I have a little extra time right now, sitting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale because my tired brain did the math wrong and I got here an hour before I needed to be. I know what you’re thinking…better an hour early than an hour late. C’est la vie.
Let’s put some perspective on this situation. I am so close. So close to getting home and surviving.
For context, six weeks ago I was nervous and panicking on the regular. There was going to be a five-week stretch of time during which there were three APP tournament trips (read: I would be on the road for three weeks), a tax appointment, month-end work responsibilities, all topped off with my condo being fumigated while on the last of the three trips. I mean, what? Did I sign up for this?
Don’t answer that.
When I was in grade school, a friend and I used to refer to really hectic weeks as "hell week." Well what do you call it when it's five weeks in a row? It’s been a wild five weeks, that's for sure. After a six-week break in my APP Tour schedule, we started off in Sacramento, which will be my shortest flight of the year. Can I just tell you how much I love not having to adjust to a new time zone? What was extra special about Sacramento was that we debuted my new video series where I take a player out and about in the tour city and spend some time getting to know them away from the pickleball court. My first victim was Allison Harris, and I could not have asked for someone better to kick off this series. She is one of the sweetest people I’ve yet to meet on the tour and her warm, kind spirit was exactly what I needed to balance the adrenaline racing through my body during the first shoot. I’m so grateful for the people at Temple Coffee, especially Andrew, who were so gracious with allowing us to film there. And #Juwan, my new partner in content-making crime. What a talented videographer, editor and storyteller he is. We have invigorating conversations to boot, but if either one of us ever asks about your favorite Disney movie, think twice about answering!
Fun fact about the shoot with Allison - she really loved her iced vanilla latte with oat milk, which is always her drink of choice. But I don't drink coffee - or tea - so my cup had water in it!
My tournament blogger in Sacramento was Judit Castillo. She has some of the best energy I’ve ever found in a human being, and it was a joy getting to know her. What was extra cool about Judit’s blog is that because she is Spanish and has a host of fans from Spain, we decided to make her blog bilingual, with English and Spanish text. She gave me the entries in English, and #JC from our web team translated them into Spanish. It was the first-ever pro pickleball player blog in English and Spanish and I think that’s super freaking cool! I’m beyond thrilled for our team on that one!
Even though tournament content-wise Sacramento was great for me, it was also hard because I had to leave my rink team during Week 1 of classes, and I missed the Spring Cup competition, which I’m normally on-site for and have a big role in. Trying to troubleshoot as best I could from so far away was stressful and it was hard for me to compartmentalize the guilt I felt for not being there for my team. Shoutout to #Daniela, #Seychelle, #Chisom, #Skylar, #Satya, #Soyun, #Lia, #Emily and #Chloe for holding down the fort and doing an amazing job that entire week. I’m so proud of them and feel so lucky to have such a smart, capable team. I am still figuring out how to balance the current work load between all the clients and jobs, but I know it would be way more difficult, if not downright impossible, without them.
The week between Sacramento and Miami was full of work, meetings, #Mom’s birthday, and doing laundry that came out of my luggage and literally went straight back in. Some things didn’t event make it out of the suitcase!
Miami was an experience, and we knew ahead of time that it would be, just because of all the elements surrounding and within the tournament. The first order of business for me was the “Off the Court” shoot with Will Howells. I didn’t know him prior to planning for the shoot, but I feel like that changed quickly, especially when I found out he has a full-time day job in addition to playing pickleball professionally. I can definitely relate to that struggle, but I won’t say anymore so as to not spoil my next feature story! Will’s location suggestion for his shoot was the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix track because he’s a big motorsports fan. I’m certain that you reading that in text did not nearly convey the ambition and shock that I felt when he told me! Long story short, we pulled it off, thanks to #Tom’s past life in F1. Actually being on the track was an incredible experience, and we were like little kids in a candy shop. It brought me back to my days hosting the fantasy sports show for Draft Kings, and I know it was a career highlight for Juwan as well. I’m pretty sure Will and Tom started a bit of a bromance that day and it was enjoyable to watch them hit it off and talk about nerdy motorsports things for nearly two hours straight. I said what I said! Here’s to all of us who get to see and do some spectacular things with our jobs!
Fun fact about the shoot with Will - during the b-roll footage, Juwan makes it look like Will and I are having a fun time walking the track. But Will wasn't looking at, or even talking to me. He couldn't stop engaging with Tom, who was on the other side of me, and that's exactly what I was laughing at. I had just looked at Juwan and joked that I didn't even have to come to work that day. Boys and their toys!
The other eventful thing about Miami has nothing to do with pickleball or even the beach. On the Friday night, which happened to be my birthday, it rained SO HARD in a short amount of time that the streets were absolutely flooded and we literally had to WADE back to our hotel lobby. I am not kidding. We took our shoes off and trudged through water to get back after dinner. Juwan took this video as we made it back, and the next morning when a colleague asked how my birthday was, I had an honest answer: it was very memorable! I guess I can say Miami allowed me to usher out the old and ring in the new - both with a BANG! The morning I left Miami, when I shut the hotel door behind me I was sad. That hasn’t happened in a while and I’m not sure if it was because I didn’t want to leave Miami or I was afraid of what was waiting for me.
The week between Miami and Delray Beach was the real test for me. Will asked why I wasn’t staying in Florida that week in between, and any other week of the year it would have made perfect sense. However, it was the last week of the month, which, for me, in addition to normal work, means creating work schedules, extra editing, and this particular week, I had to get ready for my tax preparation meeting, and I had to ready my condo for FUMIGATION. ::insert crying face emoji::
Part of me lucked out that the fumigation for my complex happened to fall during an APP trip - we are allowed back into our units at 6:00 p.m. today and my flight is scheduled to arrive at 6:02. Yes, I planned that. But what wasn’t ideal was that I only had the one week, amidst everything else, to double bag everything edible, re-home ALL OF MY PLANTS, and make sure everything was ready for fumigators to trample through my home to inspect. I hope I’m doing an adequate job of making it sound painful, because that’s what it was. I do not recommend termites. But if you do have termites and you have to get your place fumigated, you can’t do it without a support system! #AuntiePatty and #UncleKim came over to help me bag my food, and pack and schlep all my plants, most of them to their own house. After all the pandemic gardening and propagating, I should never buy another plant as long as I live!
I got everything done and got on the plane to Delray Beach, and let me tell you, that was a relief and an accomplishment. Although my tournament content plan got turned on its head, everything worked out. Hugs to Mari Humberg who was flexible and a pro and was fabulous at the reins of the player blog! Delray Beach might just be my favorite APP Tour stop thus far. It’s a quaint little beachfront town, and our hotel was walking distance from the venue (which was also top notch), and Atlantic Avenue, which has amazing restaurants, shops, museums and nightlife. The little stretch of beach I got to visit for 20 minutes was so picturesque, and #Daniel and I literally went to the same gelato shop for dessert three nights in a row. I didn’t really want to leave - I could have enjoyed my time there for an extra few days. But alas, the dead bugs are waiting for me at home. Woof.
Compared to other things going on in the world right now, these five weeks may not seem like much. But it was definitely the most challenging stretch of time for me post-Covid, and I’m proud of myself for pushing through and not backing down from anything. I asked for help when I needed it, lived in the moment when I could, and all the while adding some pretty shiny new badges to my career portfolio.
I’m honestly not sure how I’ll feel the next few weeks - I have a busy schedule but no travel for now, so that’s going to be different. I guess I’ll take it one step at a time, starting with dead bug cleanup and a couple hours worth of expense reports when I get home. I do know one thing for sure though.
Just like Gloria Gaynor, I too, will survive.
"Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it." - Unknown