Football

I must say I have never been a huge football fan like so many people in the U.S. I have always preferred baseball and basketball. However, there can be something said for live football when you are actually in the stadium with the crowd being surrounded by the sounds, the music, and the excitement of a game. I was once again reminded last week when I had the opportunity to go the Utah State Aggie football game against Weber State. I won the Intermountain Healthcare tickets in a drawing and I was so excited especially since I feel like I never win anything. My work BFF, Stephanie, went with me and we had a wonderful time. We were cheering, booing, high five-ing, and even dancing at the game. It was exciting and  I was so glad that I remembed why it is that millions of Americans love it. That being said, I think college football is exciting. I am still thinking that pro-football players are babies in a lot of ways. If you need proof, just watch an Australian Football League play a game sometime. Those pro players play football without pads and tackle just as hard. They get hit, loose a tooth, and go right back in the game. Our pro players get a hangnail and miss several games. Totally wimpy! Just my opinion. But I am learning to like it more and I realize that not all players are like that. My sister and her family are good friends with Eric Weddle, who plays for the Chargers and there are players like him who have a good work ethic. What do you think about football or pro-sports in general and is there a favorite team you cheer for? And please don't say it's your husband's team. Have your own favorite!

Steph and I before the game started dressed in our Aggie blue!

I had so much fun with her and can't wait until our getaway to Boise next month to see David Cook in concert!

The Mucky Mucks

I am not sure what I was thinking when I thought it would be a good idea to be a team captain and make a team for the Man vs Mud 5k run, but I am glad that I did. It was so much fun and I have never laughed like that while doing any 5K. It was the first mud run for Cache Valley and The Mucky Mucks (our team) had a great time. I think a lot can be said for pushing yourself to do things you would never normally do, trying new things, and acting like a kid sometimes. This was one of those days when it was okay to scream on a slip n slide, to get dirty, and to let the firemen hose you off. I made some new friends who I think are totally awesome and inspire me and now continue to inspire me as I do a boot camp with them. I like to push myself and have found that more things are about the journey rather than the destination or what place you might finish. It's about digging deep within yourself to do your best and to enjoy yourself and the experiences. So running is not my thing. I don't love it, mostly because of my asthma, but it pushes me so I continue to do it every now and then. I enjoy feeling like I accomplished something and I don't care what place I finish in a race so long as I finish. That is what is important in any race of our lives. We just need to finish and do our best. I am proud of myself and my team and look forward to doing it with them again next year! I now ask the questions to you what pushes you and what is your race you need to finish?

Some of the few pictures we took from the race.

 The Mucky Mucks pre mud

 The crazy starting line slip n slide.

 Just hitting the mud.

 I like to call this the stinky pit. Not sure it was just mud and as you can tell from my reaction in the picture, I wasn't a fan of this one :).

 This is the diagram that Cali did of the last slip n slide into the mud pit.

 The close up version of me taking out the side barrier.

 This was just before Cade totally drenched me with his huge splash :)

The Muck Mucks post mud. We are dirty :). I think I look the cleanest, but that is because when Cade drenched me with his splash he was able to wash most the mud off my face.

How many of you are now going to join our team for next year?

AUSTRALIA!!!

Just typing the title of this post makes me happy and I hear Oprah yelling WE ARE GOING TO AUSTRALIA! to her audience. Well Oprah didn't take me with her, but as I mentioned in my last post, I just got back from an amazing trip there. Australia has always been a place I have wanted to visit and is definitely on my bucket list. I wasn't sure if I would ever make it there. But I did! I subscribe to travelzoo.com. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is just a website that every Wednesday sends you an email of the top 20 travel deals of the week to various places through various companies. One Wednesday on my lunchbreak, I was looking at that day's email and there was such a good deal to Australia. I started thinking more and more about it. And it became a reality! I am so glad that I did. Today, while visiting one of my hospice patients, I was talking with him and his wife and we talked about bucket lists and things we always say, "someday I will go there", or "one day I would like to do this". Why don't we just stop thinking about it and dreaming about it and actually do it! So that is what I did. I went to Sydney to see the opera house, got to hold a koala bear, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. All things on my bucket list. I truly feel so lucky and what an amazing reminder to me that we don't have to wait until we are about to actually "kick the bucket" to start doing things on our bucket lists. I know there are a lot of photos here, but believe me there are so many more. This really is just the cliff notes version of our trip. I hope to post more detail on my private blog sometime. So here are some of the highlights of the trip. Enjoy! And thanks to Carrie and Emily for going with me! Such fun girls and I love them both!

Excited for our 14 hour and 50 minute flight. This is us at LAX pre flight and awake :)

Sydney!

This is Darling Harbor one of my favorite places in Sydney

The Blue Mountains

Sydney's version of the Grand Canyon

The Opera House at night and how we first saw it. Also there was a full moon!

 Yes, we were this tired! Totally fell asleep on the train back to the hotel and Emily did drool all over my shoulder. Good thing I had several layers on :)

Sydney Harbor!

The Opera House!

 Outside the main hall

 Inside the main hall.

The ferry to Manly Beach

Our bike ride on the beach. Those two rocked the tandem bike and I fell in love with my little beach cruiser. Want to get one now :)

Manly Beach

Sydney at night

Wildlife Park: Snuggled Koalas and hand fed kangaroos

Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbor. They let us dress up like Chinese Royalty while we walked around the garden. So fun!

Sydney Aquarium at Darling Harbor. That fish was my little friend that followed me around the tank. 

Bondi Beach: Surfer's Paradise (It was a rainy day)

This is my Aussie surfer friend.

Whale watching on our way to the Great Barrier Reef!

The Reef!

 Carrie and Emily- the snorkel Queens

Rock on! I was there!

The sky rail that went from the city of Cairns through the rainforest to the city of Kuranda.

Rainforest

 My new best friend Chippy!

Could they be any cuter when they sleep :)

The Butterfly Sanctuary at Kuranda. Amazing hundreds and hundreds of butterflies flying all around us and landing on us. Just beautiful!

This little guy landed right on my hand and he didn't want to fly off so we hung out for a bit.

Last night in Sydney. Somehow they knew we were leaving and sent us off with a bang with a fireworks show over the harbor!

Such an amazing trip and one I will never forget!