nEw gLasSes

So I had my yearly eye appointment and I decided to upgrade on glasses. I spent about 20-30 minutes in Costco deciding on which ones to get. I had narrowed it down to 2 pairs and I had to ask some woman which one she liked best. After I ordered them and paid for them, I was nervous that I wasn't going to like them. When I went to pick them up I asked the sales woman behind the counter for her honest opinion, she told me that she liked them better than my old ones. When I told Doug that I picked up my new glasses, I told him that he couldn't laugh at them. His reaction was the opposite of what I thought he'd say. He actually really likes them and told me that they make me look smart. His dad even said they even make me look like a real school teacher. So what do you think??

Boise State vs. San Jose State

I took Friday off to spend the day with Sandy and prepare ourselves for the Boise State vs San Jose game. Sandy flew in on Thursday night, Doug and I drove out to San Jose to pick her up. Why she didn't fly into Oakland is another story. On Friday morning we went shopping at IKEA and had lunch at In-and-Out. We then left around 4pm to fight the traffic to get to the game. It took us an hour to drive out there, which is not as bad as I thought it would be.

When we got there we were greeted with boo's. I told Doug I don't think I've ever been booed in my life. But I felt proud with Boise State on my chest. We had awesome seats, we were 2 rows up from the field and near the endzone. So when BSU was going in our direction it was great to see them score. I was suprised that the game did not sell out. There were lots of rude fans from San Jose who didn't appreciate when we started chanting Boise State. I couldn't believe how many penalties were called and how slow the game moved. I didn't think the game was ever going to end. A security guard came over and took a flag pole away from the guy sitting next to us. He really didn't appreciate that one, but I guess it was for safety reason. Speaking of safety reason, the consession stand people even took the lids off our water bottles. Don't ask me why but I guess it's a safety concern as well. Sandy, Doug and I were even on TV because the game was on ESPN. I've always wanted to be on national television.

We left the game after the last touchdown so we didn't have to fight the traffic, but we got lucky and got out pretty fast. I had a great time and can't wait for the next time I get to see the boys in blue play again. GO ORANGE, GO BIG BLUE, FIGHT, FIGHT, BSU!!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance

I don't know if any you watch or watched "So you Think you can Dance" but I do and last night I got to watch the Top 10 dancers perform live. It was so awesome and I have to say that Twitch is my favorite. I went with Doug's mom and aunt and had a great time. The show was 3 hours long and they basically performed some of the top dances from the show. I tried to take pictures but they didn't turn out to clear so I went to the Fox website and downloaded some photos of the dances that they performed last night. Katie and Josh were the obvious favorite couple. They had a lot of good dances during the regular season and performed them again last night. They had a lot of talking and video hightlights from the show that could have been cut out. It was like watching the show all over again but this time I was there live watching it.

Monday Night Football -- Raiders vs. Broncos

So Doug and I went to Monday night football game with Raiders playing the Denver Broncos. Well if any of watched it, it wasn't much of game. We sat in the car for an hour trying to get to the parking lot and by the time we got there the lot was full. If any of you know me, I can't stand sitting in traffic that long and when I do I start to get extremley irritated. I missed the kickoff which is what I really wanted to see. The game was sold out which was cool because the last Raider game I went to, there weren't to many fans at the game, but at least the Raiders won that time. The most exciting thing about the game was the fights between the Raider/Bronco fans. It was crazy, I could seriously hear the punches being thrown and the fans tumbling down the stairs. They arrested one guy and another guy had to be helped down the stairs because he either hurt his knee or his ankle. Not for sure though. Our seats we in the nosebleed section, but I actually enjoyed sitting up there because you can see the whole field. We didn't stay for the whole game because there was no need to. As we walked back to the car I hung my head in disappointment. Doug asked what was wrong and I told him I was disappointed because I paid the money to hopefully see a good game, I missed the kickoff and they got their trash kicked. So who knows if I'll be going to another Raider game again this season.

School is in session

So today was the first day back to school. ARGH!!! I was so not ready to start, especially since I had to get out of bed early. No more sleeping in!!! So I'm back in the habit of hitting the snooze button. Luckily enough today was a short day so I didn't have students until 3:10, but tomorrow is back to regular schedule. I'm only teaching 5 classes, 2 those being 6th grade classes. I guess that's the perk of being the Athletic Director. It's going to be an interesting year considering all the construction that is going on at school, so wish me luck.

sAnTa CrUz

Doug and I took a day trip to Santa Cruz. The weather was perfect, not too hot/cold and not too windy. We had a nice lunch right on the beach and enjoyed a stroll down the boardwalk and time laying on the beach. I didn't get to far into the water due to a bad experience in San Diego with the waves. It was pretty cold though. I really didn't know what to expect going there, but I will next time I go. It was pretty cool to see all the sand volleyball courts as well. It was no Venice, but it looked like fun. I wanted to get out there and play with them. There were rides there but we didn't ride them because the lines were too long and the fact that I sometimes get motion sickness. They have a huge video arcade there, and if any of you know Doug, he loves his video games. He found a couple that he used to play back in the day, so we had to stop and play. As you can see he was getting in to it. He was playing a game called Track & Field. It was actually pretty fun. He got mad when I took the picture because of the glare on the screen. He was getting his workout though. It was really nice to just go and relax and enjoy the company of the one I love being with.

10 year class reunion

This last weekend, I went back to Blackfoot for my 10 year high school reunion. It wasn't anything special, but it was nice to see old friends and what everyone has been up too. There wasn't too many from our class, which was disappointing but what can you do. Julia and Mo flew in from Arizona, so I was glad that I didn't have to show up solo. When we got there, Julia said she didn't want to go, but both Mo and I wouldn't let that happen. We had a sit down dinner and chatted with everyone. We then had a class group picture and then it was pretty much over. It was nice to see April, haven't seen her since high school. Everyone still seemed to have their little clicks like we did in high school, you'd think after 10 years we would move beyond that but some things never change.

GrOwinG uP in the DeSert

The only time that I think that I really enjoy going to Blackfoot, ID is during the summer time!!! Why??? Well because my parents house is amazing because of all the trees surrounding the house. When we first moved into the house, dad had the brilliant idea to plant as many trees as possible. I said, "Dad our house is going to be a jungle". Now, 15 years later as you can see the product of what we planted. The only bad thing about all these trees is mowing the lawn. I had to privilege this last weekend to mow the lawn. This used to be my job growing up and it wasn't as much work as it is now. I was going to use the riding lawn mower but it had a flat tire!!!! So needless to say 1 1/2 hr later, I finished mowing the lawn with the push mower. I wonder how many calories I burned?????

If you squint really hard you can see one of the neighbors house in the back ground. Yep, that's what you see when you look out the front window of the house.

oLd fRiEnDS

Do you ever wonder what old junior high school friends have been up too?? Well I have always wondered about my old junior high buddies since I left Arco, ID in the 8th grade.

I went out to Arco while I was at home these last two weeks to catch up with old friends. I went to lunch with Brandy (right photo) at the good ol' deli shop and had my usual turkey sandwich. Our family would go there all the time and it's still the same as when I left. The last time that I saw her was 10 years ago at her wedding and now she's got 3 kids!!! It was great to visit with her and catch up.

Marie (left photo), well we had some good times growing up. We even played little league basketball together. Watching those videos are always fun to laugh at. She would come play at my house as a youngster and now that we are adults now, she now lives in the house that I grew up in. With a new makeover to house, the inside looks nothing like it did when I lived there. The yard is pretty beat up due to house vacancy for 4 years, but the inside is amazing. I wish I could show you pictures from then/now. Again the last time that I saw Marie was 10 years ago and her wedding. Like Brandy, she also had 3 kids.

Thanks Marie and Brandy for a great day of catching up and reminiscing of the old days.

sMaRt cAr fOr TwO

So how many people can say that they've got a grandpa that drives a 2006 Mercedes Smart Care for Two???? Well I can say that my grandpa does. It's pretty roomy inside, but I don't think that type of car is made for tall people. Grandpa is always concerned about gas mileage, but keep in mind that grandpa doesn't travel far. He travels to the senior center, grocery store, library, and any resturaunt to pick up lunch/dinner for him and grams.

We went out to breakfast one morning and he let me drive it back home. You don't realize how short the car is until you look out the rearview mirror. To start the car, it has to be in neutral, then you have to put your foot on the break and put it in reverse. The car can either be automatic or manual. It doesn't have a lot of gidup like my Mazda (zoom, zoom), but it was fun to drive. I can now say that I have driven a Smart Car for Two.

P.S. Grandpa also has a street scooter.

Cowgirls

I flew into Boise on July 23, to visit out there for a few weeks. It was KJ's birthday on the 22nd and he wanted to me to fly out for his birthday. Well needless to say he had to wait till the next day for any type of birthday fun. For his birthday he wanted my famous fried porkchops (everytime I come back to Idaho, I always have to make him porkchops) and to hit up Cowgirls in Kuna. It was a good thing it was hip-hop night out there, otherwise you wouldn't have caught either of us out there. We played a few games of pool and then had a great time people watching. It's always a treat to see how people dress and wonder why they thought that looked good and to see how people think they can dance.

Aquarium of the Bay

Again me and my mom went over to San Francisco. While we were over there we decided to check out the Aquarium of the Bay. We started the tour of "Discover the Bay", in this portion of the tour was the types of ecosystems that support the marine life of the San Francisco Bay. I am so amused by the ocean life that I could just sit and watch them all day long. Before we moved on to the sharks, there was a tank of jelly fish. I've never seen them before and I was amazed by them. Moving on to "Under the Bay", there were plenty of sharks, bat rays, star fish, whirlpool of anchovies and other types of fish. The next part we went to was "Touch the Bay" In here you had a chance to touch the bat rays, leopard sharks and other tide pool animals. The bat rays had just got done eating so they weren't in the mood to be touched. I did however get the opportunity to touch the leopard shark, who can say they've touched a shark?? I also got to touch a live star fish, it was pretty slimy. It was a short little tour but I really did enjoy it. Hope you had fun too mom!!!

San Francisco City Tour

My mom came out for a week to take care of me while I had my wisdom teeth taken out. We had a great time together and I'm glad she came. I even got spoiled which I totally loved, my mom is the greatest!!!! The day before she left we went back over to San Francisco and took a tour of the city. We rode on a big charter bus through the streets of San Francisco and if you've ever been there you know how steep and narrow the streets are.

Our first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. My mom was watching the news and she heard them say, "People walking across the Golden Gate Bridge". She then asked me if you could and I didn't know. Well on our first stop we got to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I was pretty awesome. It was foggy up there so we could see to far. I wanted to walk to the center of the bridge and look over the edge and take a picture. The closer I got to the edge the more scared I got. I put my hand and camera over the edge and this is what came out. So now I can say that I have walked on the Golden Gate Bridge.

We then drove through Golden Gate Park. We didn't get out but it was a beautiful park. You could spend a whole day in the park, exploring everything that it has to offer.

Our next stop was a place called the Twin Peaks. Here you could look out over the city of San Francisco and see the Bay Bridge, AT&T Park and Candle Stick Stadium. It was to foggy so the pictures didn't turn out that great.

We then drove to see what was left of the Victorian Homes. I can't believe how close the houses are here. All of the houses are 1 inch apart due to some type of fire code. The blue house is where Kindergarten Cop was filmed. The red house that I'm standing in front of just sold for over 2.5 million dollars. This park area was also where the beginning credits of Full House took place. When they were having the picnic outside. Inside this park was a shoe garden. Someone left their shoes in the park and the gardener took them and planted plants in them. Now everyone leaves shoes there.

The tour continued through Chinatown but the streets were so narrow that we didn't get a chance to get out and look around. I guess that will be the next time I go over there. We then drove through the financial district which is made up of banking and insurance. Our last stop was Lombard Street and is known as the most crooked street.

After the tour ended we walked up the street a few blocks the famous Ghiradelli Square. Ummm so much chocolate!!!! We didn't spend too much time there only enough time to buy a bag a chocolate.

After we got a small fix of chocolate we walked down the Fisherman's Wharf and had the famous In-and-Out Burger. Unfortunately I didn't get a hamburger because of my wisdom teeth so I just sucked on the fries and watched my mom eat her protein hamburger (w/out bun). We walked down the streets looking in and out of the shops. We trekked it 2 miles up the pier to the BART to call it a day. Thanks for such a great day mom!!!!

Wisdom Teeth

I waited a tad bit too long to get my wisdom teeth out, but the dentist told me that I could keep them so I did. Well unfortunately I developed TMJ (lock jaw) and my wisdom teeth would touch before the rest of my teeth did so I had them taken out yesterday. I was so scared that I kept dreading it. I had some nasty nightmares the night before and butterfly's like I never had before. My mom flew in to take care of me, thank goodness. The doctor gave me some happy gas and an IV and the next thing I knew I was waking up. I didn't feel a blasted thing, thank goodness but I sure am feeling it now. I've gone through plenty of gauze pads!!!!! I've always had a round face and the swelling isin't helping either. My cheeks are starting to swell up, making it look like I'm storing food for the winter. I wish I would have gotten my wisdom teeth out when I was younger, cause this stuff sucks!!!!

Pier 39

Julia had never been over to San Francisco, so I took her down the Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. We rode the BART (Public transportation) over to there. When we got on the BART, we were on the wrong train that was headed to Richmond. We got off and luckily enough we didn't have to wait long for our train. Julia freaked out when she found out that the BART goes beneath the Pacific Ocean to get over there. You really don't know until your ears plug up. Anyways after we got off the BART we had to walk 2 miles down to the Pier. I had shoes on but my socks weren't high enough, so I had some brutal blisters developing. Before they could get out of control I bought some flip flops to relieve the pain. We ate at a pizza resturaunt there on the Pier that had crappy service but the pizza was good. We did plenty of walking, shopping and people watching. After all was said and done we had to truck it back to the BART in hopes of not dealing with the rush hour traffic.