Rugby

As much as I love sports, I have to say I don't know much about rugby. They don't really have rugby in Washington and I think I've only seen rugby on TV once. So my knowledge strictly comes from the movie Invictus. However, some friends of ours invited us to go to the college rugby national championship that was set to take place in SLC. I've never been to a national championship game before, and probably won't ever make it to another one again, so I figured I'd go, even if it was a sport I didn't understand. We paid only $11 and had front row seats!!!! It was BYU vs. Cal Berkeley. It was a gorgeous day and after learning some of the rules of the game I actually found I really enjoyed myself. Unfortunately BYU lost and made some costly mistakes at the beginning that they couldn't quite make up for at the end. Here are a few pics from that evening: 

The view from our seats.

Enjoying the game.

Yellowstone/Jackson Hole, Wyoming

A few weeks ago my family came down to Utah to pick my brother up after he had finished his freshman year at BYU. We then went up to Rexburg to be with my sister & her husband for Easter. As part of this family get-together we decided to go to Yellowstone since members of the Baker clan had never been before. Much of the park was closed because there was still 8-9 feet of snow everywhere but that kinda made it cool to see everything so white and it wasn't very crowded. Then after Easter Ben surprised me with my birthday present which was a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few days. It was a cute little town & I definitely grew to like the lit-up antler arches at nighttime. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Here are some pics from that great week.

The famous Antler Arch

Yeah for Moose

The Moose kinda freaked me out so I'm barely touching it in this picture.

Old Faithful

We had many Buffalo walk right near our van which totally freaked my sister out.

Hockey!!!

So as I sports fanatic I have to say that I have never been to a hockey game. I willingly watch SportsCenter but when hockey highlights come on I tend to change the channel. But my first hockey game was fun and a cultural experience. I felt like I was back home. When I think of SLC I tend to think of super trendy, highly fashionable, super skinny Mormon girls. At this hockey game I felt like I was right back at home with people dressed in hoodies, drinking, and yelling profanities. It ended up being really fun, and like baseball, watching hockey in real life is way better than watching it on TV. Here are a few pics taken on my iPod from the night:

World of Coca-Cola

Almost two months ago now (man I am bad at keeping this up to date) I got to go to Atlanta, Georgia for a conference. It was about first-year programming and how to help incoming students adjust to the rigors and demands of college life and academics. I really enjoy going to these conferences because I get to see new places and stay in hotels I could never afford to stay in normally. This conference was busier than the one I went to in November so I didn't get as much free time to explore Atlanta as I would have liked. However, I did get to visit the World of Coca-Cola. Coke was invented in Atlanta and it's main headquarters (as well as those of CNN, Chick-fil-A, and Delta just to name a few) are located there. Being a Pepsi product fan I don't totally love Coke products but Coca-Cola is an American and pop-culture icon so I just had to go! It was so much fun and if you are ever in Atlanta I totally recommend going to the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium right across the lot. It was just one giant carbonated playground with a bottling plant, 4D movie, and a tasting center. Here are some pics from my adventure.

This is called Beverly. It is a Coke product offered in Europe that I got to taste in their Taste It! exhibit where you can taste Coke products from around the world. It was truly one of the worst things I've ever tasted.

Sitting on the Coke Couch from Season 3 of American Idol.

Found a postcard of a Coke plant from Washington

Running with the Olympic Torch from the 2000 Sydney, Australia Games

Hanging out by an old school Coke vending machine

Lament for Jimmer

Fun Fact - Addictions

So I have a few food addictions that I'm not too proud of, but we all have them and these are mine:

• Mountain Dew
• Vitamin Water
• Chocolate
• Chocolate/Peanut Butter Anything
• Chips & Salsa

I can only go a few days without consuming any of these food items. They make me happy and I just plain love them!!!

Ben's Birthday

So Ben turned 26 a few weeks ago (crazy, I know). However, his birthday was on a Thursday which turned out to be a crazy day. He had to take a test and finish a massive project. So he was gone all day and didn't get home until around 7:00, then once he did he had to return some birthday phone calls. So we didn't do much except we were able to go to Olive Garden for his birthday dinner and he indulged himself in his own cake (since I can't eat cake anymore) and ice cream. It was a good low-key birthday and he seemed very happy. I got him ESPN's 30 for 30 (a great gift idea for that sports fan of yours) and decorated the house for him. Both of which he loved. Below are pictures from that special day.

I wrote 26 things I love about Ben on 26 hearts and hung them all throughout our living room along with streamers.

The Birthday Cake

Just blew out the candles

What Makes Me Different from Everyone Else

I saw this as a post on someone else's blog and liked it so I thought I would write about it too. I think the biggest thing that makes the different from other people, at least most girls, is that I'm a girly-girl but still a sports junkie. I love make-up and can hardly go out of the house without showering and getting ready. However, I know sports teams, players, and stats better than most boys. Many of Ben's friends make fun of me because I can carry on a sports conversation with the best of them. But then, within seconds I can dish out all the latest pop culture gossip. I like to think that this makes me very well-rounded. But it's fun to watch a sports game and talk the sports talk and then change the channel and find myself equally enthralled with an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians!