Riley's Soccer Season Ends

Everyone knows Riley loves soccer. Always has. But in previous seasons she would spend half the time on the sidelines. She enjoyed the camaraderie but never really got the competitive spirit to go after the balls and she would get winded easily.

This season, things were completely different. Riley would often play forward and would be relentless at going after the ball.

Coach Nick also put her at Goalie for half the game which Riley took to very well. The long periods of inaction with short bursts of critical defensive plays was perfect for Riley. She also has the right disposition. She never got down on her herself for missing a save or cried from the plain of falling down.  She wasn't afraid of the ball, either, which many 10 year old girls are.

During one of the playoff games, the score was tied after regulation time. The winner would go on to the championship and the loser would go home. Riley had played Goalie the first half and Forward the second half. Instead of a typical tie in the recordbooks, the playoff game had to end with a winner. The referees said it end in a ten shot shootout and whatever team scored the most goals in ten shots (from 5 girls from each team plus a goalie) would win. Coach put Riley in the goal to defend. She missed two saves but made the rest. However the other team gave up two goals also! A tie again! Now it was sudden death as Riley was called to shoot. It was unusual to get to this point - Goalies shooting. After all the stress of being Goalie at this critical shootout, Riley had to get up and score. All the parents from both teams were standing and shouting.

Yes, she did. Riley placed a perfect shot in the upper right corner of the goal and won the game for her team.

As is my policy, I gave her 5 bucks for the goal. So did a grandparent on the sidelines. Riley was struttin' that day with her $10 but more importantly saving the game for her teammates.

To Educate

Riley and Holden are on the trimester system and they brought their grades home recently. Holden did great with mostly S+ in everything. Riley did the amazing--Straight As. Click the links below to see their grades.

Holden Report Card
Riley Report Card

Please remember to call them or email them and say "keep it up!"

Dallas to Brea in Two Days

I bought an RV for the kids through eBay. DJ and I flew to Dallas to pick it up. We left Friday night and got in to Brea on Sunday night. People got a kick out of seeing such a young man driving an RV but traffic was nearly stopped and I needed to use the bathroom.

We ate at a couple famous places along the way, including Chicos Tacos of El Paso, Texas. They make taquitos and then drown them in a sauce and put cheese on top. We liked it!

The RV made the trip just fine. We stayed in rest stops along the way.

Riley is Character of the Month

Riley really likes her teacher, Mr. Pipes. He awarded her a Principals Award for Character. Of course she has character! She is a Borklund!

Riley As George Washington

Riley played George Washington in a classroom activity about the American Revolution. She had to memorize lines and dress up. It's hard to tell the difference right?

Riley on Clarinet

Riley is taking clarinet lessons and loves it. She originally wanted to take saxaphone but the instrument store recommended clarinet which had the same fingering. When she gets a little older she can add saxophone if she wants.

I played the opening of Rhapsody in Blue for her which opens with a great clarinet crescendo.

Riley School Photo and Soccer Photo

Here is your school photo to replace whatever you might have in a frame. I scanned it using a high quality scanner so if you print it as an 8 x 10 or 5 x 7, it should print great on glossy paper. You can pop it in your frame. Make sure you click through to the high res version.

I am also attaching Riley's soccer photo.

Chinese Chess

At Holden's many football practices, DJ and Riley have to keep themselves busy for 2 to 2.5 hours at Arovista Park. People are always complimenting me about how well they play together. Sometimes we all play Gin Rummy or Backgammon if their homework is done. On this day, DJ and Riley are playing a Chinese Chess set I brought back from China. This leaves me free to watch Holden practice and talk to the other parents or update my blog.

Zombie Walk 2011

Riley and I participated in Zombie Walk, a recordbreaking event where thousands of local zombies get together the Saturday night before Halloween.

It was fun and Riley especially had fun. When I had her on my shoulders for part of it, people stopped us for pictures a lot. Sorry for the blurry photo but I had someone else take our pictures (another zombie). We are definitely going next year too.

Holden Discovers the Character He Was Named After

At a garage sale yesterday, I spotted the Catcher in the Rye. The books main character, Holden Caulfield, is the character we got Holden's first name from. Holden was about to pay for it but the homeowners were teachers and wouldn't take any money.

Bengals Finish Season 7-2

Holden's Pop Warner team, the Bengals, had a great record, only beaten by Garden Grove and North Long Beach. I don't like football, but I do like watching Holden's team. I have been rewarding Holden $5 for every game in which he makes a tackle.

Riley Wears Vietnamese Formal Outfit

Just like the last time I visited Vietnam, I brought Riley back an Aui Yai (not sure of the spelling) because I knew she would love it. She plans to wear it for Halloween during the day. At night she will be a zombie which requires a mask not allowed at school.

Holden on the line

Holden is one of the smallest players but often sends two defensive linemen on their butts, as shown in this video. Holden is number 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvprVtM0-68&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Offensive Line
Brea's Jr Mighty-Mite team has consistantly proven that they have the best offensive line in the Jr Mighty-Mite division.

A Nguyen Nguyen Situation

I just had to post this YouTube of a recent marriage proposal that happened at UCLA a few days ago. Let's just say it moved me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0dGRDvmO54&feature=youtube_gdata_player

DJ's Grades

I know it's early in the school year, but DJ is off to an amazing start! High school is where DJ has turned over a new leaf. Look at these grades! PLEASE email DJ or call him and tell him what you think about these grades.

Riley as Goalie

Riley played the second half of her game as Goalie. This was the first game I have seen. She has a new intensity for the game. As Goalie, she had several saves and almost lost one goal but the referee correctly called off-sides so her record is perfect so far.

Bengals are 5-0

Holden's team beat Long Beach 26-0 and remain undefeated.

Goodbye Prius

I sold the Prius. What was amazing is that I sold it in 2 hours. I placed the ad in Craigslist at 6:30 this morning and sold it by 8:30. The guy didn't pick it up until 8 pm but he agreed to buy it at 8:30 am. That's got to be some sort of record.

Custom Motorcycle Helmet by DJ

I bought a Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter for commuting until I can get my hands on a Prius Plugin which qualifies for carpool lane access. The helmet that came with it was too small for me but fits DJ perfectly. Luckily I had my old HJC helmet from the last time I owned a motorcycle.

My son DJ took my white helmet, cleaned it up, and bought some black Sharpies to draw on it. This masterpiece is the result.

Register Your Target Card

If you have a Target card, please register your card at http://www.target.com/tcoe and choose Riley and Holden's school, Fanning Elementary in Brea, CA as the beneficiary of 1% of your purchases. It costs you nothing, you still get your 5% discount, and you just need to do it once to help out Fanning which has received many budget cuts recently.
Please take a moment to go get your Target credit card and do it now. Thank you.
 

It's Official. Riley made GATE.

Riley was one of 3 students from her class to be enrolled in the district's Gifted and Talented Education program. Her teacher, Mrs. Whitton, who was also my teacher and DJ's teacher, was so excited that
Riley did it.

If she can remain in the program through her senior year, this could mean great things for Riley's educational future, including college choice and scholarship eligibility. We are very proud of her!

____________________________
Dustin Borklund
dustin@borklund.net

Updated Professsional Photo

On the same day we re-did the Bazooka video, I bought the kids
matching shirts and took them to Sears (yes, I had a coupon) for a
photo session.

Email me if you want a high-res file of this photo for reprints.

Bazooka Bubble Gum 2.0

A few years ago the kids made a video of the song Bazooka Bubble Gum. It has over 3,000 views! Now that they are older I asked them to do it again.

Holden Football Practice

Football practice is a real time committment for both player and parent. Siblings, too. Every weeknight Holden has a two-and-a-half hour practice at Arovista Park. I personally look forward to these nights because I get to watch Holden and hang out in the park with Riley and DJ. No TV or other distractions.

Holden is smaller than most players because he is in the bottom of his division in weight and age. He also doesn't have a former football player, or even a football fan, for a father, so he is missing out a little bit on the fundementals. He works really hard, though, and enjoys running and hitting. He also never complains or gets tired.

Which One's Holden?

ANSWER: He's the one on the far upper left. With helmets on you can't tell them apart.

Holden had his first game of the season, just a scrimmage against Tustin. They won.

Dustin from my Droid

Riley Starts Soccer Camp

Riley has been excited all weekend to start her week-long soccer summer camp. For 6 hours a day she will be practicing her soccer skills. She is already on a regular team, so besides the daytime camp she has practices twice weekly.

Star Wars Occupation Chart

DJ is a big Star Wars fan. In the off chance he would read this blog I have attached a funny Star Wars occupation chart.

OC Fair

The kids and I went to the fair on Sunday. The Orange County Fair is like the Los Angeles County Fair except not as hot and a bit more expensive. Riley and Holden got to go on a ride, but other than that we didn't give them a lot of our hard-earned money. We passed on the chocolate covered bacon (frozen) and the fried Kool Aid. Well, I passed on it. The kids wanted the $4 soda and the giant $8 corn dog, but I resisted and promised them some good things after the fair. We did partake in the massage chairs which are the only rides that haven't gone up in price recently. We also saw a heavy metal concert, played mini golf, and saw a milking goat beauty contest.

If you remember, we went to the fair last year just before seeing Weird Al Yankovic in concert. This year the concert happened two weeks before the fair opened. The Weird Al tickets doubled as admission tickets to the fair, so I felt like we should use them.

The kids are learning from my frugality. DJ has been purchasing things that can only appreciate in value. Riley hoards her money most of the time. Holden never wants to hold his money himself because he might lose it and will gradually learn more about delayed gratification.

Seriously, I could have easily blown $100 at the fair in about 90 minutes just on food and rides.

Show Low Newspaper Captured Holden at Rodeo

Another quick post about Holden and the rodeo you saw on Youtube a couple posts back. The local paper caught him on his calf and took this picture – probably a half a second before he fell off. I didn’t insist on a correction to Holden’s last name. The photographer was probably someone I went to high school with. Many people in high school mispronounced my last name in the same way.

Holden's Report Card

Truth is, I don’t know how long I’ll get away with posting the kids’ reports cards here without them getting upset or embarrassed. I posted Riley’s straight As the other day, and here is Holden’s 1st Grade Report Card in all its glory. They don’t use the traditional As, Bs and Cs in his grade so he has a bunch of numbers and Ss and Os.

I’m happy with this report card. As you can see, this was the year he learned to read and write. It seems like every day he says something about how nice it is to be able to read. For example, when we go to an ice cream store he can read the flavors and he will say, “Dad, now that I can read I can choose which ice cream I want myself.”

 

Another reason to be happy with this report card is Holden has ADHD like DJ does, but he doesn't take medication (yet) so the report card is very good considering he can’t sit still easily.

Holden has good focus when there is a puzzle to solve or a group of objects to organize. He is in charge of the beverage area at the house. He stacks the waters, juice boxes and sodas in neat rows. When I assign chores he gets the ones that require good organizational skills.

Fourth of July Vacation

Trails Around Mom's House

We just got back from visiting my Mom and Ed in Show Low, Arizona. This was a picture of what it looks like on the morning walk a block from her house.

Due to recent fires, we weren't able to go camping like we usually do. Instead we stayed at her house and played chess, checkers, backgammon, and Yahtzee. The kids didn't ask to turn on the TV once.

The kids made use of the community pool and a couple times DJ and I went to some antique stores. He is always looking for that rare find.

My Mom and I played poker at the local casino. We came in fourth in a tag team tournament. She played 20 minutes of Omaha and I played 20 minutes of Hold'em. We did well in the live games too, overall.

We went to a real rodeo also. Holden got to compete in calf riding. He only lasted 4 seconds. Video is here.

Holden Observes Younger Kids Riding Sheep

 Holden, as usual, didn't mind the heat and was unafraid to participate in the calf riding. Anything active...

Ed Tries to Shield Himself From My Camera

It was so hot at the rodeo that Riley and DJ were getting heat sickness, so we spent a lot of time under the bleachers.

There were no fireworks on July 4th, due to the fires. Instead we watched a parade.

DJ Teaches Siblings to Shoot an Air Rifle

Riley and Holden Play Chess

Laughlin Cools to 100 at Night

We ended our trip in Laughlin where it was 100 degrees at 10:21pm. You would think Laughlin is not a place for kids, and you'd be right. Still they managed to have fun in the room, the arcade and the pool. We drove around Bullhead City looking for a "real" Starbucks and a real backgammon set one day. The hotel Starbucks weren't cutting it. We also shopped at the outlet stores for clothes and souveniers.

Fathers Day at The Pantry

We got here before 8 but we are still in for a 60 minute wait. I love the breakfasts here but it wasn't my choice; it was Riley's. She wanted to go here when given the choice. This weekend Riley gets to choose what we do and where we eat because of her straight A's.

Great Fathers Day!

Avon the Alien Dog by Riley Borklund

Riley wrote this short story about an alien dog named Avon.

Blast to the Past

We picked up another good investment today at a garage sale. And this one the kids will enjoy. It's the original console of Atari's Asteroids. This was the first arcade game I ever played. Safeway got one at the front of their store soon after I moved To Brea in 1976. It works and is as much of a challenge today as it was 35 years ago.

Riley Scores Straight A's in the Fourth Grade!

Riley, age 9, received straight As for the first time ever, completing the 4th grade with a perfect score.

I am so proud of Riley for doing this. I haven't figured out what we will do this weekend to honor this acheivement but it will be big.

Straight As is hard at any grade. As you can see from Mrs. Whitton's comments, Riley had to get rid of some bad homework habits in order to get all As.

I haven't seen DJ's and Holden's grades yet but I will report them here as well.

Garage Sale Finds

We did the Saturday morning garage sale drive around again this morning. THIS time we got some amazing deals, including a baseball collection for twenty bucks. The kids are going through them now. There are about 3000 cards including a few dozen that are actually worth some money. We also bought a stamp collection for five bucks that had a two dollar bill in it. Riley is in charge of research and is on the Internet now looking up values.

from my Droid

Nana Is in Town!

This is Holden, 7, reading to his Nana. What's funny is he is reading Dick and Jane, which is a book approximately as old as Nana. It's also funny to hear Holden say loudly in Starbucks, "Big, big Dick. Little, little Sally."

from my Droid

Another Saturday Night

Went to my BFF Carol's house for dinner and karaoke. While the grownups drank wine and sang songs, the kids opened up a small casino in the backyard. Looks like DJ was the croupier.

Later, it was hard to get the mic back from Riley once she started singing. What focus!

from my Droid