Mya's Tricks!

Today I've been commenting on videos my cousin and uncle have put up of their dogs doing some awesome tricks. I have kind of been inspired and started teaching Mya a few. She knows a few basic commands but today I taught her how to play dead when I "shoot" her and how to be "sneaky" by crawling on the floor. Then I got a little ambitious and shot her WHILE she was being sneaky. Pretty funny to me at least.

Now due to my cousin's inventive and comedic character, a trait directly from the Coury genome, he has developed a spreadsheet that tracks the score of tricks that our dogs know. It's me, Evan and my Uncle Mike. I'm 10 points shy of second so I have some work to do. Here's my first video of Mya's second day of training on her two new tricks!

80 Degrees of Summer

What a weekend!!! Not only was it in the 80's but it was jam packed! I should have known it was going to be good because Friday night set it all off.

Friday was pretty relaxing. Did some scrap booking, went to the dog park, played a softball game. The game was so so for me but one of my teammates offered me a teaching job for the whole month of September! She just had a baby and wants more time so BAM! I got some work.

Softball tourney in Ferndale happened Saturday. Now, long story short, I kicked ASS at the tourney. Minus a couple fielding errors, I hit the crap out of the ball. 2 triples and a home run were my highlights. I even got a free drink at a local bar because of the HR. We swept all 3 games that day. I had Mya with me and When we got back to my car, she REFUSED to get in the car. Imagine you are wearing clothes to go snowboarding or skiing...and that you were hanging out in 80 degree weather...THEN you had to get into a car, wearing those clothes and the temp inside there was near 100 degrees. That was probably what my dog felt. So we ran to a Rite Aid and I bought the biggest bottle of water I could and drenched her with it. She was a much happier dog afterwards. For dinner, my lovely fiance took me to a new restaurant called Ciao in Coupeville. Its VERY authentic Neapolitan place and VERY good. Call me up and I'll take you out there!

Sunday, I helped an old teammate of mine move to her new house with her husband. I played ball with Jacki at the UW and I played against her in high school! During the move, when I had time to take a little break, I couldn't help but realize how much we are all growing up, and how fast. I swear it was yesterday we were throwing parties and taking midterms...now we are getting married, buying houses and starting families! Don't ever let yourself be afraid of growing up, cause it is actually a lot of fun and something to really look forward to!

Now the most ultimate, weirdest and fun thing that happened this weekend was my slowpitch game Sunday night. Should have known it was going to be interesting because only 7 people showed up! The other team was short one player but they agreed to play a fun game. I was playing an alright game at shortstop and doing alright at the plate. Around the 3rd inning I hit a double and the shortstop starting sparking up a convo with me. Just some little chit chat and what not. Well this chit chat/joking (he constantly said I was showing him up) went on the whole game. Afterwards, when I was at my car dusting myself off and what not, he came up to me and introduced himself. Then he asked, "You got a number?" What kind of question is that? Who DOESN'T have a number. lol. I responded with "Yes, but I am engaged : /" He said, "Oh," and then told me he was a local rapper. He had a CD in his hand and gave it to me and invited me to a gig next Friday in downtown Everett. Apparently he graduated from EHS in '99 so we had that in common. I don't know, it was just a hilarious night. His CD wasn't too bad and he's done a song with a group that works with Eminem. So that was pretty cool.

All in all, it was a very productive weekend...but I am SORE and tired and I cleaned and bleached this house like it was getting inspected. I'm beat. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the sunshine!

You Wasically WABBIT!

Well, I started something last night that I totally regret!

There was a bunny in our backyard...knowing how fast they are, I showed my dog the bunny and she chased it and it slipped out from under the fence. I thought it was funny how excited my dog was and the way she was sniffin around with such tenacity. It was like watching a 5 year old trying to find their presents under the tree. Focused and relentless.

Eventually, Mya (my dog), came back inside and spotted the bunny out our front window. After to much anxiety, she wanted back out again so I let her go. As I opened the door, Mya shot straight to where the rabbit was. I walked away to get something to drink and when I came back she was diving her nose into the ground. Just before I could yell at her to stop (knowing she had found something), a baby bunny was hopping for it's life to the back of the fence. Probably would have gotten away too if Mya hadn't noticed and snatched it up. I yelled at her to drop it. When I walked over there I passed over 2 other bunnies she had gotten a bite on too. Needless to say I brought her inside, checked out the bunnies, noticed they were all dead and properly disposed them.

It doesn't stop there. This morning my fiance wakes me up and informs me she snagged one more...I guess she knew she was in trouble because when he went out there to grab her to bring her in, she tried hiding behind a bush.

My dog got a taste for blood and can't stop! My fiance keeps referring to her as a murderer but it's animal instinct. Although I have jokingly told him that I will put her on a rigorous rehabilitation program. ;)

Maui Mischief

I recently took a trip to Maui, and get this...I didn't have to pay for my hotel OR the airfare! It was amazing. Ironically I'm headed there on my honey moon next winter but I couldn't pass up an offer like this one. I was invited by my friend Emily. She had originally planned this trip with her boyfriend but they broke up two months before the trip! Yours truly took full advantage!

So this is the view from our hotel. We stayed at the Ka'anapali Beach Club Resort...I think. There were like 4 different Ka'anapali hotels and I never got the name right to the one we were in.

Now....instead of me rambling on for pages about my trip, how about I give you a little traveler's guide to the island and what I found to be some MUST SEE spots.

1) Snorkeling Honolua Bay

Of course, as in any tropical area, you MUST go snorkeling. Afraid of the ocean? Me too, but once you swim next to a green sea turtle or a manta-ray you think differently. ;) I took a tour on the Teralani. They also do sunset dinner cruises if you're interested. On your snorkeling trip they provide food and beverages, including alcohol if you are feelin saucy! On my trip I swam with TWO sea turtles! However, I was so occupied with them I completely missed my shot at swimming with a manta-ray. ;)

2) Road Trip Kahaluki Highway (HWY 30)

The whole drive itself provides so many picture opportunities it is unbelievable. This is a shot from the small town of Kahakuloa. If you ask anyone who lives on the island, this is the major spot on the island. There's a woman here who sells the best  banana bread in the state! People come from all over the islands for it. Here's a picture of her hut.

Just after Honolua Bay, the road turns into one lane. With numerous curves it's tough to know who's coming around the corner but it is still navigable. Just up the road from this hut there's a gift shop that is a must to check out. The lady there sells art from artists all over the state. It's incredible and a must see.

3) Swinging Bridges

                                        

This is a hike towards the end of the Kahaluki Highway. It's located in the back of a neighborhood. The locals there charge $6 for parking. Fair enough considering people are constantly driving through their area and backyards. It also keeps them from breaking into your car. ;) It's a short hike but there are 2 bridges. At the end is a man-made water fall where most people take a swim. This is a must do hike!

4) Mt. Haleakala

 Standing at 10,023 ft, this is one of the most beautiful places in Hawaii. There's two ways to get here. Either rent a car or do a tour. They offer tours at sunset and sunrise and they will drive you up to the top and then you have the option to ride a bike back down. We chose to drive. There is also a turn off at around 8,000 something feet where you have the option of hiking the summit as well. This is a MUST see for sure!

5) Road to Hana

With over 650 curves and 71 land bridges, the Road to Hana is one of the most fun and exhilarating drives. There's not a lot to see off the highway but the drive is absolutely breath taking! On the 50 mile stretch of highway you'll drive past majestic waterfalls and pass a few trails. The town of Hana is small and quaint and definitely worth touring around. Along the road however, there are a few places that I need to definitely point out....

6) Waianapanapa State Park

This park is home to lava caves, black sand beaches and magnificent blowholes. This is a go to place for sure. There's hiking around the park as well as camping. The photos speak for themselves:

6) Mt. Haleakala State Park

Not only is the mountain itself a must see, but so is a hike at the base of the mountain. There's a hike known as "The Seven Sacred Pools". Starting at the ocean, where there's waterfalls to swim under as well as pools, you follow a trail that takes to you look outs of several water falls and their respective pools. Hence the name. As you pass these pools, the first awesome thing you will come to is a HUGE banyan tree. Definitely worth a climb. Once you get your childhood indulgence out of the way and you cross a few more waterfalls, you enter an epic bamboo forest! Walking through the forest is amazing because of all the sounds you hear as you walk through it. Once you think you'll be lost in bamboo forever, you come to a couple river crossings. Before you know you it you are standing toe to toe with the ginormous (I have no idea how high it is) Waimoku Falls. Here's some pictures of our hike.

7) Lahaina

Last but not least, the heartbeat of Maui; Lahaina. This place was once a fishermans' town but is now the spot to go for nightlife, shopping and entertainment! Not much else to say other than for you to check it out if you ever hit the island!

*picture was taken from downtown Lahaina

Hope you enjoyed it! Mahalo ;)

We got a first timer out here!

Alright...first blog EVER! I'm not to concerned if anyone really reads this but it would be fun to see some followers! Anyways, my name is Torie and I'm from the chilly, occasionally rainy ;) state of Washington. Just some insight on me; I love sports! I played softball at the University of Washington where I was a utility infielder. My love of the sport and the school is the reason for titling the blog what I did. Now that softball is over, and I'm realizing that I won't ever be a USA Softball player...I got a masters in teaching! So I now teach elementary school and coach high school softball. Other than that, I play every sport possible and trying to travel as much as I can, even if my destination is an hour away. You'd be amazed at how many incredible places you live near! So I take advantage of whatever I can.

So far this summer I have been to Maui and Ohio. I'll blog about those trips later but they were pretty awesome and epic in their own ways.

That's enough for now. I just had to get ONE post out there...however boring it may have been to read. For my family that may be reading this, I hope this will be a fun way to include you on what I am doing since we all know how AMAZING I am at phone calls....my bad!!!