9/30: 10 Influencers

These are in no particular order...

1. My parents.  Do I really need to explain this one?

2. My brothers.  I learned so much about perseverance from Josh and how to be quiet from Rob.  Josh has dealt with so much in the 25 years that he has been alive.  He has made it through the rough parts and now is reaping the benefits of all the dedication.  Rob could go days without speaking and I have no idea how that could even be possible, but sometimes it's just better to not say anything.

3. The Castellanos. These two are like my second parents, for more info on them you can see this post where I gush about them and everything that they have done for me {and still do for me}.  Along with my skating friends that I have known for 10 years {how is that possible} and Jenny, I miss these two the most being so far away.

4. The WP. I know I have said this 100 times but I love these girls.  I couldn't have made it through this crazy year without them.  It's super strange for me when I go a day without talking to at least one of them.  I miss being close in proximity {aka living with} Jenny because it's so great to be around your closest friends all the time.  I am beyond excited that next week I get to see Chels for the first time in over a year.  The scene at the Nashville airport will probably be akin to what happened when we met Jenny to go to Breck for the ski trip {running down the sidewalk toward each other}.  I am so grateful that these great people were brought into my life at a time when I really needed each of them for different reasons!  Love you girls.

5. Katie Clifford. My life mentor! She once said to me that I am like her when she was my age and she wanted me to follow in her footsteps without making some of the same mistakes.  I go to her with every single life problem I have and she always knows how to say the right thing.  One of her more poetic emails is actually printed out on my fridge to remind me that I will get over a stupid boy that doesn't deserve me.  If you know her, you know what I mean.  If you don't know her, you should.

6. Kate Charipar. I mean she introduced me to Lululemon so I don't really need to say more but I will.  Kate taught me how to make it in a completely male dominated office and field, and that it's still ok to be a princess.  When I am in Warrior 2 in yoga and I want to quit, somehow I always think of the time she told me the story behind the Warrior poses that her yoga teacher told her.  I don't remember the whole story but I remember sitting in her office and her telling the story.  I will forever be grateful to Kate for teaching me how to be a badass and a girly girl at the same time.

7. Tia Masters Nelson. My original life mentor. I wish I had listened to her more, she told me that someone was screwing with me YEARS before I finally understood it.  She is such a strong person and one day I hope to be half the wife and mom that she is!

8. My skating girls: Alyssa, Angie, Meghan, Amy.  I think I might start calling us the Fab Five, because why not, we're awesome.  I cannot believe that I have been friends with these girls for 10 years!  I mean I love them, but I still feel to young to have 10 year old friendships.  I've had some of my best times with these gals, including but not limited to freezing our butts of in a Travellodge because we didn't turn on the heater.  That was character building {right Amy?}.

9. The Revelli Family. They took me in when I didn't have my own family close.  I know that to this day if I ever need anything and they are able to help, they will.  I miss Sunday dinners, scrapbooking with Steph, and hanging out with the babies!  I need to move back to Utah!

10. Jon Green and Tom George. Two of the most influential teachers I've had.  Mr. Green was my high school English teacher that dealt with my endless complaining about having to read To Kill a Mockingbird, twice {I read it in the 9th grade}, when it was his favorite book.  He later became my boss at the Utah Olympic Park and let me do my job, he didn't micromanage me and allowed me to be creative with solutions to problems.  I learned a lot about how to be a leader and how to manage employees from him.  It did take me quite a while to call  him Jon instead of Mr. Green...  Tom George was SUCH a great professor of Sport Management that I would like to be his favorite former student.  I think of him when kick butt on a project and one of my career goals is to be is best former student.  I think it says something about a professor that YEARS after I was in one of his classrooms his passion for the field still fuels my own desire to excel.