Many Updates

Hey all,

So, I have been a bad little blogger. Updates have been very hard for me to muster lately. Life has been wonderfully hectic.

Taking the easy way out isn't my forte, but I'm afraid it has to happen in order for me to bring everyone up to date.

This is horrible, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

So, without further ado, Here's what's been going on:

I have been traveling alot lately.

I went snowboarding for the first time ever. It was a great weekend with tons of debauchery and hilarity. I fell so many times that I lost count and I loved every minute of it! My poor tail bone was a little bruised by the end of the adventure. At one point, I thought that I had my skills down so I decided to try a Blue run...not a good idea! I caught the lip of my board and ended up sliding backwards on my back half way down the mountain with snow flying in my face the entire time. 'Slopes and Hoes' was the theme of the weekend. If you haven't seen the movie 'Step Brothers' then you have no clue what I'm talking about. Trust me, it was priceless!

Then I went to Idaho for the Great West Gym Fest and handed out awards and such. It was a great time! (Amazing competition...very inspiring group of visionaries who put it all together).

Then I was in Ottawa for the Canadian Sport Awards where I won the "Spirit of Sport Story of the Year Award". This was a huge honour for me! The award was created to recognize an inspirational sport story that touched the hearts of Canadians and demonstrated the true spirit of sport; not necessarily winning medals, but demonstrating leadership and sport values. It was so awesome to be recognized :)

After Ottawa, I was in Toronto. It was great to spend some very quality time with my former coach and best friend, Kelly, and his beautiful family. I loved reconnecting and being able to have some really special bonding time with my little nephews, Barrett and Anderson. I also had a wonderful and very productive meeting about a new tv show that I have in the works. More on that later...

After Toronto I was in Calgary for a week and then I was off to Florida. I was there taking a course called Co-Active coaching. It's a "life coaching" course, but I am not super fond of that title. I like to call it "personal wellness consulting". It is through the Coaches Training Institute (www.thecoaches.com) and it was a really challenging and eye opening experience. It gave me some neat ideas and left me wanting more.

After Florida, I came home and had an inkling to start pushing myself a little more in the direction of my future...so, completely out of my ordinary, I booked a trip to Thailand! Holy crap!

I am off this morning for an entire month. I am super excited...and a little scared too! But that's the whole point. I am packing a back pack and I have no idea where I'll end up. This is SO not typical "Kyle" style, but I know that it will be good for me:) It's exactly what I need right now to propel myself forward.

So, you're probably wondering where training fits into all of this traveling. Well, in all honesty, I have been making some other things a priority right now. I am keeping very fit (I have been doing tons of yoga and working out) and I feel really healthy and strong.

I feel like this trip to Thailand is going to be a great opportunity for me to clear my head, have some adventure and get a plan together for what direction I am going to be heading in. I don't know exactly where my heart is leaning. I feel like I am finally starting to come down and gain some perspective after a very tiring, exciting and trying year. I think a lot of athletes who competed in Beijing are feeling this way. It's tough coming home and having to restart your life. It's tough to see the big picture because you are continually living in the past and replaying your Olympic experience, and everything that led up to it, over and over again in your head.

I don't know what will transpire while I'm away. I have a couple of plans. The first being 'have no plan'! Second, I want to have tons of fun, like, 'laugh till your belly hurts' kind of fun. Third, I want to meet as many people as possible and just be Kyle, not Olympic gymnast Kyle. Fourth, I want to push myself far beyond my comfort zone - will I bungee jump??? And lastly, I want to write a lot, reflect and listen to my heart and not my head.

I also have a little update about a new development in my life. I have been seeing someone new for a little while now. Her name is Kristin. I met her at yoga and she made sure to point out that I am really bendy, but I am a yoga cheater! haha. I liked that. She has been really growing on me. We are actually going to be traveling to Thailand together. She is exactly what I need in my life right now. She pushes me, she is incredibly hilarious and she instills a huge amount of confidence in me. I am trying not to delve too deep into where this relationship is heading. I just want to enjoy it for every ounce of greatness that is it right now. Nothing more, nothing less.

Well, I should wrap this up. It's 1am and I have some packing to do!

Stay tuned for a Thailand update...if not in April, then in May when I get back!

Keep smiling and enjoy the blossoming of Spring ;)

Kyle