road block

There are very few things in life that I feel I'm missing out on because of my kids.  I started having my babies later in life, so I got to enjoy many years of adult life without the responsibility of family.  And anything I didn't get to do then, I figure I can do with my kids when they're older, or save for retirement.  But there is ONE thing I wish I could do NOW that I just can't do because I'm a mom with two young children.

I want to be on The Amazing Race.

Or I guess I should say I want to audition, with my husband, to be on The Amazing Race.  Yes, I'm addicted to several reality shows, but this one is definitely my favorite, and it's the only one I've ever given any real thought to actually taking part in.  (Let's face it, I'm too uptight for Survivor...I can't sing or dance so that genre is out...and I'm way too risk-averse for most game shows.)  I didn't discover The Amazing Race until a few seasons in, but I haven't missed an episode since.  So when I heard last night about an open casting call for Season 14 in Austin this week, I haven't been able to quit thinking about it.  I even went so far as to check out the application, eligibility requirements, etc.  Now, as anyone who watches the show knows, there aren't a lot of married couples that have been chosen to compete...usually only one or two each season.  And I realize that our relationship isn't nearly as dramatic, dysfunctional or demented as some of those we've seen on the show.  But is it crazy to think that a triathlete fireman happily married to a half-marathon running lawyer with two kids couldn't attract the attention of the producers??  And if we got selected, I truly believe we could be competitive.  Don't get me wrong, I would probably lose my cool at some point, but I have every confidence in my husband's ability to remain calm and get us through any situation or challenge they could throw at us.

Of course, this is all just speculation and none of it will ever come to pass because those selected to compete must be willing and able to travel for up to 40 days to complete the race.  At this point in my children's lives, 40 days seems like an eternity!  It's not even that we couldn't be gone that long...I have no doubt the grandparents would be willing to take the kids for 2-3 weeks each...but I can't even imagine being apart from them for over a month.  So it looks like this coming season I will once again be an armchair racer, cheering on my favorite teams but always wondering in the back of my mind how my husband and I would measure up.  And who knows...maybe the show will last another 14 seasons and we'll get our chance one day.  By then I'm sure the boys would be glad to get rid of us for a month, especially if we brought home a million dollars!