Best Fathers Day Ever

I had a great Father's Day. Luckily, the day fell on my weekend with the kids.

The kids participated in the set up the day before without me knowing. Then on Sunday, Riley set her alarm for 5 a.m. and went downstairs to get everything ready. She put colored balloons everywhere and the white balloons on the table had pictures and writing on them. I attached a few of the photos. The walls had signs on them too. See the video above and the pictures below. And to top it off, Riley made this book for me. And DJ got me this cool emergency lighter for my key chain. I have the best kids....

This is Spongebob (DJ)

This is a drawing of me (Holden)

This is Riley's self-portrait.

This is me with a big smile. (Holden)

"We love you, DAD!" - DJ, Riley and Holden

"My dad is the best one anyone could have! He is also the best chef!" - Riley

"I love you more than DJ and Riley" - Holden

Jenny's for Biscuits and Gravy, of course.

A picture Maria Leylund took for me and the kids:

I need to book a trip to Sweden.

Green Valley Lake

The highlight of our trip to Green Valley Lake was a geocaching adventure behind the dam. We looked for a long time before we gave up. Holden and DJ went back to camp on bikes once we gave up but Riley and I walked and we were treated to a Bald Eagle having dinner over the lake. I took a video but you can't see it well so I'm not going to post it.

If you visit Green Valley Lake, a lake and city equidistant between Big Bear Lake and Arrowhead Lake, say hello to Michael Sullens, the owner of the General Store. His parents live across the street in Brea and we have known each other for many years.

Dustin Borklund

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, we went to the flag ceremony at Memorial Gardens where my grandparents are buried as well as our old friend Neta Rich. We walked around looking at gravestones then to the masaleum to hear various speakers, including Congressman Ed Royce, talk about the value of veterans and freedom. Over 1200 flags were on display and they added 17 more representing the veterans who have died since the last Memorial Day. It was actually a nice way to celebrate Memorial Day.

The Cinnamon Challenge

Watch Holden take the Cinnamon Challenge!

Bowling

The lighting and focus of this picture is obviously off but it's still a good picture of Holden's natural smile. If he was to pose, it wouldn't look real and this one is not posed.

We went bowling yesterday. Why? Good question. We went bowling yesterday because the night before we saw The Big Lebowski again. It the story of The Dude and how he gets involved in a kidnapping scheme. You need to see it if you haven't. You might want to watch it twice.

The boys bowled one game while I drank a White Russian (you know why if you've seen the movie) and we called each other The Dude a lot. Good times.

Molca Salsa and Starbucks

On a typical weekend morning, whatever kids are with me get up a little early and go to this particular Starbucks on Harbor and Imperial Highway. We do this because it is nearby Molca Salsa, a Mexican drive through restaurant that just happens to have the best machaca burrito around. We haven't weighed it, but it comes in around a pound. It's only $3.50 including tax. The kids order their other breakfast burritos. They are so big that Riley and Holden split one. DJ gets his own. Riley and Holden would always fight over bacon vs. sausage, but DJ had a great solution that results in DJ eating half a sausage burrito and half a bacon burrito with Riley and Holden getting what they want. This is a great way to start the day since we won't be hungry again for at least six hours.

This is DJ at the Starbucks by Molca Salsa. I like how this picture came out. See his hat? He had it made for himself. That's his logo at the top. Logo is not the right word, maybe "brand". It's his screenname on the Steam network, if that means anything to you. He is wearing a jacket that seems to go with his "brand". I brought the jacket back from Ireland and he wears it a lot. Hey, that shirt was once mine too! DJ is getting so big that he can wear most of my stuff! Wow....