SUPER SLY

Sly versus Time

2010-09-18T20:47:00.037-06:00

Ok, so I have been terrible keeping up the last 6 months. I chalk it up to my hectic schedule combined with a little bit of laziness. Here are the highlights of my spring and summer.

LA JOLLA - This is our second time running the La Jolla half marathon. Ami and Teresa ran a great race, both PR'ing. I didn't quite run the time I had wanted, but still ran a great race.

Yes, we are lame, and by "we", I mean Ami and Teresa. We didn't get our shots after the race and took these in Teresa's backyard 2 days later. Ami and Teresa had family problems they had to address after the race, and I'm hoping they learn their lesson for next year to take the time to get pictures done anyway. You two...

Chris met us down in La Jolla to cheer us on and keep Brandon company. We are enjoying some Cold Stone before our post-race lunch.

Ami, Teresa, and me back in LA at Houston's for a post-race dinner.

YAY! Chris joined us again. I can't wait to go back out to Cali.

VEGAS BABY! - Kami and Neil put together a coed team to play in Vegas. Minus the poor officiating and the dirty teams, it was a lot of fun.

I was so glad Riley was able to go with us. He killed everyone on defense, and our favorite moment was when he tracked a guy down and CRUSHED him near the sideline, launching him out of bounds. Serves him right to mess with any of us...

Unfortunately there were no shots of the moment when Greg and I collided, resulting in me getting knocked out, and Greg getting a "Sly sized" bruise on his shoulder as he landed on top of me. I came home with my very first concussion. Thanks Greg, for the memories. :)

Me, Kami, and Annika chillin' in between games.

Club Atletico. We made history here.

RAGNAR RELAY - This year our team name was Justice League 2010. I recruited Tony to our team this year, and we had a blast. Minus the chaos at the finish line again.

We ran into the Ashcroft clan at exchange 6. What a fun bunch. :)

I was runner #10 this year, and my first run consisted of 3.6 miles. It wasn't too bad, other than the fact that I didn't come across too many other runners and I barely finished at a +2. Just look how fast I'm going... my hair is flying in the wind. :)

My second run was a long 7.7 miler. I killed it on this run, and finished at about a +18. Here I am tallying my kills.

Tony was super excited as he finished his last run. The poor guy had battled a bad cold all weekend. Good thing I brought those sports beans with an extra kick of caffeine.

My third run = "Ragnar". It was a gut wrenching 4 mile run all uphill. I ran it in my Wonder Woman costume (swim suit), and was cheered on by every passing vehicle. I actually felt great when I was finished and could have gone a couple more miles.

Since I felt so great, I ran the very last leg to the finish line. Kami had pulled a muscle, so Neil covered her last run, and I took his. My fourth leg was a 5 mile run to the end. I ran pretty strong until the last mile or so when I was thrown a bunch more uphill runs. I ran as hard as I could, and still finished with a +5. Only problem was, my van was held up trying to get to the finish line venue, and I had to cross without them. Come on Ragnar, you killed our buzz once again.

Me and my bro... I'm pretty sure I'm his favorite sister.

CHERRY HILL - All the siblings (minus Ami & Brandon, and Mitch), and all the nieces and nephews spent an afternoon at Cherry Hill on Kenna's day. Of course when it comes time to get a group picture with all the nieces and nephews, it's virtually impossible to get everyone to cooperate. I think it's more fun this way anyway. You've got Porter and Easton flexing their muscles, Fallon holding an uncooperative baby brother Hudson, all while wishing she were somewhere else. Emily Ty, Quincy, and Mia trying to get a good pose in for the camera, Ellie, not sure what is going on, Kimball hiding and flashing his devious grin, and AJ flipping his eyelids for the next shot. Ah... good times...

Kimball taking his time getting out of the Double Dragon slide area. This was unfortunately cut short due to some little kid "pooping" in the pool.

I was shocked Easton wanted to go down this slide. Just before we were about to go down, he turned to Melissa and said... "I don't want to get my eyes wet." She of course responded by advising him to close them as we went through the waterfall. He did pretty awesome and didn't freak out at all. Please don't mind the "butt shot".

Porter and I cruisin' down the Double Dragon slide.

Hudson and Fallon floating in the Lazy River. I'm not sure what Hudson finds so funny.

Quincy, Emily Ty, AJ, and Mia all sticking together down the slide.

FREEDOM RUN - This year Tony had to bike the run instead of run due to some cracked ribs, and once again Emily Ty and AJ went along for the ride.

This was the funnest race I have ever run. I had decided not to kill myself and go for a PR, and to stick with Teresa and run along side of her. It was nice to run with someone and have Tony and the kids on bike support to keep us motivated.

SOCCER - I've been coaching two teams once again, and I had both teams entered in the Striker's Cup tournament in Layton. I coach a U11 Sol FC team with Tony in which Emily also plays on, and I am now coaching a state U14 Avalanche team. They are all a great bunch of girls!

My Avalanche team won the championship game. It was a great start for us, as we were able to learn to play a new brand of soccer. We are bound to come across some adversity, but I am optimistic that this team will be State Cup contenders once again.

ANOTHER HALF - I ran the Top Of Utah Half Marathon with my friend Kami, and met up with another friend Nicole.

At around mile 4, I was SO SO happy to see Neil so I could give him my camera I was carrying and shed all my extra clothing. He saved me!

At mile 8 or so, I was happy to see Tony, Melissa, and the kids holding a sign cheering me on. It gave me new life, as I thought I was "tanking it" due to a lack of training. When I got to the finish line, I had actually PR'd by about 7 minutes. I finished in 1:39:12. Unfortunately as I had stopped abruptly, it also caused me to dry heave a few times. That's never happened to me, and I managed to keep my breakfast down. Whew...

I'm not sure what's in store for me next, but it is the fall season, which most likely means lots of travel. My first out of state game comes up Oct. 8th at Boise State. I'm praying for NO snow.

Sly versus 26.2

2010-04-02T22:59:00.003-06:00

So 16 weeks of training and a 5 month California visitation drought finally came to an end. On March 21st, I ran the "Stadium to the Sea" LA Marathon, which went from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier. We were worried about traffic to Dodger Stadium and race officials recommended runners to be there 2 hours prior to the race. We got there with no problems, so I had a lot of time to kill. I saw Chef Gordon Ramsay, American Idol singer Allison Iraheta (she sang the National Anthem), and NBA player AC Green (motivational speaker). I sat near the centerfield wall wrapped in a blanket, waiting for the race to start. Before I knew it, it was time to line up and I hadn't even warmed up yet. Oops. Mistake #2 was getting stuck in the 11:00 pace corral. I should have wedged my way up closer to the front as this cost me about 6 minutes of time trying to break out of the pack and get into the rhythm of my pace. Mistake #3 was not using the port-a-potty before lining up. About 10 minutes before the gun was about to go off, I decided I needed to pee. It took about 8 miles to get the though out of my head, and the worry that my pee was weighing me down.

Instead of breaking the race up into 5 phases like I had planned, I ended up focusing on each mile, one at a time, trying to stay right around an 8:00 pace. This worked well, and some miles seemed to come super fast. Once I hit mile 20, I picked up my pace slightly, and really kicked it in the last mile and a half. I was cruising past people at that point. I decided a little too late to go for my goal of qualifying for Boston just a little too late. My finishing time was 3:42:08, 1:09 off from qualifying. I definitely ran a little too conservative, but I felt like I finished really strong. Overall, I was happy with my race. There's a possibility I may run it again next year... we'll see. Ha ha.

Other celebrities running were Shia LaBeouf (Transformers), Sean Astin (Lord Of The Rings), and Audrina Patridge (reality star).

The rest of the trip was great. A short meeting with Chris, massages, New Moon, and good family company. I recovered remarkably well, only sore for about 2 days (going down stairs sucked), but was able to run 4.5 miles and play in my 2 soccer games 3 days post race. I was a little nervous about being ready for the La Jolla Half Marathon 5 weeks after running a marathon, but it looks like that won't be a problem. I got back into training with no problems, and 13.1 miles seems like a breeze now.

Here's my marathon journey...

3 weeks from today, I'm out of this miserable weather and back in Cali. :)

Sly Versus The Little Things

2010-03-11T00:18:00.010-07:00

I've recently decided that being single is GREAT! I don't have to answer to anyone, can come and go as I please, and have the remote all to myself. My life has been such a whirlwind lately, and I think it's time for me drop all the drama with guys and dating, and to appreciate the little things in life, like...

#1 - M&M mini's. What sets these M&M's apart from the rest of them is they just melt in your mouth with the perfect ratio of shell and chocolate. I prefer eating them two at a time.

#2 - Sweat pants. There's nothing like the comfort of putting on a nice clean pair of sweats. I do prefer pocketed ones, because one must have chapstick available at all times.

#3 - Gloves. One thing I hate, is having cold hands. During the winter especially, I will play indoor soccer while wearing the thin knit gloves the entire game. It may even be the source of all my power. That and yogurt.

#4 - Dictionaries. I prefer to spell things properly, and try to always have one handy. I also like to look up unfamiliar words. For example, I learned one last week while watching Survivor, and I was sure it wasn't a word. Ignoble. Yes, it sounds stupid, but it is an actual word. It means... not noble or mean.

#5 - Grapefruit spoon. Yes, a spoon with jagged edges so you can cut the wedges of a grapefruit and then immediately spoon it out for a nice healthy snack. This is my new favorite utensil ever. It beats out the electric knife.

Well, those 5 are a start, and boy do I feel better.

To be continued...

My Two Steps Back

2010-02-23T23:04:00.005-07:00

Marathon training has been going great. Or should I say HAD been going great. Last week I ran a new long run record of 20.5 miles on Sunday, 9 half mile repeats with 1/4 mile recovery in between with virtually no fatigue on Tuesday. Wednesday, was lower body strength training and 2 indoor soccer games where I scored a hat trick in one game, and 2 goals in the second. Thursday... a little bit of rest and recovery with U17 training. I was looking forward to Friday, which is plyometric day, but woke up with the flu instead. I hadn't been able to eat or drink anything all day, but knew I had to at least hydrate myself. After speaking with Teresa, she suggested grape juice. Now grape juice to us is a comfort drink. It reminds us of our Grandma, because she always had grape juice. Well, the thought of grape juice didn't sound all that bad, so I forced myself to sip some throughout the rest of the day. There were moments where I thought I was feeling a little better, and would drink several sips. I was WRONG. Now, I weigh the pros and cons of my decision to drink grape juice.

PRO #1 - The thought of drinking it didn't completely repulse me.

PRO #2 - It was probably the most pleasant thing I have experienced in reverse.

CONS #1 - I was left with a big purple mess to clean up.

That's right, projectile vomiting all over the bathroom floor, toilet, AND my pants. Thank goodness for tile floors and black pants. I still don't regret my decision.

Anyway, I spent all weekend on the couch. I had high hopes to work out on Monday, but was too exhausted after work. It is now Tuesday, and I was able to complete 4 half mile repeats before getting too sick to continue, and pushed through a little bit of upper body strengthening. I have 25 days until my marathon, and I am determined to overcome this setback. Of course, I could use all the support and motivation I can get. :)

My Day Of R & R

2010-02-14T01:00:00.010-07:00

It was the classic ending to an exhausting week. 17.25 mile run on Sunday, 7 x 800 repeats at a fast pace on Tuesday as well as back & bicep strengthening, lower body strength training (including well over a hundred lunges on each leg), followed by 2 grueling indoor soccer games on Wednesday. Joint boys & girls U17 soccer training on Thursday. Plyometric accompanied by chest, shoulder, and triceps strength training, as well as U10 training, and don't forget reffing 3 coed games on Friday. Needless to say... my legs are hammered. Saturday rolls around for some R&R? To a normal person, that means rest and relaxation. In my world? It's RACING and REFFING.

Today was the Sweetheart's 5K in Bountiful. I stayed down at Kami and Neil's as Kami was running the race with me, and as usual, I stayed up too late Friday night, which makes waking up that much more annoying. I am very particular with what I intend to wear each race, and which shoes I'll run in. I thought I had it all figured out until it got closer to race time. The weather wasn't the best as it was starting to drizzle. Kami and I headed back to my car to change our pants. I wasn't about to get mud spots all over my white pants. I was a little bit bummed. Black just didn't look as cool.

Kami wasn't the only one running the race with me. My Dad and Dottie were geared to run as well. As the old man was getting himself all put together, I had to laugh a little as he was fastening his camelback hip pack. Here's our convo...

Sly: "Are you running with that?"

Randy: "Yeah..."

Sly: "You know it's... 3 miles, right?"

As for the race, it seemed to go okay. I did get passed by a female track star, and didn't really want to kill myself to keep up with her. I just went the pace my tired legs would carry me. I continually passed people, so I still finished pretty strong, but definitely did not PR. I finished with a chip time of 22:42, which was still good enough for first in my division, 5th female, and 23rd overall. I Can't really complain about that one. Kami finished at 27:09, 4th in her division, and my Dad at 36:44, also placing 2nd in his division of... wait for it... 2 people, but 2nd nonetheless. Dottie finished at 40:47. I am eager to be done with the whole marathon race and training so I can get back to my shorter distance training. I think it may be affecting my speed.

Kami and I with Cupid at the finish line. Poor guy...

Luckily they handed out the awards without too much waiting in the cold, and I won myself a gift certificate for an entree at Texas Roadhouse. Too bad I don't eat out a whole lot, but I'm sure I'll put it to use eventually.

Luckily we had a little bit of time to go back to Kami's for a nice hot shower to warm back up, and refueling before heading to the Sportsplex to ref. I had 4 painful youth games to ref. I decided I hate reffing youth. They just kick the ball most of the time, and it seemed to be at me a little bit too much. Yes, I got hit a few times. Thanks to some gummy worms, I made it through and was ready to finally relax.

To top the day off, instead of heading straight home, I met Jessica at Rumbi's for an early dinner. It's been nice catching up with my cuz. I hope we can make this a monthly ritual as we are 2 for 2 so far this year. It is now 2:00 a.m. and finally off to bed to get my rest for my long run tomorrow. I'm shooting for 20 miles, and hoping for decent weather, and less tired/sore legs. Pray for me. :)

My Long Run

2010-02-07T21:40:00.016-07:00

I have forty days until I run the L.A. Marathon, and training in the winter has been brutal. The treadmill is boring, and the weather is cold and sucks. Luckily, today it wasn't bitter cold or snowing. Unlucky for me, I had a 17 miler to do. I was finally able to get a good night's sleep (9 1/2 hours), forced myself to wake up and get fueled for my run. Today's breakfast consisted of Frosted Flakes and a grapefruit, and an hour and a half later, I was out the door.

As I started on my run, I figured a way to break it up into "5 phases" so it doesn't kill me mentally. I'm also trying to document my training as much as possible, so I also decided to bring my small camera along with me. I was more than glad I did, because I got an idea in my head during phase 2, and I think that's what got me through the run. So when I go on my runs, I like to run past people's houses that I know, so my idea was to try and hit everyone's house (in the south end of the Valley) and take a picture. Here's my route.

Phase 1: I leave my house and head down the hill and turn left at the first block. I head back uphill for a little hill warmup, and turn back down to run past Scuba Steve's house. I then turn north on main street to head back up and past my house. That hill is a killer workout, and I LOVE it. I go past the Stake Center, and head south on the Millville bench and make that little loop around. I just need to get to the highway to complete the phase.

Phase 2 : Starts at the highway, heading north towards Hyrum. I tried to run on the sidewalk, but it was still covered in snow in a lot of places, and I ended up stepping in a puddle. I swore, and headed back to the side of the road. Between the inversion and the traffic, I could actually taste the gasoline. Not my favorite phase. I just need to get to main street Hyrum to complete the phase.

Phase 3: Heading west on main street, I head for the cemetery. Now the camera comes out, and it gave me a surge of energy. I first pass by my Grandpa's grave.

Next is Kenna's and my Great-Grandmother's. As you can see, there's still quite a bit of snow.

I leave the cemetery and head south on good old 500 east. I pass my Grandma's house, trying to look in the windows to see if she was home, and gave a good wave as I went past.

I head back west to get to Kimmie & Bryce's house.

Of course, Cory and Rita live next door, so I didn't have to go far to run past their house.

That phase seemed to go by the quickest, and I'm sure it's probably the shortest phase, but I continue down Kimmie's road and head for the "autobahn" leading to Nibley. I just need to get to the railroad tracks to complete the phase.

Phase 4: I was actually feeling pretty good, and mile 12 hit in the middle of the back road to Nibley, so I decided it was time for some Hammer Gel. I don't enjoy energy gels at all, but I was smarter this time. I didn't try to swallow it immediately like last time, which, I learned will trigger my gag reflex. I swish it in my mouth a little bit, trying to break it up, diluting it with my spit, and swallow in several waves. Gross, I know. After I get most of the packet down, it's followed up by a few swigs of water.

When I get to the end of the road, I head back west for the back road toward Tony's house. The phase is complete when I reach 800 west.

Phase 5: Final phase, woohoo. It actually seemed forever before I reached Heritage Park, where I head back east toward Tony & Melissa's. Thoughts of me training with AJ on the familiar road kept me going, and voila... Tony & Melissa's. Too bad nobody was watching out the window. :(

I make the loop around Nibley Elementary, and make my way back to Millville. I take the small bridge road, which leads me to Millville Elementary, and I seemed to pick up my pace a little bit. It's the home stretch. I turn back up past Scuba Steve's house.

And FINALLY... after 17.25 miles... I'm home again. I walked around the small block for a cool down, and there you have it. That's the furthest I've run so far, and I am surprised how well I handled it. I think I'll be ready for that marathon after all.

What's also important for my hard workout days, is my Protein Monster immediately after. That always helps me recover quicker and better. I should be a spokesman for Odwalla, because I swear by their C Monster brand as well. It keeps me healthy.

The best part of a long run is refueling... all 1300 calories. :) I've been logging everything I consume on a program called Perfect Diet Tracker, and I never thought I would ever hear myself say... "I need to eat more fat." Good thing we had an avacado in the house to help out with that.

Final thoughts... Oh how I miss summer.

My Battle At Soldier Hollow

2010-01-18T22:21:00.006-07:00

The 2010 race season is officially underway. My goal for this year is to run at least one race each month, hitting every distance from a 5K to a full marathon. For months, I've been looking forward to this little spin on the 5K adventure. A SNOWSHOE 5K! This past weekend, I ran the Battle At Soldier Hollow (BASH) Snowshoe 5K. It was my first snowshoe race, and it was a BLAST! Since it was the inaugural BASH snowshoe 5K, so there wasn't too big of a turnout, possibly 50 or so racers.

I did better than I thought I would, most likely due to the snow being so packed down. Nonetheless, it was still a killer workout. I love the beginning of races, once the nerves get flushed out. It's when I catch myself smiling and enjoying the scenery around me. This race did not fail. As soon as the gun went off, I immediately cracked a smile as I adjusted my running pattern to accommodate for the very large contraptions strapped to my winter boots. It didn't take long to get into a rhythm, and at one point thought to myself... "I got this. This isn't bad at all!" That was when I thought I was at the halfway point, but I was, in fact, NOT. I was probably a quarter to a half mile from the turnaround point. Once I hit the ACTUAL turnaround point, I was then thinking... "Okay, this is pretty hard." I kept pushing through, but my mind got the best of me the last half mile, when I had to stop and walk a few of times, but not to worry... it was never more than a minute combined, and I KNEW no other female was going to catch up to me. Unfortunately, I also knew the female ahead of me was going to extend her lead. Oh well... I decided I'd battle it out for second. I finished strong with a time of 28:35, and even though I was the number one loser, I DID get comments on how stylish I looked. Second place overall female isn't bad for my first time out, and hey... I lost with STYLE. Just wait until next year. I plan on smashing it.

As for the rest of the year, here are my racing plans. I dare you all to join me! :)

February - Sweethearts 5K (Bountiful)

March - Shamrock 5K (with AJ & Emily Ty) & L.A. Marathon

April - La Jolla Half Marathon

May - Smithfield Days 5K/10K (not sure which distance I'll run)

June - Utah Valley 5K & Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back

July - Freedom Run 15K (Blacksmith Fork Canyon) & Provo 10K

August - Top Of Utah Half Marathon

September - Top Of Utah 5K or Pocatello 5K

October - I'll find something... possibly Ragnar Relay Las Vegas

November - Malibu Half Marathon & Turkey Trot 5K

December - Moab 10K

Whew... that's a lot of miles. I'm looking forward to making more memories and PRs.

"Consistency requires discipline. Force yourself out the door."

-Bob Glover & Shelly-Lynn Florence Glover

My Final Race

2009-12-13T19:52:00.006-07:00

So last weekend was my final race of the year. I ran the Winter Sun 10K in Moab with my friend Ginger, and her friend Jess. There was absolutely NO sun like promised, and the temperature was somewhere in the teens. Not good when you have to wait at the starting line for a half hour plus. By the time the race started, I was numb all over. My legs seemed to be functioning on their own, and it took a good two miles before I could feel my feet again. I had taken a couple of weeks off from training, and only resumed the week of the race, so I wasn't sure how the outcome would be, but I'm always hoping for a PR. For the first little bit, I tried to take the whole experience in, knowing it was the final race of the year, and enjoyed the scenery despite the bitter cold. It didn't take long before I focused in on my running and trying to maintain as fast of a pace I could. I ended up crossing the finish line at 44:09, which is a new PR. I beat my old time by 1:07. I was pleased with that, and the only thing that would have made the year complete was a medal to go with it. Unfortunately I took 4th in my division, 20 seconds behind the 3rd place runner. That was hard to swallow. All in all, I've learned from each race, whether it be about myself, my capabilities, and tips for next time, it's been a great year and I look forward to making new goals and keep improving for next year.

After the race, we did a little bit of sight seeing, since it was our first trip to Moab. Above I'm climbing up a ladder that goes up through the rocks.

The night of the race, they have a light parade on main street. I felt like I was in "A Christmas Story". You can see Santa in the background.

The next day before we headed back home, Ginger and I took a trip into Arches National Park and did a little bit of hiking. Pictured above we are standing in front of Delicate Arch.

On the hike back down from Delicate Arch, I could resist having a little bit of fun on the trail and jumping over the rock cairns. What a great weekend.

My Almost Win

2009-11-22T19:41:00.003-07:00

Okay, maybe not a win, but I was 35 seconds off from medaling. Let's back up a little bit. For months I've been looking forward to the Malibu Half Marathon. Nothing beats running along the coast. My friend Kami joined me for the adventure for her first half marathon. Consistent training became very difficult for me as I travel a lot and ref college soccer throughout the fall. I was doing great juggling everything until the last few weeks leading up to the race. I never got a chance to get my track work or long runs in. It was still a good trip, but I would definitely do things differently next time. Anyhow, here's how it went.

Day 1:

We drove to Las Vegas and stayed at the Monte Carlo. It was a nice hotel, but we didn't really have time to enjoy the pool or anything. We ate dinner at the buffet, and I pretty much tried every dessert they had. Not really a good thing to do before a big race. We shopped at the outlets a little bit, walked to the Bellagio and around Caesar's Palace. Too exhausted to walk back, so we took a cab, and the cab driver grunted a lot. Gross.

Day 2:

Breakfast buffet. I'm not really a breakfast eater, so I lost money there. We made the drive to Teresa's to drop off our stuff and head to Malibu to pick up our race packet. It was windy and cold, so we didn't stay long. We then made the drive to Carson to the Home Depot Center to watch the LA Galaxy play the Houston Dynamo. Longest game EVER. A 30 minute late start, a 20 minute delay in each half due to a power outage, and 30 minutes of overtime. Aside from that, it was a fun game. Galaxy won 2-0, scoring a goal in each overtime period. Now I can say I was Beckham play.

Day 3:

Pho and shopping in old town Pasadena with Ami, Brandon, Teresa, and Easton, followed by New Moon for dinner. Not much else as we were prepping for our race the next morning.

Day 4:

Race day. It took the first few miles for me to feel like I was getting into a rhythm, and there actually ended up being more rolling hills that I had anticipated. No matter though, because that's where I crushed everybody. The past two half marathons I started to feel fatigued around mile 10, but that didn't happen until about mile 12.5. In that last half mile, I passed a girl, but then 2 passed me, bumping me to 6th place overall female. Only the top 5 get medals. I was SO close. I still set a personal record at 1:38.08, and placed 2nd in my division, 31st overall. It's all good numbers, and I beat my La Jolla time by 42 seconds, but I really wanted that medal.

Kami finished in 2:12. She did a great job for her first half, and a bad ankle. Afterwards, I surprisingly had a lot of energy... runner's high perhaps. I played in the ocean for a little bit, and we headed back to Teresa's. I crashed EARLY that night.

Day 5:

Trip over. Time to go home. We drove the entire way home, and I do not recommend that a day after a race. My legs weren't too sore until we spent the whole day driving. We stopped in Cedar City to eat dinner, and I could barely walk.

Here is my adventure...

This year has gone by so fast, and for once I feel like I've lived it to the fullest. I've done all these races for me, and it has been such a great experience as well as what I have accomplished. I have placed in the top 10 in my division of each race. I think 7th is the worst I've done. I can't be upset with that. My last race of the year is a 10K in two weeks. I hope I keep the tradition alive and end the year with another medal.

Just... A Couple Of Road Trips

2009-10-29T22:48:00.005-06:00

Ok, so a bit of air AND road trips. First trip... University of Wyoming vs. San Diego State.

After a quick-ish flight into Denver, it took over an hour just to get my rental car, which meant very little exploring time on my drive to Laramie, WY. I lucked out with decent weather and no overtime. After a scoreless first half, SDSU put a goal away early in the second half, and added an insurance goal with just minutes remaining. The game was pretty easy, and I got out of there quick to catch my return flight to SLC. I felt like all I did was rush from place to place this trip.

Next up... New Mexico State vs. Hawaii. I had to fly into El Paso, TX the night before. That was a long trip as I had to change planes in Phoenix. This, I believe, was my first trip to Texas. Too bad I had to spend it alone. I checked into my hotel, worked out in the gym for about a half hour, and had the intent to check out the town, but just decided to get food and some snacks instead, and order pay per view in my room.

The next morning, I made the drive to Las Cruces, NM for the game. NMSU has the WORST fans I have ever had to listen to. Some old guy was heckling me from the very beginning, and since they played in the football stadium, voices carried. A couple of time, when he said something ridiculous, I made subtle gestures up to him, like brushing my shoulders to say his words don't bother me. He then proceeded to threaten me. I laughed, and kept on ignoring him. Again, we had a scoreless first half, and then NMSU scored with about 8 minutes left. Hawaii, I thought, was the better team, and definitely had more class, and were attacking the Wyoming goal when an idiot defender decided to push the Hawaii attacker in the back just outside the 18. Of course, they didn't like my call, but it was the correct call and Hawaii ended up scoring on the free kick to tie up the game with just a few minutes remaining.

OVERTIME! I was once again harassed by the old guy in the stands as regulation ended. He said "you stink"... I sniffed my armpits, and looked up at him and shook my head, raising my hands as if to say "no I don't", and I brushed him off again. About 7 minutes into the first overtime, I had to call a penalty kick against Hawaii, and that's how New Mexico won. Too bad for Hawaii. The better team doesn't always win.

On the way back to El Paso to catch my flight, I was lucky enough to hit the Nike outlet. The trip wasn't a total wash. :) It was a long trip back home, and Monday morning came way too quickly. My tough travel week was done, and now I only have one more match left of the season. I travel to the bay area on Saturday, November 7th to ref at St. Mary's. I can't wait to be done.

Medals and PR's

2009-10-13T22:42:00.008-06:00

Since AJ did so well at the Top Of Utah 5K, I immediately looked online for another local 5K. I came across the Ribbon Run, which was my FIRST 5K with Jaycson 6 years ago. It was cheap, every finisher received a medal, it was in October, and of course it was for a good cause... keeping kids off drugs. It didn't take long to see why it was so cheap. NO chip timing, and NO prizes for placing in your age division. That's not how it was 6 years ago. We had chip timing, I placed first, and Jaycson placed second. Big disappointment...

Well... the day wasn't off to a great start. Miscommunication between Tony and myself led to a frantic scramble to get AJ there on time. I've learned my lesson, and from now on will just plan on taking care of AJ on race day. They managed to get there in time, with barely any time to warm up. AJ and I headed over to the start line, in great position so we don't get stuck behind anyone. Of course people are very inconsiderate, and a group camped out right in front of us, squeezing us back behind them. I wasn't too happy. THEN... I sort of got in a fight before the race started. If you look in the picture below, the major TOOL that was fighting with me is the guy in the blue adidas warmup just over my right shoulder.

Here's what happened. After being cut off by that group (the guy in the yellow jacket), that guy in the blue warmup ALSO weaseled his way right in front of AJ. I didn't say a word, but often it's expressed all over my face. I'm sure I shot him a dirty look (ok, I KNOW I did... he made me mad), and the guy freaked out, even calling me out by name. I have no idea who this guy is, but apparently I'm popular. If anyone knows me, I'm not going to back down to anyone. I gave it right back to him, saying "Dude... you just cut off a little kid." We shared a few more words, and NO, I didn't curse him out, ha ha. No matter, cause the race was about to start, and AJ and I were going to leave him in the dust... and... we did.

AJ did great, and my one regret with his training was that I hadn't introduced him to hill training just yet. The first 1/4 mile of the race was on a slight incline, and AJ was quick to comment on it. I AM happy, however, that I did track work with him a couple of weeks ago. I made him alternate easy 400's and fast 400's for a total of 8. I think that made him mentally tougher, because they are HARD, and he was pushing it hard in this race. With all the hard work AJ put in, he was able to finish the 5K in 24:27. Of course the time isn't official, because it wasn't chip timed, but I crossed at 24:23, and he was just seconds behind me. That is roughly a 7:52 minute mile. Pretty dang good for a 7 year-old. I'm so sad that winter is approaching and there aren't many more races I can do with him. I want to take him to a serious race, where he can collect some hardware. I'm hoping we can squeeze another race in before it's full blown winter.

Keep your eye on this kid. He's gonna make headlines when he gets a little older. I'm glad I can share these little things with my nephew. You make me proud buddy.

My Six Painful Games

2009-10-09T22:00:00.006-06:00

Last weekend was my long weekend of 6 games in 3 days, in Rock Springs, Wyoming, or as I like to call it "The Hills Have Eyes Town". THANKFULLY Tony and Kimball came along to keep me company. The day was off to an early and not so good start as we tried to leave around 6:00 a.m. Little did I know that Leaving my lights on for 5 minutes would completely drain my battery, and Tony had to jump my car from the get go. We made it to Evanston with no trouble, and decided to eat breakfast and switch drivers there. I have to say... it was the NICEST McDonald's I have ever been in. Even the bathrooms had flat screen TVs, and it was a really clean establishment. Kimball liked the saddle chairs and pretended he was riding a bronco.

Unfortunately, my car battery had not recharged at all, and we required ANOTHER jump in Evanston. When we got to Rock Springs, Tony dropped me off at the field, and was kind enough to take my car to Wal-Mart to get a new battery.

It was a long day, but I got half my ref load over with. 3 games in one day, and I managed to get under one of the players skin from Western Wyoming Community College Men's Team. If you're gonna talk smack, I'm gonna put you in your place, that's all I'm gonna say.

We ate dinner, and Tony and I turned into big nerds as we sat in the room on our computers, as poor Kimball had to find his own entertainment, which was setting up a trap on the chain lock to the door.

Saturday was almost as painful, but not quite as bad since we only had 2 games to ref. Afterward, we went to the park and played with Kimball. He said that was his favorite part of the whole trip.

Luckily that night we went out to eat at Applebee's as my poor stomach couldn't take anymore fast food. I'm not used to eating at fast food restaurants, and it was starting to create some serious "family problems". When we got back to our room, Tony had a "brilliant" idea of getting Kimball all wired up on sugar so he'd crash hard and go to sleep early. Not only did Tony's plan backfire, but it seemed to create a bit of rage with Kimball. It was hilarious at times, though, and it brought about Kimball's funniest quote of the trip.

Tony: "Hey Kimball, do you wanna go swimming?"

Kimball: "IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!"

It was actually only 10:00, but I'm sure it felt like the middle of the night. Tony ended up taking Kimball out for a quick jog outside, cause the kid couldn't sit still.

Kimball watching "The Iron Giant"

Sunday there was only one game left, and of course, it was freezing and the storm decided to hit right at game time. Now I normally DON'T do this, which is wear pants when I ref, but I was just a linesman, and it was not worth it to freeze. I put my windbreaker AND my jacket underneath my uniform, and I'm sure I looked like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, but I did not care. It was fun to have Kimball run up and down the field with me for a little bit, until the snow REALLY started coming down. I had to have my back to the field at times, because the wind was blowing the snow hard in my face and it HURT. When halftime came, the Wyoming team didn't want to play anymore, so we got to leave. WAHOO!!!

I don't think I want to go back next year.

My Crazy Nephew

2009-09-23T21:35:00.005-06:00

So last Saturday was the Top of Utah marathon and 5K. I've been trying to get everyone and anyone to come join me in the local fun. Well... one of my recruits was my 7 year-old nephew AJ. We did some training over the past few weeks, but due to my crazy schedule, I wasn't able to train AJ as much as I would have liked. It really didn't seem to matter, because the kid is a natural!

Right after the gun went off, my friend Kami, AJ, and I took off at a pretty good pace. I'd look over to AJ, and his little legs were just a pumpin'. I was slightly worried, but figured I'd just keep pushing him until he couldn't push hard anymore. After a couple of minutes, I leaned down to him, and told him about a little game we were going to play. I told him when I point to someone that is ahead of us, that is our next target to pass. About 1.5 miles out, I pointed to a kid about 50 yards ahead of us, and asked AJ if he thought he could "take" that kid. He said "yeah" in a surely manner, and the kid became our next victim. As soon as we passed the kid, I noticed he had sped up to try and pass AJ back. AJ, on the other hand was not about to lose his lead. He too picked up his pace so the kid couldn't get by him. He is a true Yeates. I watched as the two of them battled it out for a good quarter of a mile, and then I guess the kid gave up, because he seemed to disappear. I finished at the 26:12 mark, and AJ was only 2 seconds behind me as we sprinted in to the finish line. I took second in my division without even trying, which was awesome, and AJ placed first in the 11 and under division by NINE minutes. I'm still so impressed by the kid.

So AJ seems to have a bit of the running bug, and I don't mind taking a race here and there a little easy to run with him and keep him improving. I've already got us signed up for the Ribbon Run on October 10th in Hyde Park. I'm tailoring a program for him to go for a PR.

My friend Kami Essig also set a PR for the race, and finished 4th in her division. She is also set to run the Inaugural Malibu Half Marathon in November with me. I can't wait for that one. I am hoping for a PR in that race. As of right now, we have 52 more days to train. The TOU 5K was just the motivation I needed to get back on track. Since college soccer started, my body has felt pretty worn down, and it's been hard to stay motivated in my training program, but this week I am 3 for 3, and am gaining momentum. I'M BACK!!!

My Full Plate

2009-09-18T23:54:00.003-06:00

The busy season has officially started. I am currently coaching Emily Ty's U10 soccer team, which have been making tremendous progress. I have already reffed 4 college games, with 2 tough games four days apart, both going to double overtime. 90 minutes alone wreak havoc on my hamstrings, but 110? That's just 20 extra minutes of sprinting, not to mention the toll traveling takes on the body. On top of college, I have decided to start my own business so to speak. SLY F.I.T. Fitness Individualized Training. I feel like I've been successful with my own training, I've been helping friends and co-workers, and have finally ordered the course materials to be certified.

Unwinding on top of the Stratosphere after a tough game at UNLV

Why I decided to pile everything on during my busiest time of year? I couldn't tell you, other than I guess it's best to not let an idea or dream get cold, so I'm going for it.

My Monster Project

2009-09-08T23:03:00.010-06:00

So for the past couple of weeks I have taken on a monster of a project. I have been searching through all of my negatives from the past, and taking them into the photo place to get digitized and put onto discs. So far I have over 4,500 images to catalog and organize. I then plan on making a highlight photo book for each year. It is SO time consuming, but I know in the long run, it will be completely worth the time and money spent. It is amazing to look back and see how everyone has changed. Here are a few of my memories.

Baby Fallon in 1993.

Zip-lining at Lake Powell in 1996.

Hawaii with Chris in 1998.

More Lake Powell with my big bro in 1998.

Shooting guns with Cory & Rita in 1999.

My trip to Mexico with my friends in 2000.

Camping in Island Park with Tony & Melissa, and Kimmie & Bryce in 2001

Delivering the most amazing speech of the night at Teresa and Mitch's wedding in 2002.

Flying an airplane in 2003

My first 5K with Jaycson in 2003

A Hawaiian Adventure in 2004

It's been great going down memory lane, and makes me more excited to continue making memories. So everyone... pick up your camera and take some pictures TODAY!!!

My Nature Filled Weekend

2009-08-24T23:52:00.006-06:00

What... a weekend. My good friend Katie convinced me to run a half marathon up in Ashton, Idaho where she now lives. I... of course, thought it sounded like fun... up until the 10th mile, anyway. I drove up on a Friday afternoon, and we checked out the course and did a little bit of site-seeing. Afterwards, I made a special "pot sticker" dinner, and spent the rest of the night catching up.

The race went pretty well, the first 3 miles was on a trail, which I'm sure slowed me down a bit when I got caught up behind slow people. At mile 2, I decided it was time to keep track of my "kills" of the female variety. I ended the race at a +19. It was also great to have Steve, Katie, and the kids, Abi & Evan (Ed) to cheer me on along the way, and they even made a clever little sign. Of all the nights, the night before, the smoke detectors decided to go off on three separate occasions, waking up the entire house.

The first 8 miles were a piece of cake, and around mile 10, I was starting to wish it was over. I kept going strong, and finished with a 1:43:14 time and third in my division. It's amazing how not playing soccer has affected my speed. All in all, I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments this year. Each race I have entered, I have at least placed in the top 10 in my division. I'm hoping to keep that streak going.

After the race and the medal ceremony, we packed in as much as we could before I had to leave the next day. Check out my Mesa Falls Adventures in my newest movie.

Thanks again Katie and Steve for an awesome weekend. No more letting 4 years go by before our next adventure!

The Battles Of A Runner

2009-08-19T22:23:00.008-06:00

"You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face." - Gatorade Ad

Totally surprised I didn't burst into flames... it's good to be DONE!

No matter what you do, or what sport you play, everyone faces their own battles. I often wonder what other runners are thinking and what their challenges are. During my last race on Pioneer Day, which was a 10K, I thought a lot about those battles I faced.

TRAINING: I only had a week and a half to train for a 6.2 mile run after 3 weeks off due to a knee injury, and finally a cortisone injection to get it back and functional again. If anyone knows me, I train hard for optimal performance.

DISCIPLINE: It takes discipline to keep a training schedule and stick to it. There are days where I'm tired, but no matter what, I push through my workouts with everything I have.

HEAT: There are so many levels of heat. First, I feel that training in the middle of the day, in the heat makes me work harder, so I opt to run during my lunch break. During my 10K, I noticed another level of heat that I face. My race pace pushes my body so hard that even at 8:00 in the morning, I can feel my body temperature rise so high that I feel like my shirt is suffocating me. If I can get my midsection some fresh air, I tend to do better. Then, there's the dry mouth heat, that you feel like you're going to die if you don't get a few ounces of liquids in your body, or poured over your head.

PAIN: There are so many types of pain. The pain in your legs that turns them to jello, but you keep going anyway. Physical pain, such as blisters from miles and miles of rubbing. The worst kind of pain, is the pain in your gut, just under your rib cage beneath the xyphoid process. It's the pain where you can't decide if you are going to hyperventilate or throw up. But again, you keep going.

MIND GAMES: There comes a point where I feel like my mind has split into two. One second, it will tell my body... "It's okay to walk." NO.. it's not okay, for me, and I have to quickly snap back to reality before my body catches wind of the suggestion. It's easy to give in, and I in fact did during that race while going up "Goliath Hill". I will say I was disappointed in myself for that, which leads me to the final and most crucial battle I face.

COMPETOREXIA: Yes, I made up this disorder, but it makes total sense to me. I am SO competitive that no matter how well I do, it's not quite good enough for me. I guess you can call it being hard on myself, and I have no idea where to draw that line. I finished the 10K in 46:26. Not a bad time, with all things considering. 1- I am coming off an injury, 2- it's still a sub 8 pace, and 3- I placed in my division. As a competorexic, this is what I see... 1- injury or not, I should be better, 2- I didn't set a personal record (PR), 3- I placed SECOND, not first. After each race I've run, I have received so many compliments on how great my stride is, or how well I tackle hills, or how someone has tried to catch up to me, but just couldn't. I am so bad at receiving compliments, and in my mind, I can't help but think of the things I should have done better.

My second place medal

My new goal is to try and find a good balance and learn to be proud of my own accomplishments. I have another half marathon coming up on Saturday in Ashton, Idaho, and I really want to take it easy, because let's face it... Races HURT. But then my competorexia kicks in, and I want to at least win my division. I'm still torn on how hard I want to run, but chances are... I'm going to kill myself. Wish me luck.

My Favorite Holiday

2009-07-06T20:55:00.007-06:00

My favorite holiday has always been the 4th of July. When I was younger, the whole family would always gather at my grandparents' house, which was just across the street from where I grew up. We would all go to the Hyrum parade, and hang out at Grandma's afterward for a BBQ. Grandpa used to put up their volleyball net and we would play all afternoon until the annual water fight would break out. On the way home from the Brigham City fireworks, Tony and I both were telling Melissa about the same 4th of July memory, when we watched the movie "Watcher In The Woods". That memory had always stood out to me, I'm not sure why, and thought it was funny when Tony brought it up as well.

Hyrum Parade 1974

As we've been getting older, we've starting making our own traditions, but keeping the important ones intact. Tony and I now run the Freedom Run 15K every year before the parade, which starts at the hydro plant up Blacksmith Fork Canyon, and goes all the way down the the square (Lincoln Elementary) in Hyrum. This year I was a bit devastated. Because of my injuries, I was unable to run, so in order to still be a part of the tradition, I biked it while Tony ran. To make things more memorable, AJ and Emily Ty biked it with me. The kids did great, even though at times they were painfully slow, but it was a joy to have their company. I hope this is a memory they will always carry with them.

Things aren't quite what they used to be, as family has dwindled off and gone their separate ways, but no matter what, I will always carry those memories with me, and vow to continue to make many many more. I'm thankful for those who fought for our country and for our freedom. I'm thankful for my siblings and the bond we have, no matter how strange it can be... we keep each other sane.

My Ragnar Challenge

2009-06-21T23:07:00.019-06:00

RAGNAR RELAY WASATCH BACK 2009: What an experience! I'm so glad I was able to be a part of it all. Here's the rundown of how it all went.

VAN-MATES: Neil, Taylor, Jamie, Kami, Sara, Sly, Ali, MaryAnn, & Sue (taking the pic). We were the all-stars of our team, and it was great making new friends. We definitely had a great time cheering each other on and making each other laugh. Kami was runner 7, Jamie runner 8, Sara runner 9, Taylor runner 10 (he had the "Ragnar"), I was runner 11, and Neil was runner 12. Ali was bike support, MaryAnne was driver, and Sue was all-round support.

THE WORST OF RAGNAR: Not being able to compete 100%. I injured my upper back pretty seriously 4 days prior to the race. That meant I had limited trunk rotation, so I couldn't get a full arm swing in, but what was worse was I could only use about 1/3 of my lung capacity as it KILLED to breath deeply. That totally messed with my stride, pace, pretty much everything, not to mention the shoulder and trap pain I had due to guarding. I had to drug up on schedule in order to endure the run and the car ride. On top of all that, it's allergy season which meant I would have bouts of sneezing fits, which was also painful.

THE BEST OF RAGNAR: I've listed my top 5 best memories of the race below.

#1 - The "one mile to go" marker. It was the best feeling to see that marker, although I think either that was the longest mile EVER, or they lied to us and there was actually 2 miles to go. Either way, it meant there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that was comforting.

#2 - Meeting up with Tony. Unfortunately, my brother was on a different team "The Slowskys", but we kept in good contact via text messaging, and were able to see each other at a few of the exchanges. His encouragement definitely kept me in it. Especially the text he sent me to "suck it up" when I asked how to treat a blister. What great advice. Ha ha.

#3 - The cheering. It was such a comfort and a nice break when I saw our van and everyone cheering me on as I ran. It wasn't just limited to our van either. Everyone cheered everyone on. It was such a great atmosphere. Along with the cheering, came our little +/- game. We would get a point for every person we passed, and lose a point for every person that passed us. It kept things competitive for us, and made us work harder.

#4 - Ending my first run and realizing that I CAN do this, injured and all. One of the funniest moments was when I slapped the bracelet on Neil, and he just stood there instead of taking off. I was wondering if he was wanting a good luck hug or something. I just slapped him on the back, and said... "Let's go Neil."

#5 - Spending time with my friends Kami & Neil. There's no better bonding experience than something as challenging as this.

MY FIRST LEG: 3.8 miles - Very Hard. So my first leg was basically 3 or so miles straight uphill, then straight downhill the rest of the way. I was able to go a good 7 minutes before I had to walk. I guess not too bad for doing absolutely nothing but recovering for the 4 days prior. I then worked out a good system of running the length of 2 cones, and walking 1 during the rest of the uphill stretch. I began my leg Friday at 3:30 p.m. and finished in :38. One girl thought she had me as she passed me during my "walk" portion, but in my head I was saying... "Just wait til I reach that cone... then you're mine!" And... she was. I owned her immediately. I finished with a +6.

MY MIDNIGHT LEG: 7.3 miles - Hard. This was one of my favorite legs of the race. It had slight up hills, slight downhills, but was relatively flat. I had never run with a head lamp, or reflective vest, but it was fun, and I was glad I was prepared with a headband, because apparently the head lamp kept slipping off everyone's head, but I had no trouble. My ran began at 1:49 a.m. Saturday morning, and it was a 7.3 miler. I was nervous about the distance, but at about mile 3, I finally figured out a pace I could deal with and get enough oxygen for the longer distance. The weather was perfect, and the run was peaceful. Unfortunately by changing my running stride, I started to develop a blister under the arch of my right foot at around mile 5.5, and I was starting to die. I kept on and dealt with it and finished in 1:05. I finished at a -2 for this leg. One of those was because I had to re-tie my freakin' shoe twice. I was SO annoyed!

THE FINAL LEG: 7.3 miles - Very Hard. My last leg was 7.3 miles, mostly downhill with bits of uphill. That was a challenge as the bounce didn't feel too good on the back or the knee, and it rained for most of my leg. I was worried about my blister I acquired the night before, but good thing I have good instincts as I drained it and put vaseline on it before I ran, and followed Tony's advice of "sucking it up", and it didn't bother me at all during my run. I started my leg around 10:55 a.m. Saturday morning, and it took me 1:11 to finish. I finished at a -10 for this leg, which put me at -4 overall. I guess considering, that wasn't a bad score. I was still proud that I finished strong, and boy did it feel good to be done. 18.4 total miles in less than 24 hours!

THE FINISH LINE: Not exactly what we had pictured. Normally, the entire team runs together for a short distance across the finish line. Well... Neil had the last leg, and took off like a bandit. Unfortunately, the race bible didn't have directions to the finish line for the van people, so we were lost for 40 minutes and Neil crossed without us. We eventually met up with him and van 1 for a final "Team On 3" pic with our medals. We finished 122 overall and 84th in our division with a final time of 28:55:38. If only I was 100% I'm sure I could have shaved 30-45 minutes off of our time. It was a great first experience, and can't wait to do it again next year. There's even talk of doing the Ragnar Relay Las Vegas October 9-10th.

THE RETURN: It was nice to be home and take a nice hot shower and be clean again, but the best surprise of all was the awesome sign and balloons that greeted me on my front porch, left by Melissa and the kids. It made all my "van-mates" jealous. It's nice to feel loved. :)

I now have 2 weeks to heal and prepare for the Freedom Run 15K. This is Tony and my 4th of July new tradition. This will be our third year competing. I'm hoping for another PR. Wish us luck!

My Trip To The ER

2009-06-17T18:43:00.007-06:00

Ok, so with 4 days to go before the big event I've been training for since February, some jackass at the indoor soccer arena decides he's going to show how macho he is by taking me out Monday night. I went up for a header, and all of a sudden I get hit in the air with so much force that it completely knocks my legs out from under me, so I ended up landing right on my upper back and subsequently, my head bounced off the turf, which is basically cement with a layer of carpet. I pretty much rolled around on the ground for a couple of minutes, trying to catch my breath as the wind was also knocked out of me. As I headed toward the bench, I had a few choice words for the guy (sorry everyone for the language), and took a seat. I had really considered going after him and breaking his nose. After a few minutes on the bench, I decided I'd better head to the ER. I was afraid I had a broken back.

As I got to the ER, things seemed to have gotten worse. I couldn't breathe at all, and I couldn't move my upper body. Luckily I have a great brother, as Tony came out to meet me there for support. The nurse finally gave me a shot of morphine along with an anti-nausea shot (unfortunately in the butt), and things got slightly better as I was able to relax a little. They wheeled me in my bed for x-rays, only to retake them because their machine was messed up. After they wheeled me back to my room and the doc finally came in saying I had a broken rib. I wasn't sure I believed him, because I wasn't tender on any particular side, just mostly in the center between my shoulder blades. Tony had to take me home, as I was all drugged up, and they sent me with some good drugs and a prescription, but the best news that night was when my friends Neil and Kami stopped by as I was leaving saying we had won the game, Neil had scored 11 goals, and the winning goal was on the idiot who took me out. They had switched him in goal to "preserve the win". Ha ha. I call that "karma part 1".

The next day, the radiologist took a look at the x-ray, and confirmed NO broken rib. I guess I have a really bad contusion to my back, and I now have less than 2 days before the race, and sitting upright, lying flat, and breathing still pretty difficult to tolerate. I can't really back out at this point, and may end up walking my legs of the race. I hope I heal miraculously between now and then so I can at least run at a slower pace. All I know is I will be drugging up! Wish me luck!

My Big Finish

2009-06-13T23:08:00.009-06:00

If anyone knows me, they know that waking up is not one of my strong points. Believe it or not, I DID manage to wake up at 4:30 this morning to head down to Provo for my big 5K race. I should get a medal just for that. Moving on... I convinced my friend Becky to run with me, and met up with her at the park & ride in Salt Lake. We managed to get to the site by 7:00 a.m. and breeze through check-in. Well... I did anyway, Becky had a couple of issues going on there as they couldn't find her name on the registration list right off, then she had to switch her shirt size. After all that and a couple of bathroom breaks (her, not me... I don't do porta-potties), we did our 30 second warmup/stretch, and waited 15 minutes, I swear, for the gun to go off.

I was off to a pretty good start, some hotshot girl thought she would be cool and get a jump on me, but I was patient and she it wasn't long before I passed her back. Right off the bat, I had the worst case of dry-throat, and wasn't too happy about that, and half way through, I started getting pain underneath my rib cage, similar to being on a very bouncy boat ride. I kept pushing on, and on the last mile, when the course doubled back and overlapped the first mile, I passed a lady who yelled at me... "You're the FIRST girl!" I was excited and stressed at the same time to hear that. I didn't want to lose my status. I finally peered over my shoulder and saw "Pinky" not too far back from me, maybe 20 seconds behind. Pinky was super tall and was wearing a pink tank top, hence the name "Pinky". I kept going as hard as I could, slowing down a couple of times just for a minute, but picking my pace back up. I ended up finishing with a 20:53 chip time (PR), which is a 6:43 pace, and 10 seconds ahead of Pinky. Not bad, not bad... AND... I was able to maintain my lead! I admit I was definitely suffering for a few minutes afterward, but it was all worth it.

Becky finished 3rd overall female with a chip time of 21:34, so she was not far behind either, running a sub-seven as well. It was awesome we both got trophies, and a neat little podium to stand on, ha ha. See what I mean about Pinky though? She's freaking tall.

So not only did I get a trophy and Seven Peaks water resort pass, but the top finisher for men & women received a Citizen Eco-Drive watch. I LOVE races that give out prizes. I think I'll try and defend my title next year.

Next up is the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back next weekend. Logan to Park City? I run 3 legs for a total of 18.4 miles. My first leg is straight uphill...that's going to be interesting.

My Youth Relived

2009-06-09T00:18:00.008-06:00

So just yesterday I was talking to Melissa and telling her the story of when I was young, probably around 12 or so, and I would run around the house in a hail storm as many times as I could until I could no longer take the pain. Yeah, great game I know, but I LOVED it. I guess I've always been pretty hard core. Ha ha. Anyhow, what a coincidence, because guess what happened today??? I was lucky enough to be at Tony & Melissa's when the hail storm hit, and thought I'd relive my youth. AJ and Emily Ty followed along behind me on my fun adventure around the house. It was GREAT fun, just as I had remembered. I hope my tradition has now been passed on to Tony's kids. LONG LIVE THE WELTS!

My 10K

2009-05-16T00:53:00.003-06:00

Ok, so since being back from Cali and another month plus before the Wasatch Back race, it was a little tough getting back into running mode. I looked online for any upcoming races, and found a 5K and 10K run for the Smithfield Health Days last Saturday. I quickly signed up, convinced my friends Kami and Neil to as well, to "prepare them" for the Wasatch Back. They ran the 5K since it was their first race, and I ran the 10K since I had never done that distance before. I did pretty well for the most part, finished second in my division/gender, and 6th overall. I know I should be pleased, but this comedy bit from Jerry Seinfeld just kept popping into my head. Since I am video happy right now, I created this very short clip.

Do you feel my pain???

My California Adventure

2009-05-08T23:01:00.007-06:00

Ten days in SoCal was GREAT! First things first... for 2 months, Teresa, Ami, and I trained relentlessly for the La Jolla half marathon. We all did great, and very little blood was shed as I managed to stab myself with the safety pin while running (I was trying to re-pin my bib, wanting to ditch my tank top... didn't work out), and Ami developed an unsightly blister on the top of her foot from the athletic tape. One of the best things of this whole race, was the "pig out" session afterwards. We burned over a thousand calories, so... who cares?!!!

Next on the list was TRAPEZE SCHOOL! Ami is full of strange ideas, and even though I was dragging my feet up until the very end, it was super awesome. We headed to the Santa Monica pier one morning and got to "fly" for a couple of hours. I'm definitely going to try and return each visit.

I didn't get to see Fallon much, but Teresa and I drove out to Oxnard to watch her soccer games. In Oxnard, I was able to meet up with a great old friend, Chris. I think it's been almost 10 years since we saw each other. It was just like old times.

TOP 5 QUOTES OF THE TRIP

"She doesn't have a runner's face..."

"Sphincter don't fail me now..."

"DON'T TELL MY MOM!!!"

"Don't call me, just text."

"They never told me to let go of the bar..."

Even though the small screen doesn't do this movie justice, this was our adventure. :)

My 12 Mile Day

2009-04-19T21:32:00.005-06:00

So let's back up 10+ years. Tony and I took a trip to Cali to visit Teresa and Rowdy... yes, way back then. Tony decided to run a half marathon one morning in Chino. We woke up irritatingly early, and Teresa and I, not having a clue of how long a half marathon would take, figured it would take 3 or 4 hours for him to finish. So... we went to Target, breakfast, and all that good stuff. We finally got back to the race site, and poor Tony had been finished for like an hour at least, probably more, and was just hanging out waiting for us to return. I think he even placed first in his division, and had no one to greet him at the finish line. This was an event that Teresa and I STILL feel bad about to this day. (Sorry Tony... we love you!)

Well... now it's our turn to run a half marathon. Next Sunday, Teresa, Ami, and I are running the half marathon in La Jolla. I'm excited to run along the coast, and enjoy the beauty of SoCal, not to mention reap the benefits of a race at sea level. With that being said, I have dedicated the last few Sundays training and going on my long run, upping it by a mile each subsequent week. With the race being next week, that meant today was my 12 mile day. Due to prior commitments and the fact that I had to make sure I had enough energy to last, I couldn't go first thing in the morning, and got a bit of a late start. Finally, at 1:00 I hit the road. The prior 10 and 11 mile weeks were challenging, but I still tackled it without feeling too wiped out. Today, however, was a different story. It probably didn't help that I had a personal training session and crossed in about a thousand balls for the kids to finish this morning, so my ankle was sore, and eventually my hip flexor was feeling it too in the first third of my run, and running with sunshine and warmth threw me off a little bit too. Luckily my mental toughness kicked in, cause there was no way I was going to let myself stop and walk at any point, and I completed my 12 miles, while shaving 13 seconds off my pace. Not too bad i guess. Next week will be the true test, and I'm hoping sea level will be my best friend as we are not allowed to run with headphones. Wish me, Teresa, and Ami good luck!

Check out those calories burned!!!

My New Niece

2009-04-19T21:28:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I'm a bit behind and I'm sure everyone knows, I have a new niece. Eliza Grace Yeates, born Tuesday, April 14th, 2009. Congrats to my big bro Tony and his wife Melissa, not only for the new addition to their family, but for meeting the requirements for their AFLAC policy by the skin of their teeth. Isn't she a cutie?!!!

My New Sport

2009-03-21T21:10:00.004-06:00

Spring is officially here, and the snow has finally melted... AGAIN. To go along with my excitement, I've decided to take up a new sport. Tennis! I've been playing the past couple of weeks indoor, and finally got outside today to give it a go. I'm not exactly magnificent... YET..., but I'm getting better and better each time I play, and having a lot of fun. Anyone up for a game?

I'm starting to get the hang of the backhand, but unfortunately my forehand still needs work.

I don't know why this is, but I hold my breath when I swing at anything, ha ha...

My Snow Flu...

2009-03-10T21:45:00.014-06:00

Ok, so I pride myself on my impeccable immune system. Very rarely am I ever sick. I've never had strep, pink eye (sorry Tony), an ear infection, or any sickness that requires prescribed medication and/or a visit to the doctor. I seldom get headaches, or even "cramps" for that matter. Other than the frequent soccer wounds (not my fault), I am a very healthy person. So yesterday, as I bitterly watched the snow continue to fall, my motivation to exercise was declining rapidly, and all I wanted to do was go back home, get in my sweat pants, and crawl into bed. For whatever reason, the "season gods" decided to play a sick joke and dumped 2 feet of snow on an almost bare ground, and yes... I took it personal. So I came up with my own ailment. I have come down with a serious case of the "snow flu". The miserable weather was affecting me, and I was going to let it. So far, I've been "sick" for 2 days. I could not muster up the will or energy to exercise, so no running or P90X for me... I was on strike. Apparently this type of sickness has an adverse affect on one's appetite, so my diet has gone out the window as well. I did, however, manage to play a little tennis tonight with my good friend "Stuart" and my niece Mia, but let's face it... I suck at tennis, and ended up nailing Mia in the cheek with the ball. Luckily the mark didn't last TOO long, and a black eye was narrowly avoided. Sorry Mia. I am hoping I'll pull through it and get back on the road, or... Who am I kidding?... the treadmill tomorrow. Pray for me ya'll...

Back To Utah

2009-02-22T18:21:00.006-07:00

Last week Teresa and Mitch decided to make a spontaneous trip to Utah before Mitch had to be back to work. They flew me out to meet them in Vegas and make the partial drive with them. This was my week:

Tuesday: Flew into Vegas, took a cab to the Venetian where Teresa and Mitch were staying. We ate dinner, played on our computers, and pretty much just went to bed.
Wednesday: Got a late start as always. Bought a 20 pound chocolate cake from The Grand Lux Cafe for Melissa, and started the long drive to Logan. During the way, Hudson had his first "blow out" diaper, and Easton got freaked out when he was in the bathroom with me and the automatic lights went off. After making it to Logan, Easton kept pointing to the wall, while sort of whimpering. I finally discovered that he was pointing at his shadow. I guess that freaked him out as well. Ha ha.
Thursday: Dinner at Tony & Melissa's. Melissa made lasagna, but the highlight was the chocolate cake. The kids picked at the chocolate chips, and couldn't wait to dig in. It was the most delicious cake ever! Mitch and I then went to play in my indoor soccer game, and while I was thinking he would turf it within 5 seconds of stepping on the field, he actually did quite well and didn't fall until the second half when his legs were so fatigued. I was impressed.
Friday: Soup with Grandma. Teresa made chicken soup with dumplings (I added noodles), and it was amazing. Grandma's house has always been a comforting place for us, and it was nice to spend time with her.
Saturday: Monster truck show. Mitch and Easton went down to Salt Lake with me, AJ, and Kimball to see the Monster Trucks. Despite the weather and traffic, it was a lot of fun. We stopped at the Gateway Apple store on the way home to get Teresa a Valentines present, and had pizza at Kimmie and Bryce's that night.
Sunday: Teresa and Mitch left, and that was that. The days go by so fast, and there never seems to be enough time. I always hate it when they leave.

We all wish Ami and Brandon could have made the trip as well, but hopefully we can all get together as siblings soon. I have the best brothers and sisters anyone could ask for.

My Monstrous Day

2009-02-15T18:33:00.008-07:00

My day with the boys finally came, but of all the days to have a snow storm, it had to be a day when we had to travel to Salt Lake. Since I had an extra ticket, and Mitch and Teresa were in town for a surprise visit, Mitch and Easton came along for the fun. Roads were fine for the most part, but due to the storm earlier, it had caused several accidents on the freeway. It took us a good hour just to get through Willard, and we ended up being 45 minutes late for the show.

AJ and Kimball were funny because Kimball prides himself on going to sleep "only one time a day", meaning he doesn't take naps anymore... "except when he's sick" of course. During the traffic jam, though, he was drifting off and AJ was giving him grief and teasing him about it, which would make Kimball mad. Kimball finally fell asleep, and it didn't take long for AJ to do the same. I had to take this picture to show AJ that he takes naps too, and probably shouldn't tease is little brother so much about it. Ha ha.

Three tired boys

We ended up being 45 minutes late for the show, but luckily we didn't miss too much. We got there in time to see the final of the monster truck races, or whatever it was, and all of the motocross and monster truck freestyle. Easton LOVED the motocross freestyle, and AJ and Kimball pretty much loved everything. As we left, the kids said they wanted to do that every time. That was my first Monster Truck experience, and it wasn't quite as "white trash-y" as I thought it would be. I have to admit it was quite entertaining, and I would probably do it again.

Me, Kimball, and AJ

Easton

The drive home was a breeze as it was nice and even sunny... until we got back to Logan where the storm had just hit again. Is it EVER going to be spring???

My Winter Break

2009-02-08T13:02:00.009-07:00

I've decided I need to recharge every couple of months, and the best way to do that is visit my family in California. We always have a great time, and last weekend I took advantage of the time Mitch had off (he's on "paternity" leave). Since it was Superbowl weekend, and his Cardinals were playing, it was even more special (until the Cards lost). Anyhow, listed blow are the updates on everyone.

1- Getting to meet Hudson for the first time. Although he's suffering from "Colic syndrome", he's still the cutest little butterball. Funniest quote came from Brandon when he asked the little sumo... "How many chins do you have now?"

2- Easton is in the fun, cute stage right now. He's talking so much, and is so cute with his "baby brother". Funniest quote from Easton came when he noticed I had some candy. I thought I was being sneaky, but the kid has hawk eyes. He came up to me and said... "trick or treat".

3- Fallon and her project. Fallon had a school math project and had to triple the size of a Junior Mints box. She spent a lot of time on it and it looked amazing at the end. Funny quotes came the next day, when Teresa and I woke up early to take her to school...

Sly: "Do you have all your stuff?"

Fallon: "Mmm hmm... it's in the car."

Sly: "Do you have your Junior Mints box?" (I had seen it on the table in the dining room just a few minutes earlier)

Fallon: "Ohhhh...."

4- Mitch & Teresa are suffering from lack of sleep and deal quite well with it... for the most part. We had a great kid-less night out (well except for Fallon) on Saturday and met Ami and Brandon for dinner at Houston's. It's always a highlight when we can all joke around together. Mitch of course was devastated that his Cards lost, and Teresa and I looked forward everyday to see what Bryce was up to on facebook.

5- Ami & Brandon were absent the last few days due to Ami being sick. They missed out on the Superbowl, or rather we missed out on Brandon's chocolate chip cookies. Funny quotes about this were between Teresa and I when Ami said she wasn't up to coming over.

Sly: "Ami said she's not up for a lot of people... she's not coming. She said Brandon even made his chocolate chip cookies."

Teresa: "Well... can Brandon come?"

It was a great trip, and I have put together a nice little video to sum things up...

My Girls' Night Out

2009-02-07T01:06:00.006-07:00

It has been a while since I was able to have a special night with my nieces, and I wanted to do something a little more special and a little less generic with them. Timing was perfect, because my cousin Mickey had the lead in the play "Peter Pan" at Weber State, so I immediately got tickets (good thing, because they sold out fast). This was too good of an idea, because Kimmie and Melissa wanted in on this one too, so they joined us for this one. We braved going out on a weekday, and went on Wednesday night. It was all worth it. Mickey was amazing, and the kids LOVED the play. Mia apparently had no idea that Peter Pan was our cousin until after the first act, and when the play was over, she immediately took to "crowing" just like Peter Pan, and then wondered if Mickey would recognize who we were when we went to wait for her in the Lobby. Emily Ty was funny as well, because she informed Melissa that if she were in the play, she would much rather play "Nana", which is the dog, or perhaps the crocodile. In both cases, she would be wearing a suit so nobody could recognize her, and have no speaking or singing parts. That was an interesting perspective.

In the lobby before the play, they sold a few treat items, and everyone got to pick out their own snack. Just another highlight of the night for the kids.

Emily Ty, Mia, Mickey, and Quincy

Happy Birthday Kenna

2009-01-20T00:00:00.008-07:00

Not a day goes by that you aren't in my thoughts. You have taught me how precious life is and to cherish every moment. I was fortunate to have spent more time than most with you, though it still wasn't enough. I miss you and love you. Happy Birthday wherever you are.

My First Two

2009-01-13T01:26:00.017-07:00

I am now ready to dive in to 2009! Yeah... If you think I'm behind, you're dead wrong... I'm running on the Chinese New Year's calendar, so I am in fact... early. I guess you could say I made a compromise and split the difference, and am now making a list of things I want to accomplish in '09. My sister-in-law, Melissa had a great idea on her blog and posted 52 things for 52 weeks. I was going to follow her lead, but decided that I needed a timeline to stay focused. I've decided to take life a couple of months at a time, where I'm able to live for today, but still look ahead to and plan for tomorrow without getting TOO overwhelmed. I've picked several things I want to do or accomplish for January and February, and are as follows:

January

Organize, organize, organize (I need to get my sh..... stuff in order! This is my number 1 priority! If I eliminate chaos, the rest should hopefully fall into place much easier)
Go to lunch with a friend (To me, life is about the relationships you build)
Take my nieces out for a fun activity ("Beadles" I'm guessing)
Read a book (This month it's "One Breath At A Time"... It's about Buddhism)
Visit my Grandma as often as I can (I'm hoping at least on a weekly basis)
Start a training program (I'm trying a new program with some of my co-workers... I hope we get it soon!)
Finish my 2009 calendar (I am making my own with iphoto this year)

February

Back up my Mac onto an external hard drive (Teresa's got to help me with this one... good thing I'm going out to L.A. this month)
Start scanning old photos and slides (This alone will take months and months, but I have to start somewhere)
Start editing old video (This also will take months to do)
Go to lunch with a friend (This is pretty much a monthly goal)
Read a book (I still need to finish the second to last Harry Potter... I suck, I know...)
Take my nephews out for a fun activity (I'm shooting for the "Monster Truck " event... Kimball LOVES monster trucks)

So that's my plan for the first two months. I hope it's as simple as it seems. Wish me luck!!!

My Holiday Season

2009-01-04T22:21:00.044-07:00

Time flies around the holidays, and before you know it, it's time to make new goals for a brand new year. Since I am behind, I've decided to tackle that over the next week, and take this time to catch up on the past two. Below are the highlights of my holiday season.

CHRISTMAS EVE:

Christmas Eve I swear is better than Christmas itself. I've always loved the anticipation and the excitement. You can't help but be happy. After a short work day, I met up with Ami and Brandon to visit my Grandma and Dad at my Grandma's house. Even though we are all grown up, nothing spells comfort like being at Grandma's. Back in the day, the whole family gathered for Christmas Eve, Santa would come, my dad and uncles, and eventually Tony would play Bugler's Holiday on their trumpets, and my aunts would play Sleigh Ride on the piano. What great memories...

Later on Christmas Eve, my good friend Diane invited me out to her parents' house to spend some time with her family on Christmas Eve. It was so cute watching her kids and nieces and nephews open gifts and put on a nativity program. It's crazy how fast our lives change, and I'm so grateful for friends like her. Love ya Di...

CHRISTMAS DAY:

Christmas was pretty low key for me. I slept in until 10:30 or so, made myself some rice noodles and headed to my grandma's house. One of my favorite things about Christmas is surprising my two cousins/little brothers/nephews/sometimes even sons, Riley and Jaycson with a fun gift. I have a hunch they are pretty excited to receive my gift as well, because when I got to Grandma's they had them on their laps, ready to rip open (I had left them in her garage, and they were found). This year I got them both a long sleeved soccer jersey. I can't believe how they tower over me now...

Jaycson, Me, Riley

Kimmie, Bryce, Quincy, and Mia spent their Christmas in California with Teresa, Mitch, Fallon, and Easton. Hopefully next year we can all spend it together. Since Ami and Brandon got snowed in Christmas night at Brandon's parents' house, we all met the next evening for a "pot-sticker" night at Tony & Melissa's. The food was delicious and we all ate way too much, but the best part of the night was Teresa and I setting up ichat on our macs. It was very exciting to us computer nerds, and the kids got a kick out of seeing and talking to each other, and sharing about all their Christmas treasures. It's nice to feel so connected to family during the holidays. I love technology!

SNOW DAYS:

The day after Christmas, Tony brought Emily Ty, AJ, and Kimball over to go sledding on the hill just up the street from my house. We have since dubbed the hill "Riley's Ridge", since he separated his shoulder snowboarding down it earlier in the week. We had a great time sledding. Kimball at one point laid down in the sled and went down the hill like it was the luge. He said he wanted to go "fast like a bullet", and that he wanted to "lay down in the sled like a bed". That kid is hilarious. Who knows... maybe he'll be in the Winter Olympics a few years down the road.

The following Monday after Christmas, Brenna, a player I used to coach, came back to Utah for a visit , and we went snowshoeing up Logan Canyon. I brought my 7 year old nephew, AJ along for the adventure, and he did AWESOME. We hiked up a steep mountain, and he kept right up. At the top of the mountain, we came across a small cliff we could jump off of, and AJ, the little daredevil was attempting to do 360's off it. It was such a blast! On the way down, we went straight down, as opposed to the switchbacks we had to do going up, and AJ just flew down the mountain. At one point, I did get a little nervous and afraid that someone would try and kidnap him while he was waiting for us at the bottom, so I hurried down quick. Of course, he said going down was his favorite part of the whole day.

Brenna, Me, AJ

BABY NO NAME:

December 3oth, Teresa went into labor and sometime between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, a 6 lb 11 oz, 19 inch baby boy was extracted from her big bell-ay. It then took 5 days to finally come up with a name for him. Our family welcomes the 10th grandkid... Hudson Joseph Chaisson.

NEW YEAR'S EVE:

Poor Riley went in for surgery on his left shoulder. Not a good start for the new year. At least he got a pair of "paper shorts" out of the whole deal. The surgery went well, and we hope his recovery will be speedy. High School soccer season is right around the corner.

I spent the evening with Scuba Steve and the Scuba Squad. Scuba Steve made delicious shrimp (breaded & coconut), I made a London Broil, and Cindy made my favorite... augratin potatoes for a great New Year's Eve dinner. Mmm mmm good!

Surgery definitely didn't slow Riley down as he lit off a bunch of fireworks at midnight. It was amazing how the neighborhood erupted in fireworks. Apparently we weren't the only one with the "frowned upon" contraband.

GAMES:

New Year's Eve, and throughout the rest of the weekend, we watched plenty of "House", while getting our game playing in. Nertz was definitely the fave.

Happy New Year everyone!!! Even though I hate getting back to reality, I DO look forward to re-organizing, and getting back on a schedule. It's definitely time to make some new goals and plan for the upcoming year. Wish me luck!!!

My Surprise

2008-12-16T00:02:00.027-07:00

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

2008-11-28T23:31:00.006-07:00

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

2008-11-23T22:55:00.011-07:00

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

2008-11-16T21:21:00.013-07:00

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

2008-11-09T20:55:00.011-07:00

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

2008-11-01T22:18:00.011-06:00

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

2008-10-28T23:33:00.016-06:00

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

2008-10-26T21:59:00.016-06:00

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

2008-10-24T22:57:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-10-24T09:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday! We hope you have a great day!

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

My Eight Things

2008-10-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

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

2008-10-19T20:28:00.001-06:00

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

2008-10-11T18:47:00.001-06:00

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

2008-10-09T01:25:00.000-06:00

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.

2008-10-04T21:54:00.000-06:00

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

2008-09-30T22:51:00.000-06:00

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...

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. :)
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.
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.
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!
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).
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!

2008-09-24T23:47:00.000-06:00

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

2008-09-23T00:05:00.000-06:00

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.