2016 Spring/Summer Travel Journal

travel Jul 24, 2016

For the last 8 weeks I have spent more time in planes and abroad then ever! Here is a quick run down of my recent travels:

8 May-Trevisio, Italy

No sooner did I finish classes at Cleveland State University at the beginning of May, I was off to the Rollerblade annual sales meeting in Treviso, Italy. Sales meetings are always exciting as we get a preview of the product line and brand initiatives for the coming year while having the opportunity to meet with people from around the world who are committed to growing the sport as well as the Rollerblade market share.

Presenting at sales meeting

Met Rico from Indonesia and is lovely wife and skating son![/caption] [caption id="attachment_2731" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Authentic and delicious pizza dinner with various RB team members

13 May-Portoroz, Slovenia

How could I go to Italy and be so close to my skating friend Frank Pirc and his wife Wilma without a stop in Portoroz, Slovenia? Portoroz was just a short roll away (about 2 hours by car) so I couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time with my friends by their beautiful seaside home as well as go for a skate to the old Venetian city of Piran with Frank. The ICP did its first certification in Slovenia in 2000 and I reconnected with my long, lost, love and husband Greg in Portoroz in 2003, so this place certainly holds a place in my heart.

Favorite Place to Skate in Slovenia

Skating with Frank in Piran

17 May-Dubai, United Arab Emirates

With a horrible infection caught on my way to Europe ramping up during my stay by the time I made it home to Cleveland I was so very sick! However, with no rest for the weary in sight, I had one night in my own bed and quick trip to the doctor before I was off and flying again. This time to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Armed with A LOT of meds and a "positive attitude" (attitude really is everything) I would hopefully be ready to conduct a Level 1 Certification Program there within 2 days time. Well thanks to the meds, my attitude, a great UAE host (Certified Instructor Andreja Marolt) and my new friend "Tylenol PM" I was just about fully recovered and ready to roll by the start of the program! We had a very diverse group made up of participants from Oman, Philippines, Slovenia, Syria, and Venezuela! So much fun working with everyone there and as well as helping program host Andreja Marolt with ways to best promote skating and the Rollerblade brand in the country and Middle East region. [caption id="attachment_2705" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Dubai Level 1 Theory

Program lunch break

Skating with Joy! Dubia, UAE

26 May Chicago Illinois

Landed, slept, and off to Chicago the next day for a poster presentation at the Association Psychological Science Convention. My colleague from Cleveland State and I presented our latest yoga study. It was an honor to be at the convention and to have the opportunity to continue to be involved with on the science side of yoga. Taking into account all the travel, sickness, etc. I was reminded of the importance of spending more time on the practical side of yoga. Lots of Yoga Nidras being done to keep my slept deficit due to all the

time changing, to a minimal.

Yoga Study Presentation

Balcony View

28 May-27 June Ohio USA

Home for a whole month! Taught a lot of ice hockey lessons and spent time helping my daughter finish up the school year and get organized for summer activities-summer reading, swimming, softball, etc. Celebrated Memorial Day with my favorite US Coast Guard veteran, went up to the Lake Erie Islands for a last minute visit that included going to a party on the famous "Ship House"-The Benson Ford , cheered on the Cleveland Cavaliers for their last game ( I have deep seeded issues with being let down by Cleveland Sports--this is a topic for another blog post!) and joined in the 1.3 million people celebration parade-Wow, what a season for the Cavs! Was thankful for the abundance in my life, enjoyed the emerging summer warmer and generally rested up for upcoming back to back trips. [caption id="attachment_2715" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Memorial Day 2016 "Well-Balanced" daughter

Go Cavs!

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Enjoying Island Life on South Bass Put in Bay

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Impromptu Deck Yoga Session

South Bass Ship House

1 in over a million Celebrating

First Year on Softball-Who knew she'd be good at this sport too!

27 June-July 7 Singapore

Concluded my daughters weekend birthday celebration and was off on an evening flight through San Fransisco and on to a 16 hour flight to Singapore (one of the longest flights in the world!) for certifications and related programing. Although I like to think of myself as a person who has a balanced life, apparently the universe is telling me otherwise because 4 hours into my flight to Singapore (my 15th trip there since 2000!) I came down with conjunctivitis-not only in one, but in both eyes! Landed at 6:00am, in line at a doctors office by 8:00am and by 9:00am and only with $67 USD spent (Can the uS learn from Singapore's medical pricing structure??) I was off with multiple meds to tackle the eye goop and the day! Professional development workshops, Sled Dogs Snowskates Ambassador program as well as two certifications and a fitness workshop, not to mention my birthday and man, many late nights with a great international group of friends rounded out my 9 days in Singapore. [caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Masked the minute I walked into the clinic!

SG friends daughter helping blow out birthday candles

International Birthday Party! Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Spain and the USA in the house!

Happy B-day to Kris

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With a Few Level 2 Candidates!

SG July 2016 Group[/caption]

July 7-July 11 Ohio, USA

Home in just enough time for a swim meet, to re-pack, get the house in order and to get my daughter ready and off for a one week sleep away camp! Not one photo taken to capture these days! Other than the aforementioned, I was pretty much dead to the world and breaking all "rules of travel" as I slept mostly all day thus wide awake by 2am on most. Which as ridiculous as that was it was really perfect because 2am in Cleveland is 8am in Spain! Spain here I come!

July 12-July 21 Spain

Off and skating in Burgos! From a ICP Level 2 program, "Working with Children" workshop, a visit to Madrid's SnowZone to promote Sled Dogs Snowskates and a local Burgos night skate, Spain was all about skating. This is the first certification related trip EVER where I was joined by my husband Greg. He was a great sport throughout all the skating programming and became an expert navigating the streets and highlights of the city of Burgos when he was on his own. He even joined in and skated a 1.5 hour night skate! For someone, who in 14 years of marriage has been out on inline skates for about 15 minutes, to skate unscatheed through the streets of Burgos, Spain with Backfliphouse skate club for over 1.5 hours, was truly impressive! A huge thanks to ICP Examiner and ICP Country director for Spain, Natalia Santamaria, for making the long weekend of programming such a great success and for the wonderful hospitality. Muchos gracias also to her husband ICP Instructor Antonio Rico for shuttling us to skating venues and for keeping us well fed with wonderful homemade Spanish meals! At the end of the skating programming we made two short trips to Natalia's family's village where we attended a village celebration in honor of the Virgin Mary and had dinner at the family's "bodega". There we were treated to authentic Spanish fare and drank homemade red wine. Experiencing local life like this was very unique and not something that an average visitor to Spain experiences. Very fortunate to have this opportunity. The trip was bookended by two lovely days in Madrid that included lots of sun, many kms of walking and great local food. Another amazing trip in the books. Can't believe this is my life! [caption id="attachment_2758" align="aligncenter" width="300"]