Madness Update

Have I mentioned how much I love March Madness? Because I probably should mention it again…I do love March Madness.

Now, I have to wait until Saturday to find out if Kansas and Kentucky actually make it to the finals...but with Syracuse and UNC out...and Kansas and Kentucky in the Final 4...I think I might get to scoop up a bunch of points and can be declared the winner of 2 out of my 4 Madness pools. Isn’t that crazy? I mean, my bracket did take a beating during round 2 and 3 of the tourney…but hey, with those big upsets…I made a huge comeback and jumped over the competition. How surprising is that? Haha.

I'm trying not to celebrate too much before the games this weekend...but hahaha…you all know me, I just can't help it. :-) So here's to the awesomeness that is March Madness!!!

Snow

Is it the end of the weekend already? Man, it went by waaay too fast. I spent Friday snowboarding (it was a perfect day to hit the slopes), Saturday watching Madness games, playing video games and going to the Sharks game (thank god the Sharks won) and Sunday at the spa with the girls and having dinner with the family (which was super chill and relaxing). Overall, it was a nice weekend.

Despite being busy, nothing particularly noteworthy happened this weekend, so...I'm just gonna talk about my snowboarding trip on Friday. As always, I took a number of pictures on the trip...however, I wish they truly conveyed how awesome it was up on the mountain. Now, I know it's been about a year since I've been up to the mountains to go snowboarding, so I'm sure my snow loving friends are not super impressed with the shots of the view...but I found it so amazing from the top that I almost didn't want to find my way down.

We got up to Squaw (my new favorite resort btw) pretty early...and as always, I enjoyed the morning walk from the car to the ticket window to the main lift...why? Haha...there's something very "warrior-like" that I really enjoy...stomping up in my snowboarding boots, carrying my snowboard and being surrounded by my fellow snow enthusiast friends ready to take on the mountain. It's a pretty cool feeling and always pumps me up and gets me psyched to jump on the lift and throw myself down the mountain.

We started the morning by taking the main gondola to the middle of the mountain and then promptly jumped on the lift that took us straight up to the very top. I looked out at the view...and was totally and completely amazed. It was so pretty and breathtaking that despite the cold, the wind and the chance of getting frostbite...I might've stayed up there a little longer. Like I said, I wish my pictures could really capture its beauty.

Oh another thing I wish my pictures could've captured was the actual height and drop from the top of the mountain. After I got over the awesome view and was ready to attack the slopes...I looked down and promptly thought that getting down the mountain was how I was going to die. The drop from the top of the mountain was pretty scary to look at and made me regret not doing a few practice runs before heading straight up to the top. But alas...I snapped one last mental picture of the view, strapped myself to my board, pointed it straight down and threw myself down the mountain. Haha. I did that about 7 or 8 times over the course of the day from different parts of the mountain and enjoyed every minute of it.

So anyway, overall, it was a pretty good trip. I'm happy to say that the hours that I've been spending at the gym have really paid off. After a full day of being on my board, I'm sore but definitely not feeling like death. You snowboarders who have tried hitting the slopes without working in those squats and push-ups well beforehand...know (and understand) that feeling of death that I'm referring to. Haha.

T-Shirt

Too bad the weather was kinda crappy this weekend. I mean, not only did it rain periodically, but it was just super cold outside. I feel bad because I think I brought this storm back with me from Hawaii. Haha...whoopsies. Although, to tell you the truth, I did enjoy a lot of indoor activities this weekend and found some time to watch some March Madness games. Stupid Duke, Missouri and Florida State totally screwed me over this weekend. But at least Kentucky and Kansas squeaked by and are still alive and kicking. Barely.

Anyway, I don't have too much to say but I just wanted to share a picture of a really cool t-shirt I came across this weekend. I love it!

Oahu

Hawaii was fun. I got a chance to spend a good deal of time on wedding stuff…but also tried to save time to go exploring. Oahu has changed so much since the last time I was there. And, to be honest, the last time I was in Oahu was probably about ten years ago, so it has definitely been awhile. It was nice to be able to explore, eat and play tourist on the island. Although, I still maintain that my hands-down favorite island is still Maui. Kona and Kauai are too quiet for me, Oahu is too similar to a busy city…but Maui is just right. But all in all, I had a good time.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve had a hard time adjusting to being back. I know that I was only gone for about five days, but there’s something about coming back right after Daylight Savings Time and then diving straight back into the swing of things that just totally knocks you on your ass. Typically, I’m a morning person and I don’t have any problems dealing with mornings in general, however having to wake up bright and early on Wednesday morning was complete torture. And, of course, I’ve been staying up late the last couple nights to slave away on my pictures. Couple those things together…and it makes for a tough couple days. So I’m looking forward to this upcoming weekend and getting a chance to catch up on rest, watch some Madness games and relax.

Anyway, I’ve finished sorting, uploading and captioning all my pictures from my trip. Check ‘em out. Oh, and on a random side note, based on the number of pictures that I had to sort through, I think I should seriously consider adding a photo section to my site that is solely devoted to all my food pictures. I actually do take a ton of photos of food. Ha!

Madness

I spent the last couple days in Hawaii and have come to realize that I am already in desperate need of a vacation. Yes, that’s right, I need another vacation. I know you people have no sympathy for me, but just hear me out. Yes, I was in Hawaii…and yes, it did provide me with a nice excuse to get out of town. However, it rained/drizzled almost every day I was there, there was some unexpected wedding drama to deal with and, let’s be honest, I was only there for a couple days and it just wasn’t enough time. So…I think I deserve another vacation...and I am totally ready to go. Who’s with me?

OK, as much I want to talk about my vacation, that’s gonna have to wait. There are more important things to discuss at the moment because...it’s Madness time. This year was hard. I struggled with my bracket and am still not totally confident with my picks. Since I was under a time crunch, and I spent this past week totally preoccupied, my bracket might completely go up in flames over the next couple days. Shit. I partially filled out my bracket on the flight home last night and had to finish it early this morning. I mean, how good are the #1’s this year? I’m not too sure. Do I play it safe or go big and pick some upsets? Again, I’m not sure. What to do…what to do…Ugh.

But, hey, I do love March Madness and find myself in four different pools this year. Haha. There are some pretty great teams lined up, which will make for some awesome matchups. So whether I’m ready or not, my bracket is done and games start bright and early tomorrow morning. Let the games begin.

Worry

What’s the point of being worried about something? I find myself worried about all sorts of things over the course of a given day…most of which I can’t change. So why do I worry…? I don’t know.

Pearls Before Swine

March

It's March...and it's time to get excited! I have a lot to be happy about in March because it's gonna be a freakin' awesome month. Why, you ask. Well let me tell you why...

First up, it's my birthday month. You notice this shameless plug announcing my birthday right...? Hehe. I only mention this because I will be living it up and going out all month long, so don't judge me. I plan to eat (and possibly drink) to my heart's content...All. Month. Long. It's gonna be epic and we're all gonna have a blast. Who needs a better excuse than that?

Second, Giants Spring Training is in March. OK...it's less exciting for me this year since I'm missing the annual trip to Scottsdale. But hey, I'm missing the annual trip because I'm going to be in Hawaii...and I definitely can't complain about that.

And last, but not least, it's almost time for the Madness. Yup, that's right, March Madness is around the corner and there is nothing that compares to the thrill of it all. Last year, due to the landslide of upsets, I actually won three of the four March Madness pools that I was in. Yes, can you believe that shit?!?! I know, I know...who would've thought that I could win more than one March Madness pool in a year? See, that just goes to show you how crazy and unpredictable these games can get. Ha! But I'm looking to keep my title and bring home a repeat. Gotta love the Madness. :-)

I'm so excited and totally ready. Bring on March!