It's A Girl Thing...

BE MY VALENTINE

2012-02-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Last night I set out a few sweet treats on the kitchen counter so everyone would have something in the morning.Matt is on graveyards so he saw his treat before going to bed this morning and we can enjoy our La Cocina lunch date on Thursday when he is off!
The girls wore their cute socks to school today and have their candies waiting in the freezer!
The girls and I loved our donut surprise that Matt left for us...fresh from a bakery in San Marcos!
Allison has been busy making these adorable paint sample bookmarks for her class and Taylor was ready to pass out FunDips to her friends.
I packed them heart-shaped sandwiches and all things red and festive for their lunch today
and hope Matt's deputies enjoy cupcakes during briefing tonight.
The girls got creative with the window markers and decorated our bathroom mirror for Matt when he gets ready for work this afternoon.

I feel blessed to be loved by so many and love all of the wonderful family and friends in my life!!

2012 STATE CUP CHAMPIONS!!!

2012-02-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

The girls were thrilled to be part of the Final Four teams battling for State Cup champion this weekend in Pomona. Saturday's game was against Carlsbad Wave Black and the winner would advance to Sunday's championship. Loose as always and ready to take the field, our team amazed us again with a 3-2 victory over Carlsbad!!

TOP TWO!!

On a very cold and rainy Sunday morning, we were back in Pomona for our final game of the tournament. Our Hawks community was so supportive on Facebook and several parents and players made the early morning drive to cheer us on, along with lots of our teams' family and friends.

Before the game, Exiles White and our Hawks entered the field in a special ceremony that got me all choked up! This was a battle like nothing else we have ever been a part of...a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us.

Exiles scored first, but we responded quickly to tie and then scored another to take the 2-1 lead going into half time. We started the 2nd half right where we wanted to, but couldn't hold the lead and they tied it up 2-2.

When the whistle blew still tied, it was on to 2 10 minute overtime halves, but still no score.

Now, penalty kicks!!

When I told Taylor she would take the first kick, her face turned white. I just told her and the rest of the girls to do it just like they practice, but you can never practice for this kind of pressure. Coach prepped Bella for her job as keeper. She was one nervous kid, but she was amazing!

Taylor was up first and nailed her kick...PHEEEWW!!

It was a back and forth battle of missed shots, blocked shots and a few pretty ones, but on the 6th kicker, Xandria put her kick in and their team did not. We won on PK's 3-2 and took the title of STATE CUP CHAMPIONS!!!

The team and sideline stormed the field...sharing hugs, tears, stories and every emotion possible.
We made our way to the sideline and graciously thanked our opponents and our wonderful group of players, parents and the most amazing coach!We were presented with the biggest trophy I have ever seen and awarded all of the girls really nice medals for their amazing achievement.This kid has played so hard all season and had a fantastic tournament. She has proven to be such a consistent asset to this team and Coach can rely on her to get any job done. I will never forget the hugs and tears we shed on the field after the victory, but sure wish I could bottle it up!!!
This is the highest award you can win at this level. After 3 weekends, hundreds of miles on the road and 64 teams trying to make it to the top, there was only one winner...HAWKS GU12 White are STATE CUP CHAMPS!The icing on the cake was the really sweet sign on our garage when we arrived home made by my sweet friend Wendy. It brought an even bigger smile to my face and it will be a long time before this feeling goes away...

State Cup President's Division

2012-02-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Allison was honored to be invited by the GU10 Black team to play in the first round of State Cup. Unfortunately, Taylor was playing in her 3rd weekend in Pomona, so Matt and I split duties. He took Allison to Saturday's games down in Coronado and texted me the play by play.

The first game was a tough one against a very strong Carlsbad Lightning team. Allison sat on the bench for the first half and played in goal for the 2nd...a tough duty as they lost 8-0.

These two didn't seem to care much about the loss as they picnicked and played around the beautiful grounds of the Coronado Cays between games.

Game #2 was a much better showing, but they still lost 3-1.

Again, all smiles on the drive home since Matt promised them Vanilla Bean Frappachinos and cookies from Starbucks!

Luckily, I was able to see Sunday's game against South Bay Force and the team looked great. Allison didn't play goalie at all, but instead got quite a bit of playing time as right defender. They lost 3-2 but finished strong and it was a great experience for Allison. She is excited to join this team in the Spring and make some strong friendships and memories with this group of girls. A special thank you to Coach Hugo for letting her play!

Honorary Ball Girls

2012-02-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

One of the parents from Allison's Allstar team is a coach at Temecula Valley High School. Although Allstars is over, she invited the team to be honorary ball girls for their final game of the season against their crosstown rivals, Great Oak.Some of the girls "hanging out" before kickoff.
Kylee and Allison buddied up on the field to help get balls back to the sidelines.
Kylee, Allison, Olivia and Madison
Allison (in turquoise) took her job very seriously and stood in place in case a ball went out of play. It was a great soccer match and I think it was fun for the girls to see what kind of players they will be in just a few short years. TV beat Great Oak 1-0 to take the Southwestern League title.

State Cup...Weekend #2

2012-02-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

By advancing to this weekend and the Round of 32, this team had already achieved our goal and anything more would just be icing on the cake. I think this attitude going into Saturday's game helped them play loose and just enjoy the experience.

Our Saturday matchup was against San Luis Obispo and we were lucky to only have to drive 30 minutes to the field in San Marcos, unlike their 4 hour ride. Although it was a battle until the end, we advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-1 win!

Team photo after Saturday's win

With each victory, the excitement grew and Sunday was no exception. We were back on the field for an 8:30am game against Rancho Cucamonga. I loved how all the girls would ask, "Is this team good?" and I would always respond the same, "At this level, they are all good!"

I think Taylor had one of the best games to date this morning...winning nearly every ball that came her way and scoring two beautiful goals from way beyond the 18 yard box. Her tough play, along with the strong team effort, led us to another victory and a spot in the Round of 8!!

By this point, we all felt like we were living a dream!

Before our 12:30 game, we set up camp for lunch and some team bonding and down time. Taylor mostly bonded with Joey.
Allison and Lindsay had fun making trips to the snack shack, playing at the park and doing some coloring.
Taylor's strong play this morning earned her one of the two Captain's bands for our afternoon game against La Mirada. Our sideline cheering section grew as word of our accomplishment spread. We had a few fellow Hawks families make the drive to support us in our battle for the Final Four.

Bella "rocked the net" this game, blocking a gorgeous PK and a few other nice shots by the opposition and Ashley and Maylie were able to put in two beautiful goals to help us finish with a 2-1 victory!

Are you kidding me? A spot in the Final Four? One of the 4 best teams in Southern California? It just keeps getting better and we will battle hard next weekend in the Semifinal game against Carlsbad Wave up in Pomona. A victory there will put us in Sunday's championship game, but win or lose, this team is remarkable! They are playing fabulous soccer, staying loose and enjoying the ride. I'm just not sure they understand how big this is...which is probably better :)

He's Still Got It!

2012-02-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

It has been a lot of years since Matt was in uniform and in a patrol car, but the other night he had his first "brawl" since promoting to Sergeant. He was supervising his deputy for a call at a local motel. They were looking for a guy with a warrant who was staying at the motel. When they arrived at the room, the suspect ran into the parking lot.

The guy had meth on him and was high on it as well. Matt chased after him, tackled him to the ground...unfortunately right into a rose bush. Because the suspect was high, he had crazy strength and it took 3 deputies and a taser to get the guy in handcuffs. He was later taken to the hospital for his injuries.

The rose bush may have gotten the best of Matt's hands and nose, but he was able to chase down the bad guy and get him in custody. Yep, he's still got it!

State Cup 2012

2012-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the start of State Cup, the final tournament of the season and the one we have worked all year to prepare for. Last year, we had a fantastic season and a disappointing finish at State Cup so this year we were out to prove how much we have grown.

Our first match up was against FC Murrieta at the San Bernadino Soccer Complex. We have faced this team several times before, but knew they would come out strong to try and beat us. We started off strong and Taylor put in the first goal of the game in the first minute and 40 seconds of the start! Although not our best performance, we finished strong and won 3-0.

On Sunday morning, we arrived confident for our game against Orange County Premier...a team we knew little about. No joke...their keeper was probably 5'6 and 250 lbs, but our girls could not manage to put a single goal by her. We had more missed opportunities than I can count and just couldn't get our act together. We even said we looked like the Bad News Bears and lost a devastating 2-0.

We had a few hours before our next game and enjoyed some team downtime to try and erase the ugliness of our morning showing. The parents and coaches did lots of reflecting and head shaking, but the girls go right back to being kids!
Allison was a good, supportive sister coming to all 3 games!
Mary and I also shared some wonderful baby time with our newest Hawks family member, Joey.

Our morning loss led to a must win situation for our afternoon game against San Clemente United if we wanted to advance to next weekend's round of 32. Again we started off flat, allowing an early goal as our defenders just watched. But our girls would have nothing of it and quickly responded with a goal of our own and then another. We led 2-1 at half and added 2 more for security in the 2nd half. The 4-1 victory gave us enough to advance to next weekend! We are excited to represent Temecula and play San Luis Obispo on Saturday. This was not the type of soccer we usually see out of this group so we are hoping they find their "A game" because they are going to need it to keep advancing.

However, our start-of-the-season goal was to advance to the 2nd weekend of State Cup and we just achieved that. The hard work has paid off and we hope to see them exceed their goal next weekend!!

Mud Bowl 2012

2012-01-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

The Hawks Shootout (this year remembered as Mud Bowl) was held this weekend in Temecula. Allison's Allstar team entered to extend their season and it proved to be a wise decision!The girls played so well, battling against Club teams that had been together for at least a year. Allison had some of the best goalkeeping I have ever seen her have and kept all of the games close. We played under the lights Friday night and beat Vista Storm 4-1! On Saturday, they beat United FC 3-0 and this morning tied Oceanside 0-0 to advance to the Championship this afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch because Taylor's game was at the same time.

They played FC Blades for the title and lost 1-0. According to the other parents, we came out flat and struggled to put one in the net. In the 2nd half, a ball took a bad bounce after Allison dove for it and went over her body and dribbled into the net...a bad break for sure! Some tears were shed and her pride wounded, but within minutes, the girls were back to themselves and celebrating a great accomplishment.

Coach Mike presented them with the Finalist medals.

Best buddies who are nothing but smiles getting to play together!The Allstar season has come to an end, but this group has so much talent so I'm sure we will see them on the field again...maybe even some on the same team soon! My favorite moment of the weekend was when I picked up Allison at Leslie's following the championship games. She told me her team voted her "MIP" and asked what that meant. I corrected her by saying "MVP" and told her what it stood for. Any hint of frustration or disappointment was wiped away and the California burrito from Aztec for dinner didn't hurt either!
This was the first time both girls played in the same tournament which meant lots of back and forth with 8 games in 3 days. Luckily I was able to see all but Allison's championship. Allison's team got really lucky with the weather and fields, but the GU12 girls had to battle it out Saturday morning in the rain...beating French Valley 2-1. Then we played Saturday night under the lights in a mud pit, literally. Girls were slipping and sliding everywhere, but they had a ball and beat FC Blades 2-1.

Sunday morning, the sun was out and we were up for our toughest battle of the weekend. We had never faced Long Beach but heard they were tough. It only took one breakaway for us to put one in the net and hold the lead...advancing to the Championship on a 1-0 victory!

Although a good problem to have- Charlie's U8 boys advanced, Allison's Allstars advanced and our U12 girls all advanced to the Championship creating a scheduling nightmare. After much thought, Charlie felt he needed to coach the boys in his last game with them which meant I would coach the U12 girls and Matt would go with Allison. Such a bummer, but these girls made me so proud. We put Charlie on speaker phone before the game for his traditional pep talk and I followed it up with my own.

The girls started off very slow, but delivered a huge 4-0 victory with 3 breakaway goals by Jenna J., Jenna P. and Ashley. Taylor finished it off in the 2nd half with a beautiful rainbow shot over the keeper's head!
It only seemed right to wait for Coach to arrive to pass out medals and take pics with the trophy so we stood on the quickly darkening field and waited for the group shot. This team amazes me everyday and I love being a part of it. We keep piling on the championships, but it never gets old and I know they have so many more accomplishments in their future!
The best part is I get to share it with this one, even though she will be taller than me any day now!

Visit with Grandpa Al

2012-01-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Al flew out from Phoenix for a long weekend visit. It has become tradition for him to bring his "bag of crap" for all of us!

This year, the girls got luggage tags, curling irons and makeup compacts. Can you sense the excitement?
We had a nice time watching the NFL playoffs, playing lots of Mexican Train Dominos and going out to dinner a few times. We also loved seeing The Adventures of Tin Tin.

People's Choice Awards

2012-01-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

For the 2nd year in a row, I was more than excited to be a seat filler at the 2012 People's Choice Awards. We all got "dolled up" and met at Joy's for our caravan to LA.

Our check in was set for 2:00 so we had just enough time to get lunch at Yardhouse before parking in the structure and getting our wristbands. Then we waited in our set lines, anxious for our turn to make the walk to the Nokia Theater.
What a good looking group of ladies...even though we felt old compared to all of the 18 year olds in tight skirts and high heels.We had pretty good seats again this year...center section about 20 rows back. Some of us were constantly being moved to fill seats while others were lucky enough to stay in one spot the whole show.Kaley Cuoco, from The Big Bang Theory, was this year's host and she was great!
Some of the highlights were Robert Pattinson accepting the award for Water For Elephants (our favorite, although I didn't love his shaved head)
the cast of Bridesmaids winning Best Movie Comedy
Faith Hill performing her new song
Betty White, who will soon turn 90
Morgan Freeman winning the Movie Icon Award
The 2 Broke Girls cast winning Best New Comedy
and the cast of How I Met Your Mother winning Best Comedy.
Jenn and I were lucky enough to stay in one spot once the show started and had a great time fulfilling our duty as seat fillers. As soon as the confetti was released, we quickly spotted the rest of our group, comparing notes on who saw who.

Although it is a long day leading up to the show, it is such a fun Girls Night Out and experience many never get a chance to be part of. Hoping it works out again next year...

Yucaipa President's Cup

2012-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

The alarm went off at 4:50am and we were on the road at 5:30 for our 4th annual trip to Yucaipa's President's Cup. It was a cold start to the morning, but the girls were all fired up for their 1st game against Barstow.
Allison played in goal all 4 quarters of each game, allowing only 3 goals in the tournament! We beat Barstow 2-0 in the 8:00 game and had a little down time before our noon game against High Desert.
Olivia, Madison, Allison, Kylee, Reanna and Carly enjoying some time between games.
Allison and Sydney
We captured all of the girls lined up watching our other TVSA all star team playing in the game before us...too cute!

At the end of Day 1, we had a 2-0 win over Barstow and a 2-2 tie against High Desert. The 2nd game was a much tougher one. Allison allowed 2 goals in this one...a solid shot she couldn't reach and then a dribbler through the legs. Allowing that goal made her mad and she said she "flipped a switch after that"! In the 2nd half, she saved quite a few and really impressed our sideline. She was busy back there all game.
On Day #2, we had quite the cheering squad. Adri, Emily, Lauren, Taylor and Maylie drove up with Hank and Leslie. They made signs and brought pom-pons...remembering their time at this tournament a few seasons ago.
Coach Mike gave our girls a pep talk before the 11:00 game against Colton. We needed a win to advance to the championship and it was a tall order.
The team did their cheer behind the banner the big girls made...
and ran through it before taking the field!
Our girls played their hearts out, but couldn't put one in the net. We lost 1-0 to Colton so we won't be advancing to the Tournament of Champions. We are bummed that the official tournament season is over, but are excited to play in the Hawks Shootout in a few weeks.

Annie

2012-01-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

We had a Girl's Night Out with dinner at Rosa's Cantina and a great time seeing "Annie" at the Old Town Temecula Theater.

It was so fun seeing our neighbors, Alana and Rachel in the play. Alana was the maid, Mrs. Greer and Rachel, was one of the young orphans. The girl that played Annie was absolutely fabulous and we all fell in love with the 3-legged dog that played Sandy. We all loved it and now the girls can't stop talking about doing theater camp this summer!

Ice Skating in 85 degrees

2012-01-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Ice skating in Old Town was one of the items on our Winter Break Checklist, but we didn't expect to do it in 85 degree weather. It was more like large puddles than ice, but the girls had fun anyway.
Taylor, Lauren and Jenna
Reanna, Lorien and Allison
Allison spent a lot of time along the railing, but lasted longer than any of them. She was getting pretty good by the end, but the heat was too much to take.
Taylor was even a good big sister and helped get Allison off of the rail for a while. Just as we were packing up and dying of heat exhaustion (not really, but it was hot)...
it started to snow! A perfect end to our ice skating adventure!

Tournament of Roses 2012

2012-01-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

On a whim, I thought about taking the girls to this year's Tournament of Roses Parade...Matt was working, the weather was perfect and I have been wanting to experience this with them. After a few phone calls with my parents, we were set up with the best possible scenario.John, the owner of this Chevron station, had made a spot for us to park in their lot, enjoy the amenities of the RVs and sit atop the canopy in the bleachers seats above!!
We got to take this cool scissor machine up to the built in bleachers...an experience in itself!
Once in our seats, the Stealth Bomber flew by to signal the start of the parade!
John spoiled the girls with cotton candy and water bottles for all.
Perfect weather with a perfect view.
The parade led off with this beautiful display and marching band.
JR Martinez was the Grand Marshall.
There were so many amazing breeds of horses and miniature ponies...
and marching bands from all over the world, including Sweden, Japan, Puerto Rico and our favorite from right here at Camp Pendleton.
The highlight was truly the floats...this one was the first with Kenny G playing as it rode by.
Oregon vs.
Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl later today.
Our favorites were the Trader Joe's wagon and the
gorgeous tropical float with working volcano.
One of the highlights of the day was meeting these amazing soldiers from the Wounded Warrior Project. They sat with us in the bleachers and had amazing stories to share. It was an honor to meet them.
We really enjoyed our time with my parents' friends, Al and Martha. They spoiled us rotten and were a lot of fun to visit with. This was an amazing experience for all of us and one we hope to do again to ring in the new year!

Hair of the Dog

2012-01-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

Mike and Maureen invited us to their 8th Annual Hair of the Dog Poker Party to celebrate the new year. I am not a poker player, but the girls and I went to cheer on the players and visit with friends we hadn't seen in a while.
Their were 4 tables of poker players to start the afternoon until they narrowed it down to one winner. Our friends Paul and Dean were in the hunt!
Maureen and Erin
It was a gorgeous day outside so I spent much of the afternoon outside chatting with Laura, Lisa and Pam.

Taylor hung out with Vanessa and Korynn, while Allison kept busy on the trampoline with Carly and friends. It sure didn't feel like a day in January. The girls even covered the trampoline in ice to stay cool!

Whale Watch

2011-12-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Chris and Aimee gave us a fun day of whale watching in San Diego!The weather has been perfect all week so we decided to make reservations while the kids are still out of school and the weather stays nice. We have gone on this tour before, but it was freezing last time. Today was perfect and we were all ready to board the boat.
Allison was on board quickly and maneuvered her way into side benches for a great view.
We left the port at 1:30 for our 3 hour bay and ocean tour. Taylor was feeling a little uneasy after getting sea sick on our cruise this summer, but I was hoping the Dramamine and sea bands would work!
Allison was "Miss Observant" and loved seeing all of the speedboats, sailboats, birds and other creatures on our trip out to the ocean.
Beautiful view of Cabrillo and Point Loma...the southwestern most tip of the continental United States.
Such a beautiful vessel.
Up close and personal with the sea lions.
I think the Dramamine got the best of Taylor and she was a little sleepy on the boat ride out to the ocean. Luckily, we were able to wake her up and get some food in her belly before we began seeing the whales!
Allison loved talking with the Scripps docent and telling her all about the bubble net feeding we saw in Alaska.
Soon enough, we spotted the first blow and our first whale!
We even got a shot of its fluke!
We saw 2 or 3 swimming at a time and followed them for a few minutes.
We also spotted lots of dolphins and sea lions while searching for the whales.
San Diego City Skyline

On our way back, we made several stops along the shore to look at sea lions and some of the military subs and equipment stationed at Fort Rosecrans and Coronado.
This Coast Guard ship was just leaving the port as we were coming in.
We had a great family day at sea and thank the Boenig's for the fun gift!!

Christmas Day...A True Test in Patience

2011-12-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

After all of the preparation last night to get things ready for Santa, the kids came downstairs to all kinds of goodies spread out for them.Allison loves that Santa is nice enough to take their stockings off of the fireplace and lay them next to their pile of goodies. Matt had already left for work, but there was no way to keep the girls from taking a peek at the stuff Santa left.
Allison was thrilled to get the Our Generation Jeep and Salon Chair that were on her list! Santa also brought a donut maker, cooking utensils and a stocking full of gift cards, panties, candy and soccer socks.
Taylor loved her new Hawks soccer bag and Just Dance 3 that she asked for. She can't wait to make pizzas on her new pizza stone and she got a stocking filled to the rim with much of the same that Santa brought Allison. She will have fun with her facial masks and pedicure stuff too!
After making pancakes and visiting with Chip and Teresa, we made a big cookie platter and met Matt down at the Sheriff's Station. It was tough on the girls to not be able to have a traditional day... staying in our jammies, opening gifts and spending the day playing with all of our new presents. However, they were very patient and understanding and we made the best of the situation. I think this is the only Christmas that Matt has had to work since the girls were born, so not much to complain about!
The girls had fun touring the station, although Taylor was scared to death when Matt locked her in a Holding Cell. Hopefully that is the first and last time she will ever be in one!
Allison made herself right at home in the Sergeant's Office. She got a snack out of the vending machine and a drink out of the fridge and got comfortable!
We came back home in time to put the turkey in and watch A Christmas Story before Matt came home. As soon as he walked in the door, we ate our traditional turkey dinner and it was delicious. By 6:45, the kids couldn't wait another second and we finally sat down to open presents! They had been so patient listening to their friends call and FaceTime to discuss all that they had received, but we felt it was important to wait for all of us to be together.
Matt was surprised to open a new Keurig coffee machine.
Taylor loved all of her clothes, gift cards, new hair wand and makeup.
Allison was all about American Girl this year and loved her new outfits and wardrobe case to store everything.

It may not have been a traditional Christmas Day, but we are grateful for all that we have been blessed with!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:35:00.000-08:00

With Matt working both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I have been struggling with ways to make the holiday still feel special and traditional for the girls under the circumstances. However, the weather was just too nice today to go see a movie or bake so we headed to the beach, but not before a pit stop in San Marcos to see Matt at work. We met some of his team and look forward to going back tomorrow with some Christmas goodies.

Then we were on to Carlsbad to ride scooters and walk the long path along the water (not traditional, but gorgeous anyway).
The girls love watching the surfers from here and climbing out on the rocks.
Not many braved the water, but it was the perfect day to enjoy the sun and scenery.

After our walk, we brought our cooler and blanket down to the sand. It was so nice just hanging out, listening to our music and the waves and the girls had fun creating this lovely design.

Once Matt got home from work, we carried out our traditional Christmas Eve activities. We ate dinner and took a few photos by the tree before rushing out to the last Candlelight service at church.
I love the tradition of lighting the candles at the end of the service that represent the light of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. It is what we all look forward to most and really puts us in the Christmas spirit!
The girls were still excited to get home and carry out the rest of the traditional checklist before going to bed. They each got to open one gift...
Allison loved her American Girl soccer outfit
and Taylor loved her sweater, shirt and hoodie from Aeropostale.
They finished up by sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn, putting the Santa Key on the porch and leaving cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

Allison went to bed with butterflies in her stomach after seeing the video Santa emailed to her. He had her whole profile (including photos) and she thinks it was Mrs. Claus' idea for him to email instead of call. You could see her sense of relief when he said she was on the "nice" list and she even left a note by the cookies that said "I got your video Santa. Love, Allison"!

My Turn for the Tour

2011-12-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

After dinner tonight, the girls wanted to play tour guide and show me some of the best light displays they saw last night with Chip and Teresa. I was quite impressed that they were both able to navigate through Temecula without a map or even addresses to go by!Our first stop was the 1st Place winner in the "Griswold" category and I think our overall favorite too.

I also loved this one because you could tune into a radio station and the lights were programmed to the music and a projection of Santa Claus was up in the top window.
Lauren guided us to this "gingerbread house" in Meadowview...one none of us had ever seen before.

We also got a few laughs at Santa's Runway because a few of the neighborhood kids were blowing out all of the tea light votives that lined the streets even faster than the parents could light them!

Now we are officially feeling the spirit of Christmas!

Holiday Lights Tour

2011-12-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

Chip and Teresa carried on the tradition of looking at lights with the girls for another year. Even as the girls get older, their eyes still light up when Teresa calls to set it up. This year, they first stopped at In and Out for burgers and shakes instead of getting pie and hot cocoa at Marie Callendar's.

They map out the route based on the winners in the different categories...Religious, Griswald, Animated and Old-Fashioned. Some were better than others and there are even a few we will revisit so they can show them to Matt and me.

We got to enjoy a nice date night out at the Yard House while they were gone and they will look forward to doing it again next year. Chip and Teresa wonder when the day will come that the girls ask to bring their boyfriends along!

All-Star Exchange

2011-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

It only seemed fair that Allison's team got to enjoy a Cookie/Ornament Exchange Party too, so we hosted one at our house tonight. To add a little more fun to the festivities, Coach Mike told all the girls at practice this morning to wear their most festive holiday attire and there would be a prize for the winner.Allison spent most of the afternoon creating this lovely number...making the beard out of my makeup remover pads taped to a headband. Very clever I must say!
We had a cute present (took 1st place), a snow fairy and a few reindeers!
Coach Mike actually brought gifts for all of the girls, but Olivia got a little extra for taking 1st place!
Then the girls loaded up their hot cocoa cups and popcorn bags before turning on the movie.
They sat pretty quiet during most of Elf. That movie never gets old!
Kylee and Allison...classmates and teammates.
We paused the movie to do the ornament exchange. There wasn't a whole lot of stealing, but I think everyone was happy with what they took home. They finished up the night making cookie plates to take home with all of the different cookies that everyone brought. These girls have only been together as a team for a few weeks, but they are really getting comfortable with each other and making some fun memories!

Hawks Exchange

2011-12-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our 4th Annual Hawks Ornament/Cookie Exchange hosted by the Schreck's. Each girl brought 18 of her favorite holiday treat and a wrapped, unlabeled ornament to exchange.
The girls were treated to pizza courtesy of the Johnson Family and popcorn and hot cocoa while they chatted (some louder than others) and watched Home Alone.
Several of the girls brought gifts to share for the team and coaches, as well.
The ornament exchange was fun as always...lots of cute soccer ornaments and several sparkly ones like a taxi cab, ice skate, hawaiian alligator and a cupcake.

Then we surprised the girls with red, black and white scarves that one of Mary's co-workers made for each of them. Love the expressions on their faces!

Maybe someday over the break, we can all meet to go ice skating and wear our scarves as a team! We are always up for a fun event to bring this great group of girls together, both on or off the field.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2011-12-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

Taylor was invited to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party to celebrate Lexi's 13th Birthday. Where do you find an ugly Christmas sweater? Ask a teacher! My friend Kate had several to choose from and Taylor looked very festive in her cream-colored cardigan covered with Santa, a tree and lots of presents!

Not everyone participated in the theme, but there were some creative ones. I loved the boy whose Mom glued silver tinsel all over a red sweater or the boys that wore Christmas ties with sweatshirts!

The kids had a great time ice skating in Old Town Temecula and drinking hot cocoa with whipped cream. I didn't really like seeing a few of the "couples" holding hands while they skated, but luckily Taylor was only holding Lexi's hand since it was Lexi's first time on skates!

Scripps Ranch All-star Tournament

2011-12-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

After just a few weeks of practice, the All-star team was ready for their first tournament of the season...the Scripps Ranch All-star Tournament.These two best buds are so excited to finally be on the same team!!
Marley, Carly, Erin, Ashleigh, Cambria, Olivia, Allison, Reanna, Madison and Sydney were fired up and ready for our first game at 9:00.
Allison and Carly were chosen to be Captains for the first game against La Costa.
Allison helped teach them some of the All-star cheers she remembered from when Taylor played. She is quite the team leader both in warm up and during the game.
Allison seemed a little nervous at the start of the first game...even complaining that she had butterflies! She was a little timid about screaming for the ball and some of her punts were off in Game #1, but we won 2-0!

In Game #2 against Poway, she was a lot more poised and controlled. One goal got by her, but luckily our team scored 3 for the victory!

Sunday morning, we were back bright and early for an 8:00am game against Encinitas. We needed a win or tie to advance to the Semifinal. Our girls came out strong and took a 3-0 lead at half. Allison had some of her best punts yet and a few good saves and Coach Mike rewarded her by letting her play the field 2nd half.

She even got to take a penalty kick and scored, but the referee called it "no goal" for reasons we still don't understand. Unfortunately, this shifted momentum and before we knew it, we were all tied up 3-3. Luckily the whistle blew at 3-3 and the tie was enough to advance.

We faced Escondido in the Semifinal and Allison played keeper the whole game. The girls battled hard, but in the end, lost 2-1 to a pretty tough team. Although we hoped for a championship, it was a good showing by our All-stars and great preparation for our Yucaipa tournament in a few weeks.

I just love seeing these girls making great memories that they will cherish much more than the wins and losses...

Coronado Holiday Cup

2011-12-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

It was a double duty soccer weekend with Allison playing in Scripps Ranch and Taylor down in Coronado. Although, I hate missing any of the Hawks games, I felt it was important to see as much of Allison this weekend since she is just getting started. Unfortunately that meant missing Taylor's first morning game at Sunset Park, but from the sounds of it, their 3-1 victory over Chula Vista was quite impressive!After Allison's first two games on Saturday, Matt and I met up with some of Taylor's team at the Hotel Del Coronado in between her two games. It was a gorgeous day to walk around and see all of the festive decorations and outdoor ice skating rink.
Jenna, Madison, Maylie and Taylor in the hotel lobby.
More girls in on the fun!

We walked the grounds and beautiful beach until we stumbled on the Sandcastle Man and this gorgeous sculpture. He allowed the girls to try to take credit for the masterpiece.

Game # 2 was 4:30 game at Coronado High School against SDSC...a team we have seen before. It was another tough, physical battle, but the girls played great and ended with a 2-0 victory to end the day.

I missed the beginning of Sunday's game since I stayed for Allison's Semifinal, but made it to the Coronado Cays before halftime. When I arrived, we were down 3-1 to a very tough and BIG Encinitas team. I got to see Kenzie put one in to make it 3-2 and saw some of the best soccer I have ever seen these girls play. Although it ended 3-2 and we were sent home, we left with our heads held high. Encinitas played league 2 brackets higher than us and hadn't been scored on all tournament, so that was a victory in itself and a huge confidence boost as we prepare for State Cup.

Last Day

2011-12-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

After flag salute, the kids were back in class to read their "3 Gifts" paper to the parents and enjoy a waffle breakfast to celebrate the end of the semester. Allison said she would like to spend 1 hour baking cookies with me, spend 1 hour visiting the police station with Matt and 1 hour playing soccer with Taylor in the front yard. It was a really sweet story!
Mrs. Atkinson had a very cute pacesetting for each student and they enjoyed delicious waffles and OJ and took turns visiting me in the Blazer Buck store. In the afternoon, they finished the day watching Polar Express. Now 3 weeks of much deserved and needed vacation!!

Goal Achieved!!

2011-12-16T16:36:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of the school year, Allison's classroom goal was to make Honor Roll. She has worked very hard in all subjects, been very responsible with homework and studies hard for all of her tests. Math, Science and Social Studies have been pretty easy for her, but reading and writing have required more work. Well, that hard work paid off because today...Allison made HONOR ROLL!! Mr. McTasney called her up at Flag Salute and Mrs. Atkinson presented her with her certificate.
I just love that smile and sense of accomplishment!!
Today was Pajama Day at school too, so all of her classmates looked quite festive as they received their awards!
She received 5's (A's) in Math, Science, Social Studies and Writing and a 4 (B) in Reading. So proud and even more determined to improve her reading grade next semester! Way to go!

**Middle school doesn't do anything to recognize Honor Roll, but Taylor has a lot to be proud of too...another semester of straight A's. She is such an independent, strong student and takes her school work very seriously. Way to go!

Holiday Playlist

2011-12-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

My little elf has been waking up early every Thursday for the past few months to rehearse for this year's Holiday Chorus Program. This year's theme was helping Santa modernize and transition from his old records to playlists on an iPod. The elves, snowflakes and reindeers shared some of the songs from their playlists to help.
Cooper, Allison and Faith were all elves and stood next to each other.
Allison, Faith and Abby are all classmates too!
Mrs. McBride and Miss Upshur do such a great job with this show each year and the parent helpers all worked to make a very cute set.
Allison spent many hours on these risers with four performances over the last two days. She really has a blast in chorus and is excited to start preparing for the Spring show when she returns from Christmas break...

3rd Annual White Elephant Party

2011-12-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

Between work schedules, holiday parties and soccer tournaments, we luckily were able to find one night that worked for everyone to get together for the 3rd Annual White Elephant Party. This year, the Schreck's hosted with a yummy dinner catered by Rosa's.

All of the kids wild and ready to get the present opening started!
The best of friends...Lauren, Emily, Maylie and TaylorWe drew numbers from 1-17 and reminded everyone of the "2 steals, then frozen rule" before getting started.Maylie was unlucky #1 and loved (not really) this photo of Hank. He took this photo on my camera during the soccer team party and I thought I would pay him back by using it against him. He was kind enough to steal it from May so she didn't actually have to keep it. She ended it up with a plastic spinning Christmas tree that lights up!
Matt was thrilled with his penguin sleep mask and pink slipper socks until Felicia stole them. Instead he went home with a plastic sheep that poops butterscotch Jelly Beans!
Allison picked a fun brain teaser game, but at the end, traded Matt for his pooping sheep.Taylor with her Monster popsicle molds.Lisa posing with her Takeout for Two game box.
Leslie with her funny face stress ball.
Dominic couldn't have been more excited to steal the Marshmallow Shooter from Lauren.
So Lauren opened the Fart Machine.But Mary stole the Fart Machine from Lauren.Which led to Lauren stealing Emily's "Boss" mug.Emily then got to open this handy dandy fork/pizza cutter...just what she always wanted!Charlie first opened this Yoda beanie, but Michael quickly stole that away.
So Charlie got these lovely holiday boxers!

I think my girls will fight over my glitter baton

and Tyan will enjoy his festive rubber ducks!

Reanna ended the night with this amazing inflatable tongue!

We had some very creative gifts this year and another successful White Elephant party with wonderful friends!

Visit with Santa

2011-12-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Allison worked hard on her list last night and was eager to get it to the "Old Town Santa" with plenty of time for him to get it to the "Real Santa" by Christmas.
This year, she is asking for all things American Girl or Our Generation (Target's brand of American Girl accessories).
Santa made sure she is getting good grades and seemed to know about all of the items she is asking for. He said he would do his best to at least cross a few items off of her list.
Taylor is officially too old for the Santa thing, but did agree to at least one photo with her friend Jenna to appease me! Look at the grin on Allison's face though...a believer through and through! Now she just can't wait until the Real Santa calls to say he got the list!

White House Ornaments

2011-12-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Since 1992, Matt's mom (Gigi) has been sending us the Annual White House Ornament for Christmas. As we put up the tree each year, one of our favorite things to do is take each beautifully unique ornament out of its special box and admire the workmanship. We all seem to have our favorite and think we may soon have enough to create a special tree just for them!

AA-B Presidio League Champions!!

2011-12-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last season, we won the AA-C Presidio League title and advanced to play this season in AA-B. We expected tougher competition, but still anticipated a finish near the top. We started the 12 game run with a 1-1 tie against Poway back in September, won 9 other games and tied our second battle against Poway.

We knew the title would likely come down to one little mistake from either of our teams or would eventually have to be decided by goal differential. Lucky for us, in their final game, Poway tied Westfield 1-1!

This left us in control of our own destiny today as we played our rescheduled (due to rain) game against Encinitas. A win would give us sole possession of 1st place...

Our girls started off a little flat, allowing Encinitas to score fairly early. It may have just been the wake up call we needed because Ashley and Kenzie put two quick goals in for us to regain the lead going into halftime.

In the 2nd half, Taylor started at right forward and nailed a shot into the net off of a beautiful cross and Ashley and Kenzie answered with two more. The team played very strong as a whole, keeping possession of the ball and outplaying Encinitas.

We finished with a very well-deserved 5-1 win and the AA-B Presidio League title with an overall season record of 10-0-2. This team has such skill, heart and love for the game and Coach Charlie sure brings out the best in them. I love being part of it all and am so proud of all this team has accomplished. Can't wait to see what they will do in AA-A next year!!

Papa's Birthday

2011-11-27T21:01:00.002-08:00

Today Papa turned 63 so we celebrated with a beautiful day in one of his favorite spots...La Jolla. We started off with lunch at Piatti in La Jolla Shores.
We ate delicious paninis, pizza, lasagna and veal piccata.
We even had the chance to sing and share a piece of Tiramasu!
After lunch we walked a few blocks down to the water by the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Too bad we didn't bring our suits because it was a perfect summer beach day in late November!
Lots of families spent their last day of vacation kayaking and long boarding. It was hard to just watch but we hope we can get in the water over Christmas break.
We did enjoy the beautiful beach and gorgeous sunshine before going back to the car.
Then it was on to Prospect Street. The girls played in the tree and Grandma and Papa waited on a park bench while I took the girls to the Shell Shop to see the sea cave.
I had heard about this place before, but had never been in. We paid $3 each to take the steep, dark and wet staircase down to the sea cave.
We loved how the cave opening resembled a man's face with a very chiseled chin!

Then it was back to the park and up the hill for some ice cream and shopping while Papa had a beer at Karl Strauss and watched the Charger game. Other than the Chargers losing, it was a great day helping Papa celebrate his special day!

THANKSGIVING DAY

2011-11-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

We are thankful for so many things, but five straight nights of graveyard shifts over a vacation week...not so much! However, we made the most of our limited time together and enjoyed having Grandma and Papa here to share in our Thanksgiving day, although I was horrible with the camera.Matt prepped the turkey before leaving for work last night and we spent the morning getting the rest of the meal ready. Matt woke up around 1:00 and we had a nice early meal before he headed back to work.
Turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, stuffing, rolls and gravy finished off with cranberry apple cider. We managed to even leave room for pumpkin and coconut creme pie!
Much of the afternoon was spent relaxing, playing board games and watching 3 great NFL games.
We are very thankful for our family, our friends, our health and even our jobs (even if Matt's has kept him away most of the week).

TVHS Thanksgiving Soccer Camp

2011-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

I thought for sure that the girls would be excited about a week off of the field, but when offered a chance to do a 3-day camp at the high school, they jumped at the opportunity!43 girls, ranging from 1st to 8th grade, joined the JV and Varsity high school teams for 3 mornings of drills, scrimmages, games and fun instruction.
Allison loved her leaders and had fun with a few of the girls from her All-Star team...Reanna, Morgan, Olivia, Erin and Sydney.
Taylor and May just can't get enough either and had fun being challenged by the high schoolers.

Allison showing off some of her fancy footwork!
Taylor spent a lot of time improving her juggling and even doing some crazy "header" drills.
The girls are excited to be "ball girls" at one of the high school league games and will take all that they learned back to their own teams. Taylor is certainly feeling more motivated to make her high school team and Allison's confidence continues to grow. They just can't seem to get enough, which is so fun to see!

Feels more like Homecoming

2011-11-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

Taylor was invited to Jaime's 13th birthday party tonight at Shogun. However, when I dropped her off, it felt more like Homecoming...the girls in fancy dresses and the boys in ties. There were 10 boys and 10 girls altogether and it was funny to see how the boys sat on one side of the table and the girls on the other.

They sure are a good looking group. I just can't believe we have already reached this stage!

Call Us Crazy...

2011-11-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

For the 4th time, our group of Twi-Hards have braved the elements (long lines, cold weather, screaming teenagers, and near exhaustion) to catch opening night of The Twilight Saga...this time Breaking Dawn Part 1!
We arrived at 6:00pm to a zig-zagging line of hundreds of fans who began forming a line at 3:00am. We love this stuff, but have kids, jobs, responsibilities and the such which prevented us from getting there until dinnertime!
This year we were prepared with Chipotle burritos, beach chairs, blankets and an iPad to play Twilight trivia while we waited the 4 hours before being let into the theater. We were even spoiled with yummy hot biscuits from Lucille's, hand-delivered by an employee! We took turns taking potty breaks, walking to Starbuck's and putting our chairs away before entering the theater. The weather actually stayed fairly nice and the time passed quickly.
We continued with our "divide and conquer" plan to get the best seats. A few struck out in Theater #10, Wendy found 7 together in #14, but Amanda and I scored with these perfect seats in #12. No one in front of us and the nice railing and extra floor space to rest our feet!

We were all a little disturbed by the amount of elementary-aged kids watching this "not-so-appropriate"movie and being out til 2:30am on a school night, but we loved it! The wedding was gorgeous, the honeymoon destination was breathtaking and the movie was action packed. I can't believe we have to wait another full year for Part 2, but as much as we deny it, I know we will be standing in line again for our final viewing together...

Happy 12th Birthday Taylor!

2011-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

12 years ago this morning, we welcomed Taylor Lillian into our lives. We loved her from the second she arrived, but could never have imagined the joy and pride she would bring to our family.
I have both looked forward to and dreaded this day as I watch my first baby grow up. How can she already be a 7th grader, almost taller than me and such a beautiful, talented and smart young lady?
It seems like every week we ask if she grew another inch or are amazed by a discussion or life lesson we face with a pre-teen. She is such a self-motivated, kind-hearted and gentle spirit and works very hard to be a wonderful student, athlete, friend, sister and daughter.
Her gorgeous blue eyes have captured us since the day she was born and I can't believe how fast the years have gone. I just wish we could stop time, but at the same time, am so eager to see all that she will accomplish in her life.Taylor, we love you more than you will ever know and are so proud to be your Mom and Dad. We hope this year brings you every blessing you deserve. We love you and wish you the best 12th Birthday.

Love,

Mom, Dad and Allison

Old Town

2011-11-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

While Matt recovered from his graveyard shift and David headed to Oggi's to watch his Steelers play, we made our way to Old Town.The weather was perfect to walk around for a while and visit the Old Town Jail
and the new City Hall building and water fountain.
I can't believe Wendy and I have been friends for 21 years!!
I am so happy her family will be closer now for us to visit more often.
The kids all had a good time at the Pennypickle Children's Workshop. They loved the musical instruments, science experiments and loved seeing their skeleton hands glow in the black light room!

Only a Short Drive Away...

2011-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Now that the Raissle's have moved to Arizona, we are so excited to see them more often. It was getting nearly impossible to find time and money to fly everybody to Cincinnati, so it great to only have them be only a short 5 hour drive away!

Nolan (4) and Parker (2 1/2)

Apparently the boys have been practicing the "Happy Birthday" song all week to sing to Taylor so Nolan helped decorate this cute and very crunchy cake to help Taylor celebrate her birthday week!
They both did a great job singing and helping her blow out the candles!Wendy and David enjoyed a little mini-vacation while Taylor and Allison had a blast entertaining the boys. It gave us a little extra time for some much needed "catching up"! Taylor read lots of books to Parker and helped Nolan build lego sets.
Nolan and Allison had some very competitive "War" battles that brought lots of laughs!
They made the most of the rainy day playing Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders...

and cuddled up to watch Toy Story 3.

The girls loved helping with story time and Taylor rubbed Nolan's back to help him fall asleep. They kept saying they want a little brother now, but I think we will just cherish these very special weekends with the boys!

Taylor's Birthday Hunt

2011-11-11T18:00:00.001-08:00

A Friday with no school seemed like the perfect day to schedule Taylor's Birthday party so there wouldn't be any conflicts. Good thing we didn't do a pool party with the big weekend storm on its way!

14 of her friends from school and soccer met at Red Robin for an afternoon of eating, hanging out and hunting through the mall.
Allison and Reanna were good sports and very patient little sisters! A big thank you to Leslie for helping me chaperone!
Taylor blushed as the staff sang "Happy Birthday"
and she shared her birthday sundae with the group.
Then it was into the mall for the Scavenger Hunt (apparently not permitted by mall management, but the girls behaved). The girls picked colored headbands out of a bag to determine teams.
Team Blue-Emily, Shelby, Taylor, Lexi and LaurenTeam Green-Mandy, Vanessa, Maylie and Jenna
Team Purple-Mya, Alyssa, Leilani, Jaden and Madison
Each team was given a list of 30 tasks to complete and $10. Some involved answering mall trivia questions..."How many restaurants are in the Food Court?", "How much does it cost to rent a stroller?" and "What movie is playing in Theater 2?".Other items included taking photos of pink shoes,posing in front of the Christmas tree,finding a game that started with the letter "M",solving a riddle about Claire's and posing in front of it,and the whole team with sunglasses. They even had to make a few purchases and hunt down to-go menus, discarded receipts and movie ticket stubs.
After determining Team Blue was the big winner, the girls sang "Happy Birthday" again, ate delicious Nothing Bundt Cakes' Bundtinis
and Taylor opened some of the cutest, most thoughtful gifts.

Soccer buddies!

It is hard to believe Taylor is turning 12 in just a few days, but it was a fun start to the celebration!

Goodbye Firecrackers

2011-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to the Firecrackers at our Team Party at Chick-Fil-A. We were sad that our last game got rained out on Saturday, but the team finished 4-4-1...not bad after a very slow start. The girls ate nuggets while chatting,
and had fun signing each other's jerseys. Allison and Reanna have loved playing together this season and hope they get to continue on together in All-Stars and then hopefully Hawks in the Spring!

Matt and I really enjoyed working with this group of girls and are sad to see the season come to an end. They were all very sweet and focused on the field and really had a love for learning the game.
We will, however, enjoy a few free T/Th nights before All-Stars gets underway...

ASB Hits LA!

2011-11-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Taylor was up at 5:45 and at school by 6:45 today for an ASB field trip to LA.

Summer and Taylor

Unfortunately, they hit rush hour traffic and it took 3 hours 10 minutes to get to LA. Their first stop was the Museum of Tolerance. The kids learned all about the Holocaust, probably even more than they were expecting. They watched videos, walked into a gas chamber and each student was given a card as they entered the museum representing a child of the Holocaust. As they exited, they learned whether or not they had been killed. Taylor said it was incredibly interesting, but so, so sad!
Then the group was off for a college tour at UCLA.
The kids had time to tour the campus,
visit the gift shop
and spend some time discussing their college future.
Taylor texted us throughout the day and had a great time with her friends. It was truly a wonderful learning opportunity, but 7 1/2 hours on the bus was a little more than most could take. She walked away with so much information, but is now a little panicked that she was one of the only kids that didn't know where she wants to go to college or what she wants to major in (according to her). There is plenty of time for that, but I'm sure this trip will get her thinking...I guess that was the whole idea!

Spooktacular Night

2011-10-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

Allison came home from school and was in costume within minutes! She was excited to go to Lorien's neighborhood for a little bit before heading over to the Lebitski's for our 3rd straight year.

My construction worker and go-go dancer

Once it was dark enough, the girls got their bags together and were ready to hit the streets. I loved Reanna's flapper costume and Lorien's witch. It actually looked like all 3 color coordinated!

Taylor and Lauren are growing up way too fast and actually ditched us this year to go up ahead with their friends. They texted along the way and had a great time while Leslie and I walked with the little girls and the dads watched the Charger game and passed out candy.

After lots of walking, very tired feet and very heavy bags, we returned to the house to sort and trade (probably the best part of the night). They each got several full size candy bars and plenty of candy to last a while. Allison couldn't stop talking about the guy who gave them the rest of his candy just so he could go inside and turn off his light!
A fun and successful night for all...

Costume Party

2011-10-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of confusion, 2 different invitations and lots of apprehension, we decided to let Taylor go to her first boy/girl Halloween party. She has made several new friends this year, but many are from a different elementary school and we don't know their parents so it has us a little uneasy! Taylor was just so excited to see what everyone was going to be and we decided to trust her judgement and let her go.
She debated between going as a construction worker and a cave girl and obviously thought the cave girl would work best.
Summer came over a little bit before for pictures and to ride with us. This adorable costume was from one of her dance performances.
We stopped by Jaden's for more pictures before I took all of the girls to the party.
The car ride conversation was so cute as they wondered what the boys would wear and who would be there. I'm just trying to stay up until 11:30 so I can hear all about it when she gets home. Really...11:30?

Hawks Halloween

2011-10-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the 2nd Annual Hawk's Caramel Apple and Pumpkin Decorating Party at the Bodemer's. I couldn't stay because of our AllStar meeting, but the girls had fun decorating pumpkins with craft supplies and covering their apples in all things DELICIOUS! My sweet daughter brought her apple home for me since she can't eat it with her braces. It was covered in caramel and chocolate chips, but I ate the whole thing before taking a picture!

TTES JOG-A-THON

2011-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Atkinson's Mustangs were pumped up for this year's Jog-A-Thon, hoping to raise lots of money for our school. It was so nice to have Great Oak High School's ROTC program there to cheer on our kids and be good role models.Allison and her new friend, Faith were excited to run together in their matching outfits.
The class had a few minutes to get stretched before...
running through the class banner.
Allison started off super fast and was sweating within minutes. After lots of water breaks and
walking a few laps with friends, she completed 29 laps in the designated time. Now we will get busy counting all of the money raised to see if we reached our goal of $20,000. If so, the school will get to continue all of our wonderful programs and Mr. McTasney will have to dye his hair pink for an entire week!!!

KC AWARD WINNER

2011-10-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

This morning, Allison earned the Kindness and Compassion Award at Friday Flag Salute. Unfortunately I didn't get notification from her teacher, so I wasn't there to see it, but Allison called me from the classroom to tell me all about it.

This year, TTES is really focusing on Kindness and Compassion through Rachel's Challenge. Rachel Davis was the first victim of the Columbine shooting and her family started this program to promote kindness, leadership and compassion throughout our schools and entire community.

Congratulations Allison!!

Cheering with the Pack

2011-10-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Allison and her buddies couldn't wait to sign up for another year of "Cheering with the Pack". The Varsity cheerleaders put on a 2 day clinic for the elementary school and then the kids and cheerleaders perform at halftime for the Friday night game.

Karis, Adriana, Lorien, Allison and Kaylee

They had spent four hours learning a cheer, a dance and some stunts and were so excited to perform.
Before the game, two girls were paired up with a JV cheerleader to sit with during the first half of the game. Great Oak was playing a league game against Murrieta Mesa.
Taylor was happy to have Madison to hang out with.
Allison was buddied with Annalisa.
Lorien had fun with her buddy, Darina.
At halftime, the girls took the field and did a great job! They did the "Go, Go, Go" cheer, the "I Love You Like a Love Song" dance and some fun lifts.
Allison was a base and Lorien was a flyer.
Once again, the girls had a blast and Great Oak got the win. I'm not sure Allison has a future in cheerleading, but she she enjoys this event!

Promoted to SERGEANT

2011-10-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

After months of testing and numerous weeks of waiting for the phone to ring, the Sheriff called Matt this morning to congratulate him on his promotion to Sergeant!! He is still waiting for personnel to call about his transfer location, but today was cause for celebration!! 90 deputies applied for the positions and 6 of them received calls today to promote. His phone rang off the hook throughout the day will co-workers/friends sending their congrats and he received some very nice emails and words from his current supervisors. He came home to a bouquet of balloons and apple pie.

Allison and Lorien made him this very cute sign to put on the front door.
And I am thrilled to see the facial hair gone!! Congratulations Matthew...WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Turning 37

2011-10-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days of getting excited for birthdays to arrive, but thanks to wonderful family and friends, I felt showered with love this weekend as I celebrated turning 37. The fun began with lunch at La Cocina on Friday with Leslie, Mary and Wendy. Saturday morning, the girls brought me donuts and juice while Matt was teaching:) When we got to the soccer field, Jenna presented me with this fun hat to wear during our game!

The team also spoiled me with very sweet cards, gifts and candy and played great in our 5-0 victory over SDFA. They sang to me and we all ate yummy rice krispies treats made by Mary.

After Allison's game, Leslie and Hank were kind enough to watch the girls so Matt and I could go to dinner at Lazy Dog Cafe. We were thrilled to have Charlie and Mary join us and really loved the bag of treats Charlie brought along! I think I will re-gift the Potted Meat when his birthday comes around in December:)

This morning, Matt and I went on a nice walk down to Starbucks and were surprised when Kim (Mrs. Atkinson) arrived at the house with these beautiful and tasty cupcakes.

When I opened my gifts from the family (a new SDSU soccer shirt and new soccer visors), there was also a card with a gift coupon for a new MAC computer!! We have needed to replace our 8 year old PC for far too long and we finally bit the bullet! Today, we purchased our first MAC and I can't wait to get started!

And finally, after 20 years together, Matt got the right birthday cake...the Mint Chip Log from Baskin Robbins!! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend and forgot all about turning 37. That is, until I go to the gym tomorrow and my knee and hip start to hurt!!!

Winning Streak

2011-09-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Firecrackers got off to a rough start, losing their first two games of the season. We have a lot of players that don't have a lot of soccer experience, so it has been a real work in progress to improve their skill and motivate them to give it their all. Allison has played really well as goalkeeper and has been a good support on defense and playing midfield. Reanna has been our ace on the field and is working her tail off!

Allison's corner kicks and punts are the best we have seen at this age group and our team is starting to turn things around. They won last weekend 3-0 and pulled off a nice 6-2 victory today. It is so nice to see them taking what they have learned at practice and applying it to gameday!!

Let's hope this little winning streak continues...!

Phase Two

2011-09-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half break to lose the rest of her baby teeth, Taylor began Phase Two at the orthodontist today. She has one more molar to lose on the bottom before brackets can go on, so today, it was just brackets on the top. She chose teal and purple bands for the first round and was already feeling the pain before going to bed tonight. She will likely be on a soft food diet for the next few days as her teeth adjust.
Dr. Taylor estimates the process taking 18-24 months, getting them off just in time for High School!! For now, no more gum, popcorn, sticky candy, pretzels, carrots, etc....

Team Bonding

2011-09-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Our September team party was at Madison's house. The girls each brought a snack to share and spent some time swimming and playing tetherball before doing what they love best...playing SOCCER!

10 Years Ago Today...

2011-09-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

The events of 9/11/2001 are permanently etched in the minds of all who witnessed it. I will never forget Matt waking me up after the first plane had hit the World Trade Center and then being glued to the TV as we witnessed the 2nd plane hit, the towers collapse, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Shankesville, PA.

As the 10 year anniversary has approached, the girls have been asking questions and looking for answers. We have watched several documentaries over the last week or two and given them as much age-appropriate information as possible. Some pictures have been too graphic and have sent Taylor into a real panic, but most have caused a great amount of discussion and have been good teaching opportunities.

The 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero looks absolutely amazing and we hope to one day visit it as a family.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!

2011 Presidio

2011-09-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Presidio Season is officially underway and our GU12 Hawks White team is excited and has high expectations! We started the season with a Saturday game in Poway.
Stretching before the game Ready to take the field. We had never seen this team before and it was a tough battle the entire game. They often beat us to the ball and beat us with speed and took an early 1-0 lead in the first half. We played a much stronger second half, scoring with a minute left in the game and left satisfied with the tie.Sunday, we were back on the field at home for a game against San Elijo Matrix. The players and families all paused for a minute of silence to remember the tragedy of 9/11 before game time.

Taylor had a great game filling in at Right Defense and covered #7 very well. Our midfield and offense played well together too and we came away with a 3-0 win and are tied for first place after week #1.

We have a pretty packed schedule with games until November 19th and can't wait to see what this team will do!

Then we were off to Birdsall to cheer on Emily. It may be the only chance we are both playing in the same place on the same day and her team did well with a 4-1 victory. I love these soccer weekends!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

As the 1oth Anniversary of 9/11/2001 will be remembered this weekend, TTES held a special flag salute today to remember those lost on that tragic day and honor the hereos that help keep our country safe. Students held the Flag of Honor that lists the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks and the entire school paused for a minute of silence.

Students (including Allison) held the chains of kindness, while a few 5th graders read their
chain links out loud. They explained how they would perform an act of kindness on 9/11 as a tribute to the victims. The 5th graders lead the entire school in "God Bless the USA".

The ceremony ended with local police and fire doing a siren send-off. Although most of TTES students weren't even born by 9/11/2001, it is important for them to understand what occurred that day and honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

South Carlsbad State Beach

2011-09-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

The beach is a must on Labor Day weekend and it worked out perfectly that Chris and his boys were camping at South Carlsbad State Beach and invited over for the day.

The water was a little cold, but the girls had fun digging for sand crabs...
playing frisbee...
and building sand sculptures.

Then we made our way back up this staircase to Chris' campsite for dinner and s'mores.
Chris grilled delicious tri-tip and corn on the cob and we had lots of fruit salad and side dishes.
Not exactly 5 Star accommodations, but great oceanfront property nonetheless!
We finished the night with a gorgeous sunset and yummy s'mores. I think we might have to give this camping thing a try!

Back to Work

2011-08-27T21:10:00.001-07:00

With the start of another fall season getting underway, Taylor and her buddies are given the opportunity to earn some more spending money by referreeing the games. Unfortunately, due to some very frustrating miscommunication, Taylor and Madison were at the field without an early game to ref, so we tried to find shade and stay cool while waiting. I bought them slurpees...

...and they used ice cubes on their bellies to beat the heat.

After watching Allison's 1:00 game, Taylor worked the 2:15 game on the same field. I am so impressed by her confidence, her attention to detail and her drive to learn more about the game while earning a little cash to call her own. We're not sure how much she will get to ref with her Club season starting in a few weeks, but she will take every opportunity to fit some games in.

Let's Go Firecrackers!!

2011-08-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Another fall soccer season is upon us and Matt and I decided to coach Allison for what may be her last season in the recreational league. We are excited to be working together, coaching Allison and to get Reanna as our other property player. The team chose The Firecrackers as our team name and after just two weeks of practice, we were on the field for the first of 10 games in this fall season. Unfortunately, the first game fell on the hottest day of summer so far. I heard reports varying from 107-109 degrees, but no matter the temperature, it was HOT! The team checked in with the refs, took their places on the field and got underway.

Allison and Reanna started off strong as forwards and gave us an early 1-0 lead on a nice shot by Allison.

Although she loves playing goalkeeper, she is a tough competitor on the field as well...improving footwork, great aggressive play and a powerful shot on goal!

She got two quarters in goal as well and blocked several opportunities for the other team to score by coming our and jumping on the ball before the forward could take a shot. I think goalie clinic has really paid off! She had some beautiful punts to bring the ball down field, but did let two goals go by and we lost 4-2. We have a lot of new players on the team who are just figuring out what they need to do, but we have high hopes that they will improve each game and have lots of fun in the process. We hope Allison and Reanna will be good team leaders and continue improving as we work our way through the season!

"Cousins"

2011-08-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

We were so happy that Lisa and Olivia were able to meet us at The Grove before we left LA today! We met at the American Girl store which worked out perfectly. Olivia warmed up to the girls quickly and they all loved looking at the dolls and being "big sisters" to her.

Could her red boots be any cuter?

We ate lunch at Chipotle, had a little time to chat and catch up and did a little shopping before heading home. Olivia sure loved her accessories and we loved getting to see them. I really wish we lived closer, but I'm glad we got a little visit in!

IRIS

2011-08-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

My parents spoiled us with another weekend getaway to Hollywood. They flew down for a quick trip and we all stayed at the Renaissance Hotel adjacent to the Kodak Theater. The Hollywood sign at the top of the mountain and the view from our room!

We spent a little bit of time walking along Hollywood and Highland, seeing Grauman's Theater

and looking for stars we haven't seen before.

We satisfied our sweet tooth with delicious treats at the Nestle Toll House shop and ate dinner at CPK before heading back to the hotel to get ready the highlight of the day...

IRIS is the newest production to be released by Cirque De Soleil and is playing at the Kodak Theater.

It takes the audience on a journey through the world of cinema.

We were even lucky enough to spot one of the main characters walking through the lobby before the show started.

Photography wasn't allowed in the theater, but we snuck in one picture of the gorgeous stage. The show was amazing from start to finish...spectacular costumes, breathtaking acrobatics, powerful music and an incredibly talented cast and crew. Some of the stunts had us covering our eyes in fear for the safety of the performers and other moments had us laughing out loud. Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful day!

Taylor in Action!

2011-08-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I don't take many soccer photos anymore while coaching from the sideline, but thanks to Mary and her sister Julie, I actually got a few from the Carlsbad Wave tournament that show Taylor in action...

This year, she is really working on her aggressiveness,

her speed,

and using her whole body (minus her hands) to gain control of the ball.

She is spending most of her time at left midfielder or left forward, but has filled in when needed at left defender and even played some sweeper. It is nice to be trusted as a utility player!

Carlsbad Wave CHAMPIONS!!!

2011-08-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

We started the tournament off with a 4-1 win against the Oceanside Breakers, a team we saw many times last season. They have made a lot of changes since then and although we didn't play our best game, we controlled much of the game. We had several hours until our 6:oo match against Rancho Santa Fe so we moved to that field and set up our picnic to hang out.

The girls played at the playground, ate lunch, told Yo Momma jokes and a few even took naps!

By 5:00 we were all back together and ready to play. We saw RSF last year in Carlsbad Cup and got the win again...this time 3-0! The two wins gave us first place in our bracket and a trip to the Semi-finals!

We were up a little earlier this morning and at the field at 10:00 for our game against Carlsbad Wave, last year's La Costa Matrix. We probably played them 6 times last year and have built quite a competitive friendship with them. They are a strong team, but we pulled off another 3-0 victory...on to the Championship!

After a lunch break and some down time, the girls sat patiently watching the PK's for the game ahead of us.

Although they don't have classes together this year, Taylor and Madison get to see plenty of each other at soccer!
The Championship was at 3:30 against Yucaipa Spartans and was a tough battle. We took a 2-0 lead at halftime, but Coach warned the girls that they could easily come back and that they did! It was all tied up 2-2 with about 10 minutes left in the game and our girls showed the heart that they always do, scoring 2 more in the last few minutes to seal the deal...a 4-2 victory and another championship!

The very tired but excited girls waiting for the medal ceremony!

Allison, Leah and Amanda cheering them on.

Coach Charlie presenting the girls with their medals.

Another great tournament win for our girls...they play tough, have fun together and make us so very proud! It was a wonderful pre-season and I think they are more than ready to take on AA-B North!

CARLSBAD WAVE COASTAL CLASSIC CHAMPIONS!!

Back to School

2011-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here we go! Time for another fantastic school year! Can't believe I have a...

4th grader...

and a 7th grader!

Let the craziness begin!!

Meet The Teacher

2011-08-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

How can this be? It is Meet the Teacher time already? Feels like we should have another few weeks of summer, but judging by the smile on Allison's face, she is excited to go back to school and be one of Mrs. Atkinson's 4th grade students!
We are very familiar with Mrs. Atkinson since Taylor had her for 2nd, 4th & 5th. Allison can't wait to be her little sidekick and help out as much as possible. 4th grade is a big jump academically so I am glad she has a teacher she is comfortable with. I just can't believe my baby is already a 4th grader...Sniff, Sniff!!

Elite Cup Champions!!

2011-07-31T22:24:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like getting back into the swing of things with a midnight return home and then 3 soccer games the next day. We were sorry to miss our 3-0 win on Saturday to FC Murrieta Black, but Taylor was more than ready for the first game Sunday morning at 10:20. It was a hard-fought battle against Legends FC, but we won 1-0 on Jenna J's penalty kick!
We returned to the field for a 4:20 game against Hawks Black...a team we practice with and scrimmage often. It was unbearably hot and our girls started off a little rough, maybe some intimidation, but within about 10 minutes they came out of their shell and we pulled off a HUGE 2-0 win! Taylor scored a beauty off of Jenna's cross and Taylor Capuzzi also put one in and we were on to the Championship!
Luckily, it was an 8:20 game under the lights and much cooler. We played FC Murrieta Blue...a team we played several times last season. Although this year they picked up some additional players and were a much tougher team. Lauren and Maylie both scored on rockets to the left side of the net and we held a 2-0 lead until close to the end. Unfortunately, Natalie scored for Murrieta, which caused our girls to panic a little. We held it together until the final whistle and took home the Elite Cup Championship with a 2-1 victory and a great team effort!!

Victoria, British Columbia

2011-07-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

We reached our final destination at 7pm...Victoria, British Columbia. My parents, Matt and I have all been here before, but we were excited to show it off to the girls. By mid-afternoon today the sun had come out so it was perfect weather for walking the city. Lots of passengers chose to take horse-drawn tours or taxis, but we treked into town. It was nice to walk through some of the residential neighbors and see some of the local markets.

It didn't take long for the gorgeous green towers to come into view at Victoria's Parliament Building. The architecture is unbelievable and the grounds surrounding are immaculate.

My favorite spot is the Empress Hotel, just across the street from Parliament and right alongside the waterfront.

The Empress is most often known for High Tea, but we just spent time on the grounds and walking through the gift shop.

Unfortunately, these were the only Orcas we saw this week!

Cute little ferries and sea planes line the waterfront for tours and excursions.

We enjoyed shopping in the wharf shops and walking through the Farmer's Market, picking up a few last souveniers.

Where else could you find Darth Vader playing the violin?

The sunset on Victoria at about 9pm as we made our way back to the ship.

We arrived back at Ogden Point for one last time. We hated to say goodbye, but needed to get our bags packed so they could be in the hall by 11pm for disembarkation. We have a 7:50am disembarkation time tomorrow as we head back to Seattle and then home. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip spent with family and friends and one we will never forget. THANK YOU Mom and Dad for taking us with you and allowing us to help you celebrate.

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY!!

Ketchikan, Alaska

2011-07-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Ketchikan early this morning to rain, rain and more rain, but we were nothing but excited for today's adventure...

ZIPLINING through the Tongass Rainforest, so rain was perfect!
This awesome vehicle took us on a 4x4 adventure through the forest and up to the equipment station.

We got all geared up with harnesses, helmets and gloves and were given the thumbs up to hit the course!

Allison was all smiles as we hiked to the first platform.

Our guides, Chris and Danny, demonstrated the proper Zipline and we all took our turn showing them we were ready on this mini zip.

Ready for the first real one and just a few nerves.

Taylor, Holden and Allison having the time of their lives. Unfortunately, Tanner didn't meet the weight requirement to join us, so Jenny took him to a Lumberjack show back in town.

Best buddies and a great way to celebrate turning 40!

After the 1st few ziplines, we balanced across this super cool suspension bridge to reach the higher platforms and the longer lines.

Waiting my turn on the platform for the biggest one of the day...90 feet high and 550 feet long!

Taylor landing safely!

Allison mid-ride, the rain making us go extra fast!

After the last of 7 ziplines, we repelled down the final platform and made our way down the mountain via this super fast and steep mountain slide. We each took turn riding down in burlap sacks so we wouldn't burn a hole through our pants as we came to an abrupt stop at the bottom!

Then Danny led us on a short hike back to our 4x4 vehicle. It was such a peaceful spot with a raging creek and overflowing greenery.

I think we all agreed this was the highlight of our week and something we can't wait to do again...maybe next time in Maui!

My only complaint about the day was we didn't have much time to see downtown Ketchikan since we left port at 12:30pm, but I would do this excursion all over again. I can cross one more thing off of my very long Bucket List!

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

2011-07-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Glacier Bay is 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways and is one of the world's largest protected natural areas. Only a few vessels are permitted to enter each season to see some of the most impressive tidewater glaciers. Unfortunately, pictures can't begin to describe the experience of this magical place. The silence of the area and the sounds that result (birds flying, glaciers cracking, ice splashing...) are almost indescribable!

We spent about 4-5 hours scenic sailing at a snail's pace to view some of the most untouched land in the world. We listened and watched in awe as we moved through the bay. We had a perfect view from my parent's balcony and then moved up to the higher deck to listen to the National Park Rangers share facts about the area.

Margerie Glacier

The splash in the water was from a large piece of ice cracking, rolling off and crashing to the water below. The process is called calving and the sound was so intense. We could hear the initial crack and then it sounded like the loudest thunder as it broke away and crashed. AMAZING!

After sitting idle for some time, the ship slowly turned around so passengers on the other side could share the same view.

We then made our way down Johns Hopkins Inlet to the Lamplugh Glacier.

This stunning ship passed us along the way, with another hanging glacier in the background.By mid afternoon, we exited Glacier Bay to set sail towards Ketchikan. While we were on the deck looking for whales, we saw a National Park Service boat pull up right along side the Golden Princess and all 3 park rangers that had narrated our day's events climbed down a ladder and jumped onto the smaller vessel while both were still moving...pretty impressive!

Skagway, Alaska, British Columbia & The Yukon Territory

2011-07-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

We docked at 7am in Skagway along with several other ships. We were off the boat early to meet our bus for an all-day excursion through Skagway, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

It was a foggy, windy ride up to White Pass and our first photo stop.

The 2 1/2 hour bus ride was gorgeous. We passed several lakes, drove through the Tongass National Forest and I loved the Tormented Valley, seen here.

2nd Stop...Tutshi Lake in British Columbia

Family photo in the Fireweed flowers

Our final photo stop before lunch was at Bove Island, Yukon Territory

The trees were huge, the water so blue and mountain ranges were a perfect backdrop!

Taylor throwing one more rock in the lake before getting back on the bus.

Our lunch destination was Caribou Crossing...a cute little village in the Yukon Territory.

We were a hungry crew so we made our way directly to the BBQ line for lunch.

We feasted on BBQ chicken, coleslaw, baked potatoes, rolls and all-you-can-eat donuts. The donuts were the reason we booked this specific excursion and they were well worth it!

We only had 1 1/2 hours in Caribou Crossing and the girls were dying to get their hands on the Husky Puppies used for the Iditarod sled races. This cutie was the youngest at 8 weeks old!

Each dog had its own box house and food bowl and loved any attention and treats they were given. Taylor loved Ozzy!

Which one of these guys doesn't belong? I think Duke was just around for the treats! It was fascinating to watch how crazy the dogs got when they saw the sleds. The barking was almost more than I could take, but they are born to do this and all wanted to be picked to go on the ride. I hated seeing the dogs all chained up, but they seemed to just want the opportunity to run.

Dave, Allison and the boys all took a shot at panning for gold. They all came up with a little to take home, but certainly not enough to retire!

After Caribou Crossing, we made a stop at Emerald Lake before being taken to the train station. This lake had more shades of blue than I had ever seen and was a great photo stop!

We boarded the White Pass Scenic Railway just North of the Canadian Border for the trip back to Skagway. The Railway was built in 2 years, 2 months and 2 days and was used by many seeking riches during the gold rush.

US/Canada border along the railroad tracks

There were a few times along the train tour that I couldn't look down. Gorgeous scenery, but a little high for me!

The train was 15 cars long which gave us a few opportunities to capture pictures of the front along some of the turns.

The train depot was right in the middle of downtown Skagway (all 10 blocks of it) so we walked around with the time we had left before boarding the ship.

Matt and Dave posed in front of Red Onion Saloon which brought back memories of their college days at the Red Onion in Mission Beach.

Downtown Skagway had such rustic storefronts, great general stores and quite a few candy shops for us to browse around. It was a very chilly walk back to the ship after our long 8 hour excursion, but we certainly packed a lot into one day!

Juneau, Alaska

2011-07-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning, we arrived in beautiful Juneau. This is the view as we walked off of the ship and headed into town. It is hard to believe this small, quaint town is Alaska's state capitol! The Mount Roberts tramway treks up the mountainside every 5 minutes, but it was too foggy to see much of anything from the top.

Gorgeous view of downtown. We had a little time for shopping before meeting our bus for our day's excursion.

Posing with the Silver Star in front of a crab pot.

The Red Dog Saloon's floor is covered in sawdust and the walls are covered with pictures, money and animal heads.

Chocolate and caramel dipped marshmallows on a stick from the Alaskan Fudge Co.!

We couldn't pass up a photo opportunity with Alaska's most well-known resident, Sarah Palin!

After a short bus ride to the pier, we boarded the Saint Marie for a 2 1/2 hour amazing Whale Watch tour.

Before spotting any whales, we found lots of Harbor Seals relaxing on the rocks!

Aaron Island

Point Retreat lighthouse on land with Sea Lions hanging out on the bouy.

It wasn't long before we spotted the stars of the afternoon.

Our Captain heard about a group of Humpbacks who were Bubble Net Feeding so we passed up several solo whales to watch this amazing scene.

Our guide said they only see this once or twice a season, if lucky, and we were lucky!

We witnessed 15 Humpbacks dive down deep into the water, come back up together blowing bubbles, trapping herring in the bubbles and once at the surface, opening their mouths wide to feed on all of the trapped herring. The pictures don't begin to do the experience justice. The first sign would be the seagulls crashing down to the water in a circle, then we would hear a huge rush of water and then flukes, fins and heads of whales reaching the surface with amazing force. It was spectacular!! We were able to watch for 30 minutes before having to move on to follow enviromental protection policies.
It is certainly something we will never forget or probably see again!

Then it was on to Orca Point Lodge for our Salmon Bake late lunch. The lodge sits on a small island and I believe it only has 1 resident, the caretaker of the lodge. All employees travle by boat each day to go to work.

The Saint Marie

We were greeted by our wonderful chef and the amazing smell of salmon on the grill.

Our lunch...fresh-grilled King Salmon, rice pilaf, corn, rolls and brownies for dessert.

We had about 45 minutes to collect shells and play in the tidepools before getting back on the boat.

Our last stop on this amazing tour was Mendenhall Glacier. We were blown away by the sky blue icebergs floating in the water.

The Mendenhall Glacier, a hanging glacier with more shades of blue than this picture can show.

We were disappointed to only have 45 minutes to spend here, but we made good use of our time taking photos and visiting the Visitor Center. We got to touch a piece of the glacier's ice, but wished we had more time to walk the path that takes visitors closer to the base.

A very busy day, but an experience of a lifetime!

At Sea

2011-07-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

We spent quite a bit of time at sea getting from port to port and there was plenty to do to keep us entertained. We spent much of the first day on the deck, viewing the amazing beauty of Alaska. This was the first hanging glacier we saw along the way, with the Holland America Westerdam in view.

We ate lots of ice cream cones at the Sundaes Bar.

We spent most nights either in the Vista Lounge or Princess Theater watching the evening entertainment. We laughed out loud with comedian Carlos Oscar, weren't so impressed by the illusions of Alexander and watched the Golden Princess dancers perform Motor City and British Invasion. We also spent time in here playing BINGO, but no winners in this group! It was so nice having the Curtis family and Frank and Marilyn with us too!

Lazy afternoons playing cards or Bananagrams in lounges throughout the ship.

Or just staring out into the ocean for any signs of wildlife.

We spotted several whales, otters, porpoise, bald eagles and flying fish along the way.

We had some lazy time watching movies and ventured up to the gym once or twice to burn off some of our buffet meals. The girls attempted the Kids Zone a few times, but seemed much more entertained with some freedom on the ship.

We all love Food Network, so it was fun to go watch a cooking demonstration by the ship's Executive Chef Jeremy Snowden.

We got to tour the galley and even have a cookbook signed by him!

Fine Dining

2011-07-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Almost every night, we started the evening at Canaletto's for our 6:00 dinner seating. George and Shane treated us like royalty every night, starting off with singing and cake to celebrate my parent's anniversary.

It was a nice time to catch up on the day's events, try new foods and fill our bellies way to full.

Sunday Formal Night

Throughout the week, we ate tons of fruit salad, delicious soups, plenty of fish, vegetables and meats all prepared to perfection.

We always managed to save room for dessert though! Allison loved her cookie sandwich and tried several different sorbets with Papa.

Taylor fell in love with this Princess Love Boat Dream chocolate mousse dessert and Matt was predictable with his Cheesecake and strawberries request every night.

We were amazed to learn that Shane and George work 10 months straight/7 days a week to support their families in the Phillipines, yet gave us their full attention every single night. We will all be in for a rude awakening when we return home and everyone asks "What's for dinner"?

Setting Sail on the Golden Princess

2011-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

I think the girls' smiles say it all...we were so excited for our cruise adventure and they couldn't believe this would be their home for the next week!

View of Seattle from the 15th deck Sports Court before setting sail.

My Mom and Dad had a Mini Suite with a balcony and it was the perfect spot on a perfect Seattle day to hang out and watch the ship set sail.

View of the main pool and hot tubs. Unfortunately there wasn't any sunbathing once we set sail towards Alaska, but we still spent plenty of time bundled up out here watching movies, playing games and swimming.

The kids were so excited to have their friends, Tanner and Holden on the same cruise!

Watching movies from the hot tub...I think they could get used to this! One of many Alaskan Ales Matt and Dave shared during the week.

Ballard Locks

2011-07-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the afternoon in the town of Ballard, first having lunch at Ray's.

It was a delicious lunch with an even better view from the outdoor seating.

Then we made our way to Ballard's Chittenden Locks, which assists boats passing between Lake Union and Puget Sound.

We also spent time there touring the fish ladder, used by salmon to travel upstream to the waters of Lake Washington.

We were able to see quite a few salmon through the windows in the fish viewing room. It is also the home of a beautiful botanical garden and a great place to picnic!

Pike Place

2011-07-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

My favorite spot in Seattle in Pike Place Public Market and we spent hours eating and shopping there over our few days in town. The girls and my Mom in front of the very famous sign.
The market has shop after shop and hundreds of vendors on a waiting list to get a spot inside.

The most famous vendor inside is Pike Place Fish Co. It is often seen on TV with the workers tossing purchased fish from the ice cases to the back counter. It draws quite a crowd!

We especially loved the mini donuts...

the very eclectic people-watching...

the biggest, juiciest fruit...

the gorgeous floral bouquets...

and the sinful baked goods!

Seattle, WA

2011-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

After months of planning and anticipation we finally arrived in Seattle to start our vacation and to help my parents celebrate their 40th wedding Anniversary. We decided to spend a few days in Seattle before boarding the cruise ship on Saturday. We arrived to gorgeous weather and had a great time exploring the city!

The beautiful Seattle skyline

The Space Needle

Mount Rainier

Safeco Field and Qwest Field along the 5 Freeway

The first Starbuck's (established in 1971). There was a line out the door everytime we walked by, even though their is another Starbuck's right around the corner!

While talking to the hotel concierge, he told us we had to check out the "Gum Wall", the 2nd germiest place in the world. It was actually pretty cool...years and years of chewed gum plastered to an alley wall.

We all made a contribution too!

Bay Area Rocket Run

2011-07-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

Most of Matt's closest high school buddies haven't seen each other in over 15 years, so when they are all going to be in the same town on the same weekend, it is a must to get together. That meant a quick "rocket run" up the 5 freeway to see everyone. We stayed with Grandma and Papa and were able to sneak in a brunch with the family at Country Waffles to visit with Chris, Aimee and Merritt.

Merritt has really warmed up to the girls and the girls love playing with her!

The Mutzl's opened up their home for a fun mini-reunion with all of Matt's high school friends and families. 15+ years and lots of kids later...

Seeing Dave, Dan, Jamie and Matt together brought back so many fun memories.

With Jamie living in England and Roger living in Oregon, it was nice to finally have everyone in the same place.

Thanks to the movie theater and Clubsport (high school/college jobs) and SDSU to bring most of this group together as friends.

Just hoping it isn't another 15 years before we get together again. It was worth the 14 hours of driving to see everyone!!

Hollywood and Highland

2011-07-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

Reanna's checklist included a trip to Hollywood to see the "stars". The girls and I did this last summer and were excited to go again and it was just a few miles from the Observatory. We parked at Hollywood and Highland and walked a few blocks to see lots of stars. One of the first we spotted was Christina Aguilera... and then a long line to see Michael Jackson...

John Stamos...

and my favorite...Patrick Swayze.

Lauren and Taylor went crazy over Justin Beiber!

It was a very crowded day, but we managed to see lots of hand/footprints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater. Jennifer Aniston was there earlier in the day to leave her mark, but we were a few hours too late.

Allison's hands fit almost perfectly into Elizabeth Taylor's.

Leonardo DiCaprio at the Wax Museum...looked unbelievably realistic!

We ate yummy treats to cool off at the Disney Soda Fountain...

and watched street performers outside the El Captain Theater. We did some shopping at the Gap, American Eagle and Forever 21, played in the fountain at the mall, filled our pockets with gumballs at Sketchers and had fun experimenting with makeup at Sephora.

We laughed at hilarious street performers and Allison shed a few tears when scared by Hannibal Lector. We can even say we met a celebrity, Andre, the boyfriend from That's So Raven!!

We made it back to the Kodak Theater with full bellies, but very tired feet. We packed a lot into one day, but were happy to have another item crossed our list!

Griffith Observatory

2011-07-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

It was a hot, muggy day as we arrived at the Griffith Observatory, but we were excited to cross off a few more items from our summer To Do list. Allison really wanted to visit this spot after studying the Solar System in class this year. We spotted the Hollywood sign on our way up the hill.

The grounds and views were absolutely beautiful from this spot above Hollywood.

We had a quick picnic lunch before heading inside to learn about the telescopes, weather patterns, eclipses, zodiac signs and the periodic table.

Leslie and I both agreed we will have to return on a cooler day to hike some of the trails that lead down the mountain from the Observatory, but for now we were all anxious to make our way to the next stop on our list...HOLLYWOOD!

4th of July

2011-07-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Schreck's backyard has become our new annual 4th of July hangout...lots of swimming, fun games, food galore and fireworks to end the night.

The 100 degree heat and humidity made for a crowded pool while others cooled off under the umbrellas and EZ Ups.

The Grillmaster, with his White Elephant gift being put to good use!

There were lots of Cannonballs...

plenty of time for the girls to catch up after a few weeks apart...

Rock Band competitions...

and many hard-fought Fuse Ball battles!

I think this photo speaks for itself :)

After several hours in the pool and hot tub, only taking breaks to get snacks and drinks, the kids all got changed into cozy clothes for the fireworks show. Unfortunately, my camera died right as we were leaving but we walked to the open field behind Home Depot to catch the traditional fireworks set off from the sports park. They weren't as good as I remember from years past, but it was a nice way to finish off the day's festivities.

STREP THROAT STINKS!!

2011-07-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun with Friends

2011-07-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Allison has been asking to have a summer pool party with some of her closest buddies. We knew it would be 100 degrees today, so what better day than today? The girls came over for lunch, a water balloon fight and lots of time in the pool.

Lorien, Maddy, Allison, Julia and Truc-Lan

Oh...to be 9 again!!