OK, normally you'd get this in a Christmas Card, but it was waaaaaay too long for that. So, imagine you've just opened the homemade card I would normally send you, and you pull out the old dreaded family newsletter. Now unfold your imaginary paper and read on.....
Gonzales Family NewsletterWOW, another year has come and gone…..
2008 was marked by Mike’s safe return from his 2nd tour in Iraq. Chad finished Middle School & started High School, and Gabriel tried a couple of new sports, while Gaile tried desperately to keep all those crazy plates spinning. Here’s a brief month-by-month recap of our ‘exciting’ year! (Hey, I saw that yawn – you can put this down, you know. Someone else will read it. Later. Maybe. Or not.)
January Gabriel turned 8, and signed up for his first (and maybe last) ever season of Soccer. Chad got a ‘Student of the Month’ award at school. Gaile worked, and prayed almost constantly for Mike’s safe return. As for Mike, well we can’t tell you exactly what he was up to in Iraq – or we would have to kill you. Just kidding. Maybe. Not to be outdone, Chica dug a hole next to the house.
FebruaryGabriel’s soccer practices finally got underway, prompting him to call his mother a “Soccer Mom”. (insert fits of laughter here) Chad continued to impress his teachers with his progress, most notably with math & science. Gaile continued to work and pray, and tried unsuccessfully to teach Chica to ‘Shake’ her hand/paw on command. Mike kept doing the hero thing (not to trivialize this, but seriously – if we go into detail, then we have to kill you….) Chica celebrated her 2nd birthday and kept digging, aided by the wet weather. She almost reached the foundation of the house.
MarchGabriel’s first few soccer games turned out to be disappointing for him and his team, but still allowed him to shine. His natural athletic ability made him one of the best players on the team, even though he was a brand new soccer player. Chad beat his own record for speed-solving the Rubik’s Cube. Gaile became almost frantic with efforts to get everything ‘ready’ for Mike’s homecoming. Mike prepared to hand over his duties to his replacement in Iraq (um, yeah, still no details for you on that one, but thanks for reading this far!) Chica tried in vain to dig a new hole when her old one was covered up with rocks.
AprilGabriel played the final games of his 0-8 soccer season (yes, you read that right, they lost every game, but not for lack of effort!) Chad worked out some kinks in his Master Plan to take over the world, and Gaile welcomed Mike home from Iraq. Mike spent endless hours just trying to get used to civilian life and family life. Chica found a way to move many of the rocks covering the hole next to the house, and dug some more.
MayGabriel relieved Gaile of her ‘soccer mom’ title and announced that he wanted to play basketball. Chad fell deeper into his Rubik’s Cube obsession, customizing his cube to allow him to essentially make two moves at the same time. He memorized algorithms to help him solve the cube even faster. Gaile celebrated yet another birthday (and somehow turned thirty again……) Mike picked up old routines and created new ones to help him fit back into family life; we’re pretty sure that this was when the whole ‘going green’ thing got serious. Chica found her hard-dug hole filled in and covered by a 12 x 12 paving stone. She promply started digging a new hole a foot away.
JuneGabriel finished 2nd grade, Chad graduated from middle school, and Gaile worked. Mike used his remaining leave time to finish several projects around the house, leading to the inevitable discovery of the need for many new projects (it’s like when you place your hand on a dusty car, then see your ‘clean’ handprint and notice how dirty the car is…..best not to touch a dirty car, right?) Chica’s new hole came dangerously close to the fence around her kennel, but the hard clay in the ground slowed her down.
JulyThanks to “Operation Purple”, Gabriel & Chad both got to go to a week of Summer Camp in the mountains above Santa Barbara. All of the kids at the camp shared the common experience of having a parent deployed in the previous year. Gaile and Mike went on a road trip during the week of summer camp – visiting the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas. Mike returned to work for the Sheriff’s department. Chica’s digging efforts were finally permanently thwarted by a whole row of paving stones next to the house.
AugustGabriel started 3rd grade (yes, it was a very short summer!) Chad started high school and beat his best time solving the Rubik’s Cube (new record 30.08 seconds). He even joined a Ribik’s Club at school. Gaile grumbled and complained about her job, but still worked hard. Mike adjusted quickly to his night work schedule and still managed to make it to Gabriel’s first basketball practice. Chica took up eating grass and the occasional mushroom.
SeptemberGabriel played his first game for the Valley Wide Rec. District’s Division II Spurs. A mouthful, but lots of fun! The first game went into double overtime, with the Spurs finally winning by one point. Chad enrolled in a guitar class at school, finding that his self-taught skills placed him well ahead of most of the other students. Due to a historically long State budget impasse in CA, Gaile’s state-funded preschool was forced to close for a few weeks, giving her a chance to look for other (non-existent) jobs during the temporary layoff. Mike got a composter AND solar PV panels for the house (continuing to ‘go green). Chica got tired of eating grass and mushrooms, and started working on her howl-bark combination.
OctoberGabriel still vied for the MVP title on his basketball team, and became an expert at three different Wii games. Chad helped with projects around the house, and got a GREAT progress report at school. Gaile learned to appreciate her job for what it is (a JOB, when many people can’t find one) as she re-opened the preschool after the state budget was finally signed. Mike kept working for the Sheriff’s Department, and worked harder to get us all to ‘go green’. His new cordless electric lawn mower (powered by the solar panels, of course) arrived, and he began the search for containers to collect rain water for the lawn. Chica gave up on the howl-bark (thankfully) and was rewarded with more time inside the house.
NovemberGabriel’s basketball team finished in 3rd place in the league, and he made plans to play basketball again in the Spring. Chad turned 14, was baptized, and joined the JROTC at his school (all in one week!) Gaile worked hard to host Chad’s birthday party and Thanksgiving, while working 50+ hours a week. Mike finally had the same weekends as the rest of the family, so he got to help out more with the kids and be involved in all of the above activities. Chica had an uneventful month.
DecemberGabriel re-discovered how cool art can be (*whew!*) and worked on his public speaking abilities – future president in the making! Chad enjoyed marching in his first parade with the JROTC. It was extremely cold (for CA) but several thousand local residents showed up for the City of Temecula’s “Santa’s Electric Light Parade”, all cheering just for Chad. Or so we told him. Gaile wrote this ridiculously long narrative, and ran around like crazy to get ready for Christmas. Mike handled the majority of the Christmas shopping, while still working in LA and making it to as many family events as possible. Chica was woefully neglected, but still managed to be the best dog ever. (sometimes she sits on top of her dog house, just like Snoopy!)
Gabriel, Chad, Gaile, Mike, & Chica ALL wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
