Johnson Family Twins

Diamond level of the Marathoner badge from my Audible for iPhone.

2011-09-12T11:15:00.001-07:00

I earned the Diamond level of the Marathoner badge using my Audible for iPhone. What level are you?

audible.com/wireless

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Star Wars Night at the River Cats game

2011-08-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

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First baseball game for the girls

2011-08-13T19:14:00.001-07:00

We went to a River Cats game. It's a beautiful evening.

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Check this item out from my Audible for iPhone

2011-07-27T03:06:00.001-07:00

I'm listening to Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh (Unabridged) from Audible.com on my iPhone and wanted you to check it out.

You can get the free app, too. audible.com/wireless.

Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh (Unabridged)
By Joseph Conrad
Narrated by Kenneth Branagh

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Beautiful farmstead

2011-06-26T13:10:00.001-07:00

This barn, farm, and land caught our eyes for how beautiful (and large) it all was.

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Some more roadside pictures

2011-06-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

These are from this morning. It's hard to see, but this field was planted with alternating bands of wheat and corn. It was a nice pattern.

I liked this house outside Mercersburg, PA.

This photo was taken as we left Rouzerville, PA, just north of the Maryland border.

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Just finished my shift

2011-06-26T03:06:00.001-07:00

We are on the final day now. I drove for the last part last night and the first part this morning. We are planning to rotate every two hours in order to keep us fresh. Nick wants to pound this out. His moto today is "just keep moving." This is exciting!

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Crossing the Tygart Valley River

2011-06-25T11:36:00.001-07:00

About a mile back, we crossed the Tygart. On to the last hill before Grafton, WV.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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New dresses and necklaces

2011-06-25T10:50:00.001-07:00

My mom's wonderful friend, Nami, has been so dear to our family for 30 years. She was my mom's best friend and her youngest, Scott, was my best fried when we lived in Davis. She continues to honor my mom's memory by keeping in touch with our family. For the girls' birthdays she bought them new necklaces and dresses in their favorite colors. Ella is in blue.

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Flags in West Virginia

2011-06-25T10:42:00.001-07:00

Just passing through. Trying to capture a few images.

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Help support my friend with just your comments

2011-06-24T21:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, friends, I am crewing for a friend who is cycling across America. He's racing for a good cause. He is at the last 450 miles of a 3000 mile journey. He spends 20 hours a day on his bike and only sleeps 4 hours. He rides about 250 miles every day. He hopes to be one of the only people to finish the race in his rookie year. He is going to be doing some of the hardest climbs of the entire race this weekend as he traverses the Appalachians. We need your well-wishes. He needs your support. We in the support crew are reading comments to him as he pedals. It really keeps him motivated.

Please follow @RAAMBike2Life on Twitter. I think you can search Bike To Life pages on Facebook and Like us there. Website is www.BikeToLife.com. See official race coverage at www.RAAMrace.org.

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Horseshoe Crab in Blanchester, OH

2011-06-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

An orange HC is one of the premiere tourist attractions in southern OH. It is next to a local church. Apparently the minister's son saw a vision of Jesus in one of these crabs.

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A great day of crewing the RAAM

2011-06-23T23:47:00.001-07:00

I had the great pleasure yesterday of crewing for my friend on his Race Across America. It was epic. He covered over 250 miles in 3 states and across 19.5 hours of riding.

Looking forward to a couple hours shut-eye and then attacking the course in the morning. Looking at a Sunday finish. Follow the race coverage at www.RAAMrace.org.

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Nick moves up

2011-06-23T10:05:00.001-07:00

Nick caught up to and passed rider 410, who was approximately 1 hour ahead of him this morning. We aren't allowed to drive beside riders that are passing, so I couldn't get a pic of the actual pass. This is 410 after Nick passed him.

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Hazlewood, MO

2011-06-22T16:19:00.001-07:00

If you own a jewelry store and you want it to have any semblance of class, don't open it next to a dollar store.

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Wonderful Father's Day dinner

2011-06-19T20:33:00.001-07:00

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Six Flags Magic Mountain

2011-06-17T14:29:00.001-07:00

From the drive down this morning. You can see it in the background. Barely. :)

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Stopped for breakfast

2011-06-17T08:27:00.001-07:00

Not sure what city this is. Just pulled off at a Denny's for some food. About 1:15 mins from destination. Going well so far.

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About to head over the Grapevine

2011-06-17T07:26:00.001-07:00

Stopped for a bit to decide if I w any breakfast now or later. I think later.

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Heading to Oxnard

2011-06-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

Not a lot of scenery down here. Should bs there by 9:30.

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What a wonderful birthday celebration

2011-06-11T23:23:00.001-07:00

We all had such a great time today. Everyone says, "I can't believe they are five." But I can. How wonderful it is.

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San Francisco Zoo

2011-05-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

We are on our way to the SF Zoo with the Campbell family.

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Another great day outside

2011-05-29T22:49:00.001-07:00

Boy, what an awesome weekend. Yesterday was gardening in the AM and a movie (Rio) in the PM when it was raining. Today was gardening ALL day since the weather held out. We weeded the entire garden and added new soil. Then planted seven tomato plants.

I cleaned the BBQ and we at well. Lunch was simple hot dogs. Dinner was a birthday feast of rib eyes, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms, corn, and some garlic noodles. I love it when a plan comes together. :)

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Finally caught up with me

2011-05-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

Not that I need any pity, but dang I'm sick. Started on our last full day at Disneyland as just a tickle in my throat. Due to that, I coughed at night and haven't had a good night's sleep in over a week.

Last Sunday I got some poison oak. It doesn't bother me a lot, but it's one more thing that is making it hard to sleep. Wednesday and my tickle finally started to go away, but PO was not quite at its peak.

Thursday night I started coughing, then by Friday morning I could tell something else was up with my throat. Not just a tickle. Last night and my PO was clearing up. However, coughing so bad I slept in the living room. Today has gone from bad to worse. I think the traveling and poor sleep finally caught up with me. I lost my voice about 2:30 and can barely talk now.

Sarah has really stepped up. However, she needs to be careful since she is also sick. I think I got my sore throat from her. Fortunately, she hasn't lost her voice. I think that is because I was already coughing or a week from my tickle. In any case, I hope this all clears up within a week.

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Just got some shut-eye

2011-05-08T03:26:00.001-07:00

It is now 1:46am. Nick just took 30 mins to sleep in the van. We all caught some shut-eye. And we are off again.

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Somewhere in Northern California

2011-05-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

We stopped along Hwy 128 to wait for Nick to catch up. We found a cool old barn with a sign that read "Mountain House Winery." It would be interesting to learn some of the winery's history.

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Bike swap

2011-05-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

It's 7:40 and we are still on Hwy 128. Heading to Hwy 1 about 30 miles away. Nick just swapped from his aero bike to another bike with lights. I will be driving soon as it gets dark. Nick is doing well!

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About to be the driver

2011-05-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

We are pulling off to grab dinner. I'm going to drive soon. I think we are in Cloverdale.

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Along the coast N of Bodega Bay

2011-05-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

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Connected with Nick a few mins before 1pm

2011-05-07T13:27:00.001-07:00

Now heading N again on 101. Looks like we are pulling over for photo opp to catch Nick riding around the bend. The cellular connection is not very good. Too many rolling hills. Not sure when this will post, but I'll try to keep the updates coming.

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RAAM trial race

2011-05-07T12:34:00.001-07:00

I am with The Race Crew about 20 miles N of Petaluma on Hwy 1 driving to catch up with Nick.

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Geeking out at the TWiT Cottage

2011-04-10T11:53:00.001-07:00

I'm here in Petaluma visiting a longtime personal geek hero of mine, Leo Laporte. Sarah was kind enough to let me head down here for the day. It's episode 760 of The Tech Guy show. Here with another studio guest, Peter, from San Francisco.

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What a glorious day! And productive, too.

2011-04-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I had only vague ideas about what I wanted to do today. At dinner, Sarah suggested we head over to Covey Ranch for a while and work on the place. I was a little dubious - not sure exactly what we were going to do. I also wanted to go by the Farmer's Market, mow the lawns, wash car, and a couple other things. I wasn't sure we'd fit it it all in. You know what they say about best laid plans...

Well, enter this morning. We took Emily to the doctor - she has "walking pneumonia" (sounds worse than it is) - went to Farmer's Market (bought some wonderful strawberries, lemon & rosemary bread, and some mandarin jam), went to the pharmacy for antibiotics, home to get the dogs and picnic supplies, over to Covey Ranch (spent 4 hours cleaning the carport and breezeway), back home where the girls helped me wash Mama's Pilot and my Mustang, and had a delicious dinner. We got everything accomplished that we set out to do (except mowing the lawn), plus we got laundry and dishes done.

Geez, what a wonderful day. Sarah and I worked great together, the sky was blue, the girls were in such a good mood - I really could not have asked for a better day!

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Back where I began

2011-03-05T20:36:00.001-08:00

Found my way back to Penn Station. Empire State Building still where I found it this morning.

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Auburn Boy in NYC

2011-03-05T20:03:00.001-08:00

For my wife since she works there. :) Love you, Sarah.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Rockefeller Center

2011-03-05T19:45:00.001-08:00

The view from the bottom.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Ed Sullivan Theater

2011-03-05T18:58:00.001-08:00

Had the Shaffer sandwich at Hello Deli for lunch. Talked to Rupert.

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Gotham at night

2011-03-05T17:04:00.001-08:00

Oh what a sight.

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Central Park kids playground

2011-03-05T13:12:00.003-08:00

Lots to do when we bring our girls here. Sarah, if I have another one of these long trips, we should see about all of you flying out for a few days.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Central Park W 59th St.

2011-03-05T13:12:00.001-08:00

I found some nice NYU students to take a photo of me while in Central Park. Those buildings are along W 59th St.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Central Park

2011-03-05T11:40:00.001-08:00

Lake is still frozen in parts, but that isn't stopping the ducks. Aside from the wind, it really is pretty nice.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - Apple store

2011-03-05T10:51:00.001-08:00

No, I didn't go inside. It was in the way of FAO Schwarz.

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Auburn Boy in NYC - for my girls

2011-03-05T08:24:00.001-08:00

Toys R Us has a Ferris wheel inside.

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Auburn Boy in NYC

2011-03-05T08:22:00.001-08:00

Times Square

Who knew there were sheep here in the city?

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Auburn Boy in NYC

2011-03-05T07:19:00.001-08:00

Me at Penn Station with Empire State Building in Background.

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Our girls know what they want to be when they grow up

2011-02-27T18:35:00.001-08:00

Ella wants to be a, "human baby doctor and a farmer."

Emily wants to be a, "animal baby doctor and nurse, and human baby doctor and nurse."

Love it!

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Another full day of burning

2011-02-20T22:08:00.001-08:00

Over at the ranch, we spent a second full day of burning. Lots of great help today. It's good, physical work loading an unloading trailer-fulls of tree limbs. It is a nice compliment to my desk jockey job. Good to be outside all day. Amazing how sore one's back gets from moving limbs around. Individually, they are not very heavy, but it adds up!

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Playing with Worms

2011-01-23T20:50:00.001-08:00

Another time-honored tradition of Father/Daughter Days. They were just baby worms.

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Father & Daughter Day

2011-01-23T13:30:00.001-08:00

The girls were asking me to go fishing for a few days. This weekend lead to today being the perfect day. The girls had a "camp-out" in the livingroom with their new sleeping bags last night. This morning we got up and headed to Halsey Forebay to fish. What fun. Didn't catch anything, but still had such a good time. Here's a picture of Ella and then one of Emily. They are becoming excellent fishergirls.

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Ella's Christmas Doll

2010-12-14T22:07:00.001-08:00

Had a lot of fun at dinner with the girls tonight. Sarah and I practiced the lyrics for their holiday program at school - "Up on the Rooftop." That was fun, but what was great is that Sarah chose to ask them what they want for Christmas this year and make a list for Santa. Everything they asked for was "sparkly" - sparkly roller skates, sparkly pogo sticks, sparkly helmets.

But wait, there's more. The funniest part was when Ella asked for a doll. Fine. No problem. All considering, it was the easiest of the things she had asked for. Then she said she wants one that eats and drinks (no problem)... real food. Okay, small problem. Then she pulled out the trump card - she wants a doll that makes egg nog. She wants it to eat and drink real food and then produce egg nog. Presumably out the other end. An egg nog doll. I darn near spit out my milk I thought it was so funny.

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At Country Christmas in Old Town Auburn

2010-12-11T19:50:00.001-08:00

Santa is here. Unfortunately, we forgot our real camera. We're having a great time anyway. Clam chowder in a bread bowl is all gone, but hot chocolate is 1 dollar at Bowman School's stall. Good times!

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What's next for running?

2010-12-06T21:52:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone for their support regarding my CIM relay. That was only 6 miles. Now I am signed up for a full 26.2 miles and the Fresno 2 Cities Marathon next November. I will likely do one or two half marathons in the next 11 months, so I'll continue posting updates.

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CIM 2010 Starting Area

2010-12-05T06:47:00.001-08:00

No rain, 30 degrees warmer than last year. Excited. Awesome!

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Some quick thoughts on the new Harry Potter film

2010-11-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

I wrote up some of my initial impressions of the new Harry Potter film. Minor spoiler warnings after the first paragraph.
http://www.fallingdebris.com/movies/2010/11/20/quick-thoughts-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1.html#entry9526361

Seeing Harry Potter 7.1 in 13 mins

2010-11-18T18:19:00.001-08:00

We got in for a special advance showing in Roseville at 6:30. Sitting in the theater now.

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Ran 3 miles today

2010-11-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my best bud - Darryl. We ran around the PHS track. I think I did surprisingly well considering my longest previous run this year was 0.5 miles on the treadmill. Now it is run run run until CIM. Four weeks and counting.

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We fixed the barn roof!

2010-11-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

I don't have the final picture yet, because we still have to put the corrugated iron back on to consider it "done." However, here's what it looked like when we started in the morning and about 3 hours before we finished. When we were done (at 9:30pm!) we had put all the plywood down and roofing paper on top. Hopefully it is standing up through this storm. I will get a picture after I go back over in a few days, and hopefully once the metal is on.

Rodger and Doug posing about half-way through demolition.

The grid to support our new roof.

Steve and Rodger deciding how best to slide the plywood in.

Best. Picture. Ever.

2010-10-30T00:18:00.001-07:00

Ella on the left, Marilyn in the middle, and Emily on the right. Oh yeah, and Darth Vader, too. :)

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Good day today

2010-10-29T23:49:00.001-07:00

Family and I got our flu shots this afternoon. It was the least painful shot I can remember. It's not usually the shot itself that hurts. It's usually the soreness in my arm that lingers. But not this time. Easy shot, no soreness. Sarah, on the other hand, yikes! Her poor arm has been sore all afternoon and through dinner. And for whatever reason, Emily decided that she would pat Mama's arm to get her attention. Sarah had to tell her two or three times not to do it. Ouch!

But back to the goodness from today. Good day at work, got some furniture moved, Sarah took the girls to the Downtown Auburn Trick-or-Treating event all dressed up (picture to come), we had a nice dinner out, the girls fell asleep easily, and Sarah and I got prepared for the party tomorrow.

Speaking of the party, I hope to get some before pictures of at least the Halloween-themed food and games we prepared. I think our jello cups with skeletons are really neat. Not to mention the delicious dirt cake. And for the adults, we have some pumpkin beer with cinnamon, sugar, and a shot of schnapps. Sarah has also tested out some fun games, and I made Boo Bubble bottles for the kids. It should be so much fun! And I haven't even talked about my plans for this year's jack o'lanterns.

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My two Pippi Longstockings

2010-10-17T23:25:00.001-07:00

This was on Saturday morning. Sarah did their hair with two braids and said they looked like Pippi Longstocking. Then I thought about the idea of REALLY making them look like little Pippis. So, how do you think we did it? :)

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Today was a good day

2010-10-02T21:22:00.001-07:00

Went to visit Dad in Sacramento. Left around 10:15 and got back about 4:00. Although, to be fair an hour of that was spent at Costco on my way home. Dad and I didn't go for a bike ride like I thought we might, but it was still good. It's always good when I get to hang with my dad. We went to the Natural Foods Co-op for lunch then to his house. There he puttered around a bit, took a 10-15 minute catnap and then we headed back to the Alzheimer's home. It's a little weird leaving him there, but that's my own insecurity - not anything he does. When I got home, relaxed for 45 mins while the girls painted, then all of us went outside to the backyard. Besides the fact that we were all out there together, what made it extra great is that I finally finished a project I have been waiting to complete for a long time. I had to complete a drain on the back hill (I think it is called a French drain). I knew I would have to do it last December, and I sort of got started (bought the pipes) two months ago. Those pipes have been an eye-sore in the BY since then. I finally got to digging the trench and burying it over the last three days. Now it looks better than ever!

Tomorrow is more outdoor chores, and I hope we dig some holes on the hill to plant later this month.

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Covey Ranch Update

2010-10-02T20:54:00.001-07:00

Some of you know we are working on clearing some property we have in Auburn. I just wanted to share two pictures. These were taken about three weeks ago. I think they were 2-3 days apart. It isn't the same angle, but it is the same area in the pictures. There's still a lot to do. Before

After

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Today along Rainbow Trail

2010-09-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

We took a rest on a bench along the Rainbow Trail just north of Camp Richardson in Tahoe. We saw the beginning of Kokanee Salmon spawning season. The Rainbow Trail has a very neat cutout in the stream where you stand at the bottom of the river and the top of the water is about 5.5'. They have large plexiglass viewing windows where you can see the fish as the swim almost like an aquarium.

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"Oh no, the kite is falling!"

2010-09-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

My new favorite picture of Emily. This was taken today at the beach just past Camp Richardson in the Tahoe Basin. Emily was flying the kite when it started falling towards the ground. She was surprised!

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We're sailing on Lake Tahoe

2010-09-21T15:16:00.001-07:00

We boarded the Windsong at Timber Cove this afternoon at 3pm for a 2-hour sail around the lake. Good thing it isn't a "3-hour tour."

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Two worn out girls in Tahoe

2010-09-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to the restaurant and the girls were pooped!

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Friday Night Lights

2010-09-17T20:51:00.001-07:00

We are at our first family football game at Le Febvre Stadium. Placer is playing Casa Robles.

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Wake up call

2010-09-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

Darryl, Sarah, the girls and I all got back from an enjoyable weekend in a wonderful cabin at Donner Lake. Yesterday we played a little 1:1 basketball. Then he wanted to run to the cabin. I took the girls back first, then ran to find him and jog the final way back with him. My "run" was only .36 miles, but wow, it was hard. I have a leg of CIM coming up in December - I need to get my act in gear!

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Fishing at Donner Lake. Got skunked.

2010-09-11T11:46:00.001-07:00

Darryl and I went out fishing this morning. Donner is supposed to be a "ten o'clock lake" meaning the fish start biting around 10:00am. Well, we got there a little before 8:00 and stayed until almost 11:30. Not a single bit. Three poles in and nothing. Father and son about 30 feet away had no luck, either. We are going to try again.

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Ella's Mexican snowman

2010-08-02T18:39:00.001-07:00

We went to Chevy's for dinner. Ella took the dough, made three small balls, and then built a snowman. I helped her with the crayon nose and hat. She made the arms herself.

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Heading into NYC for a show

2010-07-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

Jersey Boys. Then dinner at a place where I probably won't be able to understand, let alone pronounce, over half the things on the menu.

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willy pair of girls we have.

2010-07-16T20:07:00.001-07:00

So did Ella.

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Oh, what a silly

2010-07-16T20:06:00.001-07:00

Emily had fun in the bath tonight.

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Dad is now at an alzheimer's home

2010-07-15T14:49:00.001-07:00

Well, the trifecta is now complete and I feel relief. Honestly, my dad's situation was the last one weighing on me. Nw that I know he's in a good, safe place for him, I can rest easier. I can't visit him for a couple weeks (or until he gets settled in), but we just saw him Saturday for some good family time, so it's okay. I am looking forward to getting back to my life!

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In Old Sacramento with my dad

2010-07-10T13:19:00.001-07:00

Having fun with my dad and family. What a beautiful day!

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Gentle dog looking for a good home

2010-06-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

This is our friend, Beau.

He is an Australian Shepherd mix, roughly 11 years and 8 months old. He belonged to members of my family, but now needs a new home. He is living with us and we have three dogs, two children, and one cat. He gets along with everyone very well!

Beau is a gentle, indoor dog, but also enjoys spending hours outside as long as he has shade. He is a little hard of hearing, we think, and he is sensitive, so it doesn't take much to correct him if needed. Beau is potty-trained. He is calm (except when he thinks he's getting to go for a walk).

Beau is current on all his shots, with full veterinary history available. He is registered in Placer County for another 2 years and 10 months. He weighs about 55 pounds and has the typical colors of an Aussie Shepherd - black, white, tan.

We love Beau, but we just cannot take good care of so many animals/people. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting Beau, please email me at j051499+beau@gmail.com.

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The girls at their friend's birthday party yesterday

2010-06-27T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is when they were showing me their "scary faces." The first shot is just before. The second shot is probably my favorite picture of the girls in a long time. It is just so natural and not posed (they didn't know I was taking a picture).

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My Mustang with new wheels

2010-06-27T00:23:00.001-07:00

Put them on this afternoon. Man, the car looks even better.

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And Emily holding a chick, too.

2010-06-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

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At the Eiseley's Nursery

2010-06-21T19:16:00.001-07:00

Ella holding a chick.

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2011 Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible walk-around

2010-05-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

5-point-oh-no-he-didn't! Yes, I did. I was someone conflicted about celebrating this given what has happened recently in our family, but I think a little happiness is fine, especially now. I ordered this beauty way back in February and it came on Friday, 5/28. Sarah and I love it, of course. :)

R.I.P. Sharon Marie Musso. 2/15/43 - 5/27/10. Beloved Mother, Grandma Banana, and definition of one-of-a-kind.

2010-05-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

I will remember her whenever I feel a warm breeze and hear laughter on the wind.

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Mom is on Hospice care now

2010-05-22T17:44:00.001-07:00

Considering everything over the past 5 days, today was the best. She is comfortable, we got her into a hospital bed so her head could be propped up. She's on a couple pretty good narcotics. Doug and I are taking shifts.

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At the hospital tonight

2010-05-19T23:04:00.001-07:00

Mom is okay, but had to go to the ER tonight. Hard time breathing. Long story short is we are about to leave with a bottle of liquid oxygen and instructions to call a medical supply company in the morning and get her into her doctor. Tonight she had some antibiotics because of elevated white blood cell count. Signs of infection, but they don't know what. Waiting for bacteria culture results tomorrow.

So, med supply company will start bringing O2 to Mom and her Dr. will give her IV antiobiotics.

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Past two days with Mom were bittersweet

2010-05-10T00:15:00.001-07:00

The past two days (Mother's Day and the day before) were really great with Mom. Yesterday we loaded the girls into the car, plus Sarah and Sherri, and we took Mom for a drive to the Amador Flower Farm just past Plymouth. It was wonderful for Mom to get out of the house. And she was able to maintain her energy for much longer than I expected. We were out for six hours and it was a gorgeous day! We had some challenges getting her around the flower farm, but we perservered and made it work! What a glorious and wonderful day!

Then today was Mother's Day and she was able to join us at our house. Chris and Layla's came (it was great to see Savannah, Joe, and Marilyn all together), as did Sherri. Even though the weather wasn't the best, the gathering really was fun. We stayed inside and I BBQ'd burgers and hot dogs. I also got out some old comic books just for kicks and Joe said even though he's never really read comics before, he still really liked them. That was fun.

Now we get to the reason this all was bittersweet. I of course gave my mom a Mother's Day card. I gave it to her in my truck as I was getting ready to drive her home. She broke down when she read it. And my mom never cries. The last time I remember her crying was when I was in high school. It was very poignant as you might imagine. And I got choked up. She knows this is her last Mother's Day and no matter how much we focus on the positives of everything, today the sadness got to me.

After I got my mom settled at her place and drove back home, I balled like a baby with Sarah and Sherri. Wow! It just came pouring out. That was around 3:00 and my eyes are still sore. But those of you who know me know that I'm a positive guy and I can't help but find the silver linings. Even with the sad tears from today, one of the best serendipitous moments happened when my mom said through her tears, "Sometime, when you're traveling with your family and happy, and you feel a warm breeze and hear laughter on the wind, just know that it's me." I can't help but cry as I remember it now.

Wherever life takes us, that's a new wonderful memory of my mom - laughter on the wind. I think I'll make a picture frame with that saying.

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Lego Star Wars - Imperial March

2010-04-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

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KESHA + STAR WARS Tik Tok Music Video Spoof!

2010-04-22T23:57:00.001-07:00

A little Star Wars humor with some Trek thrown in for good measure.

Check out this video on YouTube:

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A day in my life

2010-04-21T22:45:00.001-07:00

6:30-11:00 - Work (my regular job)
11:00-12:00 - Pickup meds for Mom from pharmacy. Check on Mom. Arrange for wheelchair and pick it up. Go back to my home.
12:00-1:00 - Work and watch girls.
1:00 - Call from Mom that she is not doing well and needs some help. Call her doctor to get her in ASAP. Call attorney to cancel appointment. Pickup Mom and get her to doctor.
1:30-3:30 - Wait with Mom at doctor to make sure she gets feeling better. Take Mom to store for some groceries. Just the essentials: Vitamin Water, Coffee ice cream, and mouth wash. Take Mom to check on her cats and feed them. Get her settled back at home.
3:30-5:00 - Go to appraiser to get the finalized property documents for Mom and her brother. Call lawyer to find out about making a house call. Drop off additional documents with paralegal.
6:00-9:00 - Back home with my family (finally) and happy to be home. I don't spend enough time with them now. Even though it is dinner time, the girls are wanting to play, etc. I am working to catch up on the time I missed today. There is a 30 minute break for dinner, but then back on the laptop.
9:00-10:30 - Girls are in bed and the time I should be spending with Sarah to talk and enjoy some couple time, I am mostly spending on my laptop finishing work. In to bed between 10:30 and 11:00. At least I'm getting decent amounts of sleep.

This is not a-typical of what my days have been like this week. I'm not posting this to make anyone feel bad for me. I am using it as a way to document what is happening because it is all a blur. I know when this is all over, I won't really remember what happened during this part of my life. My uncle Doug told me something wonderful today, though - These moments, while they seem bad and stressful, provide certain golden moments with family. Like today when my mom got so much joy out of drinking the Vitamin Water. That was the best she's sounded in a week.

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My mom has cancer

2010-04-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Third time's the charm, right? This is actually the third time I've posted this. I removed it the first two times, but now that all the family members have been told in person, I feel that it is okay to publish this to the wider world. (I'm glad Sarah reminded me who hadn't been told so I could pull it down before they read it on FB.) Anyway, I need to get this off my chest in large part because so much of my time is now taken up dealing with this that I haven't felt comfortable engaging with friends on Facebook for fear that I would let something slip unintentionally. So, for the few friends that saw this before, there's nothing new below. But now I will be posting more updates as time goes on.
***
Okay, I am about to take a big risk in saying this. My mom has cancer. Terminal. It's something that I have debated for over a month whether I should go against her wishes to say anything. That is why some of you that I consider my closest friends do not know - she wants to be private. But I feel that I need to say something now before I burst. This is my catharsis. Plus, today is a good day so I feel that I am best equipped to deal with the emotions at this specific moment in time. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, or even tonight, or even what might change in an hour.
Another reason I am doing it this way is because it is to mentally and physically exhausting to tell each individual person. The roller-coaster of emotions is too much. I won't do it if I don't get started this way. There are certain people that I already called or told in person. I know a text about it is rather impersonal, but I trust you to understand.
I am at the hospital today helping her through a couple fairly minor procedures to get prepared for the chemotherapy and to relieve some pain she has now. She starts chemo on Monday, and we think that will give her a better quality of life for the time she has left. I have been high, low, and in between. Mostly, I'm mad. I'm pissed that my mom is only 67 and this is happening. I said a few weeks ago that I thought my mom would be working her garden, going up and down the hillside, for 20 years to come.
She's not gone yet, and I don't want it to sound like that. She may have many months, even over a year left. But in the last 3 weeks, if you looked inside my backpack, you would see medical books, a Last Will and Testament, trust documents, power of attorney, prescription drugs, a laptop, camera to document events, a notepad full of phone numbers, doctor names, drug names, appointment dates, etc. In a very real sense, I felt that if my backpack fell over and all the contents spilled out, it would be like seeing a black, oozing puddle of sludge pouring out. Negativity and depression and the signs of someone dying are inside my backpack. I carry death with me both physically and figuratively everywhere I go.
But then I look at the good things. I look at the fact that I'm spending more time with her now than I have over the past six months. And yes, while it shouldn't take death to bring us together, I'm glad we are doing it. We took the girls to Fairy Tale town two weeks ago. I am learning things about my family history and our story in a compressed amount of time that would have taken 20-30 years. I always knew how strong my mom was, and how stubborn, but now I get to see it in the ultimate way. She is facing her own mortality with courage, practicality, and humor where she can find it. And that is all good.
Having read this, don't feel sorry for me. I have Sarah and Sherri, I have my girls. I have everything I need to be just fine and come through this stronger on the other side. If you feel like telling me that you are sorry for me or my mom, that's fine. I appreciate it, but what I'd rather you did is spend that energy to help an animal shelter in your area. Volunteer, donate some time or money, help them get their animals adopted or cared for. That's what my mom would want.

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Emily in her great grandpa's hat

2010-04-11T09:55:00.003-07:00

I snapped this picture this morning. My mom brought over some old hats that belonged to my grandpa and grandma. Emily likes this one. Future gumshoe.

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Emily in her great grandpa's hat

2010-04-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

I snapped this picture this morning. My mom brought over some old hats that belonged to my grandpa and grandma. Emily likes this one. Future gumshoe.

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A real American breakfast

2010-04-10T08:50:00.001-07:00

Fixed eggs, bacon, and pancakes all while listening to Johnny Cash! Now that what I call American! And the girls were a big help!

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Three times I've washed this keyboard in the dishwasher and three times it came out great!

2010-04-09T21:36:00.001-07:00

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Easter Goodies

2010-04-04T11:26:00.001-07:00

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Easter Friends

2010-04-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

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Easter Hunt

2010-04-04T11:24:00.001-07:00

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Was in Davis and ran into someone I haven't seen since 1987! Maybe even longer.

2010-04-01T17:38:00.001-07:00

I went into Bizarro World on E St. in Davis today. I was in town for a business lunch and had a little time to kill. I had this strange feeling that I might know who owned the place, and I was right. Dan Urazandi was at the counter. I knew Dan from when I lived in Davis back in the 80's. I really only knew him because my best friend at the time had an older brother who was friends with Dan. This older brother and Dan babysat me a few times, and I think I broke the joystick for his Atari 2600. I clearly remember playing a game (I think it was Defender) at Dan's house and I was really torquing the joystick back and forth. He told me not to do it, but I was so "into" the game that I think I broke it later that day.

Anyway, talk about a blast from the past. Really cool, but also sort of surreal.

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At Fairytale Town in Sacramento

2010-03-27T10:34:00.001-07:00

Grandma Banana, Sarah, and I are here with the girls. Great day to be out!

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Had the Ultimate Birthday Workout today

2010-03-23T16:42:00.001-07:00

It is my new favorite. Surpassed Tabata's. Wow! Thanks, Suzanne. And thanks to all my friends who have wished me happy birthday. I really appreciate it!

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3 times I read to the girls and 3 times Emily fell asleep before the end of the book.

2010-03-14T21:02:00.001-07:00

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