Giants Parade

This morning Cat and I hopped on the Caltrain and went up to SF for the celebration parade held for the Giants.  It was an experience to say the least; there were people drinking and smoking on board, seemingly enjoying themselves.  I can't imagine how one even digests alcohol that early in the morning but maybe one day I will have first-hand experience and find out.  It was about an hour trip and the time passed rather quickly.  Cat and I chatted with some random people and with each other and we were excited upon our arrival.  Chants of, "Let's go, Giants!" started up and we were in somewhat of a daze as we were swept up in the crowd.  We followed everyone up a few blocks to the area of 4th and Market and were quickly being shoved, stepped on, elbowed in the ribs...the list goes on.  It was fun to be in a sea of orange and black and it all felt so perfect for Halloween.

We made our escape when things got rough and we grabbed lunch and began walking back to the train.  Along the way we saw on the former men's gymnast, Jason Shen, and Kristen's husband and son, Scott and Zack, respectively.  It was nice to be able to bump into them and talk for a few minutes before continuing on our way.  The train ride home was more subdued than the ride up but we arrived a few minutes late, making it difficult for me to get to the gym on time for my private lessons.  Cat and I literally ran from the train station to my car and I jumped in and was off.  This was especially entertaining given the fact that I was wearing boots...

After all the excitement I wound down a little in the gym; regular practice was cancelled but all us coaches had lessons with some of the girls.  I spent a couple of hours with two of the level 6's and then Cat and I did some core exercises and stretching.  When we finally dragged ourselves out of the gym we went back to my house, I lit the pumpkins, and we had some Trick-or-Treaters come to our door.  I love seeing the little kids in their costumes, especially some of my favorite kids at the gym.  When we are training sometimes I forget that they are just young kids and this serves as a good reminder :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!  I hope it was fun, safe, and enjoyable.

Moon Festival

It was another very early morning as Shenel and Cat met at my house at 5:30am so we could get on the road up to Petaluma.  It was pitch black outside when we left and really foggy while we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge but we made it safe and sound and had the pleasure of watching the sun rise along the way.  We arrived early and went straight to the hospitality room because we were all starving but unfortunately there was nothing there so we had sit and wait for a bit.  After finally filling our tummies we went out to the floor and greeted the level 5 team.  They had a good day and ended up winning, though unfortunately we didn't qualify anyone else to State so it was the end of the season for some of them.

We had a break between sessions so Loren, Cat, and I made the two-mile trek to the outlet mall and we went shopping for an hour or so.  We were pretty successful but also very tired so we decided to head back to the meet site where Michaela and Shenel were doing homework.  Cat and I took naps (or tried to) and it was nice to be outside enjoying the warm weather.

The meet took an interesting turn when we found out that there was a conflict in the information sent out to our parents and the information we were given as coaches.  Some of our level 4's began arriving but we were realizing that the start time was approaching and not everyone was there.  We were worried and then one of the parents told us that the team thought the meet started 30 min later than it actually did!  The discrepancy was never resolved and we were forced to get going and just shuttle kids in as soon as they got there.  It was a little unnerving for them and I felt bad for the little ones but they took it in stride and ended up winning second place as a team.  We were only four tenths away from first and I know we can make that up somewhere, especially because a couple of our top kids had uncharacteristic errors.

Next week Michaela and I will be in Sacramento for the level 6 state championships.  There are only three girls participating but it should be fun and I'm excited to see my family.  Tomorrow I think I'm going to sleep all day until practice to make up for all the lost hours I accumulated at the end of this week.  Lazy day sounds awesome :)

Around The World In 80 Drinks

Last night our apartment hosted a party that really came together and was a good time.  Megan and I spent HOURS coloring the day before and into the day of; we decided to make flags for all the countries people were representing and it turned into a very grandiose project but the apartment is now all decked out and looks awesome.  I unfortunately had work until 9pm so couldn't make it when people first started arriving but it was nice to come home to a full house and everyone enjoying themselves over a ton of different foods and drinks.  India, Australia, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, Italy, Kenya, Chile...all these and more were represented in some fashion which was fantastic!  It was also cool to see people get into it with their costumes and such.  It's always fun to see people and have them all gathered in the same room; we got in a little dancing and games to spice things up a bit and I think everyone liked the conversation and laid back feel it.  We're excited to move on to thinking about the next get-together and might try to start the decoration preparation a little farther in advance :)

Tonight I went to the Packard's house (where Alex lives) to help out with Warren's 45th birthday party.  It was a big to-do with party planners, a tent in the backyard, a food truck, and even live music!  Cale and I were in charge of getting things ready at the beginning and involving people in the music trivia quiz that had been put together.  It was fun to be there with Cale but unfortunately Alex was on babysitting duty after the original sitter canceled last minute so we didn't get the chance to see much of him throughout the night.  Cale and I left around 9:30 and things were still going strong so who knows how late the neighborhood will be up.

Tomorrow morning Cat and Shenel (co-workers) are meeting me here at 5:30am so we can make our way to Petaluma for a competition.  I'm excited to carpool because I really wasn't looking forward to driving the whole way on my own.  Hopefully the early morning won't be too bad...it will be my fourth in a row after two days of going to the gym bright and early and this morning where Cat and I got up to run campus loop before practice.  It's our last regular season meet with the 4's and 5's so hopefully those that are close to State can qualify and those that aren't can just put their best foot forward.  Three more weeks and my first compulsory season will be complete and then it's onwards and upwards to the optionals.

Australian Supply Co.

Yesterday I ventured down to San Jose to check out a shop I found online stocking all sorts of Australian goods.  I'm trying to prepare for the party we're hosting on Friday evening..."Around the World in 80 Drinks," where everyone coming brings things from a different country.  I of course decided to go with Australia since I deem myself a pseudo-Aussie and so I needed some authentic supplies.  Walking into the place brought me straight back to my time in Melbourne and the stores I became comfortable with there; all the brands looked familiar and it was somewhat comforting.  The stuff was expensive because everything is imported from half-way around the world, but it was worth it for this cause.  I ended up with a variety of biscuits (known as cookies here...Tim-Tams, ANZAC biscuits), a tube of yummy Vegemite, and some ginger beer.  I also bought a shirt to wear along with face tattoos that I'm really excited about.

This morning I completed the first step in baking lamingtons (sponge cake with chocolate and coconut...an Australian staple) and I will finish them tomorrow after letting them sit overnight, along with the Australian meat pies I'm planning on making.  I'm really looking forward to seeing it all come together; it's going to be a fun time and I can't wait to see what everyone brings!

Pastorino's Patch

Yesterday was a great, relaxing day that started with an early morning run from my house to The Dish, followed by hiking The Dish and heading over to the farmer's market on California Avenue.  I was in the company of Cat, Skoly, and Leni so together we had a good time.  Cat and I came back to my place afterwards and took showers before heading out to lunch; we decided to try going to Redwood City to find someplace new and we ended up at a little restaurant downtown.  It was really good and nice to have some comfort food in our tummies on a blustery autumn day.

A couple of us had talked about going to a pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin in time for Halloween and yesterday afternoon we made it happen.  CJ, Cat, and I got in the car and made our way (though it wasn't easy...lots of traffic) to Half Moon Bay.  Cat fell asleep in the back but CJ and I enjoyed the drive and found premier parking right in front of our destination.  We walked around the place for a little while before settling on a couple of pumpkins.  It was fun to see all the little kids there with their parents, enthralled with all the happenings.

We got home last night in time for dinner and a movie; CJ chose The Blair Witch Project and while she seemed to get something out of it, Megan and I weren't as fortunate.  Neither of us really enjoyed it and actually found it somewhat laughable, but spending time together and attempting to get in the spirit of the season was fun anyways.

Waking up to the rain this morning was nice but it makes it difficult to get motivated enough to go running.  I'm not looking forward to getting soaked in anything other than sweat, but I think we are at that point in the year and I'm going to have to learn how to bundle up and take it.  Whether that learning process begins today or not is yet to be determined, but step one is thinking about it so at least I'm on the right path.

Emerald City Invitational

We were finally in the comfort of our own gym during competition today because Twisters hosted the Emerald City Invitational.  All classes were cancelled yesterday so that the parents could come in, move equipment, and transform the gym into a competition site.  I walked in this morning and hardly recognized the place, but once we were out on the floor it was all the same as we're used to.  The day started off with a bang as the level 4 competitors swept the competition and we were able to add three new all-around competitors and two new state championship qualifiers!  The girls really turned things up a notch today and I'm really proud of the way they held themselves together under the pressure of defending their territory.  Afterwards the level 5 team took the floor and the momentum continued to build.  The fate of qualifying for three of the girls came down to the last event but they were all able to do it and in the end they were also able to pull out a team win.  I don't work with them that often and I'm never really on the floor for their competitions, but it was fun to see them out there and I tried to give them input when I could.  The end of the day came with our five level 6 girls, who did what they could but ended up in third place.  Unfortunately, it was the end of the season for two of the girls because they were unable to get the score they need for State, but for the remaining three it was a decent day highlighted by a 9.725 for one of them on beam.

As coaches we are really lucky to have such supportive parents and they did a wonderful job with making sure everything was just right throughout the entire day.  I know there are some people still at the gym right now making sure that everything is put back in place for practice on Monday and I just have to say thank you to them for all the hard work!  It just makes our job that much easier.  Go Twisters!

Happy Birthday, CJ!

It's official, everyone in my class is finally 24!  Last night we had a class dinner at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate CJ's birthday and it was great to have T here for the evening and for all of us to be together (well, minus our east coast friend...Blur!).  I brought along a pumpkin spice cake which we totally could have done without given the fact that they brought CJ a birthday dessert and we ordered a slice of red velvet cheesecake which was HUGE, but instead we all had samples of all three desserts and the waiters pretty much had to roll us out the door when we were finished.  After dinner we intended on heading home because a couple of us had to get up this morning, but we ended up standing by the car and talking for about an hour...pretty typical for us and made us think about how we used to do that almost every night freshman year at training table dinners; it's so easy for us to just continue on and on, pretty much about nothing.

We gave CJ a couple of gifts:  Blair sent her some beautiful flowers, I got her a wine rack, and Weedge helped fill it with two really good looking bottles of wine (though it's not like we needed help filling it...part of the reason why I got it is because CJ always has 5-6 bottles sitting on the counter, haha).  We also presented her with her class gift, a movie entitled, "Sh*t That Carly Janiga Says."  Everyone got one of those movies this year and we modeled it after a popular YouTube craze that went on for awhile.  It was fun to make but even better to see her uncontrollable laughter the entire way through.

Happy Birthday, CJ!  I'm glad I was able to be here  to celebrate with you this year and I can't wait until next year when we get to do it all over again :)

Pumpkin Perfection

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a little bit of an obsession with Fall.  I love the cooler weather, the implication that holidays are coming up, and the coziness that a pumpkin-scented candle can provide (speaking of which, mine is lit right now and the room smells fabulous).  This week I decided to whip up some pumpkin-y Halloween cupcakes and they turned out really well...I mean anything mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg has to be good, right?  Right.  These little treats not only look really cute, but they are moist and oh-so-yummy.  I had leftover pumpkin purée and I didn't know what I was going to do with it until this morning when I stumbled upon a recipe for pumpkin pancakes; I made them for breakfast and it was a great way to start my day!  I still have some left and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow morning when I can wake up and enjoy them.  There is also a little bit of purée still in the can so I'm going to have to see what other recipe I can try.  It's a fun way to fill some of the extra hours I have on a Sunday afternoon.

This week the team is getting ready for our home meet, which will be on Saturday.  Unfortunately my sessions coincide with the Big Game so I will have to keep track of the score online.  I'm ready for another year of bragging rights and can't wait until we have The Axe safely in our hands.  It's an awesome tradition and I'm excited to smack talk against my co-workers and my dad...let the friendly rivalry continue :)  And as always, GO CARD (and even more importantly BEAT KAL)!!

Aloha Invitational

This past weekend my Twisters girls traveled to Santa Clara to compete at Airborne's Aloha Invitational.  We officially had four sessions in one day but because I don't work with the 5's (that will change on Wednesday!) I didn't have to be there in the morning.  Instead I got up just as early but went to the gym for the athlete warrior class and to coach the level 4 girls who aren't quite ready to compete. After that I had lunch with Alex and then finally made my way over, catching the end of the second session.

When it was finally time for me to get into action it was about 2pm and the level 6's were up.  They started on floor, ended on beam, and overall it was okay.  There was nothing spectacular and we still have a long ways to go before State, but I think it was a good thing for the girls to see where they stack up against some tougher competition.  We have 3/5 of the team qualified to State right now, with one meet remaining...time to put in some hard work!!

The level 4's are always fun to work with and they participated in the final session of the day.  They also started on floor...all 17 of them at one time.  Not all of them are competing all-around so we were able to push some through a bit quicker, but the majority of the time we were all together.  I ended up with two bar champions, we had a girl compete floor for the first time (and she ROCKED it!), and we qualified two more girls to State.  As a team we came in second behind San Mateo, who looked great all day long.  The girls look more comfortable with competition which is important as we head down the final stretch and as the bar coach, I really think we've improved a lot on that event as the season has progressed.  The Twisters home meet is next in two weeks...hopefully the comfort of home will help some of the girls step up and qualify if they haven't already.

This weekend was also Stanford's Reunion Homecoming, which means that campus was packed with alumni and that SWG had a gathering yesterday morning.  I got bagels and coffee for everyone who was meeting at the gym at 10am and we were able to watch a little bit of practice and mingle before we organized a Q&A panel.  It was fun to answer all the questions the girls had, though weird to finally be on this side.  Afterwards I stayed behind to talk with one of the senior captains and two hours later I finally made my way home.  There was something in the air yesterday that really made it feel like autumn and I absolutely LOVED it; fall is my favorite season and I'm so glad it's finally here.  I celebrated by going to Target to get a pumpkin scented candle and Halloween decorations, among other things.  I went for an evening run, came home to a citrus salmon salad that Megan made, and then my roommates and I capped off the evening by watching The Lion King, which was epic.

Chico/Butte Meadows

 This weekend I ended up in Chico after work on Saturday.  It was a long drive from the Bay Area and I was happy to get a good meal in at the Italian Cottage, apparently one of the favorites around town.  Afterwards my brother showed me some of the highlights of downtown and we stopped for ice cream, a major plus.  Kenny is in school but had some down time this weekend which was perfect and I was able to see his new apartment for the first time.  It's a pretty nice place and the complex is full of college students so he's right at home.  Chico is definitely different than Palo Alto/Menlo Park and there was a lot for me to take in.  After the tour we played a couple of card games before I called it a night because I was so exhausted from my trip.

Yesterday we woke up and got bagels (Sunday tradition!) before heading out to Bear Hole in Bidwell Park.  I've heard my brother and family talk about the place many times but have never been.  Unfortunately I was ill-prepared for the hike we went on (not dressed properly, no water bottle...) but when we arrived where we needed to be it was pretty great.  There were lava rocks everywhere with a river running through them, so we had a nice place to stop and dip our feet in the water.  We stayed and relaxed there for a little while before turning around and heading to the grocery store to pick up some food; we were gathering stuff for dinner up in Butte Meadows where my grandparents have a cabin.  It was a windy drive but nice to spend some time up there, away from the world.  Kenny helped them put up some of their Halloween decorations while we still had some light and then threw the steaks on the BBQ.  Unfortunately I had to cut the evening short because I needed to get down to Sacramento in the same night so that I wouldn't have an extremely long drive when I got up this morning.  I made it to my parents' house at around 11pm and got to hear about their weekend in Disneyland and LA.  By the sound of it they had an absolutely amazing time and I'm really jealous!

This week at the gym we are going to be getting ready for another competition with the compulsories, this time at Airborne in Santa Clara.  Luckily we all compete on Saturday so Sunday will still be free.  I'm looking forward to seeing improvement from all of the girls and giving some of them the chance to finally compete all-around and qualify to State.  Crossing-fingers for a successful outing!