A Picture Says It All

High School Dragon Boat Championships

Well if Friday night was not exciting enough, Saturday morning was the High School Championships for Dragon Boat racing. We awoke at an ungodly hour for a Saturday to get the kids to the lake. We arrive before 7:00 am because their first race was at 10:00am. There were 21 teams this year, which was the largest to ever compete. They start off by having preliminary races to determine your Division. Elijah is on the Gold Boat and Crysta is on the Red Boat, the Gold boat being the top team. They have races for the Co-ed teams and then they have races for the boy's and girl's teams. Well after almost 12 hours spent out on the lake I am happy to report the following. Crysta and Elijah both won Gold Medals for their teams winning the Girl's and Boy's races. And Elijah's team won the gold in the top division while Crysta's team won the bronze in the top division. The girl's won their event pretty easily, the boy's were going up against their main rival which is always the best race of the day. When they passed us they were behind but managed to pull ahead and win by .07 of a second. They were so happy because they thought they had lost. It's funny, I always worried about winning or losing while I was playing sports. But it's nothing like watching your kids out there, it's so much worse. You really want them to win. Elijah's team now gets to compete against the adults in a race in May since they won the Championship. Last year they raced in the same race and finished 4th in the Finals. Beating all of the colleges and most of the adult teams. They will all be going to Long Beach in July for another race.

Streets of San Francisco

We had a little excitement Friday night as we were taking the kids to a Dragon Boat team dinner. While we were making a turn by our house a Mitsubishi SUV who evidently did not want to wait their turn decided to cut inside of me. In doing so, he plowed into the front corner of my car. If that wasn't bad enough, he decided to just take off. So we took off after them, in hindsight, that was a very stupid thing to do. But I wanted to get the tag number to give to the Police. So we followed or chased after the car for about a mile through the streets around the adjoining neighborhood. We got the tag number and were calling the police at the same time which does you no good. We finally broke off the chase when the driver decided to go up the exit ramp the wrong way to Interstate 280 and almost took out some other cars. That's when I realized it was just a car and finally came back to my senses. We then dropped the kids off for their dinner and called the SF police after a cop in Daly City gave me their direct number. They put out a search for the car and advised me to go to the nearest station to file a report. All of which I did and will contact my Insurance tomorrow. Then the King and I went out for dinner and then picked up the kids. Just another Friday night in West Coast Peavine.

Cabo San Lucas

The secret is knowing when you have had enough!

Cabo San Lucas

Having a Margarita at the Cabo Wabo Cantina

Cabo San Lucas

The Three Caballeros

Cabo San Lucas

Eating Lunch at El Squid Roe

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas

Cruise

Well we are all trying to get back into the swing of the real world after our vacation last week. We took a cruise down to Mexico with some friends of ours and their two daughters. we left L. A. and went first to Cabo San Lucas, then to Mazatlan, followed by Puerta Vallerta. The weather was perfect while we were in Mexico not very hot but warm enough. Puerta Vallerta would have to be my most favorite place that we went to. We went on Royal Caribbean and ate way too much food. Elijah summed it up best when he said he was tired of eating, that it had become a sport. We had three days on the boat which was spent in the gym or in the hot tub. Other than that we were attending shows or seminars. While we were in Mazatlan and Puerta Vallerta we took excursions to All Inclusive Resorts where we enjoyed their private beaches, pools and all the food and drink you cared for. And I would be remiss if I forgot to mention shopping for the King. I think everyone enjoyed it, and we have all started our diets again!

Happy Easter

We hope you all have a Happy Easter! We are heading down to L.A. for a week long cruise to Mexico while the kids are on Spring Break. Talk to you later!

Happy Birthday Auna!

We all want to wish Auna a very Happy 19th Birthday! It's hard to believe you are that old now. Hope you have a great day!

Love you!

This must be Heaven

Last night the King and I went to The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. One of the perks of owning a Lexus is that they have events for their owners. Last night was the Taste of Napa event where they had 39 wineries from Napa pouring their wines. In addition to the wine they had a lot of wonderful food and hors dourves.We sampled many of the wines, focusing mainly on the ones I had never tried and found some new ones that I will definitely put on my tour from now on. We went got ready to leave they presented us with a gift bag which had two Reidel wine glasses in it. These people really know how to throw a party.

Nature at it's Best

I was walking out of my building on the way to one of our new buildings when I happened upon this sight. It's not everyday that you can get within a couple of feet of something like this without there being a cage between you. There was a hawk that had decided to help us thin out the seagull population here at the office. It had killed the gull and then proceeded to eat him right there outside the building. I was standing right next to it while it ate, ignoring me only to occasionally glance in my direction. I bet I stood there for about 5 minutes. It was just so cool to see something like that which was not on the Discovery Channel.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We miss you. Tell Dad and Grandpa we said hi!

It is Finished

This past weekend signaled the end of yet another Chinese New Year Celebration. The Parade and Street Fair were held on Saturday. The weather had been really nasty and probably kept the crowds away on Saturday during the day. The parade was held Saturday night just about the time the sky opened up and unloaded. I felt so sorry for all the people in the parade including a friend of ours son who was marching. we decided to stay home and watch it on TV. Sunday was supposed to be the worst day of weather, but around noon the skies cleared up a little. The King and I decided to head down for the Festival while it wasn't raining. Next year is the Year of the Ox which is my year.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

It is the Year of the Rat and I want to wish my Rat a very Happy New Year!

Pregame for Year of the Rat

Sunday was spent in Chinatown with all my best friends trying to find the perfect orange or the perfect flowers to adorn ones house with for the new year. Went with the King and her mom as the pack mule. First off out of the gate, their were the two cases of oranges that I had to lug back to the car. Luckily the vendor let me borrow their dolly. Once I retured back from the car, I was met with a case of Pomello's to take back. Why wasn't that ready on the first trip when I had the dolly? Who knows. Then the day was spent buying special foods and candies for the New Year and the all important tangerines with the stems and leaves still attached for good luck. Finally I was fed before our journey continued and more items were purchased for the big day. On tuesday the King and I went to the flower market to buy flowers which are very important for the New Year. They must be red and gladiolla's seem to be the preferred flower. It was then off to Chinatown to meet her Mom for yet more groceries and oranges and to pick up the chickens that had freshly succumbed to their injuries from an Aunt of hers. You must have the fresh chickens with the heads and feet in place. Wednesday, the entire day was spent cleaning the house as you are not to do any housework or shower on New Year's Day. I'm not real firm on the last one. Finally the kids went to their Paternal Grandparents for dinner and the King and I went over to David and Carmen's house for dinner which included Pig's Feet and the ever popular Black Hair Moss. Being as David is a cook, it could have been worse.

Silver Oak Winter Release

This past Saturday the King and I took our friends David and Carmen with us the the Silver Oak release for their 2003 Napa Cabernet. This was the first time we had gone to the Winter Release in Napa, we usually have gone to the one in Sonoma which is in August. This was also David and Carmen's first trip to Napa. It was a cold and rainy day in Napa with the temps in the mid 40's to low 50's. They are constructing a new winery in Napa, so they had a large tent setup outside for the quest. When we arrive we had to park a little ways away because of no parking inside. A soon as we got out of the car a van was rigth there to take us in. We apid our $20 apiece and received our glasses and a lunch ticket. The wine we were drinking goes for $100 per bottle so needless to say we were getting as many refills to get our money's worth. The lunch was actually very good as well. Next we took them to V. Sattuii so they could try different wines as Silver Oak only has Cabernet's. From there we took them to a few more ending up at Domain Chandon for champagne which they enjoyed. Then it was off to the Premium Outlet Mall for some shopping. When we got back home we picked up the kids and all went out for dinner. It was fun to hang out with them and look forward to taking them again when the weather in Napa is nice.

Another rainy day!

Well we should be in good shape for water this year. It rained 22 days in January and February is off to a good start as well. Suffice it to say we haven't done a whole lot. Crysta's still playing basketball and her team has won their last two games. Elijah is busy studying for the SAT test. we are scheduled to go to Napa tomorrow for Silver Oak's Release Day, but I think it's supposed to rain again and may keep me at home. work has kept me busy as we have moved more people into our new building. Basically my job has doubled in the last few months which keeps me busy. Wish we were getting the snow like East Peavine and West Peavine, but at least you can see it on the mountain tops around us. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Happy Birthday UK

We all want to wish UK a very Happy Birthday!

After the Storm

Well things have settled down since our big storm came through. After watching trash cans and Xmas trees look like missiles rocketing down the street all is quiet again. We are in the process of getting our fence repaired after it caved in the wind. The kids are staying busy with school, Crysta with basketball and Elijah is busy taking a class to study for the SAT's. I finally got my new HD Dish yesterday which is very nice. I now get about 75 channels plus it allow me to record two shows at once while watching a program. Hope you all are doing well in Peavine.

Christmas in West Coast Peavine

We took our annual trek up to Sacramento for Christmas Eve with Teri's family. I do not know anyone that enjoys Christmas more than Teri and Troy. They go all out, Troy works on the yard while Teri works on the inside. It takes about an hour to pull out all of the gifts from the places that they store them. Troy's grandchildren where there as well as the newest addition to the family Raymon. The evening was a lot of fun and always very crazy,

but in a good way. We then went back home where Ethan and his girlfriend Stephanie came over to stay the night. We awoke the next morning so our gang could open their prizes. We then had the King's parents over for a nice Christmas Day dinner Hope you all as much fun as we did and that you got what you wanted.

The Next Generation

Here is a photo that was taken while vacationing in East Peavine over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The next generation to carry on the family genes. It would appear one already has a drinking problem, not going to name any names, but I think we all know who.

I'm Back!

Well it's been a long time since I put anything on here. It was great to see everyone over the Thanksgiving Holiday and we certainly had a good time. Aside from that we basically get up in the morning, go to work, come home from work, go pick up Crysta from basketball practice, eat and go to bed. Her team did play in a Tournament last weekend in San Mateo and won it over 7 other teams involved. They have another tournament this weekend which her team is putting on. The King and I will be working the concession's for that on Saturday. I can hardly wait. On Thursday of this week, my company will be having their Holiday Party. For the second year I am responsible for buying about 100 raffle prizes for the event. So needless to say I have been busy trying to guess what 400 people might find interesting for prizes. It looks a little chilly there in T-Town with all the ice. Sure don't miss that much. Well hope you all have power now and are staying warm. Later!

Napa in October

This weekend was very nice around West Coast Peavine. On Saturday The King and I went to the Flower Market where you can buy any type of flowers at really great prices. Then it was home to watch the Red River Rivalry, suffice it to say it ended well. That evening Elisa went with some of her friends to a benefit concert by Hong Kong Pop artist Hacken Lee while the kids and I stayed home. On Sunday Elisa and I went up to Napa for the day as we had not been there for a little while. It's always nice to go this time of year when they are harvesting and doing the stomping of the grapes. Sadly I did not get to do any stomping. We tried a new place to eat that we had seen on the show "Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins". We had seared Ahi Tuna burgers with Sweet Potato French Fries and Green Tea Milkshakes, it was yummy. We then proceeded to enjoy the day in the Valley while visiting a few of our favorite wineries. Today the kids are out of school and just hanging around the house. Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Fleet Week

Well it is once again Fleet Week and another reminder of how happy I am that they are on our side. We have the Blue Angels in town and it is amazing to watch these things fly around so fast and so low. You hear them about 3 minutes before you ever see them. They are practicing over the Bay these last few days for their shows on Saturday and Sunday. I would surely need a change of shorts if I were their intended target. The ships will have their parade tomorrow as they enter the Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge. Yesterday was the King's Birthday so the kids and I took her out to dinner. We took her to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and feasted on steaks. They were so good but I think the kids enjoyed the bread more. Hope you all have a great weekend!

12 Girls Band

The King and I went to see the 12 Girls Band perform Wednesday night at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. It was a beautiful old theater that was worth the price alone to see. I was curious what the makeup of the crowd would be and was surprised that there were a lot of non Asian people in attendance. They started playing a little after 8:00 and played for a little over an hour and a half with a few costume changes thrown in. They didn't have with them their male drummers who appeared on the Shanghai DVD but instead played over a tape of the drums. It was pretty cool to watch and listen too and when they were finished they bowed and they were gone. No encore, nada. I was holding up my lighter but no one came back. It was good to see them though.

Happy Birthday King!

We want to wish a very Happy Birthday to the King! 25 and still looking great!

International Dragon Boat Festival

Well this past weekend was a busy one. On Saturday we went to the Autumn Moon Festival in Chinatown and hung out with all of our friends. On Sunday was the Dragon Boat Festival at Treasure Island. We delivered our paddlers at the crack of dawn and settled in for a 12 hour day of racing. The kids are on separate boats as Elijah is on the Gold Team or "A" team and Crysta being new is on the Red or "B" team. Crysta's team was the first to go and won their seeding race. Elijah's team was next and they also won their seeding race. From there they went to the Quarter Finals which determine which Class Final you go into A, B or C class. Crysta's team came in second in their race which meant that they were one of the top 6 teams and would be in the Class A Final. Elijah's team won their race which meant they were also in the A Final. The Final was a very close race with the 1st place team winning by .35 seconds, unfortunately it was neither of our boats. Elijah's team finished in second and received the Silver medal. Crysta's team did not place in the medals. There is some strategy here where that if Crysta's boat had finished 3rd in their previous race they would have been in the B Class Finals and would have easily won that one. They also had High School Boy's and Girl's race's. Crysta was on the girls team which had not won the Girl's Division before, it had always gone to their biggest rival. Today was different, they won by more than a boat length and were so excited and happy. The boy's team which had won last year was not able to duplicate their win, they were beaten by less than .40 seconds in this one. We felt so bad for them because they really tried their best and were so devastated by it. Crysta ended up with a Gold medal and Elijah ended up with a Silver and a Bronze medal. We were very proud of all of them and look forward to the next season which begins in the Spring.

Week of Caring

Last week was the Week of Caring that Chevron does annually with the United Way. Over 2800 people within Chevron here in the Bay Area volunteer to help out at a non profit organization for a day during this week. Last year I worked at Habitat For Humanity putting a roof on a house in Livermore. This year I worked at the Markham Arboretum Nature Park. I worked there a few years ago planting an area with plants native to South America. This year I worked on building some paths throughout an area. Mom knows how much fun it is to dig through some of this dirt. Again it was very hard work, but it was nice to get out of the office and do something for groups that can not always afford to have it done.

Been Awhile

Looks like it has been awhile since I last wrote. I have been staying very busy at work as my boss has been in Germany for the last month. He will be back next week and life can get back to normal. The kids have been busy with school and Dragon Boat practice. Wednesday was Crysta's 15th birthday. Seems like yesterday she was riding on my shoulders, those days are gone. We will have a busy weekend ahead of us, Saturday is the Autumn Moon Festival in Chinatown. We will go in for the Street Fair and the pageantry. On Saturday night the kids will have a dinner for their Dragon Boat team. Sunday will be the International Dragon Boat Festival at Treasure Island. The kids will be competing in the High School Division. Lat year Elijah's team won a gold medal in their class. He and Crysta are on different teams for Lincoln High School so will compete against each other as well as the other teams. We hope they do well and have fun. We will let you all know how they did later. Everyone have a good weekend!

Happy Birthday Jeanne

We all want to wish Jeanne a very Happy Birthday. Hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday Nate!

We want to wish Nate a very Happy 16th Birthday tomorrow. If you do get your license, I'm glad we are out here. Just kidding! Have a great day!

Busted

I think I was really making some progress with this girl until Elisa and the kids caught me. I didn't even get her name.

Southern Cal

We went down to Southern California this past weekend before the kids went back to school. We first went to Knott's Berry Farm on Friday. We were there very briefly about 7 years ago and decided to spend some more time there. I had people telling me it was a little to kiddy but it was just the opposite. They had added in several new extreme rides that we enjoyed. They also had several cool shops to explore. We ended the evening at Mrs. Knott's Famous Fried Chicken place, she was famous for her chicken. I actually had the Chicken and Dumplings which were pretty good. We then loaded up on Knott's preserves for ourselves and others. Saturday we got up and headed to Venice Beach. We had breakfast at a nice place there on the boardwalk and then explored the funky shops and all of the interesting people along the boardwalk. We went by the Muscle Beach there and saw all of the guys flexing their muscles. Spent a little time playing in the water before heading up the coast to Malibu. Some nice little houses there. We finished up Saturday night by waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours at Pink's where they are famous for their hot dogs. I was determined to actually eat there and the dogs were very good. Not sure anything is worth that long a wait, but they were very good and I don't really care for hot dogs. Sunday we got up and headed to Roscoe's, one of our favorite places. They serve chicken and waffles for breakfast and it is very good. We then headed over to Universal Studios to hang out before heading home. All in all it was a nice trip and we had fun.

Silver Oak Release Party

Once again this year, Elisa and I made our way up to the Alexander Valley for the Silver Oak Release party. Silver Oak only makes Cabernet and is one of my favorites. They pour the new release as well as some old ones throughout the day. Plus they have a lot of amazing food as well. It was another fun day. Does it look like we were having any fun?

We Be Tours

Well another weekend and another tour. As soon as Greg left town my friend Bret came into town. He is teaching at the University of Nevada now and was in town for a Conference. We picked him up at his hotel and were off to show him our standard Saturday tour. Greg should remember that one. We went over the Golden Gate to Sausilito and then to the Palace of Fine Art followed by a drive down the coast before dinner at our Malaysian & Thai restaurant. It was really good to see him and fun to talk about our early years. The kids enjoyed his stories of things we had done. We will go up and see his family as soon as the kids finish their Dragon Boat season. This weekend we will be heading down to Southern California to hit Knott's Berry Farm and then go to Venice Beach as well as our usual hangouts. On another note the kids were sure ragging on Greg his last day in the city. They couldn't believe he would rather hang out with his "Computer" friends instead of hanging out with them. It was fun to have him here.

Greg at Big Trees

Notice the homage to Mike?

Greg and Kids at Treasure Island

Greg and Dean at Golden Gate Bridge

Greg on Twin Peaks

Greg and Elisa at The Palace of Fine Arts

D'oh!

Well this past weekend was very busy for us. On Friday Ethan graduated from High School and Elisa and the kids were able to go to his Commencement. We are very proud of him and the hard work he put into it to make it happen. On Saturday we went to see the new "Simpson's Movie", I will have to give it a thumbs up. It was a very funny movie which had me laughing throughout. I highly recommend it to you all to see. On Sunday we went to see the Giants play, hoping to see Barry Bonds hit the tying and hopefully record breaking home run. But alas, it was not to be. Later that night we had a dinner for Ethan to celebrate his graduation. Last week we also had dinner with our first tour group to China and will be going out to dinner again this Thursday. It's always good to see them. Glad to hear the cruise was so much fun and that you all were able to find something to eat while you were gone.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday?

Yesterday it actually rained here in the Bay Area. It was the very first recorded rainfall ever for this date, which explains the title of my blog. Mom will probably be the only one that gets it though. On another note, we received an e-mail reply from our tour guide Jackie that we had in Guillin. He was not completely sure if we were the same ones in Guillin so we sent him some photo's we had taken together. Look forward to hearing back from him. Aside from that not much else is going on. Later!

25 Year Anniversary

The beginning of this year I completed my 25th year of working for Chevron. With every 5 years of service that you have, you are entitled to a luncheon on Chevron. The number of years you have also determines how many people you can invite as well as the gift you can choose from. Being that I had reached 25 I was allowed to have a dinner instead of a lunch which I chose to do. I chose to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I had tried to have this while Mom was in town, but I couldn't get everybody together during that time. I invited 3 of my friends along with Elisa and my boss. I chose Ruth's because in my opinion it is the best steak I have ever had. When you order the steak you get nothing with it except the steak, the rib eye I had was $43 for the steak alone. You then order the side dishes which are just as good. Elisa ordered a lobster and the smallest they had was a 3 1/2 pounder. It was a good size puppy. I enjoyed a couple bottles of wine that were about $80 per bottle. I was presented with my gift which was a very nice Movado watch that I had ordered. I certainly didn't need another watch, but I didn't want a belt buckle or pocket knife. It was a very nice time with some old friends and some amazing food. Wonder if I will make it another 25 years?

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope you all had a very enjoyable long weekend. Except for Mom, where they are all long weekends. The King and I went to Carnaval on Saturday, which is the Latin version of Mardi Gras. There were lots of great food and many booths full of Hispanic themed items. Sunday we got up early and went to Walnut Creek to Heather Farms for a picnic with some of the King's friends and co-workers. Did I mention that prior to leaving the house, "Houston" we have a problem. We had fully loaded up the Mercedes and were pulling out of the driveway when something didn't feel right. The left rear tire was flat. So we unloaded everything in the car so that we could change the flat. Unfortunately, the King did not get all of the manuals for her car and it took us a while to figure out how to get to the spare and what we had was in German. After a while we were able to get the little doughnut tire on the car and back into the garage and load the Lexus for the trip across the bay. The picnic was held at Heather Farms which is a real nice Park over in Walnut Creek. They had a large playground for the kids as well as an Olympic sized swimming pool. The kids went swimming later in the afternoon and had a good time. Then on Monday we arose once again early for another trip across the Bay, this time to pick cherries. We went to Brentwood with some friends and their parents to pick cherries. You can basically go to Brentwood and pick anything you desire. The have apricots, strawberries and cherries in season now with peaches coming soon. After a few hours of picking and eating cherries we went back to their house and went out for Sushi. It was a very busy weekend, which was fun, but I felt like it was gone too fast. On another note, we were awful glad to hear that the exploits of the Passport turned out well. We were glued to our computers in anticipation of what was going to happen. I hope the girls are enjoying their trip, because I know Greg was stressing about it.

Redwood Shores Regatta

Well last weekend the kids Dragon boat team was invited to participate in the Redwood Shores Regatta. This event is located south of San Francisco near Redwood City. The event is for adult and college teams to participate in. The kids team was invited since they had won the High School Championships. There were several races during the day which determine your class ranking. The kids once again messed up and did well enough to place in the "A" Division Finals, which is the best one. They were up against 4 adult teams and a team from UCLA. They ended up coming in last but were with a half a boat length of the winner. They did manage to do better and beat teams like Stanford, UC Berkeley and UC Davis. It was funny to listen to the other teams once they realized they were just high school kids. They may not have won any awards but they certainly held their own and made us very proud of them.

Congratulations Auna!

Congratulations to Auna today on her graduation from High School. We are very proud of you and wish we could be there for your special day. Try not to trip on your way across the stage. Just kidding! Love you!

Happy Birthday Pops!

We Love You!

Happy Birthday Greg!

We would all like to wish Greg a very Happy 41st Birthday! Please be careful today as you are not getting any younger. Perhaps a day of drooling at the Bass Pro Shop is in order? We love you and hope you have a great day.

Happy Birthday April!

The West Coast Crew would like to wish April a very Happy Birthday! We hope you have a wonderful day. Love You!

Traffic Nightmare

As you all probably heard we had a little accident out here this past weekend. A tanker wrecked, blew up and destroyed a major intersection that allows me to get to San Ramon every day. Fortunately for us, the fact that we leave so early in the morning helps us. We took the detours they have set up and it added between 5-7 minutes this morning by going through the surface streets of Oakland. There should not be any problems for us when we go home. But it will be a "Nightmare" for anyone that works in San Francisco and has to go home that way this evening. I think it will add an extra hour to their commute. We are lucky because we have the reverse commute. Aside from that, it was Elijah's 16th birthday yesterday. He chose to spend the day hanging out with his friends in San Francisco and then we took him out to dinner when he got home. I had spent the day painting his room with a "little" help from Crysta. The King and I were going to get the Visa's for China today but the Consulate is closed for two days and after reading UK blog, I now know why.We will get them this Thursday instead. Aside from that it was pretty quiet around here. We are sure that Mike is very happy about the draft and figure he already has his Peterson jersey. Later!

China Trip

Since I am not sure if UK sees the e-mail I send him, I am trying the blog as another source of info. We will be arriving on June 13th at 5:25 pm at Pudong Airport on United flight 857. There will be 6 of us this time as the King's mother will be joining us. We will be in Shanghai until a Monday morning flight at 8:10 am out of Pudong Airport to Xian. This should give you a little time to figure what might be the best way to get us to the airport on that Monday morning. Would a ride on the Maglev train be a possibility? Look forward to seeing you!

Stockholder's Meeting

Today was Chevron's Annual Stockholder's meeting in San Ramon. I was asked to volunteer and help out at the event, which I agreed to do. They didn't tell me when I volunteered that I would have to wear a suit. But thankfully with the weight I have lost, I must admit it actually fit me pretty good. I was assigned to the Security part of it which required me to search everyone's bags and to confiscate any electronic devices that they might have. It was actually pretty interesting and all of the people were pretty easy going about it. A few didn't like having to leave their phones with us, but these were the same people that missed the 10 signs leading from the parking lot saying they were not allowed. I most enjoyed the more mature ladies asking me when the gas prices were going to come down. They said they had gotten no answers from the Board of Directors so I told them that they were going down tomorrow. All in all it was a pretty interesting day and will certainly help out again next year if asked.

The Race Is On!

Here the two are in one of their qualifying races for the mixed teams. You can see them circled on the photo. It was a very cold and windy day on the lake and it started to rain prior to the Championship races.

Crysta Banging Her Drum

Crysta is banging the drum to keep them in rhythm. Elijah is the one right in front of her. We were hoping she wouldn't drop the drum stick and thought about taping it to her hand. Not really, they both did very well!

Dragon Boat Races

Well this past Saturday was the High School Dragon Boat Championships. We arose early to have our two contestants there by 7:00 AM on an overcast and rainy day. The kids first race was not until 10:15 so we had some time to stand around. Elijah and Crysta were on the same boat this year, while Elijah paddled on the all boys team as well. Crysta was the drummer for the boys team also. They did not win any medals this year but it's not because they did bad. They actually did better than they did at the meet in September of last year. You have qualifying races throughout the morning to determine your Division, which consist of "A - D" Last year they surprised everyone and won the "B" Division. Well this year they messed up (not really) and qualified for the "A" Division finals. It was the first time that one school had 3 of the 6 teams in the "A" Division finals. So suffice it to say that they were going up against the very best and held their own. The Gold Team from their school Lincoln which is mainly Seniors won the event. They may not have won any medals but they certainly improved over what they did last year.

Happy Birthday Edge!

The King and I as well as Crysta and Eli would like to wish Edge a very happy birthday. We hope you have a great time today and wish we could be there for your party. We love you buddy!

Easter Weekend

We awoke Saturday morning to the sound of someone and their jack hammer making a lot of noise. The King asked what is was and after I told her she got dressed and was out the door. About 10 minutes later she was back and had arranged for the guys that were making all of the noise to come to our house and widen our driveway. By the time she had finished with them she had gotten them to reduce the price by $250. She's good at that. After that the King and I went to see the Giants and Dodgers play on Saturday, unfortunately we lost, but it was nice to get out and watch a game. We then cooked some chicken out on the grill later that evening. On Sunday her and I went into Chinatown for a little shopping and then got home in time to take Elijah to an event he was having at the school. After picking him up I planted a bunch of flowers in some pots that we had bought to spruce up the back yard some more. The kids then went out to dinner with their Paternal Grandparents. Hope you all had a great Easter and it was really nice to be able to see you all and talk to you.

Ching Ming

The kids are on Spring Break this week so the King and I took yesterday off with them. We got up and went to Chinatown for supplies and then took off to the Chinese Cemetery for Ching Ming. It is a Chinese tradition of visiting the ancestors. We took rice wine, fruit, dim sum and incense and candles. You burn the candles, light the incense and then burn paper money and such so that they have money and gold in the after life. You pour the wine on the ground for them and leave food. Then you eat the rest of the food for yourself while you are there. Most people went on the weekend but we went on Monday, there was no one there which was very nice.It's always been very busy. Sunday night was the Tam Family Association dinner which is the King's mother's clan. The King's uncle is one of the leaders of the group. There was the typical 10 course dinner and the ever popular Karaoke singing. NOT!! The rest of the weekend was either spent at Home Debit as I continue to work on the back yard or shopping for new clothes to take to China.

Weekend Update

Well, not a whole lot to report for this past weekend. I started walking in the Park again now that the weather is nicer. It's a lot more scenic than walking through the neighborhood. The King and I took the kids to practice on Saturday and then went shopping at Home Debit. We picked up a nice "Money Tree" for her Dad. After we picked the kids up from practice, we picked up Estella who is Francy's daughter. Francy is the King's best friend in Hong Kong who played our tour guide for the first few days we were in Hong Kong last year. We were taking Estella out for her birthday. We went and had Sushi at our favorite place and then went to the Mall. Elijah took off once we got there and I was left with the girls. All three of them were in their shopping mode. I found myself enjoying having two girls but do not think I could afford it. Estella spent the night and played video games with Elijah most of the evening. On Sunday we took Estella home and the kids to their paternal grandparents which left the King and I a chance to go to Costco. We picked up a few trees to plant out back and then went to Ross. It was a pretty quite weekend. Later!

Happy Birthday Auna

We all want to wish Auna a very happy 18th birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day and can not believe you are already 18. Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Clean Up

Well I woke up on Saturday morning and for some reason I decided to clean out the back yard junk. All of the stuff that has been collected over the years sitting on the lower level of the yard. I just started loading it all in a van that I had and took off to the dump. After the first load I was just ready to go back and get some more. Eventually I had completely emptied out all of the junk and now have a spotless backyard. Now all I need to do is get the portable building I want to put down there. After that I finished Crysta's room by putting up her mini blinds and doing a little touch up painting. After that I went outside and pulled weeds from the back yard. Yesterday I came into the office and set all of the clocks. After that is was back home to see what the gang was up to. Not much, we then went to the grocery store picked up a few steaks and grilled the steaks and some lamb chops for dinner with the King's parents. I will go home today and clean out the aquarium. Fun!!!

Catching Up

Last night we went out to dinner with two of the families that we were on the tour to China last year with. The family with the twin girls and everyone's favorite little boy. The King's parents went along with us as well and everyone had a great time. Everyone looked well and the kids picked right back up where they left off. The talk was to go back to China as a group in 2009. They all said to tell Momlls hello! There was a lot of good food but I am trying to eat less. I was very inspired by the news of Greg and Jeanne new slim physiques that I am trying to lose some weight as well. Kudos to both of you! I have been walking as much as I can and I climb the 5 flights of stairs at work 10 times a day. I have lost about 10 pounds in the last month and look to lose a lot more. If nothing else I feel better.

The Celebration has Ended

This past weekend officially ended the New Year's Festivities for another year. The Chinese New Years parade was held on Saturday night with the Street Fair on both Saturday and Sunday. We went out to dinner with some friends on Saturday night for another dinner. We went to a new place fr us and had a very "special" version of the Monk Dinner. It was mostly pretty tasty. We then went to Chinatown for Dim Sum on Sunday morning and then checked out the Street Fair. I was a little disappointed. I had money to buy things, but just didn't see anything that I could live without. We then went out for dinner last night with the King's parents as well as her brother Wing and Ethan and Stephanie. It was fun to hang out with them all. It was a very nice weekend here after it had been raining for a while. I was able to work out back in the yard and wash some cars while the kids were at Dragon Boat practice.

Mother Nature or the King

Last night Crysta and I were in our bedroom watching TV when I noticed a big thud and some rumbling. I said to Crysta that we just had an earthquake. She looked around and said no that was just Mom coming up the stairs. Sure enough about 3 seconds later the King walked into the room and I just thought to myself someones putting on a little weight. But fortunately about 10 minutes later they came out with a news report that we had just had a 4.2 quake or a "Light Quake" This sure made me feel better about the King. Yesterday we also had some snow atop Mount Diablo which is always pretty cool to see, we don't see it very much unless you go to the Sierra's. This weekend will be the Chinese New Year parade and the Street Festival. Not sure we will do the parade, but will probably do the street fair. Hopefully there won't be too much rumblings today from the ground.

Lakers in Town

Well this weekend started off really well. After watching a cooking show, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Po-Boy sandwiches. So the King and I went to our local Asian Market and bought the biggest shrimp we could find. We then proceeded to make some very tasty Po-Boys. The on Saturday it was everyone's birthday in the Chinese Culture. We went for Dim Sum and then took the kids to their first Dragon Boat practice of the year. We then took the King parents with us to Home Debit so we could get some paint for Elijah's room. We then picked up the kids and they went to their paternal grandparents for dinner while the King and I went to dinner with her parents. We then took them to the mall after dinner to walk a little of it off. On Sunday we had tickets to see the Golden State Warriors play the Lakers in basketball. We had all of the kids with us and most of us were wearing our Lakers jerseys. The King was actually pretty good. She had the binoculars attached to her eyes the whole day watching Kobe Bryant. The only time I got worried was when she anted us to wait out by the Lakers bus to see Kobe leave. I told her he would not be out for a while and she reluctantly agreed and we left. We then picked her Dad up and went to dinner. The kids have practice again today. I'm not sure they have gotten over the aches and pains that they acquired on Saturday. It's pretty funny.

Year of the Pig

Gung Hay Fat Choy to everyone! Well it's officially that time of year again. We rose early Saturday to do some last minute shopping in ChinaTown for the festivities. Getting our fresh chicken and other items. The rest of Saturday was spent feverishly cleaning the house prior to midnight, with a rush of showers and hair washing prior to midnight as well. You are not allowed to clean house or wash your hair on New Year's Day as you might wash away any good luck. We arose on Sunday to join every other Asian for Dim Sum. We were all wearing our new clothes that you save for New Year's day preferably red, which you know I was sporting. After that the kids spent the rest of the day with their paternal grandparents. The King and I spent some time running errands before we met her parents and every other Asian again for dinner. The night was spent watching all of the New Year's celebrations that were on the Chinese channels that we get. Events from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Monday was spent visiting her parents house for some New Years rituals, nothing bizarre. And then we followed it up with the Monk's dinner which has to be one of my favorites? It consist of dried mushrooms, dried oysters and black hair moss. And the really fresh chicken, all of him. This weekend we will be celebrating again in the morning and the evening with our very close friends the Asian community. On Saturday it is everyone's birthday in the Chinese community. I guess it's mine as well, so we will be celebrating those as well. And then on Sunday we will all be going to see the Lakers play the Golden State Warriors in a basketball game.

Happy Birthday G-Man

All of us at West Coast Peavine want to wish G-Man a very Happy Birthday. Hope you have a great day and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Rainy Weekend

Well it has finally been raining around here which is something we could use. A lot of people are starting to get nervous. I remember it did the same thing last year, and then it rained for 35 straight days starting at the end of February. Crysta and I finally got around to painting her room on Saturday. I really hate to paint and had been putting it off until it was a rainy weekend with nothing else to do. It really made it so much easier having her help me. She was able to paint in the corners and the lower parts of the walls leaving me to do the higher parts. We really did a god job together and her room looks really nice. She picked out a really nice shade of blue. Next we will have Elijah pick out some paint and do his room. While her and I were doing that, The King and Elijah took her mother into Chinatown to buy food and such for Chinese New Year. It will be on February 18th this year and we had our first New Years dinner last night at one of their favorite restaurants. That means that this Saturday they will all be busy cleaning the house before New Years and then I can look forward to one of my favorite dishes. The black hair moss. Yum!

Queen Mary 2

We didn't do much of anything this weekend. Did a little around the house on Saturday then got up Sunday morning to go for a walk and then clean out the aquarium. After that it was time to watch the Super Bowl and the part I look forward to the commercials. Sadly the commercials this year were pretty lame. The game was actually much better than the commercials. Also on Sunday the Queen Mary 2 came into San Francisco on her trip around the world. It's a pretty big boat! Everyone was crowded on the beaches the Golden Gate Bridge was packed and traffic stopped when she came through. She will be here until tonight before she heads off to Hawaii.

Nuttin Much

Not a whole lot going on out here. Crysta has had a few basketball games this week in which her team won both of them. Today is Stephanie's (Ethan's Girlfriend) birthday. We will take her out to dinner tomorrow to help her celebrate. We are closing in on the Chinese New Year which is on February 18th this year. It will be the year of the Pig - let me know if you need anything from it Auna. I recently had my 25th anniversary with Chevron and have now started on my 26th year. I get to have a dinner or lunch with friends of my choosing and the place of my choosing. I am looking to find a place that is VERY nice but not real stuffy. I want the best but I want to have a good time. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Birthday UK!

All of us at West Coast Peavine would like to wish UK a very Happy Birthday! We hope you have a great day and look forward to seeing you soon!

Greetings from Icy West Coast Peavine

Well I know it doesn't compare to what those of you in East Peavine are experiencing, but for out here it's a bit nippy. We have had temps in the 20's in the evening which is pretty cold for out here. I hear that the citrus crops were basically wiped out so prepare to pay for your fruit. I have actually had ice on my windshield a few mornings and had to wait for them to thaw because I don't think anyone has an ice scraper out here. Aside from just trying to stay warm inside and outside we have not done a whole lot. The King and I took all of the kids the other night to see Golden State and Miami play in basketball. It was a pretty good game even though Golden State lost. We are going to see them play the Lakers in a few weeks which should be fun. Some will have more problems at that game without mentioning any names. I did actually take one of my days off yesterday. Everyone else in the house were off so they decided I should as well. We ended up going downtown for lunch at one of our favorite little dives for Vietnamese food, Tu Lan's. We then went to the new Bloomingdales that they built on Market street. It is a brand new shopping center that is anchored by a Bloomingdales. We are still awaiting to hear what tours will be offered in the summer for China before we make any official plans. We did look at several books at a Borders yesterday to try and get ideas of places to see in the areas we want to go to. As soon as we find out something Kev we will let you know. Maybe you could join us on the tour if we go to Xian and Guilin. Hope you all are staying warm and safe in the weather that you are having out there. Later!

Xmas In West Coast Peavine

Holiday in Review

Well we hope you all had a wonderful holiday and got everything that you wanted. We would like to thank everyone for the great gifts that were bestowed upon us from UK as well as East Peavine. We went over to Teri's on Christmas Eve and had another great time. It's always good to see them and the boys and their families. We had tamales and enchiladas and rice as well as sandwiches. Lots of good food. Then it was time for the carnage. The kids had to wait until Christmas morning for Ethan to come over before they could unwrap their gifts. We then had the King's parents over for lunch and everyone had a good time. It's now back to our routine and starting to think about next year's gifts. Sorry I wasn't able to make it back for the football game but I'm sure everyone had a greet time and that no bones were broken. Hope you all enjoyed your gifts from us and that it is something you can use.

Basketball Tourney

Well another weekend has past without any major incidents. We spent this past weekend attending a basketball tourney that Crysta's team was in. It involved teams from the San Mateo are with Lincoln being the only team from San Francisco in it. The girls ending up winning the tourney after a few close games. Our girls are very good and very quick and all of the other teams are very tall. We will always be the smallest team. The King and I spent yesterday shopping for Xmas gifts for both the family and for work. My company is having their Xmas Party tomorrow and I have been responsible for buying all of the raffle prizes we will be giving away. That's a lot of prizes. You have to figure out what you think 400 people other than you might like. Well this year they are going to like what I like. I will then spend the next few days passing out candy the kids sold for their Dragon Boat Team. They didn't actually sell any themselves. They were required to sell $50 dollars worth and they hoped they sold $100. Together they accounted for about $1000 which I get to distribute now. It all comes back to haunt you. I remember giving Dad my really crappy candy to sell for me at work, and now I know how much he hated doing it. It's the parents curse.

Yes Kids, There Really Is A Glen!

Well Glen finally came out for a visit after saying he was going to for the last five years. The King and the kids had always heard stories about him, but had never seen him. Sure they had talked to him on the phone but still assumed he was just a myth. He arrived on Thanksgiving day and we then sat down with the King's parents and all of the kids for smoked turkey and pink turkey. We then spent the next few days watching football games and then seeing the sites after the games. He has been here before but never spent much time in the city as we did this time. We fed him lot's of Chinese food that he loved and the King cooked a few wonderful meals for him as well. I really think she enjoyed seeing someone enjoy the food as much as he did. The kids just kept laughing at the sounds of enjoyment he made as he ate. We then took him out for his first taste of Sushi which he loved! We also spent a day in Chinatown where we took him for Dim Sum. The King made him eat with chopsticks the whole time he was here and would get onto him if he tried to use a fork. It was really great to have him here and for the gang to meet him.

West Coast Weekend

Well I hope everyone is ready for the holidays coming up? I guess the King and I will go get our pink turkey today. Not sure what else we will have. Not too much happened this weekend. I watched football while the King and the kids went to the eye doctor for new glasses. We then went to Crysta's first basketball game which was a preseason game. Her team won 20-3. They have about 16 girls on their team, but they look like they could be good. Yesterday we went to a new place for dinner since the kids were hanging out with their other grandparents. We took the King's parents to a new Chinese place by our house. It was pretty good, but her Dad and I probably liked it more. It was Szechuen style cooking, which is a much spicier style than what the King is used to. They had a really good spicy calamari that really had a kick. We might have company for Thanksgiving but I'm not holding my breath. Glen keeps telling me he is coming out, but he has told me that before. I told him if he called from the airport then I would come get him. We shall see. It would be fun to have him here and watch football games with him. He's a little more of a fan than the rest of my crew. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and I will talk to you then!

More of the Same

Well this past weekend saw me finish my gate project, getting the final of 5 coats of paint on and then covering the top with Plexiglas to keep the rain out. I then took 5 boxes of old paint to the recycler to clean out the garage. I then worked on the plants out back for a while and finally got the grill working again. I then went inside to watch the OU game. The king went to a concert on Saturday night to see Alan Tam who is a big artist in Hong Kong. She was in a very happy mood to see that. Yesterday we went to her friend Anna's house for a birthday party for her daughter. We are getting the torsion springs on the garage fixed today which have been broken for about 4 months. The garage door won;t open without someone helping it along. Aside from that it's life as usual, Crysta has basketball practice every day and they both have Dragon Boat practice about once a month. Aside from that, not much to report. Later!

What's Going On

Not much to report out here the past week. I spent all weekend painting our front metal gate. Scraped of all the old paint I could and then put on 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint. Hope I don't have to do it again. I then cleaned the aquarium in time to sit down and watch the game on Saturday. The King did what she does best and went shopping. Crysta has made the JV basketball team at her new high school with practice every day after school. So much work to be done around the house that aside from OU games, I plan to do nothing else on weekends until I get caught up. I figure sometime in June should be about right. Hope everyone is doing well!

Napa Valley

Well this past weekend I was stuck with a very emotional dilemma. On one hand I had the OU/Texas game to watch. On the other hand, one of my very good friends and his wife from New Orleans was in town. The King and I took them out to dinner Friday night at Fisherman's Wharf and really had a good time. They were asking us whether it was better to take a tour of Napa or just try it on their own. You have no idea how long and hard it was for me to utter the words' We would love to take you". In the end, I made the right choice. We really had a good time and I only thought about the game a few times. My friend did tell me later in the afternoon that we had lost, but we were having a good time and I didn't dwell on it.

Happy Birthday to the King!

Would like to wish the King a very Happy Birthday. Long Live The King!

Crysta's Birthday

Here is the gang celebrating Crysta's Birthday at BJ's Brewhouse. It was her idea to go there. Honestly!

Dance Workout

For Crysta's birthday, Mom got her a Playstation 2 game called "Dance revolution SuperNova" It's a really cool game that you mimics on a dance pad that you get to go with it. The kids had been playing it and we decided to get a second mat so that you could go head to head with two people. It is really fun plus you are getting a workout. Here is a picture of the two of them playing it.