Once High School soccer ended, all seniors started training for the annual Burroughs vs. Burbank powderpuff football game. Unfortunately Burroughs was coached by a senior football player while Burbank was coached by their men’s football coach. Burroughs lost 14-0. Brit claims she had fun. I’m happy to see all High School athletics come to an end.

This was from Brittany’s high school soccer banquet. It features the five graduating seniors. Three of them are Brit’s best friends (Tatianna, Alexis & Brooke). The one featured the least tried to steal Brit’s boyfriend, so she doesn’t appreciate her efforts as much as I do.

I chose to watch Brittany’s first game back with her club than the final MU regular season game. Lucky for me, MU blew a late 9 point lead to St. Johns and had to go into overtime. This gave me just enough time to get home and watch MU grind out the win and capture a share of the Big East Championship.

Another bitter sweet event that signals our little girl is leaving us. Tonight we enjoyed Brit’s high school soccer banquet that focused the ceremony on the four captains and best friends.

Moms of captains.

Dads of captains.

After shipping to a boutique in Anchorage, Alaska, I thought I should update the map. Since the last update we have added boutiques in Alaska, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. We even added a boutique in Beverly Hills.

Enjoyed lunch with Dad at Bar Ama in downtown, LA.

Tried the new farm to table restaurant, Alma, in downtown LA. This chef has a track record of opening restaurants on the fringe of up and coming neighborhoods. A small, but excellent daily menu.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Garcetti is probably going to win, but it doesn’t matter. All four of these dip shits are on record that businesses should pay a percent of their gross receipts for the privilege of being job creators. Only the two most liberal candidates said they would eliminate the city business tax. Today’s vote solidifies that Sonia and I will one day soon be ex-Californians.

My Brother-in-Law before the hair took over. Now he’s in danger of tripping over it and breaking his hip.

Pizza

Enjoyed a morning cup of coffee overlooking the City of Angels.

Enjoyed National Marquette Day in Pasadena with a few other Alumni. The best part was watching MU trounce the Paris Cathedral a.k.a. Notre Dame.

I guess one of the benefits of living in Burbank is we’re no longer next door to one of the best sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. This Halibut sashimi with black truffle at $36 bucks a plate seems cheap when we’re only buying it a couple of times a year.

Finally got our hand made map of Florence framed and hung.

This is the truck I dreamed about in high school. As I get closer to my midlife crisis I find myself spending more time searching the internets for a vintage Ford Bronco.

Client dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s WP24. Too much duck.

What better way to celebrate Marquette’s win over Syracuse than to subject ourselves to torture.

Boring.

Farmer’s market Sunday.

It was such a healthy day my body almost rejected it. Sonia, Brit and I attended our first pilates plus class. I got through the first thirty minutes before I saw stars and needed to lie down for a few.

Convinced Devin to try escargot, although I didn’t actually tell him it was escargot.

We were afraid we were going to have to re-sod, but it turns out all we needed was a little bull shit to get the job done.

Despite some horrible luck on the tables, we managed to win back half of what we lost in a quick thirty minute session of craps before leaving for the airport. We did however miss our flight. If it wasn’t for Guy Savoy, this trip would’ve have been subpar.

A bite to eat before dinner.

Proof that we’re on a “business trip”.

With predictable results.

Breakfast at Gordon Ramsey’s, Burgr. (That’s how he spells it Ona)

Guy Savoy has been regarded as one of the top chefs in the world for a long time now. He has a restaurant in Paris and Las Vegas. Always in the top 100 in the world. Sonia and I have been saving up to eat there and finally pulled the trigger. And although Guy Savoy is only in Las Vegas around four weeks a year, he just so happened to be there on the day we were. He even invited us into the kitchen for a picture. Chefs are my rock stars.

First time I bet with my head instead of my heart and Marquette teaches me a lesson. Still, I’d spend $200 for a win any day.

We’re back and already deep in the hole. Early bedtime to regroup.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Brought to you by Sonia’s heart shaped birthmark.

More tears as Brit’s High School team was eliminated from the California sectionals after losing 2-0. This officially marks the end of her high school soccer career.

Those American Idol contestants love them some Basically Me.

Just got this in the mail. Now this is a book.

Biggest client is in town on the same day of our photo shoot.

Celebrating my niece and nephew’s belated 7th birthdays.

Brittany got into her fourth school, Depaul University in Chicago. In addition to being accepted she was awarded a $30,000 academic scholarship. Only Marquette and bragging rights remain unknown.

Enjoyed.

It turns out you really can have too much bacon.

If it wasn’t for your devoted readership I may have closed this thing down years ago.

Keep shooting, Dylan.

More Glutin For Lunch.

Brit played her last regular season and home game of her high school career. Her team beat their rivals 1-0 and made the CIF playoffs in a very emotional game.

The four senior captains (also her club teammates) walk off their field for the last time.

The soccer story began when Brittany was around four years old. We were at the park waiting for Devin to finish baseball tryouts when we found an orphaned soccer ball. I kicked it to Brittany and she kicked it back with ease. Soon, a man approached and asked me how long she had been playing. Ten minutes, I said. He then told me that he was a club soccer coach and offered to work with her for free. I didn’t take him up on his offer, but enrolled Brittany in a “little kickers” class at the park the next day. She figured out everything the teacher had to offer in about two seconds, so we moved on for more of a challenge. That search continued for the next thirteen years. Clinics. Practices. Games. From Utah to Hawaii to everywhere in between. For 52 weeks a year, we drove, she played. Brittany loves the game. We all do. Watching Brittany play soccer is my greatest joy. But there have been plenty of sacrifices. Soccer has often taken the place of birthday parties, family get togethers, vacations and countless school functions, ceremonies and whatever else normal people do. But we all understood early on that if Brittany continued to excel and love the game, it would open up doors that would not otherwise be opened for her. Today is proof of that. Today is the day that a small percentage of high school athletes sign a national letter of intent to play a NCAA Division I sport for the university that successfully recruited them. At 7:10 a.m., with Hemingway offering his support, Brittany signed on the dotted line to play soccer for the University of California – Riverside Highlanders. To quote Anthony Hopkins in Legends of the Fall, “Am Happy”.

Sonia and I decided to go on a gluten free diet. For breakfast I had a fruit smoothie. For lunch I had a wild boar sloppy joe with extra gluten. Shortest. Diet. Ever.

We dropped off Brittany at UC Riverside for her official weekend visit and hit up the town in search of a nice hotel we could call home if Brittany ends up choosing UCR. The historic Mission Inn will do just fine.

While in Seattle my sister and I visited the graves of my paternal great grandparents, Frederick and Aimee, as well as my grandmother’s brother, Stanley.