Well, I was healthy for two weeks after being sick for two weeks. And now I'm sick again. Doesn't it figure. I'm home from work today. (We don't get it off at work unless you work a traditional 5/40 schedule.) I figured with everything coming up at the end of the week (Courtney's birthday, and therefore a Disneyland trip, on Friday and her birthday party on Saturday), I should probably rest up.
I also found another reason to rest up when I spoke with one of my (two) managers today. She wants me up there, San Ramon, for a week to begin transitioning my current duties and responsibilities to the other analyst on our team. Don't worry, I'm not getting laid off. They are assuming that I will be get this last job I applied for, which is a local procurement analyst. Since I already have a training scheduled for next week up there, odds are the trip would be next week. It would be nice to be healthy while traveling.
It didn't help being sick yesterday when I began a 5-week series on the Five Love Languages in our Sunday School class. It turned out well I think. We had 21 people there by my count, which about double what we have typically had on a Sunday. It was fun though.
As I mentioned, Courtney's birthday is this Friday and our first-born is turning 5 already! It's hard to believe she'll be kindergarten-age already. Another milestone to look forward to this Fall. After we pick her up from school on Friday, we'll head down to Disneyland to take full advantage of the $59 "Fun Card" she'll receive since she already has a pass. It will be nice to have her birthday off and it appears we'll actually have weather that will allow me to mow the yard, which I have been unable to do for 2-3 weeks now due to rain...what's up with that?! Then Saturday is the big Hannah Montana birthday party. (Just pretend the Nemo bouncer is really Hannah Montana dressed as Nemo.)
I also mentioned I applied for a local analyst position at work. This is after I was informed I didn't get the first position I interviewed for. I can't complain about not getting that one. The person who got it someone who I respect highly and know will do a great job. That position deals with creating and maintaining local contracts for the refinery. This position I'll hopefully be interviewing for this week, if half that and half analyst, which I do now (except currently I do global analysis for one category and would be doing local analysis for all categories...a lateral move that would allow for additional local opportunities down the road).
If I can figure out how to post a video from our camcorder, I may post a video of Courtney performing to "All for One" and "Fabulous" from High School Musical 2. It's pretty funny as she knows most of the words and a pretty good amount of the choreography from both songs. Quite impressive and entertaining if I do say do myself.
Oh, and from what I know, Susie has not gone into labor. She was due last Thursday and is scheduled for induction Wednesday. Very exciting times as we prepare to welcome Bella into the world. I've been pestering her almost daily about any updates, but gave her a day off yesterday. I'll have to resume today. Hey there's only a couple of days left!
I'm proud of Traci as she strives toward her weight loss goals. She is now down 19 pounds, and has been an inspiration to see going to the gym at least 5 times a week for the past several weeks.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Evolution of Dance
I have a feeling you have probably seen this before. If not, then enjoy, it's pretty good. And now there's a sequel!
Passing Time
I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I've been trying to maximize my enjoyment of the FiOS TV experience. However, life goes on, and upon a brief, and I mean brief, reflection of the recent times, it has been busy as normal.
Earlier this week we got an e-mail from our tax man's wife saying he had passed away unexpectedly. A little scary considering he was around 50. Then just a day or two later, Traci finds out one her sorority sisters from CSUF passed away, and she was 16 weeks pregnant. That's even scarier. They say bad things come in 3's. Upon thinking that, 2 people immediately came to mind. Well, here's to hoping that's not the case. Traci's dad did have a scare the other day at work when his leg gave out due to numbness. He'll be having an MRI soon to find out what's going on there. (On the tax person front, we're having Traci's cousin do our taxes this year since she's certified. Thanks, Teri!)
This past Tuesday was Traci's birthday so we took advantage of Disneyland's birthday offer this year. I took the day off from work and we spent a while there. Very nice...mid-week + off-season = lots of stuff in a little time! Traci and Courtney got stuck under the waterfall going up the first lift when the ride broke down (thanks to some moron standing up near the end of the ride). Nonetheless, we had fun. One complaint about the Disneyland offer, though. If you have an annual pass, you can get a "Birthday Fun Card" which is essentially a gift card, but it can't be used just anywhere. You can't use it on food. What's that about? Anyway, Traci bought a new jacket to replace to the one that got torn when a cast member squeezed past Traci in the restroom a couple of times back. Disneyland wouldn't replace it, although they sent us a $25 check for "goodwill." Having worked there, I completely understand their stance on that, but having heard Traci tell what happened, I know they didn't do anything to investigate probably.
I found out yesterday I didn't get the job I applied for at work. Oh well. At least the person who got it deserves it. If I had to lose out on the job to anyone, I'm glad it was her. However, I also found out there will be another job posting that they want me to apply for that is a cross between the position I lost out on and what I do now. I have higher hopes for this one so we'll see what happens once it's posted.
I've been feeling physically anxious today, for a few hours now. Not a feeling I like. Reminds me a little of the heart issues I had back near the end of high school through the beginning of college, just without the rapid, chest-beating heartbeat. Hopefully this feeling goes away soon. I'm attributing it to writing bills and getting ready for our Sunday School kickoff on Sunday. It's the culmination of our "marketing" effort that I've been heading up since December. We're looking at having as many as 60 people, which is a big jump from the 10 or so we typically have on a Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it, but it's been a lot of work.
Glancing around the house, it appears I am the only one awake right now, so I'm going to take advantage of this and do some more preparation on the series I'll be leading in our Sunday School class (The Five Love Languages) beginning the 15th.
Earlier this week we got an e-mail from our tax man's wife saying he had passed away unexpectedly. A little scary considering he was around 50. Then just a day or two later, Traci finds out one her sorority sisters from CSUF passed away, and she was 16 weeks pregnant. That's even scarier. They say bad things come in 3's. Upon thinking that, 2 people immediately came to mind. Well, here's to hoping that's not the case. Traci's dad did have a scare the other day at work when his leg gave out due to numbness. He'll be having an MRI soon to find out what's going on there. (On the tax person front, we're having Traci's cousin do our taxes this year since she's certified. Thanks, Teri!)
This past Tuesday was Traci's birthday so we took advantage of Disneyland's birthday offer this year. I took the day off from work and we spent a while there. Very nice...mid-week + off-season = lots of stuff in a little time! Traci and Courtney got stuck under the waterfall going up the first lift when the ride broke down (thanks to some moron standing up near the end of the ride). Nonetheless, we had fun. One complaint about the Disneyland offer, though. If you have an annual pass, you can get a "Birthday Fun Card" which is essentially a gift card, but it can't be used just anywhere. You can't use it on food. What's that about? Anyway, Traci bought a new jacket to replace to the one that got torn when a cast member squeezed past Traci in the restroom a couple of times back. Disneyland wouldn't replace it, although they sent us a $25 check for "goodwill." Having worked there, I completely understand their stance on that, but having heard Traci tell what happened, I know they didn't do anything to investigate probably.
I found out yesterday I didn't get the job I applied for at work. Oh well. At least the person who got it deserves it. If I had to lose out on the job to anyone, I'm glad it was her. However, I also found out there will be another job posting that they want me to apply for that is a cross between the position I lost out on and what I do now. I have higher hopes for this one so we'll see what happens once it's posted.
I've been feeling physically anxious today, for a few hours now. Not a feeling I like. Reminds me a little of the heart issues I had back near the end of high school through the beginning of college, just without the rapid, chest-beating heartbeat. Hopefully this feeling goes away soon. I'm attributing it to writing bills and getting ready for our Sunday School kickoff on Sunday. It's the culmination of our "marketing" effort that I've been heading up since December. We're looking at having as many as 60 people, which is a big jump from the 10 or so we typically have on a Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it, but it's been a lot of work.
Glancing around the house, it appears I am the only one awake right now, so I'm going to take advantage of this and do some more preparation on the series I'll be leading in our Sunday School class (The Five Love Languages) beginning the 15th.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
My FiOS Experience So Far
As you may know, we ordered FiOS as soon as it came into our area, which was the first of the year. Knowing that it's new and that many people may be jumping on board with it, I thought I would provide our experience with it so far.
To summarize, it's a pretty good product and bundle package. We have enjoyed having long distance on our phones again (when they've worked). (Sometimes, the cell phones, just aren't the most reliable.) The internet has been good. The TV has been great! That's definitely my favorite part of it so far. We were paying about $80/month for phone (without long distance) and DSL and no cable or satellite. Now we pay about $20/month more and have unlimited nationwide calling and something like 265 channels. Because of this, it may wind up saving us money once baseball season rolls around. Last season, I went to about half (6) as many Dodger games as I do most seasons (12-15). Now knowing that I can watch as many games as I want to at home (read: as many as the better half will allow me to watch), I won't feel the pressure to try to attend so many games, although watching it on tv and going to the games are completely different. But I digress. I have also enjoyed getting back into the WWE and now the option to order the pay per view events like back in jr high with my friends. However, considering they usually run around $50 for a 3-hour event, and the fact that money is horribly tight right now, I won't be ordering many, if any. But the product (FiOS that is) is a very good thing.
The service we have gotten from Verizon has been, well, let's say, embarrassing. And I don't mean embarrassing for us, I mean embarrassing for Verizon. We placed our order on Jan. 3 and booked our installment for Jan. 6. The tech guy shows up on time and gets to work. He was very personable and we liked him. He explained things very well and took the time to answer our questions and be a great service to us. However, when he hit a problem, we had problem #1. He installed the "brain" as he referred to it, outside our kitchen wall and the battery back up unit inside our back door. He then went to the hub to get the signal to be directed to our house, or however that works with fiber optics. When he got there, there were a few other Verizon tech guys who all had the same problem. Verizon had not routed FiOS to that hub! None of those tech guys (including ours) could finish installation. That sucked! Not his fault, but it still sucked.
After calling about 3 times over the following 3 days to see if they (Verizon) had fixed it, they wound up calling a few days later to setup a completion of the installation. They came out and finished the installation when they said they would. Problem #1 fixed, problem #2 created. When I get home, the phones are not working! I spend a half hour plus on the phone, only to have them not fix the problem. They suggested a couple of things, which I tried, but to no avail. After I hang up, I notice the phone line used for DSL running over to the computer still. It wasn't connected to the computer (FiOS was) but it was still connected to the phone jack with the split for the phone as well. I disconnect that and plug the phone back in, without the split and DSL filter (or whatever it's called). It works! Problem #2 fixed!
Problem #3 happened yesterday, and this is a little weird, with pretty much no logic as I see it. (You'll see.) The phones don't work again! What's going on here?! I spend another half hour on the (cell) phone with a guy telling me to disconnect the batter and reset our whole FiOS system. This would have left us without all services for a few minutes, which didn't sound like a good idea to me...too much risk if I screw something up. After me and the guy going back and forth trying to understand what the other was asking. Ultimately, I request a tech to come out and check it out. And now that the problem has been fixed, I'm glad I did, because the guy on the other end of the phone was nowhere near discovering the problem (and there was no charge...I would have been screaming at them if there was). The problem with the phones is classic...wait for it...they never connected the phone line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the?????????? The only way I can figure that happened was because our installation was split over two different weeks and two different techs. But then how were we able to use the phones for the week and a half we did have FiOS?!?!
I've given up trying to figure out what's going on. As of right now, all is good and if there are no more problems, all will be ok. So, in summary, good product, embarrassing service. And we haven't even gotten our first bill yet, which I have heard from multiple sources is an adventure in itself. Stay tuned as I may need to rant yet again.
PS - I'm still sick...completing week 2 of this cold!
To summarize, it's a pretty good product and bundle package. We have enjoyed having long distance on our phones again (when they've worked). (Sometimes, the cell phones, just aren't the most reliable.) The internet has been good. The TV has been great! That's definitely my favorite part of it so far. We were paying about $80/month for phone (without long distance) and DSL and no cable or satellite. Now we pay about $20/month more and have unlimited nationwide calling and something like 265 channels. Because of this, it may wind up saving us money once baseball season rolls around. Last season, I went to about half (6) as many Dodger games as I do most seasons (12-15). Now knowing that I can watch as many games as I want to at home (read: as many as the better half will allow me to watch), I won't feel the pressure to try to attend so many games, although watching it on tv and going to the games are completely different. But I digress. I have also enjoyed getting back into the WWE and now the option to order the pay per view events like back in jr high with my friends. However, considering they usually run around $50 for a 3-hour event, and the fact that money is horribly tight right now, I won't be ordering many, if any. But the product (FiOS that is) is a very good thing.
The service we have gotten from Verizon has been, well, let's say, embarrassing. And I don't mean embarrassing for us, I mean embarrassing for Verizon. We placed our order on Jan. 3 and booked our installment for Jan. 6. The tech guy shows up on time and gets to work. He was very personable and we liked him. He explained things very well and took the time to answer our questions and be a great service to us. However, when he hit a problem, we had problem #1. He installed the "brain" as he referred to it, outside our kitchen wall and the battery back up unit inside our back door. He then went to the hub to get the signal to be directed to our house, or however that works with fiber optics. When he got there, there were a few other Verizon tech guys who all had the same problem. Verizon had not routed FiOS to that hub! None of those tech guys (including ours) could finish installation. That sucked! Not his fault, but it still sucked.
After calling about 3 times over the following 3 days to see if they (Verizon) had fixed it, they wound up calling a few days later to setup a completion of the installation. They came out and finished the installation when they said they would. Problem #1 fixed, problem #2 created. When I get home, the phones are not working! I spend a half hour plus on the phone, only to have them not fix the problem. They suggested a couple of things, which I tried, but to no avail. After I hang up, I notice the phone line used for DSL running over to the computer still. It wasn't connected to the computer (FiOS was) but it was still connected to the phone jack with the split for the phone as well. I disconnect that and plug the phone back in, without the split and DSL filter (or whatever it's called). It works! Problem #2 fixed!
Problem #3 happened yesterday, and this is a little weird, with pretty much no logic as I see it. (You'll see.) The phones don't work again! What's going on here?! I spend another half hour on the (cell) phone with a guy telling me to disconnect the batter and reset our whole FiOS system. This would have left us without all services for a few minutes, which didn't sound like a good idea to me...too much risk if I screw something up. After me and the guy going back and forth trying to understand what the other was asking. Ultimately, I request a tech to come out and check it out. And now that the problem has been fixed, I'm glad I did, because the guy on the other end of the phone was nowhere near discovering the problem (and there was no charge...I would have been screaming at them if there was). The problem with the phones is classic...wait for it...they never connected the phone line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the?????????? The only way I can figure that happened was because our installation was split over two different weeks and two different techs. But then how were we able to use the phones for the week and a half we did have FiOS?!?!
I've given up trying to figure out what's going on. As of right now, all is good and if there are no more problems, all will be ok. So, in summary, good product, embarrassing service. And we haven't even gotten our first bill yet, which I have heard from multiple sources is an adventure in itself. Stay tuned as I may need to rant yet again.
PS - I'm still sick...completing week 2 of this cold!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Enough With the Germs!
Here I am, day 7 of this crazy cold I have. I first noticed it hitting me, thanks to some mild aches last Sunday night. Now it's a lot of congestion and fatigue. I couldn't really take much time off from work last week because I had so much to do, not to mention an interview for a new position at work. I took a half day on Tuesday and Wednesday, had the interview Thursday. Fortunately, I had Friday off so that was nice although I still had plenty to do. I went to the dentist after dropping Courtney off at school. Then I went up to church to look over the mailing list we're doing to advertise our Sunday School class. Saturday morning I spent cleaning up after Skyler as she threw up at least 5 or 6 times within a couple of hours. Finally today I've had a day where I can relax and just rest. It's been nice so far. Actually, I should get back to that.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
We Are Go for FiOS
Well, we finally have fully functional FiOS. I have to say that so far I have been pleased with the products (phone, internet and tv). However the installation process has been less than good. First, Verizon sent the signal to the wrong hub for our house/area so when the first guy came for installation two weeks ago, he couldn't complete the installation. They fixed the problem last week and we had a different guy come out yesterday to finish the installation. From what Traci said, it seems like the guy knew how to hook it up, but didn't know much about the functionality or how to use it, or at least not as much as he seemingly should have. After he leaves and I get home, I can't use the phone because all our phones say "line in use" even though all three were not in use. I call tech support and they are of little to no help. He tells me to try a couple of things with the phones and that doesn't work, so he gives me another suggestion to try once we done with our call. Fortunately, he did give us the number to call to get access to our voice mail, which the install dude should have done. He tells me he can't help me with the finish of the internet installation (although we still had access), which the install dude told Traci to finish by following the prompts on the computer. The tech support guy I spoke to gave me a number to call today for help. After being on hold for a half hour, they inform me that this was not the right number to call for internet tech support. I call the right number and fortunately, that guy was really good and fixed what needed to be fixed. We also found out that the internet security suite we ordered has not been included. (I'll have to check the bill to make sure that they aren't going to bill us for it.) So, long story long the product is great so far, but the installation has been a hassle. (I have to admit that watching WWE Raw last night was pretty cool. With access to over 250 channels in our bedroom, I may never sleep again!) Kind of reminds me of a Weird Al song...
I'll Sue Ya
I'll Sue Ya
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Birthday Girl
I just wanted to post a few picture of my big little girl who just turned three this past Tuesday. Traci took these pictures of her on her birthday for her 3-year pictures. I'm too proud of a daddy not to share!
And now for a few pictures from her party last Saturday, which was a lot of fun. Can you tell she was excited for her party?
It was a My Little Pony theme.
She got some pretty cool gifts that she is enjoying every day (except for the kitty in her right hand in the second picture, which she has enjoyed daily and slept with nightly for who knows how long)!
Courtney was happy too because she got to spend some time with her best friend, Kate.
And now for a few pictures from her party last Saturday, which was a lot of fun. Can you tell she was excited for her party?
It was a My Little Pony theme.
She got some pretty cool gifts that she is enjoying every day (except for the kitty in her right hand in the second picture, which she has enjoyed daily and slept with nightly for who knows how long)!
Courtney was happy too because she got to spend some time with her best friend, Kate.
But eventually, the party had to end. She is saying goodbye to her friend from church, Madison.
And finally, I had to post this picture as it is one of my new favorites. All three of my girls inside the bouncer. It is now my desktop background at work.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I'm Still Here
I know this has been the longest time I have gone without posting in a long time, but things have been crazy stressful and crazy busy. Just finally have a few minutes to blog again right now. Between the birthday madness that is this time of year, dealing with our financial issues and prepping our Sunday School for a big kick off (and associated marketing, advertising, whatever you want to call it, within the church, which kicks off this Sunday) on February 8, there has been little time to blog. I did manage to post a song on my other blog last week, though. Hopefully I'll have more time soon, especially to post some pictures from Sky's birthday party this past weekend. Stay tuned.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaaaah!!
With a new year comes a new look to the blog. No new features or anything really (besides the blog description above), so don't get your panties in a bunch. Just thought I would change things up a little.
Speaking of changing things, I had my first really messy plumbing experience this morning. I called my father-in-law over to see if he could lend me a tool and maybe help fix the bathroom sink clog if he knew how. So he guided me through the process of dismantling the U-shaped trap area under the sink. (I heard on a tv show this is where most of the clogs occur so decided to try that instead of calling a plumber who would charge who knows how much.) This was after I had already taken out the drain plug to discover there was nothing there to clog the sink. Anyway, we get the U-pipe (as I'll refer to it, not being a plumber) off and after emptying it out and discovering the clog was not there either, it was suggested I stick my fingers in the pipe coming out of the wall to see if I could feel anything.
Bingo! I felt something just an inch or so in. After using a couple of small tools to try to get the clog out, we undid a wire hanger and shoved that into the pipe. When I tried to pull it out it got stuck. Needless to say, some force had to be used to remove it, and when I did, it went all over my shirt (and in a little too) and pants in an explosion-like manner. Talk about starting off the new year with a bang!
In hindsight, a picture would have done the incident more justice than this description, but at the same time, may have induced vomiting to some of you. Let's just say it was nasty looking (black, gray and grimy/slimy) and smelled like crazy. And even though I got my Home Depot fix for today, I will be calling a plumber to complete the repair. Things are hooked up, but leaking. My father-in-law didn't want to tighten things anymore for fear of doing damage, and I don't blame him one bit.
So after my second shower of the day, I am feeling cleaner, the bathroom is all cleaned up (from the "explosion") and all are napping except for me. Life is good.
Speaking of changing things, I had my first really messy plumbing experience this morning. I called my father-in-law over to see if he could lend me a tool and maybe help fix the bathroom sink clog if he knew how. So he guided me through the process of dismantling the U-shaped trap area under the sink. (I heard on a tv show this is where most of the clogs occur so decided to try that instead of calling a plumber who would charge who knows how much.) This was after I had already taken out the drain plug to discover there was nothing there to clog the sink. Anyway, we get the U-pipe (as I'll refer to it, not being a plumber) off and after emptying it out and discovering the clog was not there either, it was suggested I stick my fingers in the pipe coming out of the wall to see if I could feel anything.
Bingo! I felt something just an inch or so in. After using a couple of small tools to try to get the clog out, we undid a wire hanger and shoved that into the pipe. When I tried to pull it out it got stuck. Needless to say, some force had to be used to remove it, and when I did, it went all over my shirt (and in a little too) and pants in an explosion-like manner. Talk about starting off the new year with a bang!
In hindsight, a picture would have done the incident more justice than this description, but at the same time, may have induced vomiting to some of you. Let's just say it was nasty looking (black, gray and grimy/slimy) and smelled like crazy. And even though I got my Home Depot fix for today, I will be calling a plumber to complete the repair. Things are hooked up, but leaking. My father-in-law didn't want to tighten things anymore for fear of doing damage, and I don't blame him one bit.
So after my second shower of the day, I am feeling cleaner, the bathroom is all cleaned up (from the "explosion") and all are napping except for me. Life is good.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2008: The Year in Review with Pictures (and Brief Explanations)
Before I get to the year in review, I wanted to just post a note that if you are looking for the S2S (Songs 2 Share) feature, they will no longer be posted on this blog. I have created a blog just for those, and you can find the link to the left under the blog list, titled Songs 2 Share. And now, on to the year in review!
The highlight of January was celebrating Skyler's 2nd birthday. As you can tell it was a Tinker Bell theme, which is what she was really into at the time. It was great to have so many family and friends celebrate with us.
August falls into the too-good-for-just-one-picture category. Two amazing trips can summarize my August this year. Traci and I celebrated our 9th anniversary a couple of months late by going on a cruise. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this trip, which took me to Catalina and Mexico for the first time. (It was also my first cruise.) It was a much needed break, which was enhanced by the lack of our wee ones who had a great week with the grandparents (both sets).
And as if the cruise wasn't enough, I spent a long weekend, with a couple of really good friends from high school, in Boston. From the Freedom Trail to Harvard to bar hopping (my first time) and consuming more than I ever had before to taking in a Sox game at Fenway. There is a reason it took me several blogs to explain how enjoyable this was. And all at the suggestion (of a guys trip) by Traci since she had taken two trips without me already. What a wife! She really is the best.
Less than a week after returning from Boston, it was off to Temecula for Traci's cousin Teri's wedding. Courtney and Skyler have grown to love weddings for the chance to dance with coordination that didn't come from me! Courtney loved dancing with Teri a few times. The picture above is one of those times. You can tell her excitement from the expression on her face.
Susie and Adam swung into town for a week in early October, and although we only had the opportunity to spend a few days with them, it was great seeing them and hanging out. We miss having them around. We had a baby shower for her and that made the time with them so fun. My sister makes me proud to be her brother and I loved seeing her pregnant, knowing that I'll have a new niece in just a matter of weeks now. I love this picture of her and Traci.
The highlight of November, besides Thanksgiving, was getting to take in a concert at our church. This is a picture of us with Robbie Seay from the Robbie Seay Band. I almost never go to concerts, but the music is so much better live. I am a big fan of this band now and am glad we had the opportunity to see them and actually talk with Robbie Seay for a couple of minutes after the show. I also gained a greater appreciation of musicians from this concert. (You can check out my blog about the concert for more details.)
And now we have come to December and the end of the year. Christmas is by far the highlight of the month. This is just a great picture of our family, taken the day after Christmas at my in-laws' house. I love seeing the kids having a good time with their cousins and opening gifts that they really enjoy. It is amazing to see them gain a greater appreciation of Christmas every year. It was also great to hear Courtney say "It's not about presents. It's about Jesus." repeatedly this year. I guess we're doing something right.
And now we move on to a new year full of amazing opportunities, beginnings and blessings. I know it will be an interesting year as I am trying for a new position at Chevron. Skyler will begin preschool in the Fall and Courtney will start Kindergarten at the same time. We'll have a new niece. (Have I mentioned that yet?) We're also working on growing the Sunday School class that I lead at church. We'll also have to deal with challenges such as family (Traci's brother and his family) and friends (Courtney's friend Charis and her family) moving away. You never know what life will throw at you. At least we know that God is with us and that with him, all things are possible. May you have a blessed New Year.
JANUARY
The highlight of January was celebrating Skyler's 2nd birthday. As you can tell it was a Tinker Bell theme, which is what she was really into at the time. It was great to have so many family and friends celebrate with us.FEBRUARY
It was hard to pick just one picture for February as Traci and Courtney each celebrated their birthdays. Traci's was a milestone birthday of sorts as she hit 30 and began her fourth decade of life. (Don't worry, I'm a couple of years into my fourth decade.) I hosted a girly party for her and it seems like everyone had a lot of fun. As for Courtney, she turned 4 and enjoyed spending time with good friends Kate (left) and Charis (right). She calls Kate her best friend and it would seem that Charis is her best friend at school. This year will present Courtney with some adversity as Charis and her family are moving to Hungary in January to become missionaries. She already misses her.
MARCH
We were crazy enough to get tickets to the exhibition game between my Dodgers and the Red Sox. The crowd set an all-time record for attendance at a baseball game (115,000). While this in general was not a positive experience between the hour and a half wait at Dodger Stadium for the shuttle to the Coliseum (and back was longer), the horrible crowds once we got to the Coliseum, the nearly overflowing outhouses, and keeping the kids from getting trampled (literally) on the way to our seats. However, seeing 115,000 people doing the wave was freakin' awesome!
APRIL
MAY
The end of May was great as we took a trip to Colorado to visit my sister Susie and brother-in-law Adam, pictured here with Courtney at the Denver Zoo. We had a great time spending the week with them and visiting other family in Colorado. If I went into more detail about the trip, I would need to hire a publisher. (If you want more details, check out my past blogs about it.) The next time we go out to see them, hopefully mid-2009, we will get to meet our niece! Susie is due in mid-February! (As if we needed anymore birthdays that month...hers is then too.) Yay!
JUNE
June brought the end to Courtney's first year in preschool. She is pictured here with Charis. She had a great year and we were amazed at everything she learned and were glad that she enjoyed it so much, but being the social butterfly that she is, that didn't surprise us much. Oh, and Traci and I had our 9th anniversary, but that will be covered in August.
JULY
While Traci went to PartyLite's national convention in St. Louis and I enjoyed spending time alone with the girls (despite two trips to Urgent Care for Skyler in a 3-day period), the highlight was camping with Traci's parents and family at Lake Lopez. They have a water park there in the campgrounds, which is where this picture was taken. Courtney loves stuff like this and it was all the more enjoyable with family. She loved going down the water slides with her cousins. In this picture, she is going down with Kayde who lives up in Northern California and came down with her family for the camping trip. Courtney loves hanging out with Kayde.
AUGUST
August falls into the too-good-for-just-one-picture category. Two amazing trips can summarize my August this year. Traci and I celebrated our 9th anniversary a couple of months late by going on a cruise. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this trip, which took me to Catalina and Mexico for the first time. (It was also my first cruise.) It was a much needed break, which was enhanced by the lack of our wee ones who had a great week with the grandparents (both sets).And as if the cruise wasn't enough, I spent a long weekend, with a couple of really good friends from high school, in Boston. From the Freedom Trail to Harvard to bar hopping (my first time) and consuming more than I ever had before to taking in a Sox game at Fenway. There is a reason it took me several blogs to explain how enjoyable this was. And all at the suggestion (of a guys trip) by Traci since she had taken two trips without me already. What a wife! She really is the best.
SEPTEMBER
Less than a week after returning from Boston, it was off to Temecula for Traci's cousin Teri's wedding. Courtney and Skyler have grown to love weddings for the chance to dance with coordination that didn't come from me! Courtney loved dancing with Teri a few times. The picture above is one of those times. You can tell her excitement from the expression on her face.OCTOBER
Susie and Adam swung into town for a week in early October, and although we only had the opportunity to spend a few days with them, it was great seeing them and hanging out. We miss having them around. We had a baby shower for her and that made the time with them so fun. My sister makes me proud to be her brother and I loved seeing her pregnant, knowing that I'll have a new niece in just a matter of weeks now. I love this picture of her and Traci.NOVEMBER
The highlight of November, besides Thanksgiving, was getting to take in a concert at our church. This is a picture of us with Robbie Seay from the Robbie Seay Band. I almost never go to concerts, but the music is so much better live. I am a big fan of this band now and am glad we had the opportunity to see them and actually talk with Robbie Seay for a couple of minutes after the show. I also gained a greater appreciation of musicians from this concert. (You can check out my blog about the concert for more details.)DECEMBER
And now we have come to December and the end of the year. Christmas is by far the highlight of the month. This is just a great picture of our family, taken the day after Christmas at my in-laws' house. I love seeing the kids having a good time with their cousins and opening gifts that they really enjoy. It is amazing to see them gain a greater appreciation of Christmas every year. It was also great to hear Courtney say "It's not about presents. It's about Jesus." repeatedly this year. I guess we're doing something right.And now we move on to a new year full of amazing opportunities, beginnings and blessings. I know it will be an interesting year as I am trying for a new position at Chevron. Skyler will begin preschool in the Fall and Courtney will start Kindergarten at the same time. We'll have a new niece. (Have I mentioned that yet?) We're also working on growing the Sunday School class that I lead at church. We'll also have to deal with challenges such as family (Traci's brother and his family) and friends (Courtney's friend Charis and her family) moving away. You never know what life will throw at you. At least we know that God is with us and that with him, all things are possible. May you have a blessed New Year.
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