Molly Hawkins // snikwaH ylloM

Its been an incredible year. No wait, that hardly sums it up.  This year has been a constant onslaught of highs, very few (but necessary) lows, and an immeasurable amount of good times and personal discoveries.

If i could sum up the year with single words, hmmmm? Lucky for one. I feel so lucky to have my health to appreciate the most precious things that life has to offer and to take on the challenges that are thrown my way.   Thankful can hardly express my gratitude to so many individuals for the kindness that they have shown me in 2009 and leading up to it…thank you, you know who you are.  It was definitely a year of a ton of firsts, that’s for sure.  I tasted new things and explored so many new places! Lastly ive felt so much LOVE, and i feel like i have had so much to give back… its an amazing feeling that sends chills from the tips of my fingers, down my spine and back up through my follicles! Im not even kidding! I really started to experience this leading up to leaving  for Korea, while i was in Korea and even since returning.

• January – Vegas for SIA
• March/April: evoTrip to Bali & Japan! I was sent to film and shoot photos for the pilot trip for our newest addition to the evo family.
• April:  Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival & Whistler shenanigans.
• May: Move into NEW place w/ Angie, and all kinds of urban adventures.
• June:  June was, well, it was June. Nothing super crazy. I got on the water for some wakeboarding, played up in whistler, and just worked a lot.
• July: It got REALLY hot in Seattle and I tried to make the most of the heat! A couple lunch breaks were spent at the diving boards up at Green Lake.  I purchased my ticket to Korea and headed up to Whistler, yet again! Check it out.
• August:  Leavenworth & Wenatchee River Float. Zion National Park/ Shejumps retreat. Korea Prep! Check out August!
• September:  OFF to Korea! Check out the posts but basically i spent 5wks in Korea tracing down my roots and learning about the place where i came from.  I explored the countryside and urban zoo in search of my birth mom, identity and the meaning of life.  Where as i didn’t find my birth mom (yet), i did find the answers to the latter questions and so much more!
• October: final days in Korea & upon return i got dumped into the remainder of the crazy event season at work.
• November:  Hmmm, notables? Bike was stolen, mom and dad came home for Turkey Day, post Korea digestion.
• December:  Bike Returned!  I ran the farthest that ive ever run, 9miles with my friend Ryan! Almost bought a house! Trip to Mt Bachelor. NYE trip to tahoe, first time shredding Tahoe, playing (and winning) at the craps table for the first time!!!!

What next??? 2009 was pretty epic, its going to be hard to top it in 2010.  I guess that will be a challenge for 2010…and i love a good challenge!  Big things on the horizon and i can’t wait to share!!! Thank you to everyone who has touched my life in 2009! For those of you whom i LOVE and hardly get to see, 2010 is our year to rendezvous and i plan to see that through!

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Life hit me like a freight train and its already been a month and a half since i got back from Korea. Its hard to believe it sometimes. Its crazy to think that i was in this magical place where life as i know it all started for me…. but its even crazier because i discovered that life isn’t at all what i thought it was, and im talking about both how the Korean people live, as well the experience really opened my eyes to the way that I look at life, love, family and some of the values that i idealized prior to visiting Korea. There was so much that i experienced in a condensed trip and i hardly even got the opportunity to really internalize and digest all of the discoveries and emotions in the context of my “real life” back here in the US.

If i broke down the different chapters in a non-linear fashion i would break it down to a series of themes and discoveries:

• Tradition/History
• Family Units
• The Larger Community
• Technology and disconnectedness
• People as “seasons” in a larger cycle
• Contentment & Expectations

Those are some of the reoccurring themes and thoughts that i pondered while i wandered across the Korean countryside throughout the months of September and October.  Ill probably blog more specifically around some of these ideas before i lose it, but ive really been trying to nail some overarching theme.  Everything all traces back to this idea of connectedness or belonging that i feel i got a little bit of closure around while visiting Korea and i really think that its all thanks to the people who i met  and the people who helped me along the way. Whether i was gaining a new perspective on how others live their lives, or they were giving me tours around their city, or sharing their food and their family with me, it was such a gift that i can only dream of paying forward in this lifetime.

As i’ve told many of you, though i have yet to find my mother, i truly found so much more than i could have ever dreamed of out there in Korea.  And again, it wasn’t just Korea itself, it was so much more.  The timing, the people, my childhood connection, where im at in life, and the people and things in my life back home all played a huge role in my personal discoveries.  So the question remains, do i still feel alone in this world, are there still questions and voids looming? I mean, that is why i went out there, to answer some questions and to get closure around my adoption.  The funny thing though is that upon departure from the US to Korea, i still didn’t even know what the questions were.  Ok, ok, do i still feel alone in this world, are there still questions?  Fewer, and a little less every day, and with each day the world gets a little smaller and i find comfort in knowing that i am supposed to be exactly where i am at right now…and in this moment find comfort in knowing that i chose it. …something that not everyone has the luxury to say. Knowing that alone is like being wrapped in a big hug and a warm snuggy.

Im still waiting for my big day to get called up for a webcam appearance on the Korean TV Show to give a big shout out to the entire South Korean civilization, ill keep you posted when that happens, i think its supposed to be early December!  Until then, ill try to fire up some more long winded rants and emotional vomitting… it is actually pretty theraputic for me.

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So much to learn, so little time! 23 days and counting and all i know is “mae-k’in-t’o-shi“!

What else have i learned about:

• Im not alone in my quest for identity
• Korean naming conventions
• Population density in Korea – Estimate 48,379,392 (26th) – Density 493/km2 (21st)
• Organic Farm Stays in South Korea
• Some people do still eat dog meat in Korea

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I think his name is Milo.  He is old and just chills.  I believe his friend there rockin’ the lab coat is one of the owners whom i call the Mad Scientist.  There’s a good article on Fremont Coffee Co. in the Seattle Times.  They serve Lighthouse Coffee and is in my hand every morning by 930am.

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Oh yeah, im a complete nerd.  On Thursday, June 4, 2009 i got in the car with evo Snowboard Buyer Gorio Bustamante, Team Manager Chris Shalbot and friend Chris Dickerson and headed to PDX for a GroupY Panel Discussion on Social Web & Social Media, titled “Who Killed Social Media”.  Being from the area, i was excited to head to my stomping grounds, maybe make a pitstop at the Salomon/Bonfire offices and if we’re lucky run into Mae and George from US Outdoor.  In the end we managed to pull it all off… it was a nice Thursday.

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No, of course i didn’t shoot Dale Chihuly but i was shooting his stuff and a baby in his studio in Ballard.  I had heard the name before and knew that he was apparently a sick glass blower (come on guys, this blog is PG!!)… that was basically the extent of my knowledge…oh yeah, and i think i vaguely remember seeing his stuff in Vegas @ the Bellagio?

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“Oh em gee” is right!   I’ll be following the evoTrip crew around in March on a sweet trip to the the Orient…Asian, i mean Asia!  The task at hand; be asian and capture lots of incredible video footage!  Hmmmmmm, let’s see here…i think i remember the site saying “Hakuba, Japan -Take one step outside the rope line and feed on all you can eat pow“… gosh sounds terrible?! and oh yes, “Bali, Indonesia – Surf, relax, experience rich ocean culture and have such a good time you’ll pee your pants.“  I think i peed my pants when i found out i’m going!

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