Easter Traditions

I think it's now official: We have Easter family traditions. For the last few years, the Spokane Foster family has met out our house for an egg hunt and great food. It's always nice getting everyone together and letting the kids play.

We had another nice Easter Sunday with the usual activities. The only difference this year were that Caleb no longer believed the story of a bunny sneaking into our house bringing gifts and hiding eggs. He kept asking questions about how a bunny could pull off such a feat, and after asking to have his Mom explain several times, I broke down and told him it's all a fun story for little kids (and to boost commercial sales of eggs and chocolate). He promised not to tell his little sister, Abby, but we'll see how long that lasts.

The kids all sporting their new T-shirts from Grandma and Grandpa Foster. Some kids are apparently more happy with their shirts than others.

The oldest and the youngest of the Foster grand kids, Caleb and Zoe.

Abby and Caleb Easter Morning.

What would Easter be without guns and balls?

Spring Break in the Snow

Spring Break in Spokane is a little different than what I was accustomed to while growing up in southern Oregon, mainly because it usually involves snow. And even this year, with record low amounts of snow, we still had snow over spring break. But by doing what's becoming a family tradition, we took full advantage and hit the slopes. We were even blessed with 8 inches of the fresh stuff on the last Saturday of the season, ironically making the last day of the year one of the best days of the year .
Caleb and Abby continue to get better and better at skiing. Particularly Caleb has grown into quite an aggressive skier. He's doesn't have the best form yet, but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in courage. He loves to brag to anyone who will listen that he thinks the ski runs that are rated as 'black diamond' are "easy". It is true that he'll go down just about any slope on the mountain, but I'm not sure why he has to boast about it all the time? He must get that cockiness from his Mom.
Caleb did humble himself one time while tree skiing when he fell into a large hole under a tree where there was no snow. I was in front and by the time I realized he had crashed and taken off my snowboard, he was in tears wondering if anybody was going to find him. Poor kid was in a hole taller than him, and stuck at such an angle that he couldn't reach down to take off his skis. I had to lye on my stomach to reach down and pull him out. But after wiping away the big tears and a short hug, he was flying down the mountain again.
We also filled up some Spring Break days with other activities like going to a few movies and watching our local Arena Football team the Spokane Shock. The movie after a day of skiing wiped out poor Abby (see picture below), but not to worry, Caleb and I took care of her popcorn and drink. And the Shock games are always a blast. Of course they lost (mainly because I was rooting for them and attended the game), but we had a great time and we all got a free Taco Bell Chalupa since they scored 65+ points. Go Shock!!
It would be nice to have spring weather during spring break one year, but until then we'll continue to take advantage of our time together.

He requested this picture with the double black diamond name plate in the back ground.

This is a ski run that Monica doesn't even go down.

You didn't think I was going to spend the money and buy good seats did you?

Movie time. Thank goodness she wore her sun glasses to the movie???

Caleb and his homeless looking smile.

Losing Ways

The last month has treated me well...kinda. I've had the chance to go see some of my favorite teams play in person. Some buddies from work and I went down to the bay area to watch Gonzaga play against the University of Santa Clara and University of San Francisco. Though an avid sports fan all my life, I can count on one hand how many big-time games I've seen in person. And the games didn't let me down. The Zags didn't play well against either team, but the atmosphere was electric in both of them. I can see why fans can really get hooked on attending college basketball games. They did beat Santa Clara...barely, but they lost to the Dons of USF a few nights later.
It wasn't but a few weeks later that my Dad treated my brother in law, my brother, and me to a Utah Jazz game against the Sacramento Kings. Anybody who knows me, knows I'm a very big fan of the Jazz. Ever since boyhood, I've followed the Jazz closely along with the rest of my family. We met in Sac-town, ate some great barbecue and then headed to the stadium and our third row seats! I've gone to a few NBA games, but never sat this close to the game. We all wore Jazz shirts and stuck out like a sore thumb surrounded by King fans. We got noticed by a few players and even saluted by Carlos Boozer during warm ups. (my knees almost buckled, do you think he likes me??) The Jazz didn't play well, even though they came into the game on a win streak and were playing against one of the worst teams in the league. They lost by a few points but it was still a cool adventure. NBA games are very different from college games, it's much more entertainment than the pure basketball that college games provide. It was great to hang with the Wallace men (and Fryer I suppose) for an evening.
Then a few weeks later, I set out for Las Vegas to watch Gonzaga play in their conference tournament. Because they had the best record of the conference, they had a bye to the semi-finals. Which meant they only had to win two games. Gonzaga had a huge following and the arena was 90% zag fans and they were there to party! The crowd was screaming every play for the essential home team. They played well their first game, but struggled mightily during the conference finals and lost. Are you sensing a trend here? Me too. Maybe I should stick to cheering my teams from the comforts of my own living room....