Us on top of Figueroa Mtn last year...
Just so we are on the same page...this move, to a "foreign" country is not typical behavior for Z and I. I am moving from the area I was born and raised and Z is moving from an area he has lived for the past 9 years. Granted, while my friends (and mostly my family) would agree that I have moved my fair share, I haven't ever gotten too far...it has, essentially, been within about a 10 mile radius. To me, moving is moving. To Z, moving is moving and across a very large ocean seems to get him a little more anxious, probably because he understands the details of the move more so. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss. So, I will stay ignorant for a little longer. It seems to be keeping me calm in the meantime. That, and my mind can't quite get itself wrapped around what the heck we are doing, so it can't even really freak out about that, which I like even more so.
We have been vacillating back and forth on
how to move. I also have this little rule (some might call it a mind trick) that I don't worry too much about the hows in my life. I believe a lot of people get caught up on them and it stops them in their tracks whether they want to explore their deepest desires or their biggest dreams. They are using their brilliant imagination, thinking up the best scenario possible, then, the how creeps in. The how is a deal breaker for me. So, I've removed it from my vocabulary because it just seemed to be getting in the way. You may be thinking, How does she get anything done? It just happens. Matthew Ferry once came up with a great phrase for his Vietnamese friend, Thach, they were getting caught up on the how of developing and dreaming big. Matthew said, Haven't you ever heard of the famous Vietnamese proverb? He spelled it out for Thach, "Phuk Hau". It is beautiful and simple and it sticks and even more, it works. The how just gets me all uptight and worrying about things I generally have little knowledge over. SO, moral of the story, don't worry about the Hows...they work themselves out perfect every time. Back to the moving...do we pack everything and put it in storage here in the US since we don't actually know where exactly we are moving to in NZ, or do we pack it and send it on its way and have it stored in NZ if we don't have a place picked out when it arrives. The other variable is the length of time shippers report for our "stuff" to get there...some say 4 weeks and some say 10 weeks. Z had an epiphany yesterday, thankfully, for us to pack our "stuff" and put it in storage here until we have an address in NZ for it to be shipped to. Brilliant, and logical and it's resolved. I love resolution.
Since moving across a large span of water doesn't seem to be daunting enough, we have added another...challenge. Some may call it a challenge, some may call it a lapse of our logic/reality/sanity...You get the picture. Ever since working the mountain bike stage race up in BC over the summer with the Luna team, we have talked about doing a distance race of this sort where it is teams of two and, of course, it didn't take much research to find the Alpine Epic mountain bike stage race in New Zealand at the end of February. We thought it would make sense...it would ensure we get ourselves down to NZ when we want to get down there...(at times it seemed easier to just stay here and never move, etc.), and it would make sure we stay happy and balanced through a certain level of fitness, and above all, it sounded like fun. A 4-day mountain bike stage race through the southern Alps on the south island of New Zealand. Point to point, 140 miles in 5 stages with over 21k vertical feet of climbing. Do-able, we thought. So, a couple of weeks ago before we actually registered, I asked Z if this was a practical thing to do. Why did we want to do this? I wanted to make sure it wasn't because our egos felt the need...something we felt we needed to do to prove something to ourselves or others. So, we decided to sleep on it and revisit it the next day after we thought of our own reasons. We both decided it sounded overwhelming at times, but, and this is a big but and why we ended up signing up for this adventure, it sounded like fun. The scenery, the trails/tracks, mountain biking together...it really sounded fun. So, that was it and we registered. Check out the event...
www.alpineepic.co.nz I will admit that while I was signing up, and even for a while after, I was shaking. Don't know really why, but just a casual observation. Fortunately, we have been on a riding kick as well. Thoroughly enjoying riding our bicycles on and off the road, which makes "training" easy and fun. We have been going up hills more than one time, chasing each other to the top, and I might've even magically coerced Z into going up Figueroa Mountain in Santa Ynez more than once. Close to 6k of climbing that one day in a little over 3 hours and he still talks to me...and likes me! And, I think he liked it too...especially because he was ahead of me most the time. Good times.
So, onward to this adventure we call life. Onward to a new chapter. Onward to new opportunities. We are thrilled (and overwhelmed at times).
