As sportswriters, much of our job involves assignments that would qualify as an adult make-a-wish for most sports fans. That’s why I love the Fan Issue, because I have the opportunity to send my friends to cover their favorite teams with an all-access pass. (But we’ll get to this year’s Fan Army in a later post. That issue comes out next month.)

Ilana, Lolo and me, pre-speed dating adventure.

But why let fans have all the fun? For this year’s Return of the Jocks issue, where we let athletes (sort of) take over the magazine, we thought, “Who else could we provide with a make-a wish?” We know! Athletes! It’s not like their lives are exciting or privileged already, right? So, last week, I headed to NYC to report two of these athlete make-a-wishes. And had about as much fun as a person should be allowed to have doing her job.

"Grampa Yogi" about to cut the ribbon on the new-and-improved Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center.

I won’t give everything away–that would spoil the fun of reading the stories in the magazine next month–so I’ll just say I had a week that will be tough to top on the fun meter. I went speed dating with a track star and attended a party celebrating her face being on the cover of a new magazine. I spent the weekend with my BFF in New Jersey and went to the grand re-opening of her grampa’s new museum: the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Montclair. (It’s beautiful. If you are in town, you must stop by!) And I took a NASCAR driver and his pit crew trapezing at Pier 40 on the Hudson River.

Brian Vickers (far right) and his #83 Red Bull team. And me (middle). Post-trapeze.

You know, it was just like any other week in the make-a-wish life of an ESPN sportswriter.