Answered Prayer

Haven't blogged in a couple of months, probably because it's just easier to write a note on facebook and distribute it that way. But thought I would write at least one more, because quite some time ago I blogged about my mother's situation, her failing health, and our prayers that she would be released from this body and this earth.

Well, got a call from the home about 1:45 this morning saying those prayers had finally gotten answered. She passed away in her sleep with apparently no suffering, so that, too was a direct answer to prayer, and I know she's not suffering now. As with any such news, it doesn't matter how much we prayed for this, and how ultimately it is good, when the event finally happens it is a shock and a loss, and I'm hurting a lot more than I expected.

Finally decided to try reaching my sister about an hour later. She is visiting my nephew Jeff in Seattle, and wound up leaving a voice mail. She called right back and we talked for a few minutes. Turns out she normally turns her phone off at night, but for "some reason" had left it on last night. Mom had been treated for a tooth absess (sp?) last month, but otherwise did not appear to be in immediate danger, though Karen said she showed a little less affect every time she visited. I'm feeling a little guilty in that it's been quite a while since I made the trip to see Mom, with travel this summer. We were planning to go sometime this month, but God had other ideas. We probably won't have a service, but will try to get all the grandkids together and have her and Dad's ashes sprinkled somewhere in the mountains.

Left a message for Tim and he called about 5:30. Again, we hadn't seen much of her in the last few years, but it was not an easy conversation for either of us. Still waiting for a call from Jen, and I still think of the essay she wrote in high school about my getting her out of class in 1988 to tell her Dad had died. By the way, Dad would have been 103 two days before Mom died. Wonder if she was aware of that.

So, I'm a 61-year-old orphan. I got to keep my parents a lot longer than many of my childhood friends, and I am happy for that. I'm happy for Mom, too, that she is rid of this body she had come to despise.

I was planning to make a post on Dad's birthday, and wound up forgetting to do that. I was going to send a letter with Mom's share of costs payment this month, and didn't do that, either. Bad son. I want to say one more time that I love (present tense) my Mom and Dad, am thankful that God gave me to them, and that they both lived long enough to enjoy their grandchildren. Jolie and Jeslyn never met Dad, and probably won't remember much of "Grandma GG". But she lived long enough to have moments of joy with them, and I'll always remember 2-year-old Jeslyn helping to feed Mom her eggs when we visited her at the center.

Though I didn't spend much time with her the last couple of years, I'm thankful my sister found Sierra View home in Reedley. If a loved one has to be put into assisted living, I can think of no place better than this one. They all obviously loved my Mom, even when most of her time was spent being cranky! The nurse that called this morning was personally upset, and she said she had been working there when Mom was admitted many years ago.

Jen just called and I broke the news to her, so the hardest part is over. She could tell I was having a hard time, but her "I love you, Daddy," was just what I needed to get through that phone call.

So, a new life for Mom, and a release for me that hasn't quite come yet, but I know that it will. Now with what time I have left I want to continue to be the man that they taught me to be. They loved me, they loved Jan, they loved my kids, and the best part is that I will see them again.

As An Athlete, Getting Old

I suppose if it were possible to determine such a number, I would be in the upper 25% of men my age as it relates to physical fitness and health. I can still bowl in the 190s rather consistently, can shoot low 90s and occasionally high 80s in golf. My life has pretty much centered around athletics, specifically baseball and basketball, since I was 9 years old. However, at age 61 I am no longer able to do the things I used to do, partly because of deteriorating skills and partly because of limited opportunities. And I find I'm not going gently into that part of my life.

Part of my current problem is due to the fact that I was a pretty good athlete at one time. Baseball paid for a large part of my education, and I enjoyed quite a bit of success. I was able to play competitive fast pitch softball into my 40s, and had a string of about 4 years where I never took a swing and missed the pitch entirely. Haven't swung at a pitch competitively in almost 20 years, but I doubt I could continue that streak at that point. James Michener, in his work "Sports in America," written in the late 70s, devotes a chapter to the athlete past his prime. Some psychologists have noted a trend that boys who are successful athletes in their early years tend to never grow past adolescence--at least socially. There is a great movie with that theme, "Everybody's All American," starring Dennis Quaid, where he is a football player, Heisman trophy winner, who plays well past his prime because he still revels in the glory years. He and his best friend, played by John Goodman, get together at bars and still talk about their Glory Days. I have friends who still talk about specific high school contests whenever we meet for reunions. I'm kind of dealing with that now, because those outlets are no longer available to me. When it comes to physical activity, the greatest joy in my life is still throwing a baseball. The ending scene of Field of Dreams still gets to me, when Kevin Costner gets to play catch with his Dad. I used to be a pretty good outside shooter with a basketball, yet now if I make 2 out of 10 it's a good day. For a long time I was about to vicariously experience the thrill of athletic competition through coaching, and I enjoyed more than my share of success at that. But that fire eventually went out, and I am faced with replacing those joys for the rest of my life.
Which brings us to the main outlet available to me these days--running/walking. Even when I was a good athlete, I hated those things!! Now I try to get out and walk/jog nearly every day, because my sedentary life has also added to my waistline. I played at under 140 pounds in college, and these days I fight to stay under 190. And in addition to not enjoying running, I don't have the gifts for it. I have friends in church who ran their first 5k today, and finished together as a family in 34 minutes. When I was running regularly about 10 years ago, I don't think I could have broken 30 minutes. And, because I'm so competitive, if I can't be good at something, I don't want to do it--that's the adolescent in me, I think. I truly enjoyed competing at a high level, but I also enjoyed talking about it. And I know it's healthy for me to exercise, but that's not why I do it. I do it in hopes of hearing someone say, "Man, you looking goooooooooood!"
I know there is a "runner's high" that serious runners achieve and can't do without. I don't ever expect to experience that high!! But I probably know what it feels like--kind of like when I hit a 2-run single for a walkoff win against LaVerne in college. Or being the only pitcher in the nation to shut out Grand Canyon College in 1970. Or my girls basketball team overcoming a 10-point deficit in the 4th quarter against Ventura to reach the CIF finals in 1992. See, there's that adolescent glory thing again--the one redeeming factor in this is that if you are among my new friends at FCC that's probably the first you've ever heard of those achievements.
So I'm not so much worried about living in the past as much as I am worried about how to continue to try to fill that void in the future. Coaching high school kids isn't much fun any more--they either don't care enough or they think they know more than I do. I don't think I have the patience to coach the little ones. I don't have high school baseball teams knocking down my door to pitch batting practice to them--and I'd probably have to do it from 40 feet instead of 60.
I don't do tennis, weights, ski on any surface. I suppose it would be easier if I found someone else in the same situation and we could be miserable together!!

A Night at the Ballet--again

Went to the girls annual year-end ballet recital last Saturday and Sunday, so I thought I would share my annual thoughts with you. As the girls get older, they get a little more involved, which makes it easier for this dance-challenged grampa to get through the evening. This year Jeslyn had 3 different dances, tho 2 of them were on Saturday afternoon before the performance I attended. Jolie actually had one of the leading parts. The theme for the evening was “Night at the Museum,” and she was one of the 3 who simulated dancing through the various exhibits at the museum as a bridge between dance numbers.

The Saturday performances were primarily group numbers, and it started with one called Modern Girls. I found nothing to ridicule in this number.

Next was little ones called “Little Romans.” The little ones have a demonstrator and they are to mimic the demonstrator, which helps them remember their routines. This number could probably have been renamed “Little Romans Around the Rosey.”

Then there was “Walk Like an Egyptian,” which made me realize how much I had underestimated the dance skills of Steve Martin, though Jolie and friends did the head-bob very well when they were done.

Then there was “Women of Sparta,” and things began to spice up a little. I kind of expected them to ask for John the Baptist’s head on a platter after their number.

That whole set, by the way, was grouped under the heading “Museum of Ancient Times.” The next set was grouped as “Museum of Natural History.”

The first number was “Jungle Animals” which consisted of about a dozen girls in leopard costumes dancing to Guns 'n' Roses', “Welcome to the Jungle.” The music was great.

Next came Jeslyn’s number. She was dressed as a mermaid for the number “Under the Sea.” I’ve always enjoyed fish doing the bunny hop. There was also a time where Jeslyn was channeling her Uncle Tim, as some of the girls in her group were a little lazy on their spacing. Jeslyn thought that to be egregious enough to stop point out to each girl where they should be dancing, while continuing to dance herself. I must say she pulled it off quite well while managing to ensure that everyone in the audience knew who was really in charge. (We have movies of Tim in church plays mouthing everyone’s lines in addition to his own).

Next was a song called “3 little fishes”—although all 9 of them looked little. They had fish hats and tried to make fish lips. This was also one with a demonstrator, and had the added feature of one little fish who considered herself an echo—her movements were about two measures behind everyone else, as if to say, “if you missed it the first time…”

Then came Jolie’s dance, and again grampa was not quite ready for this. The number was DINO, and my 10-year-old princess came out in a very grownup outfit and performed a very grownup routine that would have made many high school cheer/dance advisors proud. She was on-beat, shaking things I wasn’t ready for her to shake, and loving every minute of it.

There was then 5 toddlers with their parents, “performing” a number called “We are the dinosaurs.” Very cute. Our friend Chelsea did much the same with her daughter Evie last year.

Then the advanced dancers did a number called “Museum Painting” and while dance lovers I’m sure were thrilled, it was formal enough to help me remember why these programs are not at the top of my excitement list.

The “Museum of Modern Music” section included 3 dances that I liked very much. The music was The King’s “Jailhouse Rock,” Billy Joel’s “Still Rock and Roll,” and something called “Smooth Criminal’” which, if it wasn’t Michael Jackson, it should have been. There are only about 3 boys in the program, and two of them were in the Elvis number. I hope if they ever are incarcerated, they wear different uniforms. I just think the ones covered with glitter are going to get them all kinds of unwelcome attention. It was during this segment that I began to notice something I hadn’t paid attention enough to notice before. While everyone in the program could be correctly called a dancer, there are a few that are elevated enough to be called “performers”. It’s not enough for them to remember the dance moves, they are able to express the joy they feel in being in front of the crowd. There was one girl in the MJ number that I fully expected to break out her moonwalk before the number was over.

There was then a number called “Unstoppable,” where we went back to Tutus, and was rather formal, though the choreography reminded me of a Jets-Sharks dance from West Side Story.

Then there was a dance to something that has a formal name I’m sure, but someone of my age and musical taste thinks of it only as Allen Sherman’s, “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.” They never got to the “take me home” part, though.

There was a finishing segment that was more formal again, the motif being Monet paintings. Again, I was able to distinguish dancers from performers.

The last demonstrator number was called “flowers” about 10 little girls, one of whom did absolutely nothing. She played with her fingers, she played with her dress. When it was time to go, she was still on stage right when everyone was exiting stage left. Finally the demonstrator came to get her, led her over to the dad who was playing Monet, and the little one performed the most perfect curtsy one could imagine. So, rather than being a misfit, she was obviously a specialist!!

Then one of the dance academy graduates performed the only solo of the night, called “Dying Swan,” which of course we all know was originally created in 1905 by Michel Fokine for Anna Pavlova. Again, with my expertise, the number could have been called, “Stand on your tiptoes for 3 minutes.”

So, at the risk of losing my man card, I can say I kind of enjoyed this year’s recital, and not just when my grandgirls were dancing. I have a greater level of appreciation and expertise than when they first began dancing (a lesser level would have been impossible!!) So, I think I could now make an informed vote on who should win Dancing With The Stars. If I watched it. Like that’s going to happen.

Best Father's Day Ever

There are so many ways to end the sentence, "When I get to Heaven...." Well, I've added another: When I get to Heaven, if watching videos of my life is an option, today will be one I watch over and over.

My children both still like to spend time with me, so we were planning on lunch today. As usual, the "where" was a big discussion, and we finally settled on Joe's Crab Shack in Newport. I didn't have much input in that, and that's OK, because I knew I would be with the whole family. We might not have as many "family traditions" as some families, but whenever possible we get together to eat and celebrate the milestone days. One Father's Day tradition that we had for a few years was that Jen would take, first Jolie and then both girls, to have pictures taken, and then she would use one of the prints to get me a Father's Day tie tesselated with the picture of the girls. I think I have six or seven of those. I was disappointed when that little tradition stopped, partly because annual sittings for the girls stopped happening, plus I think the place that did them went out of business. But I was looking forward to the lunch and observing my children interact with each other and my grandchildren.

The day started, as many do, with a facebook posting, and mine for the day was "blessed to have two children who celebrate their Dad pretty much all year long." Got a couple of affirming comments from a couple of my "other" girls who are a big part of my life, tho far away geographically. (North Carolina and Bakersfield).

Sunday School has become a real highlight and we had an enjoyable time affirming each other and discussing Bob's 60-mile walk yesterday (see the link on my FB page if you haven't already done so).

Met the kids for lunch, had an enjoyable time watching them and watching the wide variety of boats enjoying Newport (or Balboa) Bay while we were eating. When we were done, Jen set a gift bag in front of me, and I could see a couple of cards. This has also become a tradition, one card from Jen and Jeff and one from the girls.

I opened the one addressed to "Grandpa Rick" first-- they were going to see Grandpa Chuck and Grandpa Woody later. Here's what the card said: "Grandpa, if the wishing star offered to give us either a million dollars or the greatest grandpa in the world, we'd take the million dollars...pause...'cause we've already got the greatest grandpa in the world." Jeslyn added, "I love you grandpa Rick. You are the best grandpa ever." So what if it was redundant, one can't hear that too much! Jolie, now 10, wrote, "I love ya, gramps. You're awesome. Happy Father's Day. Jolie". Now that was cool on so many levels. I don't think she's ever called me gramps, or spelled "you" as "ya". Just reminding me we're both getting older. Note also that she said "you're" instead of "your". This puts her ahead of about 75% of high school America in proper grammar usage. Then of course there is also the recognition that her grampa is awesome.

Then came the one addressed to Dad. "Dad, every year you say something like, 'Oh, I don't want anything for Father's Day,' or "don't go spending any money on me.' Well, I just have one thing to say.....no problem. (by the way, could you reimburse me for this card? Also, the card shop was next to a shoe store, so I'll need a little extra.) Happy Father's Day from your daughter." Then Jen added, "A little funny this year, but the real message is you're always there for us and we love you, Jeff and Jen." Note first of all, again the correct use of the words "your" and "you're". I learned her good!! She managed to say with humor the message she sends me often--she can count on me. For this Dad, nothing greater in the world can be said to me.

I then noticed there was something still in the bag---and teared up when I saw a tie with the current edition of Jolie and Jeslyn's faces on it. No matter that I very rarely have occasion to wear a tie any more. No matter that I see the girls almost every day. What matters is that this was my daughter acknowledging that special bond that she and I share, and that making her daddy happy is still important to her after all these years. And this she has done. Again. We have to attend at least one formal dinner on our cruise in August, and part of my wardrobe for the evening has been established.

I've left out Tim and Anne so far, but they are a big part of my life and were a big part of my day. Again, it doesn't matter that I only saw them yesterday--I went out there for lunch and to patch some drywall for them. But they wanted to be there for the traditional lunch today, and I looked forward to their being there. So much of Tim's life is his love for movies, and we have shared many a special occasion together in the theatre. So off the 4 of us went to see Toy Story 3--Jen and the girls had seen it Friday. What a wonderful "dessert" for the feast day that was Father's Day for me. Jen called it a perfect movie on Friday, and I couldn't agree more. It really isn't a children's movie in the sense that children can't see beyond the plot to the core values that are preached in the movie--loyalty, family, friendship, and so many others. So, as my daughter's tie gift brought me to tears, so did this movie that I attended with my son and surrogate daughter. One of the added traditions and joys we have is the ritual of "debriefing" after watching a movie together. This time, there were not many critical comments from any of us (unlike the last Indiana Jones!) and I was left to marvel at the depth of my son's knowledge of roles, characters, background, etc, that is the result of his lifelong love for the movies.

So today was another, "Why me, Lord?" day. Why am I blessed with such great friends, a great wife, great kids and grandkids, and life experiences? Don't have an answer, but it's a great ride.

Command performance at Moiola

After deciding not to sub in middle school today, I set out to be a dad for my kids. First, I took Tim's car in to my local shop, trying to figure out why it won't pass the smog test.

Then Jen called about 9:15 and asked if I could run down and pick up their video camera so she could tape Jeslyn's performance at the Moiola variety show today.

Since I am such a lover of the arts, I decided to allow you to vicariously enjoy the variety show through my eyes.

The first performance was a jump-rope duet. Now you don't see those every day. These two girls jumped to the tunes of the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." I don't think Bruno would have many good things to say about it. Don't understand why he wasn't there since DWTS ended last night (don't get me started on that). Unless it was their plan to hit their foot on every third jump, they could have used a bit more practice. The positives were that they correctly spelled YMCA correctly both times, and they didn't break their jumpropes.

Next was a young man, aided by his father, who demonstrated what he had learned in his self-defense. Unlike dance, voice and jumprope I know little about self-defense, so I wouldn't presume to critique his performance, except to say his dad's in a lot of trouble when the kid gets bigger.

Next was a little girl who sang. I forget the name of the song. For awhile, I was afraid she did, too. I'm going to give her Chelsea's (voice teacher friend of mine) number.

Then a sister duet of "Mammie's little baby loves shortnin bread." They were pretty good, as were their costumes. The little sister did an excellent job in her role of mammie's little baby.

Then came a couple of girls in cheerleader uniforms. They had a "W" on the chest, so either they weren't Moiola outfits or they put them on upside down. They did a routine to the "Macarena". (Where was SB 1070 when the Macarena came across the border?) The nice thing about the Macarena is that we could have guessed the song even if the CD player stopped working.

Then came a pair of sisters who were apparently the stars of the last 2 shows. They did a dance/hula hoop routine, and would have been the stars of this year's show except for the performer that followed them.

The little first grader did a solo dance routine the "My Friend the Witch Doctor." The choreography was impeccable, her energy level was so contagious that the audience got caught up and began to clap in time with the music. I won't bore you with the technical names of all her dance steps. Let's just say her walla walla was full of bing bang. Standing ovation at the end (OK I made that part up). Did I mention this performer was my granddaughter Jeslyn?

After that I, and much of the audience, lost interest. There were still a few acts to go, but like a good Angel fan I left with the program about 70% completed. I vaguely remember a 5 year old boy doing karate and another playing the piano, but they were so depressed at having to follow Jeslyn that you could tell their little hearts were not in their performance.

Back to other child, Tim's car still wasn't fixed, still didn't pass smog so I took it to a GM dealer in town. This was 2.8 miles from home, so I disdained their shuttle and walked home to help prepare me to watch my friend Bob walk 60 miles on his 60th birthday, and many of my friends run the July 4th 5k in Huntington Beach.

All in all, a good Daddy Day.

A Day at the North Shore

Today worked best for our jaunt to the North Shore, and for once all of the things we wanted to do we got to do.

Started with a stop at the Dole Plantation. Not a big whoopee for me, but Jan and Karen (my sister) have a great time there. Jan loves the two quilt booths, and bought a pillow slip for our living room--turtles, I think.

We then went into Haliewa and introduced them to Giovanni's Shrimp Shack. For those of you not familiar, it is a side-of-the-street stepvan, that sells shrimp in 3 styles--lemon butter, hot and spicy, and scampi. This is one of two locations, and it has become quite popular without any advertising that I know of. When Jeff is with us, I eat a few of the hot ones, but they are VERY hot and so I got the scampi, which is full of garlic and makes everyone in the car uncomfortable but me. Don't think it was my sister's kind of place--sitting at picnic tables with "icky" spots on them, peeling the shrimp with many napkins at the ready, pepsi out of a can, etc. There are now about 4 other vendors at the same location, most of whom have plenty of time to watch the people eat at Gio's.

We went then to our favorite place to shop, which includes my favorite mexican place in the islands, Cholo's. We actually saw an advertisement for them on TV this year. Might actually miss eating there this year, unless we make another trip north before we leave Sunday. I went instead to the Aloha General Store, which is my spot for shave ice. This year I opted for blue raspberry with blue vanilla, and it was a good choice. Jan also found the wind chimes she was looking for in this store, wooden ones cut and painted with a "turtle" motif. Jay bought Karen some jewelry at the Black Pearl store, which apparently uses up her gift allotment for the rest of the year.

Drove up and stopped at what I think is Sunset Beach, where we hope each year to find sea turtles sunning themselves. We hit the jackpot this year, with one already on the beach and 3 more that crawled up while we were there. There are always a couple of volunteers to spread a rope cordon around the turtles to keep humans away. This rest is very important for the life expectancy of the turtles, so the volunteers make sure they are not disturbed.

Stopped at Dole again on the way home so that Jay could buy some chocolate-coconut-covered macadamia nuts, which he very unselfishly shared with me.

The only downside was my stop at a little golf shop just across from Schofield barracks. With the airlines charging $100 per flight to ship golf clubs, I've decided to buy a simple set and just find a place to leave them in Hawaii since we try to play every year, and would play more were it not for the shipping and/or rental fees. Well, this guy had a used set of irons that were off brand and wanted $700 for them, which is twice what I paid for my Callaway Big Bertha's at Roger Dunn. So I guess I'll find a cheap set on the mainland, pay to have them shipped once and then have a set over here all the time.

Came home and made leftover tacos with some of my favorite salsa--mine! Lakers beat the Suns, so all was well. Then the Dodgers had to go and lose to San Diego, the first time they've lost since we've been here, which means Dodger fans will probably not pay now to keep me here. Bummer.

Confessions of a Spoiled Man

The last few days have served, among other things, how spoiled I have become, and how much I take for granted. The above picture is the front of our first stopping place in Hawaii, the Waiohai Beach Club by Marriott in Poipu. Our beach is below. It is our second time there, and it was much better this time, mainly because our view included a part of the beach instead of the corner of a building.

It's kind of blurry (as are others) because I didn't enlarge them BEFORE downloading, and am too lazy to find them again, but you get the idea.

Marriott is in the process of opening their latest Hawaii project, called Kauai Lagoons, and we agreed to attend a preview, mainly for the $100 in gift certificates, and to see what was in store for us when we tried to trade into it.


Here is the outside of the building, and as we were driving up, it was nice, but we've come to expect that from Marriott. Then, we walked into the unit and were greeted by the view below. The pictures don't really do it justice, and if you go to vacationclub.com and do a resort search for Kauai Lagoons, you will get better pictures.

This is the view from the living room. What you can't see from this picture is that the sliding doors are accordion-like, so basically the ocean front becomes part of your living room. It is 61 feet above the harbor, overlooks the golf course. We were both pretty much overwhelmed and had decided that if the price was right, we were going to go for it. Well, the incentives were unbelievable--I'd list them, but Jan wants to tell the kids in person when we get home, so let's just say it was a relatively easy decision to make. We both decided that if it came down to being able to keep only one timeshare, this would be the one.

That's where the spoiled part comes in--unlike our first timeshare purchases, we are going to have to finance this one. So, for the first time in 5 years, we have a payment other than our mortgage. It means I'll probably have to sub a few more days than I had originally planned, and we probably won't have the mortgage paid off as soon as we would like, so I had a bit of buyer's remorse the next morning. We've come up with a way to make it more palatable, but it's still an area of our finances we haven't had to deal with in awhile. But, spoiled that we are, we wanted it and went for it.
So then we came over to Ko Olina, where we have owned for about 5 years, and then next part of our spoiled lives was brought into focus. We were excited because they have opened a new building, closer to the water, and we had requested the new building. Well, apparently our wording wasn't complete enough, and we were put into a building we don't really like. Poor us.

Have to put up with sunsets like this, though we have to walk all the way out to the water to get a shot like this this time of the year. Poor us.


The view from our room is sort of like this, only better. The lanai is in the shade for most of the day, so Jan can park her fair-skinned self out there without fear of sun poisoning. But, still, it's not the building we wanted so we are still kind of snippy--especially since we had to call housekeeping to finish cleaning our unit, and I'm sure that never happens in the NEW building.




What else do we have lined up for the week, to keep our minds off of how miserably we've been treated? Well, Thursday morning one of my former runners who lives here is coming over, and we will have a blessed time discussing the last 25 years of our lives. One evening a fraternity brother who lives here is taking us out to dinner.

Sometime this week we will visit Giovanni's shrimp shack. Which is what we lovingly call a "roach coach" permanently parked on the North Shore. They cook 3 awesome flavors of shrimp, and it's become a staple for our visits.



This is our favorite mexican restaurant on the island, again on the north shore in Haleiwa, and I can't wait to go there.

My friend Don told us of this place, and we ate there last year and plan to go again if we have time this year.

A little past Haleiwa Joe's is Sunset Beach, where we can usually find at least one turtle sunning himself on the beach, surrounded by his protective lifeguards.

So, how can someone have all of these experiences crammed into a 2-week stay, and still whine about the "injustice" of his non-preferred room location? It's simple--I'm spoiled. My facebook pages are full of status reports of people that are still grinding away at their jobs, I'm in paradise, and complaining.

Jan had the perfect remedy for our malaise--she called Jennifer. She talked to her for awhile and handed me the phone. We had a 5 minute conversation, which helped remind me she still needs her Daddy from time to time, and I felt better. For the rest of the day, I

1) made salsa 2) watched the Lakers, 3) followed the Dodgers on the internet 4) made tacos.

I'm fine now.

Gloatin-free vacation.

My wife says I'm mean when I adopt my "I'm in Hawaii and you're not," attitude so I will try to be nicer. We've always looked forward to the days of retirement when we could travel in "off-peak times" and so far, so good. There was the 27-day road trip to Canada in October, and yesterday we flew to Hawaii for the second test of that philosophy. Thanks to Jeff for getting up before dawn to drive us to the airport.

Off-season benefit number one was taking only 18 minutes from car to gate. We had gotten our boarding passes online, but still had to check bags and go through security.

Delta flights are now like Jet Blue in that each seat has an individual monitor. The down side is that since we were flying over water, no satellite TV was available. The good thing is that, because of that, all of the on-demand movies were free. I started off with "Invictus", which turned out to be one of the best movies I"ve ever seen. Of course I'm a sucker for sports movies, but this was more about the rebuilding of a nation than it was about rugby--and I know about as much about rugby as the people I often sit next to at Angels games know about baseball. I was near tears for most of the movie, mainly because, like most good sports stories, I knew this had really happened. It was a storyline that probably would have been panned as being unrealistic if it hadn't been a true story (see "Victory," a late 70s Stallone movie which pits war prisoners against the German national soccer team!!) I came away thinking that it's too bad Nelson Mandela was not available to become an advisor to President Obama.

I then watched "What About the Morgans?" Not quite in the same class, but I felt I needed an escapist chick-flick after the heaviness of "Invictus". "Morgans" indeed delivered that. Since I didn't have enough time for another movie, I watched much of Robin Williams "Weapons of Self-Destruction" and laughed for the rest of the trip (this show not recommended for conservatives).

Landed in Honolulu, had about a 3-hour layover before our flight to Kauai. Since there were 2 Kauai flights before us, our luggage was waiting for us when we got off the plane. Benefit #2--no one in front of me at the Hertz counter, and I was back to pick up the girls and the luggage in about 10 minutes.

Arrived at the Marriott Waiohai in Poipu right at the 4 pm check-in time. This is our second stay here, and since we traded in and are not owners, we were kind of apprehensive about our lodging location. Last time, we were in the main building, far from the water, with a view of the corner of our building. I called last week, explained that while we weren't Waiohai owners, we DID own 2 Marriott properties, and would appreciate the best view that was available. Well, we have a partial ocean view, facing the southeast away from the courtyard noise and can see the public Poipu beach from the balcony. Made a point of going back to the check-in desk to let her know how pleased we were.

Since we hadn't yet been to the grocery store, we headed to the local hangouts for dinner. Our original plan was to go to Poipu Tropical burgers because we knew it was good, but we also knew there was a Roy's in the same center. We decided to see how crowded they were: Benefit number 3, they had an immediate table. Since (a) it was Mother's Day and (b) I hadn't gotten Jan a card and (c) it's her favorite place to eat in all the world, Jay (my brother-in-law) and I decided that Roy's would be a great idea.

Got up just before 6 Hawaiian time--a lot later than I expected to sleep given the time change. Went out on the balcony to watch the sunrise and listen to the roosters. Took a walk on the beach--tide was out so there was a dry-land path to the rocks and tidepools and I visited them.
Came back towards the room and spent about 10 minutes in the hammock stretched between two palm trees right below our room. Getting ready to go get groceries, go to the Farmer's Market, and other than that relax and enjoy. Karen and Jay have been to Kauai before, so guided tours will not be necessary.

The downside of off-peak travel? My kids and grandkids are not here since they have jobs and school. We thought of skipping Hawaii next year, but Jolie was so disappointed about not going this year we promised to book next year at a time when they could come. Jeff didn't really want to come this year (he hates flying) but as he let us off he told Jan, "Now that I'm here at the airport, I wish we were going."

So I tried to keep the bragging out as much as possible. I am amazed at the blessings of God that have allowed me to spend my "golden years" in such never-dreamed-of luxury. I DID miss my church family this weekend, and I suppose the final benefit (for now) that I can think of is that when we get back in 2 weeks it will be too early for all of them to have started their vacations and I will be able to see them all right away.

Just the Other Night.......

I have reconnected with many of the kids I taught and many of the people who grew up with me, through Facebook, and it seems to be one reward after another. But there are a few people who were very pivotal for me that I'm still hoping will wind up on my facebook list. One is the point guard I coached who was in Jennifer's class and I know is in Long Beach somewhere but as far as I know is not on facebook.. Well, last night through a friend referral, I reconnected with the girl who was probably responsible for 90% of the drama in my life between the ages of 17-20. I was convinced that I had found the girl with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life. Problem was, most of our interaction involved working out her problems with her boyfriend at the time, a boy that always seemed to be among my best friends. We wrote often during that time, while she was still home and I was in Pasadena, and one of our conventions was to insert the name of the song title that was playing while we were composing the letter. (Example: "So I had ("Monday, Monday") breakfast this morning."). I held onto those letters for a long time after we were married, not to Jan's detriment, but to preserve a historical record of some of the major events of my young life.
Then I met Jan, we got engaged and married, and this young lady wound up getting married a short time before we did. After that we pretty much lost touch, except for a couple of run-ins at hometown (Central California) events. Once cliche says you never forget your first love, and every time I went to the town where I grew up, there was usually an event or location that took me back to those bittersweet years. When Garth Brooks finally got around to singing, "Unanswered Prayers," I realize that song pretty much summed up my feelings.
There is a certain amount of irony in that we are going through a series at church entitled, "I have a Friend Who...." and the 5th in that series will be one about not believing in answered prayer. We probably all know people who are bitter towards God because their prayers have gone unanswered, or at least not answered to their specifications. The Garth song reminds us that the unanswered ones can be one of His greatest gifts. A union of this young lady and me would have probably been an unmitigated disaster. "I look at my wife, and then and there I thank the good Lord for the gifts in my life."
So, even though I really don't have the desire to know what my life would have been like if this girl had felt the way I did, she was a big enough part of my life for me to want to know, "how she turned out." Well, now I know, and the answer appears to be, "very well, thank you."
She and her husband are still married, which means they are also approaching their 40th anniversary this year, they have a 2-year-old grandson who, strangely enough, appears to be the light of their life.
In all my wildest dreams, I never thought our lives would get reconnected to the point where we would be sharing stories and pictures of our grandkids. Thanks, again, facebook--and to her classmate Gayle who let me know as soon as she was on facebook.
They say that if you truly love someone, then their happiness is every bit as important as your own. Well, I'm ecstatic that her life has turned out so well. And I'm sure she feels the same way about mine.
(For you who know your 60s music, she was the girl "with sunlight in her hair.")

They Can't Take That Away

We had one of those times tonight when both girls had an event and there was no way we could attend both. Jolie was singing in a district 4th grade performance at her school, and Jeslyn had her first night as a member of the competition gymnastics program at SCATS. Originally I was going to take Jeslyn to gymnastics and Jan , Jen and Jeff were going to watch Jolie sing, but Jan decided to switch because the performance was outside and it was very windy. Jolie told me it was each 4th grade doing their own songs, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to that. She was wrong, as it was about 300 4th graders from all over the Fountain Valley school district who had all learned the same songs. Jolie's school was the host and so they were the last in, and she was right up in front by the microphone where I had a perfect view of her. They started with a rendition of the original "We Are the World" and it touched me deeply, given the lines of the chorus and the multi-ethnic nature of the group. In fact, that song was originally going to be the focus of my comments, that is, until near the end of the program.

They sang "America the Beautiful" and some folk songs, and then there was an announcement that there would be two more songs.

I didn't recognize the next song from the introduction, and took a deep breath when they started, "if tomorrow all the things were gone.....", and just at that moment Jennifer touched me on the shoulder, because she knew how much the song meant to me. My thoughts raced back to the days of September 11, 2001, and the awful events of that day. The following Sunday I was part of a duet that got up in church and sang, "God Bless the USA" and it was one of the most memorable moments of my life. Watching my 10-year old granddaughter sing the song with her classmates was every bit as memorable, if not more, for so many reasons. Just the fact it was public school kids singing "God Bless the USA" was meaningful enough. Also, it was probably my imagination, but it seemed to me that, while Jolie knew all the words and sang fervently on all the songs, she really poured her heart into this one. I don't know if she had been told how much the song meant to Grampa, but it seemed as if she had. I was thankful that I am still close enough to my daughter that she knew and cared how much the song would touch me. I told her that if she made a CD of the event, I would like a copy. And I know if she does, I will get one (putting friends and family on notice, you may be subjected into a viewing of said video).

A couple of months ago, I gave up political comments for lent, and my blood pressure was so grateful that I have continued that practice. But I have no reservations in saying,

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.

And I'll gladly stand up next to you, and defend her still today.

Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land...God Bless the USA.

With thanks to Glenn, Don, Joe and Timothy

Haven't blogged in almost 3 months. The creative juices seem to have beem muted by a variety of things, most notably tax season. Now, 200 tax returns later, it's time to see if I can still do this.

First of all, tax season was amazing. I knew I would enjoy the added income, but I had no idea I would enjoy the interaction with my new clients to the degree that I did. I think I'm going to write a series of blogs on individual clients and the remarkable stories they have.

Since Christmas, we've known how we were going to celebrate the end of tax season. Our kids got us tickets to see the Eagles at Hollywood Bowl, and that was the light at the end of our tax tunnel. We were originally going to the Friday night concert and Jeff and Jen on Saturday, but switched with the when Jeff wound up playing the guitar at church for the weekend. So, Saturday night it was. As it turns out, traffic caused the kids to miss the first half hour of the concert Friday, including "Hotel California", so we vowed to not let that happen to us. We also didn't want to drive back after the concert, so we used points to book a room at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, which overlooks Hollywood Boulevard and is about a half mile from the bowl. That also solved our parking problem, since there is a shuttle to the bowl that departs from the back side of the hotel.

We left about noon on Saturday, and had lunch at the Northwoods Inn. This was a nostalgic trip for us--when we lived in Pasadena, the NI in San Gabriel was our special date place, and the one in La Mirada helped us bring back some memories. Got to the hotel about an hour earlier than check in, but since we are such "high rollers" with Marriott, we were checked in. Our room looked down at the Kodak (Academy Awards) Theater and we could also see Disneys El Capitan Theatre with many limos parked in front for the premiere of "Oceans".

Boarded the shuttle around 6, got there and seated about an hour early for the concert. Jan read her paperback while I people-watched, but never spied anybody famous!

Starting with their a capella "There are Stars in the Southern Sky", the Eagles then treated me to 3 1/2 of the greatest hours of my life. They sang many songs from their new "Long Road out of Eden" CD, and nearly all of their old ones. It appeared my favorites were also the most popular with the crowd as a whole. I think one of the most special things was that they didn't try to trick up their classics with new arrangements. (I found myself thinking of Rick Nelson's "Garden Party", when he talks about how unpopular his Madison Square Garden concert was because he didn't play any of his old stuff, and concluded that "if you can't please everyone then you got to please yourself). All of the songs sounded just as they did when originally recorded--only better. "Hotel California" started with a haunting trumpet solo intro, but it was faithful enough to the original so that all in the crowd knew what was coming. "Lyin' Eyes", my second favorite, was apparently written in two days as they watched some of the patrons of the club they were playing in 1975. Which points out another thing I liked--they basically played and sang, without the need to introduce the details behind the writing of each song.
Despite Glenn Frey's jokingly welcoming us to the Eagles "Assisted Living Tour" it was obvious that all were still at the top of their game, both vocally and musically. We heard Joe Walsh's hits also, and he was very much a crowd favorite. There was video backup for many of the songs, and they had for the most part been put together with some thought, tho there were a couple that appeared to have video for video's sake alone. The best videos were probably the ones for "Boys of Summer," and "Dirty Laundry".
All in all, it was as close to a perfect night as it could be. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a little more space to sit than the sardine-like confines of the Bowl's bleachers. The only thing I could think of that they didn't sing were the Glenn Frey songs from his Miami Vice period ("You Belong to the City", etc) and they didn't sing "Get Over It" from Hell Freezes Over. They finished around 10:30, came back for the obligatory encore and played right up until the 11 oclock curfew. They had saved "Take It Easy," for that, along with another Joe Walsh guitar extravaganza. Finally, the guy next to Jan said, "I can't think of anything they haven't sung." I said, "the concert's never over until the 'fat lady' sings "Desperado"." Sure enough, Don Henley closed the night with that traditional classic ending.
I sometimes forget this fact, but remember it every time I make it to a concert by the great ones: The staying power of a great musical group is not based on what they do in the studio, but the way they are able to entertain in a live performance. The Eagles 35-year run underscores that truth.
It was nice to be able to just go to the hotel on the shuttle and not drive the 1 hour home that night. We checked out about 9 this morning, in time to make it home to the 1030 service at the best church in Orange County. That's also a pretty good "live" experience.

These pictures didn't turn out the way I had hoped, so blame the existing gaps in my computer literacy. I decided to talk a little about the "new" Anne Rice, for those of you who haven't followed her recent life.

A couple of years ago, I came across the book, "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt", by Ms. Rice. My original thought was, "Oh, great, now Jesus was a vampire grappling with his sexual identity." For some reason, I read the author's notes before I bought the book. She described herself as a lapsed Catholic, who always knew she would write a book about Jesus. Her original intent was to investigate and write a book to justify her lost faith. She discovered that much of the so-called "higher criticism" was as biased as any research she had ever seen. She continued her research and finally wrote this statement: "I finally concluded that Jesus was who He said He was." Consequently, she returned to the church, persuaded her atheist husband to renew their vows in the church, and began her new journey.

I'm sure she was a great writer before, but her subject matter didn't really interest me. Not so any more. The first book, "Out of Egypt," is told through the eyes of the 12-year-old Jesus. Much is what Protestants would consider apochryphal (in the first chapter, he kills one of his playmates and brings him back to life!), but it's a great portrayal of the One who was wholly man and wholly God. He's struggling with identity as any 12-year-old would, and I just was constantly blessed by the book.

The second, "Road to Cana" was an account of his life leading up the the wedding in Cana where he performed his first recorded miracle, the changing of water to wine. One story line is again one that some will have trouble with, for a young lady in Nazareth was in love with him and he with her. He had to ultimately leave her to fulfill his calling, but this story line kind of validates the scripture that states, "He was tempted in EVERY way...." How can he relate to the temptations that are common to all if he didn't experience them in his human body?

She has apparently written an autobiography of her spiritual re-awakening (the title escapes me at this point), but her 3rd work of fiction is one I am reading now, and even though I'm only a few chapters in, it's already my favorite. It's called "Angel Time" and it's the story of a contemporary 28-year-old contract killer who is given the opportunity by an Angel to use his skills to rescue rather than kill. That's all I've read so far, but the insight into the thought process of God's messengers has been very enlightening. I posted this quote on my FB status, and I want to do it again here. He's invited Toby (the killer) to help him, Toby hasn't made his decision yet, and Malchiah, the angel, says, "Let me make it clear: because I choose a mortal for my purposes, that does not mean the mortal is going to agree to come with me. Finding such a one as Toby is hard enough, persuading him to come with me is even harder. You'd think it was irresistable, but it's not. People swindle themselves out of Salvation with great regularity." (italics mine). What a great picture of the doctrine of free will. God loves us all, but doesn't demand that we love him back.

I usually read when I go to a restaurant, but I've decided to leave this book at home, to read it without any distractions, less I miss some of the best it has to offer. I have fluffier books to take with me when I'm just looking to have something to do while eating.

So, if you've seen the new Anne Rice books but have had doubts about reading them, let me put them to rest. She reaffirms the cornerstones of the Christian faith: God loves you, sent His Son to die for you, and will go to any lengths to bring you home. If you decide to pick up one of the books, prepare to be blessed.