Happy Birthday Nino

We took a trip down to my old neighborhood in Anaheim a few weeks ago to visit Nino for his birthday. We grew up in the same neighborhood so it was fun reminiscing on the streets I grew up. He had a party and invited a bunch of old friends and since I don't do any social media it was the first time I have seen a lot of them in years. Michelle brought her boyfriend Edward and Nino got drunk and tried to intimidate him but just ended up talked his ear off as he tends to do. The girls went home early with Edward but mommy and I stayed up until 3am catching up with old friends. We haven't been up that late in years. We moved the party over to Lupe's house after Nino passed out since he lives down the street and I was so impressed by Lupe and Shelly's house. They bought an old house that was built back before WW1 and remodeled it and it looks absolutely beautiful. I really love our house but I would love to move back to the neighborhood I grew up in.

Nino with his SC cake (Nino just a little buzzed)



Lupe, me, Sonny, Travis and Nino (Nino still standing)

Me, mommy and Nino (I think mommy is holding Nino up at this point)



EXTREME Grandma

No not because Grandma is into extreme sports or anything but because she is moving from Bullhead City Arizona, one of the HOTTEST places in the world to Brooklyn Center Minnesota, one of the coldest places in the world. I don't think this was a bucket list item either, grandma moved to be closer to family. She found a cute little apartment on a lake in Minnesota 2 doors down from my uncles Ken and Erik and the best part is that she will spend the winters here in California with us. She will stay with Mom mostly but with Andrew planning on moving out soon we may have a guest room she can stay in too. The girls think they will have a chance at Andrews room but there is no way in hell I am letting any of my teenage daughters have a room with a private entrance. I was planning on making it into a Man cave and maybe grandma won't mind looking at all my high school accolades but the neon beer sign might keep her up at night. I am really excited for this new chapter in my grandmas life and am proud of her for taking such a big leap of faith. I know it was hard for her to leave her home of so many years but as we kept reminding her as we moved, her memories will always be with her and all the pictures and even this blog will always be there for her to reminisce. It also doesn't hurt that my brother Eric bought her house to have a house at the river so she could always go back and visit if she misses the blistering heat or the fast paced lifestyle of Bullhead City (That's sarcasm in case you didn't catch it)

Selfie in front of grandmas house after we finished loading the truck for Minnesota

 

 Andrew looking as sharp as ever before his interview. I don't know why mommy cropped herself out of the photo, she is the reason he is so handsome. I wish I could take credit for his stunning looks, even his beard is better than mine. I did let him borrow that tie though, I think I tied it for him too.

 

On the way home the girls and I stopped at the cemetery to see papa. It was so fun telling stories about papa almost the entire ride home. Papa would have absolutely adored my family and would have constantly bragged to anyone who would listen about them. He would brag about how beautiful Isella is and what an excellent cook and wonderful mom and wife she is. He would tell people how brave his great granddaughter Sarah is and how she is always looking for an adventure. He would be so proud that Andrew became a Graham and that would be the real reason he is so handsome. He would say how Michelle is gorgeous and sings like an angel. He would be so proud of Sophia in Air Force JROTC and would break out his old uniform to take pictures with her and he would tell everyone how Mia will be the first female president of the United States. I miss you so much papa and hope I've made you proud by trying to be the dad and papa you were.

 

We have so many more pictures to go through but how cute is papa dressing up in his suit for grandparents day in uncle Dan's class. And how cute is uncle Dan sipping his milk!

 

I love it when she calls me BIG PAPA! Part 2

My heart just melted a few days ago when Sarah sent me the video below of Lexi finally saying "PAPA". I've been trying to get it out of her for a while now and finally it came! She's looking at Isella's phone with a picture of me when Sarah asks her "Who is that" and the video says the rest.

 

 

 

Papa loves you Lexi!

" I'm a Sucker for YOU "

So the Jonas Brothers were in town this weekend and Mia got an early birthday present.....2 tickets to the Jo Bros at the Honda Center. Knowing how big a Jo Bros fan I am Mia invited me to go with her. Ok so that was part of the deal all along since there are so many crazies out there and I didn't want my baby there without me. We had an amazing time! We went to the Lazy Dog café for dinner then daddy found parking right next to the Honda center for only $10 which was just another highlight of the night. We didn't have the best seats but daddy did pay a little extra to make sure I had an aisle seat and not have to climb over a bunch of screaming teenage girls to get to my seat. Turns out that was the best money I ever spent because those seats are super tiny and even though I've lost weight I was still wedged in between the armrests. That part didn't really matter once the bros went on because we were on our feet for the remainder of the night. I didn't want to embarrass Mia so I had to hold back on dancing but my foot was tapping, hips were shaking and though I couldn't sing along with the 20,000 other fans (98% girls from 13-25) I screamed and whistled in between songs. There were a couple of times I clapped out of sync and I think I whistled thinking it was the end of the song but it was just a pause. Mia started helping me out by giving me signals when to start and stop clapping which helped. On the way out we got Mia a concert t shirt then we stopped to get an ice cream. I've been to a bunch of concerts as a fan and have worked hundreds of concerts doing security but The Jonas Brothers was the best concert I have ever been to. I wish I could have got better seats and back stage passes for you baby but I hope you had as much fun as I did. Happy Birthday Baby! I love you 

Selfie in our seats

 

 Selfie facing the stage. We had matching shirts BTW. How cute is that!

 

Selfie trying to get the Big A in the background

 

This video is the JoBros on the second stage that was on our side of the arena and the platform they were on went like 20 feet in the air. They were so close I could almost reach out grab them!

The Catalina Wine Mixer

Well we didn't go to Catalina for the wine mixer but we did take a trip over on my vacation and we had a great time. We were the first in line to get on the boat and got the best seats on the top level of the boat. We saw a lot of dolphins on the way out to sea and it was a little overcast but that burned off as soon as we got there. It was a beautiful day but the water was really choppy so we had to hold on. When we got to the dock we saw one of the crew trying to tie down the boat and a big swell came in and $&!#whipped the poor guy so bad they had to call the paramedics. After that excitement we took a look at the guided tours available and I about $&!# my pants when I heard the price so we decided to rent a golf cart and take our own guided tour. After the tour we had lunch at a cute little Mexican restaurant then headed to the beach. After my photo shoot for mommy in my new trunks that are 2 sizes too small (They were on the wrong hanger in the store and mommy already cut out the stupid mesh panties they put in trunks so I couldn't return them) Mia and I jumped in the water. I always thought that since Catalina was so close that the water would be as ugly as it is at the beach here but I was greatly mistaken. The water was so beautiful and clear that I opened my eyes under water forgetting that it was indeed sea water and it burned like hell.
After the Catalina adventure we set out on another adventure that we have been wanting to do since we moved to Riverside and that is to climb Mt. Rubidoux. It was actually a lot easier than I was expecting, though the picture of my sweat soaked shirt might say other wise. It was a little less clear than I was hoping but it was beautiful and we could almost see our house from the top.
Continuing on this action packed vacation we went to Laughlin to hang out with my cousins Kim and Forrest and pick up Great Grandma to bring her back home with us to catch a flight to Uncle Kens house in Minnesota. It was Grandmas birthday so we took her to dinner at the finest restaurant in Bullhead City.....Hibachi Grill. It was actually a terrible Chinese buffet (Because I know my Chinese buffets) but grandma loved it anyway. On the way out of town we stopped in Needles and had breakfast at the Giggling Cactus which was pretty good so that hopefully made up for the Chinese buffet. I really don't even like going to the river because it's freaking hot, I don't gamble and I'm not into water toys but the rest of my family is so we go just to spend time with them. I was a little worried about this year because we were just going with Kim and Forrest and they only have a boat that we usually have to swim out to and climb aboard. Isella wasn't too worried about it but I was not looking forward to looking like a sea lion trying to climb aboard while holding on to my trunks and sliding around because of all the sunscreen you have to wear when it is 113 degrees. Anyhow, it worked out great because Forrest is the man and was kind enough to pick us up on the dock in the marina then he found a nice cove that had sand instead of rocks so he was able to drive the boat right up on the shore and I could step right off the boat. So the crisis was averted and my trunks were not an issue after all (See the first paragraph, those trunks were going nowhere 😂)
Sounds like a lot of action for a short vacation but we actually went to Universal Studios, drive in movies and aside from the adventures I actually got a few projects done around the house. It was definitely too short but I'm thankful for every minute I get to spend with the family that God blessed me with. Sadly, Michelle had work and school so she wasn't able to go with us which was a bummer but I am glad that Andrew was home to keep an eye on her 😉. 
I hope we are able to squeeze in a few more adventures before the girls go back to school and with Sophie and Mia in high school now the time of them going on their own adventure without me is rapidly approaching 😢

Graham Clan in Catalina



Us taking our tour of the island

 

DAMN! mommy looks HOT! (Sorry girls but it could be worse....I could have posted my photo shoot in my speedos)

  

Graham Clan conquering Mt Rubidoux

 

Sophie's too old to hold daddy's hand anymore (Sad face emoji)

 

You still owe me $5 for losing this bet Mia

Hang in there Dad and Bear

Got word a few weeks ago that my dad has cancer. I can't pronounce the type but I know he has it in his bladder and pancreas. Dad is definitely a man of few words so when I talked to him he didn't seem to know much more than I did so auntie Veronica has been giving the family updates. Dad is also a man of few emotions, although Veronica did tell me that he cried when they towed his old work truck away to the junk yard 😊 Dad didn't seem to be too worried about it and we actually shared a good laugh when he told me the story of what made him go to the Dr. in the first place because he had an accident at work and he was just happy that being a parking attendant at Anaheim Stadium that he has to wear a brim hat that perfectly covered everything up. I'm glad that dad has a good attitude about the diagnosis and I know that will help him fight the good fight.


Also got word a few weeks ago that our longtime equipment man at Anaheim HS was just diagnosed with prostate cancer. Barry, who we all call "Bear" was the equipment man when my uncle played football at Anaheim in the early 80's, when I played there in the 90's and as long as I coached there. Barry's sons were the ball boys for the teams I played for and after they came back from college I coached with his oldest son Andy for 10 years. Barry just retired a couple years ago so I really hope he beats it and can enjoy his retirement, he deserves it!

This is me and Bear at coach Torres' retirement party a couple years ago and I look like I'm 8 months pregnant. Sadly, I don't have a single picture of me and dad. Apparently he is a man of few pictures too. 😊

Joe is the Man!

Check out this view from the top floor suite my friend Joe got for me and mommy to celebrate our anniversary. Joe's girl is a VIP at Pechanga and she was able to get us a suite and even though mommy and I are not big gamblers we had a blast playing a few slots, watching a comedy show and eating at the buffet. We were planning on going low key this year but Joe really hooked it up. Thanks Joe and Sherrie!

Congrats Sissy!

My niece Taylor graduated from high school a few weeks ago and I couldn't be prouder. It was a perfect cool day and I got lucky parking right across the street from the stadium on some guys yard for $5. Taylor always got good grades and is a tremendous athlete and I can't wait to see what she will do in life. I'm not sure what she is planning on doing in college but I hope she still competes in track. Until then she is working 2 jobs at 2 of daddy's favorites joints, Porky's pizza and Panda Express. Sissy only weighs about 90lbs but probably not for long if she keeps working there.
Love you Sis!

Me, Taylor and Grandma

Schools out?

Is it me or is the school year ending earlier and earlier every year? This year the girls got out in May and it doesn't even feel like summer yet. Sophia made it through her freshman year of High School and Mia is going to be a freshman next year. Hopefully Sophia is nicer to her little sister than I was to uncle Dan when he and I were in school together. Mia actually goes to a different school but might be going to Sophia's school for some extra curricular activities since her school doesn't offer them. They both struggled in some areas at times but worked hard and finished strong. I am so proud of both of them for working hard and being involved in activities. Sophie is in theater and JROTC and Mia is in the Ballet Folklorico club. Michelle lightened her load a bit by dropping some classes and is still working almost 30 hours a week so I'm working on teaching her to follow her dreams and not chase the $$$. I am proud of her being such a hard worker but I want her to be happy with what she does for a living and not concentrate on money. Other than school and work her favorite activity is spending time with her boyfriend....go figure. So get to work on your chores girls then get ready for our first summer adventure.

Sophia as Lady Beatrice in Arlington High School's performance of "Once upon a Mattress"

I wasn't sure what to think of the name at first but it was very cute and I am so proud of her for working so hard at rehearsal, JROTC practice and keeping up on her school work and chores. 

Sophia's squad needs a little work on their timing but she was the best of the group and only cracked a smile when I whistled really loud

Since it is still spring after all, here are some pictures of our garden. 

These are radishes, kale, squash and a bunch of other crap I won't eat

I was about to give up on this Navel Orange tree but he started showing signs of life so I'll give him a chance. Hang in there little guy!

 Here is my corn field. GO HUSKERS!

The stalks have actually grown twice this size since this picture was taken.

It's Official!

After 20+ years my son finally has my last name and is recognized by the state of California and the "Law of man" as officially being my son. Of course I say this because in God's law he has always been my son and as the small keepsake Isella gave to Andrew and Sarah says "DNA doesn't make you family, Love does". A very simple principle when you think about it but it was still exciting to go to the courthouse and make it official through a ceremony. The judge and court staff made it very nice and informal and shared that these types of cases are their favorite as they have to deal with a lot of nasty family cases that don't have a happy ending as ours did.


Thank you Lord for such a blessing and I pray that you grant me the wisdom, compassion and all the tools I'll need to continue to pass down to my son the Love You have given us through Your Son.

This is the collage of Andrew and I that went out with the invitations. Thanks Auntie Veronica for pointing out that I'm not wearing a shirt in half of the pictures 😊



It's official. Not only did the judge let me slam the gavel but I am wearing an authentic Graham Clan Tartan Tie. That pattern has been on Graham family kilts and clothing since the beginning of time.

As soon as the judge said we can take pictures Bella got first dibs

Us with the judge

It's a Boy!!!

Yes I've been waiting to say those words for a long time now. No Isella is not pregnant and I am not expecting my first grandson. On Friday May 24th @ 8:30am at the Riverside Family Courthouse I will be officially adopting Andrew making him an official GRAHAM. Of course at this point after having been his dad for 21 years this is really just a formality but there is not another man on earth as proud as I am of my son. Since the day I met him there has been no doubt who his dad is and as long as we have been together Andrew has never once been disrespectful to me or done anything but show me love and respect. This initially began by Andrew wanting to take my name legally and after Isella did some research we found out that it is easier and cheaper to do an adult adoption. Just signed a few pieces of paper and paid a $40 filing fee. We asked Sarah if she would like to be adopted and since she already has her married name she said that me walking her down the aisle was all she needed and that she already knows who her dad is. Cue the tears 😂 I feel so blessed that the Lord not only gave me 3 beautiful, smart and loving biological daughters but also doubled down on that blessing by giving me 2 more amazing kids. Through all of our time together, ups and downs, good and bad Andrew and Sarah have never been anything short of an amazing blessing from the Lord making me a better man every minute I get to spend with them. My prayer for all my 5 kids are that they love God and people and that they will always seek Him first before all.

Here is the invite we sent out for the special occasion. I also made a collage of pictures of Andrew and I but I don't have a copy on my computer so I'll share those next time.

Please join us to celebrate the newest addition to the

Graham Clan

Introducing,

 

Andrew Damian Graham

6’3” 185 lbs

 

Official Adoption Ceremony:

Riverside Family Courthouse

4175 Main St.

Riverside, CA. 92501

Friday May 24^th 2019 @ 8:30am

 

Celebration:

The Graham Estate

7580 Casa Blanca St.

Riverside, CA. 92504

Friday May 24^th 2019 @ 5pm

 

Please RSVP by May 15^th for caterer

Spring is here!

Spring time is here in the suite and it has us all hopping around 😊 Even though mommy's allergies are killing her she is still amazingly dedicated to her garden. I don't have any pictures but I will share some in my next post. I do however have a picture of the first bloom on our almond tree. It is from a couple weeks ago and now all of our trees are blooming. Besides the almond tree we have an avocado, apricot, apple, lime, peach, navel orange and the newest pink lemonade tree. This year we should get fruit from all of them.

Spring also means that Easter is almost here. I love Easter dinner with the family but even though we all know that Easter is meant to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior and has nothing to do with eggs and bunnies, I still have to share a picture of Bella with one of her bunnies. Apparently Eric and Sarah are now rabbit breeders and I think they are coming faster than Bell can name them.

And here is a picture of Lexi smiling because she sees papa coming. Actually I think it is just really bright standing in front of the window but I like my theory more 😊

Now this picture has nothing to do with spring time, in fact wrestling is a winter sport but Mia spent the night at Grandma's house last weekend and found this newspaper clipping while going through grandma's albums. It was a proud moment for me and still a record pin time BTW. I've already told the girls how I changed my name to my grandpa's name before they were born so I didn't have to explain that but I did have to explain what a newspaper was.



Know when to fold em'

Bella was hanging out with papa the other day and as all papa's should I taught her how to play poker. Or at least I thought I was teaching her but I think she hustled me. Take a look at the first hand of poker she has ever played in her life. You can't really see the 7 in there but she had a straight and won the hand. Next lesson.....how to keep a poker face ☺

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Another awesome Valentine's Day came and went through the suite and we feasted on steak and lobster. Luckily the girls don't like lobster so daddy got to have an extra tail. I made my usual gift bags for the girls and planned on giving all my sweethearts a pedicure but after a rough day of swimming in storm water for 5 hours they let me off the hook for the pedicures and Mia actually gave me a massage. Hopefully Andrew takes notes on his dad's game because I was able to woo mommy, the girls and Bella for under $40 not counting the steak and lobster. All joking aside I hope all my kids love God, family and all others every day and know that Valentine's day is just a fun day to celebrate that love with a little chocolate.

Love,

Daddy

ooxxooXoXXx

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6CYPXFD7CcM

Hello 2019!

It's been a busy couple months since my last post. We had another great Christmas and I almost made it to midnight this New Years Eve. I was able to take 2 weeks off while the girls were on break and we had a couple fun outings but we also spent a lot of time just laying around the house. I felt a little guilty for not doing more work around the house but I finished a couple projects.


Michelle got her license and is driving to work and school which has been a little scary for daddy but I'm so proud of her and I know she will be more responsible than I was at her age. She got a job at a new grocery store 2 minutes from the house but has to drive through a very busy intersection and past the freeway so it's still a little scary. She started as a cashier and not a stock clerk like most teenagers so I'm super proud and impressed.


Sophie and Mia are both doing excellent in school and in their school activities. Sophia is in ROTC and loving it. It is soooo cute to watch her polish her dress shoes. Not sure if she will make a career of it but she is really enjoying it. Mia and a couple of her friends started a Ballet Folklorico club at her school and they have performed a couple times at the school. She looks beautiful in her dress and I love that she is embracing her heritage.


Andrew and Sarah are both doing good. Andrew continues to make me proud at work and is on track to graduate from RCC soon. He shaved his mustache so he looks a lot younger but I think he will grow it back. I hope he grows a beard so he will look just like his dad :) Sarah is doing great also and is enjoying married life. We just celebrated Lexi's first birthday and Bella is in 1st grade now. Sarah and Eric bought a couple bunnies that they plan to breed and sell and their German shepherds might be having pups too so it looks they will be busy for a while.


Isella and I are also doing great and though we miss the girls being babies we are enjoying the freedom of having kids that can take care of themselves. It's a new year so we are back to eating right and going on walks even though it is freezing at night when we go.


Until next time...

Happy new Family

My Beautiful kids

The suite at Christmas. I scaled back a bit this year but still the most festive house on the block

Daddy cuddling with his new friend. I hope Bella loves him as much as I did.

Lola watching TV with Mia

This is not only the first double rainbow I have ever seen but also the first complete rainbow where you could see both ends touching the ground. I have a nice video of it but my stupid admin was talking through the whole thing.

Who needs Hawaii when I have this right outside my office.

Nope, still not over it.