Cisco Hits Double-Digits

Ten years ago, a little fluff-ball entered the world. And a few weeks later, that little fluff-ball would enter our lives. We couldn't have known what we were getting ourselves into when we adopted Cisco, but after a decade it's impossible to imagine our family without him.

Today we celebrated Cisco's 10th birthday, and we smothered him with the only thing he's ever wanted from us... treats. But second to treats, the only other thing he's ever wanted from us is love, and you'd better believe we smothered him with that, too :)

In addition to just being an awesome puppy, Cisco's also been a wonderful, patient subject in front of the camera. What I love most about his cute little face is the way he always appears to be smiling. These are all shots taken of him today. Don't you just want to squeeeeeze him?!

Most people comment that Cisco definitely doesn't seem to be as old as he is, and I'd have to agree. He runs and plays just as hard as he did when he was still a pup, and his youthful spirit serves as a reminder that we're all only as old as we allow ourselves to become (on the inside).

Every day after work we take Cisco for his walk around the local parks. We call it "Cisco's time," and we know he loves having the chance to re-mark all 400 trees that he claims as his own. This is Cisco walking Max home today... you read right. Cisco's the boss.

At the end of the night, when I'm relaxing on the couch and catching up on my shows, it's almost certain Cisco will be there to keep me company. After all, that's what a best friend is supposed to do, right? Always be there for you.

So, today I celebrate you, Cisco. You've given me so many laughs, a few scares, and a decade's worth of memories that I'll hold onto forever. You're my first baby, and I love you... every fluffy hair on your little body.

Diamond (Head) for Mother's Day

We're lucky enough to live in a place with such stunning natural beauty, so for Mother's Day we decided to take Sandra out for some time with Mother nature. We see Diamond Head every day while driving around Honolulu, but this would be our first time hiking to the top of it. Max started out strong & did a great job trail-blazing for his Mami.

About two-thirds of the way up we stopped for a quick photo-op with the crater. We learned here that Max is obviously not afraid of heights, and after reviewing this pic I learned that my left-hand's shaka could use a little work :/

I thought for sure I'd be wearing Max on my back by the time we neared the top of the climb, but truthfully the kid was an animal... no, really... look at him attacking these stairs on all fours. And our cute little animal apparently couldn't understand english as we pleaded for him to "wait" and "slow down."

Finally, we reached the top in less than an hour, and it was totally worth it. The ocean just seemed to go on forever, and the city seemed tiny. Sandra's favorite part was the amazing breeze that came in like a reward for making it all the way up.

Max had a blast running around exploring every nook & corner of the bunker/look-out, until something else caught his attention...

Atop another bunker just across from ours was a shirtless guy who'd just run the trail, and he was now doing push-ups and crunches. Max, maybe feeling as if he needed to defend his position with an equal show of force, immediately broke into his own awesome workout routine complete with his own push-ups and crunches. Maybe we should've named him "Extreme Speed" or "Hardcore Speed" or even "OMG Speed?!"

I guess matching the other guy's effort wasn't enough for Max, because just before leaving he had one more demonstration. That's right, tourists, you can go home and tell your family & friends that you saw a four-year old doing one-arm push-ups at the top of Diamond Head! Sandra and I were laughing and loving it, and I think the other guy may have tucked his tail between his legs and run back down the trail.

We had a great time as a family, and Max made some sweet memories with his Mami... that was the point of the whole day, and we all left smiling (and exhausted).

Happy Mother's Day, Sandra!

One Dead Duc

When I came out to my bike the other morning, I discovered the battery was dead. I mean, it was deader than dead. The only thing I could do was take the battery to the dealer so they could charge it for me. But first I'd have to get the battery out.

I've been a Honda guy for most of my motorcycle-riding life, and the battery on an '03 & '06 CBR 600RR is under the seat. So naturally, that's just where I assumed the battery was on all bikes. So, imagine my surprise when I peeled back the seat on my Ducati 848 and found... no battery.

Guess I was gonna have to swallow my man-pride & break out the owner's manual. Usually, I avoid manuals at all costs because there are so many words to read and I tend to fall asleep of boredom before I ever actually fix the problem :\ Luckily, this manual has pictures, too! You win this round, Duc book.

While I removed bolt after bolt on the left side of my bike, Max enjoyed cartoons on the ceiling of my Jeep courtesy of a pocket-projector sent by Uncle Jamion. Very cool gadget, indeed :) Thanks, bruh.

Cisco doesn't really care for Phineas and Ferb (hilarious, btw), so he just hung out, protecting Max and the pocket-projector. Good boy, Cisco!

Back to the bike, and.... Wa-BAM! Left-fairing is removed, and what do we have here?

That would be one ice-cold, juiceless rock in the shape of a battery!

I ripped that dead sucka out & hopefully we can pump new life into it so that I may ride again! Success is a happy ending (and I didn't even 'lectricute myself).

Awesome April

This month isn't even over yet, and it's already been amazing! My goddaughters and I have birthdays that all fall within two weeks over each other, soooo that pretty much means two weeks of none-stop birthday party celebrations and fun!

My friends at work surprised me with this cake. That clown was delicious.

Later, we had an evening BBQ/pool party at our building, and Kev created another one of his mean grill masterpieces.

This was definitely not for vegetarians (or anyone watching their cholesterol).

Sandra even baked a delicious cake for me and the keikis.

Brenna wanted to spend part of her birthday at the beach. Good choice!

And then there was more cake... and more keikis to help eat it.

This is my favorite shot of her that day. She's got such an awesome laugh, and it's very contagious.

Cisco even got in on the cake action by vacuuming up anything with frosting that hit the ground. That's why he's smiling :)

For sure, the undeniable party favorite was the trampoline.

The kids were having a blast even when they weren't jumping.

And then a few days later, we celebrated with Lucy. She actually chose to go on a hike to a waterfall for her birthday, but since I went camera-free I don't have any shots of it. Good times!

You know what she does to paparazzi? She runs them over!

Max was loving the kid-sized Jeep, and they spent the rest of the day racing and driving around the house.

Everyone walked away with big smiles and a bunch of great new memories.

Finally, congrats to the newest member of the Awesome April Birthday club, Swayzee! Welcome to the world, princess.

"What's that on her face?"

So, today Max saw a woman on TV and asked me, "Dad, um, what's that on her face?" He pointed to her cheeks with a determined child's curiosity and clarified, "See, those things! What are those?" He was talking about her freckles, and when I explained that some people just have them, he declared in a tone that would break any parent's heart, "I wish I had freckles, too." *light bulb*

So, I grabbed one of Sandra's eyeliner pencils and gave Max freckles. He loved them, and actually looked pretty cute :)

Then my little awesome decided to turn the pencil on me so I could have freckles, too!

However, mine didn't come out quite as nice. I guess some people just have a better face for 'em.

Still, it was a fun moment, and now it's a great memory.

179

I'm just like every other guy on the planet. Skinny guys wanna be big, and big guys wanna be skinny (unless you're a marathon runner or a world's strongest man competitor... those guys are happy). Since I'm a skinny guy, naturally, I want to look like Arnold Schwartenhoweveryouspellhisname looked in his prime. My personal goal is to hit 200 lbs of solid, my-dad-really-can-beat-up-your-dad muscle. My previous high-point was 189.

So, now I'm 32, and surprisingly I feel more in control of my body than ever before, though I'm not in the best shape of my life. I used to do over 20 pull-ups at a time easy, and on my birthday two days ago I struggled to get to 15. You can see my pain in the iPhone photo above (thanks Nicole Orta).

My starting point today is 179 lbs, and I feel confident I can reach that elusive deuce before my next birthday. I'll update again when the scale shows me 180 (I only check my weight in the morning before breakfast), and I'll continue to update every pound gained after that. Good times!

Birthday Bloggin'

I decided about a week ago that I would make another attempt a blogging starting on my birthday... which is today, April 8. I turned 32 at around 7:30'ish this morning, and I already feel the wisdom and maturity filling my mind with wise and mature things. *ahem* right...

When Cisco heard it was my birthday, he was especially excited. Not because he wanted to read my blog, though. He just wants some of my cake.

Maxim, for the first time, remembered all on his own to wish me a Happy Birthday when he woke up this morning! This was very special to me because, well, he's my little awesome! Turns out he really wanted some of my cake, too.

Now it's bedtime, and I can honestly say I had a fantastic birthday. I got calls and messages from my parents and siblings, serenaded over the phone by the Catoes, a ton of Facebook messages, birthday surprises from friends at work, and most importantly, I spent time with my wife and son (which, truth be told, is all I ever want, anyways). Thanks to everyone for making today feel special. I loved it!

Thanks, Julie.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now... years, actually. Probably most people have their "I should write a blog about this" -moments on almost a daily basis, but I'd say only a few take the time to actually put their thoughts down. I'm hoping to join those dedicated few. There are so many things in my life that I'd like to change. I have goals that I'm no closer to achieving today than I was years ago, and I know it's largely due to habits that I have yet to change. It's the definition of insanity, I once heard. So I'm hoping by adding this new habit, and by recording my daily actions and observations, I will help myself get closer to becoming the person I'd like to be. Most new endeavors in life are the products of motivation, and this one is no different. My friend, Julie, just decided to start her blog today. And so in true copycat style I've decided to do the same. I promise to make sure my thoughts are my own, though :)