2008 Revisited

I plan to send this off to you in the mail - a New Year's Letter. However, in the event that you don't end up on the mailing list or, much more likely, that we never get around to it, here is a pre-screening: (Video and most pictures not included in snail mail letter.)

Hello Friends & Family and Everyone-In-Between!

Here’s hoping that you had a magnificent Christmas and that your New Year is already brimming with hopes and dreams come true. I guess I should point out, first-off, that this is not a Christmas letter. Today is the day after Christmas, and, having been inspired by the influx of Christmas letters that annually arrive on December 26th, I am going to write you a letter that details all of the Valadez family’s comings and goings during 2008.

This year has been one of the more interesting. Valadez life has had its ups and downs and has proved that our family is a lot of things – but never boring.

In February, Mom went to Phoenix, AZ to be with her mother and sisters during the funeral of her grandmother. She had barely returned when she was off to Merida, Mexico (yes, Mexico!) for a USANA Convention with Raymond’s mom, Mary Helen, and friends Veronica and (Mexico resident) Aurora. They came back inspired, and life went on here in Texas until Raymond and Suzy’s 20th wedding anniversary in July. To celebrate, they spent a blissful week in Cozumel, Mexico (yes, Mexico – again!) full of snorkeling, beaches, shopping, Spanish, and blue Caribbean water.

They were back for less than a month, and then we all trekked down to Corpus Christi thanks to Raymond’s job-sponsored family vacation. We spent hours in the surf, got covered in sand, and splashed in the biggest swimming pool in Texas. Fun! Three weeks after that, Raymond and Suzy spent several days in Utah at USANA’s International Convention; their return resulted in an enormous jumpstart for our home-based business. Then, in October, we were all glad to have Grandpa Sims (Suzy’s dad) come down for a weekend to hang out and watch one of Samuel’s football games.

Raymond still works at QuarryTech, a company that surveys and inventories the rock piles of quarries, although he is rapidly working towards financial freedom and the end of a traditional job. He still plays guitar, and he occasionally plays at church, helping to lead worship. He is currently reading a book by the famous Dale Carnegie, and he is appreciating the challenge set forth there.

Suzy is kept busy homeschooling Samuel and myself and “driving people everywhere.” She faithfully devotes herself to housekeeping, as well as finding time to promote USANA’s scientifically-based skin-care. We’ve had a lot of fun preparing for the parties, and the one I attended was full of laughter and giggles.

Samuel is now ten years old, in 5th grade, and in three sports. As the year turned this past January, he was a vital member of the 3rd and 4th grade basketball team that ended up as league champions – undefeated in regular season! He then went on to Little League baseball, where he played in the Minors division and made the all-star team. This was his first year to be allowed to pitch, and he picked it up with astonishing speed. He even pitched in the all-star games!

There were a few weeks off in the summer, and then we were on to football, where his team went undefeated in regular season games and then went to the championship game! He played starting outside linebacker and starting wingback. There were several amazing catches that he made and ran in for touchdowns! He’s opted for a break this winter, instead of playing basketball, but we’ll definitely be back in the swing of things for baseball in the spring.

He also enjoys spending time with his best friend, Sawyer; they are at each other’s houses quite frequently. In his spare time, he likes to play with Hot Wheels cars, guns (especially AirSoft ones), action figures, and the PlayStation 2. During his 4th grade year, he joined me as a charter member on the Fancy Feathers 4-H Club board. We helped educate the local community about raising chickens for egg-laying and fun. We also entered items in the show; three of my photographs got a blue ribbon, and one got red. Samuel’s drawing got a red ribbon. And in the spring, we both took standardized testing in New Braunfels.

I am now seventeen years old and in my senior year of high school. During the spring, I took English Composition I and Trigonometry at the local community college, gaining college credits and high school credits during the same time. During the summer, I took U. S. History I, and I just finished Pre-Calculus and English Composition II. This fall, I also took ice skating lessons and am currently at the level of Basic 4 (out of 8). I’m not sure that I’ll return in the Spring; the rink is an hour away, so there is little chance to practice.

I also work at our church on the technology team, putting words on the screens for Sunday worship and assisting in specific projects, like Easter, funerals, and the National Day of Prayer. In addition to that, I do filming on the side with our V Productions business: I filmed Samuel’s basketball season, as well as this past football season and some other minor projects for friends. Singing brings me joy; I performed with the Wimberley Community Chorus for their Christmas concert, like I did last year, as well as singing three times at the Emily Ann Theatre (our local trail of lights) with friends from past theatre performances.

In my free time, I like to write stories and play around on my photo editing program. I spend a lot of time, most of it on the phone, with a friend from San Antonio that I met when I performed in Fiddler on the Roof in 2006. As for the future, I am planning on taking a year off while I pursue a residual income. There are several colleges that have piqued my interest, all nearby, and many, many majors that excite me. For now, I try my best to keep the blog updated, which brings me to the many ways you can stay in touch with our ever-active family!

Besides calling, writing, or emailing us (get all that info by emailing me here), this blog is a good way to keep up with us: valadezhome.blogspot.com. Also, the best way to see what we're up to would - at this point in time - be through facebook (search for a full name), or click on the links on the left-hand column of this page.

Have a wonderful, Jesus-filled 2009!! I wish you health, wealth, and wisdom!! The 12 chickens (11 hens + Solomon), 2 dogs (Little Phil and Yapper), 2 fish (Chance and Craig), 2 snails (nameless), 2 cats (Purry and Zidgel), 1 sheep (Nancy Drew), 1 donkey (Donkey Hotee), and 1 turtle (Speed Shell II) all wish you well. Love, Melody

Christmas Greetings

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!


From our family to yours - Merry Christmas!
May you be filled with peace, love, happiness, and grace as we celebrate one of the most important moments in world history: God becoming flesh.

~m

What's Up?

Well, football-wise I'm going to have a highlight reel of Samuel's up on here before the year is out. :)

I finished my 2nd month of ice skating and am still in Basic 4 of 8 levels. School is out next week; I'm so excited. There is one more test in precalculus; it counts for about 25% of my final grade. I've already accomplished a "C" in English Composition II and am waiting for the result on my B-paper. If it is accepted, I'll go on to try for an A.

And, well, this is a little bit late, but CHOIR IS THIS WEEKEND! We've been practicing since September, and this a FREE performance that you don't want to miss:

WCC Christmas Concert!!!Beautiful Voices - Beautiful Songs

Location: Wimberley Presbyterian Church
Street: FM 2325
City/Town: Wimberley, TX

Come hear a symphony of beautiful voices performing Christmas at its best! Hear well-known songs, and some new soon-to-be favorites. The first time I heard the Wimberley Community Choir, I was so impressed at their professional sound, and I can promise you that you won't be disappointed this Christmas.

Cost: FREE, FREE, FREE!

Dates/Times:Friday, December 5: 7 pm
Saturday, December 6: 7 pm
Sunday, December 7: 3 pm

The concerts last NO LONGER than an hour and a half!

Directions: The Presbyterian Church is across the street from the Dollar General and the High School. If you need better directions, I can get you them. (BTW, GOOGLE MAPS is COMPLETELY wrong with the location. The church is on FM 2325, for starters...)So: come one, come all! And bring a friend! All ages are invited...

So, that's lots of text! Let us know if you need directions etc... here.

Much love,
Melody

PlayOff WIN!!!

Last week, we beat Marble Falls-Black in the first playoff game. Yesterday, we beat Dripping Springs-White. This team was not an unknown team to us. We had played them in our very first game – and lost. However, that game was counted as an exhibition game, so it went on neither team’s record. And then we had the chance to meet again.

Energy was high. Parents and families, not only of our team, but also of the Pee-Wee Texans (who played before us) and the Varsity Texans (who played after us), crowded onto the stands after cheering the players through breaking the banner. We sat, anticipatory and tense, and waited for the game to begin.

During the first quarter, there was no score for either team.

During the second quarter, Mat broke away and made a touchdown! We also succeeded with the extra point.

The third and fourth quarters were a battle like none other. A rousing cheer should be given to our defense, who gave it their all every play. We won the game, with bumps and bruises and plenty of soreness today.

After the game, both teams (and parents) met at the center of the field. The Tigers (Dripping Springs) were given the second place trophy, because this was, in fact, the District Championship game. And then our team was given the first place trophy, amidst much cheering.

As our coach said in the post-game, post-trophy speech: “A perfect game, by a perfect team.”

Thus it is that we are on to the Superbowl next Saturday to play the winner of the South Division: Bulverde. The game will be in Boerne, and we invite you all to come! Stay turned for times...

~m~

How this works 1

Just a quick note to say that Mom (Suzy) does NOT send you an email every time I post something on the blog. I don't even always alert her when I've posted. There is only one for-sure way to know when the blog has been updated, and that is by hitting one of the subscribe buttons in the left-hand column. If you have questions about those, PLEASE let me know by emailing me.

Also, I do not always post when I update the site. For now, we're mostly interested in Samuel's football schedule and winnings. I am aware that I haven't been posting about those, and I do apologize. But that doesn't mean that I've left you in the dark! On the left hand side of this page, in the portion labeled "samuel," you can see the upcoming game, its location, and the time. You are also linked to a document that keeps track of the scores and future dates. None of this occurs in a normal blog post. (Nor will it get emailed to you. If you are already subscribed and would like an update when I update the scores/schedule, let me know and I'll put a little blog post up with the updates.)

See you tomorrow at the big game? 5 o'clock - Blanco, TX. Be there.

~m~

Emily Anne Theatre w/ Grandpa!

Emily Anne Theatre is in Wimberley. If you want to see some pictures of us touring the place, you can view the album:

Emily Anne Theatre w/ Grandpa!

Much love,
~m~

Enchanted Rock!!!

Ok - last Monday, which would be October 6, our family went adventuring out at a State Park about 2 hours northwest from our house. You can check it out here . Anyway, we took several pictures that I uploaded to Facebook. Unfortunately, I left all of you out in the dark without anything.

What we did is we went to this giant rock (Enchanted Rock), climbed up, had lunch, rested, climbed down the other side. On our way down we found these awesome boulders that had fallen over and created "caves." So we adventured our way through them for a long while until we reached the bottom.

You can view the pictures in this ALBUM !!!!!

(If any of you want these pictures in original size, let me know, and I will most definately do that. I'm kind of experimenting by linking you to the Facebok album, so let me know if you have any glitches or just don't like it!)

On the football side of things, we had another win. We are officially undefeated in regular season games, with one more regular season game to go (Saturday, in Llano). Then it's on to Playoffs!!! (I updated the schedule/scoreboard over to the left. Take a look!)

Yours truly though much tardy,
~m~

Football on 9/27

Okay, my patient readers! Very sorry to have kept you waiting this long.
Announcements must come first:
1) Do you see that little poll off on the left side? I'd love to know what you want, so I can concentrate on that for you. Remember, a blogger's fuel is interest (and interest only comes when you like what you're seeing, which only comes when I post...oops).
2) Samuel's next game is TOMORROW (10/4) in Dripping Springs (see left column). We'd love to see you there!
3) GO SEE FIREPROOF! If you haven't heard of this movie, I blame only myself, but I want to encourage you to go see it. It opened at #4 last weekend, is opening in more theatres this weekend, and will open in even more theatres next weekend. Go here to check it out and see where it's showing!

And now, the video from 9/27. (Still working on 9/20...)
~NOTE: ON THE 3RD PLAY OF THE BELOW VIDEO, IT STATES THAT IT IS TEXAN DEFENSE. THIS IS NOT SO. IT IS TEXAN OFFENSE. I AM GOING TO FIX IT LATER TODAY~



LOW QUALITY (QUICKER LOADING):


~m~

Football Note

Hi,
Just a quick update on the football. I'm sorry I haven't posted at all. I gave the job to Samuel to mark the plays he wanted highlighted, and he hasn't done it, so....

Last week (9/20) we played Dripping Springs and won, although I don't remember the score. Yesterday (9/27) we played against Marble Falls at Marble Falls. They scored a touchdown, and it wasn't until the 4th quarter that we matched their score. Thus it was that we went into 2 overtimes (NCAA rules, start from the 10 yd line and get 4downs, each team). No one scored during the first overtime. On the opposing team's first down of the 2nd overtime, they fumbled and we recovered. We went on to make a touchdown...WIN!

I do have plans to get you some video...the ball's kinda in Samuel's court and kinda in mine. Now I'm going to go over and update the score/schedules document.

~m~

Football Game 2

Well, I come to you (although much tardy) to report a solid win.

The final score was 19-0, and Dad commented after the game that it was the best he'd ever seen Samuel play. Now that's better than the win!

Below you'll find a video of Samuel's main highlights. The first is an excellent sack of the opposing quarterback. Look closely - he caused a fumble (that he also recovered)! The second is his catch in the end zone for the extra point. Sorry for the video quality on that one...I wasn't expecting him to get it (I don't know much about football, in case you haven't noticed.). No touchdown this time, but a great game over all!



(The song you hear is one of Samuel's favorites, "It's Time" by Christian artist The Cross Movement. It is a Christian song, for those of you worried about what he hears. While we're on the subject of Christian rap, I'll let you know that rap is not my type of music - rock 'n' roll! - but Christian rap is, as Dad mentioned the other day, "the best lyrics of all Christian music out there right now." That is, of course, a paraphrase. So, all you Christian music lovers, I encourage you to go out on a limb and check out Grits, The Cross Movement, or Flame. Toby Mac is rock/rap and too well-known (although I love his music); he doesn't count.)

Sorry it took me so long to post. School's back in full swing, and English Comp 2 begins next week. Aaaah!

TOUCHDOWN!

We had our first football game yesterday. And although we lost (14-34), our family was as excited as you've seen us for a long time.
It was 3rd and 14 yds. Mat (same Mat from baseball), our quarterback, dropped back to pass. It was a perfect pass, and it landed securely in Samuel's hands. He upped his speed and ran! Touchdown!!! Approx 65 yds!

If you watch again, you can see him hitching up the pad in his pants that had come loose. We've gotten a big laugh out of that.

This was Samuel's first touchdown in tackle football (he had about seven in flag, we think). We are all very excited. So is he. :)

~m~

USANA Convention Pictures

I pretty much summarized the week for you yesterday. However, there's still some more pictures, so I'll post those with little captions.
This (above) is Dad. In Salt Lake City, if you want to cross the street at night, there are neon orange flags that you take from one side to the other. On each side are buckets full of flags for your use. It's quite an interesting way to stay visible to oncoming traffic...

And here's Dad, again. Self-explanatory.

Again, I'll close with a picture of team. Do you see Dad and Mom at the back? (Dad is back row, 2nd from left; Mom is back row, 3rd from left.) That man in the middle, in the suit and tie, is Dr. Myron Wentz. He founded Gull laboratories, invented the test kit for the Epstein Bar virus (mono), and then he took his knowledge of curing disease and put it to the test preventing disease with his foundation of USANA Health Sciences.

Time for school!

~m~

USANA Convention

So you haven't heard from us for awhile. Wondering where we were?

Samuel and I were in Austin, TX with Memaw (Dad's mom).

Raymond and Suzy were somewhere much more exciting, the 2008 USANA International Convention!!! There were 8000 people there, representing 14 different countries. Now there are actually 15 countries - big news is the addition of

the Philippines!

Where should I start? It's kind of hard to rehash their trip for you, since I wasn't there, but I will do my best. *grins* I'm not going to give you a day-by-day like I did when they went to Cozumel. That would take too long, and their days kind of blended together in a whirl of intense training, exciting product launches (Rev3!), crazy pajama parties (well, 1), manufacturing plant tours, sushi, and much more! Where do I start?

As for training, they got to hear from Robert Kiyosaki. He is the author of the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which is supplemented by Cashflow Quadrant and Retire Young, Retire Rich, among others. (If you haven't read these books, we highly encourage you to do so. They are unconventional, yes, but that is desirable when the rat race has become conventional.)

They also heard from network marketing guru Tim Sales and others whose names are not coming to me quickly. Derrick Parra, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating, and Jennifer Azzi, Olympic gold medalist in women's basketball, were among the athletes who champion USANA and got up to speak.

As for pajama parties, they didn't wear any pajamas, but they did have a good time. I don't have any pictures of them at the party (yet), so you'll just have to imagine it. *grins* As for the sushi, it's becoming a Convention tradition for my parents to go, with the Sosa family, to eat sushi one of their nights there.

Here's a picture (below) of the manufacturing plant tour. (This picture was taken from stairs, so it is actually above floor level.) This is the warehouse.

And now you're just dying to know about the new product launches, aren't you? I've half a mind to keep you in aggravated suspense, but that wouldn't be nice, now, would it? *more grins* Well, USANA Health Sciences has introduced their answer to the Red Bull (and other energy drinks). If you didn't know, Red Bulls, and other energy drinks, are drinks packed full of sugars, caffeine, and other things that give you a high amount of energy...just before you crash to where you are lower than you were before. It's not healthy for your blood sugar to undergo that kind of fluctuation. The highlight of this convention was the introduction of Rev3, USANA's new healthy energy drink that contains NO artificial colors, NO artificial sweeteners, NO artificial preservatives, and NO artificial flavors. It has a slower incline, but it won't bring you down below normal levels - you won't crash and burn. The caffeine it uses is strictly from a blend of teas that also provide you with antioxidants. And it's low-glycemic. Beat that!

Another highlight was the introduction of a NutriMeal shake without soy. This one is made with whey.

And here is the team, because, in USANA, you're in business for yourself, but not by yourself!

As for the Valadez family, we are on a mission to start CHANGING LIVES!

~m~

P. T. Barnum

Well, the votes are officially in. Melody got an "A" for History I. I feel like I learned a lot, although it went by really fast and there wasn't enough time to dwell or further research anything. But here, as promised, is the research paper on P. T. Barnum. This was, as far as research papers go, a very fun paper to write. Lots of sources (although all of them actually get the majority of their information from his autobiography) and an interesting topic. The one linked to below is without citations (for two reasons: 1) it's a lot easier to read, and 2) citations make it a true research paper that I don't want stolen...:) If, for some odd reason, you want the version with citations, shoot us an email or post a comment!

P. T. Barnum and the Introduction of Spectacular Entertainment

As a side note, I never had any vocal contact with my professor. This class was entirely online, except for the book that I read through and the tests that I took at a campus testing center. I occasionally emailed questions to my professor (usually about guidelines etc...) but did everything else on my own. I still don't even know what he looks like!

~m~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAYMOND!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAYMOND!!!

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

Olympics 1

Well, I admit that this isn't much "family" news, except for the loud whooping and hollering that went on in our house not ten minutes ago. 4 Americans -- 1 relay -- 4 brash French ("The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for." - Alain Bernard, French relay team) -- 1 come-from-behind victory. We cheered so loudly that the cat streaked out of the room like an explosion had occurred.

If you were watching it -- LIVE -- then I applaud you. If you didn't -- *tsk tsk* -- then I'll post a YouTube link (not embed) for your perusal. You can watch it here.(FYI, this is not great quality, but it's the best I could find so soon after the event. Everyone keep an eye open, and we'll have an actual recording soon enough.) Here is a picture, because the American celebration was timeless.

The United States of America -- gold medal victors against the French.

For the record, there has only been one Olympics performance that I've seen in the year that it took place (i.e. not counting historical Olympics) that has been worthy of my re-watching multiple times, grinning ear-to-ear, and thinking that sometimes perfection happens. That was Sasha Cohen's magnificent performance in the short program of the 2006 Winter Olympics to "Dark Eyes." This relay race was the second. Forever in my memory. And I hope in yours, too.
~m~
Now I return to my television screen to watch this spectacular team receive their gold medals. :)

Melody & Samuel

Since we're back from vacation, and it's back to the "daily grind" (after this weekend, that is), I figured I'd give you some information on what-is-up for us kids.

Samuel: Football practices (ages 9-10) have begun. The first full-pads practice is on Monday. Our team is looking pretty good. Not since we started playing have all these star players been on the same team together. I'm excited -- and that's saying a lot. As a side note, for all of you concerned relatives out there, we bought a nice helmet for Samuel so that last year's alleged concussion doesn't become a tradition. Speaking of traditions, I'll probably carry on mine of filming complete games (not just snippets), so you'll have some good highlights to look forward to. (FYI, I film entire football and basketball games, but not baseball. Baseball is a difficult sport to film, as well as being the one time I actually get to CHEER!)

Melody (me): The last day of US HIST I was yesterday (Fri). However, my grade is still unposted. Some of you may be wondering how the ACC grading system works; it is pretty confusing and unpredictable. Each class is different, so I'll do History now and we'll investigate the others once we get there. For history, there are 4 multiple-choice tests. To get a C, you must simply have a C (70-79) average on those tests. To get a B, you must either 1) get B's (80-89) on all your tests, or 2) get a B average AND write a long, in-depth book report on specific books of the time period studied. To get an A, you must get a B average AND write a term paper (research paper) on a specific person or place or event of the time. The two papers are simply pass/fail; no points. They also have the possibility of being re-written, if there's time. I went for an A and wrote a paper on P. T. Barnum, turning it in last week -- before the trip. I never heard back from my professor, but I'm "crossing my fingers" in hope that the paper was accepted. I should know by Monday, at the latest! If I get the A, I'll let you read my paper.

On August 26, my fall semester begins. Besides the school we do at home, I'll be taking dual-credit at ACC again. This time English Composition II (online) and Pre-Calculus (in-class). I'm also going to be doing a sport. Basketball is always an option, but I am also seriously considering ice skating or kung fu. Wide variety -- I know! Basketball-wise, I thought I'd give you a picture of our last summer drills practice this summer. I'm on the bottom row, far right, in periwinkle blue. Also in hopes is the Wimberley Community Chorus. I sang with them last year for their Christmas program, and I hope to do so again.

And now I feel guilty that mine is way longer than Samuel's. But I suppose he got a few baseball blog posts all to himself...

~m~

Port Royal - Port Aransas - August 4-7, 2008

Writing complete. Pictures still in progress!

Wondering why you hadn't heard from us for a while? We were at the coast!!! We spent three nights (Mon, Tue, Wed) at Port Royal Resort near Port Aransas, TX. This was a virtually all-expense paid vacation, graciously provided by Dad's work, Quarrytech. Every year, they pay for all the families of their employees to take this vacation together. It feels like we're all a big family, and we all have a blast.

Monday: After basketball practice (Melody) in the morning, we headed out. Instead of getting there at 4 pm as planned, we ended up getting there at 7 pm, missing the "Bury-Dad-in-the-Sand" Contest. Still, we got a refreshing dip in the biggest pool in Texas. Later, Mom hung out with the wives at the hot tub.

Tuesday: Mom took off early with all the other wives to the spa. They got manicures and pedicures and "girl-time." While they were gone, Dad, Samuel, and I made our way out to the beach and got flung every which way by the waves, something I personally adore, as do Dad and Samuel. Then we made some sand castles; Dad tried his hand at a Mayan/Aztec temple, while I made a more traditional one. Once Mom got back, we ordered some cheeseburgers from the swim-up snack bar and took them up to our room, making a small salad to accompany it. Then Dad, Samuel, and some other guys went out in the bay and tried to catch some fish (no luck, unfortunately). That night, the entire company went and ate at Fin's Restaurant in Port Aransas. Unlimited shrimp, fish, chicken, corn-on-the-cob, rice, vegetables, french fries, hush puppies, coleslaw, etc... Afterwards, our family went out in the ocean and then jumped in the pool with everyone else.

Wednesday: Sand castle building contest!!! Each Quarrytech family competed. There were several castles, a few resorts, the University of Florida logo, and our "Pile #3," which is a familiar pile that is measured during their quarry work. We'll have some pictures for you soon. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera for the duration of the trip; however, other families were kind enough to get a few of us. (Thanks!) After we went out and played in the waves, we all jumped in the pool. Then we had lunch (3 cheeseburgers & 1 hot dog) at the swim-up bar. This time, we actually swam up and ate half-in, half-out of the water. There's something you don't do everyday! As we were walking back to the room, one of Dad's coworkers asked if Dad wanted to go for a 3-mile run. Dad accepted, and they had their run while we rested in the condo. Later that night, we all gathered in the banquet hall for dinner. Afterward, we took pictures, went upstairs, and then Dad went fishing again. They did catch something this time, but only one big enough to bring home, so they let him go. They had quite an adventuresome time once it got dark... Meanwhile, Mom, Samuel, and I played in the pool and played water volleyball with the other wives.

Thursday: We went out for one last wave-crashing adventure -- our best yet! Then we jumped in the pool until we had to go up and pack. After we left the hotel, we stopped at a souvenir store for some souvenirs. On our way out, we agreed to "meet the birds." We ended up having several pictures taken of us with some parrots. Here's one; for the rest, click on the link below.

Port Royal - Port Aransas - August 4-7, 2008

Then it was a ride home...


I think that's all for now. Samuel's football practice has officially started and my college history class has officially ended (grade still unposted). Perhaps I'll make another blog post for more information on us kids.


In the meantime, au revoir!
~m~

Escargo...From Long Ago

Raymond found this fossil on a job site north of Waco, TX. He brought it home with permission. A plant worker told him that they have found other fossils, including teeth and giant tusks. If any of you readers have any insight as to the species, cleaning, or renovation of this giant snail, use the "Comment" button or shoot us an email.

~m~

Cozumel: Cell Phone Pics

Here are 2 pictures that they took on their cell phone. I'm thinking this is the last of the bunch...


~m~

Cozumel: Underwater Pics

Want more pics? Here they are!!
(Dad mentioned that none of the color really came out well in these pictures. However, perhaps you can get a taste...)







~m~

Cozumel: From Suzy

Hello,
R & I made it back from our week in Cozumel. We had a wonderful time. Spent the whole week on the island (vs going back to the mainland for things to do). Rented a scooter and drove around the island. The east side has no electricity, so the restaurants on that side (about 3 or 4) close at 6 pm. We got to "talk" with some locals...my Spanish works only to a point!

We also went snorkeling all but one day. Mostly just off the shore from our hotel...but one day did take a boat tour to 3 other reefs off shore. Cool fish and fan coral.

The hotel was just my speed. Casual, yet staff was very attentive and helpful. Rooms okay.

Checking in at the airport on our way home, the clerks started laughing when they saw R's info. One of the clerks name was Raymond Valadez. He is from Mexico. He has 2 uncles named Victor Valadez in Austin.

Now its back to the real world....yuck....
Hope you are all doing well.
suzy

Cozumel: Scenery Pictures

In honor of their 20th wedding anniversary, Dad and Mom took a week off and went to Cozumel. They went snorkeling, shopping, swimming, scootering, and eating. Twenty pictures were brought back (not counting the underwater, which we're going to get developed later today). Take a look!

The view from the hotel:

The hotel balcony:

The moped & the beach & Mom:

The beach & Dad:

The beach:


Once we get some digital underwater pictures (later today, hopefully), I'll upload a few. :)
~m~

4th of July

So you've been waiting a week for pics from the 4th of July parade. I'm not going to elaborate much on it. If you've ever been to a small-town parade, you got a taste. Not a big taste (i.e. the battery-operated jeeps with little kids inside = 1 float), but a taste nonetheless. Samuel's all-star team got their own float (one of the all-star perks), which was fun.

This first pic is that lovely boredom spent waiting for the parade to start...

These second two pics are of the all-star float.

~m~

4th Game

(editing complete)
Well, we lost the game, which means we're out of the tournament and done with baseball. :( Still, we stayed in the game two games longer than was possible, so we're all pretty cool with it.


1st Inning: We were home (for the 4th time in a row!) and Mat opened up our pitching (3 batters/10 pitches/2 strike-outs). The first batter hit a pop-fly to the shortstop, and the second and third batters struck out. P got out at first, Mat struck out, and J hit a pop-fly. SCORE: 0-0.

2nd Inning: Mat pitched to 6 batters (21 pitches/1 walk). Two hits went to P (2nd) who threw them to S (1st), and one grounded to S (1st). Two runs were scored. On offense, S struck out, Samuel got out at first, Mas to first, Dr got to second (on errors), and Da got out at second. Both Mas and Dr crossed home plate. SCORE: 2-2.

3rd Inning: Mat pitched to 5 batters (15 pitches/1 strike-out). Then Samuel came in after one out to pitch to 6 batters (14 pitches/0 strike-outs). Besides Mat's strike-out, they hit a pop fly to second, as well as a hit to second that was thrown to first. Fredericksburg scored five runs that inning. Co was the first to the plate; he got to second on a bunt (errors). P and Mat then walked. J got to first, and S got to second (he got out while stealing third). Samuel got out at first, and Mas struck out. Co, P, Mat, and J all crossed home plate. SCORE: 6-7.

4th Inning: J pitched to 9 batters (20 pitches/1 walk). The first batter hit a pop-fly to Mat (shortstop), and the second batter hit a grounder to P (2nd) that was thrown to first for an out. It was the ninth batter that got the last out the same way. They had four runs. On offense, Ch (in for Dr) walked, G (in for Da) got out at first, and Co bunted and got out at first. SCORE: 6-11.

5th Inning: J pitched to 5 batters (21 pitches/1 strike-out/1 walk). The first batter got out (on another play) at second, the fourth batter hit a pop-fly to Mat (shortstop), and the fifth batter struck out. We were at the top of our lineup again. P got out at first, Mat got to first, J got out to first, and Mat got out running to home. SCORE: 6-11.

6th Inning: J pitched to 4 batters (8 pitches/1 walk). The first batter hit a grounder to P (2nd) who threw it to first and got him out. The second batter hit a grounder to J (pitcher) who threw it to first and got him out. The fourth batter hit a pop-fly to Mat (shortstop). On offense, S struck out. Samuel had an hit (unfortunately not recorded on video) and got to first. Mas hit a pop-fly. Dr and Da got to first, but Dr got out at second. Samuel made it across home plate. FINAL SCORE: 7-11.

We went to a Mexican restaurant in Austin in honor of Raymond & Suzy's anniversary.

Pictures & details of 4th of July parade to come...

~m~

Happy Anniversary

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*** Happy ***

*** 2oth ***

*** Anniversary ***

*** Raymond & Suzy ***

*** Valadez ***

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3rd Game

(updating complete)
Good morning all!
Well, we were glad to have a win last night. The boys were definitely "on."
PRE-GAME: As you know, our game was scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM. The game before us (Blanco vs. North Shores) went extremely long. While we waited, we finally took the team pictures we've been wanting to take (minus Asst. Coach Amy, who was out of town). Here's a few of those (and more).
We began our game at 9:08 PM. Everyone was a little worried, because Little League rules state that:

1. No inning can begin after 11 PM.


2. If 11 PM is after the 4th inning, then that is ball-game. Whatever the score is...is.


3. If 11 PM is before the 4th inning, the game is suspended.

None of us wanted to have to suspend this game that we'd already waited so long for. The teams took the field in record time; there was no line-up, only a hurried Little League Pledge. Then the game began.

1st Inning: We were home, so Mas opened up pitching (3 batters/11 pitches/1 strike-out). His second batter hit a pop fly, which was subsequently thrown to 1st base for a double play. Mas struck the next batter out, and no run for Comfort. Offensively, P and Mat walked; J got to second; S and Dr struck out; Da walked; Samuel got to first (He had a great hit on the first pitch; unfortunately, the camera wasn't ready so we have no video.); and Mas hit a pop fly. P, Mat, and J crossed home plate. SCORE: 3-0.

2nd Inning: Mas pitched to 5 batters (16 pitches/1 strike-out). He caught a pop fly, as did Mat (shortstop). The last batter struck out. We took the field again. Co hit a pop fly, P, walked, Mat struck out, J got to first, and G (in for S) got to first. P got out running to third, and still the SCORE was 3-0.

3rd Inning: Mas pitched to 4 batters (14 pitches/2 strike-outs). One bunted and got out at first, and two were struck-out. Ch (in for Dr) led off for us and hit a pop fly. Da got to first, where they subbed in S for him (S eventually crossed home plate). Samuel got to first and Co struck out. During P's batting, Samuel got out while attempting to steal home. SCORE: 4-0.

4th Inning: Mas pitched to 3 batters (6 pitches/0 strike-outs). The first hit it to Mat (shortstop), who threw it to first and got him out. The second hit it to first and got out. The third hit to P (2nd), who threw it to first and got him out. On offense, P and Mat got to first. J struck out. S got to second. Dr struck out, and Da got out at first. P, Mat, and S crossed home plate. SCORE: 7-0.

5th Inning: Mas pitched to 3 batters again (12 pitches/1 strike-out). The first was a strike-out. The second was a pop fly to Mat (shortstop), and the third was a pop fly to the catcher (Co). Samuel led off the batting with a walk. Mas got to first, Co struck out, P walked, and Mat struck out. (Mas and P crossed home plate.) SCORE: 9-0.

6th Inning: Mas pitched to 3 batters again (8 pitches/0 strike-outs). The first batter got to first base. The second batter hit to P (2nd), who scooped it up and tagged the runner going to 2nd. He then had the presence of mind to throw it to first, where the batter got out. Double play! FINAL SCORE: 9-0.

Although we heard that a few families were going to Sonic, we opted to go home. Even without a post-game celebration, I still tumbled into bed at 12:45 AM.

Bracket is updated!

~m~

Game Cancelled

Tonight's game (Mon) has been cancelled/postponed. Johnson City had 3" of rain today. The game will be tomorrow (Tues) at 8 PM. I am updating the bracket and left-hand column. As of now, we don't know how they're going to arrange the remainder of the bracket.

2nd Game

I thought about being cruel and making you wait until the end of the post to know who won, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. If you've looked at the updated bracket, our team lost. You can't really tell it by looking at the score (1-11), but it was a heart-stopping game -- honest!
This pic (left) is of Dad and Samuel before the game. Samuel has his hoodie on his pitching shoulder to keep it warm. (It would have been a less cluttered picture if I'd gotten my camera out sooner.)

First inning: Samuel pitched to five batters (12 pitches) and had 1 strike-out. Throughout the entire game, our pitchers did EXCELLENTLY; it was our fielding that was sadly lacking. There was only 1 run scored in the first inning. On offense, P walked to first, but he got out there when he tried to steal second during the next batter. Mat and J both struck out. SCORE: 0-1.

Second inning: Samuel pitched to four batters (11 pitches). No score for Kerrville! On offense, we had two strike-outs, one walk, and then another strike-out. SCORE: 0-1.

Third inning: Samuel pitched to seven batters (28 pitches) and had 1 strike-out and 1 walk. One run in for Kerrville. Things were looking up on offense: Mas got a single and ended up crossing home plate during the following runs: Co walked; P struck out; Mat hit a pop-fly; J walked; and S struck out. SCORE: 1-2.

Fourth inning: Samuel pitched to six batters (25 pitches) and had 1 walk. Then, his alotted pitch count finished (75+ pitches: 2 strike-outs, 2 walks), he was followed up by Mat. Kerrville went back to the dugout with five more runs due a lot more to errors than poor pitching. On offense, Da walked, Samuel and G (in for Dr) struck out, Mas had a single, and Ch (in for Co) struck-out. SCORE: 1-7. This particular inning was full of chaos. For example, one particular play (on defense) had a foul ball across the third base line. The third base runner ran down and ran into the ball. He was called out. Meanwhile, the batter ran to first. They threw the ball to Samuel (pitching at the time), who threw it to first and got that guy out. The runner who had been on first or second, ran across home plate in the ensuing melee. It was eventually figured out (the third base runner was out, the batter went to first, and the one-who-ran-across-home-plate returned to second) but that is just an example of this terribly long and disheartening inning.

Fifth inning: They pulled Mat during this inning so that he could pitch again soon (40 pitches: 2 strike-outs and 1 walk). S came in for him. Kerrville got three runs overall. On offense, P and Mat walked, and J, S, and Dan struck out. SCORE: 1-10.

Sixth inning: Kerrville only got one run. S finished out with 21 pitches to his name (2 strike-outs). Samuel struck out, Dr got a single, Mas walked, and Co struck out. FINAL SCORE: 1-11.

After the game, the entire team (yes, we counted this time) went to a Johnson City restaurant called El Rancho and had their supper at 11:00 at night. The boys surrounded the boom box, playing a variety of rap music, including a popular favorite, apparently, "Soldier Boy." According to Samuel: "The adults drank beer, ate chips, and talked boring stuff. The kids' favorite meals were burritos, enchiladas, cheeseburgers, and nachos. And we ice-skated around the floor in our cleats." As a side-note, not all the adults drank beer, and most of them had more than just chips.

I do definately have pics and video for all of you. We maxed out our little camera's memory card, but we brought a different camera, also. The video quality isn't quite as good, but it saves a lot more video and pictures. So, I'll be posting those up here today, when I get time and have looked at all the media ('cause we got a lot!). Added 6/30/08: All pics/videos that are going to be up for this game are up!

Again, we got to bed at 1 in the morning. This afternoon, we are going to the Wimberley nursing home to represent our church. You are welcome to drop on by!

My apologies to everyone who checked out the blog this morning in vain! (Although I did update the bracket as soon as we got home. Remember, the link is over in the left-hand column.)

~m~
P.S. Writers love comments, and I'd love to know, without cheating, if anyone is reading this! Also, all-star baseball players love encouragement! Click on the little "Comment" button at the bottom of the post and give us a shout-out. If you want, you can leave anyonymously (or choose "Anonymous" but sign your name/nickname). We'll understand. :)

1st Game

I suppose we should start on Thursday night, because that is when the parents got together and decorated cars. Here's another pic of Samuel with our car. And a few more of some other cars.

For the beginning of the game, all the team members were called out by name and then they recited the Little League Pledge:


Blanco scored 3 runs during the first inning (Mas pitching), and, truth be told, we were getting pretty worried. During the normal season, 3 runs was usually the margin of winning. We were even more worried when our first batter (P) got out at first, and our second (Mat) struck out. Blanco's pitcher was very ON! Then someone seemed to have flipped a switch somewhere, for our next four batters (Samuel being the last of these, and therefore 6th in the lineup) walked. The next two batters (Dr & Mas) both got doubles, and the last batter in our lineup walked. P struck out, and that was the end of the first inning. SCORE: 7-3. (Samuel was responsible for 1 of these points; he also stole both 2nd and 3rd, though not at the same time.)

There were no scores for Blanco during the 2nd inning (Mas pitching). Mat got a single to start us off; J walked; G (in for S) struck out; Da walked; Samuel had a pop fly, as did Ch (in for Dr). We finished that inning with only one more point than we had had. SCORE: 8-3. Here's a video of Samuel batting this inning.

Mas pitched the third inning, and Blanco had one run. As for us, Mas got out at first, Co walked, P (back at the top of the lineup) got out at first, Mat had a single, as did J, the next batter. S walked, and D got out at first. That was the end of the 3rd inning. SCORE: 11-4.

No score for Blanco in the 4th inning (Mas pitching). Samuel started us off by walking to first. Dr, after him, got a single. Mas got out at first, and Co struck out. P had a pop fly, and that was the end of the inning. Both Samuel and Dr ended up stealing home. SCORE: 13-4. Here's a video of Samuel's batting during the 4th inning:

Mas only pitched a part of the 5th inning. His total for the game was 5 strike-outs, 4 walks, 3 singles, 2 triples, and 6 pop-flies/outs-at-first/etc... Mat came in after him. Blanco scored 2 runs on the 2 boys combined, and then it was our turn. Mat got a single, J struck out, G (in for S) walked, and then S subbed back in for him. D got out at first, and S had an amazing single. After him, Ch (in for Dr) struck out. SCORE: 15-6. Here's a video of Samuel's batting (and hit) during the 5th inning:

In the middle of the 6th inning, they pulled Mat from pitching because they wanted him to be under 21 pitches, so that he could pitch the next game. His numbers were 3 strike-outs, 0 walks, 1 double, and 0 pop-flies/outs-at-first/etc... P came in for him. Blanco ended up getting 3 (possibly 4) runs. We didn't bat, since we were already ahead, and thus the game was ended! P's numbers were as follows: 0 strike-outs, 2 walks, 0 hits, 2 pop-flies/outs-at-first/etc..., and 2 that should have been outs-at-first. SCORE: 15-9.

Coach Chance (Co's dad) and Asst. Coach Amy (P's mom) gave them a post-game speech.

Well, we were all in a celebratory mood, and word went around that certain people were going to meet at the Sonic in Dripping Springs. I didn't count, but I think we had about 9 of our 11 players there, on the patio of an otherwise empty Sonic. It was quite a scene, with painted cars pulled into the closest slots, and a all-star baseball team of sweaty boys, all high on victory and released from intensity. Nothing was helped by giving them shakes (sugar!) and malts and sundaes. Several yards away, there was a car-search and almost-arrest going on, and they got great entertainment out of watching that (it was pretty far away, but they found it intriguing). Then, when they were pulled away, they played tag and generally goofed off and caused trouble.

As you know, we got home late. Lights went out at 1 AM. I did update the bracket with all the information I knew. I'm going to put it right below this post, but don't forget to check below in case there're any newer, less pressing, posts. After the tournament (or when there is a lull in the action), I'll move it back down to where it belongs.

~m~

First Win

Well, we won the game!!!!! Final score: 15-9 (Some reports put it at 15-10, but I believe 15-9 was the official. I'll see if I can find out more tomorrow.) Our next game is at 7:30 PM, in Johnson City, on Saturday (6/28), if you want to stop by! Check out the updated bracket (see left column, or scroll down a bit) for more schedule info.

Brief overview:
Samuel did not pitch; we believe he's pitching tomorrow, but we really don't know. He stepped up to the plate four times: he was walked twice, got out with a pop fly, and had a MARVELOUS single for his last at-bat. He also crossed home plate twice!

I going to have a whole outline (w/pictures & hopefully video) of our evening for you tomorrow. It's after midnight now, and I'm supposed to get ready for bed, so I'll leave you with these 2 pictures to satisfy your curiosity -- for a short time, at least:

~m~

The Bracket

Below is the bracket for Samuel's all-star baseball tournament (Little League Minor). His team is the Wimberley Texans (in red capital letters on the bracket). They will be playing surrounding teams and have the capability to go all the way to a state victory. ~m~

Decorated Car

Hey all -- we decorated the car last night in the camaraderie of the rest of the team parents. In all the sports we've ever done, this was our first time to do so. We'll definately have some pictures up for you today.
The first game's tonight! Check the bracket either late tonight or early tomorrow to see how we did. I may even have some sort of game description.
~m~