I had planned my trip to Wales for years. Planned and hoped. Sought out lodgings, had fare quotes emailed to me, started looking up Welsh hoopers.

2010 would be the year I went to Wales. WOO! For this Torchwood fangirl, that would be the ultimate vacation. Six days in Cardiff, a rented flat, hooping at the Hub, hiking the Brecon Beacons, no obligations to visit anyone or do anything I didn't want to do. No schedule, no agenda other than wandering aimlessly through a gorgeous country.

So then I completely overturned that trip in the eleventh hour to elect to signal my interest to Rich Porter in a Hoop Technique workshop and to sign on to the Hoop Path Retreat waiting list.

Instead of Wales alone, my goal this year is to interact with hoopers from around the country and to learn more about my accidental passion.

I am sad about changing my mind (in part an unpleasant financial surprise triggered it), but I don't regret this decision. I already know it will be awesome simply because I will get to meet many of the hoopers who set me on this path in the first place. Hoopers who inspired the video that brought me so much attention (I may squirm at being in the spotlight, but if the tradeoff is meeting the people who got me to that point, then I'll deal).

I am nervous, of course. I still feel like a big galumphy awkward and WEIRD hooper. But with friends like Jessica also going and yelling GET OVER IT YOU ARE FINE in my ear, then I guess I will, you know. Get over it. Heh.

2010 marks the entry into my second year of hooping. Whew! Who would ever have thought when I picked up that big sparkly plastic circle that I'd get to where I am now? Not me, I assure you.

It is pretty awesome.