Stanley Cup Finals - GO SHARKS!

As much as I liked Todd McLellan, the recent Sharks coach replacement was obviously a solid choice. Although DeBoer is not as entertaining to watch on TV, he has inspired the Sharks to make it through playoffs. First it was the Kings, then it was the Preds, next it was the Blues, and now the Sharks are taking on the Pens. IN THE FINALS!! THE FINALS!!! It's like the stars aligned - Jones got us past the Kings, Ward got us past the Preds, and Polak got us past the Blues.

When I first started watching hockey, I was SO into it. And my friends who were longtime Sharks fans (and others who were weren't fans at all) would always say that even if the Sharks are doing well in the regular season, they always choke in the playoffs. After a few years, I started to understand that sentiment.. but I never lost hope! If the Sharks win the Stanley Cup this year, I was will be SO HAPPY. I'll also be a bit sad though, because I won't be in the Bay Area to celebrate it.

I wish I had more fan friends to go to games with. Alex always has people to go with, and I'm not hardcore enough to go alone. Even though I was able to get tickets for a finals game, I'm selling them - no one wants to go! Hopefully this season's momentum will create a stronger fan base. In the meantime, some of my Seattle friends are slowly becoming Sharks fans. 

But Forrest has always been a Sharks fan. He has good taste.

Bark at the Park

Unfortunately for Forrest, I didn't know about Bark at the Park... until this year! We took him to the game against the As, and the weather was perfect. All of the dogs were so well-behaved, and the Safeco workers did a fantastic job of keeping the areas as clean as possible. We saw one scuffle at the check-in table, between a husky and mastiffy dog, but I don't think the husky owner was watching her dog. Based on the way she reacted, she didn't seem like a responsible owner.

Forrest is afraid of heights, which is something I hadn't considered when buying tickets - all of the dog sections are on the third level. He fought us when walking up the ramps, and any time we walked within 4-5 feet of an edge. He REALLY didn't want to walk up the stairs to our seats, but we went up anyway.

Initially, I set him in his own seat. He kept scooting backward, and the seat of the chair would collapse inward. LOL. There was also a gigantic Bernese mountain dog sitting behind us, drooling all over Forrest's back. It was SO CUTE! 

I let him sit in my lap, because he seemed more at ease. The Bernese dog kept leaning over my shoulder to get closer to Forrest, and he drooled on my hair. I didn't mind, but we definitely both needed a thorough bathing after the game. 

Despite the terrifying heights, I think Forrest had a great time. He got to smell and meet so many dogs in just a few hours! And he snatched up some french fries and tortilla chip scraps from the floor. Hanging out at the bar/food area was probably his faaaaavorite part of the night. 

Can't wait to do it again! 

Beat the Bridge 8K

We beat the bridge again this year! However, I didn't beat last year's time. 

I'm so confused! I felt that this year's 8K was not as difficult for me - I guess I just didn't push myself as hard as last year toward the end of the race. And as per usual, we didn't train. Overall I felt like I was in the best shape this year. Maybe it was because I was extra tired... yeah... I'll blame being tired. =)

At least this year's time is better than the first year's time. As long as I beat the bridge and don't hurt myself in the process, I consider it a win. 

Note to self: Stop taking the Montlake exit on race day. One hour to exit 520 is ridiculous!