Fans Running Amok!

Skippy actually had this great idea! She got all dirty loading up our bikes for GAME DAY on ESPN and she drove us down to the greenbelt where we rode from the river take out point to the stadium to watch Erin Andrews on ESPN and to cheer with 20,000 of the Bronco Nation fans! (Did I mention that this all occurred at 5:30 A.M.? And it was 11 hours before kickoff and I was wearing a skirt? And it was cold? And dark?) It was AWESOME!!!

At 8:00 a.m., just as the sun was coming up over the Eastern bleachers of the stadium, Skippy and I took off on our bikes and rode down to the Capitol where we lined up with about 20,000 women for the Celebration Fitness Walk, Run and Stroll. I felt like I was running the Capitol Classic again! It was lots of fun and we saw Spjute on our way down Americana! I liked Tuxedo Row- men giving out high fives in tuxedos and the highlight was seeing Don Day! HA!

Hi.....#2.....I liked your somersault into the end zone in Wyoming...even if it did get you a personal foul and benched...hi... I'll be wearing your jersey in San Jo... see you there!

"How do you get your fans to do that?" other teams always wonder how Boise can be so organized and wear the right color for the section they're in. I love it!!!

We had so much fun at the game! My boy, Pettis, #2 had one touchdown (sans the somersault) and a 6 yard TD pass (Which was crazy!) We beat the Beavers 37-24 and it was such an exciting game! We had lots of opportunities to yell "First Down!" and to see Cecil the dog run out onto the field and retrieve the tee.

So thanks Squirrel for the ticket! I think I represented the Bronco Nation well! It was a whirlwind day for me and Skippy but we had so much fun! I want to do it again!

Ready to Bust Some Moves

C Train! It's almost your birthday again.....I think we need to make another "entrance of a lifetime" and go bust some moves! I'm down to go somewhere.... I'll ask my Austin escort if he's down to party like a rockstar. So think about it.....

P.S. I'll be home Friday night- I would like Patron to be in my near future!

Dew Tour and the Best Athlete of Our Time

Every year Dew Tour comes to Salt Lake, and it conveniently takes place right next door to my bar! Every year is a wild and crazy time with pro BMX and skateboarders. They are a really fun crowd, a much needed change from all the Multi Level Marketing conventions!

This year I was able to meet the GM of the Dew Tour who hooked me up with V.I.P. passes to the Tour. I was also able to chat with some of the pros who stay with us. So today, I went to the skateboarding Vert Finals!!! Oh my gosh, it was soooo fun! I have been a HUGE fan of Shaun White and I actually got to see him skate in person today! He is the only person to have won the Summer Dew Cup and the Winter Dew Cup. (Not to mention two Olympic gold medals!)

He went so much higher, spun more and did bigger and better tricks. As much as I wanted to see my new little buddies do well, it was so amazing to see Shaun throw down some really awesome runs.

I know there are a lot of Shaun haters out there, and I don't know why. He is an incredible athlete, a good businessman and cool to the other guys in the comps. Plus, he has a white Lambo. Today was so awesome, I loved seeing him!

American Ignorance

I have been so angry at the lack of intelligence and overwhelming ignorance of the "Three American Hikers" that were arrested for "illegal entry into Iran" over a year ago.

The lone female, Sarah Shourd, is up for release as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to celebrate the end of Ramadan. What was going to be a release of prisoner on the part of Iran has now turned into a $500,000 bail quest. The U.S. State Department is refusing to fund the bail amount claiming that they don't fund the release of American foreign prisoners.

Having lived abroad and traveled to many countries in the world, it blows my mind that these three Americans were so negligent with their own safety. This story, along with Lisa Ling's sisters story, has generated an even deeper resentment for etho and egocentric Americans. I have never in my whole life read a statement so incredibly ignorant than the following;

"There is no Lonely Planet Iraqi Kurdistan, and Ahmed Awa was not on the map we'd printed out. "

This was written by the fourth traveler who was smart enough to not go on the hike that day. Of course, I had to bust out Google Earth to really see how far away they were from the border. The border was only a 3 hour hike away. I can do that easily with my 9 pound Yorkie. Meaning- THE BORDER IS CLOSE AND YOU MIGHT CROSS IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MAP!!!!

I have absolutely NOOOOOO sympathy for these three prisoners. I risk my own Karma by saying this, but, the U.S. should let them sit in that prison. Why should we tie up diplomatic energy trying to release these idiots? If it were me, I would accept my fate, realize that I had made a fatal error and live with my sentence. (I would be Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace)

Time and time again I see Americans loping around the planet like they own the place. They assume that our laws apply to them wherever they go. They assume the U.S. government will come to their rescue. When I am abroad, I respect the laws, I respect the culture and I respect the fact that I am subject to whatever foreign governments want to do to me, whether corrupt or not. ($50 cash to travel through Slovakia on a train where I already had a ticket) and then in the same day; ($50 cash to travel through Slovenia on a train where I already had a ticket).

Since I found out that only 19% of Americans have passports I have been appalled- really, that few? Now I think- GOOD! The majority of Americans are too ignorant to travel abroad anyway.

العربية Arabic!

Today, completely out of the blue, I met a guy from Kuwait and a guy from Saudi Arabia. They came into the bar (?!) and were drinking vodka red bulls and eating chocolate cake. I finally had to ask them where they were from....The Middle East! Ahlan wa Sahlan!!!! They were shocked!

مسعئا (Mishayeel) was from Kuwait, which was so exciting because I have a presentation due next week on the effects of oil on democracy in Kuwait! I got out my little notepad and interviewed him about how much each citizen of Kuwait receives from the government, since it is a rentier state and how he feels about his government, Islam, the U.S., Qaddafi (ruler of Libya) the economic effects within Qatar from oil and corruption.

The most interesting part of the night was at the very beginning when I started to speak to them in Arabic. He told me that I would never be able to learn Arabic because it would be too hard for me. Well, as the night progressed, I was able to speak more and more to them in Arabic and he finally acknowledged the fact that I was able to speak it. He told me that I am the only Western woman who he has ever known to speak Arabic. :)

To me, it really seemed like he was trying to convince me to not learn it....like he didn't want Westerners learning Arabic, as if the threat of U.S. imperialism was impending. As the night went on, he helped me out with a lot of new words and phrases. So fun!

عمر (Omar) was from Saudi Arabia. He came to the states 3 weeks ago, so his English was minimal. He was listening to Arabic music on his ipod, which he let me listen to. ( on a side note, I am LOVING the new rap music Allen has sent me...some of it has a Middle Eastern vibe to it that is just so sexy with rap lyrics!) He was really interesting because I think he was quite fascinated with my flowing blonde hair, tight jeans and desire to learn Arabic and go to the Middle East. If I lived in Saudi, I would have to wear the حجب (hijab). So, I took a picture to see what I would look like....

They were asking me about going to Kuwait and going to Saudi. I laughed and told them that I wouldn't be able to visit Saudi because I wouldn't have a MAN to escort me. I told them that I was a good driver and that maybe I would be granted an exception...they laughed and said I'd be walking! (Women aren't allowed to drive in Saudi and cannot go out in public unless they are escorted by a man- only a husband or relative)

At the end of the night, I asked them, in al arabiya, if I could have their phone numbers. Mishayeel volunteered to help me with my presentation, so I got his number in case I have any questions. I told Omar that he and I should get together for al Arabiya/ al Englese speaking sessions!

Meeting them sparked my fire for learning Arabic even more. They were actually able to understand me, and I could understand them. Validation for all my long hours of studying and talking to the cats who don't respond in Arabic phrases, just meows!

Prediction Correct! BSU WINS 33-30!

The story goes like this....I'm laying in bed at noon, the day of the BIG GAME; Boise State v. Virginia Tech. I text Skippy; "Is the game at 6 or 6:30?" She texts back that it's at 6, she is decorating the house for the party she's throwing, making treats...the whole nine yards and then says that the game would be perfect if I would be there. Since Skippy does NOT have a life list, and prefers to live day to day and will strike when something hits her, I thought, you know....I could make that happen! So, me being the W.A.C. (Woman of Adventure and Conviction) that I am, I flew out of bed, jumped in the shower, grabbed my purse, threw on my two Boise state shirts snatched up Mischa and we were off!

I text Skip as I hit Micron and asked if the party had started....she text back that there were two people there. No sooner had she sent that, I burst into the house and Mischa and I yelled, "Let's get this party started!!!!"

There were great snacks, good beer, even better scotch, fun fans and an epic Bronco WIN! I believe that I am in love with Austin Pettis. (Or maybe just with his hot little mohawk). Either way I'm proud to be part of the BRONCO NATION!

So, Thanks Skip for a great party, thanks Squirrel for sharing the GREEN and don't forget to pick me up in the party bus on the way to Laramie!!!

Prediction for BSU v. VA Tech: A BSU WIN!

GO ORANGE!

GO BIG BLUE!

FIGHT! FIGHT! B-S-U!!

For the Love of...** SNOW **

IT SNOWED AT THE BIRD!!!! Every year on August 29th it snows at the Bird. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get me excited!! I've only been off the mountain for 2 months, but I am itching to get back on.

This week marks the beginning of my "Get back in shape because I drank too much beer and ate too many hotdogs over the summer while laying on the Sweet Unit." Luckily for me, Skip gave me a BOSU ball for my birthday, I am now lugging a heavy back pack all over campus and my hotel has 15 floors = 30 flights of stairs for me to run up and down.

Normally I put all my snowboard stuff away for the summer. Not this year! I am anticipating hiking the Dirty B in 6 weeks. The first week of October is my goal. Get ready boys! Here comes the snow!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Back to School! Rodent's Going Back to School!

نا أحب الشرق الأوسط! دعنا نذهب!

I just finished my first week back in school at the University of Utah! I have 3 semesters remaining until I have my Masters degree in Middle East Politics. I am so happy to be back in school, studying what I absolutely love.

This semester I am taking "Oil and Democracy," "Islamic Fundamentalism," "History of the Middle East 1750-1914" and عربي (Arabic). This will be a crazy year, but it will be all worth it in the end. I love learning عربي(Arabic) and have already been practicing on the babies. Axel knows how to read, so he should pick this up quickly, but the other two look at me like they have no idea what I'm saying! I figure, the next time I'm in the Middle East, I will be able to negotiate a better price for a camel ride (We rode those characters in the picture) since I will be able to speak عربي(Arabic).

The Hazards of Loving Men

The hazards of loving men is that they end up finding wives. Gone are the days of sharing "treats", late night hash browns, Leonidas outings, slamming Patron, smuggling vodka into movies, getting the "10", family home evening, preseason midnight hikes, fishing trips, sharing the baby girl, riding together, rafting the rivers, going on drives and seeing our favorite bands like Marilyn Manson, Pepper and Rise Against. My three years in Utah have been filled with fun times and good friends. So, as hard as it is for me to accept that I am losing you both to matrimony, I am happy that you both found love. I sincerely hope that I will gain two girlfriends and not lose my buddies.

So congratulations Josh, I am thrilled for you and wish you and Andrea the best. I will be forever grateful to you for showing me how to love Utah. I love you very much and will always be your friend, even on a pow day :)

Matt, I'm still shocked but happy for you that you have found someone who will give Roz babies and will travel the world with you. "It's been a long time coming", but thank you for being my Biff hero, my Glenn hero, my bar confidant, and my future business partner. I love you and wish you and Tessa the very best.

Beer Fest!!!

Beer Fest was so much fun the first night with Skippy, we had to take Allen the next day too! There were 175 different kinds of beer and I sampled only 10 of them. My favorite was Summer Solstice Crema and Allens favorite was Purple Haze.

Skippy held to form and wore an outfit that she would "not pick up a man in". Note: she was wearing a visor :)

Here's to a Fellow W.A.C.

I am the luckiest daughter in the world to have a mom who is the ultimate W.A.C. (Woman of Adventure and Conviction). I always laugh that Mischa is so wild and crazy because she takes after her mom. Well, I am wild, crazy, adventurous, athletic and a life lover because my mom is.

So, here's to all the W.A.C.'s in my life- you know who you are. I LOVE YOU!

And for Skippy- I am so lucky to have you to hike, boat, four wheel, have sightings, laugh, travel, ski, snowshoe, jet ski, ride camels, rollerblade, see movies, share books, celebrate seasons, holidays, birthdays, and to be my favorite W.A.C. I love you because you let me drive you to Tijuana, fly you to Cairo, hike with you in the Alps, drag you around London, spend 9 hours on Cinque Terre, share our near death experiences in Moab and Minnesota, float you down the Provo, spend exorbitant amounts of money on Swiss hotels, crawl through a pyramid, take pictures of "you" but really take pictures of hot Italian men behind you, go on nun hunts, wear fancy pants, sit in a tent at the fair for 9 days, and you let me plan whatever I want to do and you always participate with gusto. I love you so much. I am so lucky to have been raised by a W.A.C.!!!

Why Am I So Nerdy?

Allen is home for a week and his friend "Red" asked him to document his trip to Boise. Somehow, the idea of me jumping in the air before our First Annual Seymour Family Golf Tournament seemed like a funny thing to do. I could have just stood there with my golf clubs, since I was on the course, but when Jimmy and I get together crazy things happen.

It was Allen's first time golfing and he did great! We have decided that I am able to sink remarkable putts because I have a wider range of peripheral vision. Now, if only I could drive my ball further than 50 yards I'd be money! Watch out Seymours! I'm practicing this year and I will win next years tournament!

My First Day Wakeboarding!

I have taken my snowboarding to the lake...! Allen pulled me while I zipped around Lucky Peak for my first time wakeboarding. As amazing as this may sound, I got up my first try and went for at least 15 minutes straight, all the way to Arrow Rock dam...without falling! It felt exactly like snowboarding;... heals...toes.... (Just to be accurate though, I am in so much pain literally from head to toe. It is a complete body workout and much more physically demanding than snowboarding.) This will definitely be my new favorite summer sport!

Allen took the baby girl for a few rides around the lake too! She LOVED it!! She had a very busy weekend of floating the river, boating, playing with Grammie, Grampie and Uncle Allen. She will probably sleep all week and then she'll be ready to go back to Boise to celebrate my birthday next weekend!

I Love Utah and My A.T.Y.

A.T.Y. is my All Terrain Yorky and boy she is! My Mischa girl is such a trooper. Last week she went on a 7 mile hike with me up by Sundance at the base of Mt. Timp. She didn't ask once to be carried in her backpack. A few days later she went to the Provo river and swam and tried to catch fish with her dad. Then, she came out to Deer Creek with me to be my first mate on the Sweet Unit. She has been a very busy girl and summer is her favorite time of year. Now, if I can fashion a full doggy snowsuit, maybe I could take her into the mountains to snowboard with me.....

The First Day of Summer!

I was reminded by two of my favorite people that it was the first day of summer. So, I decided sadly to put my snowboards away and bust out my hiking outfit! I hiked up to the first waterfall up Bells Canyon, south of Little Cottonwood Canyon on the Wasatch front. It was 4 miles round trip and it was a beautiful canyon. I celebrated the new season by going home and grilling up a steak and having a glass of a very delicious Valpolicella.

The T Rizzle

I own 6 Lib Tech boards and so far, the 2011 T. Rice is by far my favorite. It was a gift from an amazing guy who has yet to see me ride it, and I am anxiously awaiting next season so he can try out his new Lib. Counting the days til the snow falls, like a true Bird Nerd!

The End of a Great Season!

The 2009/2010 winter season was my best so far! With 77 days on the mountain, 6 new resorts added to my list and going to Windells, an amazing snowboard camp at Mnt. Hood, Oregon, it will be a tough season to beat! Aside from the massive black and blue marks on my butt from catching edges while learning how to ride switch, my only injury was a busted shin which required some stitches. While I am still mourning the loss of winter, I am getting excited to take out the Sweet Unit!