It's Fall, It's Time for...Volleyball?

S. and R. are ready to receive the serve...

For the first time in many years, our family is not playing soccer or football this fall.  Instead, we're playing volleyball.  I'm not sure why I'm so surprised by that.  But volleyball is not typically the sport I think of when the leaves start to turn colors and the days start to shorten.

Love you, Nueve!

My sister was an incredible college volleyball player and I'll never forget the year that I got to travel all over the country to see her team play.  Her team had an incredible, magical season.  I was there when the season started in Iowa and I saw her team play that season in such "exotic" locales as Washington state, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Utah, and California.  I always brought the team fresh Sprinkles cupcakes for every match and I'd like to think that that was a fun tradition for my sister and the team that year.

So I was supportive when I heard that S. and R. wanted to play volleyball this fall.  I had little idea of how "supportive" I'd actually have to be, however.  Neither one had a coach for their team, so I got "volunteered."

The only problem is that I don't really have any qualifications for coaching volleyball.  I never played on a real volleyball team as a kid (I don't count church volleyball).  My only claim to fame is that I've watched dozens, if not hundreds, of my sisters' volleyball games over the years, so maybe I manged to pick up something of the claim through the process of osmosis.

Our first practice was last Saturday.  As you can see, our practices our outside.  There is essentially no shade.  The practice was an hour and a half long and the mercury hit over 100 degrees!  Yikes!

This week was a little better.  It was only in the low 80s temperature wise, but we had another marathon practice session of 1.5 hours.  I'm looking forward to next Saturday when the practice will only be an hour!

My main duty as the coach seems to be shagging a lot of errant volleyballs.  That's okay, because I can do that.  I also get to cheer for and encourage the kids quite a bit.  Luckily, they are pretty good.  Heaven help them if they had to rely solely on me

Maybe the best part was that after practice, the boys and I got to hit up McDonald's for a beverage and make a trip to Costco for some food and treats.

R. took the pic and his photography skills are getting really good!

I hope everyone had a great Saturday!

Magic Boots

E.'s Magic Boots

I had an eventful morning this morning.  First I dropped the boys of at school.  I was quite pleased that I actually had them there 12 minutes early--a new record for me!  There was absolutely no risk that they would get a tardy detention today from their teachers!  Also, I managed to persuade R. to do almost all of his homework last night, so we didn't have to frantically complete his spelling and grammar homework on the way to school.

Ok, well, he did leave a couple of things to do in the car still, but he wasn't scribbling frantically after I pulled up in front of the school.  Another improvement.

I got a kiss and hug from the boys as they ran off to their classes. I'm glad that they're not too "old" or embarrassed to still want to give their dad a kiss and a hug before they get out of the car at school.

The other thing that always surprises me is that R. has a backpack with wheels on it.  We got it last year when the poor guy had so much junk in there that I was worried about him getting back issues.  Anyway, I pull up across the street from the school and let the boys out.  Then I jump into the middle of the road to play "Safety Patrol" and make sure that no cars run them down.  R. grabs his wheeled backpack and takes off at a sprint.  He doesn't even pause for the curb on the other side of the road.  He just leaps gracefully and continues to pull his backpack until it collides with the curb...

BAM!  The backpack flies up into the air, lands on the sidewalk, and R. doesn't miss a beat as he keeps running.  The first time I saw R. do this, I was worried that he might hurt himself.  Then the next time, I was worried that he'd ruin the backpack.  This morning, I think I was able to appreciate it for the athletic maneuver and pure spectacle that it was.  Maybe I'll try to get a video of it tomorrow morning!  :-)

For some unknown reason, I decided to go running this morning.  I knew I had to take E. to pre-school, but I had a half an hour so I decided to do my 5k route through my neighborhood.  I think in part, I was grateful that it wasn't hot.  I've guiltily been feeling that I should have been running more lately, but we had an extreme heat wave the past week or so that has had temps in the 90s and above--even at 9 a.m. in the morning!

I finished my run to see E. waiting for me on the front porch.  This little girl really does make my heart melt because I think she is so cute and adorable.  Obviously, I'm biased, but I'm okay with that.  ;-)

E. was excited when I told her I wanted to
take a picture of her and her new boots

She had on these new boots that she just got a few days ago and she could barely contain her giddiness.  She was dancing and skipping around and basking in the sheer joy that she felt to be wearing these shoes.  It must be a girl thing. :-/

But that's okay, because she's my little girl.  I was utterly exhausted, but had her come with me for my brief "cool down" walk at the end of my run.  She even held my hand.  :-)

When we got back to the house, I grabbed my phone to take a picture of her.  I ended up taking a few.  I'm just sorry that the morning sun was so bright in her face, but I think you can tell how excited she is.

Just after I finished taking the pictures, E. started singing--mostly to herself--"Magic Boots!  Magic Boots!  Magic Boots!"

Oh what it would be like to be a 3 year old again!  If only life were simple enough that a cheap pair of cute black boots with pinkilish/purplish laces could bring happiness and joy to one's life.  Maybe that's one of the reasons that Heavenly Father allows us to be parents, so that we don't forget that there is happiness and joy in the small and simple things.

I packed E. off to pre-school and then started my day.  But I'm grateful for my kids and for their excitement and happiness.  Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even find my own pair of Magic Boots today!

A Year in the Life...

My Uncle and Me

My blog is one year old today.  I never actually thought that I would have a blog, much less be fairly active at blogging for an entire year (despite my dearth of recent posts...). There are things that I've loved about blogging and things that I don't like.

I feel like I'm at my best when I blog about things that inspire me.  I try to keep my posts short and pithy, if for no other reason than to keep The Mostess from complaining about my allegedly neverending Bachelorette recaps...

Sure, it's not all roses trying to keep a blog.  Probably the worst thing is the sense of guilt that I feel about not bogging certain things.  Here's a short list of the blog post topics that are rattling around in my head that may never actually see the light of day: Pumpkinman 2011; Hawaii Recap 2012; Ironman "Glory" Post (not that there is much "glory" for that one!); more posts/pictures of the kids; Cub Scout Camp; Scout Camp; Camp Pendleton Tri 2012, etc.

Probably my favorite picture from our (as yet) unblogged Hawaiian adventure earlier this year...

Also, the very act of creating a post is a somewhat personal exercise.  I appreciate all the more the courage that other bloggers have to share their hopes, dreams, successes, and fears with the "Blogosphere."  I'd like to think that I've had a post or two that have brightened someone's day or made someone feel better.

But there are lots of good things about having a blog.  :-)  So, without further ado, here is my Top 10 Best Things About Having a Blog for the Past Year:

10.  It's a good excuse to shamelessly post cute pictures of your kids.  Justify it by telling yourself that it's for the grandparents to enjoy.  ;-)

First Day of School/Shameless Baby Pic

E. Plays at the Beach on Labor Day

9.  Tell yourself that the countless hours of thinking about, writing, revising, and visiting your blog are worthwhile because you're really just keeping a high-tech journal.

8. When someone asks you what you've been up to lately, you can look at them with a smug face and say, "Don't you read my blog?"

7. It's great to see your blog get visitors from literally all over the world.  :-)

Australia

Nepal, India, and Brazil

6. I think my sense of humor has improved (even if my friends and family don't...)!

5. I get to be a part of the "Blogosphere" even if I'm not really sure what that is...  :-/

4. I feel like the creative exercise of attempting to craft a semi-interesting post for my blog has made me a better writer overall.

3. It's an awesome way to wish Happy Birthday to a friend or family member.

2.  You can get away with taking a picture of anything by just telling people that it's "for the blog."

Random Pic for the Blog

Tito's Famous Tacos

1. Those rare moments when someone tells you that they read your blog and they love it.  :-)

My Brother, My Cousins, and Me

On Saturday, we had a brunch with our extended family at a really nice place up in the Westwood area of Los Angeles.  We were there for my cousin's sealing and I was eating this awesome sweet crepe when my cousin, Ina, started telling me that she had randomly clicked onto some blog post about the past season of the Batchelor.

She started reading the post and was telling us how funny she thought it was.  Then she said, "And then I realized that it was your blog!"  :-)

Bless your heart Ina!  You totally made my day by telling me that.  And the best part was that she hadn't even realized that it was my blog post when she started reading it.  But moments like that make me think that blogging is pretty cool.

But, maybe even better than that is that I have "met" some awesome new (blogging) friends who have read my blog or have put some fun, entertaining stuff on their own blogs.

If you're reading this, chances are that you're one of those blogging friends, so thank you!

David Guetta - Titanium ft. Sia

Right Now...

...this is what it looks like out my window at the office.  That is Catalina Island dimly seen on the horizon in the distance.  I hope the weather stays nice and warm for a beach outing or two this Labor Day Weekend!

Happy Labor Day!

There's No Place Like Home...

Hermanos Reunidos

My "little" brother came home from his mission yesterday.  He flew into San Diego's Lindbergh Field at about 12:35 p.m.  It was a long flight from Argentina, I'm sure.  My mom and dad and much of my family was there to greet him.  I'm sure it was a joyous reunion.  I had a court appearance and couldn't make it down.

My dad was actually in trial, but the judge was kind enough to give my dad an extra 30 minutes for the lunch break so that he could see his son whom he hadn't seen for two years.  It's a good thing that my brother's flight was on time!  When my mom first told me that story, I kind of chuckled that the judge was "only" willing to give my dad an extra 30 minutes for lunch.  That doesn't seem like much.  But today, it seems like a  lot.  And the important thing was that it was enough.  I really think that it was a tender mercy that my dad was able to be there.  I'm both happy and grateful that he was.

I had a long day yesterday, but managed to make my way down to the old homestead later that night.  I walked into the house holding a bag with two uneaten burritos from Del Taco that I bought intending to eat on the way down.  They didn't get eaten.

As I walked in the door, my brother SLD grabbed my bag and told me I wouldn't be needing it.  My sweet mother had cooked in honor of N.'s homecoming.  I should have realized there'd be food waiting for me.

But first things first, I gave N. a huge "abrazo."  The funny thing is that N. looked like he hadn't aged a day.  I know how hard he worked on his mission and that he was a great missionary.  We also posed for the obligatory homecoming photo (see above).  Unfortunately, neither of us were in our suits by that stage of the day.  I had shed mine after a tragic mishap with a red-frosted, chocolate cupcake.  N. had ditched his at some point.  I guess two years of wearing a suit while tramping through the dusty streets of South America is enough for anyone.

Another thing that you'll notice about the picture above is that I think that I can officially say that even though I'm the oldest of five brothers--I'm also the shortest.  At one stage of my life, that would have been very sad news.  I think as you get older, you get a sense of what is really important and what's not.  I was just glad to have my brother home!

Mom's Chicken Burrito with Rice, Guacamole, Cheese, and Fresh, Homemade Salsa--Yum!

Then it was time to eat.  Mom's cooking put Del Taco and Taco Bell to shame.  I had two heaping servings.

I sat on the couch to recover and to visit for a little bit with my brothers and sisters.  As I sat, recuperating on  the couch, someone walked past and handed me a little mylar-wrapped package.  I looked at it.  It was some sort of Argentine-version of a Ding Dong--but with dulce de leche.  My brother had brought it all the way home from Argentina to share with his family.

I was touched with how sweet and kind my brother really is, but he has always been like that.  He didn't make a big deal about it or brag about how great this snack was that he was giving me or tell me what a sacrifice it was for him to bring it home and share with us. He just quietly did it because he wanted to share and because he has a kind, giving heart.  Even though I physically look up to my "little" brother, I have always looked up to him and admired him for his example to watch over and care for other people.

Guaymallen--direct from Argentina!

I remember a few other things from last night.  I asked N. what was different about being back home in the United States.  He told me that he was shocked at all of the technology like iPhones, Droids, etc. that people carried around!  It took me back to when I came home from my mission.  I remember marveling that the power never goes out in the United States (it went out every single day--at least once, sometimes more--in the D.R. where I served my mission).  I also remember that a little-known, new technological innovation commonly called "The Internet" had gotten huge while I was away!  ;-)

N., it's good to have you back.  Thank you for being such a great example and the type of brother that I can always look up to--in more ways than one!  The Gospel is true!

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

Yes, this song is from the Twilight Soundtrack.  Yes, it has video clips from the movie.  No, I am not a "Twi-Hard."

But the melody to this song is hauntingly beautiful, Christina Perri has a great voice, and I loved her song "Jar of Hearts."

I had another song in mind for this month, but after reviewing the video, I really couldn't justify posting it in light of the events from Aurora, Colorado.

Enjoy!  Happy August!  :-)