My Surprise

Fallon, Teresa, Ami, and Me

California was absolutely fabulous!  This is my Top 10 list from my latest visit.

10- THE BIG SURPRISE: Although this is one of the top things, it was over fast, and I thought it would be a good beginning.  For a whole month and a half, Ami, Brandon, Mitch, and I had to keep this big secret.  I flew out and surprised Teresa the night before her Birthday.  I even had my work lie to Teresa and tell her I went home sick, as I knew she would call me that day, and sure enough... (good thing for caller ID). Unfortunately, this kind of planning takes a lot of patience and waiting.  The last two weeks were almost killing me and I almost slipped a couple of times.  On the final day, I had to wait a couple of hours for Ami to pick me up from the airport as she had to work.  As we got to Teresa's house, we tricked her into getting Ami some "lounge clothes" as I snuck in the back door.  As she came back into the kitchen, I was sitting next to Mitch on the couch, and she had a look of confusion on her face, and finally said... "Heeeeeyyy!".  If I only had time to set up the video camera...  It was a great surprise!

9- SLEEPING IN:  I love vacations because I get to catch up on sleep.  Even though I would automatically wake up early, I made myself go back to bed for a couple more hours.  It felt great!

8- FESTIVAL OF THE LIGHTS: LA's version of Temple Square.  It's a drive through line of lights designed after top sight-seeing sites in California.  Easton had a blast, but mostly because he got to sit on Mitch's lap and drive the truck. 

7- MOVIE NIGHT: Since I never got the chance to watch The Dark Knight on the big screen, I had to settle for the next best thing... Teresa's big screen.  

6- SHOPPING: We got a lot of shopping in.  The funniest moment was when we went to Target.  Teresa had taken her purchased items and started heading to the doors.  While the lady was ringing up my items, she totally ignored me and stared at Teresa walking away the ENTIRE time, barely breaking her gaze to take my money.  As she was finally giving me my change back, she said to me... "She is walking VERY slow.  She's VERY pregnant!"  I wonder if she knew we were together, but it was pretty funny.  

5- GOOD FOOD/BAD FOOD: One thing we love to do, is eat!  First I'll name the Bad Restaurants... Ca Del Sole, where we had Teresa's Birthday dinner (it must have been an off night), and Bistro 45 where I ordered a chicken Caesar Salad, but little did I know it would be authentic and made with anchovies.  As soon as Teresa mentioned anchovies, I was done.  Best Restaurants were New Moon (Chinese), Pho 97, our usual Indian Restaurant, and of course In-N-Out where Easton discovered fry sauce.

4- FAMILY LAUGHTER: One thing we all like to do is make each other laugh.  We constantly joke, making fun of our family quirks, unusual childhood, crazy Utah living, and "Mitch-isms".  We had plenty of laughter throughout the visit.  I have the greatest family!!!

3- "PEEKING IN THE OVEN": Teresa went in for a 4D ultrasound session to get the baby's first pics.  We think he's going to look a bit like Easton, and it looks like he'll have a cute little dimple on his left cheek.  Can't wait to put a name on that face!

2- WILDCAT SOCCER: Getting to watch Fallon play on her High School Soccer Team.  I was able to catch 2 games, and she played awesome!

   Fallon heading the ball

Me and Fallon at her school.  

Notice Magic Mountain in the background!

1- EASTON "BYTES": Listening to Easton talk.  He is so into food, his cousins, and learning how to wink.  He has the cutest little voice, and always made us laugh with his "words".

What a great trip.  It sucked coming back to freezing temperatures and snow, but hey... Christmas is right around the corner!

My Office Prank

So on occasion, there will be a Saturday where we have a lot of post-ops and I will have to go in to work.  Last Saturday happened to be one of those days.  The friday before, we got a shipment from office depot, and after unloading the contents, I couldn't help but think... "I can TOTALLY fit in that box!"  After proving myself right, I was dying to prank someone, and I decided I'd get my boss the next morning by hiding in the box and jumping out at just the right moment and scaring him.  A lot of planning was involved here... where to set up the camera, are the patients going to interfere, WHEN do I jump out, etc.  Turns out I had 4 excellent chances, but because I was basically blind in the box, I missed them.  At one point, I was terrified boss-man would see the camera since it was basically in plain sight.  Good thing he's a man.  Jeremy, my co-worker and I came up with a new scheme to lure him back up front, and came up with a code word for when I could attack.  All in all, we had a good laugh.  Enjoy the clip!!!

You Learn

I chose to be tagged by my friend Kami.  This is a pretty fun game.

Here's the game:

1. Put your ipod or any MP3/music player of your choice on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the game from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?

L.A. Song - Beth Hart

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

No Rain - Blind Melon

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of - U2

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Basket Case - Green Day (Hmmmm..... Really???!!!)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

I'm Alright - Jo Dee Messina

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

You'll See - Madonna (Oooh... very Sly)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?

Changes - 3 Doors Down

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND(S)?

Sunday - The Cranberries

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters (Hmmmmm.....)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

The One - Backstreet Boys (Ha ha ha ha... YES!!!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Winter Games Theme - David Foster

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Ticket To Ride - The Carpenters (They HAVE always tried to get rid of me!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

From This Moment On - Shania Twain (Now that is just so cheezy!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Simone - Donna Lewis

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow (Nailed It!!!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

Best Days - Matt White

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

What I Am - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice (It's true... I HATE being cold!)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

The Greatest - Kenny Rogers (Playing baseball... good to know. At least I go out on top!)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

Put Me Down - The Cranberries

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Steal Away - Driving By Starlight

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

Love Remains The Same - Gavin Rossdale

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Do You Know? - Enrique Iglesias (Seriously... Do you?)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Skin - Rascal Flatts

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

36d - The Beautiful South (Now that makes no sense... That's a bra size!)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Here I Am - Bryan Adams (Apparently nothing...)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

I'm Outta Here - Shania Twain (Hmmm... Is this a sign?)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

You Learn - Alanis Morissette (Oooh, nice!)

I agree with Kami that music does say a lot about you.  I also tag anyone who wants to play.  It's pretty intense!  

My Soccer Saturday

Saturday was quite the day with 2 big games on my schedule.

Game 1: BYU vs USC

I got the opportunity to be the senior assistant referee (AR1) on the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament at BYU.  Defending champs USC, along with their National Team player, Amy Rodriguez took it to BYU the first half, as BYU looked and played a little scared, and were down 1-0 at the half.  USC scored from an amazing diving header on my end of the field.  Second half BYU was a completely different team, and took it to USC.  Their tying goal came down to my call from the line, whether or not the ball crossed the goal line or not, and good thing I was in perfect position right on the end line.  It was such and exciting game!  I even got "booed" late in the second half by 1,691 fans for calling a BYU player offside.  It was quite the experience, not to mention funny... AND a good call by me, ha ha.  Unfortunately for BYU, they couldn't put one in the net in either overtime period, and ended up losing in a penalty shootout 4-2.  What a great match!

Game 2: Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls in the Western Conference Finals

After the BYU game, I headed to the RSL game to meet Scuba Steve and his squad.  Despite fighting the traffic and crowds getting into the new Rio Tinto Stadium, the game itself was a lot of fun to watch.  Only in soccer do fans throw streamers at the players and onto the field, and a few times even smoke bombs.  RSL destroyed the Red Bulls on the field, but failed to convert any of their opportunities into a goal, and ended up losing 1-0.  The better team lost.

Me & Riley

My Kid-Filled Weekend

So the past couple of months now I have been trying to start a new thing, and spend some good quality time with my nieces and nephews.  This month, I split up the boys and the girls into different days.  Here's how my weekend went...

Friday: Nephews' night out

I took AJ and Kimball rock climbing at The Rockhaus.  We had a BLAST!  AJ climbed to the top 6 times, after a few "trial runs".  I think he had to get a feel for it and work out some nerves.  Kimball is still working up to going half way up.  He did really awesome for a 4 year-old.  All the while I thought he was a little scared, but according to him when asked why he didn't go up higher, he said "it was too.... FUN!".  Go figure. Ha ha.  Afterward, we went to The Olive Garden and we each picked out a delicious dessert.

AJ, Sly, Kimball

Saturday: Nieces' night out

I took the girls to "Beadles" to bead some jewelry.  All three girls made earrings, and I made a bracelet.  The girls were all so proud of their creations.  Afterwards we went to The Bluebird, where we all picked out a few chocolate treats.   The night was somewhat short-lived as we had to be back to "Grandma Suzie's" for dinner.  Hopefully next time we'll get a full day of fun in!

Mia, Sly, Quincy, Emily Ty

I can't wait to see what's in store for next month.  I think the girls want a repeat, but we'll see if they change their minds.  I am so grateful to have this opportunity, and I hope the kids will always remember these great times and their "fun Aunt Sly".

My Misery

I am definitely suffering from travel burnout.  I have been away the last five weekends, and this trip came with an eventual meltdown.  My day began Friday at 5:15 a.m., traveling to SLC to catch my flight to Spokane.  I then had to rent a car and make the 2 hour drive down to Moscow, ID where I had to ref the University of Idaho vs. San Jose State, in the rain I might add.  I then drove back to Spokane to check into my motel.  Everything was relatively smooth up until this point.  As I took the exit to my motel, it quickly became apparent that something was very, very wrong.  Nothing matched up on my directions.  After another hour or more of trying to find my motel, my frustrations erupted and I had to call Teresa for "moral support".  It turns out that google maps screwed me over, telling me to exit the freeway 4 exits too early.  Teresa stayed on the phone with me until I was safe and sound in the Super 8 parking lot (what a great sister), and I was able to check in and finally get some dinner.  Unfortunately, there was nothing around except for some hillbilly diner, and a Subway inside of a gas station.  I went with speed and convenience and got me a Subway sandwich.  I ate it back in my room and prepared myself for the next morning, as I had to be back at the airport at 5:00 a.m.  It was a pretty rough and exhausting trip, and a sad way to spend Halloween.

so so sad to  be eating a stupid sandwich instead of chicken noodle soup

This morning didn't start off so hot either as everyone annoyed me at the airport (I must be suffering from lack of sleep, and/or jet lag), but it perked up once I got home, and decided to stop by my Grandma's house.  I have to say, I have the best Grandma in the world!  When I stopped, she happened to be making ANOTHER pot of chicken noodle soup, just for me!!!  This totally made my day!  I like to think it was good karma making up for a miserable trip and all the bad things that happened to me over the past week.  After ODP (Olympic Development Program) tryouts, I helped her and other family members rake the leaves in her yard, and then I finally got my bowl of chicken noodle soup, a bowl of chili, and... another bowl of chicken noodle soup.  All in all, I feel much better!

so so happy to get my soup afterall

My "Jack"... O-Lantern

This was the first time in years I had the patience to actually carve me a pumpkin. I love Tuesdays as I usually get to spend some time with my nieces, Quincy and Mia as Kimmie and Bryce have young women/men's. Tonight we each carved our own pumpkin. The kids kind of picked slightly complex patterns, but did a great job considering. Quincy carved Mumble from "Happy Feet", and Mia carved the "Boo" from Mario Brothers. Mine was pretty simple, it was Jack from "The Nightmare Before Christmas". We all had a great time, sore hands and all. I took mine out to my Grandma's for her to enjoy, since I'll be gone, so watch out for it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

My Travels

Any trip is off to a bad start when it's more than a task to get through airport security.  After taking my shoes off, one pant leg ended up being pulled up over my calf, and the crazy lady at security not only made sure I pulled it down, but she seemed overly concerned about it.  I never thought having a pant leg up posed as a security risk.  I'm sure I gave her a funny look, but I did what she asked with no comment.  Once walking through the metal detectors, she then made me put my arms up out to my side while she continued to THOROUGHLY pat me down.  Come on... was that really necessary?!  As I was being man handled, or woman handled, it occurred to me that perhaps she thought I was in a gang because of the pant leg thing.  Maybe she was looking for a hidden shiv, or a dime bag.  Who's to say?  

Luckily, things looked up as I was surprised my 4th official was waiting for me at the Spokane airport to take me to my motel.  I was happy to not have to take a cab.  My motel wasn't the greatest.  It was small, with super thin walls, but I was happy there were no cockroaches like Scuba Steve had warned me about when he stayed at that same hotel years back.  I ended up I falling asleep almost immediately.

So this morning I reffed Eastern Washington vs. Northern Colorado.  The game was pretty good, but really lopsided on fouls.  Funny how the foul committing team (EWU) never complained though.  I was 20 seconds away from a cardless game until a stupid Northern Colorado girl had to start lashing out at me.  They never learn.

Back to the airport.  This time I had over 2 hours to kill.  I love the Spokane airport though.  It's nice and clean, and they have good places to eat.  I ordered me some southwestern eggrolls from Chili's, and spent the rest of my time with my MBP.  The flight back was interesting as I ended up sitting next to a guy who knew the same people I knew in the soccer biz.  I usually keep to myself and do my own thing, but we had a really good conversation the entire flight, and I was able to be home by 9:00 p.m.  

Only one more game to go!  

Can't wait to be done!

P.O. (Peace Out)!

My 32 Tickets

Ok, ok... so yes, today was my Birthday.  First of all, it's the first Friday I've been home in a month.  I feel quite lucky, except it is short lived as I leave tomorrow for Eastern Washington.  Second, I wanna say thanks to Tony & Melissa, and of course the cute little nuggets for hacking in and posting on my blog.  That was quite the surprise!  I especially loved the "round off".

After reffing at Idaho State yesterday, I decided to do something fun for my Birthday, so I grabbed 32 lottery tickets on my way home.  I had planned to have the kids help me scratch them all off, and boy were they crazy over it.  Who knew this would be such a hit?!  We ended up winning $25, and I told the kids I'd use our winnings for a fun activity with them.  Any suggestions for 6 kids and $25???

Before all the scratching shenanigans, we all met up at Hamilton's for an amazing dinner, while Quincy watched the rest of the kids.  We were all quite nervous for her, but we weren't called once at dinner, and we saw no evidence of blood anywhere in the house.  Well done Quincy!!! Dinner itself was mmm... mmm... good.

Too bad it all has to come to an end and I have to ref 3 games in the next two days.  I ref two men's games tomorrow morning (a line and a center), catch a flight to Spokane tomorrow evening, and ref a Women's game Sunday morning.  After that, I only have one more assignment, which happens to be on Halloween.  No soup for ME.  :( 

The end is near!!!

Happy Birthday SLY!

Happy Birthday! We hope you have a great day!

Love, Tony, Melissa, Emily Ty, AJ, Kimball, & Porter too

My Eight Things

I got tagged again!!!  (Thanks Kamela)

8 Things

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1- Chuck

2- The Office

3- Cold Case

4- Chelsea Lately

5- Prison Break

6- CSI Miami

7- Heroes

8- The Amazing Race

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1- Kamin

2- Pho 97

3- Hamilton's

4- Juniper Takeout

5- Noodles & Co.

6- Cafe Sabor

7- California Pizza Kitchen

8- The Italian Place

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1- It was my early day at work (6:30 am)

2- Replaced the batteries in my mouse at work

3- Reffed at UVU vs. Howard

4- Got annoyed by my assistant referees (linesmen)

5- Visited my friends in Lehi

6- Drove a lot & listened to my ipod

7- Talked to Teresa on the phone

8- Watched CSI Miami & Chelsea Lately

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1- Finishing up the college season

2- The new indoor season (I'm playing on 3 teams)

3- The Holiday seasons (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

4- Another trip to Cali

5- Taking my nieces & nephews places over the winter (actually having a Saturday)

6- Being able to chill at home (again, actually having a Saturday)

7- Passing my certification test

8- My new baby nephew to be born (What will his name be???)

8 Things I love about fall:

1- Halloween & Grandma's chicken noodle soup (I'm devastated I'll be missing it this year)

2- The leaves (of course)

3- The surprisingly warm, sunny days

4- Football 

5- Pumpkin chocolate chip bread

6- The new glove selection at Smith's Marketplace

7- Pumpkin bagels at Einstein's

8- Halloween candy

8 Things on my wish list:

1- An ipod touch

2- To be back in my training/exercise routine

3- For Jaycson & Riley to win state cup

4- New running shoes

5- New soccer shoes

6- Dr. Katz: Therapy Sessions Box Set

7- A new Mustang

8- Happiness & peace

8 People I tag: (I don't think I know 8, so what's listed will have to do)

1- Melissa

2- Diane

3- Jeanette

4- Stephanie

5- Anyone who wants to play

My Exhaustion

What..... a weekend!  I had to ref two games at Western Wyoming in Rock Springs, WY.  It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was going to be as far as the three hour drive each direction, and the actual level of play, except I got pretty sleepy on the drive to Rock Springs.  I centered the Women's game first, and was a linesman on the Men's game.  The Women's game was comparable to a High School JV game, and upon arriving, I noticed several piles of "pebbles" on the field.  Yes, there was deer poo.  My thoughts immediately went to how I was going to run, keep close to play, be able to see everything, and still be able to avoid these piles.  It wasn't far into the game that I realized it was impossible, and would have to just deal with it.  I also decided that two college games back to back were just too much mentally, because after the first game, you just want to be done.  I didn't really enjoy that.  So about 12 fouls were called, a PK for each team, and no cautions were given.  One good thing was I got to see one of my former players that played for Wyoming.  The problem with that, though, is she tried to give me a hug at half-time.  Sweet kid, but I had to whisper... "not now".  We did get to catch up a little after the game, though.  The men's game was at least intense and somewhat interesting.  Thank goodness we avoided OT, as I didn't think I could last much longer.  I was STARVING!  As my mind wandered during the game, I couldn't help but notice that Rock Springs also reminded me of "The Hills Have Eyes", and I decided there is no way I would ever live in any town that reminded me of that movie.  The drive back home was much better as I grabbed a bite to eat, got me a caffeinated drink this time, and plugged my ipod into my stereo.  I must say... audiobooks are also a major plus.

Unfortunately, I had to be up by 6:00 the next morning to be in Layton by 7:30 to ref 3 state cup boys games.  The first two games were no problem, as I ran a line for U14 & U12 boys.  The third game, I was the center for U15 boys.  That was a mess.  I have decided that boys at that age are just as emotional as girls, if not worse.  I even had to tell a kid to control his emotions after I cautioned him for dissent (he didn't think he was offside).  I ended up handing out 7 cautions total.  That might be an all time high for me for a youth game.  The last time I gave out anything close to that was 2 years ago at NAU vs. Sac. State.  I hung around to watch Riley's team thump on a crappy team 6-0, and headed back home.  That made for another 10+ hour day of soccer.  I didn't realize how much the last two days had taken its toll on me until I realized it was 8:24 and was having trouble keeping my eyes open.  Sure enough, I fell asleep by 8:30 watching TV, and didn't wake up until just before 9:30 the next morning.  That's a good 13 hours of sleep.  I was quite proud of that, and really, I only woke up because I had a personal training session at 10:00, so who knows how long I would have been out.  The next two weeks are going to be killer as it's the final weeks of college conference play.  I'll be reffing 6 college games in the next 12 days.  Wish me luck!  

My Overnighter

Boise State was a blast!!!  For the most part anyway.  My flight wasn't too early, my rental car was awesome, and my hotel room/suite was the best ever (Marriott Towne Suites).  The only battle I had, was the weather.  The first half, it rained, slowly turning into sleet by halftime, and BSU up 1-0.  After coming out of the locker room (men's bathroom) when halftime was over, it had all turned to snow and I was in for a long second half.  BSU got a quick goal, so the score was 2-0 over LA Tech.  The snow, however, never let up and the snowflakes were almost the same size in diameter as a baseball.  I have never seen snowflakes that big.  With the snow piling up under my feet (I brought my turfs instead of cleats), I had to be careful when I cut to change direction.  I had no traction at all, and not only did I feel like Fred Flintstone when I had to sprint, but I would get pelted either in the eyeball (it stung), or the ear with snow.  While waiting for subs to come on to the field, snow just piled on my head and nose, giving me the biggest brain freeze ever.  The game itself was pretty hilarious as none of the players could stay on their feet, and they looked like dogs on ice skates.  I was laughing.  The worst part of the game was the last 10 minutes when LA Tech miraculously scored 2 goals to tie it up.  I was not laughing anymore.  That meant overtime!  I was already freezing, I couldn't feel my fingers, and it was getting difficult to even blow my whistle.  Luckily, both coaches opted to forgo OT as they felt it was "unsafe" as the entire field was covered in snow, and lines were almost impossible to see.  Fine by me!  The game ended in a 2-2 tie, 16 total fouls called (dang), and no cards.  I headed back to the hotel for a 20 minute hot shower, ordered takeout from The Cheesecake Factory, and had a great night's sleep.  This NISOA season has been the most fun ever!  Next up... Western Wyoming.

BSU Field right after the game  

My 20 Hour Day

October is usually my busy traveling month for NISOA. My first trip this month was to St. Mary's College vs. San Jose State on Friday, 10/3. Aside from the fact that I had to leave just before 4:00 a.m. to catch my flight to Oakland, it was a great trip. I love seeing new schools. I was so proud that I didn't get lost at all (thanks to google maps), as it was a good hour (with traffic) from Oakland to Moraga. I had a nice, young crew to work with (no oldies... yay), but the game itself, was a little disappointing as it went 7 minutes into overtime before the first and only goal of the game was finally scored by SMC. No cards were issued, and only 11 total fouls were called. Woo-hoo. I made it back to the airport to catch my flight out with a good 2 hours to kill. I don't think I would have survived without my Mac. I think I fell asleep before the plane even lifted off, and before I knew it, I was back home by 12:30 a.m. It was definitely a super long day, but it went by fast, and I actually had a lot of fun. Next up... Boise State!

My Days In Sunny L.A.

It's always great to get away for a few days. I got to bring Easton back home after a week long visit to Utah while Teresa and Mitch were in Mexico. Here are some of the events of my trip.

• PHO 97 - We met Ami and Brandon for pho right after arriving. It always hits the spot. Poor Easton was having a rough time though, no doubt due to lack of sleep (we left at 6:00 am and he did NOT sleep on the plane). The poor kid just laid on the floor, spoon in hand, whimpering "help... help... help...". Cutest and saddest thing ever.
• MIA'S MISHAP - While at Fallon's soccer game, I get a horrible phone call from Kimmie. It turns out Mia, a.k.a. "Supergirl", was riding her bike and had taken on a SUV. The kid has some serious superpowers as she came out with only a few scrapes and a bump on her head. The bike and SUV fared worse than she did. All I can say is... "WOW"!
• THE USUAL - We have our usual "hot spots" we hit every visit that I look forward to. Pho 97 of course, Robeks for a smoothie (it's pretty much a Jamba Juice), In and Out, The Coffee Bean for a vanilla ice blended (so delicious), Indian takeout, and of course a Target run. It's nice to have a routine. Unfortunately we didn't have time to hit the Apple store, IKEA for meatballs, or play Sunday pickup soccer. :(
• THE MALL MASSAGE - Teresa had talked me into getting a mall massage with her. Fifteen whole minutes for $20. Well... it was more of a chinese torture session than a massage. At one point I almost cried "mercy". At times she would actually punch my body... is this really a practiced technique? I ended up being more sore coming out than I was going in, not to mention I couldn't move my jaw for a good half hour afterwards because my face was being pressed so hard into the evil contraption. I can honestly say 7 year-old Mia is far better, and she only costs a dollar. Never again!
• SKEWERS - Teresa always makes something memorable each time I visit. This time it was her lemongrass beef skewers. I have to say, it was the best ever! Unfortunately, she didn't make enough and left us all wanting more.
• AIRPORT ADVENTURE - I got to spend a good 4 hours at the Burbank airport. Due to the heat and wind, and the short runway, we were too heavy to take off. After 2 excruciating hours of sitting on the runway, they decided to head back to the gate as it would be 2-3 more hours before the wind died down. In order to be cleared for takeoff, they needed to de-plane 11 more people in addition to the 4 at the beginning, and the handful of passengers that had (now missed) connecting flights in SLC. At this point I opted out. There was no way I was going to last much longer, and hey... I get another day in Cali along with a $400 flight voucher. WIN-WIN for ME!
• EXTRA DAY - On my extra day, Teresa and I got to hit a couple more great stores after taking Fallon to school. Sam's Club and Office Depot! I am now the proud new owner of a label maker, and I can't wait to use it! :)

Pho 97

"Mmm... noodle soup!"

Stay tuned for my next adventure!!!

My Tag

Ok, so this is the first time I have been tagged (thanks Melis), and I suppose I'll play along.  I'm sure I have a list of many, but 6 of my big quirks would be...

1. I love laundry.  I don't know what it is, but I am obsessed with my clothes being clean.  Especially my favorite clothes.  I go through clothes like crazy, and on a normal day I end up changing my clothes 3-4 times, between working out 1-2 times a day, work, reffing, coaching, and playing indoor.  It's always a good day if I get to do a load of laundry. :)  
   
2. I'm a "counter".  I do have a little OCD in me, and I often find myself counting things in my head, whether it's the number of stairs I run, or the number of swallows I take, I'm usually counting.  I am more partial to odd numbers and the number 3.    
3. I swoosh spit in my mouth.  I will randomly swoosh spit back and forth through the space between my front upper and bottom teeth.  Don't ask me why.  I will do it to some weird pattern going back and forth, and of course I will count the amount of times I swoosh.  I know you're all jealous of this one.
4. I am a night owl.  I often stay up way too late thinking I can prolong the day by staying up later, only to screw myself over in the morning.  I never learn, and I am the worst morning person alive.  I would prefer not to even speak to anyone for a good hour or so after waking up.  As I always say... the worst part of the day is waking up!
5. I LOVE scaring people!  I don't care who it is... my mom, co-workers, any family member, cleaning people, strangers, or even babies.  If I'm not actually doing it, I'm always thinking it.  If I can get a scream, it is even better.  Babies are fun, cause their eyes get so big and they jump in ripples.  It's hilarious.  The ICON days were the best, even though I was well hated by the cleaners, and I think I even made one cry (I think she thought we were going to hurt her or something)... it was great!  So consider yourself warned.  Do not even try getting me as I am HARD to scare!  I have "unagi" (yes, this is a "Friend's" reference; Season 6, Episode 17: The One With Unagi).
6. I always have treats on hand.  I hate being hungry.  I also have a lot of nieces and nephews, and hey... who doesn't love the aunt that always has treats?!  You also never know when you're going to be in a bind... traffic, waiting at restaurants, or just waiting in general really.  Waiting sucks!  I have saved many-a-lives with my treat readiness.  In fact, I've probably saved YOU!!!

So there you have it... six of my big quirks.  You're next!!!

My Must See TV!

I love TV premier week!  What makes life even better, is the DVR.  I can now carry on with my hectic schedule and not miss my shows.  The challenge is finding the time to get it all in.  Good thing I can skip the commercials.  

MY DVR

• 30 Rock
• The Amazing Race
• Bones
• Chelsea Lately
• Chuck
• Cold Case
• CSI Miami
• "DOOL" (Days Of Our Lives)  (for Teresa)
• Heroes
• The Hills
• Jon & Kate Plus 8
• The Office
• Prison Break
• Smallville
• Survivor

Yes, it's a big list... I like to refer to it as another part time job!  Wish me luck.  

What's on YOUR DVR?!

The Montana Experience

I am in the midst of soccer season, devoting this fall season to officiating instead of juggling reffing along with coaching.  It has been a nice break so far, and I have gotten more out-of-state assignments than I have in the past.  I have already had the pleasure of going up to ref the University of Montana vs. the University of Minnesota one Sunday afternoon.  The game itself was mediocre and disappointing, but what made the trip one to remember was the travel to & from.  Instead of flying like I normally do, I was given the go ahead to drive instead, as flights to Missoula were $1300, and mileage ended up being cheaper for NISOA.  I called for reinforcements and brought Tony and Kimmie along for the trip.  We each took a 2-3 hour shift driving, which made the ride almost bearable.  Not only did I get to share my ref experience with my brother and sister, but we were all able to come away from the trip with some great memories, such as the "bathroom incident" at a truck stop in Dillon, Montana, which was actually more violating mentally than anything, and should probably not be repeated (not to worry, none of us were involved directly).  Tony managed to spill his drink all over himself, which resulted in a trip to Old Navy.  We were lucky to avoid overtime, eat a quick dinner, and get back on the road.  On the way back home, we came extremely close to running out of gas in the middle of nowhere, but were fortunate to come across some backwoods "The Hills Have Eyes" town, that sold gas from a bar using a pump that dates back to 1940.  If you have seen that movie, you can imagine my fear.  Luckily we all made it out alive and home safely, just to get a few hours of sleep and go to work by 6:30 the next morning.  It was all worth it!!!  Next up...St. Mary's College.