XVII

Hey kids,
Daddy here. This weekend Mom and I will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary. That's a pretty amazing feat, if I do say so myself. I hope and pray that someday (in the far distant future) you guys find someone who makes you as happy as your Mom makes me. I remember when I asked her to marry me and hoped she'd say yes, I remember in that moment that I could not wait to spend the rest of my life with her. Marriage is about many things, and it's important to know that it's not going to be all rainbows and magical unicorn days. There are trials and tribulations that come with spending your life with someone. I'm very glad to have found a person I'm willing to go through all the joy and all the heartache with hand in hand forever. I love Mom so much, and I love spending time with her. Tonight we went to dinner at Market Street Steakhouse.

It was awesome, and delicious. After dinner with Mom, I feel again like my cup is full. I'm so very blessed to have her and you guys as my family. I love you guys,

Daddy

Homemade Haircut

Hey kids,
Daddy here. So I mentioned to Jake that he should shave his head for the part of Daddy Warbucks in Annie and he continually said, "No way Dad!" So, I'm getting ready to leave work the other day and Mom had asked me to get a bald cap for Jake for cast pics tomorrow. Beore I could get out the door I get this pic...

With the caption, "So, this happened." Yes, at 12 years old he decided to shave his own head with my clippers. Fear not, I was able to salvage that mess.

Looking good, SteveO. I cant wait to see the pics and the play in a few weeks. I love you guys,

Daddy

Weekend Recap

Hey kids,

Daddy here. This weekend was an elusive 3 day weekend for Daddy. I took Friday off so we could get the house underway before heading out of town.  Papa came by the house and Al, Papa and I headed out with a load of stuff to find a storage unit. We eventually found a place and when signing the papers, we met Stephanie. Stephanie likes to talk, a lot. So much that we have started calling people to talk too much, Stephanie. Weather that person is Mom, Al, Iz, Jake, or me. Stephanie!
After we got our stuff settled in and the house cleaned, we got on the road for the 3 1/2 hour trip to Brentwood.
We passed a few places to get snacks and before you know it, we were in the middle of nowhere and all of us were starving. Mom and Al were the first two to start squawking about the lack of snacks but before long, Jake and Iz got in on the action. Izzy piped up from the back seat with, "Daddy. My tummy is grumbling." When we finally emerged from the nothingness we were almost there, so we got to Grandma's house and when we walked in she said, "Are you hungry. I got fried chicken from Safeway." SCORE! We gobbled down the chicken and had a great visit with her. I tell you guys, you really don't know how much a simple visit can mean to parents and grandparents. I hope you always remember that just being there for them is such a treasure. She was so glad to see us and kept saying how happy she was. It made it all worth it.

After a few hours, we headed to our hotel. It was a nice place with a pool and while Mom, Jake and Iz headed for the pool, Al and I hit CVS for some snacks. We had some snacks by the pool and headed up to our room. We polished off the snacks in our room and tucked ourselves into bed.
Saturday morning, we got all ready and headed to Starbucks for some coffee. We realized after we got our order that they had forgotten Jake's order. There were too many people in line to wait, so we made a plan to come back after. We headed back to Grandma's house and visited a little more and I got some really cool info about our family tree.  Eventually it was getting later in the afternoon so we hugged and kissed and headed out. The plan was to go and check out the Muir woods, but let's just say the parking was a bit crazy, so we headed to the beach instead.

The beach is never a bad choice and we had a great time. Any guesses on who got wetter than they planned to first? If you guessed Jake, you'd be correct, lol. We stayed for a bit and splashed around in the "You people are mean!" water before deciding to begin the trek home. Mom and I decided to stop for dinner first so we wouldn't have grumbling tummies on the way home. We picked Denny's and had a good meal. We jumped back in Moya and headed home. Mom and Izzy passed out in about 15 minutes and the boys and I talked all the way home. Thanks for keeping me awake, fellas. I appreciate it so much.

Sunday, we went to 9am Mass and it was good since it was Divine Mercy Sunday. We headed home, changed our clothes and you guys and I came up to the radio station. Mom had some stuff to do at school, so we went our to do errands. We came up to the radio station to see if there were any more all you can ride wristbands for the Midway as Al was going to meet some friends there. We got the last one! When we left, I let each of you guys drive for a little bit. Don't worry, I worked the pedals when Izzy drove, lol. Al is getting better and better at driving, and Jake is doing pretty good too. We headed over to WinCo for the big shopping trip. I normally hate going to the grocery store, but you guys did such a great job of running around and getting what we needed it went pretty fast. When we got home, I was pretty wiped so I sat down on the couch and fell asleep. Al put the groceries away and when it was time, we headed over to Round Table for Al to meet up with Hunter, Bree, Nancy, and Thomas for some more Midway madness. Jake, Iz and I headed home and met Mom. We went for a walk and when it was time, picked Al up and returned home to wind the weekend down. I fell asleep feeling very thankful and happy that we had another great weekend. I love you guys,

Daddy

Midway of Fun

Hey kids,
Daddy here. The carnies and toothless people are back. No, not time for another trip to Walmart, the MansClan hits the annual Midway of Fun! We are going out of town this weekend to visit Great Grandma Bette so we hit the Midway on Thursday night this year.

This year we had 4 passes, so Izzy and I made our way to the small stuff and the boys went off to do the life threatening stuff. Izzy rode a bunch of rides that I was too big for, but we did get to ride the Ferris Wheel together. It was awesome. I love being with you, Iz. I have so much fun with you. I wish you would always want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me.

We met back up with the boys and you guys hit a bunch of rides.

After a few hours, they began shutting the place down. Al got one last trip up the slide and Jake, Iz and I got one final ride, on the Merry-go-round together. It was a great finish. I was in a bit of a cranky mood on our way there, but after two hours of being with you guys, I was feeling great. I love spending time with you guys, and I hope when you get older, you'll remember stuff like this. I know I will. I love you guys,

Daddy

Triduum and Easter

Hey kids,

Daddy here. We sure have been busy the last few days with the culmination of Holy Week and all. On Holy Thursday night, we went to Mass and I was asked to carry the canopy and the boys were alter servers. It's a beautiful celebration to commemorate the institution of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist as well as the institution of the Priesthood. Although, I was very nervous that I was gonna hit Fr Louie in the back of the head with the pole I was carrying because Gary Connoly didn't realize that I was that close to him, lol. It all worked out though, and I didn't smack him so that's good! We all went into the chapel and spent a few minutes with our Lord. On the way home, Al and I stopped to get pot pies since it was late, but we were STARVING! Jake had some ramen and we fell asleep watching Legends of Tomorrow.

Good Friday was up next. Mom, Jake and Iz had the day off but Al and I had a regular day. Al was unable to make it to the midday service (not technically a Mass, as Jesus is not there). So, I headed over and was pleased to see so many people at church for a noon service. The service was very somber and serious. All the decorations were gone and the church looked very bland and barren. That always speaks to me, because that's what our lives are without Jesus. Vacant and void without his Holy presence in our daily lives and we need to remember that when we are out in the world. I was not able to stay for the whole service so I had to jam after communion. Filled with joy for still receiving the sacrament I hauled myself back to work. As it was Good Friday, and the final Friday of Lent, not only did we have to abstain from meat, but we had to fast all day too.  As you can imagine, by dinner time we were starvin Marvin. Mom made us shrimp quesadillas. She takes such good care of us. I hope when you guys get older you realize how much Mom did and continues to do for all of us.

Holy Saturday morning, the boys and I had practice at 9am. Jake was an alter server and Al and I were set to do the 1st two readings for the Vigil mass. After we dropped Jake off at church and got suckered into doing a few things, we snuck out and went down to Heavenly Donuts and got some donuts. We went back to church just in time for our practice and met up with the other two readers. Scott and Kimmy. I tell you guys, Scott Schoffner is one of the few people who can constantly make me laugh. That guy cracks me up. We got all our parts down and headed home. We had to run a few errands but in no time, it was time to get ready for dinner. We have begun a new tradition which I love.  That of having dinner at Cattlemen's with the Warrens and the Palmers before the Vigil Mass. We all ate very well and just had a great time with our friends. We ended up talking a bit too long (shocker) and I took the kids to mass and the mom's followed a few minutes behind.  We got to church despite getting stuck by a train and got everyone where they needed to be in the nick of time.  This Mass has got to be my absolute favorite of the whole year. Not only do we get to welcome new members into our faith family, but we are experiencing the Resurrection again. How awesome is that?! Anyway, despite Fr George saying we were not allowed to fall asleep, Izzy still did. After Mass, he said she was forgiven, lol.

Sunday morning, I walked out to Mom with the scissors in my hand and told her she could have one cut of my beard. It's been a year since I trimmed it, and I love the way it looks. I am in the minority in that opinion. So Mom took a big ol chunk out of the beard and I got to trimming. When I came out of the bathroom with my new look, you guys all freaked out and told me I looked wierd, lol. Mom was happy with it though, so I guess I made the right choice. I can always grow it back......

Cleaned up and ready to go, we headed to River-view Country Club for the all you can eat brunch and to celebrate Great Grandma Dorthy's birthday. When we got there, we arrived just in time for the Easter Egg Hunt. There were roped off sections for the kids of different ages, so Iz took her place and the when the race began, she took off like a shot! She hunted and hunted and found way more than the other kids of her age. There were 3 extra special eggs somewhere in the grounds between all of the fields. As Al and I waited for Iz and Violet to get back, we saw her eyes get huge and she grabbed something off the grass and screamed, "I FOUND IT, I FOUND IT!!!" Yep, she found the last golden egg and got a big ol basket of Easter candy. I was so happy for you Iz. You did such a great job of finding the last one, we all cheered for you. That was awesome!

After the hunt, we went inside to eat. You know, I've never left a buffet and felt really good afterwards, so it's no surprise that I had too much meat and got a really bad stomach ache. I'm 42 years old, you'd think I would have learned some self control at this point. When the meal was done, we went back home to rest for a bit before heading to Grammie & Papa's to have more food and Easter fun. We ended up staying late and having a great time.

Easter is a time of rebirth, reflection and gratitude. I am so very grateful for Mom and you guys. I am also grateful for Jesus, that he would die on the cross for my sins. I'm also grateful for our wonderful family. I feel very blessed, and I hope you guys are equally blessed in your lives and are grateful for what  you have too. I love you guys,

Daddy

Weekend Recap

Hey kids,
Daddy here. This weekend we went and saw Zootopia. It had lots of animal puns and was really good. Afterwards, mom and I went to Chico to have dinner with Sara and Dean. Mom had an awesome burger and I had a pastrami sandwich call the Pastrami Bomb. It was sooooo good. We made it back home by about 9 and hit the sack.

Sunday, we went to 9am Mass and Izzy and I read the second reading. I'm so proud of you, Izzy for being brave enough to get up there and read. It takes a lot of courage to do that. We headed home and had a lazy rainy day inside. It was totally awesome. We watched Return of the Jedi, we played a game of Monopoly and just enjoyed eachother's company. It was a great day. I love you guys,

Daddy

Weekend Recap

Hey kids,
Daddy here. Friday we celebrated 24 hours with the Lord. I wanted to be there at 3 am because I figured the priests had to be there, we we'd show our support and join them. I was very pleased that the boys decided to join me. We went to OLM and I was flabbergasted to see like 30 people there. I was very impressed! We all made our confession and went right back home to sleep. I very proud of you guys for going with me and showing the Lord some sacrifice. It meant a lot to me.

Saturday, we started cleaning the house because we are going to try to sell it again, come this spring. Nothing too exciting, but sometimes you gotta clean.

Sunday brought another great church adventure. Father George had asked Mary Jo and I if we would act out the woman at the well reading. Of course we said yes and had practiced many times. So, on Sunday we did our best. I think it went pretty well.  I'm always flattered when I'm asked to do these types of things for Church and am so glad to be able to share my gift. I hope you guys too enjoy sharing your wonderful gifts from the Lord to our parrish community.

After Mass, Grammie and Papa took us out for dinner to celebrate Mom and my birthday. We went to Puerto Vallarta and had an awesome time.

I love you guys,

Daddy

 https://youtu.be/kWVSAt7sNzQ