The Calderon Family Adventures!

Sammie's Hula Receitel

2008-07-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

Our Hawaiian girl! She only had classes for 7 weeks, 1 day a week. We are so proud of her and how hard she practiced on her own. She really picked up the steps and the poi balls so well! Her receitel went great. All the other girls in her class have been with it for quite some time. Sammie still was able to hold her own. She even got her daddy to join in on the fun at the end! Shake those hips Dan!

Sammie and her teacher Leilani

Buggy's Final T-Ball Game and Pool Party!!

2008-07-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

T-Ball season is finally coming to an end. Tristan had such a great time playing with his new friends! Also, learning a new game! (Of course the best part of the game was snack time after!) What a great time. After his last game we had a really fun pool party at Coach Larry's house. Tristan was so excited to get his trophy.

A little coaching

Go Tristan!!
Coach Ron and Tristan

Trying to catch the ball......

Coach Ron

Fine Arts Festival @ Leona Cox Community School

2008-07-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

The children's school put on a fine arts festival to close out the school year. There were performances by each class/grade as well as a large display in the cafetoriam and in the classrooms of the exceptional art that the children have done this school year. What an excellent and impressive display of their creativity.

Ms. Locke, Danny's 6th grade teacher

Ms. Parson is Sammie's 3rd grade teacher

Yee-Ha!
STOMP!

Calderon-Leedy VisitALCATRAZ ISLAND, San Francisco, CA*

2008-07-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we headed up to San Francisco, San Jose, and Yuba City to have a visit with the Leedy Family. What fun we had! We started out meeting them at Alcatraz down at Pier 39 in San Francisco. We took a ferry out to "The Rock" and had a great tour. We have been wanting to go for quite a long time. We actually visited pier 39 when Sofie was pregnant with Danny, but unfortunately all the tours at that time were sold out. Who knew that 12 years later, we'd have our chance. It's not a real happy place of course, but the history that you see there is so interesting. One can only begin to grasp the realization of the past when experienced first hand. It's so amazing. That is one of the best things about our life. We get to see so many things that most people can only read about. After our tour, we had a yummy meal at Bubba Gumps restaurant! Then we headed to the Leedy's new place in Yuba City. We enjoyed a relaxing day at the house eating, playing the WII, watching movies, and playing outside. Alex really enjoyed himself as well having a backyard to run around in was a real treat. Then we headed out to see what the Winchester Mystery house was all about. That was also very interesting. It is an historical landmark located in San Jose. This is something that Dan's wanted to see for many years. After our tour we headed for a bite to eat then parted ways with the Leedy's. What a great mini vacation!

Calderon-Leedy's at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, CA

On the Ferry boat

This is the hat the prisoners wore

Getting ready to go in the main jail house

Cutie Gabe

Sweet Tristan

View from "The Rock"

Listening to the tour
Three levels of cells
Average cell

End of the tour in the mess hall
View of the Golden Gate Bridge....very overcast

San Francisco from the ferry

Relaxin' at Mandy's

2008-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Alex enjoying an afternoon nap OUTSIDE!
Havin' a WII party
Mandy and baby #3
Chalk fun

Winchester Mystery House-San Jose, CA

2008-07-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

One of Ms. Winchester's bedrooms
Stairway to nowhere!

Winchester Mystery House

Mother's Day! Headin' to Medieval Times

2008-07-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

On our way to Medieval Times

"Our" blue knight!
Cheers!

Bill of Fare :
Garlic Bread,Tomato Bisque Soup,Roasted Chicken,Spare Rib,Herb-Basted Potato,Pastry,Beverages and NO untensils!

AWANA

2008-07-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Awana has come to an end! What a fun year for the kiddos! Sofie really enjoyed getting to know her little group of kids as well. Danny and Sammie did very well with their books in their "Truth in Training" class. Tristan finished his book in the cubbies group! Way to go!

Coronado Beach

2008-07-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Sweet Jacob
The Saylors
All of us at Coronado Beach
Fun in the Sun

Calderon-Saylors San Diego Zoo Trip!

2008-07-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

We have been having a great time with Lonnie and Kacee! We've hit the beach and had a lot of fun at the world famous San Diego Zoo! We also took them to all of our hotspot eating places! Souplantation, In & Out Burgers, and Rubio Fish Tacos!! Yum! We sure don't want to leave.

yes, we all stuffed ourselves into one of those itty bitty booths for this pic! It was pretty hilarious!

watch out for those spiders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very old turtle!
Having fun at the sea lion show
Aw, my little sweet sunflowers
Tough guy

Lonnie, Sofie, Tristan, and Cade on the Sky Ride!
Buds!
Buds! No we did not plan this............
We just love hippos!
What a cutie

Spring

2008-07-02T00:54:00.000-07:00

Well, times just moving along. We had quite a few visitors in the last few weeks, but now they have all left for home. Spring Break has come and gone and we are getting back to business with school and church and sports and lessons. Sammie started her polynesian dance lessons mid-April. She's learning how to do the hula, the Tahitian dance, and the New Zealand dance with poi balls. She's having lots of fun and has really taken to it. At the end of her lessons she will get to perform everything for us! That will be so great. AWANA is still going full steam ahead. That will soon come to end after a year of fun in May! Tristan is still having a great time with his friends at T-ball practices and we have games almost every Saturday as well. We are looking forward to Sofie's brother Lonnie and his family's visit in May. We will be heading down to meet them in San Diego to take in some sites there. We just can't wait.

****C****

Danny & Sammie Achievements in April

2008-07-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

Danny recently had some competitions at school in spelling in which he did very well in. Consequently, he was one of 2 in the whole 6th grade (and 1 of 4 in the school) that was chosen to go to the district level competition for "SPELLBOUND." This competition includes grades 4-6 in which they compete in several events that have to do with spelling. The group from his school ended up doing very well. They all received participant ribbons along with placement ribbons. Third place in the "spell off" and fourth place in "using words." What an accomplishment. Some of the groups did not even place so it's something to be very proud of. Great job Danny!

At the Spellbound competition

The bottom row of kids are representing Danny's school.

To many ribbons for ya?

Danny receives Scholar of the month in spelling. He is actually reading at above a 12th grade level. Not to sure how high since the school can only test up to the 12+ level!

GOOD JOB SAMMIE AND DANNY

Sammie is just doing excellent in math! She has mastered all of her times tables up to 12!

STOMP performance at school

Family Time

2008-07-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Granddad getting ready to fly back home.

Wee- - - boom!

Disneyland CA with Grandpa & Grandma Calderon

2008-07-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dad Calderon, Rita, & Lisa arrived on Saturday April 12th and on the itinerary was Disneyland. Mandy and Ben and the boys were also on their way to CA from San Antonio since they were transferring up to Beale AFB. They met us at Disneyland on Sunday. We had a great time and the cousins really had fun together and with their Grandparents and their aunts and uncles! What an opportunity for some awesome fun together.

Calderon kids at "Pooh Corner"

Boys will be boys

aaargh! Capt'n Arlin

Cousins at Disney

Grandpa Eeyore

"TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME"

2008-07-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sofie and her mom head down to San Diego to participate in a Live Beth Moore women's conference for a couple of days so the men and children head to a ballgame.

Cotton Candy, peanuts, soda, popcorn, hot dogs............all of the above!!

The Wave!

Mom & Dad Saylors Visit CA-1st Stop...Santa Monica Pier

2008-07-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

It's Spring Break and it's time for lots of family to come and visit. What an exciting time! Grammy and Granddad Saylors arrive on April 9th and the first thing on our list is Santa Monica Pier. What fun! It was to cool to get into the water, but with the sun out what a beautiful day it was. We started out the day with some lunch at Bubba Gumps then walked along the pier and listened to some "local talent" along the way. We saw some awesome artists, vendors, and there was lots of fishing going on. We even took in some amusements, riding the roller coaster and the ferris wheel. Ice Cream was next on the list! Yummy!

Danny's Basketball Party/Medal Ceremony...and some Pizza!!

2008-07-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

T-Ball Picture Day

2008-07-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Tristan's final run at the last game!

Just Cruising Along..........

2008-03-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, time has just been cruising along! We've been very busy with all kinds of activities. As soon as we returned from our February trip to Texas we had to quickly get Dan ready to leave for Japan three days later. This year Dan did his annual training with the Navy Reserve aboard the USS Blue Ridge with the 7th fleet out of Yokosuka, Japan. He was gone for about three weeks. Daniel really enjoyed his time out to sea, minus the sea sickness. It's been awhile since he experienced time aboard a ship. He also had a good time checking out the local scene. Especially the 7-story arcade he happened upon.

While Daniel was gone the children and Sofie kept very busy with all of the normal activities here. Danny of course had his practices and games for basketball every week, Sofie had her ladies bible study as well as the Wednesday night AWANA for all the children. Sofie is also still teaching the AWANA program to the 4 & 5 year olds. The year in AWANA has gone by pretty quickly. Only about 6 more meetings and then it's over. The children also had their parent conferences at school. Happy to say they are both doing well in their studies. Both are accelerated readers and the teachers seem very impressed with their skills.

Danny finished up his basketball season this month, and Tristan started his T-ball season this month. Tristan is really enjoying being able to get outside and hit the ball around and starting to understand a little about the game. (when he's not playing in the dirt in the outfield or throwing his glove up and down! HA) Sammie is looking forward to starting her polynesian dance lessons in April. She will be learning the Hawaiian dance (Hula), Tahitian dance, and the dance of New Zealand with the Poi Balls. It should be a lot of fun for her.

We just had Easter which was a nice. We started out the fun on Saturday with an Easter Egg hunt put on by the city at a nearby park. All three children got to hunt. Then we headed out to another park just to run around a bit. Tristan and Daniel practiced throwing the ball and catching it for t-ball. Danny played basketball and Sammie played a little of both as well as checking out the playset. Afterwards, we played a game Sammie has been wanting to try for while. SUPER SOCCO! It's basically the kids version of dodge ball. The parents/Tristan won the game! Afterwards we went and had some yummy mexican food at a place we haven't tried before. Poquito Mas. Then we headed home for some rest and relaxation. On Sunday we went to church, then we went out for some lunch at Claimjumpers. Sammie had a particularly good lunch. As we were eating our appetizer, Daniel was distracted by someone over at the salad bar. He kept looking over and finally he asked Sammie if this young man by the salad bar was anyone she recognized. A few minutes later she began to get very excited as she realized it was someone from her favorite show on Disney, Hannah Montana. It was indeed Mitchell Musso. For those of you who have "tweens" they might just know who this is. Anyway, Sammie was so excited. He passed by our table and headed to his table in the other room. After a little coaxing from Sofie, Daniel took Sammie to the other room to meet him. They stopped at the table, apologizing for the interruption and wishing them Happy Easter and talked for while with him and his family. He was with his parents and they seemed very happy to talk to them. Mitchell complemented Samantha on her pretty dress and even took a picture with her. Unfortunately it was with the camera phone so it's not to great. They returned to the table and Sammie was starry-eyed the rest of the meal and the rest of the day in fact. She will always remember it.

Now we are getting ready for spring break! In a week in fact. We are expecting Sofie's parents for a visit, Daniel's parents for a visit, and a quick visit from Daniel's sister Mandy and her family during their move up to Northern California.

Busy, Busy!

***C***

The BIG game has finally arrived!

2008-03-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

What a handsome T-ball player

A little pre-game instruction from dad

Brother and sissy getting in a little practice too

Just waitin' for the game to start

A little pep talk from Tristan's siblings

Getting ready to bat.....peek a boo!

Mommy......I want to talk to you..........

Coach says, "Ready positions!"

Yes, the best part of the game.........SNACK TIME

Tristan gets a hit.............thank goodness there are no outs in this game!

And he gets a score! Good job Tristan.

Tristan Starts T-Ball! 1st practice

2008-03-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Tristan and coach-"Here's how you hit it."
First hit! A natural!

First base here I come!

With determination....

Tristan's first score...........check out the victory dance.

Awesome throw

Easter Day and Coloring Eggs

2008-03-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Easter Morning!
Having fun coloring eggs

Alex enjoying the coloring of eggs!

Here's some video of Easter morning! Poor Sammie has a crick in her neck and can not sit up straight!

The Big Hunt! Woohoo!

2008-03-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

Canyon Country Park 2008 Easter Egg hunt!
Check out these videos of the hunt below!

Danny

Sammie

Tristan

Just some pics

2008-03-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

Sammie and Mommy ready for The St. Patrick's Day Tea at church. Sammie's wearing her brand new dress from Japan that daddy brought.
Spring Picture Day at School

Getting ready to go to school! All "4" kids and their friend Deon

Tristan posing in his new pajamas from Japan. Thanks daddy!

Some Time at the Park-Let's all try out Tristan's New Scooter!!

2008-03-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

The kids having a great time. Check out the awesome scenery!

"Queen of the World!"

Sammie.........what happened?

Hippy Day at School!

2008-03-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

Ah, yes.......the good 'ol days!

Basketball Season

2008-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Danny taking a break between quarters
Sissy and Buggah having a great time cheering Danny on! Go #33

GO DANNY!

Danny played basketball with the Santa Clarita Clippers this season. He played from January to Mid-March. He's had a great time learning more about the game and meeting new friends. He's really improved on his shooting techniques and has gained more confidence on the court. He looks forward to playing again with a team.

Danny's Santa Clarita Basketball team - CLIPPERS - 2008-6th grade

2008-03-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Birthday Time!

2008-03-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

While we were in Texas we celebrated Tristan's 5th birthday! Chuck E Cheese here we come! Tristan even got to pose with the Big Cheese himself. What fun. Tristan got a scooter (with the hot wheels logo), "cars" helmet with elbow and knee pads, a couple of fun books, some cash, some movies, Mario and Sonic Olympic games for WII, some color books and crayons, and a sticker book with stickers.

2008-03-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Tristan is finally 5!!! Chuck E Cheese Time

2008-03-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

Chuck E and Tristan

Uncle Lonnie and Cousin Cade.... concentrating on the game

Grammy and Grandad

Uncle Ben and Aunt Mandy

Hangin' with "The Boys"

Pape and Grandma

In Loving Memory - Jorge Calderon

2008-03-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we headed back to San Antonio, Texas in February to attend the funeral of our Uncle Jorge. Here he is at christmas teaching Danny to play backgammon at Wela's house.

Note from DJ:

I don't think he ever really knew how important he was to me. I don't think he ever really knew just how far-reaching were the lessons he taught so effortlessly. I don't think he really knew how deep his wisdom ran and how much I appreciate what he did for me. To quote from Mike and the Mechanics, "I just wish I could have told him in the living years."

We will always love you.

March 23, 1955-February 13, 2008

GIZMO

2008-03-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Little Gizzy having a snack. (carrot) Our little teddy-bear hamster. He's been everywhere with us in the past 3 years. Even Disneyworld!

2008-03-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Mountain High

Wow! Look at all this white stuff! We're a long way from Hawaii!

Hmmm, just a little slippery. I can do this!

Buggy and mommy

Whoa!!!!!!!!!!! Watch out below! Slippery......

"Hey mom, I'm at the top!"

Ok, if Danny can do it....I can do it. Slowly.....Slowly.....

This is fun!

Aw man, here we go again! Hang on..................

Havin' a great time

Sweethearts!

2008-03-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

In January we headed an hour north to "Mountain High" and decided to have some fun in the snow! Unfortunately we didn't have sleds but we found a couple of broken ones there which the kids made good use out of. After a short time we were all ready to leave. It was quite cold! We had a really good time though.

More Texas Pics

2008-03-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Spending time at the park in Lockhart after eating some Bar-B-Que at Kreuz Meat Market
Cousins are so fun!

Cousin Jacob

Sofie & Kacee catching up

Puzzletime. Grammy and Danny working hard.

Time to let loose.

Buggah and "his boys" at Chris Madrids! Mmmmm..Yummy!

Grandma and Pape at Momaks

CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS!

2008-03-14T11:43:00.001-07:00

The Family!

This year we headed to Texas for Christmas and New Years with the family. We were so fortunate that Daniel was able to get off from work. We started our road trip on the 21st and drove straight through. We had alot of fun visiting with everyone. Several family members came in from out of town which was so great! We even made a trip up to Lockhart for some of our favorite Bar-B-Que. Daniel got to stay through the New Year but actually caught a flight back to CA on New Year's Day. He had to get back to work. Sofie and the kids stayed through the first weekend of the year.

The Leedy's & Calderon's with Wela

Wela, Buggy, Sammie, and DJ

Grandpa!!

Grandad telling the Christmas Story

Mommy thanking Buggy for her Boa

Danny gets just what he wanted! Army men from Tristan.

Sammie loves her High School Musical 2 movie from Grammy and Grandad!!

What did you get Tristan??

Momma and her kiddos!

Just Babies........

2008-03-07T17:09:00.001-08:00

Here we are getting ready to go on a date! This is before we were married! I think perhaps in 1991. Aren't we cute? ;-)

Some Fun Memories

2008-02-27T07:46:00.006-08:00

Just some fun at the Santa Clarita Mall while the movers are moving us in! (2007)

Our Little Hawaiian Baby! (Awww)

Tristan's giving some love to his brother and sister! (Hawaii 2003)

Daniel's "Most Original" Homemade Thor Costume at work in Hawaii!

Baby Danny-Our First Easter in Hawaii (2002?) and Baby Sammie on our Camping Trip with Family in Arkansas (?2001)

School Pictures 2007-2008

2008-02-25T09:53:00.006-08:00

Danny - 6th grade - Leona Cox Community School - 11 yrs old
Sammie - 3rd grade - Leona Cox Community School -8yrs old

Tristan - 4 years old

Merry Christmas

2008-02-25T09:21:00.002-08:00

Merry Christmas to all with our love!

School Christmas Programs-Danny & Sammie

2008-02-25T09:05:00.005-08:00

Here are Danny and Sammie in their christmas programs at school-2007

SANTA TIME

2008-02-25T08:42:00.002-08:00

Here the children are with Santa! Aren't they cute! Sammie's 8, Danny's 11, and Tristan is 4. This was taken at the Valencia Town Center Mall here in Santa Clarita, CA. They asked for a WII with games for christmas. I think Sammie also asked for a PSP as well. Santa said that that was a pretty big gift and asked if they could share it. They said that they could. Getting ready for out trip to Texas!

December 9, 2007

2007-12-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

It's Dan's birthday and the first thing on the list is Church! Tristan is performing with his class and he is so excited. The most excited in fact of the entire group. See, they have big screens on each side of the stage and so he could not contain himself so it seemed when he saw his face on "TV." Here's a couple of video clips of him as well. What a character! After church we headed out for some Sushi......one of Dan's favorites. We traveled about 1/2 an hour. It was so fabulous. We all enjoyed the rare treat.

Holiday Season

2007-12-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's really flying by. Fall is just in fast forward. Thanksgiving came and went and it has just gotten busier. We had a lot of fun at some recent community events. We attended a Veterans Day parade and had a really good time seeing all the military planes/tanks/trucks and of course the bands that played. GO NAVY! (hehe) Our resident veteran unfortunately had to work at the event since the BIG boss was speaking. It was quite chilly as well so we had to huddle up. What was so great is that while we were waiting for the parade to get to us (we were at the tail end of the route) the children bypassed language barriers and had a lot of fun with some children next to us. It was great! The children could not speak the same language but had a great time playing with the ball we brought and enjoying each other's company. It's in moments like those that I am so proud and wow, what a lesson, right?

We also had a great time welcoming Santa to town at our town center. There was music and fun and SNOW! Ok, man made perhaps, but that didn't make any difference to the kids. Santa came in on a fire engine and even shook Tristan's hand. He was just thrilled. In the picture Santa's head is cut off a bit but check out Bugga's face! He is just beside himself. Awww...

Christmas is coming..................

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving Day. We made reservations at Black Angus for 1130AM and had a wonderful Turkey Meal with all the trimmings. It really was a treat to not be in the kitchen this year. Our kitchen at the townhome is so small it would have been a real feat to prepare such a big meal. Especially since we like ALL the trimmings! Anyway, it was a beautiful day as well. The sun was out and their was a slight chill in the air. Definately a Fall feeling. Afterwards we headed home and watched some movies and played games all day. It was great to be together. Unfortunately Dan had to return to work on Friday.

Halloween Time

2007-12-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

It's Halloween time again! This is always a fun time for us. This year Danny's friend Deon was able to join us for the fun. We started the evening with getting some dinner out then headed on our hike for some candy. By looking at the candy you would think we hit a whole neighborhood when actually we only went on 4 streets. Short streets in fact. People out here are very serious with their candy. It's amazing. Sammie was a web witch, Tristan was a pooh bear, Danny was a crypt keeper. VERY SCARY! Dan was a jailbird.........hmmmm. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. As you can see, the kids made out like bandits!

Sammie's Birthday!

2007-12-17T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's Sammie's Birthday celebration! We celebrated at Buca Di Beppo italian restaurant. Very Yummy! Then the children got to go Build a Bear workshop and get a very special toy to take home with them. Here they are with their picks. Sammie got "Lovely" the bear, Tristan got "Cubby Cubby Bear" and Danny got "Bob-A-Ghoul" the ghost. Yes, they did make up those names themselves. It was a lot of fun for everyone.

2007-12-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

Just a sweet picture of our babies at our townhome.

2007-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is the Canyon Country, CA fire that came near our house. These pictures were taken from our parking lot! Pretty scary!

Time is Just Passing By...

2007-09-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Good Day!

It's been awhile. It seems 'time is just passing by.' We are already about to greet October. What happened to September? The kids have been in school now since mid-August and are about to have a fall break already. They are off of school all next week. I think it's a great schedule. It's the same school schedule we had in Hawai'i. It's a modified year 'round schedule. The kids start school mid-August, then have a fall break in October (1 week), a christmas break in Dec/Jan (3 weeks), and a spring break in March (1 week). Then they get out of school in June. They still have a good 2 months off in the summer as well. It works out really well for the family that likes to vacation at different times of the year and really breaks the year up for the kids.

It has been really busy for us. Danny and Sammie are both busy with after school activities. They've been participating in basketball (Danny) and Cheer (Sammie). They've really been enjoying that. They all attend Sunday school and have just begun AWANA at church for two hours on Wednesday nights. AWANA is a national kids club in which they learn more about the bible, memorizing verses, have bible story time, play games, fellowship with other kids their age, snack time, healthy competitions, and can earn rewards for their efforts. I (Sofie) am a teacher for the little ones, age 4-5. It will continue for the whole school year! I have also joined a women's bible study at church on Tuesday mornings. We are doing Beth Moore's 'Jesus the one and only.' Tristan enjoys a great children's time during the study as well. After the study we head to the library for his preschool hour there. He really loves all the time he gets to spend with his friends.

Daniel, Buggy, and I took a day while Danny and Sammie were in school and went down to the Santa Monica Pier. I've always wanted to check that out. So many times you see it in Movies and Tv shows so that was a real treat.

We had a great time a few weeks ago at the Boys and Girls club national "Kids Day." The kids got to ride some rides and we enjoyed music and activities that they had. It's such a great program. They do this every year in most cities and the entire thing is sponsored by the B&G club. They even provided food and snacks to everyone there! What fun!

My birthday was last week and Dan took the kids and I down to the Universal Studios City Walk. That was a lot of fun. God blessed us with such a beautiful cool and rainy day! For those of you that know me you know that was the perfect birthday present for me. I have been waiting for it to rain since we arrived. This was the first day in 3 months! And the temps were down in the 50's which was such a relief from the 90's to 100's that it's been in early September. We checked out all the stores and ate at Bubba Gumps. Then we headed back to Santa Clarita and stopped in at Dippin' Dots for some ice cream. We finished out the night at home having snacks and watching some of our favorite shows on TV. It was a really nice day.

Dan is really liking his job. He has been so busy though. The Col. needed a special creative project done to start the new fiscal year and Dan was the perfect guy for the job. He had to create a mystery with all kinds of clues and had to write a 12 Act manuscript with 10 characters or so. This was really challenging for him which is great! He's very creative but he's used to writing stories in a basic format. He's never really had to write a 'play.' They are currently working on filming some of it and recording their voices for some of it. What fun!

October brings some fun fall activities. I will be heading out to a women's retreat with the church. I'm looking forward to that. I might even get to experience a zip line! How exciting. The kids of course have their break and they are looking forward to their Harvest Festival at school as well as Sammie's birthday and Halloween along with our ongoing activities!

That's all for now. Later!

***C***

WE DID IT!

2007-08-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well,we did it! We ventured out on the real highway for the first time since we arrived. As you know Dan went to Ft.Worth for his reserves last weekend and flew back late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Just after midnight actually. Well, we had previously decided that Dan would just hang out at the USO at LAX until the first Metro Monday morning since we weren't really sure about the highways and how far it was and that it was so late. But after looking up how to get there, and knowing that it should not be to busy on a late Sunday night, I decided to surprise him! It was actually a pretty easy trip and it took between 35-40 minutes or so. The only real difficulty was when we actually got to the airport and had to figure out where to go and where to park. The airport was extremely busy for 1130PM. Anyway, I'm sure that if we went in the light of day that things would be rather different timewise and trafficwise but for my first attempt it was good! We found Dan ok, and then he drove back.

The kids started school yesterday and everything went smoothly. The teachers seem nice and they said they liked them, and I met the principal as well and she was very inviting as well. Right now, I have a pretty good impression of the school so hopefully my first impression will be correct.

We are going to head over to the naval base again this weekend to do some shopping and see a movie (Evan Almighty) and maybe get some chick fil A! It'll be a fun time.
I guess at some point we will have to try another beach. Hopefully it won't be as cold next time. The temps here in the valley have been over 100 all week! (104,103)

Dan's job seems to still be going well. He keeps very busy. The boss took vacation to Oahu, HI this week! Lucky him. We sure hope to take some time to get over there while we are here. We all really want to do that. Visit some old haunts.

The kids and I visited Northpark community chuch again, and all went well. I am going to a women's social this evening and the kids may start AWANA on Wednesdays starting in September. I haven't signed them up yet, but plan to on Sunday. I will also volunteer for this program as well. It is a big committment, since it runs the whole school year!

Well, that's all for now.

***C***

IT'S A SHAKIN' AROUND HERE!

2007-08-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wow! We had an earthquake here a couple of nights ago! I couldn't believe it. I was watching TV because I could not sleep. It was about 1AM and all of a sudden the whole house literally shook for about 5-10 seconds. It was very scary. I didn't know what was going on at first, then realized. When it was over I woke Dan who slept right through it and told him what happened. The kids also slept right through it. After looking it up, I found out it was a 4.5 which is pretty big. I looked out the window and a lot of people were coming out of their homes talking about what had just happened. AT 1AM! Anyway, It was an experience that I really hope does not happen very often.

As for everything else, we are all doing fine. Dan took off for Ft. Worth today for his Navy reserves. His plan is to try and drill out here somewhere, so we shall see. The kids are now registered for school which actually starts this Thursday. They will be going to Leona Cox Community Elementary School. They will be going to the same school still since Elementary goes up to 6th grade out here. That will make it easier on me as well, since I will be taking them to and from school everyday. It costs for the school bus transportation out here which is a bummer. Anyway, that's really all right now.

***C***

Our Household Goods Have Arrived!

2007-07-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally received our household goods last Friday! Dan was thankfully off from work, so he did most of the work to receive the goods. I went to apply for my CA drivers license. I then came home and got the kids and we went to the mall so that we would be out of the movers way. Unbelievably, we got everything into the apartment. Yes, there is one room that we can not get into, but we got it all in! It's been great the last few days to sleep in a bed and to have a fridge in the house!

Saturday we mainly just stayed home and rested. We did go to the pool for a bit in the afternoon which was refreshing. The kids could swim all day I think.

Yesterday we had a lot of fun. We headed back over to Oxnard, CA where the Navy base is and went to the Salsa Festival that the city was having. Along the way we could not resist the fruit stands! Wow, those oranges are so sweet! It was fun! (after we found a parking spot anyway) We heard some music and tried a few salsa's. Ate some food and checked out the kid's corner and the vendors. After that we headed to the base to catch the Pirates of the Caribbean's new movie! We had a good time.

We visited a new church as well. The kids and I like it pretty well...at least on first impressions so I guess we will try it out.

That's all for now.

***C***

Getting Moved In!

2007-07-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite a few weeks. After a week in the hotel we are in our townhouse , but we are far from settled. We are still waiting on notification that our household goods have arrived, so it's a bit chaotic. We finally got the stove/gas turned on after a few days of being in the house which helped greatly food wise, although we are still living out of a cooler which is a bit rough. We are sleeping on a couple of air mattresses. It's really not too bad, but I know we will all be thankful once the beds come.

On the plus side Dan finished his first week of work successfully. The kids and I even met him downtown L.A. on Friday afternoon to see his work and check out his surroundings! We had a very eventful train and subway trip down there. It took us about an three and a half hours to finally reach his office. Missed a few trains and made a few wrong turns, but made it safely. We now know how to do it though, so future trips should be better. It was nice to see his office and meet a few of his coworkers as well. We walked around the financial district but did not really see to much that was interesting to us with the exception of the Staples Center. The kids took a picture in front of it with a statue of Magic Johnson. We got a bite to eat and headed for the subway and then to Union Station to catch a train back home. We found a mercado just outside union station so we ventured over to check it out. We listened to some live music for a bit then wandered in and out of the street vendors and had a great time looking at all of their goods...especially the really fun clothes! We bought a few mexican candies and then headed for the train.

Saturday, we decided to head west and see what we could find. We drove about half an hour and came upon a bunch of fresh fruit/nut/jerky stands. We stopped and got some fresh cherries, apple chips and some honey sticks. It was so great. We wanted pretty much everything they had to offer, but maybe next time we head that direction. The strawberries were so beautiful in color. I assume that this will be a very welcomed tradition whenever we head that direction! Anyway, we drove another 20 minutes or so and arrived in Oxnard, CA and found the Chick Fil A that we wanted to eat at. There is not a Chick Fil A near us, and Buggy (Tristan) was so excited to see it. This of course is his favorite place to eat! Unfortuneatly there was no play place there but he really didn't seem to mind once he saw that he could trade in his kids meal book for a "big" ice cream on a cone. (we had already gotten the book previously) Later you will have to ask us why we call this Chick fil A our "cow" Chick fil A. We had a great time and kept laughing and laughing....you know the kind of laughing where you start to cry! We will always remember "the cow!" Anyway, after that we found the naval base that's there and checked out all that they have to offer. Including free movies at the theatre for military! (this is very important since if we wanted to go to a regular movie out here we'd be looking at about $50 for all of us to go to one movie) Then we headed to the commisary to get some dry goods. After that we decided to see if we could find a state beach. We found one a few minutes later, but unfortunately it was after six and the fog was rolling in. We got out of the car to check it out and quickly got back in after looking at the beach for maybe a minute. IT WAS SO COLD! It was probably in the 60's! Next time we will have to go in the heat of the day I guess. I couldn't believe at the end of July, I wanted a coat at the coast in CA! Anyway, we had a full day and had a lot of fun. We headed back to Santa Clarita then and watched a movie at the house.

Today was a day at home. Just watched movies and played games and took care of some business. This week we have more activities at the library to attend. Last week the kids attended a really great informative musical presentation with live music and games. It was really fun! This week they are going to have a show with live animals and games. It should be a lot of fun. We also might check out the local aquatic center. I've heard that the kids really love it around here.

We have determined which school the kids will be going to but have not registered them as of yet. We will be doing that early August. School begins mid-August for them so they only have about 3 more weeks. We are going to check out a community church this Sunday. I have done some research and looks to be something that we will like and pretty active so we shall see.

I guess that's all the news for now. Signing out.

***C***

Places We've Seen!

2007-06-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Waikiki (Honolulu)

Mighty Mo and the Arizona Memorial (Pearl Harbor, HI)

Haunauma Bay (Honolulu)

Blowhole (Honolulu)

Buckingham Palace (London)

London Bridge!

Big Ben (London)

New Blog!

2007-06-25T15:41:00.001-07:00

Well, this is very exciting. We are trying out a new way of communication! The Calderon Family does not stay to long in one place so maybe this will help family and friends keep up with us a little better. We will try to post often and also put up pictures when we can. We believe there is an area where you can comment on things as well. This will be a lot of fun!

Well, we are on the move once again after having a short "layover" here in San Antonio from Greenville, Texas on our way out to California. Daniel has accepted a position with the Army Civil Service in Los Angeles, CA. He will be doing Public Affairs for the Army Corps of Engineers. (http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/cms/index.php) He will be doing a variety of duties. He will serve as editor of their District In-house publication, as well as handle command programs, and serve as the community relations point of contact for the district just to name a few. We are all very excited about the move are are ready to start the next chapter in our "Calderon Adventure!" Dan's in Australia now serving with the Navy Reserve for another week. Once he returns the plan is to leave around July 5th, so we can get there in time for his start date July 9th.

The summer has been really fun so far. Before Daniel left for Australia we had a great time at Sea World San Antonio. The kids really loved the water park and seeing Shamu! Of course the rides weren't too shabby either. The children also have been going to Vacation Bible School on Wednesday nights. They are really enjoying the crafts and songs and lessons they are learning. I know that they will be sad to leave that behind. We also got to enjoy a day at Landa Park in New Braunfels with the church. We had a picnic and spent a lot of time in the water that day as well. We've been spending a lot of time with family especially the children's cousins. We also spend a lot of time at the library doing activities and checking out books. The children are all doing a couple of Reading Clubs.

That's all for now.
**C**