Seiji's Successful Business

Here's my cousin Seiji (the owner of CCH -Courier Corp. of Hawaii). The company that Uncle Bill built from the ground up. We're all so proud of Seiji. This is so awesome and another cool thing about it is that Seiji isn't even 30 years old yet!!! We all miss Uncle Bill and know how extremely proud he would have been to see his son shining in their business!

I remember like it was just yesterday, baby-sitting Seiji, picking him up from the Hawaii Kai pre-school, watching him play with his teenage mutant ninja turtles, and He-Man action figures, playing hide and seek at the Koko Isle Circle house, and so many other memories. And now,here he is a very smart and successful business owner!

To read the whole article, click here:

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/27/business/story01.html

"A lot of small businesses have the mentality that they need to do everything themselves, but if they ever want to be larger, they have to get past that kind of mentality."
Seiji AspengrenOwner of Courier Corp. of Hawaii, shown inside the warehouse of his company

Another Basketball Camp

(Kai-Jayden's friend/kindergarten classmate)

(Head Coach Aaron)

(Coach Jamie)

A couple of weeks ago, Jayden attended the William Jessup University Jr. Skills Basketball Camp. This was the first time that Jayden attended this camp.

It was a 3 hour long, 4 day camp. Ages ranged from 5-12 years old. So again, Jayden was one of the smallest and youngest campers.

Jayden always has positive experiences in his camps and does extremely well. This camp was no different. On the very first day, Jayden was given an award for hustling/listening (something that is difficult for most youngsters). The head coach and the other coaches approached me after camp and said how awesome Jayden is. They said he was not only a great little player but very disciplined, focused, and could see his passion for basketball even at his young age!

On the last day of camp, Jayden was awarded 2 trophies! One trophy was for "Best Hustle". The other trophy was for "Hot Shot Champion" (he won the shooting contest for the week). Again, he racked up a lot of prizes. He was so proud of himself and of course, we were too!

His coach had to write an evaluation on Jayden and said he was a great ball handler with good court sense. He said he had the BEST shot and best attitude. He also said that Jayden worked harder than all of the other players in his age group and loved his work ethic. Wow! Great comments!

This was another great basketball camp for Jayden!

13 Wonderfully Happy Years...

13 years ago, Lance and I said our "I Dos"... I love the life that Lance and I have built together. I love our marriage and commitment to each other. I love the beautiful family that we created. I love the foundation we set, the dreams that we share, and the goals we have accomplished. I love our little inside jokes that only we get. I love the laughter in our household. I love the "I love yous" we say and hear each and everyday. I love planning for our future and knowing that together we can accomplish any and everything we want to.

I am truly blessed and thankful! Everyday is a blessing!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Jayden who just turned 6 years old! He brings joy, laughter, and smiles to us all.

This year, he chose to have a small celebration. He didn't want a big party like last year. He wanted to go miniature golfing at Monster Mini Golf. We've never been there before but heard all about it. It was pretty cool. It's an indoor, glow-in-the-dark place with tons of monsters. We had a great time.

Jayden had a few celebrations this year. An early one with Ami and Papa, a Spaghetti Factory dinner/cupcakes with Grandma, Bumpa, Kim, Dylan, Bachan, Ryan, Cheryl, and Alexis, and finally his Monster Golfing day. After golfing, the boys played in the arcade and of course they had to play the basketball game. It was funny because the highest score before Jayden was 40 points. Jayden got on there and ended up with 72 points! The maximum tickets you could receive was 10 for 48 points or more and he definitely exceeded that!

We love you Jayden ("The Shooting Machine")...our cute, funny, smart, rambunctious, 6 year old!

Reading Brings Rewards!!

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

~ Joseph Addison ~

Cyndee and I both came to the agreement that when summer started and the boys were out of school, that we wanted them to keep their brains working. One study found that when students return to school after a long summer vacation, they've lost one to three months worth of learning (more here).

We also understand that (our) kids work best on a "rewards system", and with their love (borderline infatuation) for basketball, we decided to bring the two together. We eventually came up with the " Summer Bucks Program".

It works like this:

(1) They read.

(2) They get "points" for difficulty of book (determined by mommy), and Jayden gets points for reading out loud. We've also thrown in points for a book report for Joshua as well.

(3) Based on the number of points, they get either "Lebron Bucks" (for Joshua) or "Jumpman Bucks" (for Jayden).

(4) They accumulate bucks to be able to pick a prize - usually in the form of basketball cards of their favorite players.

So far, it's worked out nicely. They've got their own library cards, and they each probably read close to twenty to twenty five books each (and more on the way). And of course, along the way they've accumulated some "summer bucks" and also have gotten a chance to pick from a bag of basketball cards - handpicked initially by them (but paid for by mom and dad).

Just one fun way we thought of to keep the reading interest and comprehension up during the summer months! If they have "bucks" left at the end of the month, we'll probably reward them with something on a bigger scale for their efforts to read! We are very proud of our "little readers"!!

Wisdom for FREE!!!!

Did you know you have the wisdom of the world available to you? You do, and have since 1803. And, it's FREE!!!

And for the past (probably) 15 years or so, I never took advantage of it.

I'm talking about the public library. The first free public library in the United States, was established in 1803.

My last memory of the public library was a small place and bunch of shelves lined with books and smelling funny and dusty.

My how things have changed...

This is a snapshot of the inside of the newest library in Lincoln,CA.

You can now checkout DVD's (all kinds and genres), audio CD's (music, and audio books), there's self-checkout, computers for internet browsing, they even have protable DVD players w/headphones to sit and watch the movies, online renewal and OH SO MUCH MORE!! Oh, and then there's the books...

About a month ago, we took the kids to get their very own library card and check out some books, since we were starting our own summer reading program at home (more on that later). To set the example (and because we were required to), Cyndee and I both got our own card.
After Joshua and Jayden chose some books (I think 8 or 9 between them), the librarian showed them how they could check out their own books. Of course, they were excited about that - and to have their very own card too!! It was a neat process and a great indication of how times have changed.

I was amazed at the things they have and do at the libraries these days, and made me wonder "how long has this been going on? "and "How did I miss this (as a parent)?" The library in Lincoln also offers story time for the young ones, as well as movie nights for the youg kids and teens.

I even perused the audio book section and know I will be back to checkout either a book or audio book. Joshua and Jayden have already been back and have checked out another 10 or so books.

I encourage all to look into the library in your area and the things they have to offer. It doesn't cost a thing - and you move into the 3% of people that have a library card (the key is using it).

Welcome Baby Lexi!

Sorry I'm a little late but I wanted to make sure I announced the birth of Marc, Linda, and Micah's new edition to their family...

Baby Lexi Hideko was born on June 21st and measured, 8lbs., 7oz., 20.5 inches long.

Congratulations to Marc, Linda, and Micah! Hopefully we'll be able to make it back "home" to see you this fall. We miss you guys and can't wait to meet Lexi!

Placer Youth Basketball Camp

The Placer Youth Basketall Camp was the 3rd camp in 3 weeks that Joshua attended. It was a 2-day camp from 11am-6pm. Although Joshua was a little apprehensive about the length of the camp, he definitely ended up enjoying it.

This camp was different from the highschool camps in the previous weeks. The focus was primarily on fundamentals and discipline. This camp was also well organized. In addition to the fundamentals, they did have contests and games.

Joshua is and always has been very disciplined and focused, especially when it comes to things he enjoys doing such as basketball, art, math and in the past, Taekwondo. He thrives on working hard, learning new skills, and perfecting whatever it is he wants to be the best at. He never gives up and continues to hustle and give it his all. He has a lot of drive, determination, and a winning, positive attitude.

On the first day, Joshua won the "Mr. Hustle" Award. The coach said he was one who kept pushing himself and never slacked off. On the last day, he won the "Team Shooting Champ" award, and the "Camp Shooting Champ" award.

So, another positive experience at another basketball camp. Sorry, no pictures were taken on this day.