The Greatest Show on Earth

I have been asked to explain more about circus school. Circus school was awesome. It sounded pretty weird and when we first got there and met our instructors (who were total Carnies by the way), I was thinking, "what in the world am I doing?" But it was great. There were around 25 people from my law firm who went to to learn to tumble, juggle, tight-rope walk, build human pyramids, do stunts on trampolines, and of course, to perform on the flying trapeze. We broke into smaller groups of around 8 and rotated through the different skills. I actually juggled three balls for a total of maybe 15-20 seconds which was astonishing. I learned that I have mad tight-rope walking skills (coincidentally, the same balance required for tight-rope walking also transfers over to surfing).


The Flying-Trapeze was the highlight though, of course. First we were trained on proper technique while on the ground. (I am wearing red and blue and standing with my hands on my hips in the you-can't-really-expect-me-to-believe-this-will-work pose).

Then we climbed up, up, and up to the platform at the top of the gym. We were told to grab the bar with one hand, steady ourselves, then reach way out with the other hand while our instructor held us by the harness attached to our waists. Then the carni says "READY?!" (at which point you bend your knees in preparation to jump), then "HEP!" and you jump off the platform, arching your back and pointing your toes.
I know this picture is blurry, but believe me, I have great form. But I screamed the whole way.

Just after this point in the jump, you lift your legs up and over the bar, using the momentum of the swing, then release your hands and swing by your legs. After swinging back and forth twice, you reach for the bar again, release the legs, arch the back, then let go and fall into the net.

It is absolutely exhilirating and I think that everybody should try it. One of my friends from work liked it so much that she went back the next day and signed up for trapeze lessons for the rest of the summer. I expect to see her under the big-top soon!

End of Summer

We're back! This summer has been wonderful and we just finished our jobs with law firms in the bay area and moved back to Utah last week. So now it is time to catch up a little on what we did this summer. There was surfing, bike riding, golfing, laser tag, circus school, roller coaster riding, and white water rafting. The photo below was taken on an outing with my law firm on the American River. I had never been white water rafting before and it was a lot of fun. Can't wait to try something more difficult!

Soarin' and Surfin'

I am in love. The Bay Area is SO beautiful and life is good. We're living the dream. Last week my law firm took us for a helicopter flight over San Francisco. I already love the city because it is so vibrant and unique, but I have a whole new appreciation for its beauty now. This was only the second time I have ever been in a helicopter and it is crazy fun. It is like a roller coaster that doesn't stop. The helicopter actually flew underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, just 50 feet above the water! This is the view coming back out from under the bridge and turning to fly over it.

Here is a view of Alcatraz Island in front of the city.
And here is the city. It was quite a sight.
I don't have photos from Saturday but we got up early and went to Manresa beach with Ryan and Nikki to go surfing. After struggling with wetsuits (the most difficult and awkward part about surfing is just getting those things on - seriously!) we grabbed surfboards that Ryan and Nikki loaned us and went into the water. Nikki held my board steady and taught me how to paddle and told me which waves to go for and I got up on my very first try!! It was incredible. I loved it and I am hooked. Can't wait to go again.

Florida Trip

We had a great trip in Florida. Cape Canaveral was pretty cool and we were lucky enough to see a shuttle on the launchpad.

Animal Kingdom was awesome! There is a safari you can go on and see elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, rhinos, ostriches, impalas and tons of other animals. This gorilla was so amazing.
Disney Hollywood Studios was a lot of fun too. Jessica and I got to go on stage and participate in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show as extras. It was super fun. Tower of Terror was scary, Rockin Rollercoaster was fast, and the shows were pretty cool. Paul really liked the stunt driver show.
I guess I never really understood what Epcot Center was really all about. It is not so much about rides (although there are a few that are fun). Mostly it is about the different lands that you can go through - like a mini trip around the world. We had a lot of fun walking around sampling all of the different foods, watching the performers like the Chinese acrobats and going through all the shops. Jessica is such a ham!

Updates

The past couple of weeks have been unbelievably busy for us. I finished finals almost two weeks ago and have been having a fun time shopping with friends up in Park City, exercising and catching up on all of the books I have wanted to read. Paul hasn't been so lucky and hadn't even started his exams before I finished my last one. His last final is on Tuesday though, and then we are both done with our second year of law school.

After that we finish packing our belongings and moving them into storage for the summer because we won't be taking much with us to California. Then it is off to Florida on Friday for a week of vacation before we start working for the summer. It is going to be exhausting but fun. We'll be sure to post pictures when we get back!