Picture of the Week: A Girl's Second Best Friend?!

My first meet over in Europe was in Luzern, Switzerland. One of the enticing things about this meet that persuades a lot of great athletes to take part, is the chance to win a diamond. First place in every event receives a 1.2 carat diamond, and then the overall winner of the meet receives a huge, really expensive diamond. Not bad for a day’s work. I will admit, during parts of the competition while I was actually winning, I probably allowed myself to create a piece of jewelry for myself for just a split second in my mind. Or…maybe I’d make sure to come back next year, win again, and then have a pair to make earrings out of. Well, none of that mattered because I was not victorious. I ended up placing 3rd and got to take home a whole different kind of prize.

A heavy duty, top-notch laundry bag.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great laundry bag…it’s just a really far cry from a diamond. And, it’s also big. A diamond would have fit nicely in my already over-packed suitcase, but giving any sort of extra luggage to a group of people who are already strapped down to begin with probably isn’t the smartest idea.

Sometime around 4 in the morning, still wired from the meet and slightly delirious, we decided to see if the bag could perhaps have other uses. It looked big enough to fit an entire person so we decided to try it out. I have no idea if this will be as comical to outsiders as it was to the three of us in the room, but we laughed so hard my side is still hurting.


First I tried to hop in myself...




That wasn't so successful...



But with a little help this just might double as a people-carrier!




In the end I left the bag in the hotel room. Even though the uses for it seemed endless, I just couldn't fit it in the suitcase easily. It was suggested I just use it as a purse and take it as my carry-on, and while I absolutely love me some oversized purses, this was a bit of a stretch. Not to mention it wasn't designer.

Public Transportation

I admit... I’m a little scared of public transportation. Being from southern California will do that to you. Nobody gets on mass transit to go anywhere. You get in your car, by yourself, and you go. In Europe, however, it’s really not that easy. Most places we fly into, but sometimes you are forced to hop on the local bus, train, or trolley and navigate your way around (in a foreign language no less). But sometimes even when I know it’s the easiest and most cost effective way to get somewhere, I still fight it. Take, for instance, when I landed in Cologne, Germany where I am based for the month. I was told you could take the train from the airport and get off at the main station, which was a mere couple blocks from where our apartment was located. Instead I took a taxi. A 15-minute taxi ride that cost me 30 euros and still didn’t drop me off right in front of where I was going. When I went to explore the train station the next day, I realized that it really was less than 5 minutes away and that the cost from there to the airport was 2 euros and 40 cents. Lovely.

Well, today I am happy to tell you that I am riding through the German countryside on my way to Switzerland on a train. Sure, it will take me 5 hours, compared to the 1 hour to fly into Zurich, but being that Zurich is an hour away from where I need to be and the whole arriving at the airport early, flying there, and then waiting for a ride, it’s almost comparable. Not to mention that I’m going big time and riding first class. That means super comfy seats, wireless internet, a waitress that brings you food and drinks if you’d like, as well as the ability to walk around without waiting for the seatbelt sign to be turned off. You seriously can’t beat it. I’d like to think that I’m a first class kind of gal but right now my funds only allow me to experience that luxury on the train. But guess what? The trains over here beat an airplane in terms lavishness by far. In fact, take a look at the picture I snapped two days ago of the “business class” section on my flight. You know what the only difference was between where I was sitting and them? That blue curtain and a hard piece of bread. Suckers!

Packed and Ready to Go!

Today I leave San Diego for what may very well be a two month stint on foreign soil. There is a chance I may come back after World’s for a quick stint, but more than likely I will be gone until the middle of September. I am excited and looking forward to what the summer has in store for me. So far this season has been my most successful one as a professional and I am praying that continues in the months to come. Right now I have four competitions scheduled for the month of July in preparation for Berlin. I do try to keep my website updated on where I will be competing, as those small details tend to change as quickly as the weather at times, so check there if you don’t get my daily updates on twitter.

I am also quite proud that I will be paying no baggage fees at the airport today! Some might think that is no big deal, but they’ve never traveled as Brianna Marie Glenn. I like to feel at ease when I’m traveling and that includes wearing appropriate clothes, with the appropriate footwear, and the appropriate accessories to go along with it. Why would I carry a brown purse when I’m wearing black shoes?! It’s summer so some places will be hot, but then you’ll land in England and be met with chilly weather and a torrential downpour. You have to be prepared for everything! And let’s not get started on toiletries. I bring it all with me…I don’t trust what they may or may not have at the market in Germany. This got me into trouble my first trip to Europe back in 2001 when I left for a month and packed my whole closet to come along with me. Needless to say, I have tried to remember that I should not travel as if my name is Posh Spice.

I look forward to keeping you all updated and entertained for the next couple of months and I hope that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers for safe travels and super far jumps! Until next time…

Pray Expectantly

I pray. I pray before my meals either alone or out loud with friends, I pray before I go to sleep at night, I pray throughout the day when I think of something I want to converse with the big man about, I pray all throughout a competition…you get the picture. But sometimes it’s not about if you pray, it’s about how you pray. And this is an area I know I can improve upon. In fact, we are going through this exact subject in church right now (shout out to The Rock Church!) and I have found it to be very enlightening. When you pray about specific things in your life, you also must believe and trust that he will answer those prayers. Sometimes that’s the hard part…believing he hears you and that he will answer. That’s faith. Sometimes I feel like I just throw it up there and then I hope… kind of like crossing my fingers that God is able and willing to do things in my life. But, duh…he’s God. Why in the world would I sell him short?!

Lately I feel like I’ve been having a lot of prayers answered and it’s just made me feel extremely blessed. And I think it’s important to give credit where credit is due. Sometimes things happen in such a precise and detailed way that you absolutely know it was an answer to prayer. The stars only align when He tells them to. So every time I wonder how I will possibly pay the bills next month and a check arrives two days later, or I need a place to live and someone graciously opens their home, or I’m told my best years as an athlete may be behind me and I make a team after nine years of trying, or my knee suddenly has no pain after multiple doctors tell me another surgery is the only option…my list can go on and on but you get the point. He heard me and He answered.

God is real. He still has a few other of my prayer items he’s up there working on (i.e. my husband!), but I know and am constantly reminded to expect that he is working on my behalf to fulfill my needs and give me the desires of my heart. (According to his will, of course.) Today I just wanted to share that with you and I’ll leave you with a verse my best friend shared with me the other day…

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Lunchables...

Over the weekend I had a conversation with my best friend about boys. One might wonder why I am almost 30 and still referring to the opposite sex as “boys”… I don’t know, but I’m sure there is a reason. Anyway, we went through all of my past loves, relationships, and flings over the past 10 years and made note of what that particular person brought to the table that I appreciated and valued. They say that each and every person comes into your life for a reason and so I suppose it’s important to make sure you take the time to understand just what that reason really is. All of my exes are no longer, but I can still appreciate them and what they brought to my life, as well as the person they helped me to become.

As I sat and went down the list with my friend, I must admit that I did get stuck on 1 or 2 names. Anyone remember what the heck I was doing with my love life back in 2005?! Yea, I’d like to forget too. But there was still that relationship where I learned the value of compromise, the guy that taught me that every disagreement didn’t need to be an argument, the one who showed me that I should wait to have my car door opened, the list goes on and on. At this age, I take dating far more seriously. Not necessarily the casual date I might go on, but the actual relationships I will let myself be a part of. Through trial and error I have learned what works for me and what I need to stay far, far away from. It would be nice if I could go through my list and choose the best qualities from all those men, and combine them into one hot hunk of a man. My friend described it as creating your perfect little snack bite when you’re eating lunchables. Nobody wants to sit there and just snack on crackers, or only pop pieces of lunch meat into their mouth. But…when you get the cracker, the piece of meat, and top it off with some cheese, that’s a pretty awesome snack bite! I just wish I’d be able to do that with men. The combinations seem much more appealing!

In all fairness though, some of these men are really great guys…they just weren’t right for me. And I’m sure that if given the opportunity they’d like to break up my own qualities and pick one or two to make their own lunchable date with. Which ones do you think they’d leave behind??!

Dear Anonymous...

I’m giving you a 1-2 punch with two posts right in a row, but something caught my attention while I was writing the post below, and it was too good to let it slip by. As I was linking to an older post that explained my decision to continue training and move down to San Diego, I read over the comments of that post. Most of them were extremely positive, wishing me only the best in my endeavors. I’m sure not everybody out there had the belief that I could actually be successful or begin to achieve the things that I hoped to, but most were kind enough to wish me the best. Most. I distinctly remember that around that time I had a new resurgence of people who felt it was their duty to tell me that I should move on with my life, that it really wasn’t possible to accomplish much more, and that I was hanging on to a dream that would never be. Even though they were probably people I didn’t know, it was sometimes hard to hear and it would bring out a side of me that wasn’t always pleasant. So instead of feeling like I needed to defend myself constantly against these negative people, I’d choose to delete their words and moderate my comments. As you might have noticed, I’m still in moderation mode.

But on occasion I’d let them through and even respond if I felt like it, if I felt like they were giving their honest opinion and not just being mean for meanness sake. Here is a particular comment that stood out to me from that post:

Anonymous said... Easy way out. Unless you can consistently jump over 6.60 you aren't going to go anywhere in the sport today.

But hey another year of mooching off the system won't hurt and keeps you in your comfort zone.

Sad.

My response: @anonymous...if i couldn't consistently jump over 6.60 then I'd be wasting my time. Do you know the average of my top five jumps in 2007? 6.60 isn't even where my goal is at. but thank you for your concern and i assure you that by year's end you will eat your words.

Anonymous said...

No hating. Just that she is not moving forward she is stuck. Afraid to go out and face the real world she clings to being an athlete. Hard to blame her as it is one of the best lifestyles in the world. BUT if she starts moaning on about how hard training is , how much she is sacrificing-well you are a fool if you enable that.
I have seen other athelets do exactly what she is doing-can't accept that it is time to move on -and it is for her though she will rationalize otherwise.

On a positive nore I have trainesdin Chula Vista and it is an amazing facilty.
Bri will love that she can live like a college kid again-no cooking, cleaning or taking care of anyone but you.
You know moving forward as she says.

And of course I then responded AGAIN, but after that I just stopped posting his responses because he had made his point and I knew we weren’t getting anywhere. But I’d like to know if this particular “anonymous” is still out there. I don’t doubt that this person probably still reads the blog, but it’s more than likely he now prefers to stay quiet. Some people are just like that, they only speak up when it brings someone down, not to lift them up. It’s a shame really, but we need all types of people to make the world go round. Anyway, I said I would make you eat your words and hopefully I have. Of course that was never my motivation, but it’s nice to be able to prove you wrong.

Bittersweet

This past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I have shared with you my total elation about making the World Championship team and all of my silly giddiness that came along with it. What I haven’t shared thus far, however, is a bit of news I have received that has given me a ton of other things to think about and emotions to work through. As happy as I have been, I also feel as if dealing with this other stuff mentally has taken a bit of a toll.

The day after the U.S. Nationals ended, the athletes I train with down here at the Olympic Training Center found out that our coach is leaving at the end of this season to go work with athletes in the U.K. via mass email. It was shocking news that none of us expected and it has been heavy on my heart ever since. In case you are wondering, I have changed coaches and training locations every year since I’ve graduated from college. That now makes a total of 7 changes. Some of those changes were necessary and warranted, but not all. I have been craving consistency and for a chance to work within a program and with a coach that I trusted and believed in. And I thought I had found that here. Some of you may remember a post I wrote when I decided I was moving down here to train at the beginning of this season. Here is an excerpt:

And then I heard that a coach I had been trying to work with since back in 2004 might be hired down at the Olympic Training Center. In my opinion he’s one of the greatest coaches in the world and from our talks in previous years I know he doesn’t think I’m too shabby myself. So I asked him and found out it was true. …..
But now that I had talked to him I began to feel the fire lighting back up. I didn’t want to train just to train, but if I could train with him at a place where virtually everything is set up for success and we have access to the best of everything, it seemed like to good of an option to not consider.

Anyway, there is a lot to think about and try and figure out as far as my future is concerned but I realize that now is not the time for that. I have big things ahead of me this summer that deserve my utmost attention and I am trying my best to continue to stay focused on that. Because of how things unfolded however, there is a bit of a disconnect and trust issues that I now have and I’m just trying to figure out how to make the best of the situation. As individual as this sport is, there is a relationship you hope to have where it feels as if you approach something with a shared desire for success and a belief and trust in each other.

For now, I’m just praying for guidance and to just stay focused on the next few months and not worry about what the future may hold. I know that the confidence I have in myself is what matters most and so I’m counting on that to see me through. Thanks for listening…I feel better now that I’ve written it out.