A Well-Deserved Farewell...

After 30 years of faithful service, my Dad is retiring from The Redondo Beach Fire Department. The countdown to this day has been going on for the past 5 years or so and it is feels surreal that the time has actually arrived. As we get ready to go to his first retirement celebration tomorrow (a BBQ at the station with his shift mates on his last day) I thought we would post a little ode to some of the great things his retirement will bring to his life and to all of us:

#1 "The Bird" as we so fondly refer to it (his 17 year old Ford Thunderbird) made it to the end! He has been commuting up and down the freeway in this car without a heater for the past few years-- in the winter months, he leaves home at 4:30am, straps on the UGG boots, ski cap and wool gloves and hopes not to freeze before he arrives in Redondo!

#2 On that note, no more 4:30am wake-up calls!! He always got to work early to avoid traffic and to ensure that he could get in his work-out before his shift would begin-- serious discipline! In relation to the early A.M. wake-up, no more early bed times either! So, Greg and his friends can hang out and 'make noise' past 8:30PM without hearing a loud smack on the floor, signifying 'BE QUIET!' Also, no more 7th inning exits from the Angel games! Hello extra innings!

#3 Sleeping through the night! Dad, you will never again be startled awake by a loud buzzer demanding you to jump out of bed immediately and get to work!!

#4 Travel... the new travel trailer will have hundreds of miles on it in no time! Mom, don't let this scare you... I am sure you will have cell reception and internet signal no matter how deep into the wilderness Dad wants to go!! Those 3 month long road trips will fly by in no time : ) We look forward to venturing with you guys some of the times too!

#5 No more missed birthdays, Christmas' on the 23rd or Father-less Father's Days!! In fact, maybe Dad can be the new social organizer-- Dad, you better start planning Tom's bday, its next up on the schedule... from there you can move-on to the Thanksgiving menu.

#6 On a personal note, I will have to take "Have a safe drive to work tomorrow" out of my routine when hanging up the phone or saying bye to Dad on the nights before he is heading to work!

#7 Nanc has lost control of the television forever... say good-bye to Sports Center and Game Shows and Hello to John Wayne and the gang : )

Anyway, that;s just a few things that come to mind-- feel free to add one of your own! I am 100% honored to have a Dad whose work-ethic goes unmatched and whose discipline has NEVER wavered. I respect my Dad and the way that he has honestly and passionately served the community of Redondo Beach for the past 30 years! Congratulations Dad! We all love you and are very proud of you!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We are blessed to be able to boast that we have been given the 'cream of the crop' when it comes to Moms!!! From Pat, to Nanc to Nana... how could we have possibly done better in this category?! Three amazing, generous, loving, classy, beautiful women that God has used to shape our lives in more ways than we could ever name... thank you for being there for us in the fun times and the trying times-- we appreciate every moment that you have given of yourselves for us! Happy Mother's Day today and always-- we will never stop needing our Moms!!

Favorite Angel

Torii Hunter is by far my favorite Angel... he is an awesome baseball player and a true leader who embraces the fact that he is a role model and makes the most of his fame in a positive way. If you are an Angels fan, or even just a baseball fan, you would probably really enjoy his blog: www.toriihunter.mlblogs.com

The excerpt below is one of his most recent posts about his former teammate, Nick Adenhart:

Nick: Always and Forever
It's not easy, but we're moving on, moving forward, because that's what we do. We're professional athletes. We'll go about our business and play quality, exciting baseball for you fans. But no one will walk into our clubhouse this year without thinking about Nick Adenhart. He'll always be with us, this year and forever.

We all have our own ways of grieving and coping, of dealing with a tragedy like this. You've got to live your life and treat people the way you want to be treated. It starts right there. Do what you can to help others. Don't always be so concerned about yourself. Think about making others around you comfortable and happy, and that will affect you in a positive way.

You never know when God calls you to come home. We're a family here, and when He called Nick, it was like losing a brother. It hurts. One of the first things I did was call all my family members and tell them I love them. Every time I leave the house, I tell my wife and kids I love them. It's something we all should do every chance we get. Talk to your kids, your brothers and sisters, tell them how you feel. You never know when something like that, what happened to Nick, might happen to you.

When you're on a team like this, you spend more time with your teammates than you do your own family. So you become close, and naturally it hits everybody hard. Nick was just a kid, really, but he was a popular kid, a great kid. He was on his way to great accomplishments in this game. He wasn't here long, but he did get to live out his dream to play in the big leagues - and shut out the Oakland A's for six innings. That was the kind of performance that showed what was ahead of him. He pitched with his head and his heart. He had a gift and knew what to do with it.

Nick struck out guys he'd been watching since he was in junior high school. He was living out his dream. I kept pumping him up between innings, and I'll never forget that look he had, that determination. When he came off the field after that last inning, when he put them away in order in the sixth, I could feel him, what it meant to him.

I left the stadium around 11:30. It just so happened Nick's dad was here. It must be incredibly hard on his family right now, but at least his dad was able to see him, and Nick was able to tell his dad he loved him. Nick dropped him off at his hotel and went out with some friends, and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He did nothing wrong. It could have happened to any of us.

That's why I encourage everyone to look your loved ones in the eyes and tell them how you feel, how you love and appreciate them. And when I called my brothers the next day and told them I loved them, I also told them to please never drink and drive. That has to stop. No more drinking and driving. Period. We have to be more respectful to each other.

Those of us who make good livings playing a game know how fortunate we are. Not everyone can make it to the big leagues, obviously. But you can take something from Nick and his life, how he went after what he wanted, how he pushed through some adversity last year and kept believing in himself.

He was a tremendous young man, kind of quiet but funny in his way with his easy manner and style. He had a great work ethic and amazing talent. He loved his family. Those are some of the things we should remember when we think about Nick. He was one of us, a baseball player, a competitor, and we're carrying on in his spirit and memory. It's the best way we can honor him.

That's what Nick would want us to do. I know he'll be watching us, pulling for us, an eternal Angel. We'll never stop thinking about Nick Adenhart, keeping him in our hearts and minds for the rest of our careers and our lives. A guy like that never really goes away. He's always a part of you.

Angels Baseball

One awesome thing about this time of the year is that Sam and I never disagree about what to watch on T.V.-- if the game is on, we watch it... tonight had an ending that made us wish we didn't watch, but oh well, they can't always be perfect-- errors are a part of the game!! We LOVE baseball season and look forward to cheering on the Angels for the next 6 months!

I told my Nana I would blog this week...

... so, this one's for you Nana!

10 Things you should know about our 'Nana':

1. She spends 95% of her life in high heels!
2. She owns multiple pairs of 'boot cut' jeans (which she wears with her heels!!)
3. She has never had a pedicure; she uses a home spa and paints her own nails!
4. Her homemade BBQ sauce is why I LOVE BBQ sauce!
5. She spends hours every week doing her Bible Study for her weekly group.
6. She was pinned w/my Bumpa's fraternity pin instead of an engagement ring.
7. She weighed 102 pounds on her wedding day (like mother like daughter!)
8. She loves peanut butter and eats it on an english muffin every morning!
9. She knits baby caps and delivers them to the hospital for the little newborns!
10. She can't stand to eat anything that is artificially cherry-flavored... and you should see her face if she accidentally does!



Nana is one of the single most influential people in my life and I admire the way that she treats others and loves so unconditionally! I admire her ability to keep a positive outlook and to smile when life is far from easy... Nana, you are simply 'the best!'

The Latest from Sam, Kristen and Macey!

10 New Things in Our Life since last post:

- Sam's museum project got displayed in the 'hall of fame' at school!
- I have been loving taking Gina's spin class with Lindsay!!
- We saw Nana!! It was so fun to have her at our place!
- I got new carpet in my office-- hooray!
- We celebrated Valentine's Day in Laguna-- gorgeous day!
- I ate lunch at Daphne's at least 5 times-- I could eat there everyday!!
- Macey got a new squeaky ball-- this is the highlight of her life!
- We saw several movies at the cute little play-house turned movie theater in Laguna!
- We got our iphones!! I have 2 pages of apps, Sam has 5!
- We 'laid-out' at Table Rock (in JANUARY!!) with the Snyders and The Kredles!

We are busy but enjoying our time together and with family and friends!
Hope everyone out there is doing well!

Running

Running is something that I enjoy more than most things in the world. It is a great challenge (sometimes mentally, sometimes physically), it is a great way to clear my mind and relieve stress and it is a social activity that is actually good for me (rather than eating or shopping!). Anyway, I have really enjoyed running lately with my sister. Ever since Sam and I moved to Quail Hill, Lindsay and I have been meeting every other morning on the corner between our two places. It has been really fun to run together and we ran a 10K last Saturday (along with our friend Kelly and her husband Ryan). It was a fun goal to all work toward together and it reminded me how much I love training for races. So, I have decided that I am going to run a race every month in 2009. Not necessarily building toward another marathon (though not ruling that out!) but just staying active as a runner because I enjoy it so much! Anyway, here are a few photos from last weekend!