Why I love The Spurs.

Painting from nerdsonsports.com

When I think of class, greatness, and the will to win I think of the San Antonio Spurs. I love the way they take care of their business on the court without trash talking or crying about being fouled. Pop is a genius at getting in the head of the other coaches and getting his players to rise to the occassion. Tim Duncan is by far my favorite player. Loved David Robinson too but have to say that Timmy is what being a professional basketball player is all about. This guy carries the team on his shoulders and is humble after every victory and gracious after every defeat. Thought i was going to have trouble choosing who I would pick in this years playoff battle with Dallas but that all went out the window after a few minutes into game one. Never liked Dirk. Can't compare him to the greats in the game. The Jet is a joke and Jason Kidd is an average point guard at best right now. The Spurs are like that old dog that keeps on battling to hold on to his spot on the block. Yeah, it hurt last night when the Spurs lost to the evil and despised Phoenix Suns but they are going to rebound and prove who is the better team. Amazed at how good Steve Nash still is all these years. Makes me hate the suns even more. Reminds me of how much I hated to see the Jazz beat up the Rockets with Stockton and Malone back in the day. Hoping that Ginobli and Jefferson can find their games in a hurry. Hate to be down 2-0 to the Suns. Not going to count them out just yet. Tim and Parker just ain't finished yet. Everything is right with the world when the Spurs bring home a victory. Hoping all is well in game two.

Trip to Old Mesilla

A picture of an old church in the middle of the plaza.


The pole climbing contest.

We spent last Sunday driving out to Old Mesilla to check out their Cinco De Mayo festival. The trip only took about 40 minutes and was a nice way to spend the day. The town has that "old" feel to it and the buildings all had some history behind them. The kids took a picture by the Billy the Kid store and had a good time hitting a pinata. Funny how the town is making money off a guy that has been dead for a long time. Looking to spend a lot more time exploring New Mexico in the summer. Jess doesn't know it yet but planning to head out to Hueco Tanks for our next adventure this weekend.


Stevo looking like he is channeling the spirt of Billy the Kid.


Jazzy taking a whack at the pinata.

Another Busy Weekend

We took the kids to a bunch of different events this weekend. Lately I have the urge to get out of the house and do something new and different. On Saturday we started the day by shopping for tuxes for Stevo and I. I have to admit that the whole process was pretty painless. The wedding will soon be staring us in the face so we had to get our tuxes early so we don't have to hit Wal-Mart at the last minute looking for something to wear. (Just kidding with the Wal-Mart remark). We then headed to a comic book store to check out their Free Comic Day Celebration. They had already run out of comics by the time we got there but they still had a few that were cheap so Stevo and Jazz got a couple each. I don't think they are going to be comic book diehards but at least they are reading.

After the comic book adventure headed to an Indian Pow Wow near McKelligon Canyon but we got there too late to see any of the dancers. Jess thinks I'm crazy for dragging her and the kids everywhere but I think doing different things is what makes life here in El Paso interesting. I was only able to take a cool picture of one of the mountains near the event.

To end the day we headed to the St. Thomas Bazaar. Jazz hit the jackpot by winning at Mexican Bingo and the cake walk. Jess and I still think it's weird that the people running the bingo games don't bother to cover up the naked mermaid on the cards. In the words of Stevo, "That's just wrong." We had a good time at the fair but were kind of left scratching our heads when we saw that the beer was flowing freely while the singers were onstage praising God. We don't have life insurance on the kids so we didn't risk putting them on the rides. All in all a great day. There is plenty to do in El Paso, you just have to look a little harder sometimes.

Weekend Church Bazaar

Stevo and Jazz concentrating on their marble game.


Stevo Checking out the old rides.






Jazzy Playing a marble game at the bazaar.



Took the kids to a church bazaar on the northeast this past Saturday. The place had old school games and carnival rides that looked like they were made in the 1950's. Kids had a good time playing games and winning prizes. Nice way to spend an evening.

UTEP SPRING GAME

After a long scrimmage, this guy took the time to take a picture with Jazzy and Stevo.














We had a great time at the UTEP spring game this past weekend. We had never been to a spring game so we thought it would be a nice way to spend the day. The Blue team beat the orange team pretty easily. Trevor Vittatoe and Donald Buckram didn't play but the offense on both squads looked good. I was impressed with the walk-on qb Carson Meger. He is small for a qb but he has good touch on the ball and seems to have a knack for finding his receivers when he is in trouble. Defense looked ten times better than last year. Think this will be a good season. Hopefully a Bowl game is in our future.

Cool Boston Marathon video

Running in the Boston Marathon is definitely on my bucket list. Heck, just being able to run a qualifying time would be good enough for me. Guess I have to put down the remote and get off the couch if I'm going to get it done.

The Good Person of Szechwan Rehearsal Pics

Galilea Morales as Mrs. Shin feeding her imaginary chickens


Shen Teh- Cynthia Jimenez- surrounded by the villagers






The Water Seller portrayed by David Zambrano

Heading To San Angelo For Regionals This Thursday

My One-act play made it to the Regional Championships again this year and will compete on Friday April 23. This is the 5th time we have made it to Regionals and this has by far been the toughest year to get there. I wasn't too happy with the play choice at the beginning. I had a hard time cutting The Good Woman of Szechwan script and almost gave up a couple of times. The cast was huge and getting them to practice all at the same time was a challenge like always. Lots of new kids in this cast as well as a few returning veterans. We faced stiff competition from Del Valle this year with their production of The House of Bernada Alba. The female who played Bernarda was very good. She won best actress at zone and gave us a run for our money. Ysleta did a strange but entertaining Steve Martin play called WASP. I was impressed with Chapin's production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly at Area. I liked some of the directing choices and stage pictures in the show. The acting was also very strong. Burges was very good and ran away with most of the acting awards at Area. I respect their director for always putting together solid shows. Our show has had its ups and downs throughout the run. We lost one of or lead actors after the Canutillo workshop and had to scramble to reshuffle parts and characters. Most of my kids are involved in a thousand different activities so rehearsal time was hard to put together. I am impressed with the lead of my show and her dedication to the role. She has blossomed as the character and has become a leader among the other cast members. David has been great as well. I have had him in my shows since his freshman year and he pushes me to stay on top of things to make sure we advance. We perform second on Friday and will try to make it out of Regionals for the first time in school history. I am not really stressing or pushing the cast very hard this year because I don't necessarily thin that is the best approach. I guess i am trying to do something different to see if we get a better result. Know matter what happens I am proud of my cast and crew and of my co-director and buddy Mr. B.

District 2-4A Track and Field Meet

The District track meet was held at Canutillo High School last week. Del Valle dominated all divisions winning five of the six team titles. The Riverside Freshman boys did well overall, placing second in the team division. The boys won the 4X100 relay and the 4X200 relay. Watched a great 400 meter race between Mike Davis from Parkland High School and Leo Arroyo from Mt. View. Both guys battled it out with Arroyo edging Davis at the finish line. I really enjoyed coaching track this year and look forward to seeing our young team develop and grow. We only had three athletes make it to the Regional meet but think we have a good foundation for the future.

The Kids at Generation 2000

We always make it a point to take the kids to Generation 2000 Kids Festival at the Convention center every year. This years event was probably the best one yet. Lots of hands on activities that keep them interested all day. They love the fishing tank and the basketball challenge the most. One of the good things about El Paso is the variety of inexpensive things to do with the kids. Taking them to the Miners Game on Saturday to see them play East Carolina. Should be a sold out crowd so hopefully our tickets aren't in a bad spot. Should be a great weekend.

Varsity Girls vs Horizon

We had a good game plan when we faced Horizon the second time around. This game has turned into a rivalry for both girls and boys teams. We hit some big shots and held on when they tried to make a run. They have a good little point guard but we got a pretty special one of our own. This year we tied for second in District and will play on Friday to determing playoff seedings.

Stevo and Jazzy at Museum of History for Cowboy Days

Juarez violence sparks Sun Bowl fears for OU fans | NewsOK.com

Juarez violence sparks Sun Bowl fears for OU fans | NewsOK.com

Article about the OU fans being afraid to come to El Paso to watch the Sunbowl because of the violence in Juarez. El Paso is a great city with little violence. Hate to see other people talk bad about the city when they have no idea what the heck they are talking about. OU should be glad they are playing in any bowl at all this year. Think the stadium will be packed and we will be rooting for Stanford. Tickets will probably cost about $140.00 for all four of us. This will be the 4th or 5th Sunbowl game we attend. Looking forward to seeing OU get beat.

Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com | - Woman Stabbed 38 Times Survives, Tells Story

Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com | - Woman Stabbed 38 Times Survives, Tells Story

Crazy story that I thought was interesting. How in the heck did this girl survive?

Freshman Basketball

Having fun coaching the freshman girls for a few games while their coach is out. We lost to Santa Teresa and San Eli and really was worried that we would be 0-3 agter last nights game with Del Valle. The girls played hard and had a lead through most of the game but DV starterd togive us pressure and we ended up being tied with 1 minute to play. We hit a few free throws down the stretch and ended up winning by 1 point. Varsity took care of Del Valle and beat them by twenty something. JV also showed plenty of toughness by coming back in the 4th quarter and beating a good team. Have a game this Friday and Saturday against Mt. View and then we take a little break for the holidays.

Varsity Tournament in Abilene

The varsity girls recently competed in the Polk tournament in Abilene, Texas. We beat Burkburnett in the first game and lost our last two to Wylie and Cooper. The girls played tough against Wylie and gave them a run for their money. Wylie eventually played Midland in the tournament championship. Think this competition will serve us well as we make our run to a district title.