Penn State vs. Illinois Game

I think it seems fitting that my one hundredth post comes after one of the greatest experiences of my life. Last night was the Penn State-Illinois football game that was the reason for our trip back East. As with the rest of my posts this last week, there are a lot of pictures and not much writing. Enjoy the show...

This first picture comes more to prove to my cousin and brother that I really am doing this... This is my Game Crush. Lol I don't know his name, how old he is, or anything. I just know that he was funny at the game, is cute, and went to an extension campus of Penn State. So if you know this guy that sat in section NJU at last night's game, give him my number. If not, ignore this picture and go on to the next one :)

Kristine and me after seeing the players arrive. It's crazy how two girls raised on opposite sides of the country and only reunited a year and a half ago can have so much in common. It was so nice to see her again.

JoePa coming off of the team bus and walking into Beaver Stadium.

A blocked view of The Man, Daryll Clark

Keep in mind that this picture is taken from a zoomed camera just 16 rows from the top of Beaver Stadium. I think that fact that you can still tell it's Paterno and Zook meeting in the middle of the field is pretty impressive.

The last score of the game put Penn State up 38-24. That score helped move PSU comfortably into the number 6 spot nationally.

These videos aren't spectacular, but I wanted to try and give you a chance to experience some of the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium during a legendary White Out. It was indescribable. The amount of white, the crowd participation in cheers and songs, the caliber of football played, the company of extended family...it all made for one amazing trip.

Rally in the Valley

*Pictures: Kristine and me on the drive to State College, Dad and Uncle Mike waiting for the Rally to start, Beat Illinois sign, The Lion, Old man who thought it was too loud, the general splendor :) *


Last night I got to experience the Rally in the Valley, which is the pep rally held the night before home games at Penn State. I can't explain it much beyond "awesome" and that's why I've included so many pictures and videos. That way you can see it for yourself :) Oh, and sorry about the sideways video, especially because that one is my favorite.

So far, SOOO Good!

For those of you who know my family as being Penn State fans, I just wanted to show you that it's basically genetic. This is my uncle's bookcase in his family room, full of Penn State memorabilia. I love it!

For my dad's birthday last night we tried to find somewhere good for dinner. I remembered this place with amazing chicken parm that we had been to last summer when I was here. So that's where we went. The Phoenix is in the middle of this residential area that you don't realize is there until you're in the parking lot. I went for a prime rib sandwich last night--not a bad choice.

After dinner, my dad got the treat of penuche cake made by Carol. For those of you who have never had penuche (which is probably most of you), it's a very sweet, caramel-type frosting. My dad grew up with the treat traditionally on birthdays. Carol was kind enough to perfect the dessert, and my dad thought it looked great.
Apparently he thought it smelled great too...
To make things better, lunch today was from the famous Texas Hot Dogs. Perfection.
As could be predicted, the trip has been a blast so far. My cousin, Kristine, just got in from school and my Uncle Mike just arrived from Kentucky. Let's get this party started!

Never Too Old

I just wanted to wish my dad a Happy Birthday! It doesn't matter how old he gets or how old I get, he's still my daddy and I love him so much. So enjoy your time in PA on this special 55th Birthday!

Home Sweet Home

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm currently sitting in the greatest state in the Union. We landed in Pittsburgh at about 2:30 this afternoon and enjoyed a beautifully scenic drive out of the city before stopping at Dean's Diner. I remember last summer when I stayed with my Uncle we stopped at the same diner after a doctor's appointment he had in Pittsburgh. They have delicious peanut butter pie, and today my dad persuaded me to try their famous (and rightfully so) pizzaburger. Delish. The dinner was accompanied by fabulous onion rings, and I remembered why it's important for me to limit my trips to Pennsylvania... the food is just too good here! It'd be dangerous to have access to this food at will.

Anyway, we're just relaxing at my uncle's house. I'll give you updates on our trip as time permits. Adios!

Should be Sleeping

I probably should be sleeping right now; between practice in the mornings and my back keeping me from sleeping at night, I've been pretty tired all week. Oh, before I ramble on let me update you all by saying that my back is doing much better. I'm not quite at 100% and some positions catch me painfully off guard, but the improvement in the last 60 hours is quite remarkable. Thank you, Dr. Massengale.

Moving on... do you ever hate the process of self-reflection? After a frustrating evening of feeling under-appreciated and misunderstood, I came home to vent to my mom. I think she was being sincere and helpful when she commented, "The only person you have to answer to is the one in the mirror." But now I can't stop thinking about the fact that if I'm being truthful, I have so much I need to be improving on right now. And outside criticism is only this painful because it's ringing true on some level.

Anyway, I was just thinking and thought I'd hash out some feelings in words. Thanks to friends and family that patiently wait out my tears and irrationalities. Life is good, just a little bumpy sometimes. :)

Tuesday Pain

And that's about how it happened.

This morning, Adiel and I were at the high school choreographing. We decided to run through what we'd come up with so far. I wasn't even doing the routine full-out, and at one point you simply bend down a little bit and put your hands on your knees and then jump back out. Somewhere between the bend and the jump my back decided to stop moving. I couldn't stand up straight without pain searing through my lower back. By the time I drove home, I was in tears (I might cry a lot, but never because of physical pain, so that says a lot).

My mom got me into her chiropractor who said the something-or-other joint was too inflamed to work on and instead did some acupuncture. I have a follow-up appointment on Thursday, and for now I'm sitting at home like an immobile loser watching tv. I feel like an old woman!

Unproductive

While this image warms my heart as I think about the outstanding job that the Cougars did yesterday, I'm forced to face reality on a few things. As you know, I'm thrilled that football season is back. It's by far my favorite time of year, and it helps that all of "my teams" are excelling this year. Primarily, I'm so excited at BYU's 3-0 start to the season. To make things even better, Penn State is also boasting a 3-0 record, and, additionally, Kearns is enjoying an impressive 3-1 start. The high school race is exciting for me, but nothing compared to how addicted I am to college football. Yesterday was slightly better, but last Saturday it was 8:30 at night when I realized I hadn't showered, changed my clothes, or even brushed my hair that day. I had woken up at Jessica's, come home, and started watching football from about noon until I made my realization. I need to find a way to remedy this problem...

The Hills

I always hear my favorite radio show talk about The Hills, but I had never had any desire to watch the series. My older brother kept pressing for me to catch some episodes, and with the start of Season 4, I've started to follow the lives of these fictional, disgustingly wealthy and beautiful people. Here's are my thoughts. While at first the drama between Lo and Audrina seemed a little too scripted, when you actually break it down, that is exactly how girls are! Yes, this show exposes the drama to an extreme degree, but (and I think this comes from working with high school cheerleaders) the "fake reality show" is actually very realistic. In any event, it's an entertaining way to spend my Monday nights. Lauren is likable, Lo is annoying (and not cute enough to be on this show, btw), while you love to hate Spencer. My general conclusion: The Hills is worth watching.

New Tag

List 3 joys-
coaching cheer on good days, reading, my sisters

3 fears-
not reaching my potential, losing my relationship with my siblings, cancer

3 obsessions-
blogs, dr. pepper, sweat pants after work

3 surprising facts-
I went to the district spelling bee in 6th grade and took 4th, I'm a deeply rooted Republican that believes strongly Obama would do the best job as our next president, I have seen shooting stars on just 3 occasions throughout my entire life

I tag: Adiel, Anna, and Alli (how fun with the "A's", huh?)

Rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 obsessions, 3 surprising facts and tag 3 more people on your blog.

Hello, Autumn

Can you believe the weather change over the last few days? I know it's supposed to get warm again or whatever, but I've liked the shift. Sunday night's rain was INCREDIBLE. But more on that later.

This last week I started a new job--sort of. I'm still working at the bank, but rather than traveling to different branches each day, I'm just at one branch. The change has been both good and bad. I love the people I work with, and the clients that come in are really fun. But it's been an adjustment working full time again. I haven't worked more than 20 hours a week since the summer of 2006. Well, more than 20 hours at one job anyway. My feet hurt at the end of the day and I feel like by the time I get home I don't have time to do anything. I know that's ridiculous since every normal person gets home at about the same time, but I just haven't reworked my routine yet.

With the start of the school year last week, I was able to get back to cheer practices. With as busy as my August was, I hardly spent any time with them and it was nice to be back. It was also nice to make it to last Tuesday's YW mutual activity. Between finals and traveling I had missed a few weeks of church and mutual. It was so fun to see my beehives again.

Wednesday I went with my older sister to a Pampered Chef party. That was a new experience for me. I felt very adult.

Friday was the awesome Cyprus vs. Kearns football game. While Cyprus is my Alma Mater, I feel very connected to Kearns since beginning coaching there. So I told my family ahead of time that I was planning to cheer for Kearns. Good thing, because I chose a winner! Kearns beat Cyprus 22-0, despite an awesome second quarter fight. Good game.

Speaking of good games, Saturday was the kick-off of real football! Both of my teams (Penn State and BYU) won, and even Utah pulled out a win against Michigan, which will help prove BYU's status when we beat Utah :)

Also, this weekend my Aunt and Uncle came down from Wyoming to visit. That was a blast! They were at the house when we got an awesome storm on Sunday night. When you sat in our new addition (it has an aluminum roof) the rain sounded incredible. I left to watch a movie with Ash and I guess right after that, the power went out and stayed out until late Monday morning. In all the powerless mayhem, we got news that Matt needed to have an appendectomy. It was sad thinking of him by himself in Iowa handling all of that, but I know that it was probably a good experience to help him realize his independence. Still, it's too bad that had to be the way he realized that independence.

We were able to spend Monday in Wendover, and just enjoy spending some time with our Aunt and Uncle, since we only get to see them every year or so. It was a great Holiday weekend!