Newest Obsession

This is the newest addition to your toy collection. We were at Cerritos mall last weekend and I had to go back to a store and grab my credit card that I left after my purchase. Meanwhile, your mom said that you asked her to go into the Mickey Mouse (aka Disney) store. We had not been to this mall in quite a while, but something triggered in your brain from our last visit. Previously, you had become infatuated with these toys fans, but we didn't think to purchase one from you. Anyways, your mom told me that you went searching throughout the store until you found the rack where these were located.

Sure enough, they still had several of these fans left. You became instantly attached. I met up with you guys halfway between the stores and your mom told me the story about the fan. She said you really wanted it and you never ask for a toy. How could we not get it for you? We went back in and bought it. You've been playing with it ever since. It's like your equivalent to Linus' blanket. Look up the reference.

Unfortunately, this past week you haven't really been a good boy at school so you we haven't allowed you to play with it as much. As soon as your behavior improves, this flying Chupacabra will be back at your side!

dpgmarine

You're not sick

So you ended up with a bit of a chest cold last week and the result was that I had to stay home with you on Thursday. I decided we should celebrate our day off with a bang. The picture says it all. You can never go wrong with Benis!

dpgmarine

In N Out

Here's a funny video of you being obsessed with eating a cheeseburger and fries from In N Out. The funny thing is that I had just made us a delicious home made pizza prior to the making of this video. Apparently, that wasn't enough for you. You decided to grab your old piano and create this gem!

dpgmarine

Gazelle

Just a quick video of you from this past weekend of you at Salt Lake Park in Huntington Park. You might give me a run for my money sooner rather than later.

dpgmarine

Mothers Day 2014

Well, for this Mothers Day we made our return to the LBC. We went down to the YardHouse for an early lunch. Even though we got there early, we still ended up waiting for quite a bit. This only increased all of your appetites while we waited. Once we got our seats outside, we were eager to place our orders. We decided to get an appetizer of chips and guacamole. Boy, were we surprised when we got plenty of guacamole, but only a handful of chips. (Que Price is Right music)!

Anyways, we all enjoyed our meals and then we went for a walk along the shoreline. This was a great way to walk off our food and let you run around. We ended up at a familiar site which is the tower at the top of a small area of grass. We were just hanging out and enjoying our view, when you decided to run to the top and become a human bowling ball.

You announced that you were going to start rolling down the hill, which caught my ear. I immediately turned around to see what you were up to. The next thing I know, you're on your way down the small hill and very rapidly picking up momentum. It was all in slow motion. Your body rolled down the hill, while your legs were uncontrollably whipping in a circular motion. The whole time (or short time), your mom gazed into the ocean. I didn't like where this was headed.

Sure enough your two paths would cross and your foot ends up kicking your mom right in the back of the head. That was Awesome! (Me in my Stifler voice from the movie Old School when Will Ferrell shoots himself in the neck with a tranquilizer gun). You'll have to see the movie to understand.

Well, that concluded our trip to the LBC! Great times!

dpgmarine

Angels vs Yankees

As a result of doing a good job at work, I was given 4 tickets to the game on Cinco de Mayo! Our initial guest cancelled (I'll let you guess who was responsible) Hint: It wasn't me!  We scrambled to find someone to join us and we were able to get your old friend Zaira to come with us. It was actually her first baseball so she was somewhat excited. This happened to be your second game. We got there in the first inning and found our seats. We got to see such stars as the 254 million dollar man Albert Pujos, 22 year old Mike Trout, who just signed a 6 year, 144.5 million dollar extension, and finally Derek Jeter, who is playing in his final professional season. This time around, I tried to get you to focus the pitcher and watch him throw the ball. When a batter would make contact and hit the ball into the air, you would get really excited watching the ball land into the stands.

During the 4th inning, you and I went to make a pit stop. We had to wait in a bit of a line, but we finally made it to the stall. As I approached the toilet I noticed something really huge floating in there. I said great, a floating turd. But no, it was actually a beer bottle that some kind pedestrian deposited into the toilet. Awesome! We handled our business and exited the premises. Before we headed back to our seats, we picked up some garlic fries. Only $7.50 for a very small handful of waffle fries. They were gone before I could blink.We stayed until the 7th inning stretch so that we could get Zaira to sing "Take me out to the ball game" with us. Fun was had by all!

dpgmarine

Rancho Remembers 2014

Vladimir, this does not directly involve you, but I wanted to share my experience from today. I took part in the the 7th Annual Rancho Remembers event out at Rancho Cucamonga High School. I had actually participated in this event  last year as well. I was really excited to participate again because I had such a great time last year. My day began at 300am. I actually went to work for a few hours before I headed off to the school. A bag of M & Ms that your mom gave me for my birthday (Yes, that was my birthday gift from her) would serve as my breakfast. I drove another 23 miles out to the school and got out there around 815am. I was greeted by a young man who escorted me to the entrance. From there, a group of young ladies awaited and greeted all the Veterans with a good morning. One young lady led me inside and got me where I needed to be.

Once I got there, I met my first interviewer. The young man in the white shirt from the first group of kids. I got right into it and introduced myself. We began talking and getting to know each other. Soon after, the other two kids joined the group. The whole purpose of this event is to have Veterans from all eras share their experiences with the students. Today, I saw Veterans from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and there were actually Pearl Harbor survivors as well. Amazing to see such a vast group of people.

I had a great time. I got a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts which made it sweet. The kids were fairly interactive with me. I think they opened up more once I shared more of my life experiences. I guess I was pretty popular because after the first group left, the second showed up and I had double the kids. That's right, I got to speak with 6 kids the second time around. I thought it was great. It just meant that I got to entertain a bigger group. It was a bigger challenge to keep everyone involved, but I think it went well.

With both groups, we talked about such subjects as my military experience, my childhood, work experience, and both you and your mother. So you did have a part in today's events. I told the kids how much you mean to me and how your mom and I have a tough road ahead of us trying to raise you. I also gave them some life advice and hoped that at least one thing stuck with them.

Overall, I had another great experience. I'm proud to be part of such an event and I look forward to participating again. I was really sincere in what I shared with these kids because I know one day I'll have to have such conversations with you.

dpgmarine

Basketball 2014

Hardcore

Today, we had quite the morning. We headed down to my ol' stomping grounds of Camp Pendleton. I participated in the Heart Break Ridge Half Marathon. Coming back to the base brought back quite a few memories. I was very excited to finally be able to take part in the run. However, thanks to a nasal infection at the beginning of the week, I wasn't feeling too well for the run. It probably didn't help that on yesterday I had an all carne asada burrito from King Taco and a Pepsi. That was followed by two conchas for dessert. This morning I had a chocolate chip muffin from Portos as well. I also didn't hydrate as much as I would have liked to.

So here's a rundown of the day's events. The weather was actually pretty good. Between mile 2 and 3 we hit the big incline. It kicked my butt right off the bat. The fact the my nose was running like a faucet wasn't too pleasant. Luckily, I had a pocket full of tissue to combat all that snot. I also knew that I would have to see that incline on the way back. The run was tougher than I thought, but I was able to pull through.

Once again, you found a way to steal the show. Just as I'm closing in on the final quarter mile or so, I see you and your mom at the top waiting for me. She was taking pictures and you're telling me hi as I pass you guys. The next thing I know, you I hear you say that I'm going to get you. I look back and there you are running after me. I thought it was funny and figured you'd stop. As you can see from the pictures above, you chased me all the way to the finish. I couldn't believe it. It must have looked funny to anyone watching. You're pretty fast for a little guy were skinny jeans and a vest sweater. You almost beat me, but you still have lots of work to go. I'm glad that you guys were able to see me finish.

Final Run Time: 1:56:24

I dedicated this run to my friend Michael Barnes! Rest in Peace.

dpgmarine

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

It's been a while since my last post, but I thought today would be a great day for a new post. Your friend Camilla came over for a visit along with her mommy Maria. We all had a nice little dinner. You and Camilla had a blast since you haven't seen each other in a while. You guys played with the puzzles, played in the tent, and endlessly chased each other around the house.


More exciting, was the fact that we experienced a nice little 5.3 earthquake. That's right! You guys were running around and making such much noise, that I was a bit hesitant at first. After a few seconds, I decided to jump up because the shaking became really strong. Sure enough, we were experiencing an earthquake. We all huddled together in the hallway while the house coninued to smoothly roll. The whole thing lasted about 20 to 30 seconds.


We made it through will only a few shook nerves (from the adults). The two of you (Camilla & Vlad) were pretty much oblivious to the whole event.


I'm just glad that we can all have a good laugh about it...For now!


dpgmarine