Girls' Night Out, Birthday Weekend

By now most of my friends have heard me talk about Straight No Chaser. If you haven't, they are an amazing a cappella group that started at Indiana University, I think in 1996. I left town for college around then, but fortunately one of my friends introduced me to their music. I have been a fan ever since. Sadly I was a bit slow in figuring out they were back together. But I am thrilled that they have three Cd's out and have been on tour. I kept waiting to see if they would make it out west near me. They finally added Denver and Salt Lake City to their Fall tour. I ran into some difficulty at first getting Denver which was my first choice. So I went ahead and bought tickets for Salt Lake. Eventually I had the opportunity to get tickets for Denver. I was not sorry to have tickets in two cities bookending my birthday. I thought it sounded like the perfect way to celebrate. It was not meant to be though. The show in Salt Lake was canceled for reasons I'm still not sure about. But at least I had the tickets for Denver.

I flew over to Denver on Friday to spend the weekend with the family, spoil that adorable niece of mine and enjoy Girls' Night out at the Straight No Chaser concert with mom and Amber. I spent some time with Trinity on Saturday afternoon before it was time to head to Denver. We went down early to have dinner at a great Mexican restaurant that Amber loves. From there we fought through traffic to get to the show. I have seen a lot of the SNC videos from their concerts on Youtube but to see it live is amazing. They weren't even through the first half before I was wishing to see them again. If you get the opportunity to see them in concert you have to do it. They are an amazing group of guys with amazing voices. And they look like they are having so much fun up there. Plus the choreography is fabulous and worth a few laughs.

After the concert there was a meet and greet in the lobby. Since the Salt Lake show was canceled I had requested that I be allowed to stay. Fortunately mom and Amber were troopers. One of the reasons I was a fan when they first started is because Charlie went to my high school. He was one year ahead of me and I had always enjoyed watching him in our school musicals. We were never in any classes or activities together, but I knew who he was. So it was fun to support someone from North. (Plus the group is great.) I had never officially met Charlie but wanted to say hi after the show. Along the way I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of the other guys and get a photo with Mike. When I got to Charlie it turns out he recognized the last name because my brother was in his sister's class. Bloomington really is a small world outside of the University. We had a nice, quick chat before I moved along the line. I am definitely looking forward to my next opportunity to see SNC in concert. And if you haven't been yet you should definitely check them out!

Mike Luginbill & Me after the show

Me & Charlie Mechling (North H.S. Alumni)

Me & Mom post show

Me & Amber post show

Sunday was a quiet day after our late night. I made it over to the ranch in time to see Trinity after her morning nap. The little one is turning into a total ham. She hears a camera turning on and she starts smiling. It is adorable. Trinity is also a lot more flexible than I could ever have been. She was sitting in her swing pulling her feet up to her mouth. Impressive.

Trinity showing off her flexibility.

When it was time for Trinity's afternoon nap I ran back to pick up mom. We had dinner at the ranch and an early birthday celebration for me. Mom made my favorite dinner and Amber made a bourbon cheesecake. Yummy! I lucked out with the most fabulous gift from mom. Technically she had already gotten me one by paying for my flight to Denver. But she couldn't wait for Christmas so I received a Kindle as well. This is looking to be my new favorite toy. Chris, Amber and Trinity gave me a Gap gift card (part of my improvement project) and the Michael Luginbill cd I had on my wish list. Altogether a fabulous birthday celebration with the family.

Monday mom had to work before I left for the airport. So I dropped her off at school and went to the ranch. I got there in time to ride along to the doctor with Amber and Trinity. Fortunately it turned out that Trinity did not have an ear infection. She was quite a trooper with the doctor and fascinated by the mirror next to the table. We played around until it was time for her nap. I was able to stay until she was up for lunchtime. We were watching Amber make lunch when Trinity bumped her head on the window. I couldn't get her to stop crying and she wouldn't stop for Chris. She was starting to calm down a bit but still crying when I turned on the camera. I swear she turned around and smiled at me through the tears. I can't wait to see how much fun she will be around a camera as she gets bigger. Hopefully she never wants to hide like I usually do when a camera is near. Overall it was a fabulous trip and a great start to a birthday week.

Trinity & Me.

Happy Family

Broke the California Boycott

I moved to Utah from California four years ago. SO far no one has come to visit me. So I kept joking that I was going to boycott the state until someone (anyone) came to visit. And then it was announced that Brandi Chastain was having a testimonial game for her retirement. It was going to be a whose who of soccer players (and actors) that I had grown up cheering for. The time had come to break the boycott. Most of my friends won't be shocked that it was soccer that got me back to the state. It is still my first love when it comes to sports, even if I do not go to as many games living in Utah. (And yes, I know we have a pro team. Just not the same.)

I headed out to the bay area on a Thursday. Almost didn't make it. Somehow I mixed up the times in my head and thought I needed to be down at the airport before 7:30 to check in. In fact my flight was leaving at 7:30, so at 6:20 I was in a bit of panic driving down I-80. Fortunately I made the delayed flight. Sometimes you have to appreciate a delay. It worked out since my friend Nancy was running behind to pick me up. We managed to be on the same time table after all of that. Nancy and Kim had been kind enough to take me in and offer me the use of their car for the weekend so I didn't have to rent. It was super nice of them. On our way to Nancy's house she showed me a way to loop around to their street if you couldn't make the turn due to traffic. At the stop sign before you turned onto their road she said there is a good view there. But since it was dark I couldn't tell. The next morning I realized I had forgotten my directions. Since I couldn't back up I did the loop. Turns out that good view is looking across the bay at the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. That is an amazing view!

Friday I drove down to the Cal State East Bay campus for a bit. Since everyone was busy I walked around and looked at some of the changes on campus. Then I headed out to Walnut Creek to meet up with Bri. We had survived grad school together and been the two girls who wanted careers in sports. It was so great to see her for a bit over lunch. I hope that sometime soon I'll convince her to come out to Utah.

Bri & Me after lunch

After lunch I raced straight back to CSUEB for the women's volleyball game. I had worked with the team when I lived in California. None of the players are the same but I still love the head coach and the one assistant I know. It was a great game and CSUEB came out with the win. Afterward I got to talk to Meg and Spagle. I had to give Spagle a hard time about having a tournament trip to Alaska after I left. Turns out I also missed the tourny trip to Hawaii. He does take his teams on some great trips. When I was there I got to go with them to Kentucky. Nothing like seeing a bunch of California girls in the Midwest. It was great. Spagle was just happy because my mom found him a place to get a hot brown sandwich and a bourbon. When in Kentucky... Anyway it was great to see all of them. Then Debby talked us into going over to the soccer games which wasn't on my schedule. The field is amazing now. They have redone it and it is used for the women's pro games. Nancy and I left for a bit to go get dinner. We headed straight to Val's for burgers, fries and milkshakes. The best comfort food I ever found when I lived out there. Then we stopped back by campus for a bit to see how the guy's were doing in their game.

Debby & Me at soccer.

Saturday morning was a nice slow start. Eventually though I left to drive over to Alameda to meet up with Mansi and Amanda who also survived grad school with me. We went to this cute little place by the water. We had the best view of the San Francisco skyline and the Bay Bridge. It was windy but beautiful. And since I had missed Amanda's wedding I was happy to catch up with them. Mansi swears they are either coming to visit in January for Sundance or June when it warms up. I have sent along the Sundance information so we'll see what happens.

Mansi, Me & Amanda

When I got back to Nancy and Kim's we got ready to head to Santa Clara for Brandi's game. I was so excited. All of my favorite players were going to be there. Brandi had invited Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Tisha Venturini, Cindy Parlow, Tiffeny Milbrett, Marcelo Balboa, Tab Ramos, Eric Wynalda and so many more. There were also actors and athletes from other sports. The game was being held at Buckshaw Stadium at Santa Clara University. I used to love going down there for games when I lived in the Bay Area. It was a beautiful day for a game. We got there early so we watched the clinic they were putting on for the kids ahead of the game. Kim and Nancy bought me a t-shirt and the program as early birthday presents. We had also brought a 12 year old friend of theirs named Tiffany. At one point the two of us wandered down to see what else there might be to do and get food. Unfortunately the line for food was so long we bailed on that idea. The line never did get short. I think a lot of people missed a lot of the game standing in that line.

Some of the players.

Julie Foudy & Mia Hamm - team captains

Eventually the game was under way. It was red team v blue team. In the first half Brandi played on the red team but at halftime she switched to the blue team. Considering that some of the players were not soccer players and others had been retired for 6 years it was a great game. Everyone was very competitive and having a good time. I really did watch the game but I also took about 300 photos. I never thought I'd have the chance to see so many of my soccer heroes playing in one game, I had to get proof. It really was a dream come true. There was a group of boys from a local soccer team sitting in front of us. The ones not standing in the concession line kept asking who people were. Since I had the program and years of soccer watching I filled them in the best I could. It is sad that today's kids do not know about Mia and the rest of that group. Although the little girls knew about her. They were still wearing her jersey. The boys were mostly excited because they had heard that a former Boston Red Sox player and an NFL football player were there. I knew they were referring to Nomar Garciaparra for the baseball player but it took awhile to figure out the football player. It was a former 49ers player named Brent Jones.

The whole list of players for the game:
Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Tisha Venturini, Joy Fawcett, Aly Wagner, Eric Wynalda, Leslie Osborne, Eric Lagopoulos, Marcelo Balboa, Tab Ramos, Brent Jones, Kelly Lindsey, Ro Hernandez, Tiffeny Milbrett, Nomar Garciaparra, Cindy Parlow, Giovanni Savarese, Chris Armas, Judy Reyes, David Zayas, Sissi, Danielle Slaton, Julie Inkster (she played in her hat), Yang Zhou, Meagan McCray, Jordan Angeli, Fernando Clavijo, Chris Dengerfield, Bobby Sarnevesht, Kristi Leskinen, Joe Cannon, Val Henderson, Tony DiCicco, Chioma Igwe, Chad Chastain, Lorrie Fair, Colleen Hacker, Linda Leipper, Shawn Medved, Cameron Smith, Kerry Smith


Late in the second half Brandi finally scored a goal in her testimonial game.

Brandi's goal.

Celebrating the goal with Mia.

After the score was tied 2-2 they called the game and went to PK's. You almost expected Brandi to take hers and then whip off her jersey like in 1999. She did take the last PK but after scoring she ran over and hugged the goalie. And the game ended up a tie. Not a bad way to go with so many amazing players.

Post game included the retirement of Brandi's high school jersey, her college jersey and then the Mayor of Santa Clara declared it Brandi Chastain Day. The best though was when they let Mia and Julie have the microphone. They had some great things to say about their friend and former teammate. I really miss watching these amazing players. They were a true class act and what all athletes should be like. Finally Brandi had the microphone and thanked everyone. She was a bit emotional but you certainly can't blame her. I was emotional listening and realizing that now all my soccer heroes are retired. It was a beautiful night.

Brandi thanking her fans.

Tisha, Julie, Mia after the game.

How do you follow up an awesome experience like Brandi's testimonial game? You spend Sunday in Monterey with two great friends. Nancy and I drove down to meet Joyce and got there around lunchtime. After checking out Joyce's adorable house we walked down to the wharf for a lunch of sushi. I had been craving sushi for awhile so it was great to finally get some. After lunch we walked back to Joyce's to get the car so we could go cheese tasting and wine tasting. When I still lived in Cali a group of us had gone down to meet Joyce for a day of wine tasting but she introduced us to the Cheese Shop in Carmel that day too. My request was sushi, Nancy's request was cheese. So off we went to The Cheese Shop where we easily spent an hour or more tasting cheese from all over the world. The owner was working with us and started calling me Utah after I told him I couldn't join the wine & cheese of the month club since I live in Utah. He had us try a cheese called "Barely Buzzed" that is dusted in espresso from Utah. I laughed because I'm pretty sure caffeine is not allowed by the Mormon religion, or so I had been told. We had a great time and we all walked out with plenty of cheese and I bought a bottle of wine to try. The next stop was a wine tasting room on Cannery Row. Joyce was a member so we went in and tried some of their delicious wines. I had to purchase a bottle there as well. After that we walked around and tried some of the shops. The sock place pulled us all in and no one walked out empty handed. I was pretty excited to find Thanksgiving socks. Our last stop was the Rocky Mountain Chocolate shop where Joyce treated us all to candy apples and other goodies. Yum! We made sure we had a group photo before taking Joyce home and driving back to Hayward.

Joyce, Me, Nancy

Nancy and I had one more stop that evening. We were invited to dinner at Debby & David's and you never say no! They are the best cooks. And it is always fun to spend time with them at their house. We had a lovely dinner and I got a chance to see the remodeled kitchen. I do miss their amazing dinners now that I'm in Utah.

Monday morning I went in to work with Nancy. Then I borrowed her car to go pick up sourdough bread at Trader Joe's and chocolate from the Ghirardelli Factory Store. If you are in the East Bay Area I recommend the factory store. Great prices and wonderful chocolate. I also had to stop and pick up lottery tickets while I was in a state with a lottery. Hard to win enough to travel the world when you live in a state with no lottery. I picked Nancy up and said good bye to Debby. Then on the way to the airport we stopped at See's Candy to pick up a box of chocolate for my Great Uncle and Aunt. The last time I was out there I bought a box but it never got to them. They received the padded envelope but not the candy. (This time I sent it Fedex.)

And then it was time to fly home. All in all a great trip to California. Hopefully someone from that huge state will come visit before the next time I travel that direction.

Weekend in Jackson Hole

So I'm a bit behind since Courtney and I were in Jackson Hole back in September. We decided that since I had gotten a special we would go up for a weekend after Labor Day. We drove up Friday evening so that we would be there in time to go rafting on Saturday. Before this summer I had never been rafting, now I've been twice. I love it!

When we walked into the Dave Hansen Rafting shop on Saturday morning I was wearing a Notre Dame shirt and my Towson hat. The guy at the desk asked me if I went to Notre Dame because they had a guide that played lacrosse there. When we got to the drop in point I met the guide, Ryan. Turns out that not only did he go to Notre Dame but he grew up in Towson. Very small world. Courtney and I ended up in Ryan's raft and had a fabulous trip down the Snake. If you are up that way I recommend taking a rafting or float trip with Dave Hansen.

Courtney & I after our rafting trip on the Snake River.

We got back into Jackson Hole in the later afternoon and decided to walk around town while we waited for Chris, Amber and Trinity to reach us. They were on their way back from Montana and taking the scenic route. I was excited that I would be able to get my Trinity fix for the month of September. I was getting text messages with updates on their progress. I guess they did not see much wildlife in Yellowstone but fortunately saw some buffalo and moose as they were leaving Teton National Park. They met up with us by one of the Antler Arches in Jackson. We walked around town and eventually stopped for dinner. That is when I got some quality Trinity time. She sat in my lap for most of dinner giving me those big eyes every time I ate a bite and didn't share. Trinity may be up to eating solids but only when they are really mashed up. Not quite time to share my buffalo burger with her.

Trinity in Jackson Hole.

Sunday I introduced Courtney to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. We were going to drive straight up to Yellowstone to start but took a detour to see the barn with the Tetons behind. I'm glad we did it in the morning since the light wouldn't have been as good later. After that little detour we headed up past Old Faithful to some of the hot pots and geysers. Then we worked our way back down past Old Faithful, Lake Yellowstone and the rest of the park. She will have to go back since there is so much more of the park for her to see. I love going to Yellowstone whenever I can. I usually make it up there at least once or twice a year, except last year. The only wildlife we saw in Yellowstone was one buffalo and an osprey. It is getting harder to find them on my last couple of visits. But we did see lots of Buffalo, one elk, some antelope and the backside of a Moose in the Tetons. So it is possible to see some wildlife while you are up there.

Beautiful view!


Our wildlife encounter.

Beauty in Yellowstone

Before we finished our trip we also took the aerial tram ride up at the Jackson Ski resort. It was beautiful up there even if the day wasn't bright and sunny. There were a bunch of people para sailing which was cool to see. Don't think I'll try it but fun to watch. Overall it was a fabulous weekend. I highly recommend a weekend in Jackson Hole.

Back Home Again in Indiana

Since Towson could not pull off even a close game with IU on Thursday night I had to lift my spirits somehow. So I headed off Friday afternoon for my favorite fast food at Steak 'N Shake and then continued on to my favorite winery. When dad and I arrived at Oliver Winery it was packed. I opted to skip the tasting and just go pick up a couple bottles of my favorites. I've been drinking their wine since I could drink so I have the ones I love the most figured out. When it was time to pay I discovered the latest in Indiana's crazy laws. I got carded, which was to be expected. Dad joked that he could vouch for me. But then when he went to pay he got carded too. I guess there is a new law in the state that says they have to card everyone. So even though dad has gray hair and a kid in her thirties he still gets carded. And I thought Utah had some fun alcohol laws.

Oliver Winery

After running some other errands I headed to Yogi's to meet up with Kevin, Kristi and Merrill. I have known Kevin since 7th grade but am still getting to know Kristi. And Merrill is the newest addition to their family. And a cute one too! We had a great dinner catching up on the news. I'm always glad when I can get together with "old" friends on the rare occasions I make it back to Bloomington. Now if I could only talk them into visiting me out west. And it wouldn't be the small town I grew up in if we hadn't run into someone else we knew. On our way out the door we ran into Sandy and Dean. Sandy was the swim coach for my sister and Kevin and our women's Athletic Director when we were all in high school. It was nice to see them again.

Merrill & Kristi

Me & Kevin

(Kevin is the reason I know I'm 5'0. He chased me around with a tape measure once to be sure.)

From dinner it was time to head to the IU soccer game. It was the traditional Labor Day weekend tournament that IU hosts. I had missed the Notre Dame v UCLA game but that was fine. I was there in time for the IU v Cal game. This is a new start for the IU team. They have a new coaching staff that includes head coach Todd Yeagley, and assistant coaches Brian Maisonneuve, Ernie Yarborough and volunteer coach Chris Munroe, all of whom are former players. I was still in high school when Todd, Brian and Ernie were at IU. Have to admit that Brian was one of my favorite players. I only had the chance to see Chris play once or twice on my visits home. Dad seemed excited about the change in play after seeing one of the spring games but a little less excited after the first pre-season game. I was curious to see how the team would look. And regardless, I was just thrilled to get to my first game in a couple of years. The team played pretty well throughout. It wasn't great but it was not as bad as we had seen in the past. Unfortunately, the game went into overtime. In the second OT they just didn't play with energy or something. Cal got the winning goal and that is how it ended. It was not helping my losing streak for games on this trip.

Just loved this shirt.



IU starting line-up

Sunset during the game

Saturday was an early start for me. My mom's side of the family all live in Louisville, KY and they have a Saturday morning breakfast every week. I wanted to get down there early so that I could see everyone. I have learned over the years that they tend to come in waves. So if you miss the first wave you won't get to see that group. I managed to make the drive quickly and was there by 8:30 which meant I got to see my godfather. The rest of his family did not make it but I'm always happy to see Uncle Paul, especially so I can get one of his hugs. This time I also got some great life lessons. The big bonus of the morning was that my cousin Carolyn came with her two little ones. I have met Will but I had not yet met Catherine. Both kids are total dolls. It was also great to see my Great Aunt Carolyn and my Great Uncle Charles. After being at breakfast for about 3 hours I headed off with my godmother, Aunt Barbara. We made a stop at her house and then headed to see Carolyn's new house. The changes they made are gorgeous. Once Catherine was up from her nap we headed out to lunch. I don't usually get this kind of time with Carolyn or Aunt Barbara so I was happy. Before leaving town I headed back to see Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Charles. I never want to miss any opportunities to see them whenever I can.

Me, Carolyn & Catherine

Great Aunt Carolyn & Me

I was once again reminded why I do not enjoy the drive between Nashville, IN and Bloomington, IN when I got stuck behind people who refused to drive the speed limit. I haven't done those roads in years and I had less issue with all the turns. If you get car sick I would recommend avoiding this drive. It is not even close to being straight. I finally made it back to Bloomington and still had time before Daniel's soccer game. I made a couple of very important stops. The most important being to Jiffy Treat. Home of the best ice cream ever! I had to get my favorite chocolate cyclone with Heath in it. Yum!

Jiffy Treat

I had to call dad to make sure I still knew how to get to Karst Park where Daniel's game was being held. I had the right idea. Anne and Tom Varns were volunteering with the parking when I arrived since North is the host team for the tournament that was being held. I talked to each of them on my way in and then made sure I knew which field I was looking for. The game had just started when I got there. I didn't time it but I've been told that the high schools play 40 minute halves. If someone can explain the reasoning behind that I'd appreciate it. They should be able to play 45 minutes by the time they are at that level. I decided that the best view for photos was going to be on the team side of the field since it had shade. When I walked over there a group of students were about to walk by me and I heard someone say Andrew. I looked and it was Andrew Varns who I had yet to run into despite staying at his house. He was nice enough to stop and give me a hug and chat for a bit. I felt bad though and sent him back to join his friends after a few minutes. For most of the second half Anne and I stood together behind some of the opposing team parents. Since their team was beating North they were pretty nice about it. It is hard to believe that I have known Daniel since he was just a few months old and now he is a senior co-captain for the high school soccer team. As my dad pointed out, I'm getting old. Now Daniel is considering options for college so that he can continue playing soccer. I hope I have the opportunity to see him play at that level. I've seen him play every other level and have encouraged the love of soccer. Not that it was hard since the whole family seems to love the sport almost as much as I do.

Senior Co-Captain, Daniel Varns

I finally found Heidi so after the game I straightened up and then went to meet her and her husband Matt. I had been able to make their wedding a few years ago but could not stay for the reception so I had never actually met Matt. We met up at Upland which is a brew pub that I had never even heard of. It was great to meet Matt and have the chance to catch up with Heidi. I'm trying to talk her into visiting me out west. Especially now that our friend Courtney also lives here. Matt seems to be on my side but he loves it out here. Heidi hasn't made it yet so we'll have to teach her how to take time off work. We ended up hanging out for three hours since we had so much to catch up on. She had all the news on what I had missed in town. And I'd like to welcome her to the right side of Bloomington (the North side).

Heidi & Me

Sunday was my last full day in Indiana. And there was another IU soccer game on the schedule. But first I was meeting my favorite 6th grade teacher at the Village Deli. All I can say is if you visit Bloomington you want to go to breakfast at the Village Deli. They have the best blueberry pancakes. But you only need to get the single because it is bigger than the plate. Madonna and I met up and had a great breakfast catching up on all the news. She is probably the last teacher I had at St. Charles that is still there. After breakfast we took some time walking around the 4th Street Arts Festival before she had to go to a work event. I'm always glad when I can see her on my visits home.

So the Sunday IU game was against UCLA. The two teams I dislike the most in men's soccer are UVa and UCLA. I really wanted to see IU win, plus it would break my losing streak for games over the weekend. It was a gorgeous day for a game. I sat with dad in his usual spot and Anne came and sat with us. IU got on the board first but less than ten minutes later UCLA had tied it up. And that was the last time UCLA made it look like a game. IU scored 5 goals and Will Bruin had a hat trick. It was the most fabulous thing I had seen since the last time IU won the National Championship in 2004. Like I said, I don't like UCLA soccer so I'm always happy to see IU win. As an added bonus at halftime my first soccer coach came by to say hi. Coach Paynter was my coach when I started playing through the Boys' Club back in the day. I think I had him most of the years I played there until I switched to travel club. But then over the years after that I played with one or more of his kids. Thankfully Chris had seen that I was in town on FB and told his dad. So Coach Paynter came looking for us. There is something to be said for the fact that dad is always in the same place at games. People know where to find us.

IU 5, UCLA 1

After the game I spent a bit of time at dad's house saying goodbye. Then I headed off to St. Paul's for mass. Heidi and I pulled in at the same time and found a place to sit together. I have always loved St. Paul's. I don't always get to go when I make it back to Bloomington but I try. This time it worked out. After mass Heidi and I went up to see Madonna. And of course we had to get a picture with our 6th grade teacher.

Heidi, Madonna, Me

(If I had realized we stair stepped our height I would have switched the order.)

To finish off the evening I headed back to the Varns' for dinner with the family. It was the first time I would get to see all of them at once. It was a gorgeous evening so we sat outside on their deck. I'm happy I had that time with all of them, especially the boys. I am looking forward to seeing where Daniel ends up for college, and what adventure Andrew goes on next. (This summer he did a 3 week bike trip.) I asked Andrew if I'd be cheering for him in the Tour de France someday if he is able to do 3 week bike trips. Then we got to talking about the tour and Tom suggested they all go to France to see it. I hope they do. I also hope I can meet up with them if that happens. Before Andrew disappeared to his friend's house we had to get some photos. Every trip home I have always gotten a picture with the two of them. This is the first trip where both boys are taller than me. (Not that its hard.) Since I have been sending them autographed soccer items for the last few years we decided to take the photo in their basement with some of the items. The ball Daniel is holding is the last soccer item I'm sending them. I just don't think I can out do that one unless I meet David Beckham. So I'm switching sports. Hope they like skiing and snowboarding.

Me, Daniel & Andrew

It was a great trip. I got to see almost everyone I hoped to see and did everything I hoped to do. I made it safely through the trip without crashing any rental cars and had a much better flight home than expected. The only mishap was forgetting that I had Macky's homemade jelly in my carry on. TSA told me I couldn't take it on the plane. Fortunately Ronnie was in downtown Indy so he came and rescued me. It worked out since I still had the hat I had forgotten to give him at the football game. So he rescued my jelly, got his hat and I got to give him a hug before I left. Not a bad way to end the trip. It looks like weekend adventures until at least February. Then its off to Oslo, Norway!

Midwest Photos

Me & Macky (My other grandmother)

Nan & Me (My other mom)

Chicago Skyline

Sue & her little Flowergirl

Me & Katie B at Notre Dame

Zib & Me

Melanie, Me & Ronnie at the TU v IU game

More than corn in Indiana.

Since my last post I have been in Michigan, Northern Indiana and now Southern Indiana. I spent two days in Grand Haven Michigan with Macky. It was fabulous. We had a great time just catching up, going shopping at Sam's Club (I love that they have a wine aisle in theirs) and I got my first Steak 'N Shake on this trip. Nan came over and joined us for dinner but since school had started she was limited on time. It was great to see her whenever she could join us though. Both nights with Macky we went on a walk. The second night we found access to the lake, but we couldn't take the dog down with us. I left Macky at the top and ran down to take some photos. It was a beautiful night.

Lake Michigan

After I left Michigan I dropped my first rental car back in Chicago. Since I had some time until the train to South Bend I went to sit by Lake Michigan and the Aquarium. It was hot but beautiful. I found a shaded bench that I shared with a grandmother and her adorable little granddaughter. Eventually I found myself in South Bend where I got to spend time with Katie B and even got a chance to have dinner with her Aunt Sue. I was in Sue's wedding when I was three so she always refers to me as her "little flower girl". It was fun to catch up with her. I enjoyed spending the evening seeing Katie's new house and just hanging out with her.

The next morning I went to work with her on the Notre Dame campus. Katie had a meeting so I spent some time on her computer trying to buy tickets to Nordic World Championships in Oslo. Then I wandered across campus to the bookstore. I don't think I've spent that much time on the campus before. Usually I just spent time at their soccer field or basketball arena. It is a pretty campus. I eventually found the bookstore and went in to pick up all the items on the list mom had given me. Trinity will have her first Notre Dame shirt soon. When Katie was done with her meeting we went to brunch and then hung out until I needed to pick up my rental car and head for the next stop on my trip. I'm so glad I had the time to spend with my "little sis". Hopefully I can get her out to see me in the west soon.

The next stop on the schedule was Elkhart, IN. My friend Zib and her whole family live there. Since she was at work I started at her parent's house. Eventually the whole family was there and we had a great dinner together. Zib's nephew Caleb is a doll. He is about to turn three and start preschool. So he stayed at the house with all of us while his parents went to parent's night at his school. He was a bit bored with us grown ups since we started comparing some of our favorite authors. Caleb did teach me a new word, instead of ridiculous he says redodo. I think I like that one much better. After a nice evening at the Fackelman's I followed Zib to the house she bought. It is adorable. And I'm completely jealous of the built in bookcases. I hope I can have some of those one day. It wouldn't be a trip to Zib's if I didn't end up borrowing some books. The Elkhart stop was not a long one, only one night. In the morning we went to grab some breakfast before she had to be at work and I had to head to Bloomington. Next time I'll have to figure out how to have more time in Northern Indiana.

Just to make things fun I had to stop in Indy and switch rental cars. That way I could get a round trip rental and drop off the one way. The most fun I've had with a rental was when I ended up with a pale yellow PT Cruise in Baltimore a few years ago. But the rental from South Bend to Indy was a Nissan Cube. Goofy looking car but pretty nice on the inside.

And now I am in Bloomington. The whole trip to the Midwest has been planned around the Towson v. Indiana football game. Unfortunately for me, everything else was tonight too. I'm staying with the Varns who are our neighbors from when we lived in Bloomington. They have two sons in high school who play soccer. The big rival match was tonight, and the varsity game started at the same time as the football game. I did luck out, I was able to go to the first half of the JV game so I did get to see Andrew play some. I should be able to see Daniel play a game later this weekend. And I'd like to point out, North swept South in soccer this week. The girls won and both of the men's team won. Congrats to North! Before I left the soccer game I was able to talk to my first high school coach. Sadly, he was the men's coach so I only got to play for him one year before they started a girls team and made me go play for that one. (Still annoyed by that.) He had some updates on some of my former teammates so it was fun to hear how everyone was doing.

From there I headed over to the football game fully decked out in my new Towson t-shirt and my TU hat. I grew up in Bloomington, but I left town to attend college at Towson. I don't think anyone out East is real sure how I found them. And no one in Indiana who isn't friends with me seems to know where the school is located. I had at least a half dozen people ask me where Towson was. I had gotten two tickets with some help from a very nice person I met at the Vancouver Olympics who works for IU. My friend Ronnie agreed to go to the game with me but he was running a little late coming down from Indy. So I picked up our tickets and went in search of some friends who were tailgating. I lost Heidi but I was able to find Melanie. And I can't thank Melanie enough because they were nice enough to feed me! When her group headed in to the game I walked around to our gate so I could meet Ronnie. On my way these two guys told me that this was not the stadium and it was two miles "that way." I told them that might have worked if I hadn't grown up 2 miles that way. They were disappointed not to have sent me in the wrong direction. While I was waiting for Ronnie I ran into Heidi's older sister Gretchen. (Still haven't found Heidi, but I am hopeful we will meet up this weekend.) Ronnie eventually made it just as the game kicked off. We headed for our seats only to discover that they were in the 5th row on the 50 yard line. Not bad! I know I got on the big screen once, but not sure if that made TV or not. The first quarter was painful. But the second quarter gave me hope that maybe Towson could make it a close game. Sadly, it was not meant to be. At halftime Ronnie and I wandered over to the other side of the stadium to see dad. We ended up watching the second half with him. The hardest part for me was not standing up during the IU fight song. I might not have gone to IU but I grew up on that song and I'm a huge IU soccer fan so I usually do stand up when they play it. I also caught myself a couple times almost cheering for IU. But the first time Towson scored a touchdown I jumped up and yelled. Did I mention that those tickets that I had gotten were from the foundation and appeared to be in the middle of the Indiana alumni? I was the only one celebrating for Towson. Pretty comical. Despite the losing score for Towson I had a fun time.

Tomorrow night I can go cheer for IU at their soccer game. First IU game I've attended since 2007. Can't wait to see how they look under the new coach with an old name.

Chicago & Da Bears

I started my Midwest adventure in the Chicago area with my "twin sister" Carmen and her family. I haven't seen her little girl Eren since she was barely even a toddler. Now she is three. But she can still pick her "Aunt Nan" out in photos. It was time to get out there so we could see each other in person. Since I got in so late on Friday night they told her I would be there in the morning so she would sleep. I got to spend some time catching up with Carmen and Erik.

Saturday was a great day. The Bergmans live on a lake and have a gorgeous deck that looks over the yard and lake. We sat outside for breakfast and enjoyed the day. The local Heron came and hung out on their dock for a bit, which was cool to see. Eren showed me her princess tent and some of her other toys. She has her own jump house. I missed out as a kid. Then she went off to play in her room while I hung out with Carmen. Later after lunch we turned on the grill and roasted marshmallows so I could teach her a new way to make s'mores. Instead of graham crackers and chocolate bars you use Girl Scout Thin Mints. My mom came up with this idea and it is fabulous. Eren seemed to enjoy her new version of s'mores.

Eren & Me with our Thin Mint s'mores.

Later that afternoon we took the train into Chicago to see the Bear's game. Eren was so excited to be on the train and going to the game. At 3 years old this was her first game and she is a big fan. She knows the player names better than I do. The whole way in to town she was so excited. Since we got in early we stopped on Michigan Ave. for dinner and then walked over to the Bean to take pictures. Then it was time to head for the stadium. I have only ever been to Soldier Field for soccer games. This was my first Bear's game too.

The girls on the train to Chicago.

I grew up as a Bear's fan but have not been following them as closely in recent years. I am much more of a Colt's fan now. The Bears were playing the Cardinals. So it was a fun game to just enjoy and not worry too much about the outcome. Which is good since the Bears were not winning. In fact they didn't even score until we had to leave in the 3rd Qtr to get one of the early trains back home. It was still a fun night. We had some great seats with a perfect view. And we got to see the starters play a big portion of the game. I also enjoyed watching the Bears sack Leinart a few times. What can I say, I'm easily entertained.

Me, Eren, Carmen at the Bears game.

The train ride home was entertaining. Eren was completely hyper and bouncing. The rest of us were ready for bed. To keep her entertained Carmen pulled out a book of Dora the Explorer stickers. At first Eren put one on each of us and then tons on herself. Then it became more fun to stick them on me instead. So I had tons of stickers running up and down one arm. We didn't reach our stop until midnight and she was still going strong at that point. It was a long but fun day.

Sunday I enjoyed some time on their back porch by the lake before heading to Michigan. I made it to Grand Haven shortly after lunch time to see some close family friends. I love the fact that I have the opportunity to see Macky and Nan and Katie B. Macky is like a grandmother to me and my siblings and Nan has always been my other mom ever since I was a toddler. Macky tells everyone the story about meeting me. The first time she met me I was just a toddler and she was visiting Nan who lived next door to us. I walked right up to Macky and put out my arms to be picked up. We've been family ever since. When I was little I used to wait for Nan to come home from work. I actually remember sitting on the little hill in our front yard watching for her car. My mom would pack my lunch box and I'd go have dinner at Nan's house. Later after Nan had Katie our families would get together for weekends in Chicago. Katie would get upset that I was sitting on her mom's lap. One time my mom turned me around and pointed to my backside and said see that footprint? That's where I kicked Nancye out the door to your mom's house each evening. So your mom is like her mom. And ever since then I like to think that Katie B and I have been more like sisters, even if I do not see her as much. And she is certainly my mom's favorite now that she is attending graduate school at Notre Dame. Mom never could get any of us Rahn kids to go there despite her best wishes. After my time in Michigan I'll be heading down to South Bend to see Katie. (And pick up Notre Dame items for my niece. I think mom has already started a college fund for Trinity it case she wants to go to Notre Dame.)

Tour of Utah 2010

The Tour of Utah was back in town this week. I was looking forward to this week because BMC Racing was bringing a team that included George Hincapie. Since George is my favorite cyclist it was exciting to know he would be racing locally. Unfortunately, Thursday's stage was a mess and George crashed out. The last reports I saw sounded like he would be ok, but he had to abandon the race. So going into Friday's time trial and Saturday's criterium in Park City I still had Billy Demong (2010 Nordic Combined gold and silver medalist) and Levi Leipheimer to cheer for.

My friend Courtney agreed to go out to the time trial with me and my friend Jessica joined us there later. It was a beautiful night, although too hot down in the Salt Lake area. (I'm definitely spoiled up in Park City.) Billy was one of the early riders to go out but we were there in time to see him leave the start gate. Sadly I missed Taylor Phinney so I didn't realize that it was him going by us leading into the finish until he had crossed the finish line. He had been another early departure. Taylor ended up leading the whole time and won the time trial stage. Not too shabby for someone who is only 20 years old. One of the announcers was saying that the Trek LiveStrong team was formed for Phinney. So he is obviously one to watch in the future. For a long time Taylor was ahead by a minute, then other riders started getting closer to his time. Levi Leipheimer finally finished in 2nd place 2 seconds behind Taylor's time.

Saturday the criterium was in Park City along Main Street. The course was crazy. They went up Main Street, down Swede Alley, crossed at Heber Avenue before going down lower Main Street and then circled back up using Park Avenue to Heber and then headed back up Main Street. The course would have make me puke to do it once. To do it as many times as they did would have killed me. It seemed to take a lot out of many riders and the numbers had shrunk by the finish. I swear one guy went by us and looked like he could start crying. I certainly wouldn't have blamed him. Jeff Louder ended up winning the stage by quite a bit of time. It was amazing to see him out in front alone for so many laps. Levi kept the yellow jersey.

Billy Demong

Levi Leipheimer

The jersey winners with the Heidens (left side) and Connie Carpenter-Phinney (right)

The last stage left from Park City and went 100 miles before ending at Snowbird Ski Resort. It would be a killer. I decided since I was in town after church this morning that I would just drive out by the Jordanelle Reservoir to see them on one of the early hills. I heard another woman say that it would take her an hour to leave the start and get to where we were standing at a view area. It took the cyclists in this race barely 30 minutes. They had already split into two groups by the time they passed us.

An early climb on the 100 mi last stage

I am looking forward to next year's race. The Tour of Utah is a great race to watch if you have any interest. All the stages are close enough together that you could see them all. Just saying... let me know if you are coming to visit.