April 1st - April started with the first Bernal playoff girls soccer game against Valley Christian. It was an interesting game, as one of Nicole's best friends' is on the VC team. Bernal held their own through the first half, keeping the score tied, 0-0. After half-time, Valley Christian came through with 3 goals, winning the game. They ended up winning the championship on Thursday, April 3rd. We are so proud of the Bernal girls soccer team. They have never been in the playoffs in the 35 year history of the school. They had a great, memorable season.
April 5th - Today, Nicole performed with the selected band members at Bernal in the California Musicians Educational Association (CMEA) Festival at Evergreen Valley High School. This was not a competition, but a performance that was judged and critiqued by professionals. The band sounded wonderful, thanks to their instructor, Randy Tyler, and came out with a top score of "S" (Superior) - a score the Bernal Intermediate band has only received three times in 35 years.
It was emotional for me watching Nicole sit in the second-chair (same chair I was always in back in the day), performing with "my" clarinet. It brought back so many wonderful memories, that I hope she will gain from doing this too. After the performance, the band was taken into a room where the judges met with them and told them where they need to improve....or not. Then, it was outside for a formal group picture.
It was a fun event, as all the kids rode together on a bus from Bernal to Evergreen Valley HS across town. When I got back to Bernal to wait for the bus to arrive, I was sitting there in my van with the window down, and I could hear screaming in a distance. I looked up in the sky, wondering "could that be them? Not a chance." There would be no way I could hear them that far away. A few minutes later, the bus arrived, and all the kids were screaming in excitement. I couldn't believe that I actually did hear it echo from way down the street. They were all so excited, as they should be. What a great experience!
Brandon had a soccer game today. Nicole and I had to miss it, due to her band performance, but Brandon's team came out winning 2 to 1.
April 12th - Today started out early on the soccer field with Brandon's game starting at 8:00 am. They won, 2 to 1. Mighty Tigers are looking excellent out on the soccer field. We're so proud of them! Nicole's team had a bye, which was good because we celebrated her birthday this afternoon at Silver Creek Sportsplex, a new indoor arena for soccer and fun. She had 20 girls join her in jumping around in jump houses and playing soccer.
After the party, five of her bestest friends spent the night. They had alot of fun, as I planned a Digital Scavenger Hunt at the mall. This is how it worked.....I divided the six girls in to two teams.
They picked their own team names: Chimichangas had Nicole, Jenna & Alex, and ATAALDC (stands for "Anything That Andrea And Lizzy Don't Choose") had Andrea, Lizzy & Haley. Each team was given a digital camera and they each had lists of things they had to do in ONE hour at the mall. They ALL had to be in the picture along with the item they had to find, so they had to interact with people as well. 
I waited at "headquarters" (Starbuck's), thinking neither team would finish in an hour, but, I was wrong. ATAALDC came in 10 minutes before their time was up, and the Chimichangas came in 5 minutes before their time was up. Each team had completed each task, even the bonus task worth 50 points. They had to walk and cluck like a chicken in the food court. I tallied up points when we got home, and in my eyes, both teams won! I was so proud of them all.
The girls came home and goofed around, finally getting to sleep at 1:30 am. I made them a nice breakfast the next morning......Nicole's actual birthday!
April 13th - Nicole turns 13 on the thirteenth!!
Her GOLDEN birthday!
Nicole is a great kid (so far) and is easy to pamper. After a fun-filled day yesterday, today was low-key. After her friends left, we cleaned to get ready for family coming over for cake. Nicole's biggest surprise of the day was.....a new dog.....LILY
.
The opportunity to get this adorable dog came to us, and it was a hard decision to make, being we just lost Tasha a month ago. Lily belonged to my bosses mother-in-law, and she passed away in early February, leaving the dog without a home. My boss already has six animals, so he couldn't keep her. It just so happened that he asked me to feed the animals while he and his family were away, and I got to know Lily briefly, falling in love with her almost instantly. I made the mistake of taking Nicole with me one night, and she too, fell in love with her. Who wouldn't? We told Nicole that we probably wouldn't get her, because we needed a break from animals, when, all the time, in my heart I was going to surprise her for her birthday. I worked it out with my boss and his family, and they delivered Lily to our home when everyone was over to celebrate Nicole. Nicole was shocked to see them all standing on the porch, and when I said "happy birthday" while pointing to Lily, she responded with "Are you serious?" and ran to my arms with a huge hug. Awh!!! Very touching.
The fact that this is Nicole's dog means she needs to take care of her, so her first time ever being a pooper scooper.....
A little about LILY.....she's 4-years-old, weighs about 13 pounds, and is a mixture of Shelty, Korgi, and Pomperanian. She's completely house trained, and is so lovable. She pretty much has the run of the house, stays in the house while we're gone, and listens well. It didn't take her long to feel at home. We feel so fortunate that our paths crossed. At first, the guilt was heavy, with my feelings for Tasha, but then I realized that Lily's mommy is taking care of Tasha for us, and we're taking care of Lily for her. The weight has been lifted.
Tia Amelia's 90th Birthday
In April, we also celebrated my great-aunt's 90th birthday with my Dad's side of the family. Tia Amelia is my paternal-grandmother's youngest sister, and the older she gets, the more she looks like my grandmother. I get teary-eyed every time I see her, because she reminds me so much of Vavo. She looked so beautiful in her purple dress! Pictured here is Tia Amelia with me and my Dad, Mom, and brother Rick. On this day, my God-daughter, Michele, asked if Brandon could be in her wedding as the ring-bearer in October. I was so touched that she wanted him a part of her special day.
April 5th - Today, Nicole performed with the selected band members at Bernal in the California Musicians Educational Association (CMEA) Festival at Evergreen Valley High School. This was not a competition, but a performance that was judged and critiqued by professionals. The band sounded wonderful, thanks to their instructor, Randy Tyler, and came out with a top score of "S" (Superior) - a score the Bernal Intermediate band has only received three times in 35 years.
It was emotional for me watching Nicole sit in the second-chair (same chair I was always in back in the day), performing with "my" clarinet. It brought back so many wonderful memories, that I hope she will gain from doing this too. After the performance, the band was taken into a room where the judges met with them and told them where they need to improve....or not. Then, it was outside for a formal group picture.
It was a fun event, as all the kids rode together on a bus from Bernal to Evergreen Valley HS across town. When I got back to Bernal to wait for the bus to arrive, I was sitting there in my van with the window down, and I could hear screaming in a distance. I looked up in the sky, wondering "could that be them? Not a chance." There would be no way I could hear them that far away. A few minutes later, the bus arrived, and all the kids were screaming in excitement. I couldn't believe that I actually did hear it echo from way down the street. They were all so excited, as they should be. What a great experience!
Brandon had a soccer game today. Nicole and I had to miss it, due to her band performance, but Brandon's team came out winning 2 to 1.
April 12th - Today started out early on the soccer field with Brandon's game starting at 8:00 am. They won, 2 to 1. Mighty Tigers are looking excellent out on the soccer field. We're so proud of them! Nicole's team had a bye, which was good because we celebrated her birthday this afternoon at Silver Creek Sportsplex, a new indoor arena for soccer and fun. She had 20 girls join her in jumping around in jump houses and playing soccer.
After the party, five of her bestest friends spent the night. They had alot of fun, as I planned a Digital Scavenger Hunt at the mall. This is how it worked.....I divided the six girls in to two teams.
They picked their own team names: Chimichangas had Nicole, Jenna & Alex, and ATAALDC (stands for "Anything That Andrea And Lizzy Don't Choose") had Andrea, Lizzy & Haley. Each team was given a digital camera and they each had lists of things they had to do in ONE hour at the mall. They ALL had to be in the picture along with the item they had to find, so they had to interact with people as well. 
I waited at "headquarters" (Starbuck's), thinking neither team would finish in an hour, but, I was wrong. ATAALDC came in 10 minutes before their time was up, and the Chimichangas came in 5 minutes before their time was up. Each team had completed each task, even the bonus task worth 50 points. They had to walk and cluck like a chicken in the food court. I tallied up points when we got home, and in my eyes, both teams won! I was so proud of them all.
The girls came home and goofed around, finally getting to sleep at 1:30 am. I made them a nice breakfast the next morning......Nicole's actual birthday!April 13th - Nicole turns 13 on the thirteenth!!
Her GOLDEN birthday!
Nicole is a great kid (so far) and is easy to pamper. After a fun-filled day yesterday, today was low-key. After her friends left, we cleaned to get ready for family coming over for cake. Nicole's biggest surprise of the day was.....a new dog.....LILY
.The opportunity to get this adorable dog came to us, and it was a hard decision to make, being we just lost Tasha a month ago. Lily belonged to my bosses mother-in-law, and she passed away in early February, leaving the dog without a home. My boss already has six animals, so he couldn't keep her. It just so happened that he asked me to feed the animals while he and his family were away, and I got to know Lily briefly, falling in love with her almost instantly. I made the mistake of taking Nicole with me one night, and she too, fell in love with her. Who wouldn't? We told Nicole that we probably wouldn't get her, because we needed a break from animals, when, all the time, in my heart I was going to surprise her for her birthday. I worked it out with my boss and his family, and they delivered Lily to our home when everyone was over to celebrate Nicole. Nicole was shocked to see them all standing on the porch, and when I said "happy birthday" while pointing to Lily, she responded with "Are you serious?" and ran to my arms with a huge hug. Awh!!! Very touching.
The fact that this is Nicole's dog means she needs to take care of her, so her first time ever being a pooper scooper.....A little about LILY.....she's 4-years-old, weighs about 13 pounds, and is a mixture of Shelty, Korgi, and Pomperanian. She's completely house trained, and is so lovable. She pretty much has the run of the house, stays in the house while we're gone, and listens well. It didn't take her long to feel at home. We feel so fortunate that our paths crossed. At first, the guilt was heavy, with my feelings for Tasha, but then I realized that Lily's mommy is taking care of Tasha for us, and we're taking care of Lily for her. The weight has been lifted.
Tia Amelia's 90th BirthdayIn April, we also celebrated my great-aunt's 90th birthday with my Dad's side of the family. Tia Amelia is my paternal-grandmother's youngest sister, and the older she gets, the more she looks like my grandmother. I get teary-eyed every time I see her, because she reminds me so much of Vavo. She looked so beautiful in her purple dress! Pictured here is Tia Amelia with me and my Dad, Mom, and brother Rick. On this day, my God-daughter, Michele, asked if Brandon could be in her wedding as the ring-bearer in October. I was so touched that she wanted him a part of her special day.
