Livestrong Recap

Team Spudman raised over $700! In total the San Jose - Livestrong Challenge raised $1 million dollars towards the fight against Cancer. Well done everyone!!

It started out as a cool, overcast morning in San Jose, but it didn't last for long. Soon the sun was out and we were sweating away the calories with each stroke of our pedals. We took full advantage of the "fuel stations" that were put in place about every 15-20 miles. Staffed solely by local volunteers, these pit stops had ample supplies of fruit, water, PB&J's, gummy bears, trail mix, power bars, sports drinks, and everything else you would want to snack on when racing under the hot sun!!

I am proud to report that we exceeded the 65 mile distance I originally said we would be doing, and finished the 100 mile course with our heads held high! It really wasn't as terrible as I thought riding 100 miles would be. Everything felt pretty good up until mile 70 when we hit "the hill". This 1.8 mile hill was a 1600 foot elevation climb and oh did I feel it! However I didn't stop at any point during my climb, I was a man on a mission to reach the summit!

In total we gained 3600 feet in elevation winding though the vineyards of the Silicon Valley. We finished in roughly 7 and a half hours, which flew by so quick! It was amazing to see the names attached to riders of friends, family, or other victums of Cancer that they were riding for. Many participants were even Cancer survivors. It was a great event to be a part of and I thank you all for your support!

Livestrong Challenge

So I just joined "Team Spudmen" for the 2010 Livestrong race in San Jose, California on July 11th. I will be racing 65 miles on my road bike along side hundreds of other enthusiasts. I need your help to reach my individual goal of raising $250!! Besides having the satisfaction of being a part of the fight against cancer, you will be supporting me and my team. The best part about any donation is that it's tax deductible! So whether you give $1, $2, $10, or $20 it all adds up quick.

You can follow this link to my personal fundraising page: http://sanjose2010.livestrong.org/dhirschi

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Series is the signature fundraising event for LIVESTRONG. For the past thirteen years, the Series has raised over $60 million for the fight against cancer. The LIVESTRONG Challenge is LIVESTRONG’s signature fundraising event inspired by the hope, courage and determination that exist in all of us. We take to the streets on bikes and on our feet, uniting individuals to stand together to fight cancer.

In San Jose, on July 11, the LIVESTRONG Challenge takes place in downtown San Jose at the Center for Performing Arts. In the spirit of LIVESTRONG's mission to inspire and empower people affected by cancer, we invite children in active treatment to participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge via pedicab. Their enthusiasm is contagious as they ride among the riders, reminding us all what we're truly fighting for.

Life Happenings

Here it is the beginning of summer and I have failed to give any updates on the happenings of my life these last few months. I hope to fill in the gaps with lots of details!! First off, probably the biggest news for me, I was able to purchase my very own place! Nothing amazing, but it is a perfect fit for my 1st time home. It's a two bedroom condo in the heart of Holladay. Its close to many great shops and has a beautiful view of Mt. Olympus! I was sad to move away from Park City, but hopefully I will make my way back there sometime in the near future.

Another exciting happening in my life is that I was awarded a sponsorship for my races this summer/fall. I am now a proud member of Team Aquaphor! You can view my bio as well as my other teamates here in SLC at www.teamaquaphor.com/Roster/Salt_Lake_City.htm I have already had my first race of the season, which was last week at Willard Bay. I competed with my good friend Amanda who was celebrating her 21st that day. I finished 6th overall and 1st in my age group. Not bad considering the zipper on my wet suit broke moments before I was to begin my swim. I had no choice but to swim with my suit unzipped, dragging water the entire swimming portion. I will keep you posted on the results of my other races throughout the summer.

Ski Trip

Had an amazing weekend getaway with the boys to Grand Targhee and Big Sky the first weekend in February. What a great time of year to enjoy some of the best snow in the world!! Targhee had at least 12 inches of fresh powder each of the two days we were on the mountain, which made for a lot of work! By the time we made it to Big Sky, my legs were ready for some easy groomers!

Big Sky was so BEAUTIFUL!!! Hardly a cloud in the sky. You could see for miles and miles in either direction! Even on the top of Lone Peak the weather was ideal, which was great since the snow was no where near perfect compared to Targhee.

I think I'm accident prone

So my latest injury happened about a month ago at the swimming pool. I had just hopped in to swim my warm-up and was nearing the wall for a flip turn. When I flipped, my heal clipped the side of the wall and sliced me clean and deep! I didn't think twice about it and kept swimming until the end of my set. When I was done, I stood up and felt down toward the pain coming from my heal. I didn't expect my fingers to slip into the slit that was now oozing out bright red blood!

I hobbled over to the guard station where they bandaged me up. Oh did it looked disgusting! There was no doubt I needed stitches. I drove myself over to the nearest insta-care facility. The nurse had me sit on the bed and took off my bandages (which were soaked and stained in blood). The doctor came in with a giant needle (no joke, at least three for four inches). She proceeded to jab straight into my gaping wound. This is when I started to freak and instantly pulled my foot away!

The other nurse had to come in and lay over my waist line (one to keep my eyes off what was going on, and two, to hold me down!). The doctor proceeded to probe my foot with the hell maker. I twisted and clinched with every jab! OOHHHHH the PAIN!!!! I have never been subject of such torture! I was moaning, shouting, and cussing at such volumes that other staff began peaking in to see what was going on.

When she was finished, I was so pale and sweaty. They gave me a cold rag for my head and told me to lay down. I was exhausted! After a few minutes, the numbing medication kicked in and the doctor continued with the stitching. I guess with all the nerve endings at the base of your foot, it makes it extra sensitive, as I found out.

I had to walk on my toes for the next few weeks but am finally back to normal. Swimming will never be the same :-(

And I'm back!

Summer isn't really a time when I leave much room for blogging, if any at all. The season is filled with all of my favorite activities, and I find myself going, going, going until the sun leaves the sky. Hence the reason I have neglected to update my blog since April! So sorry.... but I will try and keep it going through the Winter months ahead.

Here are just a few cliff notes of what I have been up to the past few months!

- I coached the Park City "Piranhas" this season. We had around 70 kids from age 5 to 15 and swept each of our meets. It was a fun experience, being my first time as a coach for anything.

- I competed in 3 triathlons around the area. Echo, Jordanelle, and Rock Cliff (also at the Jordanelle). Two of the three had over 200 men in my race. I placed 5th overall at Echo and 4th overall at Jordanelle with a 1st place finish in my age division at each event. Not bad for only being my 4th and 5th races to date!

- I landed a full time job in SLC working for an oil and gas company called Questar. It's been about three months now and I am still enjoying it!

- I managed to get out on my mountain bike more than I ever have in the past and found a new love! What a great way to access some of the most amazing views.

- My "little" sister got hitched in August and the whole family was there to give her away. The Tetons made for a beautiful backdrop!

- I took my first trip to Moab! We camped along the river, cooked all our meals, slept under the stars, and road our bikes through the parks!

- I turned another year older and probably not much wiser. 24 is the new 18 or so it feels. I haven't slowed down yet and don't plan on it anytime soon!

- I joined a Sand Volleyball league here in Park City. We finished 2nd in the end of season tournament.

- I also just finished up a Fall Kickball league which was hands down the highlight of my week for the past two months! We didn't fare as well as Volleyball taking 4th place to end the season.

Well that is about all that has been going on since April. Now I am just sitting around and waiting for the white stuff to fly. I scrapped for a new snowboard and a season pass, so cross your fingers for a plentiful season!

I posted a few pictures from the past several months.

What ever happened to April showers?

So its been a cold an snowy April here in Park City. Not exactly my idea of a delightful Spring, but I've learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to weather. Last Wednesday it snowed ALL day and yesterday it was 75 degrees... so weird. On what nice days we have had, I've been trying to put some miles on my bike, and check out the area. I can't wait until the snow melts and I'm able to explore the mountain trails!

Slowely but surely I am meeting some locals. The other night I was invited to take a dip at the hot springs over in Midway. It was a random little spot, but made for a fun night under the stars talking about the most random things in the world. I cannot wait for summer to be here and all the adventures its going to bring!

Well not much has been going on in my life so thats about all for now. Hopefully with the warming weather more exciting things will be coming my way.

Work, work, work...

So its now been three weeks since my move to Park City and so far so good! The weather this past week, with the exception of the snow storm today, has been so beautiful! I've already taken my bike out several times to go exploring on different rides. The other day I rode all the way to Ben & Kristie's, but my legs definitely were feeling it! Slowly but surely I am working them back into shape!

I have been staying amazingly busy with my now... 3 jobs! Last week I snagged a hosting position at a restaurant here in Park City called Cafe Terigo. Its a cute little Italian place right on Main Street. I guess I have hopes of using it to meet some locals and get my social network going in this town. I've only worked one shift so far, but am looking forward to getting my feet wet. I know its gonna be a get job!

Its nice being so close to Kristie, Ben, & little Coco. I try and stop in at least once a week to say hi and make sure I secure my role as the favorite uncle :-) Coco is such a spaz and makes me laugh with all her little gestures.

Amongst the hustle and bustle, I bought myself a car. Its a 2008 Scion XD and I love it! Its a little red four door and gets up and down the canyon in a breeze!

I had my first night out in Park City this weekend. A bunch of friends from Logan came down for the Clumsy Lovers concert. It was one of the best nights I've had in such a long time! From the pictures I posted, you can see that we are easily entertained and have such a great time in anything we do.

Well I am going to enjoy the rest of my Sunday, the one day I work 0 jobs, and try to catch up with a few episodes of LOST.

SLC so far...

I am in the middle of my sixth week living here in Salt Lake City. To tell you the truth it was the last place I wanted to move. Its definitely a hard city to warm up to. I don't know how to describe it, but there is a thick feeling in the air and everyone seems to be uptight and pretentious.

I haven't really had too many opportunities to meet new people. For the most part I have been hanging out with old friends from my time spent in Logan. They have been my sanity and entertainment. Two weeks ago I took advantage of a reasonably warm afternoon and took my bike up City Creek Canyon. I rode all the way until the ice and snow covered the trail. At this point I stopped and started chatting with the nicest people I've met since moving here! They told me all about the amazing trails around the area, grocery stores, coffee shops, and great restaurants. We talked for nearly 20 minutes before they let me go on my way. Its amazing what a little kindness will do for you day...

Everything about my job has been amazing, other than the fact that it is only part-time... the company is on a hiring freeze right now because of hard times, and are unable to hire anyone until that lifts. The company executives project the freeze to life here in another month or so... I'll keep my fingers crossed. In the mean time I started a second job at the Aquatic Center in Sugarhouse.

This past weekend I said goodbye to SLC and headed to Boise for some R&R. Stephanie has been there for about a month now, so I was showing here around to the different highlights the area has to offer. We were able to drive about an hour North to some hot springs I used to frequent when I was in college. We soon found ourselves amongst a crowd of skinny dipping back country hippies... but nonetheless we had a good time enjoying the outdoors and the hot water.

From here... I will be moving to Park City this weekend. Hopefully that will make for an easier commute and place me at the foot of the great outdoors. We will see how it goes.

Back to Reality

The girls on the new Karaoke machine Steph bought

Sporting our Panama Hats I brought back from Ecuador

Mom & Dad in a hot Ping Pong Tourney

The traditional walk to Grandma's on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Dinner

Battling hurricane winds while snowshoeing the lake

Me and Sam at the cabin

Rockin' the Wii

Its back to reality, sadly. It was one thing coming home for my grandfather's funeral and knowing I would return to enjoy more experiences, but when I got on that final jet a sullen feeling came over me. My emotions were very mixed. The American based flight attendants were all decked out in their Christmas sweaters, holiday pins, and on the loud speakers Christmas carols could be heard.

I didn't want to leave all the freedom, the experiences, the adventures, the people, the culture, the food, the music, the land, the water (for swimming, not drinking), and most importantly my friends... my heart was sad. On the other hand, with it only being a few days to Christmas, the idea of "The Holidays" hadn't even phased my mind. Walking around the past month in 80 degree heat with no sign of Christmas decor (minus the mall), made it hard to believe it was really that time of year.

Observing the middle aged, red headed flight attendant with bright red sequined glasses and a slight southern accent, I strangely wanted to be home with my own mother. It must have been her sweet motherly way of joking with passengers and catering to their needs. A sense of happiness and warmth came over me that seems to come with the "season" and when you feel that emotion you want to be surrounded by your family. My eyes were wet from all these feelings.

It was a bittersweet ending to my three month stay and play. I am so happy to have had the chance to go and do the things I have done. I hands down don't think I could have done a better thing with my life. I will forever cherish the memories, the friends made, and the journey traveled.

Some fun facts:

In my 109 day travel, I spent:

- 3.9 hours on a train
- 6 hours on a boat (excluding my 4 day sail around The Galapagos)
- 63 hours in a plane
- 176 hours or roughly one week on a bus! (excluding countless taxi rides)

I also trekked through 4 countries (Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, & Uruguay).

As for reality... well its been tuff. Christmas was different this year. None of the other siblings were able to make it home Christmas Day, so it was simply me, the parents, and grandma. Lacking the presence of Grandpa was also an adjustment, but we had fun playing games, eating amazing food, opening presents, singing songs, and laughing until we cried.

We had a few days at the cabin with the nieces and close friends. The weather wasn't the best with 60+ mile an hour winds, so we vegged out between the Wii, ping pong, meals, movies, and the hot tub. After spending time with the family, I headed south to reunite and celebrate the New Year with good friends.

My sibling Christmas present this year was money for snowboarding. I decided to hit up The Beaver in Logan, only to break my collar bone on the last run of the day :-/ My first break ever... and its really trying my patience. I really dislike being immobilized. I guess everything happens for a purpose and this allowed me to focus my job hunt in the unpromising market.

I was able to snag a part-time job working an HR position for a recruiting firm headquartered in Park City, UT. I decided to jump at the offer (in hopes of finding additional work) and moved myself south. Tuesday is the first day on the job so wish me luck! That's about as interesting as my life gets these days. Now I am just counting down the days to Spring!

Uruguay

The sister

Family photo

Bikini Beach!!

Ice Cream Girls

Ready to devour my Chivito :-)

Punta del Este

Having lunch on our back patio

Our cool little beach house

View from the ship as we pulled away from Buenos Aires

Trying to catch some Zzz's on the ship

So much has happened these last two weeks, and yet it feels like just a few days have gone by. The weather has been so off and on. The first few days after Thanksgiving it was a straight downpour! It rained so much they canceled the Polo Tournament we were planning to attend :-( I was really excited to see it too.

Eventually the weather cleared up just in time for our concert. For Christmas, I bought Steph and I tickets to see Madonna! And boy was it a show! I think her concerts are just another excuse for her to workout. She was non-stop dancing the whole night! We both agreed it was like watching a continuous music video. It was held in a soccer stadium right next to the river, so there was a constant cool breeze... pretty much we were freezing the entire time! We tried to dance around to keep warm but it just wasn´t happening. All in all we had a blast and were so happy to see such a legend.

The next morning we met the rest of the crew at the boat dock, where we caught a ship for Uruguay. We sailed three hours before arriving in Colonia. From there we took a two hour bus ride to the capital, Montevideo, and from there another five hour bus ride to a little surf town called Punta del Diablo. It sits just less than an hour south from the border of Brazil.

We were able to snag this great little beach house for super cheap. It was a short walk from the ocean and made the stay so amazing! The town was very low key and all the houses were quaint and beautiful! It couldn´t have gotten any better and then one day on the beach a school (is that what they would be called pod maybe??) of Dolphins swam across the waves right in front of us... so awesome!

After three nights of tranquility, Steph and I split off for the big city. Punta del Este is known as the Miami Beach of Uruguay. It sits on a small peninsula off the southern coast. High rise hotels, expensive yachts, and hot sandy beaches were all around. We lounged on the beach by day and strolled the boardwalk at night. Munching on ice cream and enjoying one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! It was called a Chivito, and oh was it good!

The second day, I just had to make it to Bikini Beach! Made famous for its surf breaks, this beach is listed as one of the most hippest beaches on the planet, at least according to the Travel Channel :-) Still being between seasons, there really weren´t too many people to be seen, however, we still enjoyed laying back, watching the surfers, and taking an occasional dip in the cool water.

It was a great way to enjoy a little sun and heat before heading back to the snow and cold of Idaho. Today I sent Steph back to reality and I will be joining her shortly in another week. I am going to try and enjoy these last few days as much as I possibly can!

Back to Buenos Aires

Getting some fresh juice at the San Telmo Market


One of the many groups of walking dogs... I think their walker was getting some water.


Creepy cat in the Recoleta Cemetery (they are all over!)

Street performer at the San Telmo Market

Plaza de Mayo in the Mircocentro

Our very hot and humid Thanksgiving feast up on the Terraza

Cutting up our Argentinean Steak (we decided to trade in the Turkey)

Standing outside my bedroom

The past week has been a rough ride, but now things are starting to get back to normal. It was so nice to be able to travel home for the weekend and be with all my family. It was a sad time, but it was spent cherishing the memories of the man that brought us all together, Grandpa. I cant explain to you the amazing bond my family has. When we get together, for better or for worse, we always have a good time. Even with the tears and sorrow over Grandpa, we were able to have a memorable time.

My three night, four day visit was a quick reminder of the things I really need to enjoy on vacation before I head home. One of them being the heat. Arriving back in Buenos Aires, the high temperature was well over 10 degrees warmer than before I left along with high humidity. It was a welcoming surprise!

I was also able to enjoy the company of Kristen, Whitney, and Natalie, my Utah friends who arrived in the city while I was home, as well as our friend Emilie from California, whom we all met in Ecuador. Two days after I arrived, I headed back to the airport to pick up my sister Stephanie who will be traveling with me for the next two weeks.

As if I didn't eat enough while I was home, I had the opportunity to host Thanksgiving Dinner at my house here in Buenos Aires. It was by far the hottest and most humid night yet. We were all covered in a nice glaze of sweat sitting up on the terrace enjoying great food and the night sky. I made Mashed Potatoes for the first time ever with a white bacon gravy, and I must say they were pretty darn tasty! Instead of Turkey we decided to order steak, after all we are in Argentina. I had the privilege to slice and dice the meat, being the man of the house, and we all dug in to our various dishes. It was such a good time!

Today we are in San Telmo for the antique market. I really wanted to bring Steph here so she could enjoy the excitement of all the shopping and street performers. Weather permitting we are going to try and make the polo game tonight. The past day it has been raining quite a bit, so we don't know if it will be on or not. I guess we will keep our fingers crossed.