Category: Sports

Lakers, Angels and Jesse…Oh my!

It’s time for another not so frequent blog post/update on the Zeliffs. We have been able to attend a couple of sporting events this month thanks to the kindness of others.

On Friday the 13th of April (insert creepy B horror movie music), we went to see the Lakers defeat the Denver Nuggets. I entered a drawing at America’s/Discount Tire while getting a flat repaired. A week later, I was notified that I had won tickets to a Lakers game. I have been a fan for over 30 years and this was my first time seeing them play in person. We were far up in the top section of the Staples Center, but I yelled and cheered the same as if I was on the couch at home. Afterward, we stopped by the Dream Center to drop-off/pick-up some things for Jesse.

The following Monday the 16th of April, we were treated to an Angels game. It was pretty cool as we were in an All-You-Can-Eat section and were able to make repeat visits to get nachos, popcorn, peanuts, soda, ice cream and hot dogs through the 6th inning. Best of all, the Angels won which they seem to be having a hard time doing of late. Thanks to First Assembly, Apple Valley for a great time at the ballgame.

The biggest news of all is that Jesse has raised enough money to cover the $900 he owed on his internship which runs through January 2013. He is still doing well and enjoys the ministry he is part of. His bible school studies are going well. He turned in a paper fearing it would be docked because it was a page short only to find out that he received a 99.9 on it. In addition, his teacher wanted to take it to the school administration to demonstrate what quality work the students were doing. Thank you to all who offered financial and prayer support for him. He will be turning 19 in a few weeks and is doing very well.

As the summer temps arrive, it’s time to get the cooler running and make sure the ice cream is stocked up. We hope that all of you are well and that life is going great. Blessings on you and your family.

Time for the bi-monthly blog post

Hmmmm, let me think. It’s been two weeks since the last post so something must have happened that I can write about. Well there are the obvious sports related things: Angels sweeping the Dodgers(included for my best friend Jim), Lakers advance to the NBA Finals and battle the hated Celtics, the US begins Group play at the World Cup, all of which I enjoyed watching from the comfort of my home except the losses to Boston. No enjoyment at all for those, but the Lakers will wrap things up in the next two games to secure another title.

I went with a former co-worker Rich, who passed through town, to lunch at Lola’s in Barstow a couple of weeks back. I also took a large group to Rosita’s for lunch and Jerry took great care of everyone. Friday night, Jerry threw his 45th birthday bash at Rosita’s and even got hair extensions put in to rock the mullet. It was great seeing lots of Barstow High classmates there (Jerry, Jessica, Laurie, Gary, Derelyn, Clark, Chris, Cruz, Theresa). The old saying still holds true, “84 parties more.” Saturday, after watching the US-England match, Renee and I worked in the yard taking care of weeds and raking the gravel on the driveway. I did read a couple of Star Wars novels too. I finished Fate of the Jedi:Allies yesterday. That’s about all from here. Hope everyone is going to have a great summer as the kids get out and the vacations begin.

Two weeks later…another update

So I have fallen into the routine of updating the blog every couple of weeks. I suppose I should update it more often, but hey at least I am updating it. Let me see now, what has transpired in the last couple of weeks? I finished the first half of my 2 part SQL course at VVC. It is an online course and was paid for by my company. I managed to get an A and have begun the second part. A couple of weekends ago, we went in search of footwear for the giant living in our house. Jesse had not driven on the freeway before and got some practice by driving us to Tanger Outlet in Barstow. We visited the Reebok store, but they only had baseball cleats in size 16. Next stop was the Van’s store in the almost deserted Outlet Center across the street. Fortunately, both Renee and Jesse found shoes they liked. Jesse then drove to the Mall at Victor Valley so I could get an AC adapter for the recumbent bike. No more batteries! Overall, Jesse did very well for his first time driving on the interstate freeway.

Mid-week I took a trip with a coworker to San Diego to attend a software presentation. The side benefit of the trip was enjoying lunch with my best friend Jim Ritch. The amount of mileage that day was a bit tiresome, but it was worth it as Jim recieved word a few days later that he had been promoted to Master Chief(E-9). Congrats brother! I also had lunch mid-week with some old classmates. It was fun sharing laughs about old times and catching up on each other’s lives.

This past weekend included getting a lot done around the house. Friday after work, Renee and I stripped the old carpet off of the front porch. It lasted two years, but had become a trip hazard. They really don’t make carpet that can stand the extremes of our weather for more than a couple of years. I don’t know if we will put any more down right away. Saturday morning, we were up early as Jesse had to be at Apple Valley High School to take his SAT. When I returned home, it was time to work on the swamp cooler. Unfortunately, the water pump no longer worked so a quick trip to Lowes and I was done working on the roof. Inside I had some acoustic ceiling to scrap off around the vent as it was looking pretty bad. After cleanup and some semi-gloss paint, the vent went up on the ceiling. Jesse called to be picked up and then we ate lunch. At around 3, I decided it was time to get the weeds in the yard cut down. I spent 2 hours mowing down all the weeds in the back yard. Renee came out and helped clean some the hazards out of the back pasture. That night, we watched an old DVD and ate popcorn.

Sunday, we went to church and Jesse did some driving in Victorville to help prepare for his driving test. We returned home and spent the rest of the day watching the Lakers win and reading. May is here so that means we have a birthday coming up. Soon we will have a 17 year old and hopefully another licensed driver in our house. Hope you and your family are well. Please let us know how you are doing. Blessings.

What’s up? Work and play.

The last few weeks have included mostly going to work which, considering the times, is a good thing. A couple of weekends ago, Jesse went to Magic Mountain with his youth group. While he was gone, Renee and I had a day out together. We went to breakfast and then went to see “How to Train Your Dragon” at the movies. I know it’s a kids movie, but we are still kids at heart and always enjoy watching cartoons. Afterward, we went to Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. We went to Borders bookstore and wondered which novel Jesse would like, but couldn’t get him on his phone, so we left a message. We then went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and it was busy with students from Etiwanda HS dressed up for prom. We enjoyed a nice meal together and then returned to Borders just as Jesse called us back. We picked up novels for each of us and returned back home. Later that night, Jesse called to be picked up after a full day. A windy, cold day on Sunday kept us inside and out of doing yardwork.

The work week went by and I enjoyed listening in on Live webinars from NAPP on the new features in Photoshop CS5. The weather was great this past weekend so I waged war on the weed kingdom invading our yard with my hula hoe and Renee at my side. We managed to get a large section of the front yard and cleared 10 feet away all around the house. Muscles and joints were a little sore afterward, but the yard looks a little better. I also worked with Jesse to get his speedometer issue resolved on his truck. A little 5w-30 oil on the cable and it is working great. Saturday night, I went into town to see my friend Martial and his band play some R&B style rock-n-roll. They played great. Yesterday, we went to church and came home in time to watch the Lakers get their first win of the playoffs. Renee and I went to the local theater and donated blood in exchange for free movie passes. This also kept me from having to do anymore work in the yard. That’s the latest from our world. Hope that you and your family are doing well and we look forward to hearing from each of you.

March is coming to an end.

With the advent of Facebook and Twitter, I find myself doing less and less with our blog. Let me see if I can recap a little of what has taken place this month in our lives. I began the month feeling a little, well ok, a lot under the weather as I had a massively sore throat. Being the sharing kinda guy that I am, I passed it on to the rest of the family. I think we are finally feeling better now.

We received our tax return and FINALLY got a replacement recumbent stationary bike. It is a lot better model than the one that broke in November. The seat is a little easier to adjust too. I am back to riding 4-5 times a week at 10-11 miles in a little over a half-hour. I also attended some on-site training in Las Vegas, NV in support of the USFWS Desert Tortoise Recovery office.

The weather warmed up and we did a little work in the yard. Speaking of the yard, California Poppies have started to sprout and bloom. We also spotted a surprising 7 rabbits in the yard together at the same time. What a bunch of long-eared hooligans hanging out in the front yard like they own it! We also saw some tiny baby rabbits running around the backyard.

This past weekend, Renee and I went to the Mall of Victor Valley early Saturday morning and exchanged our old 150w floor lamps for more energy efficient 26w fluorescent floor lamps. I also worked a little on Jesse’s truck before settling on the coach to read and watching the NCAA tournament. That night, we played the game “Life” and for the 1st time ever Renee won and Jesse came in last. I’m not sure he will want to play it again soon. Sunday, we went to church and then over to watch Wrestlemania 26 with our good friends, the Haprovs. It was quite an event with Brett Hart returning after 13 years to take revenge on Mr. McMahon. The match of the night was the Undertaker beating HBK(Shawn Michaels) to end his career.

That’s about it from here. We hope that you and your family are well and that your year is going great. Blessings!

Weekend Update

Friday night, Jesse drove us to dinner and then went to a movie night at his youth group while Renee and I went grocery shopping. Saturday was a wet and dreary day spent switching between coverage of the mudslides in LA and the blizzard in DC where my brother is working. When I went to check the mail during a break in the rain, the street was like driving on a freshly frosted cake. Our yard was a series of 1-2 inch puddles. That evening we watched a DVD before calling it a night.

Sunday began quietly with clear blue skies. After reading the paper and little of a Star Wars novel, I decided to check the fluids in Jesse’s truck and run it a little. I discovered that it was leaking antifreeze and we were off to Autozone to obtain a replacement for the leaking part. We were able to fix that without much trouble and then I resumed reading the novel until the Super Bowl began. I thought the ads this year were not so good, but was pleased that the Saints won. I didn’t like when Drew Brees left San Diego, but was glad to see him and the long-suffering Saints and city of New Orleans get their celebration. We finished the evening watching Undercover Boss which was ok, but won’t last long.

January update….We are still here

So a new year has come and with it some new things and some of the same. Jesse is now the personal chauffeur for the Zeliff family as he has to get more practice driving. Anytime we go somewhere, he drives and is getting more confident with each trip. He still manages to scare either Renee and I, but he is getting better. We did nothing special for New Year’s Eve and celebrated at the house when the clock struck midnight. This involved drinking some sparkling grape juice and then off to bed. The next day we watched the Rose parade and then took all the Christmas decorations down and packed them away for the rest of the year.

This past weekend, I watched the NFL playoffs and once again saw my beloved Chargers crash and burn. Same result as every other time they have entered the playoffs. I am angry and bitter now about how it ended, but come the fall I will have renewed hope that they might finally secure a championship. It is strange how one can get so wrapped up in the efforts of grown men that you don’t know simply because they wear the jersey of your favorite team.

Thankfully, my faith rests in one who eternally won. He defeated death and hell and will reign for all eternity. And the cool part of that is He did so once and for all. My sports teams may fail and let me down, but the Creator of Heaven and Earth is always faithful and victorious. I hope everyone reading this is doing well and that you know His love for you is so great that He stretched out His arms and died for you.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Holidays on the way

I had a pretty good weekend. I went grocery shopping with Renee on Friday night as we picked out all the great munchies for Thanksgiving. The cart was full to overflowing as we left Stater Brothers grocery store including my favorite, pecan pie. We got home and managed to get everything packed into the refrigerator.

Saturday morning, I was up early working on my weekly battle image for the NAPP forums before heading to the driving range to meet two co-workers. I recently bought an old set of irons and a golf bag for a whopping $35 after deciding that 43 might be a good age to try and learn how to golf. I played some tennis in high school and college, but never tried golf. I arrived and paid $10 for a JUMBO basket of golf balls(195) not knowing what size I should get. I then spent the next couple hours taking my swings. According to my co-workers, I did well for a beginner. I hit the majority straight and learned some of the technique involved in swinging a club. On one swing, the club head flew off the end of the shaft as I made contact. So much for my 7 iron, at least until I get it repaired. 😛 On another swing, I cut a ball in half, though I suspect it was an old ball and it would have happened to anyone. I returned home for a hot shower and icy hot on my back. That night, we ran to Best Buy and purchased Up and Star Trek on DVD. We watched Star Trek that night before heading to bed. Great movie!

Sunday morning, we finished straightening the house and awaited the arrival of my mother who had flown in to Las Vegas on Saturday night. My hands felt like I had been running a jackhammer the day before and muscles were letting me know that I should not hit as many golf balls next time I go to the range. Mom called to say she was still tired and planned to get some more rest before driving down the I-15. I relaxed and enjoyed watching the San Diego Chargers win their 5th straight game by defeating their division rival Denver Broncos. As the sun was setting, mom called to say she had just awoken from her nap and that we would not see her until the following afternoon. I finished the evening watching the LA Galaxy lose the MLS Cup to Real Salt Lake on penalty shots.

Now for the short work week before the holidays arrive in full force. I am not sure if we will attempt any Black Friday shopping as we usually don’t. We will enjoy a great Thanksgiving feast with my mother and the next day the Christmas Tree and lights will go up. Let the festive season begin.

Let the season begin!

After a long off season and sitting through the games yesterday, the San Diego Chargers get their season going tonight with a visit to the Oakland Raiders. This is their year to take it all the way. Time to get things rolling and never let their foot off the gas. Go BOLTS!

So what’s been going on since I last posted. Hmmm! (Scratches head!) Back on August 20th, Jesse came to work with me so he could take his written driver’s test at the Barstow DMV. After waiting in line for an hour, he successfully passed his test missing only 3 questions. Since then, he has been driving to youth group/scaring his dad in the passenger seat. We had a few friends over for Summerslam PPV and BBQd some cheddar wurst and burgers. Also in August, the new program manager started at work so I was relived of being in charge.

Over the Labor Day weekend, we traveled to Yuma, AZ to spend the night at one of my former co-worker’s house. We went to breakfast and then went to see my Aunt Loretta and Uncle Ed that live there as well. Before leaving Yuma, we made a stop at the Walmart to stock up on Renee’s favorite TX ice cream, Blue Bell. We loaded 5 half gallons into the bottom of the cooler and put a 20 lb bag of ice on top and headed for home. As sandstorm kicked up as we crossed into CA and we would later be pummeled by rain as we passed along the western shore of the Salton Sea. The next day we got together with a bunch of my former co-workers/students from Excelsior Education Center and chowed down on BBQ, laughed until our faces hurt, and enjoyed being together.

Other than that, I have been getting things together with classmates for the 25th reunion coming up in October. It will be great to see everyone and find out about them and their families. Oh, and we snuck off to see the movie “9” in between watching football games this weekend. It’s a wierd little movie, but then again aren’t all Tim Burton movies describes in that way.

Sympathy for the longsuffering fan.

Yesterday, I saw my beloved Chargers once again fall short of winning it all. It’s nothing new as they have never ended the post-season winning. My friend Marilyn, at whose house we watched the game, is a longtime Steelers fan. She turned to me afterward and said, “I know how you feel.” I had to correct her and say, “No, you don’t, because your team has won the Super Bowl.” Unless you are a Titans, Panthers, Falcons, or Seahawks fan you don’t know how I feel. Each of these teams have made one appearance in the Super Bowl and lost. On the other hand, I have no idea how fans of the Bills, Vikings, Bengals, or Eagles feel as they have been multiple times without winning it all. Then there are the fans of the Browns, Jaguars, Texans, Lions, Saints, and Cardinals that have never even been to the Super Bowl. Besides being a Steelers fan, she also roots for the 49ers which hardly seems fair since they have 10 Super Bowls wins between them. Every team in the AFC West has won a Super Bowl and a couple have won it twice while my Chargers have yet to win the big one. I appreciate the sympathy, but to be a fan of the Chargers is to know what it means to never win it all. I remember in the 90s hoping I would live long enough to see them make it there. They did and were smashed by the 49ers. Now I hope that before I draw my last, I will see the Lombardi trophy hoisted by my team since the days of Dan Fouts and Air Coryell, the San Diego Chargers.