Perazzo Paparazzi

Monday, October 26, 2015

San Francisco Trip

Earlier this year one of my best friends Steven called and mentioned that he would be in San Francisco for a cousins wedding. At first I told him there was almost no chance as I would be working. Than about a week later I noticed that the Thursday and Friday would be my Fall Break. So with having two of the days off, with being able to see Steven and Chelsea and Samuel, John and Alyse, Susan's brother Michael and his wife Lu we decided to go to San Francisco. On top of that, we could visit Fallon and all the family there, see Alicia and her kids and even see Michael get home from his mission. So we had to go and it was well worth it.

Here first are some pictures from Fallon as we stopped on our way to San Fran. We were able to see Grandma and Grandpa, Daniel and Hanna, Uncle Jim and Aunt Margaret. We than left to San Jose and stayed with Alicia's in laws the Marrs but we do not have any pictures from that night.

Oh how amazing does Stockton Smile.

After leaving the Marrs we went and picked Steven, Chelsea and Sammy from the airport. We got a new van which we have been wanting to buy but this trip was the breaker of needing to get it. So to start off the trip we went right to food. I had read on multiple sites of this Burrito place which got rated the #1 Burrito in America. It is at La Taqueria and we got there 15 minutes before they opened and second in line. It was AMAZING and well worth the stop in the Mission District.

After the much needed burrito we went dropped off some luggage at are hotel and drove right to Muir Woods which are the redwoods about 25 minutes north of San Fran. It was great to go and see the natural beauty around the area. It was fun to talk and catch up with Steven and his family in person for the first time in many years.

After Muir woods we went to Sausalito which is a gorgeous and very rich marina town right near Muir Woods and right on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The kids enjoyed seeing the boats and running on the decks. With some long days with the kids it was time to go back to the hotel and call it a great first day in the bay area.

On the second day we started off by going to the Palace of Fine arts. It reminded me a lot of European Architecture and it was really awesome to see.

Owen enjoyed feeding the birds and they certainly liked Owen as you can see.

After the Palace of Fine Arts we went to Golden Gate Park and went to the Japanese Tea Garden. Chelsea commented later in the trip that she was really happy that we did so much with natural beauty in the bay instead of just staying in the city.

After the Garden we ate some street food in the park and than went down to Pier 39. It was fun to stroll the street, the shops and see the sea lions. Susan's brother Michael and his wife Lu met us down there and before we left the area we got some amazing treats at Ghirardelli Square.

For the last and Final day in San Fran John and his wife Alyse met up with us and we went to Alcatraz. It was a great experience and though we seemed trapped on the island later as Owen had the worst melt down of his life, it was still great.

Owen and Sammy on the boat ride to Alcatraz. Whenever I ask Owen about Sammy now he says "Boat, Outside"

While the kids were looking out the window, Steven and John tried to convert me to the way of the Sterns. At least it looks like they are missionaries but we were discussing the Republican Party race for president. Not much has changed.

One cool experience was actually meeting a former inmate on Alcatraz. We were lucky to be there as he was doing a book signing. Dont worry he was not a murderer just a former car thief, tried to escape multiple prisons and has been in and out of prisons his whole life as he turned to forging checks. He learned to forge checks in Alcatraz in which he was there at the age of 23. I wonder if he was forging the whole book. Inmate 1259

Here is are only picture with everyone that we know of.

After San Fran we went and stayed with Susans aunt in Sacramento and visited the temple as a family. It was great to see it again.

Including turkeys on the grounds.

We did go and pick up Michael from his mission but that will be a different post. Hopefully

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Kids

So my last post was about my college and I know that is boring so here is some info on the kiddos.

Owen is growing up fast. He really enjoys running around and being a little independent in his playing. Everyday his "girlfriends" come by. We honestly believe its his curls but when Owen leaves the house about 6 girls instantly come running. The crazy part though is that they all come running and most of them are about 4-6 years old. Why they want to hang out with a boy that can hardly talk and still drools is beyond us but he has a blast.

As you can see, Owens curls are growing like crazy (we cant cut them) and his girlfriends are much older.

Here is one in a swing.

Here are some other pictures as well of the kids.

Owen and Tessa (Tessa looks bored or sick)

We went to the fair 2 days as we had free tickets.

A visit to see Andrew, Heather and Henry

Owen and I went to the Utah County Fair to watch Monster Trucks. Owen is now obsessed with cars. The other day we were at a stop light and a 2015 Corvette was next to us. He was reading a book but when the light turned green the Corvette went speeding off. Owen quickly looked up as he heard the roar of the engine and was amazing and yelled in excitement.

1 Down and 1 to Go

As many of you know, I (Jacob) have been working the past few years on a Masters in Physical Education and coaching. Though I am qualified to teach PE, it was mostly for a pay raise and the information in coaching. The degree has been through Utah State and it consisted of going to Orem and sitting in a room by myself and watching the professor teach on TV. If I wanted to talk to the class I could push a button and talk to everyone. I went every Monday night for 2 years from 5:15 to about 10 PM at night. It would make some long days especially during basketball coaching as I would leave at 6:30 in the morning and go all the way through until getting home after class.

The whole process has been an interesting one as I have only met 3 of my professors in person and 2 of those I met the day that I defended my masters project. I actually never went to Logan until the day that I walked for my degree but I officially was not done until my defense. I did not have to do a thesis but instead had to create a project. The project that I created was about implementing physical activity into the core classes and ended up being one long 70 page creation. Overall though I survived. The day that I defended I walked in and knew that I was going to be fine when 2 of the 3 professors had shorts, t shirts and sandals on and the other one was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. I guess that is what I get with a PE and Coaching program.

Below is a family picture from my first time on campus as an Aggie.

Now the reason for the 1 to Go is the fact that I am into a 2nd degree as well. It is a Masters of Education Administration from the University of Phoenix. My degree will turn out to be only a licence though and not a full masters as I already have a masters in an education field. I am in my 2nd class of the program and I really like it.

I was worried about it as I know the stigma about the University of Phoenix but it is actually an in person degree. I go every Thursday (might change to Tuesdays) and have 1 class at a time from 6 until 10. The classes are 6 weeks long and I am with a cohort of students. There are a total of 7 students which makes it really fun and interesting. The best part is that all of the professors are current principals and so they certainly come in with great stories and scenarios to learn from.

This program is MUCH more intensive than the Utah State one as I have class each week, much more homework and 450 internship hours to do in a year. So I am doing many hours after school which actually is a lot of fun.

Overall, it has been a sacrifice by the family but things are going well and we are enjoying the ride. One day when I am in charge of a couple thousand students, the schooling will all pay off.