hour interview with 45 other applicants from our "event" and then spent the night in the San Francisco area. The following morning I received a call from an unknown number in Berkeley, CA. I knew that a phone call was possibly a good thing, and it was. I came home as one of nine people with a new job!

The skinny on the job is that I will be leaving Seattle (although keeping it as my current residence and still paying rent), on Memorial Day and flying to Salt Lake City where I will do two weeks of intense job training. Here they will teach us how to be leaders on an expensive biking/hiking/camping/adventure for individuals, families, and couples. Backroads guides tours all around North America and the world. I will likely be in the US this year, although that is not a guarantee. My language limitations will keep my out of places like France, Italy, and Spain, but will work fine in more uncommon language areas like Vietnam, Switzerland, and Morocco.

The pay is great, the traveling will be amazing, and I'm sure the people are right up my alley. Yes, it'll take me away from Seattle during the best months to be here (June-October), but I'll be sure to enjoy the summer either way. My roommate, Steve, will have the luxury of a large apartment to himself (minus the cat, Chili), and I will only bring the necessities with me. Once I leave for Salt Lake, I will not be returning until October, so packing will be an adventure in itself. Especially considering I don't have a clue where my assignments will be until I am already in Utah.

I am going to do my best to update this blog while I am traveling, working, and relaxing. Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures on here and Facebook for all of you to see. I am really looking forward to starting a job that really seems to suit me, keeps me away from a desk, and allows me to work with people.

Thanks for reading!

Check out Backroads.com for an idea of whom has decided to employ me.