Merry Christmas

We have been living in Colorado Springs for exactly one year now. What incredible changes have happened in 365 days. Life is good!

December Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January 2007, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $200. YTD=+$2,600. '06-YTD=+$6,900. '05-YTD=+$4,800. Looking at the yearly trend of money won, I believe that there are 3 reasons for the drop off: 1)I am playing much less. 2)I am not receiving any bonuses from the poker sites that were available to me in the earlier years. 3)I have moved up in levels (both in ring and tourneys), and the competition is a little better. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by January 31, 2008. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

300 Game

I was never able to (and never will) bowl a 300 game in 'real' bowling. I did bowl my first 300 game today playing on the Nintendo Wii. Weeeeeeeee!

Redemption > Win

At the last 5th grade soccer match against another local private Christian school, our Divine Redeemer Cardinals lost 2-0.

However I heard the most amusing cheer from our bench. During the game, our substitute players on the sidelines were chanting, "WE WILL, WE WILL, REDEEM YOU!" I got a big chuckle out of that one.

Spam-O-Rama

Last night we attended a party given by co-workers (Forrest and Nancy) of Lisa. It was the 5th annual Spam-O-Rama. Everyone was supposed to bring a spam dish to be judged by previous winners of the contest. Lisa made Spam corn muffins and I made Spam musubi (rice/spam/rice wrapped with seaweed). Some of the other entries included; Spam pot stickers, Spam and beans, Spockets (Spam Hot Pockets), Spasta salad, Spam-ghetti, Spam-a-cotti, Spesto Dip, among others.

Judging was based upon three categories (I believe). Originality, Presentation, and Taste. From what I understand from the judges comments, I won for originality (while not original to me, I suppose my dish looked very exotic) and presentation (all I did there was to place the musubis neatly on a pizza pan). I think that my dish was very close to the top in taste (the Spockets were very tasty). So, based upon my placing in the three categories, I won! I take home the 'coveted' and very nice looking Spam perpetual plaque. It will be engraved with my name and the name of my dish. As winner, I am obligated to be one of the judges next year and pass on the plaque (a la 'green jacket') to the new winner. I'll post a picture of the plaque when I receive it.

There was also a Spam Toss. About 8 pairs competed in this event. You toss a whole slab of Spam to your partner. When it is caught, you take 2 steps backwards. Continue until it is dropped. Lisa and I won this event. Here is the trophy that we won (and can keep forever!):

First Month of School

After 4 weeks of school, it seems that both Alex and Marisa are thriving in their new environments.

We were a little bit worried that Alex would be an outcast since we placed him in 5th grade rather than 4th. He is doing alright academically. In fact, his math teacher has placed him with a few other students who are working a little bit ahead of the rest of the class. He also seems to be making friends. He is playing on the 5th grade soccer team even though he has never played organized soccer in his life. He still does not totally understand what 'offsides' is and how to prevent it from happening.

Marisa absolutely loves school. Every time that I pick her up, she says, "I love school!" She is doing well in her studies. According to her progress report, she is averaging very close to 100% in all of her subjects.

The only thing that I do not like about the school is that the mascot is the Cardinals. As a life-long Chicago Cubs fan, you can probably understand the reasoning. Nonetheless, I must cheer, "Go Cardinals!" while watching the soccer matches.

September 11th Remembered

In Alex's social studies class, the students paid tribute to those who are sacrificing themselves for our country. The entire 5th grade had 'lunch with a soldier'. It was written up here in the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Each student was asked to write a thank you letter to a member of our military overseas. Alex wrote a very touching letter that I could not have done any better writing. He wrote:

Dear Servicemember,
Thank you for fighting. I am appreciative for what you do for a living. I am aware of the many sacrifices you make for our country every day. Thank you for putting your life on the line for our freedom.
Sincerely,
Alex

Ditto.

Belt Test

Alex and Marisa had their first belt test here in Colorado Springs. They were able to get promoted here without taking tests because of their previous experience. Congratulations on passing your tests and receiving your purple belts!

August Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,800. '06-YTD=+$4,900. '05-YTD=+$2,400. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by September 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

First Day of School...

...EVER! Alex (5th grade) and Marisa (2nd grade) had their first day of school after being home schooled their entire lives. We have enrolled them at Divine Redeemer Catholic School. Does this mean that I have to get a job?

July Poker Winnings

I have had my best month at online poker since June of last year. However, I am only withdrawing $200 this month because I want to build up my playing bankroll again. Perhaps if I have another comparable month, I will raise my withdrawal goal to what it once was at the peak ($500/month).

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,600. '06-YTD=+$4,300. '05-YTD=+$2,100. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by August 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Welcome Sarah

(official stats coming) My brother and his wife had their third child born today. A 6+ pounds, 18+ inches, girl was born at around 2:05 PM in Denver. Mother and baby are doing fine. Pray for the their new addition to the family.

Welcome to the world, Sarah!

Karate

We finally decided on a karate studio to continue the kids' quest for a black belt. It is called Champions MMA (mixed-martial arts).

The Harry Potter Book Adventure

Last night, we all went to Border's to get the new Harry Potter book. The party started at 9:30. Most of the people there dressed up as some character in the series. Marisa dressed up as Harry. Alex didn't dress up.

Some of the characters we saw were Fluffy (3 people in the costume), Dobby, Hagrid, Madame Maxine, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Trelawny, and of course Harry. One of the best tha I saw was a Dad dressed as Harry and he had his newborn baby dressed as Hedwig the owl (very clever).

When we pulled a number for the official line when they start selling the book at 12:00am, I was informed that I could start lining up at 2am. We hung out awhile at the store, but we all decided to go back home at around 10:30. Alex and I came back to the store a little before our time. Another hour in line, and Alex finaaly had his book (and free commemorative poster).

I found Alex still reading the book at 4:30, when I happened to wake up and check up on him. He wanted to stay up to continue to read, but I told him to get some sleep.

My Eighth Royal Flush

I hit my eighth royal flush today playing a $10+1 Limit Omaha H/L 9-player tournament at Full Tilt. This was my first royal flush in a tournament. With seven left, I was severely short-stacked with 435 chips. The person who was sixth in chips at the time had over 1200. I was dealt [As, Js, 2h, 6d] in middle position. I raised and re-raised all-in pre-flop with one other player. Board came out [Qh, Qs, Ks, Ac, Ts]. Other person ended up having a full house, queens over aces. I needed that ten of spades on the river to win (a one outer!). I played well and came back to finish the tourney in second place for a $27 payout.

6/22/05-My First Royal Flush
12/01/05-My Second Royal Flush
12/22/05-My Third Royal Flush
3/14/06-My Fourth Royal Flush
4/30/06-My Fifth Royal Flush
11/19/06-My Sixth Royal Flush
4/22/07-My Seventh Royal Flush

OK, I'll Stay

One of the things that I miss about L.A. (and Hawaii) is a good local Hawaiian plate lunch. Hooray! L&L Hawaiian BBQ is coming soon!

Flag Display Rules and Regulations

To celebrate the Fourth, I bought an American flag to hang by our front door. I kept bringing it in and out because it looked like it was going to rain. I thought that we shouldn't display the flag in the rain. I found out that it was OK to display the flag in the rain because I had an all-weather flag. I just need to make sure that I take it down before sunset. I also discovered that I really shouldn't be wearing t-shirts with an American flag on it (I have two). It is not like the flag police will come out and arrest me, it is just a sign of respect.

please see: Flag Rules and Regulations

Hugh is Home!

Hugh is home from Iraq. Safe and sound into the arms of his family. Thank you for your service for all of us! God Bless. Please check out his stories from Iraq at Defending Purple Mountain Majesties.

June Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,400. '06-YTD=+$3,800. '05-YTD=+$1,600. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by July 31, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

NEED WASHING???

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom. She must have been 6 years old, a beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring rain outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the store.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sight and sound of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running and splashing as a carefree child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.
"Lets run through the rain!" she repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied
This young child waited another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If GOD lets us get wet, well maybe we just need washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling, and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked... But, they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But, no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

--author unknown

72 Inches

Anthony, a college student, was writing a paper on quality of life. He wanted to know what made people happy and if they were content with their lives. He did not want to question common people on the street but sought the advice of someone who had lived an entire lifetime. At a local nursing home he asked who was the wisest person there and everyone pointed to Joe.

Joe was an elderly man in his eighties with a body to match his age, sitting in a wheelchair, back slumped and head down, drooling from the mouth. But he had a sharp mind and tongue. Old Joe had fought in a World War before founding a manufacturing company and retiring a millionaire. He once bought a yacht and sailed around the world. Anthony knew he had found the man who could explain happiness and quality of life.

Joe reached in his pocket and pulled out a tape measure and handed it to Anthony and said "this will explain life." Anthony was confused. How could a tape measure explain life? Was Joe senile?

Then Joe said to pull the tape measure until 72 inches were showing. He explained each inch represents one year of life and the average person has 72 years of productive life. Many people are active after 72 years but many also die or are disabled before that time. He told Anthony to run his finger from the end of the measure to inch number 6. That is the first years of a person's life when they learn to walk, talk and tie their shoes. Next, inches 7 to 22 is the years a person is getting an education and preparing for life. Then from inches 23 all the way to 62 is when a person marries, raises a family, works a job and hopefully saves money for retirement.

The remaining inches, 62 to 72, is the time when a person can do all the things he wants to do in life but never seemed to have time to do them. Anthony looked at those 10 inches and they looked small compared to the 62 inches already consumed. The more he looked, the more he understood what Joe was trying to say.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH THOSE 10 INCHES OR YEARS?

Did you always want to see the Grand Canyon, tour Europe, ride a motorcycle to Key West or write a book? Ten years is a short period in a person's life and those are the years you can fulfill your life long dreams. SO GET GOING! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

--author unknown

Remember Me

Please continue to pray for Hugh and his family.

5 minute video tribute to our troops:




hat tip: Sandy S.

May Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+1,200. '06-YTD=+$3,100. '05-YTD=+$1,100. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by June 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Divine Redeemer Catholic School

We were all set to enroll our children into a school for the first time in their lives. We had our applications ready for Holy Trinity. Just as we were about to submit their applications we received news that after 40 years, the school would be closing due to low enrollment.

With great reservation we accepted the news and had to make another decision: public school, continue to home school, or find another Catholic school?

We had a meeting today with the principal, Jim Rigg of Divine Redeemer. We have to admit that we were even more impressed with this school than we were with our first choice. It is a little bit further away, but we have made the decision to enroll Alex and Marisa here because of the importance of a strong Catholic education to us. God works in mysterious ways.

[On a side note: the principal screened the kids to see if they would do all right at their prospective grade levels. Alex (age 8) was screened at a 12th grade reading level, YIKES!]

I Did It!

After shopping around for over 6 months, I finally bought my first flat panel television. I cannot believe that I have gone without one for so long. What a great picture! Even Lisa likes the difference (that's big news).

I bought the Philips 42" LCD HDTV. I had been looking at a Sony, but after seeing the picture and the price of the Philips, I used part of my lifetime poker winnings that I have been saving to purchase it. I probably saved $600 over the Sony and I just did not feel like the Sony was worth the extra cash.

I got it at Costco Online for around $1150, including tax, shipping, 2-year extended warranty, and Costco's liberal 90-day return policy. I just couldn't pass this one up. Hooray!

Here it is on Amazon.com (not available at Costco anymore).

Life is a Gift

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything. Including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind, too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears and later wrote a letter to her saying, "Just take good care of my eyes, dear."

This is how the human brain changes when our status changes. Only few remember what life was before and who's always been there, even in the most painful situations.

Today, before you think of saying an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.

Today, before you complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children, think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house because someone didn't clean or sweep, think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet, and, when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

But, before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another, remember that not one of us is without sin, and we all answer to one Maker.

And, when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around.

Life is a gift. Live it, enjoy it, celebrate it, and fulfill it.

--author unknown

One Reason Why...

...we love our new home. THE VIEWS.

Sunrise on Pikes Peak

April Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made in January, I have withdrawn $200 of my goal of $200 from my poker bankroll this month. I am back on track after last months loss. YTD=+1000. '06-YTD=+$2,300. '05-YTD=+$800. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by May 31, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Idol Gives Back - To Abortion

Please think twice about voting after tonight's show.

from LifeSiteNews.com:

In a statement released to the media on March 9, 2007, Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI), expressed his disappointment over the decision by "American Idol" to include two pro-abortion groups among the charities that will benefit from its "Idol Gives Back" project.

On April 25, several celebrities will appear on the show to promote "Idol Gives Back." Americans were invited to call a toll-free number or go online to make a donation to CPEF, which will turn the money over to UNICEF, Save the Children, and several other groups.

"It is laudable that the people involved with 'American Idol' want to help the poor," Scott said. "But it is tragic that they would choose to do so through groups like UNICEF and Save the Children. These groups have far too much deadly baggage." Scott urged Americans who do not believe killing preborn human beings is an acceptable "solution" to poverty and other "adult-created problems" to contact the corporations that own "American Idol."

The most comprehensive list of UNICEF's anti-life moves is available on LifeSite here: War on Family

In the Campaign Life Coalition pamphlet featured on the site, author Winifride Prestwich wrote: "For years UNICEF spokesmen denied promoting contraception or abortion." In "UNICEF: Guilty As Charged" she said records prove that "step by step over a 30-year period UNICEF has tied itself to the population controllers and to the anti-life, anti-family attitudes of such organizations as the International Planned Parenthood Federation."

In 2001, Save the Children worked with pro-abortion groups Planned Parenthood, the Population Action Council and the pro-abortion National Audubon Society on its five-year "Planet Campaign." Funded by the rabidly pro-abortion/population control David and Lucile Packard and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations, the purpose of the campaign was to "raise awareness of the connections between international family planning and the health of children, women and the environment."

"Ask the corporate officials to take whatever steps are necessary to drop UNICEF and Save the Children from the list of charities that will be supported through the 'Idol Gives Back' project," Scott said. "Tell them you want to participate in this admirable effort but your deeply held beliefs do not allow you to do so. Pro-family people should not be left out. We want to help, too." Pro-family Americans are also urged to include a few personal lines explaining why they want corporate officials to drop UNICEF and Save the Children.

See complete story here.

Anyway

Martina McBride was the guest on American Idol last week. She sang her song, 'Anyway' on the show. It was an incredible performance. She probably was inspired to write the song from the poem entitled, Anyway, that is attributed to Mother Teresa. It was a fitting song choice for the remaining contestants on the show, but especially for the massacre at Virginia Tech two days earlier.

Happy Birthday Marisa!

Our miracle child, Marisa turns seven today. Happy Birthday little muffin.

90 More Days?

It seems that Hugh may have to spend another 3 months in Iraq. The Army needs the extra troops there. Please continue to pray for him and his family. And that he may return home safely (and soon).

My Seventh Royal Flush

I hit my seventh royal flush today on Vegas Poker 24/7. It was on a $1/2 Limit Hold 'Em six-player table. Unfortunately (once again), it did not pay off with a large pot. I was in the small blind with [Qs Js]. Three players see the flop of [As Ks 10s]. I flopped the royal! Another spade on the turn pretty much kills all of my action. I scoop a gigantic $8.75 pot.

6/22/05-My First Royal Flush
12/01/05-My Second Royal Flush
12/22/05-My Third Royal Flush
3/14/06-My Fourth Royal Flush
4/30/06-My Fifth Royal Flush
11/19/06-My Sixth Royal Flush

The Day They Kicked God Out of the Schools

I thought you would appreciate seeing this video, produced by the American Family Association.

Click Here to watch "The Day They Kicked God out of the Schools."

Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

My 6th 'Birth Day'

On April 14, 2001, I was baptised, confirmed, and received first communion in the Catholic Church. How many of you remember and acknowledge the date of your own baptism? It is probably as important of a date, if not more, as the date that you actually celebrate as your birthday.

Two Days After

Trust me, I am not altering the date stamps.
10:00AM:
9:00AM:
7:00AM:

The Day After

24 hours later, 60 degrees, snow gone, crazy:

A White Easter!

Photos of our backyard today:

Good Friday in Iraq

"Only two have offered to die for you...Jesus Christ and the American Soldier." --Hugh (from Defending Purple Mountain Majesties)

As a way to say thanks to Hugh and the many other military personnel currently serving in Iraq, just go to the web site sponsored by the Xerox Corporation, called Let's Say Thanks, where you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Ren

A buddy of mine, Gary and his wife Hiromi, just had their first child. Ren was born March 28, at 9:28PM weighing in at 6 lbs 15 oz and measuring 20 inches long. Gary was a big fan of the Ren & Stimpy Show. So obviously, I assumed that their child was named after Ren Hoek, the chihuahua.


Gary clarified the name this way, "We wanted a name that was easy [to say] and not too foreign sounding in English, but that used only Japanese phonetics so that it would be easily pronounced by Hiromi's family. That narrowed the list of choices down quite a bit. We didn't want a typical Japanese name like "Takamasa" or "Katsunori" or "Tomoyuki". We wanted something that fit without sounding too foreign in both languages. We hit on Ren and liked the sound of it both from the English and Japanese perspective....In Japan, it isn't really common, but seems to be growing in use. Longer forms using the same base are definitely common like "Rentaro". The Kanji for Ren is that of a lotus flower."

Congratulations! And think about Stimpy for your next child.

Our Visit to Holy Trinity Catholic School

Lisa and I are thinking about what type of school Alex and Marisa will be involved with next school year. Should we continue to homeschool, send them to public school, or to a Catholic school? While living in southern California, the only option for us as a family was to homeschool. Our move to Colorado Springs has given us a lot more options because the public schools are so much better and the cost of living is drastically lower that we can look at a private school. This morning we visited Holy Trinity Catholic School.

We were able to spend a couple of hours touring the school. There are only about 160 students with an average of about 18 students per grade. We liked the fact that it was small, because we believe that it would be an easier transition for the kids. The local elementary school near us has around 700 students. Holy Trinity seemed to be a very nice community to belong because of its size. The principal gave us the tour and knew the names and activities of all of the students he met along the way. We really liked everything that we observed. Everyone was very welcoming to us and had no problems with us being there in their classrooms. Sending them to this school is definitely an option for us. Please pray for us as we continue our discernment process.

Birth Order of Children

I received this as an email attachment. It was too funny (because it's true), that I had to post it here.

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
______________________________________________________
The Layette :
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
______________________________________________________
Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
______________________________________________________
Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
_______________________________________________________
Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
_______________________________________________________
Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
______________________________________________________
At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children .
______________________________________________________
Swallowing Coins:
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

--author unknown

March Poker Winnings (Losings)

This is the first time in over 2 years that I have had a losing month playing online poker. I attribute this to two facts: 1) I have not been able to play as much due to our recent move. 2) Because the U.S. government has been cracking down on the companies that help players move money to and from the different poker sites, the amount of players online has drastically been reduced, causing a higher concentration of better quality players left. I lost $34 this month. So I did not withdraw any money from my poker bankroll. YTD=+$800. '06-YTD=+$1,700. '05-YTD=+$500. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by April 30, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

More Posts Coming Soon

Have been busy in our new surroundings. I have not forgotten the blog. Come back soon for new and exciting posts.

We Are House Owners!

We got the keys today to our first house! Finally. More blog posts to come after we get settled in.

Specialized Colorado License Plates

This is the Respect Life license plate that is available here in Colorado. It actually is a commemorative plate for the tragedy at Columbine High School on 4/20/1999. Surprisingly to me, this plate was approved by the legislature here even with the inherent 'Pro-Life' message. I see this plate more than any of the other specialized Colorado License Plates (over 100) that are available. This is the one that I will probably get (a one-time $25 fee), as I need to get rid of our California tags soon. I remember a few years ago, California tried to get a respect life plate passed. It was billed as a pro-adoption message. It failed miserably. The pro-abortion advocates really got involved with the defeat.



There is also a Knights of Columbus plate that you could get. I may join the Knights just so that I can get this plate.

Mass at the Mall

I have never seen or heard of anything quite like this before. There is a 'store' at Citadel Mall here called the Catholic Center at the Citadel. They celebrate eleven Masses per week here. At the mall! You can also receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation there whenever the mall is open. What a great concept. Not only is it a convenient way for Catholics to receive Sacraments during the busy work week, but it is also an effective way to evangelize to others.

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...I just purchased a $4000 flat panel television here at the mall without letting my wife know about it first..." (for example, not me talking, really)

February Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made last month, I have withdrawn $200 of my goal of $200 from my poker bankroll this month, plus an additional $200. YTD=+800. '06-YTD=+$1,200. '05-YTD=+$100. I am going to continue to have the lower goal of $200 per month (as opposed to $500) until there are easier ways to deposit and withdraw money from the different poker sites. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by March 31, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Prayers For Bupa

My 95 year old grandfather is in the hospital due to an extremely low hemoglobin count. See my sister's blog for details: Family of Aloha II. Also, prayers for my parents who are humbly and compassionately taking care of his well being.

Another Road Bump

We were initially supposed to close the sale of our home on February 9. Still not closed yet. There may be a little light at the end of the tunnel as escrow has finally received the loan documents from the buyers' lenders yesterday. They were told that they would have them 2-3 days earlier. So according to the timetable given by escrow, we should finally close on Monday or Tuesday of next week and receive our funds on Wednesday. No guarantees.

We are currently scheduled to close on the purchase of our house on Wednesday, so we may have to ask for a day or two extension. Depending on how fast things can get done from here on out.

Customer Service?

Lisa has giving me permission to get a pool table for the basement of our house. I was checking out prices of pool tables on Overstock.com. (Before reading on, please know that I like this site, and will continue to shop here in the future.) They actually had a nice selection of tables and they were reasonably priced. I was a little bit confused about the dimensions of the pool table. All it said was 4' H x 8' L. I assumed that this meant the playing area of the table and not the actual dimensions. I wanted to be sure about this, because I would hate to receive it and it turned out to be the total table dimensions (which would be too small).

So I fired off an email to their customer service. I received a response fairly quickly that the representative didn't know the answer to my question, so they would be forwarding my message to a 'specialized representative'. Cool, I will be happy to wait for the correct response rather than a guess.

A little later, I received another email saying that they did not know the answer to my question, so they have forwarded my request to the actual warehouse where the pool tables are stored. I should expect a response in 1-2 days. Great, perhaps I will get an actual measurement. Wow, what great service!

Then I received a message from customer service saying, "Thanks for your interest in shopping with us. I am sorry for the confusion regarding what the dimensions are for the Solid Hardwood Pool Table with Free Installation. I personally know how frustrating this type of thing can be. After researching this information, I have found that the dimensions are 8 inch by 4 inches. I hope this information is useful to you."

OK, that is one small table! Even if they did mean 8 feet by 4 feet, it did not address my question. I give up, you win. I probably need to actually see and touch a pool table before purchasing. I'll look elsewhere. Thanks.

House Update

We were supposed to close the sale of our home in California on February 9th. We still have not closed. The buyers had to find another lender because their first lender (allegedly) had $12,000 in undisclosed fees. They walked out at the signing of the loan documents. They have another lender who plans on funding escrow tomorrow. So according to our realtor, we should receive our funds on Friday. Hopefully this happens without another roadbump.

We are scheduled to close the purchase of our house here in beautiful Colorado Springs on February 28th.

The Hike

On the spur of the moment, we decided to take a hike today. Lisa was home for Presidents Day. It was a very nice day, temperature in the 50s. We found a few trails to choose from in the Cheyenne Mountains. There was a map at the beginning of the trail that showed where the different trails lead. The trail that we decided to take was one that went around this fresh water lake. It didn't look too long. So we decided not to carry any water. Too much trouble.

After about an hour and a half of casually walking and enjoying the scenery, we realized that the trail that we chose would not take us back to where we started. A little panic hit as we knew that we might have go to back the way we came. Another hour and a half without water or toilets. There was no chance of us getting stranded, there were other hikers and homes around. Using my internal global positioning, I decided that we should just continue forward. After another half an hour, we found our car. The water never tasted better. Lesson learned. Next time, we will be better prepared. Hopefully Alex and Marisa are not permanently scarred by this hiking experience (they said that they aren't).

While I was in the 'panic mode', I was thinking that when we are most lost, have faith and God will lead you. That is what kept me grounded and calm. This is a message that does not necessarily have to do with hiking.

Here are some pictures of The Hike.

Ever Wonder...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed? !

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections? !

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

(unknown author)

Lock Bumping

I received the following YouTube clip from our realtor. It shows how easy it is to open a deadbolt lock. Good information to know and take action against this happening to you.

More Hypocrisy

A blog post by Terri Schiavo's brother Bobby Schindler once again shows the hypocrisy of the mainstream media. On the post titled: If Only My Sister Were A Convicted Murderer, Schindler writes, "I don’t believe in the deliberate killing of any human being. But if the press is so worried about cruel and unusual punishment of convicted murderers by lethal injection, perhaps they would consider it better to starve and dehydrate them to death. Because as the press constantly reminded us, death by dehydration and starvation of innocent disabled people who have committed no crime is a “peaceful and painless” way to die."

Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation

January Poker Winnings

Well, it looks like my ability to make a little extra cash is seriously hindered. Neteller (member update) has stopped processing deposits and withdrawals into the different poker sites for U.S. citizens. Luckily I only had $400 in my account when they stopped. They say that my funds are safe, it will just take awhile before they can process it back to me. As per the updated resolution that I made on my June 26, 2006 post, I have withdrawn $400 of my goal of $500 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+400. '06-YTD=+$600. I am going to have to lower my goal to $200 per month until the online poker landscape becomes a little clearer. My next withdrawal of $200 from my winnings is due by February 28, 2007. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Go Bears!

(I had to post this one, it was too good)

This morning a Gary, Indiana kindergarten teacher explained to her class that she is an Indianapolis Colts fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they are Colts fans, too. Not really knowing what a Colts fan was, but wanting to be liked by their teacher, their hands flew into the air.

There was, however, one exception. Susie had not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asked her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not a Colts fan" she reported.

"Then," asked the teacher, "what are you?"

"I'm a Chicago Bears fan," boasted the little girl.

The teacher asks Susie why she is a Bears fan. "Well, my Dad and Mom are Bears fans, so I'm a Bears fan, too" she responded.

"That's no reason," the teacher said. "What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was an idiot. What would you be then?"

Susie smiled and said, "Then I'd be a Colts fan."

Prayers Needed: Fatal Accident

It will be a somber day at The Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind today. "Reid Hunt, 32, died after [accidentally slipping and] falling down a series of ice walls near Old Stage Road, south of Seven Falls...Hunt was supervisor of student life at [CSDB] and oversaw athletics, dormitories and the transition program, said school spokeswoman Diane Covington. He had worked at the school for three years."

Lisa had met him and said that his wife Rona also works at the school. Please pray.

See this story for more: Local ice climber falls 170 feet to his death (where some people are leaving the most insensitive comments at the end of the story)

Day One: Searching For A Home

Yesterday was the very first day that we went out and looked at houses here with a realtor. We were able to look at five houses in the morning and another three in the evening. Lisa had her binder in hand and was taking meticulous notes on seemingly every tiny detail. We saw a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. By the time we arrived at the last house at around 6:30, we were ready to go home. Things changed.

I recently read something that because we are in a buyer's market, buyers are going through homes looking for things wrong in order to eliminate the house from the vast list of potential homes they have. That is what we were doing throughout the day. Trying to find things that were wrong. Some of these included: smell, dog next door, worn carpet, old kitchen counters, paint color, price vs size, backyard size, dated plumbing fixtures, old light fixtures, etc. We had a hard time finding things wrong with the last one we looked at. We really liked this one. Our realtor, perhaps jokingly, said that she had paperwork in the car if we wanted to make an offer. Since it was nighttime we could not get a good view of the outside or what the inside looked like with sunlight. We thought that it would be better to sleep on it and come back and see it in the morning.

Our realtor called the sellers' agent to see if there were any offers in the works. He said that there were people who had already seen the property three times. He was waiting to hear something back from them. This house had only been on the market for five days (a very short time compared to all of the others we had seen). It was definitely priced to sell at $315k. We felt that we needed to decide quickly.

Lisa and I were married less than a year after meeting each other. Lisa became a Catholic less than a year after first stepping into a Catholic church after we were married (I followed three years later). Our decision to homeschool was fairly impulsive after I attended a homeschool convention (on the spur of the moment). We decided to make this move to Colorado Springs after spending only three days here this past August. So, as with other important life changing decisions Lisa and I make, we took another leap of faith.

We decided to make an offer on the spot. It was a good thing that we did. Early this morning, the sellers received another offer (presumably from the people who looked three times). The sellers were able to look at both offers. We offered $5k below their listing price and the others offered list price with a $5k credit for closing costs. Basically the same bottom line, but the sellers accepted ours, even with the contingency of the closing on the selling of our home, scheduled for February 9th.

Hopefully everything will work out in the end. If it does, then we can move in on February 28th! We thank all those who have been praying for us.

This house was built in 1996 and has 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a finished walk-out basement, 3040 sqft (about 1000 on each level), a huge 13598 sqft lot, incredible views of the mountains & the city, and is very clean & well kept (and on and on and on). I 'borrowed' the following photo from the realtor's listing:

Many Choices

We met with a local realtor yesterday. We are very excited about our dream home search. We have so many choices. Our first group of listings that we received had about 40 different homes to look at. That was after inputing a fairly fine filter on our search.

This is such a contrast to the last time that we purchased a home five years ago. The only thing that we could afford was the home that we eventually bought. I suppose that was an easier decision back then. Do we want to buy or not? Now, we need to narrow down the listings to a manageable number, look at the properties, compare the properties, then make a decision.

What a difference it is to be the buyer in a buyer's market rather than the seller. We are lucky that our home in LA was 'only' on the market for about 2 months. Some of the homes we have been looking at here have been on the market for over 6 months. You can get a whole lot of house here for $275,000. We are looking at homes as high as $350,000. We just need to prioritize what is most important: school district, new home, finished basement, living area square footage, lot size, neighborhood, price, drive time to work, etc.

I took a look at the sales statistics for the area. The average sales price for existing homes in 2006 was $243k, up 5% from the previous year. That is a big difference from Los Angeles where the average was around $500k. We made that right decision to move (another affirmation).

Pictures Are Coming

We have not been able to take any pictures since before we left California. We assumed that our digital camera was buried somewhere in storage. I was seriously thinking about buying a new one so that we could take some pictures. We have no photo documentaion of our transition to Colorado Springs.

I found the camera! It was with all of the karate gear. Lisa had taken it to their last karate class with Master Kwon. I kept the gear out of storage because I thought we might start karate here soon. We had it with us the whole time. Coming soon: Photos!

Accepted Offer

I received an email from our realtor that our counter offer has been accepted by the potential buyer. It was a long (in my opinion) negotiating process. There was the initial offer plus three more counter offers. Hopefully the negotiating phase in the selling of our home was not indicative of what our closing phase will be like. We are praying that we will have a smooth and fast escrow period and close.

Only in America...

Only in America.....do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

(unknown author)

Your Tax Dollars at Work II

Just got back from a trip to the post office. This was a different experience than the trip to the Social Security office (see previous post). When we walked in, there was no line, but there were 7 windows open! Granted, each window had a customer in it, so we might have walked in when they were trying to clear the line down. I would rather have too many lines open rather than too few. Although, the person who helped me did make a disparaging comment about my Chicago Cubs cap. He was a Pittsburgh Pirates fan so who was he to talk. And the clerk next to him (a dreaded Cardinals fan) had to pile on.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

We had to go to the local Social Security office yesterday because Lisa needed a physical card as part of her employment. The office opened at 9:00 AM, but they open the doors at 8:30 so that people can come in and take a number to be served. We didn't know about the early open, so by the time we got there at 9:00, there were at least 75 people waiting in the office.

They started with two windows open in the beginning, and I noticed that at most, there would be three windows open for business. Lisa was able to finish up her paperwork at around 10:45. She was on company time.

While we were waiting, a big truck pulled up to make a delivery. I was hoping it would be computers so that they could open up more windows. Nope, it was about 6-8 high back super-deluxe office swivel desk chairs. If I were to guess, they were probably around $250 each. If it were up to me, these particular federal government workers should be sitting on those $6 plastic chairs from Wal-Mart.

Well, now that Lisa is a Colorado State employee, she will not be contributing into the Social Security system. That is fine with us. We were not planning on receiving anything from it when we retire. So we are saving 6% of her pay in Social Security taxes. Thank God for small favors.

The Power of Punctuation

An English professor wrote the words: "A woman without her man is nothing" on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.

All of the males in the class wrote:
"A woman, without her man, is nothing."

All the females in the class wrote:
"A woman: without her, man is nothing."

You decide which is the correct statement...

Harry Potter Book 7!

There is feverish excitement in our household as the title of the seventh (and final?) book in the Harry Potter series is announced: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Akeelah and the Bee

We all watched Akeelah and the Bee yesterday. I would recommend this movie. What was strange to me was the fact that of all the movies out there to choose from, Alex and Marisa wanted to see this one. It kept their attention throughout. Perhaps it was because Alex has an interest in entering a Spelling Bee. And Marisa looks up to her brother.

The movie is about a young girl living in a very 'tough' neighborhood in South Los Angeles. She has a gift of spelling. Hence the title of the movie. OK, I admit that the movie was very predictable and seemed to play up the different racial stereotypes a bit much. But it was very inspiring and there were many good messages and lessons throughout. You won't be disappointed.

from movie: "...Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Marianne Williamson (incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela in the film)

The Rambling Post

I haven't been able to post anything lately, but I have a little time now so I'll just ramble on (reflect) about the past few weeks.

We have been in Colorado Springs now for about 2 weeks. Even though the weather has been a little out of the ordinary (a lot of snow and cold), we are all in agreement that we made the correct decision to move out of southern California. The way I look at it, if this is the worst that it will ever get here in the winter, then we have been handling it well and we will be able to survive the 'normal' winters. That seemed to be the biggest concern for Lisa.

It is all about perception. We are temporarily living in a furnished apartment until our home in Harbor City sells, then we will have funds to purchase a home here. It is kind of funny that a couple of the 'locals' here have said to be very careful because we are living in a bad part of town. What? You do not know what a bad part of town is. In the LA area, this would be considered one of the better neighborhoods.

We have gotten a few offers on our home. What we have found is that the people interested in our home are looking for a starter home. Can you believe it? $390,000 for a starter home in Los Angeles. Offers have fallen through because potential buyers have poor credit or are trying to buy with no money down or just can't afford it. A starter home here in Colorado Springs would probably be around $150,000 or so (I'm guessing).

There is definitely a different culture here. I have noticed that (w/o exception) the people here are a lot friendlier. The employees in stores actually look like they enjoy their jobs. It shows. There seems to be a lot more teenagers working in positions here that would be taken by people working because they need the income to live in Los Angeles. For instance, in the grocery stores, the cashiers are young high school or college age kids. In LA, these positions are taken by people who have been working at the store for 15, 20, or 30 years.

Speaking of grocery stores, you cannot buy wine and they have a very limited selection of beer there. You must go to a liquor store. And because of the law, all liquor stores are closed on Sunday.

I have seen the following message on at least 3 different billboards around town: "Abortion is always wrong. --God." This is something that would be out of the ordinary in LA. It seems to be the norm here.

Lisa started her job on Friday. It seems that she will really like her job. I drove her into work during a snowstorm. I am getting used to driving in the snow and ice. We actually 'discovered' that our minivan has front wheel drive! Something that was not too important in a warm weather climate. We hit a major traffic jam on the way to work. Luckily we left a little early because of the storm and we got to her work in 10 minutes instead of 7.

Things that we still need to do (pray for us):
--sell our home
--buy a home here with at least 4 bedrooms and a big back yard.
--find a parish
--decide whether we will continue to homeschool
--continue to enjoy Colorado Springs' awesome scenery