Fantasy Football - 2013 Draft

picture from 2013 Superbowl XLVII party

Last night some friends and I got together for our 2013 Fantasy Football Draft party! This is my third year playing in a league with the same group, and I'm excited Andrew gets to join the fun this year. 

I started playing fantasy football in hopes that I'd learn more about the sport, and get a little more enjoyment out of my Sunday's. The first year, I was terrible, and had no clue what I was doing. Last year was a big improvement. Even though I had to use the auto draft since I was out of town, I ended up with a great team and made it to the Superbowl! Granted, I had some help from Andrew, but it was still my team, right? 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm still not very knowledgeable about football, but I have a lot of fun playing in the fantasy league. This year will be a true testament,  since I'm sure I'll be on my own now that Andrew and I are competing against each other. Wish me luck!

I tried to prepare myself for the draft last night and consulted the top picks for this season. I had a strategy, and it worked out pretty well. I managed to get the #1 draft spot in our league, which was lucky, because my computer decided to die on me 2 minutes before the draft started. Andrew came to the rescue and got it up and running, but not before the draft started. Luckily, my first pick was Adrian Peterson, and the auto draft worked in my favor since he was the #1 pick overall. 

It was a fun night, and I ended up with a decent team. But we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Now I'm trying to strategize an awesome team name. I have a few ideas, but there is a lot of pressure! All recommendations are welcome :) 

I'm looking forward to football season more than ever! I love getting together with friends on Sunday to watch the games, and a little friendly competition makes it even more fun! 

Not quite sure what I was thinking towards the end, three Quarterbacks? Probably should have gotten a back up defense for Denver's bye week. But oh well, I can always pick someone up later. Clearly, I don't really know what I'm doing, but it's fun and that's what counts!

Here's to another Superbowl in 2014, for both the 49ers and my Fantasy Team!!

I know my friend Amanda at The Lady Okie plays Fantasy Football, anyone else?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Good luck on your upcoming fantasy draft to those of you who will be on a league this year. 

xoxo,

Theresa

Ebelskivers

I know, you thought I was done with these Tuolumne posts...this is the last one, I promise. 

As a special treat this year, my mom brought my Grandma Norene's ebelskiver pan camping. Growing up, my Grandma always made them for breakfast on special occasions and on our family reunion camping trips. I'm sure most people have never heard of them, Andrew hadn't, but it's like the best possible version of a pancake. A fluffy, pancake ball, if you will. 

Ebelskivers are Danish pancakes in the shape of a sphere. Because of the beaten egg whites, they are the perfect, fluffy consistency. 

My mom had everything ready, and portioned out into bags so they were surprisingly easy to make while camping. I was in charge of beating egg whites. Which, sounds boring, but the vintage hand mixer made it fun :) We used my Grandma's recipe, but this one sounds similar. I'll try to remember to get a copy of our family recipe from my mom and share it with you. 

It was so much fun making these in camp. My mom even made a few stuffed with fresh raspberries, which were delicious. My favorite way to eat them is split open, with my mom's homemade jam stuffed inside. This year she brought her blackberry-nectarine jam, which was perfect. My cousin invented a nutella and fresh strawberry combination, which did not disappoint. And there is always the classic, syrup and powdered sugar. Traditionally they are served with jam and powdered sugar. 

Have any of you had ebelskivers before? Or even heard of them? 

If you have a ebelskiver pan, or ever see one at a thrift store, I recommend swooping it up as fast as you can! I think these should be a breakfast tradition for special occasions in every family! 



xoxo,


Theresa

Family Vacation to Tuolumne Meadows - Part II

The second half of our trip was just as wonderful as the first. On Saturday, we spent time hiking down the Tuolumne River relaxing and taking in the scenery. We walked over Pot Hole Dome and then joined the trail that runs along the river. As we were walking along the river, a Bald Eagle flew directly over us and circled once! Fishing for his lunch. It was the best view I have ever gotten of a Bald Eagle, and of course, I had just put my camera away. But actually, I probably got to enjoy it more that way. 

There are some great swimming pools on the river, and the boys had fun on the natural water slides. 

Another tradition of ours is hiking Lembert Dome. Instead of using the trail, we hike up the rite side of the face, since it is pretty low angle. Some trips, we even do this hike every evening. This year, my sister was really looking forward to hiking up Lembert with Phillip. Officially making him the youngest member of the family to reach the summit. My sister and I first hiked up the face when I was about 4 and she was 8. Of course, since she had Phillip in the backpack, she took the trail up with my Mom, and the rest of us met them on top. I'm sure my Dad, Mom and Sister are the only ones who really appreciate this, but it was really special watching them reach the summit. 

i love this picture! 

One evening, we also took a stroll through the meadow to the natural soda springs. Andrew and my cousins hadn't seen it yet, so of course we had to show them. Plus I couldn't remember the last time I'd been there, so I tasted the soda water too. It tastes like metal, but I guess it's part of the experience, right? 

natural springs

This year, there were SO many deer in the meadows. I had never seen so many, sometimes you could count twenty of them grouped together. As we were walking back to camp in the meadow, we saw three. And we actually got pretty close to them. We also saw two coyotes this year, but much to Andrews dismay, we didn't see any bears. 

Before we left Sunday morning, Andrew and I walked up the river so I could play with my new camera. Although I have so much to learn still, I got a few good pictures. And it was fun to get in a little more time along the river before we had to head home. 

Of course, before we could say goodbye, we had to get one more ice cream. My mom enjoyed one with us in the meadow while my Dad took my cousins on one last rock climb. It was nice to squeeze in some more time with my mom, too. 

And just like that, our weekend of fun was over. It was so nice to spend time with my family for a few days. It's hard now that I don't see them as often, so I treasure every minute I get with them now. I especially loved having that time to bond with Phillip. He's just so precious and is such a happy baby. I'm already missing them all and can't wait to see them again, hopefully soon. 

It was a great trip, until next year....

xoxo,

Theresa