A Perfect Ending to a Perfect Summer
Sparta Cup August 2008

Chris is coach to Connor's X-league, a U9 team that played one year under (or for the lame people like myself that means under 10, X-league was under 9). This team is so much fun to watch. They played in the annual Sparta Cup in Holladay. Although the weather was quite warm. It was such a fun tournament. My family all cheered Connor and Coach Chris on the sidelines. I loved hanging out with the Jolley families. Our team was lucky enough to be well coached with Coach Chris, Coach Brian, and Coach Greg because they each have sons on the team.

Here's the play by play:
This was the first year our team played together. They started off the tournament disheartened after losing 8-2 to a superior U10 team in size and strength. Instead of giving up, the team gelled together and showed tremendous heart for a little group of 8 year old boys. They went on to win their next 3 games; 3-1, 4-0, and 1-0 to advance into the final against that same winning team. Playing in over 100 degree heat with only one sub, they had to play the final game only 1 1/2 hours after the semi-final. Depleted in energy, our team was down 4-1 in the second half. The Rangers rallied to pull it to 4-3, but time ran out just before we managed to tie it up. Connor played his best as forward for the first time, scoring 2 of the 3 goals. He usually plays mid-field. This was my first taste of truly compelling soccer to the point where my husband asked, "Were you cheering?" And I replied, "I was nervous the entire game, all I did was pace around the sidelines."

The awful feeling of the loss was soon forgotten when the team hoisted up the runner's up silver cup together in unison during the awards ceremony. Each player also received a silver medal. This was Connor's first ever trophy playing a sport. The token medal given to each player in the city leagues just doesn't quite cut it for me.

I was so proud of my son. This is the first of many many tournaments to come. It was a great ending to a great summer...

It's Good to be a Teacher...

Chris and I have fully taken advantage of having our summers off together. We had the wonderful opportunity to go on a Western Carribean Cruise with his parents, Wendy and Dave. We had a great time together, and really enjoyed every minute. It was a perfect way to spend our anniversary this July. We sailed on the Carnival Legend cruise out of Tampa Bay to four beautiful ports; Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Rhoatan, Honduras. This was my first cruise and experience with the crystal clear carribean water. We are especially grateful to Wendy and Dave who helped make it possible for us to go by paying Chris's ticket. We also must thank my family for watching our kids for 9 days while we cruised. Thank you, Thank you.

Chris and I have never been known for our good luck. But our luck started to change on the boat, our first night there I won the Bingo jackpot for 600 bucks. Too bad I didn't win it our last night because I might have been able to bring some of it back home. My new lucky number is 65!
Just to keep things short, here's the highlights; my top five cruise faves:
1) Hanging out with Wendy and Dave-despite the fact that Dave and Chris kicked our royal butts at Canasta every night!!!
2) Grand Cayman water-gorgeous
3)Snuba in Grand Cayman-I'm hooked and ready for snuba lessons-that's an amazing world down there!
4)Xunantunich Mayan ruins in Belize-I've never been one who's cared too much for archeology, but they are pretty darn impressive
5)Rhoatan was fantastic. I could live on that island. The Hondurans were so humble and thoroughly enjoyed their sweet simple lives. The beach was gorgeous, I felt like I was walking where Jack Sparrow once walked. I had my first successful snorkeling experience in those waters, although I definitely prefer scuba diving, I did see some great sea life. Honduran dancers that loved having their pictures taken

Chris's favorite-playing blackjack on the face-up table. For the first time in his not so distinguished gambling career-he was up $150 bucks!

Not to dwell on the negative, but a couple of things I could go without on a cruise:
1) Why does it seem that 95% of all cruisers are at-least 50 pounds overweight? Am I just noticing it because the obese americans rarely had their clothes on (they had swimsuits on, in case your mind wandered a bit)? A sight that I really could have done without.
2) For someone who likes to dress up maybe twice a year, dressing up every night did start to get a bit old. I definitely brought the wrong shoes, no one warned me that high heels were a cruise requirement.

We had a wonderful time, and I would much rather be on the boat watching the gorgeous clear water outside on my balcony, then be laying on my bed, updating my blog.

Catch ya real soon!

Way too Much Fun in the Sun (when we saw it)!!!
Gleneden, Oregon

We had a great time this July with Mom, Dad, and Chanin's family in Oregon. Thanks to Mom and Dad and their love of timeshares we are able to stay in some fabulous places together with great accommodations. The kids loving being with their cousins and Grandma and Grandpa. We stayed right on the beach, and weathered the elements. We were lucky to see any sun while we were there, but we still had the best time. It was a great way to relax.

I love the rugged Oregon coastline. I could sit and watch the water for hours. Here's the geeky scientist in me, I love to watch the force of the pounding water erode the shoreline right before my eyes! Magnificent!

Breakin' the Law!! Breakin' the Law!! Chris will do anything for a great picture. To the dismay of the ranger, Chris pulled off this starfish (a definite no, no-supposedly harms the little guys) in the Yaquina tide pools.


The devil in me must have shown through. During the cute local 4th of July parade, a group of devils whisked me off the ground to be part of their float. I must say that the fact that I had no idea who these people were wasn't my main concern, my only thought was, "Oh no, I'm a bit under dressed to be a part of this parade?" But not to worry, I was on the float just long enough to be stamped on the head with a bright red devil stamp and then I was sent on my way. We had a great small town 4th in Gleneden and Lincoln City. We watched the fireworks in the bay and it was literally like a ring of fire with all of the locals lighting off their own fireworks that are definitely not legal here in Utah. Loved it!

PURA VIDA Costa Rica-my first trip out of the country!!!

Chris and I had the wonderful chance to take a couple of our students on an ecological tour of Costa Rica. It was the best thing I've ever done besides getting married and having three wonderful children. I loved every minute of it. I loved hanging out with girls for a change with Emily and Amy Heath (Chris really enjoyed them as well). I fell in love with the country and the people, especially our guide Mario. I loved all of the wonderful plants, and animals that we saw. My two favorite places were Manuel Antonio (white sand beaches on the pacific side with white faced monkeys, crystal turqouise warm water, and beautiful blue skies) and Tortugero (a small little river town that is also known as the Venice of Costa Rica on the Caribbean side). Here's a small sample of the 600 pics we took. ENJOY!!!

Yes, this really is a three-toed sloth in Manuel Antonio. Just sleeping upside down.
One of 6 iguanas living around the city of Tortugero-we saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, kaimans, crocodiles, toucans, and all sorts of great wildlife.












Mario (0ur tour guide)-one of the sweetest people I've ever met. A white faced monkey in Manuel Antonio.

This was a rhinoceros beetle that this young boy caught for me during our rainforest tour. I loved that he did the entire tour with bare-feet, notice that we had huge boots on. Chris made friends with everybody. The picture below is Manuel Antonio-officially my favorite place on Earth.

The Ecalono boys love their soccer. Chris is the number 1 soccer coach. Here's a small sample of Connor on the Rangers team.