New look for Blog

The great thing about Blogspot is that I can change the template around. The other one was "okay", but this one seems to have a little more pizazz. I hope you like it.

I also noticed that some of my posting were not making it, but they are now. It's probably something that I did - like not hitting "Publish Post" when I'm finished. Ha,ha... You know us guys, we never read the instructions.

And then there were Skates!

Ooo...today, Gabby, Sally and I went to go get her fitted for skates. Mr. John said he got two pairs of skates: the Grafs and the SP Terrys. Gabby got to try both on and she picked the Graf's as being comfortable.

Mr. John and Ms. Margaret made sure that they fit well and they heat-molded the skates for Gabby's tiny feet. Gabby picked Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote as characters underneat her boots. They should be ready in a week or two because of the "20-layer dip". Gabby is so excited!

We also went to see the Harry Potter movie. Gabby and I loved it. Sally said it was the best nap in a long time. Ha,ha...

Back in Sugar Land...
Oh well, not too much happened this week. Gabby has started her Summer Program with Miss Dorothy. It's 4 days of intense muscle building, pilates, jumps, and spins, and coaching. The plan is to have Gabby do one week of intense skating and then one week of "kids summer stuff" at Kids R Kids summer camp.

The skating summer camp sounds like it's going well. Gabby is all over the place and I am watching her build her strength and endurance. Oh gosh, she's growing so fast!

The summer camp sounds like fun. They got to travel to the Battleship Texas, Texas Monument, Zoo, and Hermann park. Gee, i'm getting tired just writing about it.

The other day I saw Gabby walking out of the house in these HUGE, silver, 3 inch platform shoes. Of course, I can't sit there and watch her walk by and not ask a question. "We have a band at the daycare." Oh, well, there you go. Apparently, the kids have a band and a stage and they dance and sing with music blaring out of a boombox. Well, that I have to see...

Last day at Fiesta.

Last night we were able to close the park down. We got to ride the little corvette convertibles at Fiesta Texas. Those are SO much fun. I remember when Joel was little we got to do the same things. Joel always rode by himself and Sally and I would cram into one. The cars are neat. They have headlights, horns, and a radio playing 50's music. It's really cool - especially at night.

Today, we get to go to the park one last time and take in some of the shows. I want to watch the 50's show at the "highschool". Country music is always good too.

Gabby and Sally want to get on the Acme rollercoaster again and see if they can get the ride count up to about 10.

Live from San Antonio's Fiesta Texas.
Here we are in San Antonio. This weekend I am "on-call" and poor Brian (who is backing me up) received a call from the people in France. Sorry Brian!

After Gabby's skating in Austin, we took off to Fiesta Texas for some "down time" and a chance for all of us to have fun. I was little worried that the hotel we were staying at did not have any internet connectivity. I asked the clerk when I checked in where I could get internet access. They said I could do "dial-up" or go down the street to the Starbucks. Both options were "okay", but not something that was really desireable. We are staying at a 2-start hotel so I really was not expecting too much. It turns out that the hotel was a lot nicer then we expected! We stayed at the Comfort Inn Fiesta Texas on 1604. The rate was $52/night which we got through Priceline. Not too shabby. We had a pool and a view of the park. The only thing missing was internet connection so that I could check emails with the office. Hmm. When we got up to the top floor, I was amazed at the view. I started thinking...gee, we're up so high, I wonder if I could get a signal for my WIFI card. What do you know, I got a signal from the hotel's wireless network! Perfect. I was able to logon and check my emails.

Okay, enough of all the boring stuff. We got to the hotel by about 1pm and checked in and took off to the park. What a great park! We had not been in several years and the updates were just wonderful. We made a beeline to the water rides and started having fun. Gabby and I were able to ride the "log ride" in the front seat a BUNCH of times and got soaking wet. We got wet not from the big splash, but from the "dragon boogers" that squirted out at the end of the ride. The dragon and Yosemite Sam were up to their old tricks.

Gabby and I also had TONS of fun riding the Roadrunner rollercoaster. YES! That was a lot of fun and had very exciting dips and curves. Gabby and I were up front most of the 7 times that we rode it. Sally sat right behind us. Because the park was not ver full, we were able to stay on the ride through several cycles.

The only sad news that came in during the day was the notice of former President Ronald Reagan passing. I remember exactly where I was. Sitting on the "beach" in the water park watching Gabby and Sally splashing in the waves. It was truly sad news and he will be missed. I followed him through his presidency and during the booming 80's and the Reagan Revolution. It was a great time as I was just starting my career. I hope God can be comfort to the family and those of us who loved him.

Joe.

PS: one more day here at Fiesta Texas, heh,heh...

Live (or something like it) from Austin, Texas!

Well, we are finished for the day. The competition was very stiff and Gabby did her best. Gabby's free skate on Friday, got her 4th place. Today, Saturday, she skated in Compulsary (7th) and in Spins (4th). All in all, it was not her best performance but she did have fun, tried hard and didn't give up. That's what counts.

We are going to check out (or get kicked out) of our hotel (Candlewood Suites) at noon. We will be going to Fiesta Texas!!!! Yea!!!

Joe.

One more day until Austin...
Actually, it is something like 8 hours before Gabby and Sally head out to Austin. Gabby will take the ice at noon for practice for an hour. She will use the time (supposedly) to get a feel for the ice, check out the dimensions, make sure she knows where all the soft spots are. In reality, she will be chasing Katlyn and her other friends around the rink. Ha,ha.

Gabby is snoozing not more than a foot away and I'm up working on some music projects. I want to have plenty of music for my trip when I follow 24 hours later. I have to work at the office so I'll miss her practice ice and her first two events on Friday. I will, however, be there on Saturday to catch her last event.

Joel will not be joining us this time around. He does plan on joining us for Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm sure he doesn't look forward to the 8 hour drive or whatever it is. Of course, i'm not too thrilled about it either. Ha,ha! Oh, well, that's part of it I guess. Getting up early in the morning, heading out to the rink or in this case on the road. Ice skating. All the good stuff takes places early in the morning. It reminds me of my Uncle Oscar who was in the marines. He said for some reason or other, the Marines always travelled at night. 3am...time to get up and leave. I hope we're not like that...maybe 6am... in time for breakfast! :)

Miss Dorothy took Gabby's skates to get sharpened and we have new laces at the ready. New tights and stockings are ready. 3 dresses are ready although she'll only use two. It is always a good idea to have a back up. What else? Hmmm...a few copies of her program's music in case one goes bad. Plenty of hair products - ribbons, clips, scrunchies, rubber bands, etc. Makeup...fingers and toes painted. Lots of preparation is needed. Sally is working hard to get everything packed. Gabby has a new rollaway luggage just for her skates and dresses. It will fit just about everything she needs.

We're ready! I know Gabby will do well, so I'm not particullary worried. She's prepared and she's mentally focused.

The best thing of this competition is that all of her events will take place between 7am and 9am. Then, Gabby has the rest of the day to relax at the hotel and swim in the pool. After the cermonies on Saturday, we will leave Austin and head to San Antonio. We are going to try to take in Fiesta Texas for a day or two. Going from the ice cold ice rink to the sweltering heat of an outdoor park in Texas is a little nuts, but that's okay. We'll take lots of pictures and have a good time.

When Joel was little, we used to take him to Fiesta Texas and we would ride around in those little cars until the park closed down. I hope those little cars are still there. I'm not sure I can still squeeze into them but I'm sure Gabby and Sally will. :)

I'll post Gabby's results here next time.

Joe.