life, and a little more

Summertime

Jun 04

metalman777Life, family summer No Comments

Well, it sure has been a while since I’ve written any original posts, non Lost related!

Today is the last day of school for my kids.  I’m so proud of them all!  Starting next August I’ll officially have a Junior in high school, an 8th grader and a 6th grader!   Good bye elementary school.

I’m sure this summer will include lots of sleeping, swimming and Playstation 3.  My goal is to beat Nate and Hannah at least once in Call of Duty!!

Up next month is my second half marathon in San Francisco.  I’m really looking forward to participating in that.  Running over the Golden Gate Bridge? I’m in!  And to get to do that as the sun is rising up over the mountains!  Can you say breath taking?

I have lots of yard work to do, but I’m not sure I want to dwell on that!

My Kids Are Grade-A Awesome!

Jan 20

metalman777family report cards No Comments

We just received all three kids report cards this week and am so very, very proud of them!!

Nathan’s Report card (click to the above picture to enlarge!)  He has worked so hard and I hate to say it but we’ve battled more than once over homework.

Bekah has also worked so hard to earn these grades!  I think she is on her way to beat her big sister when she graduates 8th grade next year!

Hannah has had so much homework this year it isn’t even funny!  Yet she trudges through it all and gets these grades in AP classes!  She must get her brains from her mom!

I just wanted to publicly pat my kids on the back for all their hard work and let them know how proud I am of them!

MMX, part 2

Dec 31

metalman777Life, family 2010, looking ahead No Comments

In MMX, part 1, I looked back on 2009 and reminisced on the good times I had with my family.

Part 2 looks ahead at the coming 2010 year. I don’t plan to make resolutions, but instead want I want to write about a few things that I’m quite looking forward to this year!

1. My middle daughter turning the big 13 in March! She is so excited to finally get a cell phone! Now I’ll have two teenagers! God save me! (just kidding, as my Bekah is an awesome girl and I love her very, very much!)
2. Running my first Half-Marathon in April. It will be in Santa Cruz, running alongside the ocean. How awesome is that?
3. Summer break with the kids. We’re gonna try to do a cheap Disneyland trip; the kids are finally old enough to ride ALL the rides. Just no “It’s A Small World” for me please.
4. Celebrating anniversary number 17 with Cindy. I honestly can’t believe it’s been that long! I’m grateful for every day!
5. Getting the kids back in school. We’ll have a Junior, 8th Grader and a 6th Grader. 3 kids in 2 different schools instead of three. That’ll be nice for Cindy!
6. Finally getting out of debt. I’m working my butt off right now and we should be debt free by next fall. That is a major burden off my shoulders.
7. Hannah turning 16 and getting her driver’s license. Yes, I’m nervous as heck, but at the same time I’m super excited for her. I definitely feel more gray hair sprouting even as I type this.

2010 is going to be an awesome year. I can just feel it.

MMX, part 1

Dec 30

metalman777Life, family 2010, looking ahead No Comments

This time of year is usually spent doing two things.

People look back at the past year and reflect if it was a good or bad. A few sum up the best of the year in top 10 lists, as I have done with my best music of 2009 playlist.

After looking back, those same people usually cast a glance at the year to come and make a list of resolutions they plan to keep. I did this very thing last year.

My resolutions for were:
That said, here are those goals for 2009:

1. Follow Jesus where ever He takes me.

2. Get healthy and drop some pounds.

3. Make family a priority.

4. Definitely read more and watch less movies.

5. Pick up the bass guitar and learn some sweet bass lines.

6. Buy Guitar Hero Metallica the minute it comes out!

I have to say I actually made some headway this year and did accomplish most everything on the list.

1. Follow Jesus where ever He takes me? I’ll be honest and say it has been a tad uncomfortable at times. Not in the martyr, follow-Jesus-to-the-death way, but in the shedding some more of my religious, dogmatic underpinnings and not-wanting-to-be-part-of-the-churchy-do-it-like-this-because-we’ve-always-done-it-like-this way. I love Jesus more than ever and am so grateful to see Him in new ways. He is my shepherd and leader, and no one else.

2. I started running in June and have lost almost 20 pounds! [in my best Austin Powers impersonation] Yeah baby!

3. Family is the priority. It is tough because I’ve been working so much overtime to get out of debt that I feel as though I’m neglecting them at times. It helps to know this is a temporary thing and soon I’ll have time to be with them AND have money to take ‘em on a nice vacation!

4. Read some great books and watched a lot of great movies.

5. I borrowed a bass guitar and took a few lessons, but it just didn’t fit into my schedule. But I tried!

6. Guitar Hero Metallica is awesome and a blast to play. I just hate being crushed by my 15 year old daughter. Seriously, she can beat my by 100,000 points and she’s playing on expert!

The Best Day (Happy 16 Years Cindy!)

Jul 24

metalman777Life, family anniversary, marriage 1 Comment

Sixteen years ago today was one of the best days of my life.  I got married.

I was but twenty years old, Cindy eighteen.  We were a young couple in love, bound and determined to make our relationship work.  Too young to know what we were signing up for, truthfully.

I remember our wedding day…the giddy anticipation of it all -  waking up early, helping decorate the reception hall, bumbling around most of the day quite useless.  Finally the moment arrived.  There was my bride walking down the aisle.  My breath still catches when I think about it!   With two blinks of an eye, the ceremony was over and we were on our way to the reception to party until the wee hours of the night.  Did I say party?  We couldn’t get even drink  a toast of champagne as we were under the legal drinking age!

Two more blinks of an eye and now it is sixteen years later.   Where have all the years gone?  There are so many sweet memories: the birth of our three awesome kids, going on family vacations, late night chats, lots of swimming and bar-b-q’s, and Cindy always there with a smile.

I can see why God compares our relationship with Him to marriage.  It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it!  When He talked of the two becoming one, He was talking about one of the greatest miracles in the known world.  Learning to serve and relinquish wants and supposed needs for Cindy and my kids has been a beautiful (sometimes very difficult) lesson to learn.  Seeing her serve me and give up her rights and wants for the betterment of our family has taught me much too.

These sixteen years have been full of ups and downs, but they have been the best sixteen years of my life.  Thanks Cindy, for saying “I do”.  You’ve made me a richer and better man for it.

Bekah's Piano Recital

May 18

metalman777family, music, videos family 1 Comment

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWCAHC73SX0]

Nathan's Columbia State Park Field Trip

May 11

metalman777family, pictures columbia state park, family, field trip No Comments

[slideshow id=3098476543648417117&w=426&h=320]

To see the full resolution pictures, click here to go to my SmugMug page!

Easter 2009 Slideshow

Apr 12

metalman777family, pictures easter, family, kids, slideshow No Comments

[slideshow id=3098476543646035966&w=426&h=320]

We had a great Easter.  To see the above pictures in full resolution, check out my Smugmug gallery here.

My Future Hall of Famer

Apr 07

metalman777family 2009, baseball, nathan 1 Comment

Today should be a national holiday.  Today is Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants!  Here’s hoping they have a great season this year.

To help get you in the mood for Opening Day, I’d like to share some pictures and video from my future Hall of Famer, Nathan Latronica!  He played his second game of the season last night and had a great game.  He got to steal home and slide to evade the catcher and he got to be the relief pitcher (his first outing)

[slideshow id=3098476543645491216&w=426&h=320]
Here are some pics from the game.  Most are good, some are blurry, so you’ll just have to deal with it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEWXSN3_P8A]
Here is Nate’s very first time pitching.  He did very well.  Not the fastest, but he made ‘em hit and ground out or he made ‘em swing and strike out.

My Kids

Apr 05

metalman777Life, family family, kids No Comments

I love my kids.  Let’s get that straight right now.  They know how much Cindy and I love ‘em, but today I was filled with gratitude out how much they love EACH OTHER.

We had a busy Sunday.  My In-Laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary (huge props to them!) and Hannah had a birthday party to attend.  Cindy was at AT&T Park watching the Giants play ball and I got to be the chauffeur hauling kids around.  After all was said and done, we all got home around 6pm and were all pretty tired.

In spite of that, my three kids, ages 14, 12, and 10 all decided to outside and play jump rope together.  Nothing earth shattering or mind blowing, but it made me so darn proud of ‘em.  I love the fact that they get along (for the most part!)  Of course there are the mandatory sibling bickerings, but they actually enjoy each other’s company.

God has done a good work here….and I’m glad he has let me be a part of it!