Keeping Up With The Kolbeck's

Saturday, September 11, 2010

My First USC Game!!

Today I'm headed to my first USC game. My friend Margo recently became engaged to a guy who attended USC so they try to go to most of the games. They are having a tailgate/engagement celebration so lots of us are headed out to the Coliseum to celebrate! I know Uncle Brian would be so proud. Fight on?!

On a separate note,today is also the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy at the Twin Towers. I love Alan Jackson's song about that day. Read the lyrics below. That day will always be in our hearts and on our minds. I won't ever forget where I was and what I was doing that day. Will you??

"Where Were You"
by Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?
Out in the yard with your wife and children, working on some stage in LA.
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke rising against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor?
Or did you just sit there and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones,
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble,
And sob for the ones left below?

Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue,
The heroes who dies just doin what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer,
And look at yourself and what really matters?

I'm just a singer of simple songs,
I'm not a real political man.
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you,
The difference in Iraq and Iran.
But I know Jesus and I talk to God,
And I remember this from when I was young,
Faith, hope and love are the good things He gave us.
And the greatest is love...

Year in Review - April/May 2009

It's been over a year since I last posted something. Most of you are kept pretty up to date on my life but I still have lots of stories and pictures that I like to share! I'm going to attempt a "Year in Review" starting from April 2009, around the time we took our trip to Louisiana (see previous post). This might come in the form of multiple posts since I don't have time to do the entire year this morning.

And, to be even more ambitious, I'm going to try to make blogging a new Saturday morning routine.

APRIL 2009
This was the last month I lived in Redondo Beach. Shortly after our trip to Louisiana, I moved home for six months or so to save money while I was still working from home. Prior to our trip to Louisiana, I met John during a night out with my friends. His best friend, Chris, played baseball at LMU so we have lots of mutual friends but hadn't met until now. Here's a picture of that first night:

Me being me, I didn't realize he was trying to flirt and talk to me until he called the following week to ask me out on a date. Our first date was also my last night in LA so John and I went to dinner and then met up with some of my friends for a "Farewell".

From there, it's pretty much history.

At the end of the month I went out to Palm Springs for the Stagecoach Music Festival. It was two days full of my favorite country music singers. A group of close to 20 of us rented a huge, beautiful house in the area, laid by the pool in the morning and walked to the Indio Polo Club for the concerts in the afternoon. I didn't go this year (2010) but it's definitely on my to-do list for 2011. I can't seem to find my pictures right now so you'll have to take my word that it was awesome!!

MAY 2009

During May I was traveling from LA to DC for work, but the weekends were full of birthdays and holidays. Margo had an 80's pub crawl through Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches which was a blast. We were quite the spectacle...

The following weekend, the Chicago Cubs were in San Diego to play the Padres. Obviously, I am a Padres fan at heart, and John is a Cubs fan so we got tickets and went to the Friday night game. It was John's first time at Petco Park and I hadn't been in a while so it was a lot of fun to explore the area. Did you know there's a meal deal where you get a hot dog, peanuts, cookie and a soda for $10?!? What a quick and easy dinner!

Tiffany and her boyfriend, Scottie were in LA on this weekend (which happened to be Memorial Day) so we made it back to Hermosa Beach to hang out with the gang. In case you didn't know, Tiff moved back to Santa Rosa to be with her family and rekindled the flame with her high school boyfriend, who she is now engaged to!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Long Buh-Bye

WOW, it's over a year later that I'm looking at this incomplete post about our roadtrip to Louisiana. Since then, much has happened so I will leave this blog as-is and try to fill in some gaps from the last year!

This is much overdue and I tried to start documenting the entire trip based on my notes (yes, I seriously took notes while we were driving!) Since it's five months later, I'm not going to bore you with the details but will leave you the story that I started and some of the more entertaining pictures from our Easter trip to Louisiana...

I doubt that I can do our trip justice but I will rack my brain, scrutinize my notes, and browse through the pictures to try and bring you a decent account of the Bassett Family road trip we like to refer to as "The Long Buh-Bye".

We left Vista at 4:44am on Wednesday, April 8th with the Explorer filled to the brim with luggage, books, DVDs, games, pillows, blankets, people, and of course the dog. Camille started "funny time" right off the bat when she decided she'd put her "night goggles" on as soon as we got in the car. Now I've never heard of eye covers referred to this way, but it seems like a good enough name...

As you will find out, I was very diligent about my notes for the first few hours of the trip but soon realized that it was all the same...long straight highways, no real scenery, a potty stop every couple hours, and three meals a day.

Our first stop was three hours later in Yuma, Arizona. This stop marks Molly's first taste of McDonald's breakfast. I believe the term that was used for her Egg McMuffin was "A Feast for the Beast". I've never seen anyone or anything chow down so fast. From that moment on it was nothing but unhealthy yet delicious food for all of us.

Around 11am we made a pit stop somewhere near Tucson. At 1:40pm we stopped somewhere in New Mexico. This time I got to sit shotgun while Mom and Camille watched Twilight in the back. (Our neighbors were kind enough to loan us their portable DVD player which has two screens that attach to the back of the seats. Needless to say, this gadget was a lifesaver!) This is where the trip started to get interesting. I'd never been to New Mexico and found myself wondering why anyone would want to live there. No offense to anyone who reads this; small, hot, dusty, windy towns in the middle of nowhere are not my cup of tea. There happened to be a sign at this particular rest stop so we took this as a photo opp...

We stopped in El Paso, Texas for gas and snacks around 5pm. This was our first mistake. In case you don't know...El Paso is less than 1.5 miles from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. If this still doesn't ring a bell, go ahead and read all about the recent serial killings in the area: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/ciudad_juarez/

or the drug wars that have been crossing the border:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-juarez-troops27-2009feb27,0,2667623.story

Actually, to make sure you understand just how safe we were in El Paso, go ahead and visit this link. It's a Google search for Ciudad Juarez in which not one headline doesn't mention drugs, crime, war, or death!

http://news.google.com/news?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS274&q=ciudad+juarez+mexico&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=P_9KSsWrH4PmM_jkncMJ&sa=X&oi=news_group&ct=title&resnum=829645537

Ok, now that the scene has been set, you probably won't find it too shocking that Dad witnessed a drug deal while standing in the parking lot of the gas station. Us three girls just happened to be in the bathroom but we were ordered to get in the car immediately upon our return. The funny part was that there was a highway patrol car parked at the station when we went into the bathroom and apparently the dealers were circling the area waiting for the patrol to car to leave. How obvious can you be?!?

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Repressed Accomplishment

In a family of multiple student-athletes, there is a point where athletics become as natural and obligatory as education. We play tee-ball at 5, fast pitch at 10, and at 15, watch as most find alternative extra-curricular activities. What's left is a small percentage of folks who have made a commitment to see the sport through. We call them intercollegiate student-athletes.

After playing softball my entire life, competing in college was the next step to take. Being recruited was exciting...being awarded an athletic scholarship was huge...my final four years were incredible. Now, at 25, I find that there are times when I downplay the opportunity I had to participate in an NCAA sport. I forget the hard work, the smiles and tears, the determination and perserverance that got me to that point in the first place. I take for granted the fact that those efforts play an integral part of who I am today.

In a family of multiple student-athletes, it's easy to forget that very few people can claim that they are or were an intercollegiate student-athlete. It's as if it becomes an assumed part of life. Thinking back over the three years that I've been in the workforce and the hundreds of times I've had to introduce myself and include a unique fact, the amount of times that I've met a fellow student-athlete as a result is ONE. For those of us who have been surrounded by student-athletes for years, it is a normal part of life; but to others who have taken different paths, it is an impressive acheivement.

My point is that an experience as a collegiate athlete is an honor easily lost in the trials and tribulations of life and an accomplishment that will be a significant part of life forever. Sometimes I need a reminder. When I watch Kylie play and see where I've been, I am reminded. When I watch Camille play and see where she's going, I am reminded. I'm proud of myself and proud of my sisters for all we've achieved. When we went to watch Brandon Relf play baseball against San Diego State, I was reminded. Despite the lack of contact I've had with Brandon, I was excited and proud to see him out there.

Here are some pictures from our day at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Yes, I resembled the paparazzi. :)

I hope that we never forget how lucky we are and always take advantage of the opportunities presented to us...

Saturday, March 28, 2009

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

I always look forward to our family birthday gatherings. Not just to celebrate another year of life, but to enjoy the company of those I love and to be reminded that the best things in life are free. I know most who read this were present for the March Birthday Celebration but you probably have not seen the complete photo library from the weekend so here it is...