Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Loss of a Legend

This blog entry has nothing to do with Canada, or our adventures here, but I felt the need to give a shout out to JoePa.


Sunday, legendary Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno, passed away at age 85.  Though he is known mostly for his football contributions, he was much more to the university than a coach.  He gave so much of himself to the school, donating his money and time to make it a better place.  He believed firmly in "education first" and took pride in the fact that PSU's football program had one of the highest GPA averages in the country.  He cared personally about his players and knew that his players were there for more than just football, they were there to get an education and better their lives.  He believed in the value of the team over the individual.  One of his greatest accomplishments is that he is the winningest coach in Division I NCAA football, as head coach at Penn State for 46 years with 409 wins.


I am sad to say that I never got the chance to personally meet JoePa, but I feel like I knew him.  He was head coach when my mom and dad went to school there, and he was still the coach when my brother and I went there.  It was a unique and special thing about PSU that my family shared.  I admire Joe for the things that he tried to instill in his players and all of the students at Penn State.  I will remember his glasses, his rolled up pants, his high-pitched voice, and his love of PSU.  I won't forget all of the amazing things that he has done for the university and I know that Penn State is a better place because he was there.  


To the people who question what kind of person Joe Paterno was, I say to read his quote outside of Beaver Stadium next to his statue:  "They ask me what I'd like written about me when I'm gone.  I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach."  He obviously cared not only about his football players, but also everyone who was, is and will be connected to the university.  I hope that in the years to come, people will remember and recognize JoePa for the many wonderful things that he did for PSU over his 62 years there, rather than the one mistake that people believe he made.


PSU will miss you, JoePa.  We are....because you were.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

More Fun with Mike and Maggie

During Mike and Maggie's stay, we were able to do lots of fun things.  Mike really wanted to check out some of the museums here in Calgary.  One day we checked out the Tellus Science Museum.  This is a new museum that focuses mainly on hands-on exhibits about science.  It was fun and we actually learned a few things:  keeping your coffee maker plugged in all the time wastes a lot of electricity without even being on (so does your cell phone charger, PlayStation 3, microwave, etc.), and dopamine is the chemical that is released in your brain when you first start a relationship, but it is oxytocin that you depend on to keep a relationship long-lasting.  Good to know.

We also were able to visit the Military Museums of Calgary, which are located right next to where Matt and I live.  I wasn't super excited to see these at first, but they turned out to be really interesting.  Instead of a lot of boring displays, the museum was filled with mannequins placed in realistic scenes.  They were a bit creepy at first, but they actually made the museum fun and interesting.
Actual life-size tank in the museum
We also got to go to some pretty delicious places to eat while Mike and Maggie were visiting.  One of Matt and I's favorite places is called Tubby Dog (yes, I know the name doesn't sound appetizing but these hot dogs are AMAZING!).

We had a fancy dinner at the Sky360 Lounge at the top of the Calgary Tower, which is a rotating restaurant at 1228 meters above sea level, the highest observation deck in the world - pretty amazing.  It was a little weird to be eating and rotating, but we got used to after a while.  It really gave us a pretty view of the city and the food was delicious.  Unfortunately, Matt couldn't make it to dinner because he was working off-site this day and apparently planes don't like to start when it's -40 C/-40F (when temps reach -40C, it evens out with F so it was also -40F - crazy, I know!) so, he got stuck in Fort Saskatchewan for a few extra hours.
View below our feet through the glass floor of the observation deck - this was scary to stand on!
Skyline View from the restaurant
Matt and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary while Mike and Maggie were here so they took us to dinner at Craft Beer Market.

And, for their last night here, Matt and I took Mike and Maggie to an Italian restaurant that we really like called Fiore.  It was a great last dinner for them in Calgary.  The next morning, we drove them to the airport at 5:30 AM so that they could catch their flight back to the "warmth"!  The week was so much fun!  I am so glad we had our first visitors...and I am always ready for more (hint, hint) :)




Snowboarding at Sunshine Village

Mike, Maggie and I drove up to Banff together during the week while they were visiting to give Maggie her first experience at snowboarding.  The temperatures were pretty cold, but had warmed up a bit from earlier in the week.  We decided to ease Maggie into it by taking her on the "bunny" hill to start.
Maggie's first try down the Bunny Hill
Maggie's first fall on the Bunny Hill
Mike helping her up for her second try
After a few times down the "bunny' hill, we took Maggie up the lift and she was able to go down her first real trail.  She did a fabulous job for her first time!  She didn't even fall getting off of the lift - I was really impressed!  Mike was a really good teacher and did a great job helping Maggie.
Mike and Maggie at the top of the mountain
The next day, we took another trip up to Banff, this time with Matt.  We got up there early in the morning to spend the day snowboarding.  One the way, we saw a HUGE herd of Elk on the highway!!

Maggie was a trooper, going snowboarding for the very first time one day, and then going back the next day to try it again!  She was very sore, but was still able to make it down a few trails.  Then, she relaxed in the lodge for a bit while Matt, Mike and I went out for some more runs.  Matt and I actually graduated from the easiest green runs, to the slightly more difficult blue trails!  We're making progress!  The conditions for our second day were AMAZING.  It was a little bit warmer and snowing while we were there!  Plus, it had snowed the night before so there was fresh powder.  It's crazy how different it is to snowboard in powder compared to ice - a lot softer when you fall!  We had the best time.
Mike on the lift!
So snowy you can barely see the mountains!



Winter Wonderland

Another adventure that we took Mike and Maggie on was an Ice Walk in Johnston Canyon.  We drove up to Banff one morning (a bit of a treacherous drive because of an overnight snowfall).  The temperature that day was around -5 F so we dressed in MANY layers, but of course we were still cold.  No matter how many layers you put on, when it's that cold outside, it's almost impossible to stay warm.  Before taking out tour bus to the canyon, we stopped off at one of the local coffee shops for some warm beverages.
Mike and Maggie waiting for the bus

Once we arrived at the canyon, our tour guide passed out the ice cleats that we needed for the hike.  Then, we began our 3.5 mile hike into the canyon.  Soon, we were in awe by the ama views.
The Lower Falls
Lower Falls
Lower Falls 
Pool at the bottom of the Lower Falls
Then we continued on past the lower falls on our way to the Upper Falls.  Along the way, we took a break and had some hot chocolate and cookies with our tour group.  Once we arrived at the Upper Falls, it literally took our breath away.  The pictures don't do it justice!  The water was an amazing blue color that almost looked unreal and the ice was gorgeous. We could have stood there all day looking at it!
Part of the Upper Falls
Mike on the lookout ledge of the Upper Falls
After reaching the Upper Falls, we turned around to head back.  The way back was a bit easier as it was more downhill than up.
For the entire hike, we walked on these snow-covered catwalks through the canyon.
Copper Mountain view from canyon
Once back on the bus, we began to defrost and warm up.  We also caught a glimpse of some elk on the way back to Banff!  This was definitely one of the best adventures that we've had up here in Canada!  I am so glad Mike and Maggie were there to share it with us!