The Sat. Morn. Post, Vol. 17 - Brady's 1st Competition

Later today, Laura, Nina and I will be attending Brady's first cheer competition. I've referred to Brady's co-ed cheer squad in an earlier post when we celebrated Brady's 16th birthday at San Clemente beach. Brady and his squad have been practicing now for months, and we will see them perform for the first time this afternoon. This is the first competition for the Senior Unlimited squad as it defends its World Champion title. I'll be sure and post some pictures. In the meantime, here are some pictures of Brady tumbling in our backyard:


See you next Saturday morning . . .

The Sat. Morn. Post, Vol. 16 - Recent Events

Hi friends. I finally found some time to post something. Here are some recent events in my busy life that also show - despite how hectic things are - that I still have fun with my family.

My wife Laura and I were invited to a Halloween costume party on the Saturday before Halloween. We had a lot of fun, and enjoyed spending time with our friends. I dressed as a 60's hippie, and Laura was a referee. I've only posted a couple of pictures here, but many more were taken of our friends in their costumes.
This is one of those self-photos Laura is fond of. As you can see, the top of my head was cut off, but this one was the best of the bunch. Peace, out.

On the Friday night before Halloween, Nina and some of her cheerleader friends came over to our house to carve pumpkins, decorate cupcakes, and otherwise create much noise and a huge mess. Nina is in the back on the left.

This past weekend, the cheerleader conference competition took place. All of the other cheerleading squads from within the conference compete against each other by division. This is the highlight of the season for the girls. Here is Nina (2nd from the left) and some of her friends before competition started.

Inside the arena, parents, family members, and some of the football players (the boys that the girls cheer for during games throughout the season) watch the competition and cheer for their girls. Teams typically sit together in a group wearing their team colors. Here is our group from La Habra, and yes, that's me holding a sign for Nina. The La Habra sign is actually 3 signs being held (crooked) by 3 people.

After each division is done, the girls go into the stands and get flowers from their families. The girl to the left of Nina is our squad's best cheerleader in both ability and attitude. Unfortunately, she fell during the routine, but immediately got up and continued as if nothing happened. What a trouper!
Well, that's it for this week. I'll try to post again next Saturday morning. Take care . . .

The Sat. Morn. Post, Vol. 11 - San Clemente, part 2

Continuing from my post last Saturday morning . . . our family was on a vacation and we were celebrating my son, Brady's, 16th birthday. We took a weekend trip to San Clemente - a beach city in south Orange County, CA, about an hour away from were we live in La Habra, in north Orange County. As a matter of fact, our two cities are on opposite corners of the county. Enough of the geography lesson.

Brady is on a co-ed cheer squad called the California Allstars. Brady and his friends all met this year, and all (including Brady) are new to the squad. Last year, the squad won the 2009 World Championship. Brady only invited friends from his cheer squad to his birthday party (he did not invite any of his friends from school). The first to arrive were (L-R) Julian, (Brady), Tyler and Kiara.

Not too long after, a couple of others arrived: Chris and Jaylen, who are brothers, and who both cheer on the squad. They are new to the squad this year too. Once all the guest arrived, we took that long walk (nudge-nudge; wink-wink) across the street to the beach, and hung out for a while.

The older kids tumbled on the sand, entertaining the people on the pier above. My daughter Nina, her friend Alyssa, and Chris and Jaylen's little brother and sister made sand castles and waded in ankle-deep water. Here the kids make a pyramid thing in the shadow of the pier.

Just the boys on the beach goofing around. I'm sure you don't recognize it, but the white house on the bluff above Brady's head was the a home of San Clemente's founder, Ole Hanson.

After much fun and sun, we were ready to come in to open presents and eat cake. One of Brady's gifts was several dollar bills taped together like a continuous string. Brady loved this gift a little too much.
Here are all of Brady's party guests (L-R) Chris (holding his baby sister Mya), Tyler, Julian, Kiara, Jaylen and Brady:

Here is Brady's birthday cake. Albertson's makes a great cake, and my wife Laura loves to order this particular one. We have ordered this same cake for several birthday parties - sometimes filled with fresh strawberries, but not this time.

We had a great weekend, and everyone who attended Brady's party had a great time. By Sunday morning, we were all pack up and ready to check out, and in about an hour's time we were back home.

Moving up to the present time, it's Labor Day Weekend, and that means I have labor to do around the house. Oh, that's right; I get to do that every weekend. Well at least this weekend I can watch UCLA play football, and I'm one week away from NFL football. It's the most wonderful time of the year. See you next Saturday morning.

The Sat. Morn. Post - Vol. 10 - San Clemente, Part 1

Hi there! This Saturday morning I'll reflect back to last weekend: our family vacation to San Clemente, where we celebrated our son Brady's 16th birthday. Thanks to my wife Laura's wonderful grandparents, Bertha and Gil, to whom we owe so very much. Bertha and Gil have a timeshare on the beach in San Clemente. They graciously allowed us to use it for the weekend to host Brady's 16th birthday party. If it were not for Bertha and Gil, we could not have had this wonderful family vacation and birthday celebration.

And it couldn't have been a nicer weekend. It was not blazing hot as it sometimes is in late August here in Southern California. And we didn't have to travel far. Brady's guests didn't have to go far out of their way either. Lets look at the pictures, shall we?

First up is the view from the balcony of our room looking straight out (west). This is San Clemente Pier:
This picture was taken from the same spot, but with the lens pointed a little to the right.
What you can't see in either of the pictures above, is the train tracks. Amtrak, Metrolink, and Coaster all share the tracks, and trains run frequently between 7:00 a.m. ish and 7:00 p.m. ish. It doesn't take long to get use to the bells at the crossing (which you can barely see in the top picture), but the train horns are somewhat louder.

Also, the two pictures taken above were actually taken on Sunday morning, the last day we were there. All of the remaining pictures in this post were taken on Friday, the first full day we were there. The morning cloud cover was so thick you would think we were experiencing June Gloom.

Laura loves taking pictures of the two of us, but by holding the camera herself - as opposed to allowing someone else to hold the camera and take the picture of us. She took 8 of these pictures, most of them cut off the top of my head from just above my sun glasses. This is the best of that bunch of 8 (in my opinion). I chose one where both of us had a nice smile, but doing so I had to pick one that didn't show what was written on my hat. I will not spell out the whole name, but the initials are UCLA.
Our daughter Nina brought a friend with her: Alyssa. Here they are sitting on the back of the life guard's jeep. We took a walk the Friday evening out on to the pier, and along the beach. It was noticeably cooler than during the day, and that June Gloom cloud cover only got thicker.

Here we have me and Laura taken by Brady. (see, my hat isn't chopped off). Laura is holding up my beer belly, as I am sucking in.

And here without me having to move an inch, we have the birthday boy, Brady, and Nina.

So this concludes the "family" portion of our vacation. The part 2 portion of my post will focus on Brady's birthday party. See you next Saturday morning.

The Saturday Morning Post - Vol. 9 - More on The SMP Vol. 8

Last week I played golf. Last week was the La Habra Corn Festival. Last weekend started as if I was on the road to H-E-double hockey stick.

I've written before about the golf tournament named in memory of my dad, and about the Corn Festival and Parade. Last week, for the first time since the golf tournament was established, the two events took place on the same weekend. The thing that complicates this is that the weekend also coincided with the start of my daughter's cheer leading season. That means it coincided with the start of my wife's cheer coordinator season. That means it all added up to stress, tension, anxiety, unpredictable expenses, and emotional moments that I would prefer not to have experienced.

So what happened to make it such a challenging weekend? First, the background information: every year, the boys and girls of La Habra Pop Warner Football and Cheer get to march in the La Habra Corn Festival parade. The little girls - those on the flag squad - get to ride on the float. Last year, the float was awarded a prize. This year it's the 40th anniversary of the La Habra Pop Warner Football and Cheer's existence, so something special was supposed to happen in this year's parade - the 61st annual. Well the person in charge of the parade for the league had a personal crisis, and bailed on her responsibilities of coordinator, and of towing the float.

My wife finds out about this on Thursday - two days before the parade - after all the little girls were told they would be riding on the float. But all is not lost: the coordinator dropped off her trailer (the would-be float) at our house on Thursday evening. My wife and some cheer coaches and cheer moms decorate the float on Friday. I get home from work Friday night and opt to hook up the trailer (float) on Saturday morning before I leave for my golf outing.

Saturday morning comes and I find myself struggling to hook up this trailer (float) only to find my hitch is not compatible with the trailer's counter-part. The owner of the trailer is contacted and arrives to assist. Also assisting in this effort is my wife's grandparents (our next door neighbors). Between all of us - we can't hook our truck to the trailer / float. And, by the way, I am overdue to leave for the 1 & 1/2 hour drive to the golf course to play in the tournament.

I was already worried that my wife would be towing a trailer (float) loaded with 5-7 years olds, while my daughter marches nearby. Did I mention that my wife has never towed anything in her life? My nerves were shot. Not the best frame of mind to be playing golf - that is if I arrived in time for my start time.

Well all worked out fine. It was decided that the trailer had some problem with the device that attached to the hitch of our truck - so no towing (or driving in the parade) would take place. All the girls - disappointed little ones included - would have to walk the mile and a half parade route. I would have to drive like a maniac for an hour and a half to get to the golf course. I would take my first swing at a golf ball on the first tee - approximately a year after I took my last swing at a golf ball on the 18th fairway. I shot something that I would be more proud of if I were bowling. I forgot my camera, so I have no pictures to share. And my wife forgot her camera too, so I have no pictures to share of the parade.

So you are left with reading another boring post about my mundane life, and all I can offer is a few links to previous year's post's of a similar topic. See you next Saturday morning.

Time For An Update

Summer is nearly over, and there's been some changes around the household. Laura is no longer employed, but continues to seek a new job. This causes a financial challenge, as we were already on a tight budget. Laura has a little more time for her volunteer position as cheer coordinator for La Habra Pop Warner Football and Cheer leading.

Both Brady and Nina have celebrated birthdays recently, and have also started school. Brady, now 15 is in 10th grade, and Nina, now 8 is in 3rd grade. Both attend a tumbling class once a week, and both will soon begin religious education classes. Brady is less than a year away from receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In other birthday news, we recently celebrated numerous family birthdays at my moms house with a good ol' BBQ & pool party. Those celebrating birthdays included my mom, both my kids, a niece and a nephew (who are also brother and sister), and another nephew. Absent, but not forgotten, were another niece who lives out of state, and an uncle who took ill and couldn't attend.

Nina is also cheer leading for La Habra Pop Warner. I enjoy going to the games to watch her cheer, but also enjoy watching the games themselves. Today, the boys beat their opponent 39-6. Before the cheer and football season began, the city held it's annual Corn Festival and parade. The cheer leaders and football players marched in the parade again. In order for me to get the prime front row spot on the parade route I got there at 4:30 a.m. I was surprised to see people already holding their own spots along the route.

The Corn Festival was fun as always, and this year we brought home more goldfish. Two actually, that Nina won, and one other that her friend Frankie won. Nina's fish died by the next morning, and Frankie's died a few days later. They were buried in our back yard.

The D.O.M. ride season begins next week. We will be attending, but the days of going out on Friday morning are long over. We don't want to take the kids out of school, and I'm too busy at work to take a vacation day right now.

I'm still taking the bus once a week to do my part to help the environment and save fuel. I'm pleased that gas prices are not as high as they were when I started riding. I have changed my route to 3 different bus lines compared to what I used to take. This way it's slightly less expensive, and I get to leave work 1/2 hour earlier. I have yet to see knitters on the bus, but I still keep looking for them just to be able to report that to LA and Diane.

As far as sports go, I played golf for the first time in one year. In August I played in a golf tournament along with my mom, uncle and cousin. This is an annual event named in memory of my dad. And for my spectator sports (the ones I watch, not participate in) the Angels are doing great by winning their division; the Bruins started off better than I expected by beating Tennessee, but got SPANKED today by BYU; and the Chargers lost their first one, but will hopefully win tomorrow against Denver.

Finally, my prayers go out to the families of the commuters who lost their lives yesterday in that horrible train wreck in the San Fernando Valley.

A Couple Of Updates

Saturday's golf tournament (the Carlos Aguirre Memorial) was fun. I really enjoyed myself, and my mom, uncle, and cousin had fun too. It was not as hot as we expected; only 90-ish. I didn't shoot as well as I would have liked to. Out of embarrassment I will not tell you my score, but I will tell you it was over 100. Considering I haven't played in a full year, and the difficulty of this golf course, it's no surprise.

There were a couple of memorable holes that I will share with you: Number 5, a par 5, dogleg right with water at the beginning and the end. You need to hit a shot that must carry over water in order to land on the green. The last four years I did not play this hole very well. This time I hit a good drive and a good 2nd shot. I knew I couldn't reach the green on my 3rd shot, so I hit short of the water. My 4th shot needed to be about 75 yards to the center of the green. I purposely selected a club that would easily carry the water (I've been in the water 3 times before). Oops. Too much club. I flew over the green, and then my ball bounced on the cart path and flew over a block wall into the street. I took the stroke penalty (but not the distance as the rules called for). I still had to chip on the green and putt out. I took an 8 - ouch.

That was not the worst hole I played, but I wont bore you talking about them. A hole that started off promising - number 8, a par 4, straight and not too long, I actually landed on the green in regulation. (That means my 2nd shot landed on the green, and I was putting for a birdie.) Oops. I 3-putt for a bogey 5.

The 18th hole was one of my better ones. A long par 5, with an elevated tee; you must hit into a valley and work your way back uphill to an elevated green. Did I mention the water? A stream with little waterfalls and pools, descending from the front of the green to the fairway from right to left. I hit a good drive and a 2nd and a 3rd shot. My 4th shot was the approach to the green, less that 100 yards which had to carry the water. It landed on the green close enough for me to 2-putt. I took a bogey 6. In total I only had 4 single bogeys. No pars, everything else doubles or higher - ouch.

Laura continues to improve, and has been back to work for nearly 2 weeks. Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers. She is coaching Nina's cheerleader squad, and they are practicing for opening day ceremonies. Laura had a run-in with a couple the girl's parents. 3 girls have been showing up late to practice, which affects the other girls on the squad. Laura talked to the parents after practice last night, and they didn't like it. It got ugly, and Laura had to call one of the league officers to step in. The bottom line is if the kids are going to be late (or absent) Laura wants to know before practice starts. Also, if the parents are going to briefly leave the practice area (parents are required to stay at practice at this age group) to go to the snack shack, or the restroom, or to stretch their legs; just let Laura know. That way if there's an emergency, Laura will know where to look for the parent(s). No big deal, but these bitches really gave Laura a bad time about this very reasonable request.

Brady is about two weeks from starting high school. He's also helping Laura plan his birthday party - a late night bowling party. This time of the year is crazy due to so many family birthdays. Complicating that is back to school, the start of cheer (football) season, and the start of our off road club riding season.

Finally, work has been very busy lately. I don't want to talk too much about work, but it does factor into my life. As I say on my profile - it's a necessary evil.

The Corn Festival Parade

The first Weekend in August is when the City of La Habra celebrates it's Corn Festival. This event has been celebrated for many years, and a lot of people participate in various ways. There's a carnival with rides, food booths, game booths, craft booths, and vendors of many items (kind of a swap meet). This carnival begins on Friday afternoon, and continues to Sunday evening. On Saturday morning, a parade goes down La Habra Blvd. This year, just like last year, my wife Laura and my daughter Nina were in the parade. Nina is a cheerleader for the local Pop Warner football and cheer league, The La Habra Lions, and Laura is the cheer coach for Nina's squad.

Here's Nina's squad - Flag Blue - getting ready for the parade. The youngest squad of cheerleaders is the only one that gets to ride on a float in the parade. All the other squads of cheerleaders and football players have to walk the parade route. Nina is second from the right.
Here's a picture of the float the flag squad gets to ride on:Here's a close up of Nina (on the right) and a friend of hers, Isabel. Isabel was not on Nina's squad last year. In fact, there are six new cheerleaders and four returning veterans.Laura took this picture of the boys Flag Blue football squad as they headed towards the start of the parade route. These are the boys that Nina and her squad will be cheering for over the next several weeks as the games are played.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share from my vantage point on the parade route. Laura had our digital camera with her to take all these pictures (and more), and I wasn't going to use our old camera (the kind that takes a four letter word beginning with F). I did last year, and as you can see by reading my post from then, the picture quality isn't that great. What you don't get to see in this post is just how good my vantage point was. I will briefly describe it.

Towards the end of the parade route is the competition and judging stand. Across the street and a few yards west from that is the La Habra Community Center. In front of the center there is a strip of grass separating the parking lot from La Habra Blvd., and this grass strip is raised up like a grassy knoll (no, not like the one in Dallas). Because of the grassy knoll, I get to see over the tops of people's heads sitting on the sidewalk in front of me. Well this grassy knoll is becoming so popular, I'm having to get there earlier each year in order to secure a spot. This year, I was there just after 4:00 a.m. - and I wasn't the first one there. By 5:30 a.m. (4 hours before the start of the parade) all the available spots on the knoll were taken. Ten or 11 EZ-Ups side by side and dozens of folding lawn chairs, patiently waiting for their occupants, being watched by a handful of guys willing to give up sleep to secure the best spot.

An update on Laura. She's doing better both emotionally and physically. A few days ago, she underwent a surgical procedure that was recommended after someone suffers a miscarriage. In the days following that procedure, she's been in a lot of pain associated with the anesthesia. She has not been able to practice with her squad, and didn't think she would be able to be in the parade. She felt well enough to participate, but luckily she didn't have to walk. Her dad drove her in a small gas-powered cart and followed behind the cheerleader's float.

Thanks to all of you who left comments on my last post. Your kind words were very encouraging.