wHeeL oF fOrTune

Right before the end of the summer and before school started, Doug and I decided that we were going to take a trip to Reno. We have been talking about going for a while and we finally got to going. Instead of flying, we turned it into a road trip. I have never been to Reno so I was excited to go. When we got there it was nothing like I thought it would be considering I've been to Vegas several times and thought it would be similar. Um not so much!!!!

I don't gamble much but I sure did get hooked on the Wheel of Fortune slot machines and they were pretty good to me as well. I won about $200 so I couldn't complain. Doug also had to show me where he went to his bowling tournament that took place in Reno as well. You know Dougie and his bowling.

cAtcHinG uP

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. The one thing I hate about this stupid thing is uploading the photos from my camera to my computer. Well since my last post there have been a few things that's happened since then until now. So I'll try to back track and remember as much as possible without boring everyone.

Phoenix:

At the end of April, I flew out to Phoenix to see Julia, who is one my best friends from high school. She had called me a while back and asked if I wanted to come and visit and most importantly see Britney Spears in concert. I told her I would have to think about it. When I saw that there was a great flight, I couldn't resist and told her I was coming down and that we might as well go see Britney. Now I can say that I've seen Britney in concert. It was a really quick trip, but it was very nice to get away and be in the company of great people. I got there on a Friday and went straight from the airport to the concert. As we were waiting in line, I couldn't help but notice all the trashy lookin girls that were there. Lets just say if a guy was trying to find some hot chics, that would be the place to start on Friday night. I turned to Julia and told her I felt like a grandma!!! The concert was great, the Pussy Cat Dolls opened for her and sounded great. Didn't take pictures because it was too dark and we were far from the stage. Britney's dancing was great, but singing was more lip syncing than anything else. On Saturday we had lunch and went shopping at a great outlet mall, but I forgot who I was shopping with. Anybody that knows Julia should never go shopping with her. She touches, looks and tries on everything and doesn't end up getting anything. Love ya Jules!!!!! I told her I had to get near a catcus because I've never really seen one growing in it's natural environment. She took me to some hiking place and I got out and she snaped a few pictures. NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT GET TOO CLOSE TO THE CATCUS!!!!

School:

As the school year came to an end, I didn't know if I would have a job for the next school year. So with an emotional goodbye, I told all my students thank you for a wonderful year and wished them the best of luck. It's weird though, as much as those kids drove me crazy on a daily basis, they grew on me and it was hard to say goodbye.

Boise:

I left for Boise, a few days after school got out. I was ready for a break and ready to go to a place where I knew I was going without having to use my GPS to get me there. I didn't do much but eat breakfast/lunch/dinner depending on which friend I was with and working out. But my usual visit usually consists of stopping at my friend Tiffani's hair shop to get my ends trimmed and to catch up. I spent most of my time chilling on the couch at Mama Jo's house listening to her judge shows or the daycare kids playing/fighting or being followed by CJ (Mama Jo's granddaughter). I even got to see a couple of daycare kids (Taylor and Sarah) who have now grown up and have come back to visit and swim. I would show you the before pictures of the kids but that requires me to scan the pictures, so you'll have to deal with the after pictures. Do not be frightened by what you see!!!! The daycare kids spent a lot of their time getting me wet or trying to get me under water while we were swimming, but you know who won that battle. I had a slumber party at Erin's house as we ate pizza and watched the bachelorette. Later that evening we went for icecream and watched a movie. Thanks for the slumber. I then headed over to Blackfoot for pure bliss, uh not so much!!!! I was there for a few days and just chilled and chilled some more. I didn't know if I was bored, didn't have anything to do or didn't have anyone to see. I called a few friends but things just didn't work out. I thought I would help mow the lawn for my parents while I was there. Keep in mind that this mowing job doesn't take 30 minutes, oh no it took me about 2 1/2 hrs to trim and mow, and even got into a fight with the pine trees. Teresa came up for the weekend, even though I didn't see much of her. I met her fiance` John, who is a very nice guy. She wanted me to go to some white trash birthday party, and one minute I said ok and the next minute I was changing my mind. Afterwards, they told me the party was pretty boring and not many people dressed up, but Teresa sure did. After 2 weeks in Idaho, I was ready to head back to California. It was nice to be away but I was ready to get back to the comforts of my own bed and home.

LA: In mid-July, I met my mom and Teresa in LA for a short trip. Teresa had gone to one of those time share things and in return she got a free trip to LA. So she had invited me to come since I would be on vacation. They had gotten there before I did, but as soon as I got there we headed down to Hollywood because we were going to a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel show. John's brother works for a security company that happens to do security for Jimmy Kimmel and so we got hooked up with some tickets. We had time to spare, so we went at ate and then wandered down the Hollywood star sidewalk. There were plenty of stars to see, but I really wanted to go to Michael Jackson star. I also took a few other pictures of some stars, but there were just too many. There were people dressed up for tips to have your pictures taken and I just happened to get one with Bart and Homer. We headed back to where the Jimmy Kimmel show was airing so we could get in. We were taken to a private room, where they served drinks and hors de ordervs, had TV's and pool tables. I felt pretty special. They took us to our seats, and the guests for the evening were Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lynn Spiegler and music guest Sean Patrick McGraw. It was pretty neat, I've never been to a taping of a show, the studio was smaller than I thought. They even had signs to tell us when to applause.

The next day we drove out to some outlet malls that were in the freakin desert because it was blasted hot out there. We didn't spend too much time there because a lot of them were closed down probably because of the economy, not to many stores to look through and didn't want to get stuck in traffic. We even got back to our hotel without getting stuck in traffic. Our hotel was 15 min. walking distance to Disneyland so we made the trek to Disneyland. I had forgotten my camera so there won't be any pictures, so sorry!!! We went on a lot of the rides but spent most of our time standing in line. Teresa and I went on splash mountain and came out like we just finished with a shower. Next time I go to Disneyland, I'll invest in the fast pass or something. My flight left the next day at 1pm; mom and Teresa's flight left later that evening. So we went to get some food and they took me to the airport while they went back to Hollywood to check out the celebrity hot spots.

I'm sure there will be a few more adventures before my summer comes to an end so make sure you check back to see what else I've been up to.

SpRinG bReAk

Colt came out here for spring break and we had a great time. I took him over to Alcatraz on Easter and then we went to the A's Game vs. the Red Sox on Monday. The weather was great but a little windy. He was pretty excited about the A's game because the seats were pretty awesome. I think he was a little suprised about how close we were, not to mention that he has a awesome camera. We went shopping and he picked up an A's hat and shirt to wear to the game and the A's even ending up winning the game.

eAsTbAy aLLsTaR gAmE

Over spring break, I was an assisstant coach for the Eastbay Allstar Team. I coached with the coaches from the high school I coached at. We ended up winning the tournament and one of our players was voted MVP of the tournament.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy tO mE!!!!

I know it's a little late but at the end of March (29th to be exact) I celebrated my 29th birthday. It is so weird to think that I'm 29, who knows what will happen when I hit 30. Well I had a nice birthday except for the fact that I was sick and am still sick. On Sunday, Doug brought me his favorite breakfast from McDonalds (sausage and cheese mcmuffin) and shared that with me. Later in the afternoon we went over to his parents house and opened the cards and presents that he and his parents got for me. I recently bought a Nintendo Wii and so his family got me Mario Kart and the Wii Fit. That evening we went out to Union City and had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Somone must have known it was my birthday because we got front row parking and didn't even have to wait 5 minutes to get seated. Gotta love those rolls!!!!! I told Doug that I wanted a white birthday cake and so he went out and got this for me at the store. He's not much a white cake eater, but it was sweet that he got what I wanted. My mom got me the Boise State blanket and I've been curled up in since I opened the box. You can never go wrong with getting me anything with Boise State on it.

Championship Game

Well the basketball season has come and ended. For those of you that didn't know I have been coaching since November and just recently finished last Thursday (March 5). I was an assisstant coach for the varsity team at the high school and then the head coach for the 8th grade girls at the middle school I teach at. The varsity girls finished the season 3rd in the league and for the second year in a row made it to the North Coast Section, which is equivalent to playoffs in Idaho. They do things a little different out here in California. Anyways the girl's lost their first round game to a tough Alameda team but it was one hell of a game.

During this same time I was managing a 8th grade team. We started out strong and ended our regular season 7-1 and ended up with a first round bye. In the championship game we were facing the same team that gave us our only defeat of the season. It was a big game for the girls and for me as well considering that not many of the girls have ever played in a championship game. In the history of Washington Manor Middle School (WMMS) athletics no other team has made it to the championship game besides the softball team, so we were trying to make history that night. It started out pretty rough but the girls kept fighting and at half time we were only down by 10 points. However in the 3rd quarter, Creekside went on a splurge and outscored by quite a bit. At the end of the 3rd quarter we were probably down by 22 points. I told the girls that there was nothing else I could do but they needed to play basketball and the 4th quarter is the time to do it. The girls never gave up and kept fighting for every loose ball and for every rebound. The 4th quarter was too late for the girls to play and they ended up losing by 9 points. It was pretty emotional for all of us but I can't complain about how they played or the heart that they showed. Overall we had a great season and ended up being 8-2. I built some great relationships with the students outside of class and it so rewarding to see what kind of difference you can make in an athlete's life.

Remembering Jaime

On this day 6 years ago I'll never forget the news that I recieved, my best friend had been killed in a tragic car accident. Wow, I can't believe how fast time has gone by, it only seems like it just happened yesterday. Not a day goes by where I'm thinking about her and all the good times that we shared together. I always wonder what life would be like if she was still around. So today is a day for you Jamie and know that you will always be in my heart. I miss you and love you!!!