Football Season Begins!

Hooray! One thing that I love about fall is football, especially Boise State football! I think it is so cool how the entire community rallies together to support our Broncos (tonight's game had over 32,000 people in attendance!). I wanted to get season tickets this year, but only the really expensive tickets were available when my name came up on the waiting list, and I couldn't justify the cost. Oh well, maybe next year. So I was bummed thinking I might not make it to a game this season when I got a text earlier this week about tonight's game. A girl in another ward has cancer, and as a fundraiser, that ward put together a service project. The first 150 people to show up to the Boise State game tonight got a free ticket to see the game in exchange for helping to clean the stadium after the game. Of course I was in! The game was great. Not only did we crush ISU, but it was fun to see our new team in action. Cleaning the stadium afterwards took FOREVER! It would have gone a lot faster if there really were 150 people to show up (I think we had closer to 50) and if everyone who did show up stayed the entire time to finish cleaning. Jessica, Jenny, and I stuck it out till the end, and didn't get home till 1:00am, but it was worth it. We had a blast! Go Orange, Go Big Blue, Fight, Fight, BSU!

Peroneal Tendonitis

So remember this post? Where I was so excited that I ran three miles? Yeah, well, I haven't run since. That evening, the bottom outside of my left foot really started hurting. It doesn't hurt when I sit or stand, but each step I take is painful. Needless to say, since it hurt so bad to walk, I didn't want to try running at all. I tried to keep off my foot as much as possible and took ibuprofen to help with the pain, but nothing seemed to help. Well, I started getting nervous that all my hard work training would go down the drain if I didn't start running again soon, so I called the podiatrist. Turns out I have peroneal tendonitis. There isn't much cushion on the bottom of your foot just below this tendon, and I think that running with really old shoes at the gym was the cause. Ugh! I knew that I needed new shoes, but good shoes are just so expensive! Oh well. Anyway, I get to wear this funky little gauze patch on my foot that is a kind of topical anti-inflammatory. I also got inserts for my shoes that should help cushion the tendon a little better. The good news is that the doctor told me I could start running again... hope the pain goes away soon so that it doesn't hurt so bad to run!

Paying to Park... at Work!

I love almost everything about my job. I love the people I work with, the work I do, and the 5 weeks of vacation I get each year. I love that there's a Rec Center on campus so that I can work out on my lunch break, and I love how the beautiful Boise River runs along the entire north side of campus. At this time of year, I love how alive campus is, with all the students returning to school, and I absolutely LOVE Boise State football. One thing I don't love about my job is that I have to pay to park at my work. Yep, that's right, I can't park in any of the lots at Boise State without a paid parking permit (or paying by the hour, which is fiscally irresponsible when you work all day, every day, all year long). I have my parking permit fees deducted over the course of the year from my paycheck so I don't feel it as much, but it still totals $296 for the year. The thing that really stinks is that as a staff member I actually have to pay MORE than the students pay to park in the same lots! So I was just curious, does anyone else have to pay to park where they work, or is it just me?

Fresh Corn on the Cob... in the Microwave!!!

I learned the coolest thing today - you can cook fresh corn on the cob in the microwave! Here's the recipe I tried, and it was fabulous. I'm excited for a faster, easier way to cook corn :-)

Place corn (still in husk) on paper towel in the microwave. Cook time varies on the amount of corn cooked. Turn ears over and rearrange after 1/2 cooking time.

Cooking Timetable:

1 ear - 1 1/2 minutes
2 ears - 3 to 4 minutes
3 ears - 5 to 6 minutes
4 ears - 7 to 8 minutes
6 ears - 8 to 9 minutes

When ears are hot to the touch, remove and wrap in kitchen towel or foil. Let stand at least 5 minutes. Remove husks and silk (which is easier than when cold) and serve.

I Ran 3 Miles!

Okay, I know that 3 miles doesn't sound like much to some people, but I was pretty stoked as I reached that milestone for the first time today. I was pretty tired that last mile, but I pushed through. The worst part is that I ran it on the track at the Boise State Rec Center where 11 laps = 1 mile... so that meant 33 laps!!! I'm right on track to run my 5k next month!

Roping & Riding

Since we all loved the Snake River Stampede so much this year, we decided to head out to the Caldwell Night Rodeo on Friday night. The Caldwell Night Rodeo really is an awesome rodeo, with ranked bull riders, ropers, bronc riders, and steer wrestlers from around the country. I bought a new "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" shirt for the occasion! We sat on the rowdies side (as opposed to the "civvies" side), which unfortunately meant we faced the sun until it finally set, but it was tons of fun cheering for the cowboys. There was one rider who fell off the bull, and the bull appeared to be trampling him, and then rolled right over the top of him. I was totally screaming because I was so scared for the rider, but miraculously he was okay and walked out of the stadium. I think that some of the rodeo events are crazy, and am not sure why someone would actually want to get on a bucking bull, but it sure is entertaining to watch!

Pondless Waterfall

I have always loved water features in people's yards. Not only are they beautiful, but I could sit outside for hours listening to the sound of the water hitting the rocks. Last year I pulled out some ugly shrubs in the corner of my back yard. Well, I finally got tired of staring at the pile of weed-infested dirt, so a couple months ago I broke down and started shopping for the perfect water feature. I think ponds are so pretty, but have heard that they can be a lot of work. I came across the concept of a pondless waterfall and I knew that's what I wanted. Instead of pooling at the bottom of the falls, the water simply drops into a pile of small rocks, letting me enjoy the sound and beauty of the water feature without the maintenance of the pond. My cousin's husband created the waterfall for me and gave me a good deal. I think it turned out awesome!

Alaskan Cruise

I just spent the most wonderful week in Alaska on my first-ever cruise. My little sister and brother graduated from high school in June, and my parents decided to go on this cruise as their graduation present. Of course I jumped at the chance to go (even though it meant missing my 10 year high school reunion - boo hoo), and I couldn't have had a better week. I decided to break my trip up and post about each port separately. I'll just start by talking about the weather. I had heard that it rains all summer long in Alaska. I watched the 10-day weather forecast for weeks, and all it showed was low to mid-50's and rain every day in each of the Alaskan ports of call. I bought a travel umbrella, a new rain jacket, packed a winter coat, hat, and gloves, etc. I was ready! We ended up being SO lucky. The weather was absolutely fabulous practically the entire trip. At each port the locals would tell us how lucky we were and that it was rare to have a day without rain. The sunshine and warmer weather made the trip even that much more enjoyable! Anyway, here goes!

Juneau, Alaska

I could hardly keep the smile from my face for weeks before the cruise whenever I thought about my Juneau excursion. I was so stoked for this day! It started out with a narrated bus ride through Juneau to the small airport. From there, I got to ride in a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier. The helicopter ride was amazing, and the scenery from the air was stunning. It was only a short ride, but I think I would have been happy riding in that helicopter for hours. I definitely need to do that again! The helicopter landed on the glacier, where I got to ride (and take turns driving!) a dog sled! How cool is that!!?! The dogs were beautiful, and it was just incredible to try my hand at mushing on the glacier. Some of the dogs had even raced in the Iditarod. Here's a picture of me on the dog sled with the musher Shawn and 2 other cruisers from Mississippi.

Skagway, Alaska

In Skagway, Beki and I went on the horseback riding and canoing excursion. I was most worried about the weather for this excursion - I REALLY didn't want to be out in the rain for 3 hours. It was forecasted to be rainy and in the 50's, but the sun was out in full force, and I think it reached 70. Wahoo! We saw magnificent scenery along the horse trail. Riding was fun, even though I didn't have to do much to guide my horse (he pretty much just followed the horse in front of me). The lake we canoed in was SO beautiful. It was a glacial lake and was greenish in color. The water was super clear. I thought it was going to be really cold, but I think the Boise River is colder! Beki and I pretty much rocked at canoeing. We did great and didn't even tip :-)

Ketchikan, Alaska

Snorkeling was the activity of the day in Ketchikan, Alaska. I went on this excursion with my dad, Beki, BJ, Mandi, and her husband TJ. We all had a blast! We wore full wet suits so we stayed nice and toasty in the water (even though at first the wet suits totally choked us). I saw a lot more in the water than I thought I would. The water was pretty clear, and I saw tons of star fish, kelp, jelly fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and more.

Victoria, British Columbia

Our last night of the cruise was spent at Victoria, British Columbia. I decided to take a break from the excursions and just walk around and enjoy Victoria. I love the lamp posts with hanging flower baskets that line the streets. It was a beautiful evening, and I loved just hanging out with my little brother.

Seattle, Washington

We landed in Seattle Sunday morning, and it was so sad to leave the cruise ship one last time. Since our plane didn't leave until late that evening, we took advantage of our time in Seattle. What is a trip to Seattle without visiting Pike's Place Market? Pike's Place is an absolute must go if you ever visit Seattle. It is a huge farmer's market with fabulous seafood, produce, flowers, handmade crafts, etc. I have been probably a dozen or so times, and each time, I admire the beautiful flower arrangements that are dirt cheap. I broke down this trip and bought a huge bouquet... It was quite the adventure going through airport security with the flowers. I had to try three times to drain out all the water before I could go through security! People thought I was crazy to want to carry the bouquet all the way home, but it was only $10 and I couldn't pass it up. Plus, "all the way home" was only a one hour plane ride.

And of course, what's Pike's Place without the fish tossing?! Whenever anyone purchases fresh fish from this stand, one worker tosses a fish into the box that another worker is holding behind the counter. It is fun to watch and always draws a big crowd.

Just Cruisin'

So basically, the cruise was awesome. In fact, I am already planning my next one! Here are some more highlights from the cruise ship:

The library was one of my favorite rooms. I read the entire book Breaking Dawn, as well as most of another book that I borrowed from the on-ship library. The library was the quietest place that I found on the cruise ship. I loved that there was an entire wall of windows so that I could enjoy the ocean view as I read.
There are hand sanitizers EVERYWHERE on the ship. You can't walk into a restaurant or on board the ship after visiting a port without someone spraying sanitizer on your hands.
I didn't forget that I was training for my 5k, so I made sure to visit the gym. In addition to running 3 nights of the cruise, I attended 3 early morning fitness classes - stretching (twice) and aerobics.
I got my first ever facial on the cruise ship. It was amazing. I totally and completely loved it, so of course I had to purchase some of the products that she used on my face. Beautiful skin, here I come!
On-board bowling was quite the experience! I'm not that great of a bowler on land, let alone on a rocking ship. I didn't break 100 my first game, but was pretty proud of my 124 on my second game!
Of course I have a lot more pictures than what I've posted here. More can be found on my PicasaWeb Album!