Icecats

         We found ourselves back at the TCC to watch game 2 of the Arizona Icecats versus the Arizona State Ice Devils...deja vu all over again...just a change of characters...tonight, Andrea dropped Lexy off to us and we went to El Minuto again, minus Amy, Tom, Alex, David and Cody (Cody had a birthday party to go to that turned into a sleep over!)...

                  Lexy chose the beef tacos, Autumn got the topopo salad again, Antonio (oh man, you know that I have my hands full just looking at that face!) got rice.  Yes, rice.  That's it.  He wants Mario's recipe on how to make this kind of rice.  And I got carne asada tacos.  Once again, great food - and two nights in a row!  I literally did not eat a meal today in anticipation of this feast!  And it was well worth the wait.

        We had some sweet seats, courtesy of Mrs. Golembiewski, a teacher over at Desert Sky Middle school, where Cody goes - she also happens to be the sister in law of Icecats coach, Leo Golembiewski - nice contact to have!  The Icecats attract a curious crowd...many of them truly like hockey...some are just students there to support their school...some just like to yell, scream and be as loud as they can...some don't have all of their teeth...this was the case of the mother and son that had been sitting next to Lexy...they were unabashedly rude and unapologetic...and got kicked out before the end of the first period, protesting all the way 'Hey, this is a hockey game, come on!'.  It was a lot quieter after they left.

       Tonio's favorite is the Zamboni...invented by Frank Zamboni back in 1949.  He aspires to drive one some day...When Kim and I were Philadelphia Flyer season ticket holders, we'd always enter each other in the 'drive the zamboni' contest...but, alas, it was not meant to be.  Kim sure loved the Icecats games - we typically would see one or two a season.  One season, a young lady I worked with at Linens 'N Things, had an uncle who was head of security and scored us free tickets!  We saw at least 5 games that season!
      During intermission, we ran into one of the technicians, Robert, from St. Joseph's, who works security at the Icecats games.  He worked so hard for Kimmy, and was always a calming influence for her and our family.  He presented Antonio with a puck!  Antonio is so excited - he took the puck to bed with him tonight...yeh, that hard rubber is not a cozy, comfy, huggy item, but, for Tonio - it works!
      Well, having lost 10-5 last night, the Cats got off to a great start and were winning 4-1 after the first period!  They actually looked coherent and were putting together smart drives with crisp, clean passes.  Then, they gave up 3 unanswered goals in the second period and it was 4-4 after 2.  There were two lengthy delays, as a panel of glass was shattered and took about 30 minutes to replace and later, one of the braces holding the top of the glass together came lose.  So we left after the 2nd, as it was already 9:45, the kids had had their ice cream ( I am a new fan of the Thrifty brand! It is so smooth and creamy!) - not sure how it turned out, but, hopefully the Cats found new life in the 3rd period.

             Lexy and Autumn decided to sit together in one seat...and fit with no problem!
             Earlier in the day, the bambini got a great workout at Skate Country.  One of Autumn's friends, Emma LaPlant was celebrating her 11th birthday there and the LaPlants were gracious enough to allow me to drag Tonio, Cody and his friend Alex along.  I always think of those skating dates Kim and I had back in junior high - they didn't do enough 'couples' skates in my opinion!
             Slowly, we are piecing things together...some days, things fray at the edges, or out right tear, leaving the fabric of reality seeming thin, almost transparent...but today, we held it together...together.

           Surely, on those days, where I begin to lose my grip on reality and that feeling of being absolutely lost descends upon me, I find comfort in the words of Dave Mustaine:
         
Somewhere there's a reason
Why things go like they do
Somewhere there's a reason
Why somethings just fall through
We don't always see them
For what they really are
But I know there's a reason,
Just can't see it from this far

Maybe I don't like it, but I have no choice
I know that somewhere, someone hears my voice

I thought I knew it all
I thought I had it made
How could it end this way?
I thought I knew

Somewhere there's a reason
Why things don't go my way
Somewhere there's a reason
That I cannot explain
Just like the change of season,
Just may not be my turn
But I know there's a reason,
The lesson's mine to learn

                  -Megadeth

        It's a great tune, really - and sounds best with Liberty High School graduate, Jimmy DeGrasso as their drummer!

          Love,
              Dave
      
        

Klimb 4 Kimmy

       The Klimb 4 Kimmy up 'A' Mountain is next Saturday already!  Remember, this year there are no official registration forms - please just make a $25/ walker donation to Kimmy's Foundation (link and directions on how to donate are posted on right side bar. Remember to specify that your donation is for Kimberly Conca's Foundation - my Dad's donation got slotted into a different fund by accident, but we got it straightened out!).  I'll get something together for next year and t-shirts, too!
       The walk starts at 8 a.m. (give or take) at Pima County Community College West on Anklam Rd.  Some walkers begin earlier, some later...over the years, we varied our start times based on how pregnant Kim was, weather conditions or just how our morning happened to be going...
        The walk proceeds down Anklam to Silverbell, heads west and goes up the road up A Mountain.  At the top, there are refreshments, jumping concerts and most years, they've had live music.
        Should be a good time!

                                      

Sabino Canyon

          We had a big day today...I wanted to take the baminis to Sabino Canyon.  Kim and I spent so much time there while on vacation here, when we moved here and right up until we had Antonio...about that time, there seemed to be so much mountain lion activity in the canyon area that Kim no longer felt comfortable hiking there...

             There are several ways to get in and hike the canyon - Kim and I had tried each one many times.  There is a back door at the end of Bear Canyon rode, that is a neat hike and brings you out by Bear Canyon.  There is a path from the southeast corner of the parking lot that takes you to the path leading to Sabino Dam, or you can split northeast and catch the main path into Sabino Canyon.  Then, there is the paved, main path, which you can walk on or take a shuttle ride to the top.  We chose to walk the main route and here the kids are at mile marker 0.
             As you hike up this main path, a small trail called Esperero trail, branches off to the northeast.  Kim and I hiked this one on many occaisons.  It was especially beautiful in early spring when the wildflowers were in bloom and there would be so many butterflies.  I stopped at the trailhead to tell the kids the stories of Mama and I hiking this trail...

        Here is Tonio, at the trailhead, beneath a sign that warns that there have been recent mountain lion sightings...the way I feel, the mountain lion should be scared of us...but, we stick to the main trail.

Near mile marker 1, we spot water!

                  

              
                       At mile marker 1, Autumn sits down to get some water out of her Ramona and Beezus pack.
    And, I tell the kids, how next time we will take the tram.  I've forgotten how that first mile is always the hardest.  It is uphill most of the way, before sloping downhill quickly to the mile marker.  It is also the least scenic and seems to take forever.

             A lot of these paths were created during FDR's administration by the WPA and CCC.  Later, President Nixon had the main road paved...the bambinis were happy there was a bench!

            A large earthquake in Mexico, back in 1887, moved large boulder like this one into Sabino Canyon.  There is water running around this boulder and it is a wonder neither Autumn or Antonio fell in!

            This is one of the areas Kim and I would frequently stop and relax at.  There is a bit of a sandy beach that I am standing on to take this picture.

            We hiked another mile, or so, and came to this water hole...Kim and I would often pack a lunch and make a day of our time in Sabino Canyon.  When we'd come to a water hole, like this one, we'd swim and hike alongside of it, finding hidden waterfalls and places to lay on the beach or rocks, soaking up the warm rays of the sunshine.

And finally, our all time favorite swimming spot - stop # 6, about 2 1/2 miles up the main trail.  We would spend hours working on our tan, eating, swimming, hiking.  Once, we were swimming and I saw a tiny head swimming just between us...'Kimmy...look!' I whispered.  'What?' Kimmy asked...'Snake!' I whispered back.  Kim got out of that water faster than I've ever seen her move!  We took all of our visitors to this particular piece of beach.  The day after our wedding, we took everyone on the shuttle ride and stopped here for a picnic lunch.  When Kim's niece, Niki, came to visit, we swam here.  Cody and Autumn both splashed and froliced in these waters.  And today, finally, Antonio had his chance to skip stones and throw sticks into the water.  I promised him we'd come back when it was a little warmer.  This water is frigid right now, the result of snow run off from Mt. Lemmon towering high above us to the north.

            This is another little beach we always had fun at.  The kids enjoyed skipping stones here.  Kim and I would hike a little ways back along this water way and hang out together.

           And yet another sandy stretch of water!  It was so good to see the bambini enjoying their time here so much, just as Kim and I did so many times!! 
          We were blessed with a beautiful day (about 70), and with flowing water in the canyon and the sunshine, of course, the sunshine warming our hearts as we hiked together...

           After our 5 mile hike, we were starving!  So we went to Viro's!!  Vito came out and had lunch with us - Autumn scarfed an immense plate of pasta!  Tonio ate a ham sandwhich and Cody had the panini Italiano and mozz sticks.  I went with the fish burrito...I'm telling you, it's good! 

          We weren't done yet!  We had tickets to go see the Univeristy of Arizona Icecats versus the Arizona State Univeristy Ice Devils...Amy, Tom and Alex came with and we picked up David, Andrea and Mario's son, too.  We first went to eat at El Minuto, right across the street from the TCC.

                        David, Cody, Alex and Amy enjoy a huuuggggeee cheese crisp!  Tom had the huevos rancheros, Tonio had rice and beans, Aut ate the topopo salad and I had beef flautas.  Pretty filling!

              Autumn enjoys the game and looks stylish...Cats up 3-2...

             Here's a view of the rink...Cats up 5-4...

          Alex, David and Cody enjoy the action, but alas, the Cats let sloppy play, lack of discipline and lack of fundamentals spoil there lead...in fact, their wheels absolutely fell off in the 3rd period and we left when it was 10-5...and there were still 8 minutes to play!  ASU was ranked #9, coming in.  This is not NCAA sanctioned hockey - it is club level, so the play is not as sharp or crisp, but the fan enthusiasm and the effort the Cats put in, makes up for their lack of true skill.  And I was wearing my newest Flyers jersey, #13 Dan Carcillo, the 'enforcer' of the team, who sometimes can get some goals, too (4 on the season).  I saw one other fan wearing a Flyers jersery tonight, and he also was wearing Carcillo's jersey!  Carcillo was my favorite for the Phoenix Coyotes and I was delighted when the Flyers traded for him last season.
          When we got home, well after 10, we spotted some javelinas eating our neighbor's flowers!

                  Oh, wait a minute...these are clown fish from Scripps Aquarium in San Diego (thanks for this wonderful shot Lexy!)...

               It is hard to see, but just to the left of the Saguaro cactus, is the mama.  She had two little babies in tow, that were pretty cute.  These things can be pretty dangerous when they have babies.  Kim worked on many a dog that got torn up by a javelina that it tried to tangle with when she worked as a vet tech at Ventana Animal Hospital.
              It was so good to go back to Sabino Canyon and share the memories I have of the special times Kim and I spent there...and to give them a new memory of a great day we shared together and to get Antonio there for his first visit!

             Love,
                     Dave
                                
                              

Where are the vegetables?

    Today, my southwest mom, Angie, calls me up and says she is making the vodka sauce...'you guys sure eat a lot of pasta' she tells me...yes, indeed, I tell her...pasta is our friend!  'Did you guys eat much meat?'  Well, not too much red meat, although I could probably eat carne asada every day.  Kim did have one killer london broil recipe that I'll get to...we eat a lot of chicken, though - that's meat, right?  'How about fish?' Angie asks.  Yes, fish tacos!  I would grill the fish and Kim would make some incredible salsas - she had this mango one that just made the taco so juicy and sweet!  Which reminded me, 'Angie!  Vito has made a fish burrito with chipolte sauce that is incredible!'...I had one Friday and asked Vito why I should eat a burrito at an Italian restaurant...dumb question - try one at Viro's on 22nd and Sarnoff and you'll see!  'Well', Angie said, 'you'll get to eat a lot of those, Lent starts in just over a week!'.  And then she dropped the hammer.  "Dave, I notice that your recipes don't have a lot of vegetables"...yeh, uh, vegetables...Kim was always good about making sure she kept us well rounded and could make any vegetable taste good - even brussel sprouts!  When we met, I ate virtually NO vegetables - just corn, potatoes and rice - which is largely what I still make today!  'Actually, Angie, that recipe Andrea gave me with the chicken, rice, peas and carrots - yes, there they are!  Peas and carrots!!'...I think I posted this recipe before - let me know if I didn't, because it is a great one!
      Despite the obvious victory of having put peas and carrots in one recipe, I promise Angie I will do better - and tonight, I made chicken marsala, arrborio rice and...wait for it....peas!  Sometimes Kim would mix the peas directly into the arrborio rice, which was excellent - but I had already made the rice before Angie called, so I had to go back and make the peas separately...

Oh, and I did take this photo before Angie called, too, so the peas came later...honestly!

To make this delight, take 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound them as flat as you can.  Melt 1 tlb of butter and 1 tlb of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, put the chicken in and brown them on both sides.  Remove the chicken - put them aside for now.

Add 1 tlb of olive oil to the skillet.  Add 1 large shallot, finely chopped (or about 1/2 cup of red onion would work nicely!) and 2-4 cloves of minced garlic.  Saute these for about 30 seconds.  Add another tlb of olive oil if too dry.  Add a 1 to 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and saute until tender.  Add a punch of salt. Pour in 1/2 cup of Marsala cooking wine.  Simmer about 2 minutes.  Pour in 3/4 of chicken broth and a fresh rosemary sprig (out here, you can just pick one from someone's front yard!).  Simmer another 3-4 minutes.  Return the chicken to the skillet until cooked through, turning to coat.  Mangia!

This was a great one Kimmy would tantalize us with.  At work, they are concerned with the amount of weight I've lost. Well, I tell them, I no longer drink soda, don't eat many sweets, as I do not bake...yet and get a little more excercise - a new program - Zumba, you ask?  No, Bambinicise!  So, one of the managers, Jaime, made me a red velvet cake Wednesday, and Regina, the Foothills Mall manager, made me the largest batch of chocolate chip cookies I've ever seen!  "It's a long weekend Dave - your family will eat them all"...and, sure enough, we do have them on the run!

Of course, Kim made everyday a food fest...so I'm bound to lose some weight...but, as the kids started a 4 day weekend, I found myself in the kitchen the entire day...!  We picked up Lexy (freshly back from an amazing class fieldtrip to San Diego...lucky!) and Breanna around 10, came home and I made breakfast burritos with bacon, eggs and hashbrowns...for lunch, I whipped up a batch of the chicken and rice I mentioned above (hah!  We had peas TWICE today!!!)...once the kitchen was clean, I began prepparing the marsala -all of  the kids ate great today! Well, Cody skipped out on dinner - Amy, Tom and Alex took him to Red Lobster!  Good excuse!  Then, we settled in to watch the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" with Nicolas Cage - pretty good - the kids gave it a thumbs up!

Lexy and Autumn made "Best" and "Friends" T-shirts today!



Later...enjoying the movie...Breanna was the designated photographer today - great job!!

Yep, good food, good fun...and, by golly, we ate our vegetables!!!

"The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to where it rises..."

                                                                      -Ecclesiastes 1:5

Love,

           Dave





            

South Carolina

      Kim and I ventured down I-95 many times, seeking warmth and sun and the chance to work on our tans...and that feeling of being together, of adventure and being carefree - flying down I-95, peeling peanuts and throwing them out the window...I remember being pulled over in Virginia, for speeding and being so mad, telling the officer 'I paid like $150 for this radar detector...how'd you catch us?'...the officer, not impressed, explaining that as soon as those devices come out, the police simply switch technology...but, we did not let little detours like that ruin our time...
      As you begin to get close to South Carolina, there are billboards for a wonderland called "South of the Border".  Billed as 'America's Favorite Highway Oasis'.  The first time we went to South Carolina, our curiosity was piqued, but, we were anxious to get to the beach, and we would have had to travel a way further south than our trip tik from AAA called for (hey, a trip tik was an ancient form of GPS back in the day!), so we resisted its sweet call...but the next time...we were drawn in like it was some strange magnetic force...the billboards, so compelling - marketing genious!  Here's some expamples:  Picture a dachshund, with the body of a hot dog...caption reads "Everyone is a Wiener at South of the Border!"  Then, there is one that has a picture of "Pedro", in a large sombrero, with the words "South of the Border", printed upside down and then, rightside up, it says "Too Much Tequila!"  In fact, don't let me try to explain these brilliant ads, just go to thesouthoftheborder.com and enjoy it firsthand!!
       Well, we went the extra distance to see this oasis and found that it is a string of shops all peddling the same 'South of the Border' trinkets...and a few restaurants...and fireworks shops!  OK, we did do some heavy shopping in the fireworks shops, so it was not a total loss!  And, we took a bunch of cheesey photos at "South of the Border", too - there was a large gorilla and Kim laid in its arms, shrieking!  I sat atop the dachshund statue that I decribed above, etc, - of course, we had fun!
        Leaving, fully armed and ready to hit the beach, we traveled down a smaller road to get to Myrtle Beach.  It wound through some old plantations, some still growing tobacco and many having tin shacks.  The trees were large and filled with Spanish moss - very beautiful...we really liked the state, and loved the beaches.
        The water is an aqua blue and the beaches are white sand.  We would spend all day on the beaches, tanning, swimming, taking long walks and collecting shells.  Kim always tried to bring home as many shells as she could - to this day, we have various decorative bowls and vases filled with shells from the many beaches we enjoyed together.
      We always stayed in the cheapest dive hotel we could find, since, we knew we would not be in the room much, as when we were done with the beach, we'd go eat and stay out to close the night clubs.  South Carolina had some great seafood buffet restaurants called calabashes.  We'd scope them out through the windows to see who had the largest selection before choosing one.  The seafood was always great!
      I may have already told parts of this story, but once, in April, tired of the Pennsylvania winter, we once again found ourselves speeding down I-95 in search of warmth and sun.  We had somehow lined up that rare, long weekend, where we both were off from work...Only catch was, it was Easter weekend.  We promised to be back in time...
       We had found a great 'dive' hotel, checked in and hit the beach.  Later, we ate at a calabash and went in search of some nightlife.  We walked for a couple of miles and came across a bar called 'PJ's'.  Looked good.  We entered, and a lady behind a caged in desk asked us for cover charge $$.  We happily paid and turned to the inner door to enter, finding it locked...the lady we had paid the cover charge too, said 'oops, let me buzz you in' - there was a loud buzzing, a click and wah-lah!  We could enter...although, in retrospect, it typically is not a great idea to enter a place where the lady collecting the cover charge is in a cage, and has to buzz you in to enter...but, we were young and naive and just didn't care - we were together! 
       The band that night was fantastic - playing a lot of cover tunes that we loved.  At one point, I had to use the men's room and remember it being pretty well covered in blood, passing the loser of that skirmish on my way in.  I went back and told Kimmy...she asked if I was ok - I told her yeah, just needed a beer and we resumed watching the band....until the place closed.  The band came out and we met them and hung out for awhile.  When it was time to leave, the band invited us back to their hotel - we declined - ok, we weren't that naive!
      Getting back to our dive hotel around 3 a.m., we could hear a lot of action going on several floors above us - loud music, singing, etc.  I went to close the sliding glass door (we loved to keep it open to smell the ocean air and hear the waves...), when a lounge chair went whistling by our balcony, landing with a crash next to the pool, just below!  This is about the time we'd head out to the beach, with our arsenal of fireworks and set them off, oooohhhing and ahhhhing over our own display. Good times....
       Anway, it had been a chilly beach day, and we did not get much tanning time, as was the next day...but, the day we were to leave - it warmed up into the 80's...so we decided to stay...but would have to miss Easter - not a comfortable phone call to our parents, but, it was so worth it!  We got great tans and had a lot of fun. 
       Myrtle Beach had a pretty good amusement park, too.  Kim and I were always suckers for a good roller coaster, and this park had the first corkscrew roller coaster we had ever been on - it was pretty wicked!
          We loved the beach and always thought when we hit the lottery, we'd definitely buy a house right on the beach.  Over the years, the location of where we were going to buy changed...Long Beach Island, N.J....South Carolina -any beach!  San Diego....and, most recently, Laguna Beach (oh, it would have to be a serious Powerball jackpot!).
         I know I have a lot of pictures from South of the Border and South Carolina - I just can't seem to locate them at the moment, having even check Kim's basement under our bed (found another pair of her sneakers and a couple more framed photos!) - but, I'll keep looking and update this post when I do!

         Bambini's are doing great!  One more day of school and they have a 4 day weekend for Rodeo Days!  That's right, Tucson may very well be the only city in the country that awards the kids a long weekend for the professional rodeo that comes through town, kicked off Thursday by the longest, non-mechanized parade in the country!  Yee-haw!  We love it!  They stayed after school today and got their homework done again (thanks Mrs. Schrantz and Mrs. Rudzena!) and I was able to peddle a lot of raffle tickets to the teachers and staff - thank you all for your generosity!  We ate at Bruegger's Bagels tonight with Betsey, Brian, Mitch and Hadley, Amy and Alex for a Rincon Vista Middle School fund raiser - first of its kind at Bruegger's out here.  Great sandwhiches!
        And Barnes & Noble is helping me ease back into work life, slowly and graciously...Jaimelyn and the team have done a great job keeping the store looking fantastic and not piling me up with a lot of work.  And Regina, the Foothills Mall manager, had me down to her office today to welcome me back - they had done a lot for our family, too, in terms of gift cards and checking in on the store - and is going to help sell Knight of Columbus raffle tickets to benefit Kimmy's foundation!  And Mary, the Marketing Director for the mall, had cute Valentine's bears for each bambini, along with pens and other neat stuff - the kids were delighted!
        My focus seems to be returning - I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to do 80 on the 10 and know where I am and where I am going (well, I had a small lapse Monday, but recovered nicely)!  And getting back to work on the new high school planning committee Monday was nice, too.  Everyone at the Vail School District Office had such nice things to say about Kimmy and how much they loved working with her...
          So, I'm just keeping my eyes focused on the sun....

             Love,
                       Dave

Sunday...again...

  Our Sunday routine has become pretty complete...church at Our Mother of Sorrows...Tonio is so happy to be in his friend, Monsi's class, thanks to Lupe...the kids played with Breanna after church for a bit - poor Lexy has had the flu all week, Autumn misses her so much...then, off to Viro's - big crowd today, and, as usual, I ate too much (veggie omelet w/ hot peppers, thanks Kristina!, two deviled eggs, two bowls of seasoned home fries, chicken and potatoes, mashed potatoes and a Pope's pillow for dessert (flaky pastry with strawberry filling and cream topping - Rosa makes these soooo good!) plus, a cappuccino - Erika makes a great cappuccino!  Kim always wanted to get into the bakery on a slower day (like they have any of those) just to work along side of Rosa, to learn some of her baking technique and secrets.  She loved all of the incredible pastries that Rosa is so good at making.  Her, Vito and Rosa actually talked about it several times, but, as you know, time has a way of slipping through our fingers...
     After this incredible meal, we went out into the desert into Fantasy Island again...our 4th week in a row.  We had a smaller crew, as Brian had to work and Mario has a chest cold, so it was Tom, Alex, Cody and I...I knew I was in trouble - they all have one gear - fast and Tom and Alex just got new bikes, so I knew they'd want to test them and Cody was hell bent on getting back to the Fire Trail, where I renamed the Elbow Jammer two weeks ago - time to get back on that horse!
     Sure enough, the boys took off at their usual break neck pace - by the time we hit the Fire Trail I was hurting...I picked the wrong day to forget my iron lung.

     And soon, I had to reface my nemesis, the Elbow Jammer (I'll keep it at that, as this is a family blog!).  I went down first, so these guys could clean me up if I bit it again...and so I could take a photo.  Cody's ready to come down, followed by Alex and then Tom.  I can't believe the speed that Cody takes this hill, and then smoothly takes the transition into two quick up and down hills.

              Alex gets ready to go down The Slide, which is nearly straight down, as Cody watches from way below.  I literally slid down this sideways, as I over applied the brakes, but survived the descent.

             Ahhhh, the fabled troll bridge, and I'm hoping that the boys remembered to pay for me before I cross...and realized that they had lost me for the rest of the ride, as I struggled to catch back up, my legs feeling like over cooked penne pasta, and my lungs burning...I saw a lone coyote, limping, several yards away - he sensed I was a little too scrawny to eat, thankfully...I saw two bikers resting ahead, thinking Tom and the boys were waiting for me, I started to tell them about the coyote and realized that I did not know them...'Where am I?'  I asked...one of them said something to me in German, and I just waved and told them to have fun...as I neared the final 100 yards, a slight up hill run along the air force base fence, I decided to remove my helmet, and let the steam rise out of my head, thinking I'd never crash going up hill....and, at the end of the trail, there were Tom, Alex and Cody, already loading their bikes to head home.
          To end our day, Jaimelyn and Scott came over, bringing homemade pesto (I'll have to get the recipe to post) that we put over some penne - it was incredible!  Jaimelyn also makes her own bread and brought a fresh loaf that was still warm!  Cody went to dinner with Amy, Tom and Alex to Daglio's, where, as I mentioned yesterday, they have the finest cheesesteaks on the eastside of Tucson!

            Here's another entry from Kimmy's journal:
     October 23, 2003

            Autumn went on the potty today!!  We tried everything to get her to try and she was simply not interested.  Today, I was talking to my mom on the phone, when I heard Autumn scream 'I pooped!'.  I ran to see what happened and sure enough, she had gone on her little potty all by herself!  She was so proud.  I was so proud I cried!  And Grammy even shouted over the phone!  As a treat, we went to Kohl's to tell Daddy and Autumn picked out a Dora the Explorer gift set.  Three cheers for Autumn!

       Again, the proud Mama - she delighted in every accomplishment of her bambini's and encouraged them to do their best at everything that they tried or had to do.  She taught them well!

      Love,
               Dave

                            
                           
   

Knights of Columbus

       As I've told you, I knew Kimmy for about 33 years...I was very blessed to have known her that long and to have had the chance to experience so much with her...And, looking back on everything, I truly believe that she spent those 33 years, shaping me into the person I am today, so that I would be ready for this part of my journey.
       About 8 or 9 years ago, one of Kimmy's ideas to 'save my soul', was that I should join the Knight of Columbus...being Kimmy, she didn't just come out and say that, but, over the years, she gently urged me to get more involved with the church and the Knights of Columbus became that vehicle.  She told me how proud she was of me to get involved with such a community oriented group and would help with fish frys, pancake breakfasts, blood drives, etc.
       And when Kimmy got sick, the Knights were there, creating prayer groups across the country.  Reaching out, to be sure our family was ok.  And when Kimmy passed, the Knights were there again, with donations and heartfelt condolences...well, they have not stopped working hard to help our family!

         Now, the St. Pius Council, has voted to donate 50% of their annual raffle to Kimmy's Foundation to help others here in Tucson, families, like mine, that have been devastated by the loss of a loved one.  This is one of their largest fund raisers of the year and I was humbled by their offer to help Kimmy's Foundation.

               The tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20.  The drawing is on May 21st, my 18th wedding anniversary...
         1st prize - a trip to Paris, 6 days, Hotel for 2
         2nd prize - trip to Germany for 2
         3rd prize - trip to Jamaica for 2
         4th prize - $2,500
         5th prize - $1,500
         6th prize - $1,500
         7th prize - $1,000
         8th prize - $1,000
         9th prize - $500
        10th prize -$500

         If you would like to purchase tickets, please let me know or stop by St. Pius church.  All churches are selling tickets right now, but only tickets purchased through St. Pius will benefit Kimmy's Foundation.
        Thanks for your help!
             Love,
                    Dave

Vail Pride Day

     Vail Pride Day is a magnet for bad weather...and today did not dissappoint!  The winds were fierce, knifing across the Pima County Fair grounds, carrying more dust than seemed possible.  But, at least it wasn't raining!
     Kim loved this event, as I've told you.  She just thought Vail School District was fantastic to host a day to celebrate our children and all of their academic accomplishments.  So, as you can imagine, she worked hard helping to plan, organize and work where ever she was needed the day of the event.  Last year, we helped sell pizzas with the PTSA.  The stand was situated next to a doorway, and a portable pizza oven in a truck was parked just outside making fresh pies!  The rain was coming down sideways and we were soon standing ankle deep in water and it was rising.  I was running the cash register and Kim was frantically trying to get me away from it, fearing I would get electrocuted.  I finally fished the extension cord out of the water and strung it high along the wall, so she could relax and enjoy her work!  We ended up having to put sand bags around the entrance, as the water got deeper and deeper.  But, we sure sold a lot of pizzas!

                                      Mary Montes gets help from her niece  (sister, Ami's, daughter), Hunter, running the cash register!  If you haven't visited Ami's blog about her triplets (!), you need to check out her last post in which Hunter is the super hero 'Statica Electrica' - cute photos! (I have the link to her website posted down the right hand side of Kimmy's blog). And Sherri Rodriquez and her son Caleb sell beverages.

                          Alyssa Perrini, Mrs. Murphy, Jenn Bell, Tammy LaPlant and Annette Perrini sell pizzas!  A little ironic for the Perrini's, as they brought pizza to our house last night after we went to see Gulliver's Travels (a classic Jack Black movie!  The kids enjoyed it, and of course, plenty of laughs for us grown ups!).

                         I had the honor of helping judge the Math Bowl, thanks Mr. Edwards!  Along with super volunteer/mom/education advocate, Kristi Hill and Mark Breen, who Kim worked with over at Rincon Vista.  Kristi reminded me that she met Kimmy way back when she was pregnant with Autumn and Kristi was pregnant with her second child.  Cody and Kristi's first child were in swim lessons together.  Mark reminded me that he saw Kim and I at Daglio's (best cheesesteaks in town!) just two days before Kim went into St. Joe's.  He was there with his family enjoying cheesesteaks.  While I was judging and to stave off total anarchy, Ms. Bryson (Cottonwood's prinicpal) sagely snagged the bambini's and took them all around the fair grounds, buying them snacks and treating them to a fantastic time!

                                 Ms. Bryson let the kids play in the playground bus....

And bought Tonio a chicken!  Oh, no, he tells me she did not buy it, but let him hold it...

               When I was done with the Math Bowl, she brought them back and they took me to proudly show me their art work...another Kimmy favorite.  Kim always loved Mrs. Peck, our art teacher at Cottonwood, and all of the technique she took time to teach the kids and her use of various mediums.  She'd always tell me, 'Mrs. Peck is such a treasure for our children...she actually teaches them so much about art, instead of just doing crafts'.  She loved Mrs. Peck's teaching style and the patience she had with the children.  Cody, Autumn and Tonio thrived in her class and would always be excited when it was their day for art class!

                                  Autumn's dolphin graces the 'peaceful' waves...we'd often see dolphins off the shore in San Diego and Laguna, and Kim and I saw them at Long Beach Island, NJ and in Florida, too.

                            Tonio's assignment was to scribble, and then 'find' animals within the scribbles and bring them out...

                             The bambini's are obviously excited with their work, especially Cody!

                   And he should be, here's some of his work, showcased......I know Kimmy's proud - he is definitely following in her artistic footsteps!

                  It was pretty crowded today, as Vail parents came out in throngs to see their children's work.  I remember that Kim used to get a little overwhelmed, and sometimes tried to melt into the background or just want to leave...of course, we'd want to say hi to everyone, but she'd call me the 'friendly bastard', because I'd just keep chatting...today, though, I was getting a little overwhelmed...but had no one to bail me out, so, I turned to Cody...'Cody, I need to leave, I can't breath...find the exit and get us there!'....And I'm sorry if I didn't get to talk to you, I wanted to...We beat a hasty retreat out of the building and towards the fair ground's exit....where we were literally stopped dead in our tracks...

       Oh, how pleased Kim must be...to have finally got to say thank you to many, many of you who helped us...and that sweet, smile on her face...we ran through the debris filled wind tunnel that was the parking lot to the safety of our car, Kim's Expedition.  Cody quickly cranked up some tunes, as we could not talk...and we hurried home.
        Cody went to Alex's to watch the Arizona Wildcats game (they won again!!) and I made rolled chicken tacos (thanks Andrea, although I could not keep mine from falling apart!)...Tonio and Autumn were soon turning the living room into a battle ground...so, pulling out another Andreaism, I left the room...to relax and find soothing thoughts, to avoid exploding...caught the exciting end of the Cats game and then found some Super Liga soccer - Guadalajra Chivas versus Atletica Pachuca...soon, Autumn snuck in to sit and watch with me...followed by Antonio....GOOOOAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!  Famous announcer, Pablo Ramirez intoned, to the delight of the kids.  Chivas won easily 4-1...and I had regained my mojo, without raising my voice.  Kimtastic.

          "You touched my heart, you touched my soul.
           You changed my life and all my goals..."
                                                           -James Blunt

Love,
            Dave

 

         

Vail School District Volunteer Appreciation Lunch

      This weekend is a big event for the Vail School District...the district sets up all of the student's art work, science fair projects, hosts musical events, trivia and math contests, there is a book fair, food, games, rides, jumping castles, taking up a large portion of the Pima County Fairgrounds and calls the event 'Vail Pride Day'.  This is an event that made Kim and I absolutely love the Vail School District, as they showcase the talents of their students and the passion of their teachers.  The bambini's have loved to attend this event every year.  Kim loved to attend, to help run the book fair and to sell pizzas for the PTSA, but mostly to see the kids art work on display.  It made her so proud of them to see it and Mrs. Peck, our art teacher, has done such a fantastic job over the years to prepare for Vail Pride Day.

      Today, officially kicked off the start of Vail Pride Day with the volunteer appreciation lunch.  The volunteer coordinators work very hard over several months to plan a nice lunch and decorate one of the halls for the volunteers to enjoy a meal.  Kim worked to chair this event last year and started the planning for this year's event, before she got sick.  I remember how nervous she was about having to speak in front of several hundred volunteers, peers and administrators.  She looked so nice in her suit and derby hat and spoke so well, her soft, angelic voice was a pleasure to listen to.  And she worked the crowd like a pro, going from table to table, greeting each volunteer personally and thanking them for their help over the year.
      This year, was a beautiful event.  The volunteer coordinators had the hall looking so nice and a buffet meal for us.  Rebecca Manoleas gave a moving testimony for Kimmy - talking about what a pleasure she was to be around and what a hard worker she was.  Many volunteer coordinators and administrators came up to me to tell me what they liked best about working with Kim and getting to know her and see her passion for our school district...They had a nice picture of Kim and I on the big screen...she looked so incredibly beautiful...and then, I was floored as they announced each school's volunteer of the year, and Melissa Grossheim, Cottonwood Elementary's volunteer coordinator, said that the school's volunteer of the year were Kim and Dave Conca...and patiently waited for me to digest what she said...and Ms. Bryson, our principal, gently encouraged me to stand up and walk up for the beautiful plaque that Melissa was waiting to present...I floated to the front and Melissa gave me a hug (held me up is more like it!)...this school district has been so overwhelmingly supportive!

Here's a shot of the beautiful center pieces on all of the tables (Kim loved hot air balloons!  We'd often go to balloon shows and she took me on a hot air balloon ride for my 21st birthday.)  Ms. Bryson made sure that I got my table's centerpiece, telling me to give the M&M's to the bambini's.

I can't thank Vail, the school district, the volunteer coordinators and everyone at Cottonwood who made this special event happen for us, enough!  And the final, special touch...everyone received a rice krispie treat!  Kim loved rice krispie treat...Angie and her daughters, Andrea, Janene, Kristie and Kim, would make various shapes and colored rice krispie treats to hand out after every birthday or holiday, always making sure to send us home with a couple extra... : ) Kim enjoyed them and always thought they made such a nice 'party favor', so it was a fitting parting tribute today. 

I forgot, when I blogged about Barnes & Noble, to include a shot of my desk...complete with many photos of the bambini and Kimmy...the obligatory Cafe Americano, ready for action on my desk, flanked by an iced tea...just in case.  The Trader Joe's bag is chock full of goodness from Lola, the patron saint of our book store.  She always brings us snacks from Trader Joe's!!!

   ....And, somehow, I neglected to put this on Sunday's post!  Cody, Tonio, Autumn and Lexy enjoy the kaliedescope of food on Viro's breakfast buffet (and, I had the delicious cappuccino pictured!)...we'll be looking forward to going there again Sunday after church!

      Anyway, I was, once again, so proud of Kimmy today...and all of the lives that she touched...the memories shared...and the work she did for our schools and our children, whether helping kids to read in the Head Sprout program, or passionately trying to get a garden built for the inclusion kids, or helping with PTSA functions or fundraisers...Kim absolutely LOVED our schools and wanted to give back - our kids are so well cared for...thank you teachers, for your long hours and dedication and the nurturing environment you create...thank you administrators for your hard work and leadership...thank you to all of the parents, who tirelessly, come out to support school events and help in the classrooms!!  We are truly blessed in the Vail School District...

"Smile five times a day at someone you don't really want to smile at - do it for peace"
                                                                                                - Mother Teresa

Love,
             Dave

Barnes & Noble

   My Barnes & Noble @ Foothills Mall

       Kim and I spent many hours at Barnes & Noble over the years...we loved to go to the Foothalls Mall location, a big, two story spacious building...it started out as a Goldwater's Department store, then was a Dillard's.  Kim and I would get a cup of coffee and sit and talk in the cafe, or stroll around the stacks looking for something that interested us.  It was always calm and relaxing.

      When I worked at Toys R Us on Broadway and Craycroft, the Barnes & Noble used to be right across the street on the southwest corner, where Kinko's is now.  I'd get off of work, and we go over to Barnes & Noble and hang out until they closed.

       Once we had kids, we loved to take them to the wonderful children's section, and sit with them on the stage that they have and read to them.  The kids have always loved books.  When I saw that Barnes & Noble was looking for a store manager for the Foothills location, Kim and I looked at each other and said, I can't believe I never thought to apply there earlier in my career!

       Obviously, I feel blessed that I am with Barnes & Noble - they have taken such good care of me and my family...this week, I started back to work and the store looked great and felt great.  Everyone was excited to show me their departments and what they have been doing to drive sales.

             We begin our day by having a morning meeting.  Here's Jaimelyn, getting everyone fired up for their day!

          I always start my day with a Cafe Americano - Chris makes an excellent one (and later made me a great venti black iced tea, with two pumps of sugar!).  It sure is convenient having the cafe right in our building!  Our cafe ranks in the top 10 busiest in the country!  The team, led by cafe manager, Jon, does a super job.

        Next, we get the books to the shelves!  Jaimelyn is working on putting out all of the new releases.  I love Tuesday, new release day, it's neat to see what new is coming out.  Jaimelyn creates a visually impactful display to attract passerbys.

             Paul, Devon and Susie are poised to assist customers find the books they are looking for.

              The escalator to the second floor!  Always reminds me of the 80's band Robert Hazard and the Heroes, who were a one hit wonder with 'Escalator of Life'.

               Dan diligently shelves books...notice his technique.  He is a book ninja!

                  My District Manager, Tom, came down to spend some quality time with us today!  He's crunching numbers with our Receiving Manager, Devon and Eric.  Jaimelyn and Mary are engaged in serious book discussion...

                               There are three, big windows on the second floor....

And here is the view of the mountains looking out of them.  It is so incredible during monsoon, as the black clouds and lightning come over the mountains.

              Elizabeth (on left), the Children's Lead, provides expert advise to a customer.  She was instrumental in selecting books for the bambini's to read while I was out on leave.
              It is good to be back, with the great people that I am blessed to work with and I appreciate all that they did for me and the family!!!

            On the way to work, I noticed a stray Christmas tree sitting, lonely and abandoned, in front of the Good Will on Valencia Rd.  There is some unwritten law, that, this is where you come to dump your dead Christmas tree.  Kim and I would pass by and rubber neck, with fascination, over the mounds of trees that would accumulate beginning 12/26.  When the mound got high enough, the city would come by and take them away.  The very next day, the pile would commence growing again...as if by some sentinel force.  It was eerie.
            Just the other day, Cody and I were passing that spot and I commented 'I keep looking for another tree to show up'.  Cody thought it was way too late for that to happen...and yet, when I passed this morning, there it was!  I quickly texted Cody 'Dude, passing Good Will and there is a lone, stray tree in front!  Love U'  He hit me back: 'Awesome! Love u too. Bye!'...he's a sweet kid.

               Not a great shot, but, a Christmas tree, nonetheless...treat yourself and drive by, before it's gone!

             The bambini's had a good day in school...and talked me into In & Out Burger for dinner...I remember, when I busted Kim out of the hospital one time, all she wanted was to stop there and eat.  We went through the drive thru and sat together in the parking lot enjoying our burgers and each others company...I'll always have a fond spot in my heart for In & Out Burger...

                Love,
                         Dave