FROZEN LAKE!

Hyrum Dam is frozen over! I woke up the morning I got back to find that there were a TON of people ice fishing! I mentioned to my roommate how I had never been on a frozen lake before, so we hiked down to the lake with or cameras (through the mud) and took pictures. Because there was a layer of water on top (it was warm that day) there was a reflection of the sky and the mountains on the lake...SO GORGEOUS. Check out the pics!

Finishing the Month Long Adventure!!!

WOW...what a journey I've had the last month! The last time I blogged, I was in Orlando and had just finished a trip out to the Kennedy Space Center. I finished off that week recruiting at the Disney Soccer Showcase at Disneyworld, then drove down to Ft. Lauderdale for a week long coaching course. I met other coaches from all over the country, mostly back east and the midwest. The coaching course was a blast. I learned so much, gained confidence in the things I already know, and met people who have confidence in my ability. My group was awesome....we named ourselves "Peter's Pandas" after our instructor, Peter Broadley, who was so helpful, so honest....he helped all of us become better coaches, but he also let us know the things we did well and the things we needed to work on. Our group worked hard for each other and we enjoyed each other's company! It was great! I made other friends from other groups as well and excited to continue those friendships. Tony Dicicco was there...he coached the women's National team and I grew up going to his goalkeeper camps! That was pretty cool to be able to meet him...but I was SO nervous around him!
From Ft. Lauderdale, I flew to DC where I stayed with my friend, Beth Bauer, who I played club soccer with back in 1993-1995. It was so good to see her! She also had a little foster dog who I would've taken home with me in a heartbeat if I had a place for him! I got to walk around DC a little and I went to the International Spy Museum....I took on the identity of Greta Schmidt from Germany...but I forgot my mission and who I was supposed to meet with and why, so I was captured by customs officers at the end of my tour through the museum! It was a lot of fun.




From Ft. Lauderdale, it was a small trek to Baltimore via Annapolis, Maryland where I walked around downtown and the U.S. Naval Academy! It was a cute place with beautiful scenery of the Chesapeake Bay!






I arrived in Baltimore Wednesday evening and immediately immersed myself into the annual NSCAA Convention. The best part of the week was being able to spend time with my good friend and colleague, Josh Walters. Josh left Utah State to join the staff and Florida State last summer. Even though I am really excited for this move, it has been hard not working with him anymore. He is one of those people who has always believed in me and mentored me...and he is a good friend. The sessions at the convention were awesome. I got something out of each one. I also met a lot of people, experienced the world of networking at a professional level and in a purely "social" environment. I saw quite a few people from my course in Ft. Lauderdale, so it was fun to see them again and strengthen those friendships. I also had the opportunity to meet Briana Scurry, former national team goalkeeper. I watched her and the U.S. Women's National team win the World Cup in 1999 at the Rose Bowl!









I am really grateful for the last month. Many prayers answered, I grew in confidence, and I got to meet good people and spend time with good friends. I would've never been able to come on this trip without the help and support of my boss. I'm grateful to work for someone who believes in constant growth as a professional and that she always helps us find the resources so I am able to take part in activities and events to help me get better at what I do. It is time to keep moving forward taking with me everything I've learned on this trip. :) So here's to the next adventure!!!!

Orlando..

So I've been in Orlando for almost a week now recruiting at two tournaments. I spent 12 hours on a soccer field today, and will ring in the New Year sleeping....I really hope I am sleeping by then! I had Wednesday night and Thursday off, so I went to the Orlando Temple on Wednesday, then went to Kennedy Space Center yesterday. It was pretty cool...

2010--Year in Review

Here are my top Memories of 2010...in no particular order!

*Family Vacation to Hawaii
*St. George with the Ericksons over the President's Day
*Learning how to Snowshoe
*RSL vs. Cruz Azul game
*US Women’s National Team Game at Rio Tinto in the snow
*Bald Eagle Sighting while sittting in bed sick with the stomach flu
*Moving to Hyrum
*USU Winning the WAC
*Dogsitting Motley with Sara
*Almost rear ending a car in a golfcart on a campus tour with a recruit and her mom!
*Visiting Kennedy Space Center
*Disneyland and Seaworld with my boss
*USU Ropes Course
*My first USU basketball game in the Spectrum vs BYU!

Happy 2011!!!!

Christmas Jars

I haven't read a "Christmas" story for a long time, but I read this one a few years ago, and it has stuck with me. It is short, it's an easy read, and it has a powerful message. When I was googling this book to find out who it is by, etc, I found an entire website dedicated to this book with stories about real life Christmas jars prepared and given away to others. If you receive a Christmas jar, you are to empty the jar and prepare it to be given to someone in need the next year...or you can start your own jar and start your own chain. I wish I had remembered this idea for 2010, maybe I will start preparing a jar for 2011. :)

Dogsitting and Surprise Christmas Tree!!!

I have been dogsitting this weekend...I was only home for one day then I came up to Heather's to watch Motley. Sara, our Athletic Trainer, is also watching her with me. Heather stocked up her fridge and cupboards with our favorite foods, and Heather also made us a chicken enchilada casserole as well as some chili...so Sara and I have been eating away while playing with Motley. We also decided that we were going to surprise Heather. Heather collects Christmas ornaments, but she doesn't have a tree!!! So Sara and I went and found a little fake tree for sale and we got a few ornaments for it to get Heather started, and we set out her two newest ornaments that she got from California last weekend to let her know that she can now finish decorating the tree with all her ornaments! Heather is in North Carolina and has NO IDEA!!! Motley was so scared...she had no idea what was going on. She is scared of the tree, she barked at the ornaments, and to get her to sit in front of it to take her picture....I think she thought something was going to jump out of the tree and bite her! It was a lot of fun and Sara and I had fun decorating a tree!!!!

This past week, I took the week off and spent it with my mom down in Oceanside. I was able to spend Thanksgiving with Scott and Tyler and their families, which was so fun to see my nieces and nephews!!!! They are growing up so fast! I also went to Disneyland twice...the first time was with my friend, Heather Wilson, who is my "Disneyland Regular." Mom and I enjoyed the sunsets, and we took Kaleb and my boss (who was staying with us) to Seaworld on Sunday, then on Monday, I took my boss to Disneyland for her first visit! I feel very blessed to be a part of my family and to have a boss who I can also call my friend. It was a great week...I didn't want it to end. Now I'm back in Utah where it's under 20 degrees (actually, I think this might be the first day in a very long time that its been over 10 degrees!)...part of me feels good to be back, another part of me wants another week of vacation! BUt it was a great week, and I'm grateful I was able to spend it with friends and family.