uniform numbers

Do you or your kids have a favorite uniform number?  When I was a kid my brother's played sports before I did.....Kenny was always number 10 and David was always number 14. When I played soccer there were usually 14 to 16 kids on a team.....and they lined us up, smallest girl got number 1, largest 16....I got number 14 most seasons (cuz I was one of the larger girls).  I liked 14 because it was David's number.  I knew I'd never get number 2....haha!

There is a long story about how Melanee became number 17 and I'm sure I've blogged about it before!

I don't think William ever had a set number, but he was number 2 in high school and number 22 in college, so I think he likes 2.....I remember when he left for college I told him, pick ANY number except 13!!!! 

Andrew likes number 12. 

Bradley always tries to get #7 and he has been really successful in getting it for years now!  This year, he knew there was another 7 on the team and a new kid had the #7 STITCHED into his cleats.  Bradley said, before numbers were issued....that he was thinking about being #9 this season.

I was out of town when their numbers were assigned and the coach told him that he would be number 9, no choice, the coach just picked for them.  None of Bradley's teammates got their old numbers, I don't think. 

The coach talked a little about how positions are numbered.  Bradley is the guy up top? 

So, how do you like the number 9???? 

bradley's room

We took the bunk beds out of Bradley's room today.....they were too short for him, the mattresses are way old and hurt his back, and Andrew never sleeps in there, so no need for bunk beds.  Our friend Reva moved from a huge house to an assisted living old folks home and got rid of a lot of her furnishings....she gave Bradley this nice bed, I think its a double size, but we don't have a frame yet, so its just on the ground for now.  He still has his Winnie the Pooh blanket, even though Reva gave us blankets for it!  The walls are still colorful from when Melanee painted her room 5 different colors.

Anyone want a bunk bed??? 

Schweinsteiger

YES Krisha!!!!  Schweinsteiger was extraordinary!  I remember in Germany's first game when they were stomping all over Portugal, I was thinking, wow, Germany is so good and Schweinsteiger and Podolski are still on the bench!!!  I knew right then, Germany was STRONG.  Then as the tournament went on and Schweinsteiger played, he was really amazing to watch!  And in that final, he went in and collided with EVERYONE, sacrificing his body everywhere....even ended up bloody.  What effort!  What a will to win!  I also thought he was a good example for our kids of sportsmanship.  Love that guy, too!!!!  

Cheerwine

If you were wondering what Cheerwine is from an earlier post you read here, it's ok, so was I, so I looked it up....here's the description I found from "Beverages Direct"

                                                         

Cheerwine is a unique, distinctly cherry-flavored soft drink that is as much a popular culture phenomenon as it is popular beverage. Known as the Nectar of North Carolina, this light and refreshing sparkling beverage features real cane sugar and a large bubble pattern that delivers its very clean, very complete, sweet-yet-mild flavor just ringing with strong cherry notes. Most folks say it’s impossible to explain the euphoric taste of Cheerwine – that it’s just one of those things you have to try for yourself – but one thing everyone agrees on is that Cheerwine should not be mistaken for cherry cola.

The odd name of Cheerwine, which is not a wine and contains no alcohol, comes from its burgundy wine-like color, cherry flavor and – of course – the smile it puts on the face of its drinkers, which it’s been doing since 1917.

Subject of a New York Times write-up and Food Network praise, the popularity of this beverage has yielded ice cream, sherbet, cream bars and yes – even Krispy Kreme donuts -- all of which brandish the signature Cheerwine flavor. And now that Cheerwine is available from Beverages Direct, you can finally discover the south’s best-kept secret for yourself, no matter where you live. Cheerwine is indeed a cherry different soda: born in the south.  

It's good to have friends, smart friends, all over the nation, who look out for you....I have one of those such friends and I've only actually only met her twice in real life, but we are blogging and Twitter friends (Whitni, do you still blog???)  And, today, I got a message from her informing me that World Market sells Cheerwine.  In my mind, I thought she was talking about "Whole Foods", which Chico doesn't have, but we do have Cost Plus, also known as World Market.  It was 8:20 at night, but I looked them up on the internet and they didn't close until 9:00, we also called and the person who answered said, "Yes, we sell Cheerwine."  So Bradley and I rushed over there....and easily, fairly easily, found it!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We texted a pic to William to get a reaction, but he didn't respond!!!  (He's at his mission reunion right now.) 

skip if you have arachnophobia

this is NOT supposed to be INSIDE of our house

World Cup 2014

So, way back in 2006, we watched the World Cup and loved ALL of it.  We planned our summer around it, we worked our vacation activities around it, and we were all really into it.  In 2010, I woke up at 4:00 am to even watch games such as--- actually, I was half awake, I don't even remember actual games....but I tried to watch every single game possible!!!!  I read all the reports and viewpoints.  I watched all the behind the scene videos and LOVED all of it.  So, this year, I was so excited that William would be home for the World Cup.  That Bradley is now a passionate soccer player.  And that I would get to watch some of it with Melanee and Dax (and Miles).  (The day Miles was born, Dax and I would tell the doctors and nurses to hurry up, we had a soccer game to watch later that morning....and Melanee would say, "The US play tomorrow."....and more than once we told her, "It's today, today is Thursday."  She missed a night and the shades were still closed (for privacy)...so she didn't know the sun had come up.)  Miles got to watch a USMNT World Cup soccer game just a few hours after he was born, how many people can say that??? 

Anyway, just like in 2010, an event came up RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of my World Cup viewing.....Girl's Camp.  Last time, it was more toward the start....but the one USMNT game I missed, I was able to go watch before ANYONE told me to outcome....so it felt like the 2010 World Cup was saved from Girls Camp disaster....but I also remember, that year, the Final came on while we were at church....so our friend Levi taped it for us and we went to his house after church for a viewing party.....but he doesn't like soccer, and the game wasn't that "good" for non soccer fans....

But this year, Girls Camp came the week of the semi finals/consolation game.  BIG GAMES!  IMPORTANT GAMES!!!!! 

I watched everything I could up until that point.....I watched just about all of the games (missed a few while traveling to Texas (kinda watched from the terminal onto a small café tv, one game, but missed the France game, that I really wanted to watch)...and I remember Melanee and I went sight seeing during a "boring" game, but when we got back Dax told us it was REALLY exciting, so we were really bummed to miss it!!! 

As, everyone knows I am a USA fan.....pretty exclusively.  I even unfriended an American facebook friend for rooting against the US, that's how passionate I am....but I think I am kinda a hypocrite because remember which country hockey team I rooted for in the Olympics 4 years ago????  (Canada)....

When the USA lost to Belgium, the World Cup wasn't as fun for me as it had been.  I really thought the US could do well this year!!!!  Why not????  But they didn't!  so sadddddddddddddd!

I tried to pick another team to cheer for.  Netherlands was my 2nd choice.....my dad's ancestors are from there, they are good, and I really liked van Persie's header goal.  But when they were playing Mexico...I kinda felt they "cheated" with Robben's diving, so it was hard to root for cheaters, even though they have a really cool color scheme. 

I liked Colombia's goal celebration dances and James (ha-mes).....but Colombia, nah.....cant root for them.

I didn't like the "favorites" like Brazil or Argentina.....but I was still mad that Germany beat the USA.  Like the LA Kings in hockey, after they beat the Sharks, there was NO way I could root for them.....even though, it's considered OK to go out to the "best".....

Needless to say (even though I just wrote a BUNCH of stuff)....I didn't really have a team I felt passion about left in the tournament. 

But I did station myself in front of the tv in time for the World Cup Final...Argentina vs. Germany. 

Germany WAS the better team, and even though it doesn't ALWAYS happen this way....in the end, the better team prevailed!!!  I was happy it was not Argentina and I was happy that Messi wasn't the "hero".  When Germany scored in OT, I thought it was a great goal, not a fluke, and I was happy for the player who scored.  He was so happy and cute!!!  He was even a substitute....what a wonderful moment for him.  He will forever be a hero.  Germany's goalie should also be considered a national favorite too, he kept Germany in a lot of close games!!!!  Germany is a soccer power house.  They've been in the semi finals of all the most recent World Cups and have won the World Cup 4 times now. 

Like, Netherlands, they also have super sweet uniforms (come on USA, take note!!!!  ditch the golf/tennis white polo!!!!)....so when we saw a $90 valued Germany jersey at Ross marked down to $12.99, I quickly grabbed it, knowing it was MIS MARKED. 

Bradley adopted it!

 

So, I don't really have any insightful wisdom about the last week of the World Cup, but I would LOVE if Krisha would write a World Cup post!!!! 

Sport Bloggin

No one is home right now, so I thought I'd do a little blogging....so I got on the computer and Facebooked....then looked up something on Google images, which somehow took me to Sidney Crosby images.....then I checked my Fantasy MLS team (I'm up to SIX whole points, worst week EVER) and then I ate a doughnut, so I couldn't type one handed......and now here I am. 

My topic is one I really wanted to blog about more last month because before the World Cup began, I went back into my blog archives and read the old stuff I wrote 4 years ago during the World Cup, and it might be on the arrogant side to say this, but I wrote some pretty insightful and funny stuff back then.  I was looking for the posts I did when I would rank my favorite players.  It was interesting to see how that list evolved over time. 

But, this World Cup, I think I wrote only one post.  I'm slacking big time.

Then with my trip to Texas, then Girls Camp, then to the Bay Area, then Utah, the World Cup came and gone....and now it's over and I'm sad.  Not sad because my favorite team didn't do better. Not sad because Germany won, but sad that I don't get to watch intriguing soccer each and every day for a full month (the days off were AWFUL!).

I used to really attempt to be a sports blogger.  Not a reporter, one who writes play by play recaps of events and stats, but a blogger who is insightful and fun.  Then one day, I applied to be the San Jose Earthquakes blogger for a big MLS web site.  If I would have gotten that gig, I would have even been allowed in the press area, with press credentials!  But, they picked someone else.  I submitted one of my blog posts, I didn't write a new piece for my submission of my sample writing style.  I guess I wasn't what they were looking for.....but I continued to try to follow the website and the person who they did pick and seriously, she lives in LA.....she is a GALAXY fan.....AND, she submitted a total of 4 articles and they were all "blah blah blah, this player passed to this player, and this player scored his 4th goal of the season, and the Quakes are in this and that place in the standings....blah".  Her blogging was EXACTLY what you would read in a newspaper article, not fun at all.  So, after that I just kinda quit my sports blogging ambition. (Have I written about all of that before???)

 No one really reads this anyway....I have a blog counter, I see who comes here....I get about 4-7 "hits" a day.  Melanee, Krisha, my dad, Sharon, Martha, and a few random people (Larissa, do you still read???)....Melanee has told me that she just looks at pictures.  Sharon doesn't care about sports.  My dad reads enough sport articles in his papers that he doesn't care what I have to say. 

So, in reading my comments yesterday and today, I got a few requests for my World Cup views!!!!  What????  WOO HOO!!!! Really??!!!??!!!! 

ONE month old today

first soccer scrimmage of the season

Bradley's team has been training/practicing since April or May, but they haven't had any games or even scrimmages, so when we got an e mail saying that Wednesday's practice would include a scrimmage, I went to watch.  Bradley's team is a u15 and u14 combined team.  They have some big guys and some teeny tiny guys.  It will be interesting to see how the u14 kids do against u15 opponents!!!!!

 

Bradley played forward mostly in the scrimmage.  He scored a hat trick! 

The final score was 4-3.  They won,

He even got an assist on the 4th goal. 

It's probably not really bragging if I state that Bradley played well.  haha. 

Yeah, it is, oh well!!!

Dinner with the Larsons!!!!

We always enjoy having the missionaries who serve in our ward over for dinner.  We also see the missionaries a lot at church and in meetings.  So over the 6 months or so Elder Larson served in Chico, we became very good friends with him.  There is a picture of him with his family and in it he is wearing what Scott calls "Salmon Pants".  Scott teased him about them A LOT.  Salmon Pants was Elder Larson's nick name. 

Well, when we were in Utah we made plans to visit Elder Larson's family. 

We went to their house for dinner.  While there, Scott asked to see the pants.  He put them on!  Then they reenacted the old family photo.  There is a story behind the photo which is kinda sweet.  I guess, Elder Larson had plans to go mountain biking with his friends.  Right before they were ready to leave, his mom said, "no, you cant go...we are having family pictures taken".  So he was mad!!!  MAD!!!  When they were all set up and ready for the pictures, which were set up in a canyon, his friends all ride up on their bikes and stop behind the photographer and teased him a little (prob a lot).   So in the photo, you see a bunch of smily faces and a grumpy one, you can tell he didn't want to be there!

Since I know the story, I actually REALLY love the family photo.....but I bet if you didn't know the story you'd think he ruined the picture a bit. 

Well, with scott in Elder Larson's "salmon pants" we took another "Family Picture".---  haha---- 

And here are a few other's I had on my camera or Elder Larson's mom took (my battery died!!!)

Cabelas

 We had dinner plans in Springville and didn't want to drive all the way back to Payson, so we had some time to kill.  We called a few friends we knew in Utah but didn't get any answers so we stopped at Cabelas, a GIANT sporting goods store.  It's really cool and more than a store. 

Driving again

We parked in the below ground parking of the Marriot.....beautiful hotel!

We drove past the stadium where the Jazz play

Real Salt Lake again!

And the freeway over/under passes had Olympic décor, cool!

Couple/Family Photo

 When we were walking back from the mall, we saw the little round cement riser when we took our wedding photo 25 years ago...so we reenacted one of our wedding photos....then I took one of the boys and we got some passersby to take a family pic

good byes

I never actually saw grandma and grandpa leave, but in the middle of one of the tours/video presentations, MaryAnne's family decided to leave, so we all said our good byes. 

Then we went in with Becky's family and watched a video about the importance of family. 

After we got out from our video, we had to wait for Mark's family to come out from the show they watched.

William met a sister missionary from Sweden who was BEST FRIENDS with one of the sister missionaries William knew in France.  (I took this pic actually of the skateboarder, haha)

 At about this point, Becky and her family left, her kids also got restless.

Then we went to the Beehive house, but it was too crowded.  By this time the boys were hungry (I guess the peanut butter and no jelly sandwiches weren't very filling.)

William also wanted to see the famous Utah outdoor mall with fountains that shot fire through rings of water, or the other way around.  So, Paige told us she knew where that mall was located and it had a food court.  We followed her up 3 long city blocks, then across a street, then into an outdoor mall, then through the mall FOREVER. 

Her boys found a fountain to play in.

There were fish in the ponds, creek running all through the mall.  It was an outdoor mall, but there was a roof that was retractable for when the weather was bad.

 This above is probably a picture we don't want Paige or Mark's other kids to see because we bought Audrey an ice cream cone....but I wanted to share this because EVERYONE, including ME, think that Audrey looks like Melanee when Melanee was 10 or 11, this picture may not show it as well as real life, but she does look like Melanee!!!!

Mark's family left while we were eating, but when we walked out of the food court, we could see that the road that we crossed earlier could have led us RIGHT to the food court, we hadn't needed to walk 6 blocks!!!!! 

Happy Anniversary

Scott parents were married here 50 years ago!!!!

tabernacle

a funny thing happened after we all separated!  We went to the conference center and the tall building next to the temple, but they were both closed.  We also saw the reflection pool, talked to people, sat around, then walked over to the tabernacle. 

Well, inside of there were grandma and grandpa AND MaryAnne's family. 

So we sat down.

Then Becky and her family came in a little bit after us.

THENNNNN, Mark and his family came in even later.  We were all met up again.  Without even planning it!!!!!!!

Bradley went in BEHIND the roped off area.  The Wilsons were all SHOCKED he would break a rule while on the temple grounds, haha!

We were waiting to see if they would let MaryAnne play the organ...nope, they wouldn't let her, but wouldn't that have been awesome!!!

While right outside the tabernacle, we met a sister missionary (all the temple square missionaries are sisters!) from France.  William spoke with her in French and they knew a few of the same people.