Merry Christmas

May you all have a blessed holiday season, a very merry Christmas, and a happy new year.

As author of this blog I will be taking a "Christmas vacation". I have so many things going on in my personal life and work life that I can't afford to spend time on this blog. I intend on resuming my occasional boring blog entries sometime in January '07. Until then, good bye.

Happy Birthday, Diana

As I mentioned in my last post I will be acknowledging my family (and friends) on their birthdays by giving them a shout-out post of their own. Today is Diana's day.

Diana is my older sister, and I don't think I've adequately mentioned her on this blog before. What I mean by that is that I've mentioned her, but because of where she lives, she's absent from the various family gatherings described in previous posts. Absent in person, never in spirit. Diana lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband Scott, and their two kids - Anna and Henry.

Here are a few fun facts about Diana:

• She was the first of my immediate family members to work at Disneyland
• She was the first one of us four siblings to graduate college and get married - in that order
• She was the first of my sisters to meet her spouse at Disneyland (note: she was not the only one to meet a spouse at work; all four of us did)
• Us three younger siblings followed Diana's footsteps in various ways over the years: We all joined band in High School; we all went to Cerritos College first, then graduated from CSULB; we all got married in the same church
• Diana remains the only sibling to move out of state
• Diana remains the sibling who has traveled the most and the furthest

I miss seeing Diana on a regular basis. Diana, Scott, and the kids visit our mom and Scott's mom every Christmas. So in a couple of weeks we will all be together to enjoy each other's company. Until then, happy birthday from your favorite brother. Love, Danny.

Happy Birthday, Papa Kirk

Today would have been Papa Kirk's 75th birthday. We are celebrating his birthday (as we have since he left us in 2000) by visiting his grave site this morning, followed by breakfast at Barragan's.

I've written about Papa Kirk a couple of times, which you can read here and here.

We miss you and we love you, Papa. We hope you're playing plenty of golf in the big course in the sky!:)

I don't know why I haven't thought of this before, but starting today I will be posting a birthday wish to my family members as their day rolls around. Today is Papa's day.

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

Who hasn't heard that famous speech by FDR? How many people today - particularly children - realize what occurred on that day 65 years ago? Even though the attack on Pearl Harbor took place 20 years before I was born, I think about it every year on the anniversary as if it somehow changed my life.

I didn't personally know anyone killed on that day. I know of no relative that was there. But ever since I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial (when I was in high school) I've felt compassion for all those who lost their lives, and for their families.

So I just want to give a shout out to those in the Armed Forces for risking their life while protecting our freedom and defending our nation. Thank you all, and may God bless and watch over you.

JWD Holiday Party

This past Saturday night Laura and I went to her company holiday party. We had a lot of fun. She works for a small company with a generous owner who foot the bill for all his employees and their guests.

It was a catered semi-casual black and white event with a limited open bar held at a bowling alley. There were gifts (donated by vendors) that each employee received. There was a DJ, and of course, free bowling. Here's a picture one of Laura's co-workers took of us:

UCLA Upsets USC

Honestly, I think I’m in shock. I just witnessed the greatest upset in my life. UCLA just beat USC 13 to 9 and spoiled their National Championship bid. Deep down I was hoping for a win, but SC was favored to win by 14 points. And after last year’s embarrassment, I figured the Bruins would fall short of my hopes and choke. Well I was wrong. They won, and it was a good solid performance of both offense and defense.

So congratulations to Coach Karl Dorrell, QB Patrick Cowan, all the players and coaches on the outstanding defense, and the rest of the players, coaches and fans for a great season-ending game. A well-deserved win over those cross-town rivals.