By The Time I Get To Texas

I'm always saying ,"One of these days I'm gonna go to El Paso, Texas and retrace my family's steps".I want to visit the places they had (if they're still there). I wanna visit the movie theaters my grandma did when she'd pass out pictures of herself to the boys she thought were worthy. I want to check out Ft. Bliss because my grandpa told me once that he and his friends got into a fight there during the time of the Zoot Suit Riots. This story surprised the hell outta me because I always thought my grandpa, Ignacio Gonzalez was afraid of my grandma. How would this guy take part in some kind of riot? My grandma would often tell me though of how my grandpa was back in his day.She'd say "You don't know how he was, he was a real cabron back then". Some people have asked how he get a nickname like "Chino" and not "Nacho" if his name is Ignacio. Well as the story goes, his uncle gave him that name as a kid because when it came to showing any kind of emotion,my grandpa wouldn't and his uncle said he was like a chinese statue. Well my grandparents got married in '51 and 5 years later packed up and moved the family to Los Angeles (Echo Park) .They rented the same house on Everett St. for almost 40 yrs. Grandpa "Chino" was always quiet but I learned a lot from his actions. My grandma on the other hand was not so quiet but she loved me then and now it's a lot easier to see. Grandpa Chino was that 1 person who kept the family together. He passed away in 06 and the family(what's left of it) will never be the same. I was trying to think of the best way I could end this post and then I remembered my grandpa would never say goodbye.He would always say, "Ay te watcho" (See you later) so I can't think of a better ending than that. Ay te watcho.

My grandparents Ignacio & Socorro Gonzalez are standing on the right side of each picture.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

If My Heart Could Speak

People say the day after a car accident is when the physical pain usually kicks in (if it hasn't immediately). I knew for me though it would be different.There wouldn't be physical pain. After the adrenaline wore off, it wouldn't be long before the sadness would kick in. I would begin to think of how lucky my family and I were to be alive and how close I came to losing them all.I would think of how easy it is to take things for granted.I would also think of not only how fast my kids are growing but how maybe I can slow it down by just paying more attention to their everyday lives. It's important for me to show my son more affection than I was shown as a kid and even though that doesn't seem like it would be that hard, it doesn't come easy. I am trying to break that cycle not only with my kids but with my wife as well. I took her out to dinner tonight. It was the first time in too long. The only thing better than dinner was her company. Just like Echo Park, spending time with her always makes me feel good by bringing back good memories while we're creating new ones.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

New Kids On The Block

I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year
Who the fuck are y’all?

Oh Wait....They've been here.
WE were the last ones to move in.

Anyway it has been a year already.
I'll get some "After" pictures up ASAP. I say "After" because I have no "Before"
Gross... I just said ASAP.
I did it again.
What's worse? Saying ASAP or naming the post New Kids On The Block?
I'll be back soon with some pictures.
'Til then keep Hangin' Tough.
That was lame but I couldn't resist.

Palmdale Here We Come

Just got the "Full Approval " call from Tony, our Loan Officer. 11 days to go and my family and I will be on our way. We'll pull up looking like the Beverly Hillbilllies.Check out the pic. And by the way. It's not actual size

Happy Birthday Brianna

Gotta wish my little girl a very very Happy Birthday. She's turning 12 today and the every now and then I get a glimpse of the little baby I once knew. The 1 year old with the curly pigtails and huge smile. The cutest 2 year old you'll ever see missing their front 4 teeth. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her and I know she felt the same. I think she knew I was right for her and her mom before her mom was sure.
She and I have shared plenty of Father/Daughter moments, and I look forward to many more. She feels comfortable talking to me and I hope that doesn't go away as she gets older. So Brianna, Happy 12th Birthday. I Love you

Turning the big 400!!!

Alright so according to Nike+ I have 399 runs that have added up to 1131.3 miles. Yeah I know the mileage could be higher but what's important is the next run will be the 400th. When I started running (cue the twinkling music and fog) back in 2006 , I didn't have a set number of runs as a goal. My goal was to lose weight. Lots of it. Months earlier I was sitting in the Dr.'s office being told I was near 300 pounds. It was the way he was talking to me that really got my attention. I felt like I was auditioning for a modeling gig of somesort and he was telling me I was a whale. He didn't say those exact words but I did feel like a peice of meat. A piece of meat with a lot of fat on it.

Anyway I have improved a lot since my first run in 2006. A single lap nonstop at a high school track was an accomplishment for me in the beginning. I couldn't run long even when I was a skinny kid but 1 lap shouldn't be an accomplishment. I've come a long way since then. In August 2008, my wife and I signed up for a Nike+ 10k race. I'll tell you right now I didn't win. I know we both felt like we accomplished something huge. The Kanye West concert at the finish line was sweet too. 2008 was also the year when I ran the the longest distance. I set out early one Sunday morning determined to make it to my dad's house in Echo Park. About halfway into my run my "crew" showed up told supply me with whatever I needed. My wife and my son were with me from that point on inspiring me to keep going. Anthony even joined me for a few strides.Literally a few strides. I remember as I was coming around the Police Academy in Elysian Park and I saw other people walking and running , I kept thinking to myself "I started my run in Pasadena and now I was about 14.5 miles away". Anna and Anthony, you kept me moving forward.

As a kid I was told many times how my Dad loved running. How he ran track in high school and I did go with him once to a 5k he ran as part of some work picnic or something. But I as of yet have gotten the chance to run with him. I biked alongside as he ran around Echo Park lake at least once way back in the day. I asked him to join us at the race last year but I had no luck. Maybe I would have had a better chance if I asked years sooner.

So Anthony, I'm still waiting to run with you son. Don't make me wait too long. I want to thank my family for helping me to achieve my goals. I love you all.

Going Looooong

Allright so I've had enough of Jay-Z in my ear constantly saying/asking " Get your swag back daddy, Where your focus at?" I hope yesterdays run will be enough to quiet him down for a while. My run was over 9 miles in about 1 1/2 hours.So I left the house before 6:30am and ran from home to a 7-11 in Highland Park. Anna had to stop at work so this worked out pretty good. I made it to Ave. 52 and Fig before 8:00 and she picked me up. Being that this was my longest run of the year, I think I did great. I wanted Tony to join me on his bike but when I tried to wake him up, all he said was, " Think about me when you're running" so I took the hint and ran like Han...you know.... Solo. He'll join me eventually. Maybe on my next long trip to Dad's house. He better be home next time. pretty good. Oh yeah just a tip for anyone who wants to run and take a Soy Joy with them. Make sure you have water to drink with it or good luck getting it down.