The Week Of What......

So I find myself in the middle of the week of what....it's that week right after Christmas and right before New Years Eve. Some people are off....some people work. I've always been one of those people that have to work. Being in sales, we are always looking for the last minute purchase orders that always come in at the last hour of the year from those companies that are trying to use up their budget. So....I need to work. I wish I could work for one of those companies that shuts down during the holidays but I guess I would have to change careers.

So on the day before New Years Eve....I find myself pondering the past year and what we have accomplished. So here is a quick run down of the highlights....

1) We got Justin to sleep in his room....at least most of the night.
2) Justin started Kindergarten.
3) Scott and Cori made their school basketball teams.
4) Scrap-n-Stamp is still open, much thanks to Debbie!
5) Scott is slowly turning into a teenager....yikes!
6) I fixed the closet iron board hook (some of you have heard Renee complain for the past 2 years on this)
7) We went on a monster vacation to S. Cal.
8) My big fat dog lost weight....I didn't.
9) I finally joined Facebook.
10) Everyone is healthy....

I wonder what the highlights for 2010 will be....

We hope you have a great New Years Eve, see you next year.

A Kumamoto Christmas....

The food is gone....the presents are opened.....the kids are sleeping. Another Christmas has come and gone. As we close out another Kumamoto Christmas, I can't help but wonder what next year will be like....from our family to yours....Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas....

Merry Christmas to everybody that takes the time to read this blog. I hope that no matter where you are or who you are with, I hope that the spirit of Christmas is with you. Take a minute to reflect on the spirit of Christmas and enjoy the time with family and friends. As Rev. Bob always, says...."live for today for today is a gift..."

Merry Christmas!

Santa....is that you?

The other day, my oldest son Scott asked me...."come on Dad...do you really believe in Santa??". I looked at him and told him....."Do you?". He wasn't sure....

I sat with him and explained, "Santa is the spirit of Christmas....it's the spirit of coming together as a family, laughing, having fun...getting presents and enjoying being alive. It's the thought of helping people that are less fortunate than ourselves and trying to bring a smile to someone who may not have a reason to smile.....that is the spirit of Christmas and it is something we should never lose touch with." He nodded his head....I also told him, "plus Santa only brings gifts to those that believe in him....so if you always believe, you'll always have a gift by the fireplace on Christmas morning...." Scott is now and always will be a very strong believer in Santa....

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas...

Today I picked up a Christmas tree for my parents house. We are having Christmas at my parents house this year so we didn't bother getting a tree for home. I think that's why I wasn't feeling in a Christmas mood. Just last night, I was complaining to my buddy Dave....telling him that I need to drive back and forth between Sac and San Jose, how I was going to be in SJ for 4 days, etc..etc. He simply said, "hey, that's cool....it's all about family, eh?". I think at that moment, I put away all the grumpiness that I had about not being at home for Christmas and I realized, that I'll be with my parents, brothers and sister, nephews and nieces....my Dad's only sister and my cousin who I rarely get to see and I'll have my beautiful wife and great kids with me...along with my big fat dog.....

And as I sat beside my Dad today looking at this Christmas tree I just picked up, I suddenly realized that I was home. No matter where I should happen to celebrate a holiday, as long as I am with my family, I'm home. And as Dave said....it's all about family, eh?

A cigar is a cigar.....but a Cuban is a smoke....

When I was a kid, my Dad would smoke cigars.....all the time. When I would ride up to San Francisco with him to pick up shipments for the store, I would take a nap on the way home with my head in his lap and he would be puffing on a stogie. That smell would comfort me. He would keep one in his shirt pocket and smoke at night on the backyard porch. I would sit out there with him on those summer nights and play around while he sat and smoked. My Dad gave up smoking because of his asthma but whenever I would smell a cigar, it would take me back to those summer nights on the porch with my old man.

I bring this all up because about a year ago, some buddies of mine were sitting around smoking cigars and asked if I wanted one. I said, sure! The rest is history. I now have a small collection of them in my humidor and I've started a cigar club with my friends. It's just another reason to get together and hang out. I don't smoke a lot by any means....a few a month but I really like to collect them. I like the way they smell and feel. I've collected a pretty nice assortment that I think any cigar smoker would appreciate. I just got a new one, it's a Camacho Pre-Embargo cigar. This particular cigar company had a few bales of Cuban leaf tobacco when the Cuban embargo went down. They release a certain number of cigars that are made from this tobacco, they are pretty rare and very expensive. Sure, you can mail order Cuban cigars from Canada but the thought of having a cigar made from tobacco that old is pretty cool. I won't smoke them....I'll wait for a very special occasion. But I do wish I could share one with my Dad on the back porch and talk about things. I would bust them out for him. Now that my Dad is old, his mind is not very sharp so our conversations are short now. Now that I'm older, I wish I could sit with my Dad, smoke a great cigar and have long discussions as adults. But for some reason, whenever I smell a cigar, I'm suddenly 10 years old, with my head on my Dad's lap taking a nap......

Friends....how many of us have them??

As the holiday season is upon us, I find myself reflecting on friends and what that word really means. Some friends are ones that you say "hi" to once in a while and some friends are those that you only see once every few years. Some friends work at becoming closer and some don't work at all.

Since we have moved from San Jose, I can honestly say I know who my "true" friends are. Sure, I have lots of friends in San Jose but I have to say that I only have a few "true" friends. As you get older, your circle of friends seems to get smaller and the great ones seem to bubble up to the top. In Sacramento, I don't have a ton of friends since we are still very new here but I can honestly say that I feel there are some true friends in that bunch.

What is a true friend you ask?? A true friend in one that can look past your faults and accept you for what you are. Be honest with you even when it hurts. Be flexible....not so black and white. Accept the fact that they also have faults. Be mature enough to shake hands after a disagreement and know that you will both come out stronger.

So as I grow older, my circle becomes smaller but stronger. I know that those closest to me know that once I am your friend, I'll always work at living up to my own expectations and definitions of what a friend should be. After all......that's what friends are for......

Our 5th Amusment Park.....Disneyland!

As our monster vacation was in full effect. The Kumamoto Clan had covered 4 amusements parks and we were on our 5th and last one. There is no better way to close out a vacation than with a trip to Disneyland. The park was empty by Disneyland standards but to me, the crowds were still pretty thick! Some rides we were able to get on and off so I guess I can't complain.

Daddy and Mommy on Tom Saywer Island...picture by Justin.

Justin and Cori

Waiting to go to Tom Saywer Island

My new favorite ride at Disneyland, the Toy Story 3D ride...super cool!


So after 11 days, our epic vacation had come to an end. We packed in a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. The kids had a blast and for the most part, it was a very slow moving vacation. We still had plenty of time at night to go shopping, check things out and just hang out by the pool. It was well worth the time spent. But I do have to admit....I'm done with amusement parks for a while.....

Universal Studios....here we come!

The second phase of our monster vacation was Los Angeles.....Universal Studios and Disneyland! The kids had never been to Universal Studios so we were looking forward to the adventure. We did the usual....studio tram tour, a few rides and lot's of shows. Again, the weather was just perfect.....

Mommy and her boyfriend, Jason Bourne....

Scott and Justin in London...

The catch of the day....

Universal Studios.....check.

Disneyland....get yer' quack on, here we come!

Ahhhh.....the beach.

Carlsbad Beach.....warm sun, cool waves....need I say more?

The kids...

Justin's self portrait in the sand...

Carlsbad Beach.....checkaroo...

Next.....Universal Studios and Disneyland.

A day at the San Diego Zoo....

Our next stop in San Diego was the world famous San Diego Zoo. It's been years since I had been there and I can't believe how large it is. I have to say that after a full day of walking around, I was done looking at animals. You can only look at so many....but the kids could have stayed for a week there. The highlight of the day for me was to see the Panda bears, they are really cool to see up close. The rest? Ah, you see one elephant, you've seen them all......

Cori, Justin and Scott

Cori posing as an elephant flexing his muscles....

Panda Bears!

Very cool....

Scott with a monkey on top of his head...

Justin with a monkey in his hand....

The kids....

San Diego Zoo....been there, done that! Next on the list....Carlsbad Beach....

Legoland Done....Off to Seaworld....

Our next stop in San Diego was Seaworld. After 3 days of seeing Lego, we were ready for some water. Again, the weather was perfect!





Shamu got us SOAKING wet! We sat down below in the splash zone and it lived up to it's name. I didn't like walking around in wet shorts but the kids loved it.

The kids had fun feeding the sea lions

Scott, Cori and Justin

Another wet ride....

Feeding and petting the Manta Rays

Feeding and petting the dolphins

Dolphins love to eat....

Go to Seaworld....done.

Way back in Sept....

Way back in September, the Kumamoto Clan took a monster vacation. We went to Southern California for 11 days....our first stop was at Legoland for 3 days....then Sea World....then the San Diego Zoo and on our last day in San Diego, we enjoyed a day at the warm and sunny Carlsbad Beach. The weather was perfect....not too hot....not too cold, just right. The crowds were very thin at Legoland and Seaworld but the Zoo was crazy crowded. We took our time lounging in the parks and spent the warm evenings shopping and hanging out. After our time in San Diego was over....we were off to Anaheim.

Justin in his Jedi stance....

Cori in her Jedi stance with Justin and Scott trying their Jedi mind tricks...

Justin and R2

Dad and Scott on level 5....yikes!

Justin relaxing in the sun

Justin on a Lego horse

Daddy

Justin is a mummy

Scott behind a lego typewriter....he doesn't even know what a typewriter is....

Justin and Daddy

Cori and Scott

Mommy and Justin

The kids

Legoland..... The End......


Off to Seaworld..........

Another Sad Loss...RIP Thomas Shinagawa

I'm sorry to post another sad loss. Last week, Thomas Shinagawa passed away. He was only 18 years old. I didn't know Thomas personally but would see him around scouts every Friday. He was very active in the community and his loss will be felt by many. He was a Den Chief, Eagle Scout, Dharma School teacher and very active in many school and community based activities. I actually have a note from him because Scottie attended his Dharma School class the other week while we were in San Jose, Thomas taught the 6th grade class. Rest in peace Thomas and know that an entire community mourns your loss.