THE trip

Here it is! The long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated post about our trip to Cali and Mexi (If you are going to call it Cali, why can't you call it Mexi?) For the uninformed, we took off for 8 days and went to LA and on a cruise down the Southern California/very Northern Mexico coast. You know what they say, carpe diem! Well we carpe'd 8 diems. WARNING: LONG POST

Our arrival in Burbank

It was over 75 degrees when we arrived! I think I even proclaimed I was excited to be sweating because of the air temperature. When McKenna and Paul arrived we went straight to...

The Santa Monica Pier
We had a scrumptious meal at a crepe restaurant. I am still craving the strawberries and Nutella crepe I devoured all by myself (on top of a meal).

We headed down to the boardwalk and analyzed our brain types. We also had fun harassing people with weird pictures. The couple above deserved to be harassed; they couldn't stop making out for long enough to notice us taking pictures of them. Even if they had noticed I would have just said "Paparazzi!" and run away. That's what happens in California, right?

Six Flags

The next day we went to Magic Mountain- 6 Flags. Again, we enjoyed making random strangers take bizarre pictures of us. The people who took these pictures for us (above) proceeded to pose in the exact same way for their own photos.

We just loved this bear! Very life-like. Or should I say beary life-like? Nope, very.

If you look closely, you can see my huge tricep muscle.

Daring! We took pictures on a roller coaster. Daring, indeed!

Again, harassing people. This couple was attempting to take a classy pic on the pink and white bench that thousands of people climb on each day. It's a photo op you can't pass up, right? Well, I thought I would class it up even more and jump in. They didn't say anything to the contrary, so I think they appreciated it.

Boarding the Ship

The foodfest began immediately. This was our first meal on the ship. I tried some of almost everything I could get my hands on. That first meal for me consisted of two different kinds of chicken, potatoes, roasted vegetables, a stuffed pepper, rice, pasta salad, salad, fresh vegetables, rolls, chocolate cake, cheesecake, cookies, and ice cream. Don't worry, I only took one bite of everything but the rolls, salad and vegetables (and the cookies and ice cream).

Catalina Island
On the boardwalk. On the boat ride from our ship to the island this kid was speaking in another language (Japanese, I think) to his mother. Then he started chanting "Mexico! Mexico!" as we approached the island. I couldn't find the words to tell him otherwise, literally.

At the beginning of our hike. We paid $4 each to get into a park we thought we had to walk through to get to the trail. It turned out we had missed the turn for our trail. We asked for our money back and the lady gave it to us! We like Catalina Islanders. Except for the creepy guy in the ice cream shop. He reminded us of the Comic Book Shop owner from the Simpsons.

About half-way up the mountain.

The beginning of our descent. If you look closely you can see the difference between the ocean and sky. It was a beautiful day! I sure hope Daniel and Nick had fun playing a $65 round of golf while Lexie and I went on a therapeutic, free hike.

Formal Night

In my attempt to not duplicate any of the pictures Lexie posted; here are some candids. It's almost as if we knew the camera was there.

Santi was the best server a girl could ask for. He brought me at least three desserts every night.

Ensenada, Mexi

That is one huge Mexi flagInstead of paying $100 for a driving tour of Ensenada so kindly offered by Carnival, we opted to go to a beach about 30 minutes away.

My wonderful, intelligent husband. Yup, they dug for over an hour.

Sometimes the best things are left unsaid. But you can write them. In the sand.

Posing by the ocean. Who doesn't want their picture taken by a drinking monkey sitting on a banana? Maybe the better question is who does? Lexie made me take it.

Idiots. That should be said out loud. Anyone want an over-sized sombrero? It doesn't fit in our apartment. It's not like a poster of Atlantic City- we don't need an over-sized version in our place.The ship. Ain't she a beauty? I just wanted to call the ship "she". I included this picture because of what is going on the background. Is that guy on the truck lift cleaning the ship windows? Look at the center of the photo below the red line on the ship.

Around Paradise
Paradise is the name of the ship. While the cruise was great, I hope that isn't what paradise really is. We forgot to take a lot of pictures of the inside of the ship, but here is the main lobby area.
Here is our room. They turned down our sheets each night and gave us a towel animal. This one was a stingray. The last day we were just on the ship. We found a less-windy spot and laid out for a few hours. Daniel and Nick spent hours trying to find each other on the ship. These ships need paging systems! There are too many places you could be: the art auction, the hairy chest contest, the gym, the casino, Rex (the disco), the soft serve ice cream machine, the library, the piano bar, the mini golf course, the shuffleboard board (?), the ping pong tables, any one of the 3 pools or hot tubs, and numerous other rooms. We actually got a lot of exercise walking up and down the stairs.

We played a lot of spades in the library. Daniel and Nick lost every game. Daniel cried.

Encino

Back at the Michels compound, we hung out around the newly-installed fire pit and had deep discussions on politics and American society. No really. We did. Things got heated and not just because of the fire pit.
I don't know if you read this McKenna, but thank you for your hospitality! You made our trip great!

All in all, our trip was just what the doctor ordered. It was our first trip not to visit family and we are still married, so I would call it a success. The only failure was not seeing the cast of "The Hills" or going to the famous Le Deux they frequent. I attempted to not duplicate any of the pictures Lexie posted. If you want to read more about our trip from a Cottle's perspective you can look at her blog.

Cruise+Sombreros= One great vacation

Since Carly will more than likely put up pictures and comments about our recent cruise to Mexico with our friends Nick and Lexie I thought I would post a few thoughts from our trip before someone that is smart and can spell does it first.

1. When on a trip make goals. They really focus your trip and make you a more effective tourist. Nick and I decided early on that we needed sombreros. We found them in Mexico and our lives are now better for it.

2. I hate Southern California. This is not a shot at people who love it there, but seriously it kind of sucks. It is really crowded which means traffic at all times. Plus for all the fuss over In and Out burgers they are no better than a Big Mac really. I can't stand the Lakers or Dodgers even if I am not sure why. I had fun visiting, but I guess what I am saying is that I will never ever live there. And obviously none of this could ever apply to San Clemente, but that went without saying.

3. Jet Blue is awesome. I like leg room and TV. They give me both so I like them.

4. Going on a cruise is way more fun than originally thought. How can you not like unlimited food, being lazy, playing cards with friends, and seeing places you may never go to again.

5. People like to drink in Mexico. Why do people get so excited to drink in another country? Why not just drink at home and not waste money on a cruise? What is the thought process there?
Guy: Lets get wasted today.
Other Guy: No way man we will look like alcoholics drinking all day on a weekday.
Guy: Lets go on a cruise and get wasted in Mexico.
Other Guy: Now you are talking. Its perfectly fine to get wasted on a weekday if you are in another country.
Guy: Great Point.

6. Lexie's sister introduced us to brain typing which initially I thought was a ton of crap. I have since been converted mainly because it is eerily accurate. It is like a predictor of personality and motor skill abilities. It would take way too long to explain everything about it, but its done by a guy named John Niednagel. It is very interesting and very useful in sports because it can predict what kind of player someone will be like based on their brain type. Just look it up, it sounds crazy, but is really really accurate.

7. I like traveling. Maybe it is part of the reason I like my job, but I like seeing places I have never been before. Even if Mexico is dirty now I can say I have been there. I think Carly and I should take more trips.

New Hair!

So I am mainly posting this because Daniel is in Tampa and he wanted to see more pictures of my hair, but then I thought I would show everyone. I went to get my hair cut and colored (aah!) today and ended up chopping off more than I had planned. Here are some pictures. It's hard to see the color, but I wanted it to look really natural so I put in a beige blond highlight and an auburn/brown lowlight. I am trying to get used to the short hair. I don't remember the last time my hair was so short. Let me know what you think!

Tales of Being a TA

Here is a countdown of the 5 dumbest things I have experienced as a TA:

5. Telling me that I don't understand his answer to a test question (a wrong answer) because he is from Mexico. He asked if I had ever spent time in Mexico and said I must not understand his answer because I hadn't.

4. Getting upset after I taught class and I only taught for 35 minutes of the designated hour and twenty minute class period. He said I should have told them all I wasn't going to use the whole time and started class later so they didn't get to get up so early. I guess he would have preferred me to use the remaining 45 minutes to tell long-drawn out stories that are somewhat related to the course content.

3. Arguing with me for 10 minutes in a homework help session about how she had done a problem the exact same way I had done it and was not getting the same answer. When I finally stopped the session and looked at her computer our answers were the same; my answer was rounded up to the nearest dollar and hers was out 2 decimal places. The correct answer was in hundreds of thousands of dollars and she kept saying hers was in millions of dollars. Those decimal points are tricky things!

2. Emailing me and saying she "thought" she had passed in an assignment on time, but "couldn't remember" and thought she should email it to me now "just in case I lost it". Last week I also got an email with this exact wording: "Here is my assignment. I hope that the attachment goes through. If it did not I will not be able to get you a hard copy till Thursday, so I hope that I will not be penalized for that." Yeah, it is always uncertain whether an attachment will go through, right? A preemptive protest against getting points taken off for passing in the assignment late. I have had many experiences like these two. I would rather have a student just tell me the truth; either that or have a good lie. I am a full-time student too. I understand you get really busy sometimes so if you come to me and tell me why you didn't get it done I will probably let it slide (at least once). To steal a story from Phil's experience as a TA, he had a student from Texas (Daniel's home ward) last semester who emailed him one week and said he couldn't pass in a big paper because his grandfather had died. He emailed the next week and said his father had just died. Unfortunately for him, Phil knew he was from the same place in Texas and asked Daniel if he knew him. I then mentioned the story to Courtney (who had just been back at home for Thanksgiving) who said, "Well, since I just saw his father at church last Sunday, it is a pretty safe bet he is still alive." It turns out that student's grandfather did actually pass away, but I guess he thought getting another week's extension on the paper would require another family death.

1. Emailing me an assignment because he was in the hospital the day it was due. There is nothing inherently stupid about this. What was stupid is when I opened the attached assignment there was the name of another student in the class on it. You couldn't even take off the other student's name? Really?? L-A-Z-Y. Upon comparison with the assignment of the student whose name was on the emailed assignment, they were the exact same. Since I am the only TA and there are 50 students in the class, I never would have noticed if he had just taken the other student's name off.

Things I've Learned

I decided to use pictures to illustrate some things I've learned in the past year or so. Enjoy!

JUNE

1. Mountains in Utah can be beautiful in the summer.

2. Daniel should tell me when he's taking pictures.

3. Tyler is definitely a goober.

JULY
1. Daniel loves fireworks.

2. Even when they are blowing up on his head.

3. Daniel should always wear sunscreen (he learned this too).

AUGUST

1. The Jersey Shore is still beautiful despite the trashy boardwalk next to it. If you go to the Jersey Shore, just avoid the boardwalk.

2. Matthew struggles putting sunscreen on. At least he puts it on (Daniel).

SEPTEMBER
1. Lake Powell is gorgeous (I took these pictures).
2. Daniel and I cannot wakeboard. I hate water sports.
3. But we can surf. I hate water sports less.
4. Murder mystery parties are fun. The most fun part may be dressing up in very un-PC costumes.

OCTOBER
1. Big couches are awesome! Also, you can sell anything on Craigslist.

NOVEMBER
1. Matt tries really hard to be like Jim Halpert. I make ugly faces.
2. It is always funny when dad imitates Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, always.
3. I like to make people take weird pictures (look at our hands).
4. We miss Anthony and Carrie! (and the rest of the family, but especially them) This is the only picture I had with both of you from Thanksgiving.

DECEMBER
1. Daniel and I make amazing gingerbread structures.
2. I mean REALLY amazing. Nope, that's not the actual Marriott Center; it's a replica made from graham crackers, marshmallows, Lexie's strong-as-nails frosting, and candy.
3. Anyone can be Santa Claus with a $5 hat from Shopko. We didn't buy it or anything; Daniel just wore it around the store.
4. The Nielson family is good-looking. Also, cars can be faster than bippoty-bop.
5. Airplane is fun at any age and weight.
6. Varsity jackets are back. (Daniel says: "Back? When were they gone?")
7. Daniel is a bigger redneck than anyone could have imagined.
Wow, I learned a lot in December!!

JANUARY
1. Booker is cooler than ever.
2. It can snow a lot in Utah.
3. When it snows and you don't plow a parking lot, that parking lot becomes 6+ inches of ice. I am not exaggerating. I measured it with a ruler/three hole punch.
3a. I also learned that it can be very satisfying to spend hours breaking up the ice and shoveling it away. Caution: your body will hurt for at least 3 days after doing so.
4. Daniel is going to be a great coach. Also, refs get in the way- A LOT.
5. Something exciting must have been happening here.
6. Garlan McCoy is funny. Look in the top right corner of the picture.

FEBRUARY
1. Guitar hero captivates everyone. Ben was probably better at it before he became a dad. Just a guess.


2. Guitar Hero also makes people make funny faces.
3. Daniel is great at picking up to-go orders from TGIFriday's on Valentine's Day. Don't worry, that Victoria's Secret bag is my present to Daniel (cologne).
4. Margaret makes good arm candy.
5. It is hard to get a big group of people to look at one camera.
6. It's hard to get 4 people to look at one camera.
7. I need nieces and nephews who insist on making this face in pictures. You know who you are- why don't you get on that?

MARCH
1. Daniel loves smoothies. He also enjoys any blender that has a dispenser.

This was really just a way to tell you all what we've been up to since last summer.

March Madness

Unless you have been in hiding in the wilderness for the last few days you know that the half billion dollar a year business that is March Madness has begun. And I love it. How can you not love non stop basketball for weeks on end. Teams that most people have never heard of show up and win games against the big boys and people find themselves rooting for teams like George Mason, Butler, Davidson, and THE Drake (Seinfeld lovers will get that). No regular mainstream fan will ever hear about these teams, but they are the ones that make the whole tournament worth it. I mean lets be honest here, what is the best part of the tournament? Without question it is the first two rounds. After that unless "your" team is still in it you find yourself less interested. When you think about it when that final game is two of the big boys like UNC and UCLA and then the game is a 15 point blowout you find yourself saying, "boy that Butler vs. Tennessee game was wayyyy better than this." It is all kind of backwards because all the good stuff is in the beginning and the end is generally nothing more than a whimper and the Tar Heels or Bruins end up holding the ugliest trophy known to man. It is just so anticlimactic. That's why I love and root for the underdogs, because they are what sports are about. They have nothing more than heart and desire to win and when it all comes together to trump talent it is a great thing and really its what sports are all about.

During the last few years I have had the privilege of being a part of teams that have gone to the Women's NCAA tournament and it is amazing. I learned something this year and that is never to take that for granted. I just assumed in my first year coaching that we would go because we always do. Well we were far from being able to go and it has made me appreciate those previous trips so much more. I hate losing anything as it is, even if it is an argument with Carly (and we know these "discussions" happen quite frequently), so this last year was very frustrating. In the end I think I will be a better coach for it because I now know just how awful it feels to lose. Anyways I will quit writing about stuff people don't care about now, but I figured I would give it a shot. My editor (Carly) will more than likely make fun of this post, but until she is willing to contribute she can stick it. (I hope she doesn't read this).

Now on to better stuff. We can file this under the creepy side of blogspot, but I can't resist. I must admit that I have a new idol and he comes in the form of a 4 or 5 year old. I am really not too sure of his age, but I only know him through his blog. Carly found him through her cousins blog and then his parents were friends of friends of friends. No one we actually know knows this kid, but he is awesome. I mean freaking awesome. If we were all as awesome and insightful as this kid was then the world would be a much better place. I would invite all who see this to give it a look. Here is a sampling...
"If I swallowed my eyeball, I could look down at the food in my stomach."...
Here is another...
Smith: "Mom, I pray to the superheroes everyday. At breakfast, lunch, dinner and at bed."
Mom: "What about Heavenly Father, do you pray to him?"
Smith: "No . . . only superheros."

Now I don't want his parents to think I am some weirdo, but this kid is hilarious. Anyways give it a look. ***Special note to Booker***If you would get on the ball and say awesome stuff like this you could be my idol. I am just giving you some incentive to talk more often.***

Game Time

Ok so it has been almost a year since my last post on here, but I figure its time to give it another shot. Last time around I focused on my bitter war of words with Booker. Since then we have signed a couple of peace agreements and even joined each other for dinner a couple of times. With that said I think that I may just try to let everyone know what we are up to, but if anyone has an idea or recommendations as to who I could have a bleefing war (refer to last blog post for meaning) with I am more than open to that too. And we will always keep open the possibility of a feud with Bookers yet to be born sibling.

The last year or so I worked as the Director of Basketball Operations, or DOBO as I demand to be called, for the BYU women's basketball team. So I guess you could say I have at least started in the right direction to become a real coach. Carly has been finishing up her masters in public administration and is starting to look for jobs. If she hadn't been so lazy in school then maybe she would be able to find a job. What a bum (obviously this is the opposite of reality).

With all of this said, all two people that actually may check this occasionally can start looking for more frequent posts. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I would assume that this blog will be pretty dang good.