I Should Just Work For the NBA

It's extremely rare that I post two days in a row, however #1 I don't have much to do at work today and #2 I just NEED to talk NBA.



As you sports fans know the NBA All-Star starters were revealed last night. No real surprises. The West is made up of all LA players except for the amazing Kevin Durant. The East of course has Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb (aka LeBron and Wade) along with Mr. Crybaby himself: Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, the only player I can stand out of the 5......Derrick Rose.

But like a said nothing unexpected. The fans vote on these guys so I expect style over substance when it comes to All-Star starters. What I'm interested about is exactly who will be the reserves. If you were unaware the reserves are chosen by the coaches, people who study these players on a nightly basis. It is always my hope that the reserves are chosen not by name, but by numbers. With that being said, here are my All-Star reserves, and I have the numbers to back my selections up.

Let's start with the East (in no particular order):

1. Amare Stoudimare: Can't leave him out. All the BIG market teams need multiple players in the game. Miami has 2, the Lakers have 2, the Clippers have 2, so New York "The Mecca of Basketball" needs 2 too. Stoudemire is averaging 18.4 ppg and 8.2rpg.
2. Rajon Rondo: Will get chosen, the question is he healthy enough to play after his wrist injury. Averaging 15 ppg, 9 apg, and 5.1 rpg.
3. Brandon Jennings: Averaging 20 ppg and almost 6 assists per game. Leading the Bucks to a 10-11 record currently. Who would have thought? However even though he is leading the Bucks to a better record it's more likely that Deron Williams will get chosen from the 8-15 Nets. Womp Womp. (Sorry I've always thought Williams is overrated).
4. Andre Igoudala: Best player on the NBA's most surprising team. Currently they are 2nd in the East. Averaging decent numbers....13 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5 apg. Would be a robbery not to have a Sixer represented.
5. Danny Granger: The Pacers have a 15-6 record. Not too shabby. Granger is averaging 18.3 ppg, 2 apg, and 4.7 rpg.
6. Paul Pierce: I don't really want to put Paul Pierce here, but he's been a staple in the All-Star game forever. Averaging 17.8 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 5.4 rpg. I guess that's good enough.
7. ANDERSON VAREJAO: Even though I'm totally biased towards the Cavs, that has nothing to do with this selection. Varejao has put up the numbers to make him the best center in the East behind Dwight Howard. Look at other center's averages that led him in the voting:

Noah: 8.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg
Horford: Hurt
Chandler: 10.9 ppg, 10 rpg
Frickin Joel Anthony (SERIOUSLY?!): 3.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Averaging a double double with 10.4 ppg and 11.5 rpg. Bryon Scott is campaigning hard for him and the people of Cleveland need to back him up. #Andy4AllStar



Now the West:

1. Russell Westbrook: The jelly to KD's peanut butter. 21.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.8 rpg. Was an All-Star last year and will be for many years to come.
2. Kevin Love: No brainer. The guy is averaging more points and rebounds than starter Blake Griffin (K.Love averages 25.3 ppg and 13.6 rpg while Blake averages 21.4 ppg and 10.9 rpg). Should have been a starter, but Blake is more flashy and plays in LA so that says enough.

3. James Harden: Best 6th man in the NBA. 16.1 ppg 3.6 apg 4.2 rpg. He's the glue guy for the Thunder. There's no way they would be as good without him.
4. Dirk: The reigning MVP and NBA Champion will not get left off this roster. Averaging 16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and still has one of the best 3-point percentages for any big man at .378% this season.
5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Got snubbed last year. This guy IS the Portland Trailblazers with Brandon Roy gone. Averaging 22.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg. If he's snubbed again this year I've lost all my faith in the NBA.
6. Monta Ellis: Averaging 21.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 8 rpg. Ellis's reputation isn't squeaky clean so I don't know if they'll want to put him in the game, but he is putting up the numbers to earn a spot.
7. Rudy Gay: Averaging 18 ppg 2 apg, and 6.5 rpg. Has led the Grizz to a 12-10 record even after losing Z-Bo. He also has the best All-Star campaign video (even if it was from last year). Check it out: http://youtu.be/o4hMBvsGgn0




So I state my cases. We'll see how right I am. If I'm almost completely right I think I need to get hired by the NBA. Seriously.

Can't wait till February 9th to find out the selections.

Until then....Peace, Love and Basketball,
Becky

Much Love

On Monday I ended my stint house-sitting. It was bittersweet. I was definitely glad to not have to wake up anymore at 6 AM and go out in the cold to take care of the animals. However, by the end of my time there I had my morning routine down pat. My milking skills got substantially better. It used to take me 45 minutes to milk the goats, by my last day it only took me 15! Check out my skills:



I do miss all the animals. Me, being the animal lover I am, developed special relationships with all the animals. I must say though, out of all the animals I cared for, the chickens completely won over my heart. I'm head over heals in love with chickens and when I say in love, it's already boarding on obsession. Since I've been back at my house I'm watched YouTube videos of chickens every night. I'm in the process of becoming familiar with the roughly 54 common breeds of chickens. I plan on purchasing some chicken books when I head to Barnes and Noble this weekend. I will become a chicken expert. I plan on owning chickens one day, and I need to start preparing for that day now. Call me crazy, I don't care.....I <3 Chickens!



So being back in my little apartment in Livingston is not too bad. Back to snuggling every night with Walnut. Yay!!! Also there has been some John Mayer sightings in Livingston lately (for real, my roommate saw him). Word is that he's looking at property out here. How awesome would it be to have John Mayer around?! Maybe one of these days he'll decided to play at one of our local bars. I could die happy, but it's probably just wishful thinking.

Anyways, I'm just waiting for this week to wrap up. Next week I'll be gone Monday and Tuesday for a FoodCorps retreat/training at B Bar ranch which is about 45 minutes south of Livingston. From what I've heard from my friends here it's extremely nice. Then on Wednesday my friend Greg is flying in from Ohio! Yay for my first visitor from home! We have plans to go to Chico Hot Springs, Yellowstone, and Missoula along with that I'll be showing him good old Livingston and Bozeman of course. I'm super excited! I'm sure we'll be taking oodles of pictures. With that being said, I won't be blogging till sometime after the 14th. Hope you can wait till then...

I want to end this blog by giving my lovely sister Michelle a birthday shout out! She's my best friend and one of the most beautiful, fun, and caring people I know! Love you and miss you Shell! Happy Birthday!



Love,
Becky


P.S. Check out my pics page for more pictures of me and animals!

Playing House

On Wednesday I begun house sitting for a friend of a friend while their family went to Costa Rica for 3 weeks. The house is about 15 north east from Livingston in an area called Shields Valley. I couldn't have been lucky enough to house sit for any other family. They are totally eco-conscious, local foodies like me (which come few and far between it seems)! Here are couple pictures of the place:




(Not too shabby right?)

So I said these people were local foodies and they truly are in every sense. They have about 15 hens that give them fresh eggs daily. They also have one rooster. I'm falling in love with them all. I don't know why but I just find chickens so down-right cute. As I write this I'm watching them scurry through the yard. Goofy little gals.


(Freddy, the rooster. How is that not cute?)

I definitely want to have some chickens when I'm older. They're cute, easy to care for, and fresh chicken eggs are out of this world. You can really tell the difference between eating a fresh egg from free range chickens and the perfectly white, uniform, eggs from factory farms (ewwww I get disgusted just thinking about those). Here's some real eggs:



They also have 7 goats. Three babies, an adult male, and 3 milking goats. Each morning I get up and milk the goats around 7:00 AM. Milling goats, let alone anything, was a total first for me. I came over to practice twice before I actually starting house sitting. Let me just say my first couple times milking were not pretty. However, milking is an acquired skill and each day I'm getting better and better at it. Each day I get about 2-3 cups from the 3 milking goats which I use in cooking or just to drink. Now those that know me best know I haven't drank real milk in years. I've always opted for non-dairy milk alternatives such as soy or my personal favorite, almond milk. I enjoy drinking this raw milk because it offers more nutrition than pasteurized milk. Because it is not pasteurized all the vitamins, minerals, healthy bacteria, and active enzymes found in all milk are not killed off as they are during the pasteurization process (in pasteurized milk, some vitamins and minerals are added back after the pasteurization such as vitamin D, however the active enzymes and healthy bacteria are not). Raw milk also contains a lactose-digesting bacteria called Lactobacilli. Since raw milk contains this important bacteria, people with lactose in tolerances can usually tolerate raw milk. My final plug for raw milk is that it contains all 8 essential amino acids and well as healthy fats.

Wow, that was quite a spiel. Anyways, back to the goats. Just like the chickens I'm totally falling in love with them. They each have their own personality. My favorite is Lina. Here is her glamour shot:



There are also ducks here. I'm not really sure if they have a food purpose or not, but they are welcome additions to the animal farm.



The final two animals I have to care for are a cat and dog. Toonces the cat is a complete sweetheart.



The dog is a matching all-black Mastiff named Chick. He is the most high-maintenance dog I've ever met and also the biggest sweetheart. Chick recently had a leg injury. He is on a regiment of 5 different herbs and has a series of physical therapy exercises I must do with him daily. He also wears booties on his back paws to prevent him from slipping. They fall off constantly. It's okay though, I don't mind doing all this extra work for Chickie because he lets me cuddle up by the fire with him.



That's enough about the animals, now about the actual house. The house was built in a total sustainable fashion from a variety of recycled materials. I love all the exposed recycled wood throughout the place. However what I love even more is the soap stone wood-burning fireplace. This thing heats the whole house. Every night I make a fire that burns from about 5:00 till 11:00 (Side Note: Dad, you'd be so proud of my fire making skills now!). Once I let the fire burn out, the soap stone holds that heat and radiates it out, heating the house until I make the next fire. Here's a picture of the living room and the fireplace.



I could go on and on about how cool this house is, but this post is already long enough. If you want to see more pictures of the house, check out the "Sweet Pics" tab.

To sum everything up, I'm having a great time house sitting. This is the exact lifestyle I want to live when I'm older. It's going to be hard to leave and go back to my little, chicken-less, goat-less, dog-less, fireplace-less, apartment in 16 days. With that being said, I feel so fortunate to have this experience. I'm truly "living the dream" right now.

As I wrap this post up, it's finally begun to snow a little! Yay it's finally becoming winter in Montana!

Love,
Becky

.....It's Been Awhile

Hello Strangers!

I know it's been a long minute since I've posted anything. My justification for that being I was in Ohio visiting all you people I write this blog for, so most of you got to hear my stories first hand.

I want to thank everyone for making my couple weeks home the best. You don't know how nice it was to be in the company of family and real friends and the cutest puppy in the world (Don't believe me? Check this picture out. I think my Mom E-mailed it to just about everyone she knows. No joke.)



I got to eat at some of my favorite restaurants with some of my favorite people, go to a Cavs game, and take Sophie on multiple walks in the park. I had a great Christmas with my family and the best New Years Eve with some of my closest friends. If only I could have stayed longer. I shouldn't complain though, I'll be back in 3 months for my spring break!

Coming back to Montana was definitely bittersweet. Even though I was having a great time in Ohio there was defintely a big part of me that missed Montana. I missed the mountains. I missed the small town feel of Livingston. I missed this little bugger.



It's been a week since I've been back and nothing has changed. One thing I was surprised about was coming back to absolutely no snow which is surprising for January in Montana. It feels more like spring here than winter. I even went running outside on Thursday because it was so warm! We're all praying for a good snow. I want to do some cross country skiing for goodness sake!

Well that's all I got for now. Next week I start house sitting for 3 weeks, I'm sure there will be a couple good stories about that!

Love,
Becky

Less Than a Wheat, I Mean Week!

Hello Everyone!

Less than a week till I'm back home (5.5 days to be exact)!!!!

To keep me busy while I'm counting down the days, my second graders and I have been talking about one of Montana's largest crops, wheat. I was able to borrow a wheat grinder from a local business and the kids have been able to grind wheat into their own flour. It's been super fun.



I don't know what's been more entertaining, the little girls that can barely crank the grinder or the super competitive boys that challenge each other to see who can grind the fastest. Either way we've been having fun and learning about good old wheat!

That's all for now. Can't wait to see everyone while I'm home!!!!

Love,
Becky

Wonderful Wednesday

Today has been a great day so far and it's only 11:00. Why?

1. Today marks two weeks until I'm boarding the plane back to Cleveland.

2. I got $175 Patagonia boots for only $80 thanks to theclymb.com. Seriously check that website out, it's awesome.

3. Texas basketball won last night.

It might not be much, but it's the little things that make me the happiest.

Oh well, that's all for now.

Love,
Becky

Finally!!!!!!!

So I've been waiting to make this post for months now. NBA basketball is finally back and I am the happiest girl in the world right now. I literally screamed in joy checking my twitter this morning. Now winter won't be quite as bad since I'll have games to watch. Some bar in Livingston better have NBA League Pass and be ready for me to be there on a regular basis.

I've compiled a list of the top 20 reasons I'm so pumped for the NBA season:

1. Seeing Kyrie and my TEXAS boy Tristan Thompson in the wine and gold.

"We've come to save you Cleveland!"

2. Watching the Cavs in general. Let's Go Cavs! Believeland!

3. Watching the Thunder make it to the NBA finals (I'm calling it now)

4. Two words: KEVIN DURANT (best player in the league).

"Who gon stop me huh?"

5. Seeing the Celtics get older and older and worse and worse.

Rondo save us please!!!!

6. Delonte West. I frickin love this guy.

I'm one BAMF.

7. Seeing Chris Bosh cry.

Womp. Womp. Womp.

8. Seeing Lebron James choke.



9. Seeing Dwayne Wade look like a tool in new Tmobile commericals (really, who has Tmobile?)

10. Watching Ricky Rubio become Rookie of the Year.



11. Watching the Timberwolves in general (they will surprise people).

12. The crumbling of the Lakers era. Sorry Kobe you're old. Sorry Mike Brown, you're nowhere near the coach Phil Jackson was and no one is going to listen to you.

13. While I hate to say it because I hated him in college....Blake Griffin. He's really growing on me, but I still would take K.Love over him any day.

"You may be good Blake, but I can score AND rebound. 31-30 man!" -K.Love

14. Watching on Christmas Day when the Mavs get their championship rings in front of the Heat....hahah suckers!

In your face Heat!

15. Seeing D.Rose break some ankles.

Fast don't lie.


16. Rudy Gay's return and the emergence of the Grizz.



17. The NBA on TNT. Basketball comedy at its best.

18. Jimmer totally sucking in the NBA. Sorry I can't stand that guy or his fans.

"That's about right. You are a dog Jimmer. Get ready to get lit up in the NBA. This is where the real men play" -Love, every single NBA player.

19. Dirk being Dirk and seeing what hairstyle he decides to rock this year.



20. The 2012 NBA draft....Cavs gotta continue to stock up. We're going to be the next OKC.

Welcome back NBA. You've been greatly missed.

Now anyone who really loves me will make sure to get me tickets to the first Cavs game while I'm visiting for the holidays....hint hint.

GO CAVS!!!!

Love,
Becky