tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137237812024-03-08T08:22:02.826-08:00The Gonzalez Family HeraldHeadlines and commentary from a Northern California family of seven.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-49251532272869384792007-05-16T16:44:00.000-07:002007-05-16T16:47:50.616-07:00Checking out what is new on this blogger thingieSo I have been actively and aggressively making sure <a href="http://www.robert-gonzalez.com">my personal blog</a> has not gone unattended. But in that time I have completely neglected this blog. It seems almost unfair, until you look at what is involved in keeping a blog up to speed. But that is for a later gripe session.<br /><br />For this one, it shall be short, sweet, simple and a plethora of other words starting with the letter 'S'. Very soon I hope to turn my wife into a blog'o'matic blogamuffin. We'll see how that goes.<br /><br />In any event, I truly hope to get this blog back in action. Soon.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1166462054791576342006-12-18T09:11:00.000-08:002006-12-18T09:14:14.793-08:00New Ads in the SidebarI am going to go back and update our blog with some family excitement and the what not. But, thanks to Google, I have to actually recode our adSense messages first. So I just did that.<br /><br />Hopefully it will render now. We'' just have to wait and see.<br /><br />PS If you get a chance, hop on over to <a href="http://www.robert-gonzalez.com">my personal blog</a> and check out the latest in what my kids can learn. It is pretty interesting. Never knew they could pick up on PHP development so fast...Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1160336156717541592006-10-08T12:23:00.000-07:002006-10-08T12:35:56.730-07:00Whew, I'm tired (but in a good way)So the Disneyland trip is over. In case you don't know what I am talking about, be patient, I will be going back and writing all the juicy tidbits leading up to our trip. But we are home now (actually, we were home as of Thursday evening, but I am just getting to write now). What an insane (in a good way) trip it was!<br /><br />We left on Monday, September 25 for Southern California. You know, that state just below Northern California where everyone drives a Mercedes Benz, all the women are Blonde and the sun always seems to be setting over the perfect landscape of the beaches at all times of the day? Yeah, there. We got there at about 4:00 in the afternoon, but found out when we got there that check-in was not until 5:30 so we needed to find something to do until we could check in. So we hit up McDonalds (this would not be the first trip to McD's we'd make, I assure you). After we finally got checked in and settled in, we began our plot to take over the southland's amusement parks and tourist attractions. Here is how it went:<br /><br /><blockquote>Day 1 (Mon): Get there, plot southland take over<br />Day 2 (Tue): Disneyland<br />Day 3 (Wed): Sea World, San Diego<br />Day 4 (Thu): Disneyland<br />Day 5 (Fri): California Adventure/Disneyland<br />Day 6 (Sat): Laundry/Rest<br />Day 7 (Sun): American Girl Place(LA)/Downtown Disney (Shopping)<br />Day 8 (Mon): San Diego Zoo/Dinner with Friends<br />Day 9 (Tue): Universal Studios<br />Day 10 (Wed): Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Pack<br />Day 11 (Thu): Come home<br /></blockquote><br />Man, was that a busy vacation (in a good way) or what? We never stopped moving. Ever. We crammed as much as we possibly could into each day we were there (in a good way). There were a couple of rough days (but even those were good days), a few hot days, a rainy day, and a lot of tired days, but every day was a good day. Afterall, we were on vacation, which is always a good thing, huh?<br /><br />Anyway, I think I may write about each day. Not sure how I will do that yet, but I will. I may make a backdated entry for each day we were there. Or I may make an entry for each day moving forward. Or I may go eat my Ben and Jerry's ice cream and not worry about it (in a good way). Who knows. I know I am not grumpy, and I know it was a fun trip altogether (in a good way).Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1158127801227148402006-09-12T22:52:00.000-07:002006-09-12T23:10:01.240-07:00Its been a whileSo the last time I wrote I was talking about how rough our afternoon was trying to get to the movies on a Thursday afternoon. What I didn't mention in that post was that just before the movie started I got a phone call from a headhunter in San Francisco. You see, I had turned my resume to 'Public' on Monster.com a few days before that (I think it was on Tuesday evening of that week) and it just so happened that a few companies has found me. And they kept finding me.<br /><br />This headhunter in particular was very aggressive in their pursuit of me. They had a client that needed a PHP developer job filled. I am a very able PHP developer with a large family to feed. Needless to say, I went on an interview with the headhunter the following Thursday. I was called almost immediately with a request to meet the client on Friday. After the client meeting Friday morning I was called in the early afternoon and told that the client wanted to do a behavioral analysis study on me. So I attended that on the following Monday. The next day, Tuesday August 22 I was made a very lucrative job offer by the client. An offer that I could not pass up.<br /><br />So on Wednesday, August 23 I submitted my resignation to my former company, with whom I had spent nine years of my life, and prepared to take on a new role. I began that role last week. As of September 5, 2006, you are reading from the new Web Developer for Bay Alarm Company.<br /><br />I am absolutely thrilled. I love my new job. It is an enormous amount of money more than my previous position and has one responsibility... take the company's flagship web initiative live by the end of the year. WOW! That is awesome.<br /><br />I am telling you I think I might just stick around this place for a while. Anyhow, I am busier than heck at the moment so I will post again when I get the chance. Until then, keep in mind that I am now developing full time so the amount of time I spend here may go down. But what's really different about that, right?Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1155516351159270252006-08-11T10:08:00.000-07:002006-08-13T17:45:51.196-07:00Trying to go see a movieHas anyone ever had an experience like this...<br /><br />I had Thursday off. Most of it anyway. My wife and I decided early that day that we would go to lunch, and as a surprise to the kids, we would take them to go the movie Cars. So I went to work for a few hours, came home, packed up and off we went to Fuddruckers, home of the largest slabs of beef patties this side of the Milky Way Galaxy.<br /><br />After ordering $40 worth of massive meatwiches, we set off toward the movie theater. It was about 2:00 PM and the movie didn't start until 2:55 PM. I thought for a second "Maybe we should go get our tickets now so we don't have to worry about it later'. But that idea passed as we walked toward Borders books and a Seattle's Best coffee shop. After spending more money on books and coffee, we made the journey from Borders to the theater. It was about 2:50 (the line at Borders was a nightmare -- it took three forevers and an eternity).<br /><br />We got to the box office at about 2:55 and I asked for four kid tickets and two adult tickets to Cars. When presented with the cost (a staggering $42) and after catching my breath, I handed the ticket guy my credit card, to which he replied 'We only take cash'. I asked him if there was any place I could use my card, perhaps to buy gift certificates or something. Again, he replied Cash only.<br /><br />Knowing I had no cash and that the ATM machine in the theater was broken, I asked a manager if there was an alternative to getting some movie tickets since my kids were doing cheerleader dances in the lobby, excited out of their pants that they get to see Cars. The alternative I got was 'Call Fandango'. So I went to a payphone (seeing as I had turned my phone off and left it in the car because it was a family time). The payphone lady on the other end of the line told me that I could not call that number from a payphone. What the &%^?<br /><br />So I asked my wife if I could user her phone. When I called 1-800-FANDANGOTHISBABY, I got a little reminder from Sprint that we had exceeded our allowable credit limit and that using my cell phone to take my kids to the movies was going to be a bigger catastrophe than I expected. So I walked to my car, got my phone, called Fandango and discovered that the 2:55 showing of Cars was the only showing of Cars in that theater. Since it was past 2:55, Fandango reported that the movie was no longer playing and that I could not get tickets. At this point I am ready to break every cell phone and ATM from here to Egypt.<br /><br />So I opened my web browser on my phone and searched for theaters showing Cars. You know how many there are? None. Yup, that's right. None. Unless I wanted to go to a different county. N-O-N-E.<br /><br />Now, the good part. We live in the southernmost part of our county, so going to another county to see a movie is not as crazy as it sounds. In fact, it was about 15 minutes away. So I stopped off at home, bought my tickets on the internet and took my kids to see Cars. It was great... for the older kids. The baby and my youngest daughter were totally not into it and fussed so bad that Mom ended up outside most the time. But the older kids liked it, and so did I.<br /><br />And now I keep going saying 'Can you hear the thunder? Kuh chigga, Kuh chigga'. You know it baby, Kuh chigga.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1155168957516674862006-08-09T16:58:00.000-07:002006-08-09T17:15:57.560-07:00CrazyThe second of my two weeks is starting to wind down. Thank God....<br /><br />Right about now I could use a quiet, four day long nap. Alas, I will be back at work for a few hours tomorrow, then I get some time off. I am so happy!<br /><br />For now though I am thinking of things to put in this here space. I seem to be drawing a blank. Oh well, maybe I'll go back to yesterday and post about the massive underwear my daughters got. Buhoohaahhaa, that sounds nice.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1155169275140525272006-08-07T17:16:00.000-07:002006-08-09T17:21:15.143-07:00Chones GrandotesMan dats sum kayn kyna biug.<br /><br />My wife went shopping the other day. No condolensces please, she has gotten a lot better. But she came home with some things for our trip to Disneyland we are taking in September. One of those things she got was new underwear for the kids.<br /><br /><blockquote>NOTE: Before you think weird of me, please understand that this is about the chones, not the kids.</blockquote>Anyway, my nine year old pulled up her pack, opened them up and shrieked in disbelief 'These things are huge!'. And they were. My wife's response was 'They'll shrink when we wash them.' which they didn't. Nosiree, they are still as large as an English muffin to an ant.<br /><br />These things remind me of a fumigation tent for a doll house. They are large, full bodied unerbreeches that could potentially double as a hammock for the small size person. Or as a back up canopy top for our gazebo in the back yard. Yes ladies and gentlemen, they are some big chones.<br /><br />And I wish you could have seen my daughters reaction when she opened them...Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1154650349211961772006-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:002006-08-03T17:12:29.213-07:00We're going on a date!Okay, so I know I have been lax in my providing of humorous content upon this site. And I know that soon you will begin to resent me for it. But before you do, remember that swim season just ended last weekend. And that since last weekend I have been on a weird work shedule. And that I am going to continue this weird crazy schedule until I return to my regular schedule on August 21.<br /><br />So I figured that since I have a few days off at the moment I would use them wisely. What wiser of a way to use a day off than to go out for dinner and a movie with your spouse and your best friends. So tonight, I get to go out on a date. And since my wife is dressed all pretty-like right now, I am putting this stinking machine away and getting ready to have some fun.<br /><br />See ya!Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1154650131502403742006-07-27T16:59:00.000-07:002006-08-03T17:08:51.523-07:00Happy Birthday to MeSo, today is my birthday. And althought I am writing this in the future, I am going to write as though it just took place. That's just me. You're kinda stuck with it if you want to read, so, without further ado...<br /><br />I had a good Thursday. I woke up and realized that I was another year older. And probably a few pounds heavier. A little balder, a little uglier and quite a bit darker. So after looking at myself in the mirror and feeling like a complete peice of garbage, I decided that I would attempt to have a good day anyway.<br /><br />I ended up at work and had a regular day. My boss bought me lunch and I finished up the day. I got home and then the fun started. We rushed to get out of the house in time for swim practice. Rushed is the best way to describe it because we had to get dressed for dinner. Not that this sounds like a lot, until you remember that my family has seven members (two are essentially babies, the other three are girls and my wife is a woman). I quickly threw some shorts and sandals on and off we went.<br /><br />After practice we hit up Black Angus. Have you ever seen 10 people cram around a table for dinner on a Thursday evening at Black Angus. If you haven't, tonight would have been a great night because the table just to the side of us had a family larger than ours eating at it. And, it happened to be our oldest daughter's swim coach!<br /><br />Anyway, dinner with the family and a heaping load of happy birthday's made this one of my favorite birthdays on record. I am such a blessed man. And I wanted anyone that reads this to know. My family is awesome. Good job kids!Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152669218965592422006-07-11T18:42:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:53:38.980-07:00She is the queen of all the landSo on more than one ocassion the discussion has come up about whose wife is the hottest. And without flinching I always chime in that mine is. There are several men who would agree with me, though their wives may not. But what is important is that I back up my claim with some form of proof. So I took out the camera, prepared a quick photo shoot and BAM! Proof. So here, here is the proof. Just please don't use these for evil. She is way too pretty for that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Roberts-Favorites-016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Roberts-Favorites-016.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Roberts-Favorites-012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Roberts-Favorites-012.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Roberts-Favorites-018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Roberts-Favorites-018.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Roberts-Favorites-023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Roberts-Favorites-023.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Now tell me she ain't the tastiest mother of five, 11 year wife you have laid your eyes on. And just wait until she gets her personal trainers certification... hooo baby, that's gonna be some fun.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152667760936150852006-07-04T18:27:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:29:20.936-07:00Happy Birthday AmericaNo song. No dance. Just a heck of a lot of appreciate to the United States of American and to the men and women that offer the lives in pursuit of protecting freedom across the globe. May God richly bless you.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152668509223436832006-06-29T18:29:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:41:49.236-07:00A little boy a little olderYou know, it seems like my entire family is having a birthday this month. My sister-in-law had one on June 8. My wife was on June 20. My son is today. My nephew tomorrow. Two of my daughters in a couple of weeks. Man, I am tired.<br /><br />However, it has been a while since we threw out some pictures, so I figured that a few photos might do my sons first birthday a better justice than any words I could muster up. So, without further ado, here is the boys first birthday photos...<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/AJs-First-Birthday-001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/AJs-First-Birthday-001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">BC - Before Cake</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/AJs-First-Birthday-003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/AJs-First-Birthday-003.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Being cute is hard work, but I can take one for the team</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/AJs-First-Birthday-014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/AJs-First-Birthday-014.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oooh, this is good...</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/AJs-First-Birthday-019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/AJs-First-Birthday-019.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">... you want some?</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/AJs-First-Birthday-034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/AJs-First-Birthday-034.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">A happy family of seven</span><br /></div>Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152667657002281742006-06-20T18:25:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:29:43.326-07:00Happy Birthday Sweetheart<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Happy Birthday to you</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Happy Birthday to you</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Happy Birthday my sweetheart</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Happy Birthday to you.</span></span><br /><br />I love you. And you are more beautiful today than ever before.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152667504625072882006-06-19T18:13:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:25:04.673-07:0030, right ahead!OK, it came and gone and did its damage. But now that the dust has settled, everything is back to chaos as usual in the Gonzalez house.<br /><br />Getting there was a little bit of a task, but it was worth it. Lemme 'splain.<br /><br />Two years ago I turned 30. I was really feeling in the dumper about being so old and washed up. My wife, God bless her soul, was doing everything she could to keep my spirits up. She lied to me, she cooked for me, she did the laundry. I think she even did dishes in there once or twice. But what really made my 30th a doozie was the surprise birthday party she threw me. It was a looloo, and I thought I should repay the deed.<br /><br />Surprise parties are not really my thing. A year ago or so I threw my then pregnant wife a surprise baby shower and nearly sent her into premature labor when she opened the door. So I figured that a surprise party was out of the question. So early on, I told her I was throwing her a grown ups only, wine and cheese party with some of her closest friends. She seemed open to the idea and shortly thereafter took over the entire thing. Not that I minded, seeing as putting together a 30th birthday party is a lot of work and she really took it on with vigor.<br /><br />Needless to say, the last few weeks have been a pain in the a... aaa... achooo. But, now that the big day has come and gone (at least the party part of it), we can rest easy knowing that in just a few days, 30 will come knocking on the door and my wife will answer the door with joy.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152666819874925562006-06-14T17:59:00.000-07:002006-07-11T18:25:41.780-07:00The big 3-0 is a flying down the pipeSo my wife is approaching 30 and the I could swear the world is about to end.<br /><br />I bet you didn't know that when you turn 30 life as you know it ends and the 'afterlife' actually takes over. Sure, it may seem that everything keeps moving along, nice and nifty as you are used to it. But in reality, at 30, you literally die and move into that life you live after death.<br /><br />After all, 30 is like forever years long, and after you turn 30, there really is no more need for your existence seeing as you have been around for so long that everything you know is completely outdated.<br /><br />Well, at least that is how my wife puts it.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1152665935632742632006-06-03T17:44:00.000-07:002006-07-11T17:58:56.010-07:0011 Years. 11 Long, Wonderful Years.A lot can happen in a short time. But even more can happen in a long time.<br /><br />Take , for example, the span of 11 years. On June 3, 1995, my wife and I got married. We decided to R-U-N-N-O-F-T and git maired. Seriously. We decided on Wednesday, May 31, 1995 that we were going to Reno that Saturday to get married.<br /><br />It was not a spur of the moment decision. After all, we had been engaged since Christmas of 1994. We knew we were going to get married but we had really never thought of when we would get married. We also wanted to be married before we moved in together. It just made sense to us.<br /><br />So, sitting at a McDonald's across the street from an apartment complex, we decided that to do things right, we should get married and look for an apartment. Doing things the way I usually do, I went backwards and looked for apartments. And as we sat at the McDonald's, tired from two weeks of apartment searching and sipping milkshakes, I looked over my beautiful fiancee's shoulder and saw a sign for an apartment for rent. How could I pass it up?<br /><br />We went to what we, er I, thought was that apartment complex. It wasn't. But we did stumble on a nice place, so we applied for an apartment, got accepted, placed a deposit and made plans to get to Reno that Saturday so on Sunday we could move in. And so we did, 11 years ago.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So what can happen in 11 years?</span><br />Let's see....<br /><ul><li>1 Marriage</li><li>5 Kids</li><li>6 Cars</li><li>3 Living Establishments</li><li>4 Jobs</li><li>2 Businesses</li><li>Numerous sleepless nights</li><li>A few marital 'debates'</li><li>Endless friendships</li></ul><br />There is so much more to add to this. But there are so many more things yet to experience that I want to leave room on my list for those. But I will say that after 11 years, I love my wife more today than any other day in the past. And I love my family to the point that I am dumbfounded spontaneously when I see them in the right light.<br /><br />11 years is a long time, but compared to the length of time I plan on being married, it seems like a mere blink.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1148702616465373232006-05-26T20:43:00.000-07:002006-05-30T21:28:58.280-07:00WOW! That's All. WOW!So my oldest daughter (you know, the one who runs the blog <a href="http://www.sarahsaid.com">Sarah Said</a>?) had her swimming team time trials tonight. This is the first timed swim of the year and is used to determine what competitive groups a swimmer will be put in throughout the season. Well, I gotta tell you, I was floored by how much she impoved from last year. Take a look...<br /><blockquote><br />Freestyle 2005: <span style="font-weight: bold;">34.48</span> Seconds<br />Freestyle 2006: <span style="font-weight: bold;">25.51</span> Seconds<br /><br />Breast 2005: <span style="font-weight: bold;">48.71</span> Seconds<br />Breast 2006: <span style="font-weight: bold;">37.27</span> Seconds<br /><br />Butterfly 2005: <span style="font-weight: bold;">1:00.51</span> Seconds<br />Butterfly 2006: <span style="font-weight: bold;">37.24</span> Seconds<br /><br />Backstroke 2005: <span style="font-weight: bold;">35.84</span> Seconds<br />Backstroke 2006: <span style="font-weight: bold;">32.12</span> Seconds<br /><br /></blockquote>Look at that. Tell me that is not a major improvement over last year. In fact, to add to the WOW factor, my daughter finished first in two of the four heats she swam in. First! Man, I really can't think of any other words outside of WOW!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sarah isn't the only wower in the house</span><br />My second daughter has taken to drawing recently. It stemmed from her fascination with horses and her desire to run a horse farm. Well, she used her own money to buy a horse drawing book from a bookstore. And she started drawing. And now she can draw almost anything. I will scan some pictures that she has done and post them as soon as I can. They are imressive.<br /><br />My third daughter has taken to reading a writing like a fish to water. I think that I have posted about her ability to read before. But she is getting crazy with it. And now she has taken to writing. A couple of weeks ago she wrote a short story (complete with illustrations) titles 'Detective Anna'. And I gotta tell you, it was very good. As soon as I find all the pages to the story I will try to get it up here. It is amazing.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, it has been a long day and I've not much more to say so I am going to get on my way.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1148625096190632442006-05-25T23:28:00.000-07:002006-05-25T23:31:59.213-07:00What is Dr. Scholl's doing?Wife: "What woman is going to wear that short white skirt and high heels to play tennis?"<br />Me: (Pointing to the scantilly clad blonde on TV) "That woman of course."<br />Wife: "You are such a guy. I need something to throw at you."<br />Me: "Where is that stuffed animal?"<br />Wife: "Where did I put that shoe?"Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1148260350626174182006-05-21T17:56:00.000-07:002006-05-21T18:13:27.360-07:00Peanut Butter and Pickle Pizza<span style="font-weight: bold;">... And a side order of Pepto Bismol.</span><br />My oldest daughter has taken to eating peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. No, she is not pregnant or suffering from some mental defficiency. She just likes them. Wierd...<br /><br />I, too, enjoy a few wierd foods every now and again, but nothing as silly as my daughters creation. For example, I really like to eat rice and eggs. MMmm, hot white rice, or spanish rice, with eggs sunnyside up draped over it. Smash it all together into a nice shade of hello and white and scarf it down like a ravenous animal.<br /><br />Or how about Spaghetti (or in some circles, sickabetty) and eggs? Spaghetti that is leftover the next day, microwaved to perfection and covers with eggs sunnyside up. Oh baby I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">From whence came the rain...</span><br />How'd you like to look out and see this?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Photo_052106_002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Photo_052106_002.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Photo_052106_001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Photo_052106_001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />OK, now for a bit of history. Last week and this past week we had insanely warm weather. Until Friday. It got overcast and sprinkled a bit. Today, as we were getting ready to go to church, I looked up at the sky and saw those clouds. Eww!<br /><br />Yes, it rained savagely today. Last Sunday was a record breaking 90-something degrees. I love California...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Not just the weather</span><br />And I don't love this state just for the beautiful sunny days we have either. I also like the people and their need for bigger and better satelite dishes...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Photo_052006_001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Photo_052006_001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />... and the kind words they have for you if you take their parking spaces...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Photo_051206_002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Photo_051206_002.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yeah, looks like California is a keeper. Now where did I put those pickles...Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1147624671496536662006-05-14T09:29:00.000-07:002006-05-14T09:37:51.520-07:00Happy Mother's DayTo all Mothers, throughout the land,<br />My family and I, we give you a hand.<br /><br />To stick with the job day by day<br />Without dying, frying or running away<br />Allows us to make a day to pause<br />Consider you, love you and give you applause.<br />Without you around our lives would stink<br />With no one to change us or give us a drink<br />No one to cloth us and show us they care<br />We are so glad you're here with eyes everywhere.<br />So today, Mom, we thank you for all that you do<br />For loving us, teaching us, and yes, spanking us, too.<br /><br />Hope you enjoyed it. Happy Mother's day.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">PS I actually just wrote this. In about five minutes. Kinda neat, huh?</span>Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1147484023947665572006-05-12T18:04:00.000-07:002006-05-12T18:33:43.963-07:00I'm poopy!I knew I'd catch you with that title! Actually, I figured since I used an exclamation point it would really draw your eye to the title. But seriously...<br /><br />My youngest daughter (three years old this July) is an insanely smart and able child. I say this because of a regular routine that happens every night at about 9:00 PM. See, at about 8:30 or so my wife and I begin the rounding up of scattered child, rushing them into the bathrooms for teeth brushing and other hygenic procedures, then pushing them into their rooms for pajamification and beddedness preparation. All of our kids are pretty used to this process and willfully limit their defiance to our instruction in an effort to get more time before lights-out. However, our youngest daughter has developed a system of her own by which she single-handedly pushes the parental patience limit beyond the point of reasonable. Some might say that she takes us to a state borderline neuroinstability. Whatever the case, it has been working on my nerve and, without going Terminator on her, I had to devise a means by which to deal with this frustration.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A two year old with an agenda<br /></span>Every night at about 9:00, just as the noise of bedtime reduces to a quiet hush, a loud two year olf voice rings out through the hallway. "I'm poopy!" Now, I know what you are thinking. You're thinking "Every night? She does this every night?".<br /><br />Yes. Every night. This kid is the only person that I have ever known that has complete and total control over bowel movements. It's almost like she summons some internal power and decides "I want to get out of bed right now. I should poop myself.". What's even better about all this is that about fifteen minutes later, there is the same voice ringing down the hallway...<br /><br />She: "I'm wet!"<br />We: "Of course you are."<br /><br />After taking care of that amazing feat and getting her back in bed, about ten minutes later...<br /><br />She: "I'm thirsty!"<br />We: "Of course you are."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My theory<br /></span>Although she is only two (going on three) she has the tactic formulating capability of a seasoned army general on the eve of a large scale invasion. She has the logic of an astrophysicist planning complex orbital rotations of planetary bodies. She is a genius at not staying in bed.<br /><br />First, she poops herself. How? Got me. Then she wets herself. Stumped again. Then comes the thirst. This kinda makes sense to me, seeing as she purged herself of all her solid and liquid waste. And each time, she looks at us as though she is saying "I own you". I can just imagine her thought process...<br /><br /><blockquote>"If I dirty my diaper, they have to change me... in the living room. And, if I wet my now clean diaper, they have to change me again... in the living room. And, after all that hard work, I tell them I'm thirsty, they will get me something to drink... from the kitchen. It's perfect. I can dodge sleep for another half hour at this rate. And if I am really cute, mom won't even notice that I am cuddling right next to her on the couch. And dad won't even think about me if I am really quiet while I sit between him and mom. Yeah, that's the way to go. Dirty the diaper, wet the diaper, ask for a drink, cuddle with mom, interfere with parental bonding time, stay awake longer than I should and wear out my parents at the same time. It's brilliant!"</blockquote>So, according to the will of the household two year old, my wife and I tend to her every whim, under her control every step of the way. And all of this takes precious minutes of adult mommy and daddy time, managing her poops, peeps, dry throat and the whatnot.<br /><br />In fact, by the time all of this calamity is settled, my wife and I are pooped. Figuratively, of course.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1147319699444720062006-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:002006-05-10T20:54:59.476-07:00God is in my Tummy<em>He's got the whole world<br /> in His hands<br /><br />He's got the whole wide world<br /> in His hands<br /><br />He's got the whole world<br /> in his Hands<br /><br />He's got the whole world in his hands</em><br /><br />Another tender moment in the Gonzalez house. My youngest daughter was sitting on my wife's lap singing that song. It was so cute, then...<br /><br />Mom: "Does God have you in His hands?"<br />Daughter: "No. God is in my tummy."<br /><br />So that's what that feeling was after dinner...Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1146934198988338142006-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:002006-05-06T09:49:59.000-07:00Talents, Gifts and a Noisy Child<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">EDITORS NOTE: In case you were wondering, my family is doing much better after our gut-wrenching episode with whatever bug was in us the night before last. If you don't know what I am talking about, read yesterday's post. If you don't read Spanish, either hire a Mexican to translate or buy a book. Or you could rent one of my children. Of course you would get the deluxe package when doing this, but they're worth it.</span><br /><br />So last night was the Homeschool Gifts, Talents and Arts show I wrote about yesterday. I had mentioned before that my two older girls were going to be playing a piano duet and that my oldest was also going to be submitting a posterboard of some of her artwork. My third daughter also posted one of her drawings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sidebar: </span>She really wanted to read her book she wrote. 'Detective Anna' is a story straight out of the brain of a five year old. When she finds all the pages I will post it here. You will be amazed that a five year old can write that well (or imagine that well, for that matter). It is a very cute story, well written and easily read by most anyone that piece together phonemes for words that are not proper English. Just wait, you'll see.</blockquote><br />Now this is the part where I would normally go into how talented the kids were, how imaginative the artwork was, how cool everything went. But alas, I can't. I was too busy chasing a 10 month old son around the sanctuary hallways trying to allow the other parents to enjoy the show. Call it 'taking one for the team'. Call it doing 'doing my fatherly duty'. Call it what you will, but that kid is very fast and very loud. But the few seconds of the talent show I did see demonstrated how well taught these kids are.<br /><br />Anyhow, being the proud father that I am I thought I would post a few pictures from the event last night. Enjoy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/DSC00181.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/DSC00181.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-weight: bold;">Look at my little Picasso's... Oh wait, little Mozart's. Yeah, I are a homeschooling parent.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/DSC00183.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/DSC00183.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-weight: bold;">Well at least I can work my camera enough to get a close-up.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/DSC00188.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/DSC00188.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-weight: bold;">I bet you never thought there were this many homeschoolers in the world did you? Would it shock you even more if I told you that many of these kids are homeschooled within the boundaries of one of the most prestigious school districts in the county? What are we doing?!?!? Oh yeah, parenting and educating our children. The way we are supposed to.</span><br /></div>Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1146932750239988602006-05-05T06:05:00.000-07:002006-05-06T09:25:50.250-07:00Cinco de Mayo con La Familia GonzalezPorque hoy es el Cinco de Mayo, y porque mi familia esta de una linea Mexicana, yo pienso que yo voy a escribir en Espanol. Pues, lo mas en Espanol, pero, en Espanol.<br /><br />En el dia antes e ayer, fuimos a la casa de mi hermano por los cumpleanos de mi hermana y de mi cunada. Mi cunada es Filipino y toda la comida en su casa es Filipina. Por la fiesta tenian mucha comida (como lo quiero) y comimos, comimos, comimos. Pollo, arroz, lumpia, poncet, no me recuerdo todo que comimos. Despues do la comida, comimos pastel. Y helado. Y pastel, otra vez. Y helado, otra vez.<br /><br />Que piensan ustedes como que sientamos ayer? Correcto. Nada mas que duelen todos los estomagos en mi casa. Mi hija que tiene cinco anos vomito primer. Hasta que ella, mi hija que tiene ocho anos. Despues, mi hija que tiene dies anos. Y yo? Pues, no vamos a hablar de <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">esta</span> noche...<br /><br />Llamo a mi hermano y el me dijo que toda de su familia tenian dolores de sus estomagos. Y mi hermana tambien. Pues, pienso que la comida a la fiesta tenia problemas. Pues, a mi me gusta comida Y si puedo comer, me voy a comer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On another, more english, note</span><br />Now that my Spanish has been dusted off and and my brain is complete worn out from all that translation, I thought I'd switch gears. Tonight my kids have a talent show for their homeschool group they are in. They are going to be playing a piano duet (Chopsticks) and presenting some artwork. It's funny, because I am a little nervous. Them? No, they are fine. The flutterby nature of a child still has the better of them and I am in no way go to tweak that. So pray for me, that I can keep my nerves about me. I am such a softy.<br /><br />Oh yeah, if you happen to go to a birhday party and each like a hungry starving hermit, prepare for the worst. Keep plenty of Tums on hand. And toilet paper.<br /><br />Until next time, Feliz Cinco de Mayo, y que tienen un bien fin de semana.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13723781.post-1146458129479742292006-04-30T21:02:00.000-07:002006-04-30T21:35:29.520-07:00So I lied... Sort ofI know I just said that I was not going to talk about the reception we had after my son's dedication. And for the most part I am sticking to that. But I just got my pictures out of my camera so I wanted to share them with you. Here are a few of my favorites...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20116.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20116.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote>It is probably not a widely-known thing, but snails love to live in my agapanthus plants. Of course, kids know this. These kids are well on their way to collecting over 100 snails that will later be used for flinging across the street, stepping on and other grody things</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20119.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20119.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote>Every once in a while a kid is blessed with an insane ability to perform a task. This is my Godson and he can catch anything. Yes, anything. Geese? Done. Lizards? Done. Crickets? Done. I truly believe there is not a thing on this planet that this boy cannot catch. This is him with an unusually large cricket. Which he caught. In my yard.</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20120.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote>Whose got attitude? I've got attitude. So what if I'm two? I am the coolest two year old around.</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20122.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20122.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><blockquote>This is a friend of my wife (the older one) whom my wife has known since she was six. The baby she is holding is her and husband's newest addition. This is their second child and second daughter. Hey, a few more kids and maybe they can be like my wife and I. Hmmm? Three more? C'mon, you guys can do it.</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20132.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20132.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote>This is my brother and my sister. Not much to say, except it is a rare event to get them in the same frame together <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> get them on film (or in this case, on disk).</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20133.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20133.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote>This is my 11 year old niece. She is my very first niece (my sister's daughter). She has brand new braces. Can you tell?</blockquote><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/1600/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20139.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2246/1218/400/Sony%20Unload%202006-04-30%20139.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><blockquote>My second niece and my fourth neice. The older one is my sister's second daughter, the younger one is my brother's second daughter. Aren't they cute? I thought so.</blockquote>OK, no more pictures. My wife and I need rest. So does this blog. If the keys on my keyboard hurt nearly as much as my fingers and wrists, then we all need a nice long rest.<br /><br />Goodnight.Robert Gonzalezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09416125004603005509noreply@blogger.com0