Saturday, April 19, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Niagara Falls
Raquel, Maya, and myself went to Niagara falls for spring break. I know that it's kind of an odd place for spring break given the fact that the falls area is freezing in March but it's the time of the year that we had free time to travel and it has always been a dream of Raquel's to visit Niagara falls. We had a good time visiting the falls, Canada, and Toronto. All together, we spent five days there.
On day one (friday), we spent five of the longest hours of the year flying to Washington D.C. Maya screamed and cried at the top of her lungs about half of the time. I think that there were a few couples on that flight who changed their minds about having kids. Once we landed in D.C., we tracked down the gate of our connecting flight to Buffalo, NY. After we located the gate, we had a really over-due diaper change to do. The layover was about an hour and a half. On the first half of the flight to Buffalo, Maya was great. She was happy and smiling at everyone. The second half of the flight was a different story though, she turned into a monster once again. We were really relieved to land in Buffalo and put flying behind us for five days. After gathering our luggage, we made our way to the Alamo car rental company and picked up a compact car even though I reserved a mid-size. After about a 30 minute drive, we ended up lost in Canada. Our hotel was on the American side! The Canadian border agent was really nice (a whole lot nicer than the American ones!) and directed us to the right location. Finally, after 12 hours of traveling, we were at our hotel. What a dump! Travelocity really needs to update the photo that they had on their website.
Day 2, Saturday. We were excited about seeing the falls which was supposed to be two blocks away, not true, more like four to five. We also experienced the cold weather. The type of cold on the east coast is different than here in California. It is so much colder over their. It's a whole new level of coldness. I will never again think that it is cold in California. I carried Maya as we walked to the American falls and to the visitor center. The falls were impressive but the cold was so over-powering that it was hard to really enjoy the view for very long. Later in the day, we drove to Canada to view horseshoe falls. The Canadian falls are much better and it really was breath taking.
Day 3, Sunday. On this day, we decided to take the drive to Toronto. After crossing over into Canada, I spotted a highway sign that said "Toronto 140" I knew that Canada used Kilometers instead of miles but I didnt tell Raquel that. It was funny because she thought that we had to go 140 miles, she was happy when I told her that it was really about 80 miles. I was really surprised at how big Toronto is, it's a really big city. Across from Lake Ontario, you can see the city for 40-50 miles. Many huge skyscrapers all over the downtown area. We found a public parking garage and decided to walk to the CN tower which is a huge tower of a building, kind of like the Stratusphere in Las Vegas, only much bigger. The tower was great, we had lunch up top and walked on a glass floor with Maya 1100 feet above the ground.
Day 4, Monday. On this day, we spent the whole time on the Canadian side which is so much nicer. If any of you plan on visiting the falls in the future, stay on the Canadian side. There is so much more to do on the Canadian side and it is nice everywhere, at least all of the places that I saw. On the New York side, it's really run down and there is a lot of ghetto. We spent the day walking down Clifton hill (the major tourist area), walking to the falls and going up another tower building. The tower at Niagara falls is much smaller than the one in Toronto but the view is amazing. We had lunch up top in a restaurant the rotated once an hour. By far, this was the best view of the falls. We also spent much of the day walking to the falls from all of the attractions on Clifton hill.
Day 5, Tuesday. We spent our last day in Niagara falls by casually visiting the American falls once again, and then the Canadian falls. The three of us took a ride on a gondola ride overlooking the falls. After that, we parked the car on a look-out over the falls and enjoyed our last view of the Niagara falls.
Day 6, Wednesday. We woke up at 4:00 AM to begin our 12 hour journey back home. Neither Raquel or myself were looking forward to the plane rides back with Maya. Amazingly however, Maya did great the whole time. She did'nt shed even one tear the whole time. When we landed back in Sacramento, it really felt like we were coming home to paradise because the weather is so much nicer here.
Thanks to Malcolm for taking us out to the airport and for picking us up!
Malcolm dropping us off at the Sacramento airport early friday morning.
Next to Horseshoe falls on the Canadian side on Saturday.
The CN tower in Toronto, Canada.
The glass floor 1100 feet above the ground. Maya was'nt afraid at all.
Maya and Mommy enjoying lunch at the CN tower.
View from atop the tower at the Niagara tower restaurant.
Maya fell asleep from all the walking around Clifton Hill.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pickleball
I have a new love in my life. It's called Pickleball. It is a great game that is really a combination of tennis and ping pong. The court is about 1/4 the size of a tennis court. Instead of a raquet, you use a paddle that is about half the size of a raquetball raquet. The ball is kind of like a whiffleball, only much harder.
I first started playing in October when I was up in Meadow vista playing tennis with an old friend that I used to teach with at Grant. While playing tennis, I noticed that there were lines painted for a much smaller court. I thought that the lines may have been for paddle tennis which is another game that I really enjoy. After a while a guy showed up with a couple of portable nets and I asked him if he were playing paddle tennis. He said no, he was going to set up for some game called pickleball. My friend and I decided to let him have the court so that he could set up, and we went to the other tennis court that was not marked for pickleball.
While playing tennis, my friend and I had a conversation between points. He asked me if my brother was still coaching at Boise State University. I told him no, that my brother was now at the University of Colorado. At that point, an older, shorter, and somewhat chunky guy interupted our conversation by saying that his nephew coached at Colorado and that they had just upset Oklahoma. He kept talking about it, and then I realized that the guy was my uncle Dennis. I was kind of surprised to see him there because Meadow vista is just past Auburn, while Dennis lives in Placerville. Dennis did'nt recognize me and continued to talk about his nephew at Colorado. I decided to continue the conversation with Dennis without telling him who I was. I told him that my brother coached at Colorado and he repeated that his nephew also did. So I asked him what his Nephews name was. He said, "Robert Tucker". I then replied, "I'm Craig Tucker, Robby's my brother". For a couple of seconds he looked real confused, then he said, "Craig!" "What are you doing here? You live in Sacramento!" And I said, "what are you doing here? You live in Placerville!"
Dennis told me that I should try Pickleball because it was a lot funner than tennis. I did'nt believe him, but I decided that I would give it a try the next time that I came up. When I did try it, I was instantly hooked. It is such a fun game. The game is very fast and requires a lot of skill. Time flies when you are playing. Before you know it, three hours have gone bye and it seems like you just started playing. I did well right away, probably because of my tennis background. I almost never miss a game. I drive up there every wednesday after school and on saturday mornings.
I introduced Jamie to the sport in December and he has already bought four raquets and a portable net. Last night, he called me up at 11:00 PM to tell me that he talked to a guy from the Sacramento department Parks and Recreation about the sport and the possibility of the city installing permanent Pickleball courts someday.
Yesterday, we headed up to Meadow vista with my Dad and Viet. We had a lot of really competitive games with Dennis and Bill. The following photographs are from yeserday.
Jamie showing the championship form that has quickly made him the second best Meadow vista Pickleball player.
Viet reaching down to score a point.
Who says old guys can't jump? Dennis showing off his two-inch vertical leap.
Dad chasing down a Jamie kill-shot.
Dennis showing the form that has made him one of the elite Meadow vista players.
The champions!
The thrill of victory!
The agony of defeat.
I first started playing in October when I was up in Meadow vista playing tennis with an old friend that I used to teach with at Grant. While playing tennis, I noticed that there were lines painted for a much smaller court. I thought that the lines may have been for paddle tennis which is another game that I really enjoy. After a while a guy showed up with a couple of portable nets and I asked him if he were playing paddle tennis. He said no, he was going to set up for some game called pickleball. My friend and I decided to let him have the court so that he could set up, and we went to the other tennis court that was not marked for pickleball.
While playing tennis, my friend and I had a conversation between points. He asked me if my brother was still coaching at Boise State University. I told him no, that my brother was now at the University of Colorado. At that point, an older, shorter, and somewhat chunky guy interupted our conversation by saying that his nephew coached at Colorado and that they had just upset Oklahoma. He kept talking about it, and then I realized that the guy was my uncle Dennis. I was kind of surprised to see him there because Meadow vista is just past Auburn, while Dennis lives in Placerville. Dennis did'nt recognize me and continued to talk about his nephew at Colorado. I decided to continue the conversation with Dennis without telling him who I was. I told him that my brother coached at Colorado and he repeated that his nephew also did. So I asked him what his Nephews name was. He said, "Robert Tucker". I then replied, "I'm Craig Tucker, Robby's my brother". For a couple of seconds he looked real confused, then he said, "Craig!" "What are you doing here? You live in Sacramento!" And I said, "what are you doing here? You live in Placerville!"
Dennis told me that I should try Pickleball because it was a lot funner than tennis. I did'nt believe him, but I decided that I would give it a try the next time that I came up. When I did try it, I was instantly hooked. It is such a fun game. The game is very fast and requires a lot of skill. Time flies when you are playing. Before you know it, three hours have gone bye and it seems like you just started playing. I did well right away, probably because of my tennis background. I almost never miss a game. I drive up there every wednesday after school and on saturday mornings.
I introduced Jamie to the sport in December and he has already bought four raquets and a portable net. Last night, he called me up at 11:00 PM to tell me that he talked to a guy from the Sacramento department Parks and Recreation about the sport and the possibility of the city installing permanent Pickleball courts someday.
Yesterday, we headed up to Meadow vista with my Dad and Viet. We had a lot of really competitive games with Dennis and Bill. The following photographs are from yeserday.
Jamie showing the championship form that has quickly made him the second best Meadow vista Pickleball player.
Viet reaching down to score a point.
Who says old guys can't jump? Dennis showing off his two-inch vertical leap.
Dad chasing down a Jamie kill-shot.
Dennis showing the form that has made him one of the elite Meadow vista players.
The champions!
The thrill of victory!
The agony of defeat.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Maya's heart looks good
Good news! Maya had her appointment with the Cardiologist this morning and it looks like her heart has fully recovered. It is now within the normal range for babies her age.
I was nervous about today because her heart has been the major area of concern. As a 2 1/2 month premie, Maya definitely had some obstacles to overcome. At about 4 weeks old while still in the NICU, one of Maya's doctors told us that Maya had a severely enlarged heart and that it was continuing to grow. It was a major problem because her chest cavity had no more room for it to grow and her other organs were in jeopardy of losing the space that they needed. The doctors did not know why her heart was growing like it was and did not know if they could do anything about it. They did not know if she would survive. The doctor's gave her medicine treatments and after a few days, the growth of her heart stabilized. The doctors did'nt know if the treatments helped her or if she just healed herself. It was a really scary time.
Today was the first time that real tests were done by the cardiologist on Maya since she left the NICU last March. Raquel and I were both really nervous about today. The news from the tests could not have been better. The doctor feels so good about Maya's heart, that the next appointment to check it again won't be for two years.
Everything with Maya is going great right now. She is now eating solid foods and is completely off her premie formula. Which is great because that special formula is really expensive. We were spending over $300 a month on just the formula. She is now feeding on milk, baby food, and tiny pieces of our food. Maya has become an excellent crawler, she goes anywhere she can reach. She even has a 4th gear for when she sees me coming to grab her. Maya is also very close to walking. I actually saw her take five or six steps on her own, walking to her momma before she fell. As far as language goes, she says "momma" and "dada" a lot, as well as a lot of babble that I can't understand.
I was nervous about today because her heart has been the major area of concern. As a 2 1/2 month premie, Maya definitely had some obstacles to overcome. At about 4 weeks old while still in the NICU, one of Maya's doctors told us that Maya had a severely enlarged heart and that it was continuing to grow. It was a major problem because her chest cavity had no more room for it to grow and her other organs were in jeopardy of losing the space that they needed. The doctors did not know why her heart was growing like it was and did not know if they could do anything about it. They did not know if she would survive. The doctor's gave her medicine treatments and after a few days, the growth of her heart stabilized. The doctors did'nt know if the treatments helped her or if she just healed herself. It was a really scary time.
Today was the first time that real tests were done by the cardiologist on Maya since she left the NICU last March. Raquel and I were both really nervous about today. The news from the tests could not have been better. The doctor feels so good about Maya's heart, that the next appointment to check it again won't be for two years.
Everything with Maya is going great right now. She is now eating solid foods and is completely off her premie formula. Which is great because that special formula is really expensive. We were spending over $300 a month on just the formula. She is now feeding on milk, baby food, and tiny pieces of our food. Maya has become an excellent crawler, she goes anywhere she can reach. She even has a 4th gear for when she sees me coming to grab her. Maya is also very close to walking. I actually saw her take five or six steps on her own, walking to her momma before she fell. As far as language goes, she says "momma" and "dada" a lot, as well as a lot of babble that I can't understand.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
My trip to Chicago
Last weekend (Feb.1-Feb.3), the school district sent me to Chicago to attend an educational conference. I was pretty excited to go since I had never been to the city and also because I have a friend who lives their. The conference was a complete waste of time and money, maybe I will write a post later about the conference. However, I did have a great time meeting up with my old friend Greg and his family as well as seeing a little bit of Chicago.
I met Greg more than 21 years ago while I was a sophmore at Highlands high school. We were taking a first year Spanish class together. Over the next few years, Greg and I became good friends even though I alternated time in high school between Sacramento and Hawaii. We grew up together in a sense. I can't say how many times Greg's mom gave me a ride home in her old blue pick-up truck or how many times the family had me over for dinner. Greg's dad and I spent hundreds of hours together talking and watching boxing, we even went to a boxing match together at ARCO arena many years ago. Greg and his family were always great to me so it was really nice to see all of them after not seeing them for 14 years.
On my way to Chicago, I was afraid that after 14 years, Greg and his family as well as myself, might have all changed and that maybe we wouldnt really have anything to say to each other. It was just the opposite, everything and everyone was just as I remembered them. It was as if the last 14 years never happened. There I was, in Greg's parents house eating his mom's Tamales and talking boxing with his dad. It could have been high school all over again. Also at the house were Victor, Mauricio (skippy), Greg's wife Christina, Carmen (counselor from Grant), Greg's two kids, and Melissa (who was a baby when I last saw her).
It seems like Greg has made a nice life for himself in Chicago. He is married with two kids. His wife Christina is very nice and it is obvious that she loves Greg very much. His two kids are really well behaved and pleasant. Greg has a job at a college and is also working towards his degree. It's kind strange when I think about that 14 year old kid sitting next to me in class now in his mid-thirties with a grown up job, a wife, and two kids.
On our last night in Chicago, Greg, Mauricio, and Victor took Carmen and I out to downtown. The sky scrappers were impressive. Michigan avenue reminded me of New York. They took us up to the top of the Hancock building (96 stories high, I think) for great views of the city. After that, we went to a pizza restaurant and had authentic Chicago style pizza. WOW!!! It was great pizza!!!!! Too bad we don't have that kind of pizza out here in California.
I met Greg more than 21 years ago while I was a sophmore at Highlands high school. We were taking a first year Spanish class together. Over the next few years, Greg and I became good friends even though I alternated time in high school between Sacramento and Hawaii. We grew up together in a sense. I can't say how many times Greg's mom gave me a ride home in her old blue pick-up truck or how many times the family had me over for dinner. Greg's dad and I spent hundreds of hours together talking and watching boxing, we even went to a boxing match together at ARCO arena many years ago. Greg and his family were always great to me so it was really nice to see all of them after not seeing them for 14 years.
On my way to Chicago, I was afraid that after 14 years, Greg and his family as well as myself, might have all changed and that maybe we wouldnt really have anything to say to each other. It was just the opposite, everything and everyone was just as I remembered them. It was as if the last 14 years never happened. There I was, in Greg's parents house eating his mom's Tamales and talking boxing with his dad. It could have been high school all over again. Also at the house were Victor, Mauricio (skippy), Greg's wife Christina, Carmen (counselor from Grant), Greg's two kids, and Melissa (who was a baby when I last saw her).
It seems like Greg has made a nice life for himself in Chicago. He is married with two kids. His wife Christina is very nice and it is obvious that she loves Greg very much. His two kids are really well behaved and pleasant. Greg has a job at a college and is also working towards his degree. It's kind strange when I think about that 14 year old kid sitting next to me in class now in his mid-thirties with a grown up job, a wife, and two kids.
On our last night in Chicago, Greg, Mauricio, and Victor took Carmen and I out to downtown. The sky scrappers were impressive. Michigan avenue reminded me of New York. They took us up to the top of the Hancock building (96 stories high, I think) for great views of the city. After that, we went to a pizza restaurant and had authentic Chicago style pizza. WOW!!! It was great pizza!!!!! Too bad we don't have that kind of pizza out here in California.
Greg and I on top of the Hancock building
View from atop the Hancock building
Greg and I on Michigan avenue
Raquel and Maya welcoming me home
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