BYU Bowl Week & Elder Ridley's Return

Final Score: 23-6... Cougar victory. A great way end to the bowl week. However, that was just the end :) the whole week was full of fun activities, yummy food, lots of shopping, and great company!

But FIRST.... the week of death, I mean finals, had to be taken care of. My finals week was easier than usual, since a lot of my big projects were due before finals week even began. However, Skyler's final's week was jam-packed.

Studyin' away...

Thanks heavens that's over.

We were then off to San Diego! We started by boarding the private charter for players, coaches, and wives.

After a quick flight (during which I watched the Katy Perry Movie), we arrived in San Diego and boarded a bus which took us to our hotel.

San Diego sky line.

Once at the hotel, we dropped of luggage and went to the Poinsettia Bowl welcome dinner. We then had the rest of the night to ourselves, so we walked the harbor and played games with some friends (Yahtzee!)

The view from our room.

The view from our room.

The next day we went to Sea World! And I felt SO sick--super nauseous with an upset stomach. (No, I'm not pregnant!) BUT, I wasn't about to miss out on Sea World. So I decided I'd go but just sit on a bench most of the time, and hopefully sit through a show or two. But Skyler was not about to let that happen. As soon as we entered the gates, he went straight to the wheelchair/stroller rental and rented me a wheelchair for the day (he did all this before I could even protest). But I will admit, it made me feel a lot better. I felt so dizzy standing up and walking around, so the wheelchair was the perfect solution. He is such a sweet husband.

Being pushed in my wheelchair.

DOLPHIN SHOW!

Atlantis ride

Shamuuuu.

The following day was San Diego Zoo! I felt much better, so no wheelchair was needed :) We started off by taking the bus tour that went through the entire zoo.

On the bus.

We decided to take a picture on this puma thing, and it was quite the effort to get up on it. Our photographer (the one and only Ammon Olsen) took pics of the whooole process. I was stuck high centered on it in this awkward position for a while due to the fact that I couldn't stop laughing! Haha. Here is the photostream...

Finally made it up!

That night we headed to the San Diego Airport to pick up Elder Cody Ridley--Skyler's brother returning home from the Baranquilla, Columbia mission. I had met him before he left for his mission, but had never really gotten to know him--so I was excited for his return! As was the whole family.

He was the VERY LAST one to come down the escalator. We all got a little worried when the flight attendants came down and told us that they were the last ones off the plane and we still hadn't seen Cody. However, minutes later, we spotted him! (He had just taken a stop at the bathroom).

It was all very exciting!! Here are all the pictures from that night!

First hug off the escalator... his Momma :)

Second hug... his proud Dad.

Then came his siblings...

Ashley.

Skyler.

Shayna.

Ryan.

He then hugged his cute nieces...

Brooklyn.

Maylee.

Lyla.

Then came other family and friends...

Grandma.

Paul.

Brianne.

Karrie.

Tim.

Meeting Lyla Belle for the first time!

Reunited!

The girls practicing their sign holding skills!

Oh how I love a chunky baby!! (And her handsome Uncle Skyler!)

 Now for the group pictures! Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

What a night! :)

The next day we went to the bowl kick-off luncheon on the USS Midway--a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that has been retired and is now used as a museum. Both teams were at the luncheon--along with coaches, wives, school bands, and cheerleaders. It was kind of like a rival pep-rally feel. Both coaches spoke, awards were given, and a yummy lunch was served.

Entering the ship.

After lunch, we toured the ship and were able to see all the cool helicopters and planes. Sky's late Grandpa flew helicopters for decades, so Sky was excited to show these pictures to his Grandma. Thoughtful!

View of downtown San Diego from the harbor.

Then the boys were off to practice and us girls headed to the mall :) All of the wives received "per diem" money from the bowl--probably as a way to keep us busy while our husbands practiced... So they just gave us money and sent us to the mall. Hey, I wasn't complaining ;)

We then had a yummy dinner that night in the hotel banquet room. After dinner and a few games of Yahtzee with our goods friends, we were off to bed. I had never been able to stay with Sky the night before a game since he is either traveling or staying in the team hotel for home games. It was funny to see his routine of stretching, icing, massaging, etc.

Next day... GAME DAY! The game was played against San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium. One would think that SDSU would have a lot more fans there since the game was played in their hometown, but it seemed that there were just as many BYU fans. It made for a fun atmosphere and exciting game! (During the fourth quarter at least!) BYU pulled off the win 23-6, and Sky did awesome :) so proud of my number 17!

A couple of action shots... #17 is in there somewhere...

Halftime fireworks.

The Ridley gang.

Parents. 

Sky holding the Poinsettia Bowl trophy.

It was a great bowl week, and we were definitely spoiled. It just felt like an all expenses paid vacation! We had a great time, and are grateful for the opportunity. Now onto my post about the rest of Christmas Break (ugh...) Stay tuned!

...be happy now...

Happy Holidays everyone! I thought with this post I'd explain the title of our blog and then journal about how we spent Thanksgiving. 

We had a great Thanksgiving break and we are grateful for all that we have: amazing families & friends, the opportunity to be studying at BYU, our health, the gospel, and each other :) Although we're at that stage of life where our worldly possessions are minimal, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Photo cred: Abby Lazarev Photography (my awesome friend!) 

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now." -President Monson

Who knows where we'll be in 10 or 15 years... We'll have kids, perhaps a dog, more furniture and possessions, a TV that isn't 15 years old, and likely own a house. And I'd bet that I'll look back on this time when it's just Sky & I--college students, living in a teeny apartment, not many bills or financial concerns--and I'll miss it! However, I hope I'll have the same outlook then as I do now... Enjoy the Journey. There is always happiness to be found in whatever stage of life you are in.

Hahaha... this is me saying, "OK, OK, this pose isn't working!"

"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy." -President Uchtdorf

I love this quote. I love having goals. I love improving myself and growing. I love working towards something. I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment. However, I refuse to have those goals=my happiness. I try to follow President Monson and President Uchtdorf's advice... BE HAPPY NOW.

In the end, I am excited for our future, but I can't help but be grateful for what we have NOW. 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. That has just been on my mind and I thought I'd share :) 

Now for the update of our Thanksgiving break. I'll start with my good friend Brecken's farewell. She is headed Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I couldn't be happier for her. In my high school group of friends, Breck was always "the rock". She always helped us remember what was most important in our lives and always knew how to comfort us when the high school scene got hard. Love her so much and will be forever grateful for her impact on my life! 

Some of my bestest friends- Tay, Jess, Bags, Breck, Jas, Shelb. (missin' Steph!)

The day of her farewell, there was a few feet of snow on the ground from the night before--it had DUMPED. So when Sky tried to turn on ESPN at my parent's house, the TV wasn't working because the satellite dish was covered with snow. Sky was determined to watch ESPN, so apparently he put on some snow boots, grabbed a long stick, and trekked outside. I was in the kitchen and saw something out of the corner of my eye, and my first thought was, "deer!" Nope, it was my husband. Haha. The things men do for ESPN... (rolling my eyes)...

Before he knew I was watching him...

I've been spotted! haha.

With the sibs that night...

The following weekend we headed to San Jose for the BYU football game and a fun weekend with family. Sky flew out Friday morning with the team, and I flew out Friday afternoon--thanks to my father-in-law for the ticket!! Many of Sky's extended family is from the area, so it was kind of like a family reunion as well.

From the airport, I went straight to the BYU football devotional at a local chapel in the San Jose area. They hold one of these the night before every game, and the head coach and a couple players usually speak. Since Sky's whole family would be there, Sky signed up to speak, and he did awesome. He told a little bit of his football story, and talked a lot about his dad's conversion story to the church. I was very proud :)

When Coach Mendenhall got up, he invited Ziggy Ansah (#47 D-Line) to come up and tell his conversion story. If you haven't heard Ziggy's story... look it up! Such an amazing story of a kid from Ghana who had never played football a day in his life and is now NFL bound. I always tell Sky that he is my favorite BYU player but that Ziggy is a close second ;) haha.

Since Sky spoke, SO many people came up to him after asking for pictures and autographs. My sister-in-law Brooke kept laughing and looking at me when a group of girls would come up to him for pictures. I'm just glad he wears a ring on his left hand so that they all knew he's mine forever :) haha.

The Ridleys at the devotional.

The next day was game day, but the game wasn't until that night. We spent the day at Grandpa Ridley's eating yummy food, watching football, and just hanging out and taking cute pics :)

 We left for the game a couple hours early and bundled up to watch warm ups.

After the game!

Sky & his mama!

We then spent Sunday at Aunt Robyn's and had a great time with Grammy and the rest of the fam...

Our neices: Lyla, Brooklyn, and Maylee

All in all it was a great weekend!!! :)

We then headed back to Provo for a day, and then I was off to Hawaii with my family. We were SOOOO sad Skyler couldn't go. I debated for a while whether or not to go without him, but he told me I deserved to go because of all my hard work this semester, and since he would be gone for football most of the week anyways. He's a champ.

Shipwreck Beach :)

Sky headed to New Mexico (woo!) for the weekend and assisted BYU in the 50-14 win over New Mexico State. He had 5 catches for 46 yards in the game. So proud of my man!

This is the game from a couple weeks ago!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we are beyond excited for the semester to be over and Christmas break to begin! First we'll head to the BYU football bowl game in San Diego for a few days. In the middle of the bowl festivities (Dec. 18), Skyler's brother Cody returns from his mission in Columbia and we can't wait to be at the airport to greet him! Then on to the bowl game at Qualcomm stadium on the 20th... Go Cougs! We then spend a week at Skyler's home, where we'll have Christmas with his family. A couple days later we're off to Grand Targhee in Wyoming for some sweet powder and a snowboarding trip with my family. Then we get to head to Idaho with Sky's parents to drop of Cody and Shayna at BYU-I and help them get settled. Finally, a new semester of school begins, but instead, I will begin my internship with Grant Thornton! Christmas break in FOUR states. Craziness.

Can't... WAIT!