Pictures from the BOWL and New Years...

Well Air Force didnt win but we still had fun. We stayed in Plano with my cousin Wendy and her husband Chris and their kids Shane and Courtney. We were joined in Fort Worth by the Mellady Family (Jim, Jill, Stephanie and Brendan) Here are a few pictures from the trip....

Happy New Year!!

Just want to take a minute to wish you all a happy and healthy 2009. Its going to be a great year, I just know it!!

Oh yeah, here are new pictures of the kids....

Going BOWLING....

A.J. and the Air Force Falcons have been invited to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on December 31st. Of course, Dave, Erin and I will be attending. We would love to have any of you join us but do understand it is a bit of a schlep. The game will be televised on ESPN at 10AM California time. The Falcons will be playing Houston, a team they beat earlier this season. Hopefully they will take care of them once again!!

My AHAH moment....

It came last week while on one of my many walks. I had been thinking about my kids alot and ways that I could help them or make their life easier. It really evolved into thinking about what type of relationship I wanted with them. Do I need them to talk to me about everything in their life? Do I need them to turn to me for everything? Do I need them to ALWAYS like me? I thought the answers were all YES but the more I thought about the more I realized it wasn't.
When A.J. left for school I knew I wanted to give him space and not bug him. It was hard when I realized that he didn't need me as much as I wanted him to need me(Dave let me know that's because we raised him right). I know this first semester hasn't been easy on him and, at times, I wasn't sure how he was doing. Erin has been having some difficulty in school this semester and I have had to lay down the law in ways I didn't want to (i.e. take away her car and restrict her USY activities). She would often be in her room doing who knows what and seemed unhappy.
I knew I didn't need my kids to think of me as their best friend and tell me everything BUT I also knew that I didn't want them to HATE me, or worse think I was to blame for their problems. It hurt to think that they may be sad, upset or lonely and feel they had no place to turn.
I went back over conversations, discussions and actions I have taken in the past few months and decided I would change very few things. I decided that I did all the things I needed to do so that my kids knew that I cared about them and cared about their future. I decided its OK if they are mad at me or don't need as much of me as they once did. Its OK if they want to keep to themselves or share their problems with someone other than me. I do know that I have done what I needed to do so they know I love them and will always be here for them--no matter what. When all is said I done I want my children to know I care. And that, without even consciously knowing it, was what I wanted all along.

Its been too long

and I am sorry about that. It is basically "same ole, same ole" at the Wallerstein's. A.J. came home for Thanksgiving and it was great to have him home. He seemed happy and, believe or not, taller. He spent time with the family and with lots of friends and then headed back to school for a few weeks of classes and finals. He will be back home again on December 18th. Fortunately/unfortunately, it will be a short vacation. On December 26th he is flying to Dallas to start practice for the Armed Forces Bowl. The Falcons will be playing in the bowl game on December 31st (more details to follow). We are all going to the game and will fly back home on January 1st and then A.J. goes back to school on January 4th. It will be a short time in L.A. but at least he will be home for latkes and his birthday.
All seems well with Erin. It looks like we may have turned the corner on school/study issues (keep your fingers crossed) and it is now soccer season. She plays on the JV team at Canyon and, IMO, is great!! It is so fun to watch her play and see what a daredevil she is in goal. She is afraid of NOTHING. It is still preseason and the team is off to a bit of a rocky start. Hopefully they will get it together just in time for league and then kick some Santa Clarita butt. Of course, I will keep you posted.
Well thats all for now. I will try to keep you more in the loop!! Happy Holidays!

A.J. in the news....

The Air Force Academy played BYU this past Saturday. They did not win but A.J. got in the game and played well. A.J. is on the "2 deep" and the young man he plays behind, Peter Lusk, suffered a minor injury. While being tended to A.J. was sent in the game. He was in during a drive in which AFA scored and was able to make some crucial blocks. It was a thrill to see him play, play great and then come off the field with a huge grin on his face. He did get in for a few more plays during the game and did well then too. In fact, he did so well that he got some notice from the press. Here is a link to today's Colorado Springs Gazette and an article about A.J.....http://www.gazette.com/sports/wallerstein_43649___article.html/freshman_calhoun.html

Can you believe my 17 year old "baby" is holding is own in Division 1 football? BYU is ranked 17 in the nation. Their players are HUGE and 22-23 years old. There are great things to come for A.J., that I am certain!!

Going BOWLING!!!

AJ and the Air Force Falcon football team are having a great season. They are currently 8-2 with 2 games left to play. They have, basically, guaranteed themselves a spot in a bowl game. Which game is not yet determined. They should play in one of the following 4 games...
1. The Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl on December 2oth
2. The New Mexico Bowl on December 20th
3. The Poinsettia Bowl, in San Diego, on December 23rd
4. The Armed Forces Bowl, in Fort Worth, on December 31st
Which game they play in depends on how they finish in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and, of course, how the other teams finish.
How it works is a bit complicated but I will try to put in simply, or as I understand it. First and foremost, a team has to finish at least 6-6 in the conference to even be invited. Then the teams are invited in the following order...Las Vegas goes first, Poinsettia goes second, New Mexico and Armed Forces get the last 2 picks. In general it is the top 4 teams in the conference EXCEPT if the team that finishes first in the conference is chosen to play in a BCS bowl game.
This year, if all goes well, that will happen. UTAH is currently 10-0. If they can finish the season undefeated they should be a BCS buster and be invited to a BCS game. That then moves all the MWC teams up a notch.
At this time Air Force is currently tied for 3rd, with BYU. Whom Air Force plays this Saturday. Their final game is against TCU, who is currently second in the conference. Air Force has a chance to win those last 2 games. They are playing great football and there is no reason for that to change. If on the off chance they do NOT win the last 2 games then the worst they can finish in the conference is 4th. If UTAH becomes the BCS buster then Air Force will be picked third for a bowl game. If they do not then they will be picked 4th.
The bowl organizers are not required to pick the teams in order of finish BUT they are looking for the best game possible. They want to sell tickets, put people in the seats and generate TV viewers. AFA has shown they can do that!!
Where they will play will not be known for a few weeks. Anywhere is really great BUT if you are asking for my preference I will tell you.... Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Not only is it local but that game will be played on AJ's 18th birthday. I couldn't throw him a better birthday party if I tried!!