Milestones

Me and my wife have reached a milestone in our marriage. We have been married 13 years. Usually 13 is a unlucky number but I don't see it that way.

Let's count the 13 reasons me and my wife are lucky.

The first four are obvious.

1. Monica

2. Mia

3. Sofie

4. Brianna

5. Nice house

6. Good jobs

7. Good communication

8. A house full of love

9. Work through problems

10.Raising a houseful of kids (I would not have it any other way)

11.Loving extended family

12.Nice neighborhood

13.Good health

I met my wife in church. She was the choir director. I kind of new we would get married eventually but there was an event that moved things along. This was the birth of my oldest daughter Brianna. This event made us strong right from the start. Since Brianna's birth there has been three other daughters. I think my purpose in life is to raise these girls into responsible young women. I guess life works in funny ways. Now I can never be without any of them.

And so the story goes..

I am continuing to work on my dad's book in my spare time. I have no time limit to finish this but I have set a goal to have it completed this year. It is a learning process for me but I feel that I can get it done in the correct manner. It can be hard since I work full time trying to manage a household full of kids. There are times when I come home so mentally drained from work that I don't want to do anything but have dinner, play with the kids and put everyone to bed.

But back to the book about my dad, he continues to supply me with stories about his past. I am continuing to edit them and I am starting to think about how I want to pitch this book and to whom. I know I have enough material to pitch the book now but I want to make sure I am ready. It is a project that I have committed to and I am determined to see it through.

I hope one day that my girls can make the time to write about me in a blog or abook . I don't really consider my life really interesting to this point. I continue to believe that my dad did so much more at my age than I think I will do in a lifetime. Maybe the next forty years of life will be a little bit more interesting with all kinds of twists and turns!

Wondering....

There is a lot going on in the world right now. Earthquakes , floods, forest fires and viruses. I hope that all lives can be spared but sometimes that is not always the case. I am not sure what God's plan is for some of us. Nobody knows. I just know that we need to help those in need. Maybe that is our mission. Helping the needy should be top priority. At one time I have been in need and I am sure some of you were in need at one point.

As of this writing death toll estimates are at 100,000. As each day passes the chances of finding someone alive in the rubble diminishes drastically. The U.S is taking the lead and has dispatched warships and troops to Haiti. We are also being asked on Twitter and Facebook to donate money for Haiti . This country needs our help. Soon there will be a telethon sponsored by many Hollywood heavyweights led by George Clooney,asking for our help. MTV and eleven other broadcast networks have signed on to air the 2 hour telethon next week.

"Hope for Haiti" telethon will raise money for five relief agencies currently working in the ravaged country. It will also be co-hosted by Anderson Cooper in Haiti and Wycleaf John. It will air on MTV, CBS, ABC, FOX,CNN, BET, CMT, CW and other networks.

.

Please give.

One goal for 2010

One goal I have for 2010 is to get my dad's book published . He put a lot of time into the book so I want to rewrite, edit and maybe even add some details to it. He has a lot of stories to tell and I feel that he has lived a life filled with the full spectrum of setbacks and achievements. I need to do more research on the query process and hunt for a literary agent .

The query letter to a agent or a publisher is a tough process. The query letter should have the hook, the mini synopsis and the writer's biography . Easier said that done! I have faith that the book will be good enough to be picked up by a publisher. I need to channel my Hemmingway and my Kerouac. Wish me luck..

Taking the kids to the San Antonio Public Library during holiday break

Looking for something to do with the kids during that long holiday break? I know for a lot of us the holiday break means spending time with friends and family. If your kids are like mine I know they can get very restless. When that happens they usually get into trouble. You have already braved the malls for the latest ipod , or that new blue ray dvd player . What to do next? How about taking a break from it all and visiting the San Antonio Public Library .

I am writing this post from the John Igo branch which is located off on 13330 Kyle Seal Parkway and 1604 in Northwest San Antonio. It is one of the San Antonio's newest libraries opened on Dec 8, 2007 . John Igo is a longtime English Professor at San Antonio college.I must admit that the architects with the City of San Antonio were very innovative when it came to designing this library. The structure itself appears to be designed to have all of the latest green innovations around. It is also outfitted with free Wi-Fi . There are two buildings connect by a glass foyer. On the other side of the building are the restrooms and the meeting rooms. Outside, there are a row of tables specifically designed for Wi-Fi or just simply wanting to read outside. There is also a nice trail outside with huge oak trees. (I'm trying to finish this post so the kids can go check out the trail!)

The kids area at this library has plenty of kids books to choose from. There are also computers in this area for kids to log on to. I was going to sit over there with them in that area but the tables are very small. I felt like Andre the Giant (rest in peace) sitting at one of those tables. Kids have full access to the library system as the adults. They can search for their favorite books on the computers and place them on hold. They can also check out the books themselves with the "self check out" computers.

My wife and kids love this library. I must admit that they started coming here before I did. I love watching my kids as they walk in the door . The little ones head straight to the kids section and the computers over there. My older kids head to their sections right away. Bonnie Conner playground is also located next to the library. That was named after a San Antonio City Council woman. My kids love that park too. So if you are looking for a nice little inexpensive getaway I would definitely recommend one of San Antonio's many libraries.

Keeping up with my blog during the holidays.

It's been a little tougher than I thought to keep up with my blog. The holidays have not been too kind to my blog. I have been working a lot of hours, which is a good thing. I worked six days in a row last week and also worked on my day off this week. By the time I get home it is 6:30 pm and I don't want to do much. I also need to complete my Christmas shopping too. As of this writing I am still looking for that elusive Barbie beauty salon for my 2nd grader. (I wish I can go back in time and invest in all Barbie stock or Mattel products ). I am also thinking about a trampoline for all of my kids.

In addition to working long hours and the need to finish my Christmas shopping I also need to put on a happy face for Christmas parties and school functions for my kids. Keeping things crazy at work and home is a good thing. I am working and the kids are having fun during the holidays. I feel fortunate that we all have our health and jobs at home. Keeping a crazy lifestyle seems to be the norm.

Looking forward to sharing new thoughts and new ideas in 2010. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Traveling the Texas Hill Country during the Holidays

I did not realize how much I miss the Texas Hill Country in and around San Antonio. As a kid my parents used to have some property around Wimberly Texas. We had a cabin on this property (It was more of a shack) where we would sleep over. Visiting our property in Wimberly as kids gave us an idea how some of the first Texas settlers used to live off of the land.

When traveling on IH 10 towards Boerne, Comfort and Round Mountain you immediately notice the rolling Texas Hills and the great fall and winter colors. I forgot how fun it is to spend the holidays in the Hill Country . I went with my family to the Comfort Texas holiday parade. I felt like I was on a movie set. Everything seemed so perfect. The way the small town had the streets and the buildings decorated I thought I had stepped on the movie set of "Hope Floats" or something. It also seemed very surreal because everything was so perfect. Everyone seemed to know each other there. Some of the floats were very " Texas." Like the float carrying the high school football team or the float carrying a deer blind with a BBQ pit and the beauty queen. There was also a Christimas tree with beer cans on it. Only in Texas .

I feel a connection to the Texas Hill Country I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it was the fact that we had some property growing up or maybe being born and raised in South Central Texas. There are many holiday activities coming up in the small cities surrounding San Antonio . Try and hit the road this holiday season. There are many family memories just waiting for you and future generations.