Mexican Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Mexico. 

Laying on the beach, soaking up the sun and doing absolutely nothing for 10 days?

Awesome.

Seeing a manta ray coming straight towards you just as you're about to dive into a huge wave?
Not-so-awesome. But priceless!

{Some much needed beach time}

One of the highlights was going to the Vallarta Zoo.

They hand you a bag full of snacks for the animals, and then send you on your merry way. It was like the ultimate petting zoo. 

{This guy had A LOT of slobber. It was gross} 

{Feeding the flamingos!}

{I high-fived this tiger. We're pretty much best friends now}

{HAPPY (belated) THANKSGIVING!!}

October Overload

This month has been crazy busy! We can't believe that October is already almost over.

Here are some highlights:

We teamed up with our Menlo Park friends to ride a ferry across the bay to Alameda, and ride bikes around the island.

{The view of the city}

After we landed back in the city, we organized an impromptu bike riding party down the pier and through the streets of SF. So fun!

{New Menlo Park friends!}

We headed down to LA to watch the Utes take on UCLA at the Rose Bowl. 

{GO Utes!}

{The Bowen boys}

While we were in LA, we stopped by Hollywood....

{Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding}

and of course Mandie couldn't pass up a trip to Disneyland.

 {Our group}

 {For me having a moustache is like.... throwing a frisbee}

**My favorite mustache video**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cnOFTkpCFI

{Our costumes for Mickey's Halloween Party were a huge hit!}

We cheered on our 49ers to a victory over the Seahawks...

{49er Faithful!}

We went to the pumpkin patch at Half Moon Bay...

{We picked them right out of the field they grew in!} 

Jamie came into town to watch the Giants...

 {Jamie and Jonathan attempting to score tickets to Game 2 of the World Series}

and to top it all off this weekend...

UTES (finally) WIN.

GIANTS WIN THE WORLD SERIES.

HAPPY OCTOBER!

The Crazy Cardinal and the Unbelievable Utes

Last Saturday was a CRAZY day. 

It was a completely football-filled, fun day. 

First, we kicked things off with a little tailgating action over at Stanford. (Thanks, Bo!) The ribs and the cornbread were delicious. Really, the food was to die for. 

We especially loved the football helmet centerpieces, that we of course HAD to try on. 

{lookin' good}

{down, set, hike!}

On our way over to the tailgate we ran into the band. Literally.

{They were just playing/skipping/marching around the entire crowd, NBD}

And, I ran into the mascot. I'm a huge fan (as you can tell by the shirt)

{I need to work on getting a better picture. I chickened out and had Jonathan take it when the tree stopped to hug the little girl. Embarrassed...}

Our tailgating efforts paid off, we scored free tickets! (Thanks Aaron!)
Boo-yah. Lower level, GA seats. Don't mind if I do!

{Go Cardinal!}

Unfortunately, we had to leave at halftime to go host a BYU-Utah game watch party for the BAUU chapter. We didn't feel so bad then, since the game had kinda been a drag, but the second-half of this game turned out to be crazy.

And then of course, as we all know, the Utes beat BYU. In an unbelievable fashion. Say what you will, but at the end of the day we won. Three times.

Sucks to suck.

One Way or Another...

I love the 80's.

I am an 80's girl through and through. I blame my parents. I take much pride in the fact that I was born in the 80's (1989, but I still claim it). It was such a great generation. Everything was over the top and so out there. I especially love 80's music, and can sing along with all the top hits, word-for-word. Last week, we were given free tickets to the Blondie and Devo concert at Mountain Winery. 

Awesome. 

Jonathan is a total music buff and LOVES going to concerts. I'm still warming up to the whole concert thing. Don't get me wrong I love music, especially anything with a good beat. But....  I just have a hard time enjoying concerts, especially when I'm not familiar with the music.

But..... We were long overdue for a concert date-night and since the tickets were free and it was an artist that I actually knew, I figured we'd give it a try. 

So glad that we did.

It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Blondie is well into her 60's and she's still got it. She might have been a little sloshed to pull it off, but hey. She put on quite the show. I might have even found my Halloween outfit for this year. 

{Not the best quality, but you get the idea}

My biggest surprise of the night: DEVO. Blondie actually opened for Devo. We all thought this was odd, because Blondie seems to be more well-known. Devo was AWESOME. It was like stepping back into an 80's music video. It was so terribly awesome. Jonathan and I couldn't stop laughing. 

Jonathan's biggest surprise of the night: Mandie knowing every single word to One Way or Another, Whip It, Secret Agent Man, Heart of Glass, Satisfaction and many other songs. 

ROCK ON.

GAMEDAY

Today was the day. 

GAMEDAY.

Jonathan and I still struggle with not being in the stadium for games, so we make it a point to throw spectacular gamewatch parties with yummy food and elaborate decor. This season opener did not disappoint. We are so lucky to have so many Ute friends that come and celebrate with us!

{watching the Utes on the new PAC-12 network}

{mirror decor}

And my favorite...

Dessert.

{homemade football oreo cookies? oh my, yes.}

These bad boys are a favorite in the Haskell home. However, it dawned on me the other day that these would be awesome if I shaped them like footballs. And awesome they were.

Good food.

Good company.

Good game.

GO UTES.

1st and 10

That's right folks. According to Jonathan, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's football season.

Our house is in a full scale remodel as we pull out all of our old swag from college. You'd think we were decorating for Christmas! I even crafted a new table centerpiece for the occasion.

{Cool, huh?}

We're trying something new this season.

Fantasy football.

I know it sounds nuts, but it was actually my idea. Since I work for a former pro-football player and I now have a hometown team to call my own, I thought we should give it a shot. Yes, I'm the one who suggested it. 

Crazy? Maybe. 

Competitive? YES.

GAME ON.