I Like HOT, But This Is RIDICULOUS!!

Welcome to Fall in Temecula!

5 Games Down

Our Hawks regular season is well underway, but between coaching and getting so into each game, I forget to take pictures. Our first 3 games ended in shutouts against Temecula United, FC Murrieta and Oceanside Breakers. We sat alone in first place and felt confident going into this weekend.
Although we had a cool summer, fall arrived with a heat wave with temperatures reaching 100+ all weekend. We were not looking forward to spending Saturday in Hemet, where temps are often hotter than at home, but we were excited to battle Westfield Lightning! Unfortunately we gave up a 2-0 lead and ended in a 2-2 tie. The girls seemed to beat themselves and struggled to find a rhythm. I'm not sure we can even blame the heat!

We were actually happy to travel to the coast on Sunday, hoping for cooler temps in Encinitas. It was still 92 degrees, but much better than the 108 at home. We had played Encinitas Express before and hoped to get another win and recover from yesterday's poor performance.
Although we had plenty of opportunities, we couldn't capitalize on any of them and Encinitas scored on a fluke high ball that went over Bella's head. After a strong halftime pep talk we were still confident we could come back. Charlie even promised the girls ice cream if they could score 4 goals, but it wasn't meant to be. Even though the girls' effort was much improved over yesterday, nothing seemed to go our way...including the referee. He called everything against us including a penalty that led to another score, blew the whistle every time we had momentum and had several talks with our sidelines. It was a strong lesson in sportsmanship for all of us, but we left the coast on the losing end 2-0.

I was proud of Taylor this weekend, though. She is working hard to improve her game play, putting a lot more effort out and is being a good cheerleader and motivator for the team. Even though we had two tough games, she didn't let it get to her and had fun overall. She realizes the challenges of club soccer and really wants to be successful. She loves her teammates and loves making memories with them.

Taylor and Maylie are ready to battle hard against Matrix next weekend!!

Oak Glen

For years, we have talked about making a visit to the Oak Glen apple orchards, but fall always seems to get away from us with school, soccer, holidays, etc. So I jumped on the idea early this year and found a Sunday to make it happen. Riley's Farms is closed on Sunday, but we found the Los Rios stand booming with apple and rasberries.

Since it is early in the picking season, there were only 3 apple varieties ready for picking...Spartans, Gala and Red Delicious. We bought a bag big enough to pick a peck and got pickin'.

Taylor makes sure to twist the apple off instead of pulling!

Allison searched for Spartans that didn't have any defects. She even found one perfect for Mrs. Siptroth!

I like Galas the best, so made sure to get quite a few of them!

Allison and Reanna used these sturdy apple boxes to reach the high ones.

Our successful apple pickers.

I think Leslie and I had just as much fun as the girls!

Then it was off for raspberry picking. We each bought a pint container and looked under the leaves for the dark red ones. It is pretty tedious work, but well worth it. Although you aren't supposed to eat as you go, they were too good to resist. I think we ate our weight in raspberries!!

We had a carload of hungry farmers after all of that walking and picking so we stopped for a picnic lunch before making our way to Oak Tree Village.

We had fun just walking around, looking in the shops, sampling some baked goods and treating ourselves to some much-talked-about mini donuts. We loved being up near the mountains and enjoying the gorgeous weather. I think it will be fun to go again when there are more apple varieties, fall-like weather and maybe even some pumpkins, but we couldn't have had a better day. Now it is time to make some cobbler with all of our apples...

SDSU vs. USD

We decided to make our way to Torero Stadium at USD to cheer on SDSU Men's Soccer. We had seen the women play in Temecula last season, but hadn't seen the men before. USD is a gorgeous campus...I think Taylor may want to set her sights on it!

We were hoping to be one of the first 500 fans so we could get in on the free scarf giveaway, but no luck. There were 3,100 fans there. Impressive!Allison and Tyan with the rival, Torero.

The National Anthem and lineups

Although the Toreros had many more shots on goal, the Aztecs lead 1-0 at halftime. They had two rocket shots that hit the crossbar in the first half so it really should have been 3-0. The pace of play was so fast and aggressive...so different from World Cup style play.
In the 2nd half, the Aztecs scored on another great shot and took a 2-0 lead. However, the Toreros came back with 2 quick goals and the game was tied with about 7 minutes left. We were definitely thinking OT.
In the 84th minute, the Toreros committed a penalty in the box and Raymundo Reza kicked a perfect penalty kick to take a 3-2 lead. The Aztecs held them and celebrated the win.

After the game, the Aztecs came over to cheer on their fans.

No Sun, No Problem

Well we had another failed attempt at a sunny beach day, but it sure beat the 100+ degree heat at home. You would think sun would be guaranteed Labor Day weekend, but not so much. We were just happy to enjoy some cooler temps and Matt took the girls on a little adventure while I enjoyed some quiet reading time.

They were gone for quite a while and came back with all kinds of treasures.


Allison spotted this cool lobster tail, but wasn't happy when I told her we couldn't bring it home. That would have stunk up the house real quick!

Emily, holding one of the many jellyfish they found along the shore. It was a gigantic, purple blob with several tentacles. They found about 8 different jellyfish, varying in size, shape and color.

Allison and Emily were eager to ask the lifeguard questions about jellyfish. He told them there are 3 distinct species in SD waters and the large purple one is the most dangerous. I think they found at least one of each!

All of the girls were proud of their finds on the treasure hunt. We disposed of the jellyfish before anyone got hurt (we were told they are still dangerous even when they are dead) and the girls packed all of the shells to take home.

Matt earned this nap!!