Hockey!!

It was time for some ECHL hockey last night. Our Arena was packed as the NHL was still locked out until late last night.  Our Ontario Reign played a very good and hard game and pulled out the win after a 9 round shoot-out. Wow!! 

There were a couple of scuffles, but the main fight was definitely the highlight. Our player, #9 - Cloud, threw down his gloves and grappled. Unfortunately, the Alaska player wasn't enjoying the beating too much and he started whining to the refs and preventing any further punches, so Cloud head-butted him instead. That earned a 5-minute Game Misconduct but it was awesome to see! Of course, this shows very clearly that I love violence in my sports, but wasn't that the entire point of hockey??

Ken and I learned that his eldest son, Sean, was in attendance at the game as well with his fraternity.We decided that we would take him out to supper after the game, which included an extra wait for a table and the time to take him home, but it was fun. Ken loves being able to see his boys, and I didn't mind some extra time out.

I was also able to meet the younger brother of a guy I went to high school with - Kevin Collins - who advertises himself as the "younger and cuter brother" of Chris Collins.  Haha!! It is always fun to meet people who grew up in my hometown area, and especially those who share similar interests.

Our after hockey meal was at the Yard House in Victoria Gardens. We had one hell of a wait, but it was fun to hang out with Sean. Sadly, Ken offered for me to drive home, so they got half-yard beers:

which made me have to settle for a pint:

Ugh!! I was very impressed that I was able to get Warsteiner Dunkel on tap. Very, very cool!!  We enjoyed our meal and the sense of family time and then got Sean home.

Ken and I didn't return home until after midnight. I was exhausted, but it was a great evening!!

Saturday

What a great Saturday it was!! For the first time this semester, I wasn't stressed about working. I finished all of my work to date and got everything I knew about done before the CASEMIS review. December 1 pupil count sucks for Special Ed teachers, and this was even worse than usual. The State is due to return in a couple weeks, so that has added pressure, and the inability to access certain IEP systems created a huge backlog. So, to celebrate the fact that this was the first weekend I did not have to work in 3 months, I did nothing but stitch this morning. I'm working on three sets of the wine charms: two sets for some co-workers and a set for us at home. I have two of the four charms completed and they are really cute.

For the evening, Ken and I had tickets for hockey. Thankfully, Ken did not get sick on the way down this time, and we were able to enjoy the game. Sadly, the Ontario Reign lost in overtime, but it was still a good game.

Having a quiet weekend has been long overdue and sorely missed. We have all been enjoying it as much as possible!

Another Busy Weekend

Once again, Ken and I found ourselves with a hectic weekend schedule. Ken had a dental appointment Friday that went incredibly long, so not only was he miserable from the work they did in his mouth, but then he hit the Friday night traffic trying to get home. Yuck!! I had the girls losing their minds at home. It was the end of their Fall Break, and they were getting very bored. Unfortunately, Mandy and Jordan were obligated for Cross Country, so we didn't plan any trips away giving them too much time on their hands.

Friday night, the girls found themselves in some major trouble. Mandy had thrown a dictionary at Jordan and it fattened her lip pretty good. Because of it, she lost the ability to spend the weekend with her BFF, Kiley, which was to include a day at Knott's Scary Farm. I was so upset Friday - I cannot stand when the girls fight and that they fight at all. Working this week was difficult because the weather was cold and nasty which prevented them from playing outside, and again, with too much time on their hands, they go nuts.

It was really nice to see Taylor and Jordan getting along for a change. We banished Mandy to her room - by herself - for the night. It was the absolute worst torture for her since she can't stand being alone. In the mean time, Taylor and Jordan had a blast and even Addie enjoyed being out in the midst of the fun. Apparently, when the sofa cushions are down on the ground, they are her bed.

Thankfully, Gallagher came over for the evening and helped us to enjoy a cigar and some wine. It was nice to be reminded that I wasn't a shitty parent. I hated taking away Mandy's fun with her friend, especially since they don't get to see each other every often, but there had to be a consequence especially since she had been instigating all week. I hate that she loves to cause drama.  Ugh!! So, after some wine and a great Montecristo, I was starting to relax. 

And then we got the ghetto copter flying overhead with the spotlight going on. Really?? I hate that thing. I hate what it represents and that's even necessary in our town now. It's become a nightly event which makes me hate it even more. Because of how close it was, Ken and I didn't take any chances especially with the home invasions that have been going on in our neighborhood lately.

Nothing like a SigSauer to accompany your wine for the evening! Luckily, there was no drama, but it's good to know that we were prepared in any event.

By Saturday night, I was very excited to have a date night with Ken. We are fortunate because we already purchased our half-season tickets for the Ontario Reign. The NHL locked out, and ticket sales suddenly spiked for the ECHL. We were so very excited for the opening game.  We have been missing our hockey and could not believe it was finally here!!  We enjoyed ourselves as they added the new Pacific Division Champion banner and introduced this year's roster, and then I lost it laughing at the goalie's name for the Stockton Thunder:

Bunz?? Really?? The poor guy has been going through life with this name! HAHAHAHAHA!! 

Our tickets aren't in the kill zone as they were last year - we're more behind the net, but we are still in a pretty good position to see everything. A buddy of ours, Kenny Owens, got the two seats next to us, so we had an even better time AND, it was topped off because the people on the other side of us were friendly and fun! This season is going to ROCK!! Well, it will be much better if we can actually win a game since the Reign lost their opening game in a shut-out 0-4. We had some great fights and even a Ref took a punch in the face which is always awesome!! The loss was painful, but we survived it.

Ken and I got home very late and we had one or two more beers at the game than normal which made it a more difficult ride home - it seems much longer than normal when you really just want to crawl into bed.

And then, the alarm went off early on Sunday. One of my oldest and dearest friend, Cyn Racatain's daughter, Leena, turned 8 today. We managed to crawl out of bed and get on the road in time to get to the house for the surprise party. Sadly, I had no idea that some idiot planned to shut down two lanes of the 605 Southbound. So, we barely managed to make it on time, but I not only got Leena's surprised face for her party, but I even had time to get dressed up and ready beforehand! I love a good costume party, and the 50's Sock Hop was totally fun!! I have over 300 images to go through and clean up for Cyn, but I pulled these few to start.  

 OH MY FREAKING GOD!! Daniel's faces in these are completely priceless!! Cyn said she's definitely going to take one of these as her Christmas Card this year.  I can't wait to see it! 

When I can get them all done, I will have fun posting the rest of the pictures of our event.

We made it home and managed to pull off supper for the girls and scooted them into bed.  They return to school tomorrow (YAY!!) and things will return to as normal as they get in our house.

The damn frog & Hockey

Friday night, I tried to pass the time without Ken by stitching.  I'm not making great progress on Jordan's fairy, and then I made less progress because I discovered that I didn't leave two rows for beads.  Ugh!!  More frogging!  So, I ripped out the stitches, and all I could think about was the picture of the frog that is normally included on the stitching site when people have to frog.

Yep, that little fucker was just getting me Friday night.  I was able to get the dress done again - in the correct location this time, and then I was finally able to get some sleep.  When I looked at how much floss I had ripped out, I was not pleased.  Ugh!

Ken returned home on Saturday afternoon.  Yay!!!  I pulled rank again with Jordan (I'm the Mama and wife, so she had to wait to say hello to Daddy until after I did), and it was amazing that I could breathe again!  


It was easy to see that the guys were exhausted from their amazingly fun Vegas trip.  Ken managed to get ready for the hockey game, but he insisted that I drive because he just couldn't.


The game was great!  It was the last game of the regular season, and despite their rocky start - our Ontario Reign took 1st for the Division.  They even ended on a win; 6 - 1 over Alaska.  Ken and I had a great time, and we were so sorry to see it was the last game, but we were ever grateful to have been able to do this.

For the last picture, Ken decided to be silly.  I guess he thought that I would ask to retake the picture, but nah! I think this one is great!!


As we left home, the weather had started to get nasty.  The wind was bad, and it was difficult to hold the car in the lanes on the way down, but as we left the Arena to head home, we found it was worse.  It was raining, and it was the first rain for a while, so the roads were nasty.  Then there's the fact that Californians cannot drive in the rain. Ugh.  There was a nasty car accident that happened not too far in front of us.  I knew there was a problem when I saw headlights on our side of the freeway.  I slowed down, and was amazed that there wasn't a pile-up.  One car was spinning and came to rest perpendicular to the lanes, and another car had finished spinning and managed to get to the shoulder.  We called 911 to report the accident, but I was far more careful driving the rest of the way home.  Luckily, the rain was contained below the Pass, but the wind was still bad.

Weekend fun

Ken and I found ourselves back at the school on Friday for the lunch program the school is sponsoring.  It was for the 5th grade class, and Mandy was excited that we were there.  Despite my completing the form that we would be there, she was still looking around worried until she spotted us.  


We took her favorite meal: Jack in the Box grilled cheese sandwich and strawberry pop.  I forgot to get the apple slices rather than the french fries, but she was happy with it.  Of course, I think Mandy was more happy that we were there than anything.

I kept trying to put my sandwich in front of Mandy's face, but she was able to pull my arm out of the way.  Ha!

Saturday, the girls and I went to get our hair trimmed while Ken and Justin got the yards cleaned up.   The weeds were getting out of control, so it's nice to have the yards clean.  Of course, we had to pay Justin to get his help.  He wants nothing to do with his father or me - we have rules in our house, and he hates rules.  What was worse was watching him drive the girlfriend's car away when he left.  Um, Justin does not even have a learner's permit. So much for his claim to be responsible.


Then, it was time for Hockey.  Ken and I only have one more game to go now, and it was a real bummer that our Reign lost to Las Vegas last night.  Ken was lamenting the fact that he did not wear his thermals at the game - he was freezing!

This morning, Addie got a new bone.  The thing is huge, and it only took an hour for her to gnaw it down to just one knot.  

Welcome in March

March finally rolled around, but it's still the weirdest weather.  The winds have started again, but we never know if it's going to be warm or cold.  I enjoyed changing out the decorations in the house to get ready for Spring, and my March centerpiece is for St. Patrick's Day - especially with the party we're planning.

Friday morning, I went to the Club with Ken.  There is a crazy group of guys that to out on Friday mornings, and there's usually some interesting firearms to play with.  Unfortunately, this particular morning found it windy and very cold.  I tested out the new bushing on my 3904, and once I could say yes, Smith did a great job fixing it, I was done.  I should have worn a larger jacket and purchased gloves for this morning's shoot.  Even the men were complaining about the cold, and everyone was done by 10 am rather than the 2 or 3 pm that they normally last.  

Tim, Jeff, Bruce, and all of the guys are truly great.  Ken loves hanging out with them, and getting to try new things and learning about smithing or other loads to try.  I love that they welcome me as the lone woman to their get-together with no problems, and they didn't mind when I totally weenied out due to the cold.  

Later Friday night, Ken and I joined up with Matt Marcellus and his son, Chris, to attend a hockey game in Ontario.  It is not normal for us to go on a Friday, but we bought these tickets separate from our package so we could go with friends.  

Ken and I know Matt from the Gun Club, and he is as crazy as we are. Matt is also a former Marine which gave him and Ken a lot to talk about at first, and then I met Matt at a Women on Target, and Matt helps at almost all of the Women's events.  He's a great guy and a huge teddy bear.  He is also bribing Ken with Bourbon to be the new #1 on "The List."

We had a great time being goofy and enjoying ourselves, but the game was also truly great.  The Ontario Reign kicked Utah's ass 8 - 3. We were in the stands complaining about their slow skating and lack of passing abilities, but they were able to get some amazing goals scored during the game.  On goals # 3, the announcer was half way through with giving the stats on who shot the goal and who made the assist when there was another goal scored.  It was fast paced like that throughout the game, and we left not only having enjoyed hockey with friends, but hoarse from screaming our heads off.  The game lacked any real fighting, but it was still a great game nonetheless.

Because Hooters was giving 5 free wings with ticket stubs, we went to Hooters after the game. Poor Chris was very quiet for most of the night.  I kept telling Ken and Matt that I was afraid I was going to put the kid into therapy.  He kept laughing at Ken and my sparring verbal sarcasm throughout the night which was great, but he did not speak unless you asked him a direct question.  I'm so used to the girls who just won't shut up - it was very different for me to be around a quiet guy.

Saturday afternoon, I went to the house of a former parent who started a jewelry making business.  

Cowgirl Dreams n Horse Bling

Ramona always puts some some really great necklaces that she makes, but I never saw anything that was "me."  I love her talent and her ability to create some great pieces, but everything was always too "blingy" or to cowgirlish, and I'm definitely a beach chick.  However, I saw this piece and LOVED it!  I sent her a message, and told her I really liked it even though she had posted that it sold.  She immediately got back to me that she would create another one similar but still original.  The length was 17" which I felt would be to short for me, so I asked for longer.

I got a piece that was custom-made for me.  Ramona remembered that I wasn't too flashy, so she changed out the separators and made them more plain for me yet still elegant.  The above picture is what I liked.  What follows is the necklace that I actually purchased.

The charms on the end of the necklace rest right at the top of my cleavage.  I am thinking of having the necklace shortened so I can wear it more often and have it shown off completely, but I kinda liked that someone has to get right on it to see everything.  

There are roses between the stones and the all-around flowers towards the top.  Ermanno and his wife Barbara came over for supper and poker Saturday night, and Barbara even commented on the necklace (Ermanno liked it because of there it laid).  It didn't irritate my neck, which I was afraid it would do, and it really set off the outfit that I was wearing.  Again, having something this large and what I would normally say as "garish" is not typically me, but I really enjoyed making the purchase.  I'm going to try it with some different outfits and see what I will do with it - leave it the length it is or have it shortened.

The rest of the evening, as I said, was spent with our friends.  Ken worked on Ermanno's pistol while Barbara got a little toasted and we chatted.  I hadn't seen either of them in a really long time, so it was great to hangout with them again.  After supper, we enjoyed some poker and had a great, goofy, insane time.  We suddenly realized that it was 11 pm, and with the Quail Forever Trap Shoot, we had to send the De Grassi's home for some rest.


I fell asleep immediately upon getting into bed.  Apparently, being out in the cold all day Friday had an impact, and now I have a small cold.  I'm not thrilled about this at all, and I'm hoping to feel better soon because I have so many things I need to get done this week - work is stepping up in the amount of reports that I need to write, and we have Big Bear the following week while the girls are on Spring Break.  I'm not sure how I'm going to get everything done ahead of time, but I'll have to work my ass off this week to make sure I can have fun the following week.

Hockey and sick child

We had Date Night at the hockey game.  The Reign won the last time we were there, and they started out very strong.  We were up 4 - 1, and it appeared that the Reign were going to stay strong into the 3rd period which is very odd for them.  There were a few nice fights as tempers were raging.  A couple of players from the Colorado Eagles were rather rude and would take pot-shots when the Ref wasn't looking.  In the 3rd period, the Eagles #44 came into a fight while one of our players was being held by a Linesman, and clocked him from behind.  The other linesman held on to #44 and they went down to the ice, and without looking first, #44 took a shot and then later realized it was the Linesman.  This same player had started the disturbance for Boarding one of our players and then running before our guy could hit.  Luckily,  their #44 got 5 minutes for Boarding and then 10 minutes for misconduct.  Our Reign took the game 4-2.


During one of the Intermissions, I figured I would take a picture of me and Ken at our seats for our book.  Ken, being Ken, grabbed my boob while I was taking the picture resulting in a fuzzy and off-center photo.

Rather than going out for wings after the game as is customary, we ordered a to-go order from Buffalo Wild Wings and took the wings home.  I wasn't feeling well, so Ken was forced to eat all of the wings by himself.  


Jordan wasn't feeling well either.  Apparently, she went without supper because her stomach hurt, and she had thrown up right before we got home.  I made sure she got some water into her stomach and then got her set up on the couch to sleep.  I remember the phenomenon of the couch making you feel better when you were sick - I don't understand it, but it is true nonetheless.  


Within a few minutes of Jordan being covered in blankets and getting a kiss goodnight with the customary bowl next to her "just in case," I went back into the living room and saw Jordan sleeping (she was apparently more tired than she thought and she crashed out hard immediately), but I noticed HOW she was sleeping!  


There is absolutely NO doubt in my mind or heart that these girls were meant to be Ken's daughters, but especially Jordan.  Ever since Jordan was a small baby, she does this full body shake thing in the mornings when she wakes up.  It's beyond just a morning stretch and it always cracked me up.  I had never seen anyone do that before.  Then, I met Ken and HE does that every morning!  Tonight, I witnessed the other major evidence that Jordan is truly Ken's daughter.  She sleeps with one foot out from under the blankets.

There it is!  Just peeking out from under the blanket.  Since Jordan has been in her own room and I didn't feel the need to check on her every night, I hadn't noticed if she still did this or not.  Here it is!  Jordan always had to kick one foot out from under the blankets no matter how cold it is.  Ken is the same way. The man canNOT have his feet secured under the blankets.  If he can't get just one foot out - not both, just one - then he can't sleep.  Jordan has taken on Ken's mannerisms, of course, but these are things that we never knew about and yet she always did them.  I also expected the girls to start looking like Ken, which they do.  People always say it's hard to tell if they look like me or Ken more which is incredibly flattering, but Jordan more so than the other two.  


As soon as I saw her little foot, I called Ken over so he could see.  As soon as he noticed her foot, he started laughing, and then it completely hit him.  He even said it on his own, "She was always supposed to be mine!"  


I went to bed happy and my heart full.  It was a simple night: just a hockey date and then sick child at home, but I curled up next to Ken knowing that this is where I was meant to be. There is nothing better than knowing you're 'Home' and understanding that this was the Plan all along.  I have never experienced this in my entire life before Ken which makes me appreciate him all the more.  

Ontario Reign

Ontario, CA is home to the Reign - our ECHL hockey team. Ken and I have been going to their games since their inaugural season (minus the year during his treatment). This year, we got 1/2 season passes without the girls, and we have had a great time.

For the games we attended so far, the Reign did not win. We had a great time, there were awesome fights, but we never won. Last night, not only was there amazing fights, but we actually won!!!


I love the ECHL games! These are guys still trying to prove themselves, and the Arena is small enough that our tickets are close to the glass for $23 a piece. I have been really bad about taking pictures of us at the games, so I finally got one.  


We have had a great time at the games, and are looking forward to the next one in January.

Hockey weekend!

Taylor decided to stay home with Ken and me this past weekend rather than going with her father.  Ken and I had to scramble in order to get our tickets changed, but thank goodness that Mike is amazing at the Reign offices. 


We missed the alumni game, but we made it just in time to see the Reign play (I was bummed about missing the moment of seeing Marty McSorely again on the ice, but I totally understood that we couldn't leave Addie all day by herself.)  I did manage to see Marty when he was signing autographs and taking pictures.  Mine came out fuzzy as I didn't want to rush down there.

Taylor was excited about the game as was I.  She cracked me up by screaming during the entire game and wishing for a fight.  She has not forgotten about the tooth and blood on the ice last month.  

It was time to turn the jersey over to someone else, and Taylor loved it and the story behind it.

The game was really good.  The score stayed close throughout the game, and at one point, Ken and I were sure that the Reign were going to choke and lose, but they pulled the game out and won!  Taylor was completely excited about the win, and she couldn't stop talking about it.


We went to Carl's Jr. rather than our usual Hooter's for the aftergame fun, and then we headed home since we were heading right back down to Ontario the following day.


Sunday was the Reign Fan Appreciation Day.  As we only have 1/2 season tickets, we did not get the pretty glasses and other really cool things as appreciation, but we did get a free lunch, the chance to ice skate on the actual arena ice, and we were able to meet the players.  Sadly, we did not have it in our budget to buy something for Taylor to get autographed, so we just walked around and she was able to see everything.  Ken and I know to plan ahead for next season.

I was surprised that I could remember how to skate, and no, I did not fall.  Close a couple times, but no actual falling

Taylor really wanted to skate, but she was so afraid of falling that she did not enjoy herself much

Ken did not participate, so he was in charge of taking pictures.

Kinda cool to see it from this vantage point

And Taylor finally let go of the rails!

Ken met a guy at Ammo Bros to do a transfer and then headed home.  We were able to get some rest before picking up the other two girls, and we managed to get everyone into bed at a reasonable time given the Time Change was killing us all.  On a side note, why do we have to have the time change?  Why not just always keep it at Daylight Savings Time?  I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get used to the change, but the girls are not having it.