For everyone that can’t wait till we get home to hear about our vacation that you don’t really care about…

Ola! From sunny Rio De Janeiro!!!

Just kidding! That is a green screen photoshopped souvenir photo we bought at the gift shop. This was the Rio we experienced…

The timing worked out that we were able to spend one full day in Rio on our anniversary. Even though it’s winter in Brazil, the 5 days before we before were sunny and 75′ and the next five days are forecasted to be the same. The one day we were able to go it rained harder than Eugene in November the entire day:(! This made for a near disastrous, adventurous, and unforgettable 4th anniversary.

Highlights from Rio –

Romantic Brazilian dinner with champagne – talking about memories of the last four years and plans for the next four.

We watched England vs Uruguay on a giant TV on Copacabana Beach in the rain

Despite the weather, Gaby and I were able to walk up and down the beach in our matching traditional Brazilian thongs!

Gaby – I love you so much. I would not even consider spending my life with anyone but you. Thank you for being adventurous, wild, sexy, and for still loving me. I am so lucky to be married to you. Happy anniversary! #fourmoreyears

The rest of our trip has also been incredible! We have been to two great games so far and have three to go!

The guy with us in the Oregon Duck t-shirt is Luiz – our Brazilian Host (and Lucia – his girlfriend). I met him online this year when looking for a place to stay. I was hoping we would not get robbed and murdered by him when we got here. Thankfully, so far so good! Luiz has been the best host we could have asked for. We are so lucky to have met him. He has shown us the best/safest places in his City, driven us to places that are hard to reach by bus, and made us feel welcomed in his amazing apartment. – Thank you Luiz – I am happy to have made a life long friend and you are welcome to visit us in Oregon anytime!

Our view from the apartment.

Tomorrow we get to see our favorite soccer player – Lionel Messi – play in Argentina vs Iran! I tweeted him to point at me when he scores, so hopefully he knows where we’re sitting.

We will also see England vs ‘Cinderella Story’ Costa Rica. Our last game will be Brazil (if they beat Cameroon) vs Either Chile or the Netherlands.

We have also done some touristy/sight-seeing things in Belo Horizonte. It is a beautiful city and the weather has been perfect.

One of my favorite things is to go downtown to watch the games. The restaurants point their TVs into the streets and people from all different countries sit in the streets and watch together.

Also, The Pac-12 Facebook posted a picture I took of Gaby with our Oregon Duck’s bag!!! Gaby – I guess that makes me a hot shot photographer too!

We will try to keep everyone posted via social media! Thanks for all your support and prayers! We will see you all soon!