Getting excited!!

I was three years old when I played my first soccer game and have continued to play ever since. I love the beautiful game! I have played in competitive youth leagues, high school, college, and adult leagues. Soccer has and will always be a big part of my life. Now, at age 29 I finally have a chance to see the beautiful game played at its very best. On June 18th my dad Mark and I are leaving on a jet plane to South Africa to see the 2010 Fifa World Cup!! I have been planning and looking forward to this trip for many years and it is finally time!

The world anxiously awaits the fist kick off between Mexico and South Africa on June 11th 2010. The game I am looking forward to is U.S.A vs England on Saturday June 12th 2010. This game I will be watching with my soccer loving family here in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm hoping that we can take England. They are ranked much higher then U.S.A. but my prediction is a 1-1 tie. Then it will come down to how U.S.A does against Slovenia on June 18th and Algeria on June 23rd. Unfortunately I will be boarding a plane on June 18th and will miss seeing U.S.A beat Slovenia. However, it will be worth it because after 20 something hours in a plane with a 1 hour layover in NYC and a 11 hour layover in Paris, France I will see U.S.A vs Algeria in Pretoria, South Africa.

Besides the U.S.A vs Algeria match we also have tickets to see 3 others matches. They include 1st place from group C vs 2nd place from group D which will most likely be England or U.S.A vs Ghana or Serbia in the city of Rustenburg on June 26th. We also have tickets for the game consisting of the 1st place team from group H vs the second place team from group G. This will most likely be Spain vs Portugal or Ivory Coast in the city of Cape Town on June 29th. The last game we will see is a quarterfinal match which will most likely be England or USA vs France or Nigeria in the city of Johannesburg on July 2nd.

But, soccer isn't the only reason for this vacation. I'm very excited to experience many things while visiting South Africa. I'm sure that it is going to be crazy and scary at times with all of the excitement and people from all over the world but we also have a lot of other fun and exciting plans such as; a two day safari in Madikwe, a lion park, an elephant excursion, visiting an orphanage, the Johannesburg Temple, seeing the sites in beautiful Cape Town, the Winelands, Penguin Beach, and a diamond mine.

The only time I have ever traveled outside of the United States was on a cruise with a 6 hour stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I'm excited to learn of their culture and to meet people from many different parts of the world. I'm excited to see things I have never seen and to experience things I have never thought I would experience. This is a trip of a lifetime!!