Wenatchee Whitewater

The weekend of Cory's bachelor party we ladies decided to take on a little whitewater. We signed up for a Living Social Adventure that drove us out to the Wenatchee River and set us free (with a guide) to navigate the rapids.

What you can't see is the awesome (free) sunglasses we're wearing.

The rapids were class III-IV, so nothing too big or scary. We didn't have to wear helmets, but we did lose a member of our boat at one point. He was a larger man and it took a few of us to pull him back in.

Laura, Britt, and I stayed in the boat and proved that we don't need boys to have fun. In fact, Ladies' Weekends and often much more fun!

A better view of our rad shades.

A Long Weekend at Home

Shockingly, I spent my three-day Memorial Day weekend doing pretty much nothing. I didn't go anywhere and I didn't have any plans made at all. It was kind of nice for a change.

Since we had nothing to do, Cory and I decided to drive to Lacey, WA (about an hour-and-a-half from Seattle) and watch the final day of the high school fastpitch softball state championships. One of our friends coaches a team that was in the tournament.

They play on a turf infield and grass outfield.

Its been a long time since I've watched a softball game.

It was pretty fun to just sit in the sun and watch the girls play. Unfortunately my friend's team didn't win, but they did pretty well and lost to the team that went on to win it all.

The next day I woke up and cleaned my refrigerator. Now I realize nobody reading this will be excited by the next two pictures, but I am. I took everything out, including the shelves, and cleaned the shit out this fridge.

So fresh!

So clean!

The next day we went to Men's Warehouse, decided on suits for the wedding, and had them measure Cory. It's amazing how much you can get done when you've got three days of nothing to do!

Flag Football Champs - Finally!

After 5 years of playing flag football and coming oh-so-close to winning the championship an embarrassing number of times, Talk Down Analog (formerly Sign Up Digital) finally claimed a victory!

We are now proud flag football Champs.

See how happy we look?

We were a little worried that our entire team was going to be on a plane to Tahoe for the final playoff game. Luckily, Underdog Sports was understanding and had playoffs all in one night. We played two games, demolishing the first team and playing a tight game for the championship.

A glimpse of the most expensive shirts ever "purchased"

Also, here's the official Underdog write-up:

First Place

Winter Co-ed Flag Football at Nathan Hale HS Wednesdays

In the history of sports, there have been many times where a team changes it's logo and follows up the next season with a strong performance. However, the team formerly known as Sign Up Digital, changed their name instead, and with pleasant results.

Led by quarterback extraordinaire Brandon Maggs, TDA rarely even faced a deficit in a perfect season. In the championship game, faced against a strong Tenacious D outfit, TDA executed a ball control offense, applying pressure the kind of pressure that you normally see from a boa constrictor. In their final drive of the first half, with great respect for Tenacious D's quick strike abilities, Maggs made sure there was no time left in the half following their score to go up 20-14. Following that possession, they opened up the second half with a scoring drive that put them up 28-14 and never looked back.

Gonzaga Basketball

Cory's brother (Randy) and sister-in-law (Lori) came into town from Spokane this weekend to see the Gonzaga basketball team play. Randy went to Gonzaga for his MBA - I think - so we sat with other alumni in the suites at Key Area.

Lori, Cory, and Liz - I'm wearing my new Gonzaga sweatshirt, a Christmas present from Randy

The suite experience left something to be desired as everyone got one beer and a few pieces of popcorn. To be fair there was also a cone of tortilla chips and some chili and nacho cheese, but with 30 people in the suite that didn't last long. Cory ended up eating the nacho toppings by themselves about half way through the game.

Nevertheless, it was fun to be back in Key Arena (where the Sonics used to play before they were sold) watching basketball.

Redbirds & Cougars

So I know I should be posting about Halloween, which I will be doing soon, but I spent a lot of time over the past week watching the Cardinals. Well, it was worth it. They won the World Series on Friday night!

Last Saturday, however, I had conflicting sports events. The Cardinals were playing at 5.

Britt, me, and Nick - the Cardinals Crew

While the WSU Cougars - Cory's team - were playing at 7 in Seattle. We had tickets to the game.

Cory, Laura, and me - the WAZZU Crew

It's a tough life when you have so many teams to support. We ended up hanging out at a bar near the stadium. The Cardinals Crew stayed to watch the end of the baseball game and then met up with the WAZZU Crew in the stadium at halftime. Unfortunately the Cougs didn't fare as well as the Cardinals. At least I picked one winning team this week.

Triathlon #2

In early August I ran my second-ever triathlon. It was a sprint distance: .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run.

2011 Danskin Triathlon

I ran the exact same triathlon two years ago and got almost exactly the same time on every event. I guess that's what happens when you follow the same training program. I was within 30 seconds for each of my legs, including the transitions.

We started in groups of about 50 in Lake Washington

Happy to be out of the water!

My friend Laura and I both ran the race. She started 4 minutes before me. I was able to pass her on the bike. Then Laura was able to pass me on the run (not my strong suit) and we finished with very similar times.

Coming in after the bike

My friends Kristin (aka Richard) and Liz Swary were in town visiting, so they came out to cheer us on.

Laura, Richard, Liz, and me

 As did Cory...

Thanks for the sweatshirt!

 This medal - as well as our post-race breakfast at Denny's - was well-earned!

Everyone's a winner

Pine Ryders are Champs!

Last Tuesday my softball team - the Pine Ryders - defended our title as league champs. Last year was our first year to win the league, so doing it two years in a row is still exciting. We're not a dominant force quite yet. If we win next year it's OK to start hating us.

For now, let us celebrate our victory the only way we know how...

The 2011 Pine Ryders

...by feeding each other beer!

Oh yeah, and we got this awesome trophy!

What do you do with a trophy after age 16?

Curling Fun

Who has ever heard of anyone curling (other than in the Winter Olympics of course)? I haven't. I only think about it every 4 years. At least until now...

Granite Curling Club - Seattle, WA

Apparently curling is quite popular in the Seattle area. I guess that's not a surprise since we're so close to Canada, but I still find it hard to believe that it's popular enough to have a curling club that's been around for 50 years.

According to our curling instructor, the Granite Curling Club is the only dedicated curling facility in the U.S. "this side of North Dakota" - potentially my favorite statistic ever.

Cory throwing the stone

Nick and Cory - Ready to sweep!

A group of us were invited to tag along on a birthday party for a friend of a friend since they needed 30 people to rent out the whole place. We had 6 people and one instructor to a lane.

After learning the basics from our Donald Sutherland look-a-like instructor (ironically named Don), we split up and played a very serious match. Don was very pleased with our athleticism, new-found curling skills, and competitive natures. I only fell over while sweeping once, but I think that's what cost my team the game. Blue lost to red - 6 to 5. Although you do normally play to 8....

I'm a natural!