Summertime Sweets

There is always that one summer that changes you…

Summer 2015 was mine.

I believe there is no such thing as coincidence. You don’t meet people randomly. You don’t experience things the same way everyone else does. “No one is you and that is your power.”

I can say without a doubt this has been the best summer of my life.

Earlier this spring I was looking at options for internships. For a while I didn’t have one thing lined up or planned. When making big decisions, my dad is the first person I go to. He knows me better than myself. That’s what dads are there for.

He gave me the best advice. Ever. Straight from his mouth about me finding an internship.

“Don’t worry, even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.”

And I did—I found two options. One would take me to Louisville, Kentucky and the other to Park City, Utah. Two nuts, no pun intended.

Both were good options, but one was a great option and has been the best decision in my life thus far—Park City.

Going into the internship I knew there would be no pay and that would be a risk I’d have to take. With my eyes forward on the future, and still forward, I knew and know this internship will open doors and opportunities for me down the road.

Interning for the Utah Olympic Park has given me a love so deep for the outdoor and tourism industry in Utah. It’s my dream career—wherever that will take me. The Olympic Park has given me hands on experience in a little of everything concerning marketing and public relations. I have met incredible people at the internship.

(chipmunk cheeks for days on the bobsled)

Sandy Chio and Melanie Welch, my bosses, are the head honchos for marketing for the Utah Olympic Park. They are an inspiration and example to me—both have full-time careers while being mothers to kids under the age of five. They work hard and know what works. We’ve become good friends and we’ve talked about them coming to ski on my home turf at Beaver Mountain! I’m stoked.

I have met so many incredible people here in Park City. Honest and genuine people with hearts of gold. I have met friends who will last a lifetime here. I LOVE YOU ALL!

 What a difference they have made in my life. I mean that. Every single one of them has helped me learn more about life and made my time here better than I could have imagined.

Every single person has something to offer. Remember that. Every. Single. Person.

Every single person and moment in my life has led me up to this point, and like I said before, nothing is a coincidence. The outdoors and skiing have been a part of every big and little aspect in my life.

The outdoors and skiing started way before my time. For my 22 years of being alive, and I’m sure many more to come, skiing has shaped my life.

My great-grandpa Harry Seeholzer and his wife, my great-grandma Luella, had big dreams of bringing skiing to Logan Canyon. A big dream that started small and has impacted so many in a big way. Beaver Mountain—1949. You might say he was a ski pioneer.

Flash forward to 2014 and he was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame for just that, a ski pioneer. This experience ultimately led me to the right people, at the right time to find the internship at the Utah Olympic Park.

My grandpa Loyal defended our country as part of the 10^th Mountain Division in WWII. These young men were soldiers on skis (he's the one in front).

I was skiing before I could walk (in the backpack on my dad’s shoulders).

So many memories skiing at Beaver Mountain with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. A lot of my best memories come from moments skiing.

Laughter, powder, sunshine, matching skis with friends, crashing and falling, freezing cold, Diet Coke, snack shack, boys, and tears.

March 22, 2008 was another moment in time when skiing changed my life. We lost one of the most beautiful souls I have ever met. Her vivid red hair, contagious laughter, sense of adventure, love of skiing, and memory will always be there. I know she is close by telling me to “Go big or go home” with my dreams and skiing.

The outdoor and ski industry is something that needs to be shared. It brings so much happiness and history to our friends, family, and state. I’m loud and proud of the skiing in Utah. It’s given me a lot of who I am.

I’ve learned so much about myself this summer—who I am and where I’m going. For that I will forever be grateful to the Utah Olympic Park, Park City, and the wonderful people who welcomed me with open arms. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed.

God has a hand in everything we do and has laid out a map for each of us. This summer has given me a unique opportunity to reflect just how much His hand has been in my life.

Thank you Park City—I fully expect to see you soon!

"Hope, but never expect. Look forward, but never wait."