Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship. The mate was mighty sailing man, the skipper brave and sure. Five passagers set sail that day, for a three hour tour, a three hour tour. (Thunder!) The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew the minnow would be lost. The minnow would be lost!..... You know the rest of the song.

We Just Call Him Sam

Others may call him Mr. Quick, Flash, Speedy, but we around the house call him Sam. Sam is currently the fastest half miler in his school as a 5th grader. Seems there is quite a few 6th graders looking up to Sam when it comes to speed.

It's fun to have him come out and practice with my soccer team. The kids on the team are 7th and 8th graders and none of the can run away from Sam. He closes on all of them. These are big big kids, 3 kids on my team are taller than me. His stride is a thing of beauty. Even with the ball at his feet he can hang with them.

Last night at practice he asked me if he could jump in a pick up game with the team. I watched him get by a kid with a quick step over that made me laugh out loud it was so pretty. Then he just ran by the big kid as he was trying to regain his balance.

Just Sam.

Finally

Since Georgia's first tooth fell out she's been crying wolf that her other tooth had fallen out. Thank goodness it took less than 24 hours for this too actually happen. Suzi or I need to run to the ATM.

SF Giants

Who Needs A Phone?

Suzi talking to our neighbor Kari over the fence.

Who's Gonna Go Get It?

Not me. I should have grabbed it last night when Patrick pushed me in the pool fully dressed. It was the first time anyone has caught me off guard like that, and it's a good thing I didn't have my phone in my pocket.

Someone Lost a Tooth!

Her first tooth, and she was very excited about it. As you can see there is a tooth that is soon to fall out as well.

Red

Red. Not a popular color choice by most adults so far. Adults response "huh, yeah that looks.....nice. The cealing is red too. huh, wow." However, children seem to really like it. "Coooool. I like the reeeddd. Awsome." I'm sticking with the kids.

Getting Bigger

They are both getting so big. Sad to see how quick it happens. Man Suzi and I make pretty babies.

Santa Cruz

What a great Summer City. No it's not Southern California, but between June and October we spend quite a few weekends down there.

I Never Played on Surfaces This nice!

The surface was fantastic! It played perfectly, and had "rubber sand" just below the blades of grass that made it play just like a normal grass field. I dreamed of fields like this when I was a kid. Sisters not so interested in the soccer. They'd rather watch a movie.

Genetics

What a good looking guy! Playing around in Santa Cruz after Sam's soccer tourney.

Girls Rock!

Georgia and her buddy Alli hang'n out after school.

My New Office

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back in May I started a make over for the garage. I posted some pictures of my work bench that I had riped out.

Well the make over is still in progress with well over half being completed.

In the first slide you see the beginning of the project where I have almost complete demo of the work bench.

In the second slide you can see that I no longer have shelves that are attached to walls. All my shelving, work spaces, drawers, and anything used for storage is on wheels. One, because sometimes I need a little more space here or there. I can move things around to make it all fit. Two, because it's easy to keep clean. I can move things away for the wall and clean it spotless in minutes. I have also put a new epoxy coating on half the garage floor.

In the 3rd slide you can see my new office looking in from the patio. In the first slide you can see the "back garage door" which is now my new "office door". I put a new office in the corner of my garage. It still leaves me enough space to fit my trailer, and a car in the garage (once the project is complete).

Slide 4& 5 are stepping into the office.

6&7 are with my office stuff all in the new office.

Things I love about the new office:

I love the A/C unit I put in the wall. ICE COLD in a minute. That unit is for a space 800 square feet. My office is 130 square feet.

I love that I will no longer have people running through my office to get to other parts of the house.

That being said I have notice that maybe they don't run though the office, now they just come in and stand. Maybe they say things like, "MAN it's cold in here!" or "What are you working on?" or "Why are you listening to that kind of music? It's Sunday you should be listening to church music or classical music" (I'll give you one guess who said that, did you guess? Of course it was Georgia, the little rule enforcer) or.......your not going to believe this but as I was typing this very sentence Sam walked in and said "Ohhh, it feels good in here" and sat down on the chair across the room, and Hannah followed him by 2 seconds and said "I won't say anything I'm just going to sit over here." Sam left now (due to the presence of Hannah no doubt), and Hannah is going through books, and pictures, and now she's reading her book. Anyhow maybe no one will be running through but it looks like I will be getting visitors for sure.

Anyhow I'm excitied about my new work space. You'll have to come check it out. Throw up a cot and it will make a good guest room.

Busy

I've been so busy for the last couple of weeks. Kids school, Soccer, and Work have kept me moving. I spent a week back in Boston at the Joslin Center doing some training. Absolutely fantastic. I hope to be able to do that every year or so, or visit other centers like it.

Cousins

Guess which one got a sunburn? Sam didn't think he could get a sunburn so he didn't wear his swim shirt. cousins

Jr. High

I drove Patrick to his new school this morning. He's in the G.A.T.E program which wasn't a big deal in elementary school because the gate school is Vinewood, a block from our house. However, in Jr. High the school is in Stockton, about 8 miles away.

Patrick's Schedule:
Algebra: Took that my sophomore year in high school, and my senior year in college, last semester.
Spanish: Senior Year in high school. Que Pasa? Como se dece "C is a passing grade for Sean, but not for Patrick"
Social Studies: Where he will finally be socialized.
P.E./ Tech Lab: Alternates week to week. One week they move, the next week they nerd-ized on a computer.
Science: I remember one thing from 7th grade science. Actually I remember two. One I won't tell you the whole story, but it has to do with the secret question box that we were aloud to place questions for the teacher about maturation. One of the kids put a question in the box that we all thought there was no way in heck that she would answer.....She did. This same teacher had also had a mastectomy. The other day I remember was when she passed around her, I have no idea what the real name for it is? Hmmm. Should have paid a little more attention.
Language Arts: Is this what they now call English? Why can they call Spanish, Spanish, but not English, English? German is probably German. Interesting, probably trying to fool the kids into thinking it will be fun by including the word "Art" in the name of the class. Might work for some.

The Block Walk

They were all fired up to go to school. I remember dreading going back to school. We parents loved having all the kids in school, even if it was only for a couple of hours (Georgia goes half days, Kindergarten).

5th, 3rd, and Kindergarden

Off they go. Sam is the big man on Vinewood Campus when it comes to the Kelly house now. He will be walking the girls to school now.

Georgia's Backpack

Obviously Suzi helped her pick this out.

Georgia's First Day of School!

Oh she has waited for this day! As far as she is concerned she's been going to this school for years. She has spent many days a week going to school with Suzi over the past couple of years getting to know students, and teachers. Not the least bit of fear. "Bye Mom."

If your trying to find Georgia she is sitting in front of her teacher with the light blue shirt, and the white bow in her hair.

The Office

Hello from Boston! I'm out here on a work trip. Kind of excited about being in Boston, very sad my wonderful wife Suzi is not here with me. Seeing that it is the 24th of July, and her day of birth is the 25th of July.

On my way out here I watch an episode of "The Office" on my ipod on the plane. It is by far my favorite TV show. I don't get to watch it unless I Tivo it or download it from itunes.

The episode that I watched on the plane had me laughing so hard that I was embarrassed that I was laughing as hard as I was! I was in tears, and had to get up and walk back to the bathroom. The whole way back I kept laughing about the scene which started it, and I could barely see through the tears. I'm sure I was a sight.

Once I made it back to the bathroom, the steward took my head off for being out of my seat when the seat belt light was on. As I made my way back to my seat he decided to sharply remind everyone to remain in their seat when the seat belt light is on.

You know when I was a kid that tactic might, MIGHT, have embarrassed me. The "let's point out what he's doing wrong in front of everyone tactic." Instead it just gave me another reason to keep laughing. He was probably having a bad day because people like me don't live for watching the seat belt light.

Wow

It was so orange outside tonight that I had to run outside and take a photo.

Underwater Sam

Ummmm?

Yeah.....Ummm....better not mention this to Raul.

Tres Amigos

It feels like an "Endless Summer", but the kids will be headed back to school next week. We have definately justified living in California this year with the amount of time we've spent at the beach. Last week Suzi and the kids went down to the beach with the Halligan's, Brink's, and Judd's. Here are some photos at Sea Cliff State Beach July 18, 2007 shot by Megan Brink.