Home from Delaware

Monday - Driving to Ashburn, Virginia
I know that in my last post I said we would be driving from Atlanta to Newark on Monday, but it wasn't until Monday morning that I found out we were only driving to Ashburn. Anyway...

According to Google Maps the 658 mile drive from Atlanta, Georgia to Ashburn, Virginia takes 10 hours and 11 minutes. Include traffic, two trips to the gas station, a Wendy's lunch break, bathroom break, and a Tom Tom that works 75% of the time you end up with...12 hours and 23 minutes and a very stiff neck. OH, I was just oozing with excitement! (insert forced smile here :D)

Wednesday - Short Program
We had a clean skate, and I soaked up every delicious moment of it. Every element was dead on, or at least it felt that way. How can I explain it...? Hmm, in my head it was something like this.

BAM, BAM, BAM. TA-DA!!! Now we bow. (Applause) Yes, thank you. Oh my God! That really just happened! As Anita would put it SQUEEEE!

Step off the ice. Coach standing there, (Is he breathing?) says, "How the bleep did you do that?" Yep, he's okay.

Wait for our scores. The announcer spouts off numbers, still too stunned to register any of them, and then...

Marissa Spector & Christopher Nolan are currently in first place.

Thoughts rush around and collide in my head. Oh that's great, I'm happy with how I skated. Damn, my feet are on fire, I'm gotta take off these bloody skates. Okay Marissa, that was good. There are still more couples to skate, and they're good. But great skate.

Walk to the locker room. Strip of the skates, wipe off the blades, rush to the bathroom to change. "Marissa?", Chris says. "I'm in here." "Kylie and Colin just skated, they're in second. We beat Kylie and Colin." Kylie and Colin...second...wait...that makes us first. "Wow." THAT'S INSANE! Are they sure? AHHHH!! Okay, can we go? I'm hungry.

Thursday - Long Program
People were surprised how we skated. Many people came up to me in the bathroom and complimented me. It was pretty cool, and OMG I couldn't wait to blog about it. Haha :)

Unfortunately we did not have such a great long program, and we came in fourth place. I was pretty bummed about it, but coach said a few things that made me feel a little bit better.

"You gotta turn the page."
"Marissa only has control over Marissa."

I knew he was right, but it was hard for me to swallow the fact that if we had skated the way we had the week before in Atlanta we quit possibly could have won.

So in order to go to Nationals you have to be in the top four, and we just barely made it in. It's stressful to think had we not have won short program we probably wouldn't have made it to Nationals again. But because that did happen it pulled us up into 3rd place. Bronze is good, same as last year, it would've been nice to see a bit of improvement placement wise, but I only have control over myself. I'll just work even harder to be ready for Nationals in January.

Friday - 6:15AM Flight
Check suitcase.
Strip.
Go through security.
Dress.
Stop to grab a hot cup of tea.

Walk to gate.
Wait...
Board plane to Detroit
Wait...
Become annoyed by the two loud talkers behind me.
Turn music to obnoxiously loud volume setting.
"Ma'am, please turn off your electronic device."
Take off.
Turn my electronic device back on.
Land.

Search for flight to Birmingham
Find gate B2 to Birmingham
Celebrate the fact I found my way through an airport without adults :)
Board plane to Birmingham.
Take off.
Turn music on.
Read a few pages from the book "WINGS" By Aprilynne Pike.
Realize after reading the same sentence five times over I'm too tired to read.
Doze off a few times.
Land.
Baggage Claim.
Oh, that's my Daddy...with flowers...How embarrassing!