Saying Goodbye

On October 5th our dog, Luca, passed away.  It wasn't a complete surprise, but happened a lot sooner than we anticipated.  I thought we had another year or two left together.  I was glad we were all together when he passed and it was quick so he didn't suffer.  We were there to comfort him and each other.  It was a rough night and we cried a lot.  Ava even slept in bed with us that night.

The next day and the following weeks have been hard to get use to life without Luca running around.  Our house is quieter, the kitchen floors dirtier, and we each miss his friendly greetings at the door.  The first day I came home to an empty house I cried.  I was so use to him greeting me with a happy wagging tail.  He always knew when I wasn't feeling well or sad and would snuggle with me on the couch.  He was a good buddy and got me through some difficult times.  Luca and the joy he brought to our home will be greatly missed.

THINGS I WILL MISS...
I will miss how gentle Luca was with Ava and how she played with him like a sibling.  I will miss him cleaning up the crumbs off the kitchen floor and always following me around while I cook.  I will miss taking Luca on family walks and watching him track animal scents.  I will miss him chasing squirrels in our backyard and keeping them out of my planters.  Even though it was annoying I will miss Luca eating up our garden.  He loved to eat the tomatoes, strawberries, and blackberries he could reach.  I will miss his soft fur and him sitting on my lap to keep me warm in the winter.  I will miss how he use to run around the house crazy after we gave him at bath...that always made us laugh.  I will miss how he made me smile and laugh.

Luca's favorite toy!

Luca use to love to play with a ball in the backyard.

Ava and Luca had a special relationship.  He was always protective of her and she loved him from the start.

Ava loved to feed Luca.  It started with his food and then she started sharing hers.

Luca loved to stick his head out the window and this picture always cracked us up.

Ava was sick this day and Luca stayed by her.

Luca LOVED french fries!

Luca was a great dog, so it will be sometime before I am ready for another one.  I am so grateful we got him from a wonderful rescue group, Second Change Cocker Spaniels.  When it is time for a new friend to join our home I will check with the rescue group again.  The lady that we got Luca from has recently started another group called, NorCal Cocker Rescue.  Click on their name to check out the website.

Bishop Bowling

About a month ago I was asked to meet with the stake president, and I was asked to bring my wife.  We knew that there was a change in the bishopric coming.  Lisa figured they had already chosen a bishop.  I had had the impression that a change was coming for me but I kept telling myself that I would be called as a counselor. We were both surprised to hear that I was called to be the Bishop of the Rossmoor ward.  It has been a humbling experience.

I learned that there is no such thing as slowly adjusting to the calling of a bishop.  I was able to perform my first wedding ceremony in less than a week into my calling.  I have been blessed by wonderful counselors, stake leadership and members of the ward that sustain me.  This is not a job that you ask for, but it is not a job that you get by mistake.  I know that I have been given this opportunity from God to serve in his church.  This is his work.  I am his servant.  I feel overwhelmed, but lifted and strengthened at the same time.

It has been difficult for Ava and Lisa.  I love being a father.  One of my favorite things to do is to put Ava to bed.  I sing Abide With Me (in Italian) to her almost every night as I put her to bed.  I have been doing this since she was a new born. Now that I am the bishop there are several nights per week that she is already sleeping by the time I get home from my meetings.  The first Wednesday night as a bishop I made it home just a few minutes too late and she was already sleeping.  I have to admit that I cried, because I was looking forward to singing her to sleep.  Later that week on Friday morning Ava woke up around 3 A.M. calling for me.  She just wanted to talk to me and snuggle in her bed.

I know that this calling will be a challenge for my family and will require many sacrifices, but we will be blessed for this service.  I am grateful for an understanding wife who loves and supports me. I know that I have been called of God.  I know that Jesus Christ lives.  He loves us.  He knows each and every one of us. 

fishing zion's camp

This is a late post by Rich.  Ava and I went on our fishing trip on July 5th 2013.
While Lisa was at girls camp I took Ava on a fishing trip.  We went to Zion's Camp.  It is a church camp near Challenge CA.  This was a camp that I grew up with.  I attended several fathers and sons outings, and service projects there.  The past several years my dad (Ava's Papa Bruce) has been stocking the pond with trout.  I knew it would be a great opportunity for Ava to catch some fish.  After our disappointing trip to Rancho Secco I was determined to have both of us catch something.   Ava was excited to go fishing with Daddy.

Ava did well on the long winding drive.  We listened to lots of Raffi and Disney songs to keep her occupied.  The camp hasn't changed much from when I was a kid.  There was a Hmong branch camp out there this weekend so there were plenty of other kids there.

Ava caught a fish right away.  I was excited because her first fish was a native rainbow trout.  We let it go so it could have a chance to grow up.  Ava quickly caught 2 more nice big fat planted trout.  That was great because she had reached the end of her attention span for fishing.  After that she was ready to get on the paddle boats and the raft.  We even found a salamander for Ava to play with.  It was a great trip. It brought back memories from my childhood.  We were able to create some new memories together.  We did miss Lisa, but it was nice to have a big long Daddy Daughter day together.

After we were done fishing we headed down the hill to spend time with Papa Bruce, Nonna Alicia and the rest of the family in Gridley.  We had fun swimming in the pool and playing.  We were wiped out when we made it home.

Have reeling in her first fish.

Ava holding her first fish!

Photo taken by Ava.  Me holding up my first catch of the day.

Ava decided to take a spin in the paddle boat by herself.  Good thing I still had a hold of the rope.

Ava standing on the "pirate island"

Swimming in the freezing water.

Ava's first look at a salamander

One last look before we let it swim away.

What is a Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?

A bishop is the leader of a local congregation (known as a ward) with duties similar to those of a pastor, priest or rabbi. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this position is unpaid.
Each bishop is assisted by two counselors. Together, this bishopric oversees the spiritual and social needs of their ward members. The bishop helps each member of his congregation in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ. In addition to spiritual matters, a bishop helps members who are struggling financially or in other ways to become self-reliant through welfare assistance. A bishop also oversees practical matters such as records, reports, finances and the meetinghouse where members meet.
Bishops typically serve for about five years. Bishops report to stake presidents, and these local leaders have a significant amount of local autonomy to make decisions regarding the members in their wards and stakes.

Coming Home

It was hard for me to come home from vacation.  It was hard because I love the beauty of the Redwoods and California Coast.  I enjoyed exploring the area with my family and didn't want play time to end.  It was nice being together and not worry about everyday stuff.  I am grateful for the wonderful memories we made and will hold onto them.

I also had a hard time coming home because it meant coming home to a big change.  A few days before we left for vacation Rich and I met with President Fisher (Stake President) and Rich was called to serve as the Bishop of the Rossmoor Ward.  Rich accepted the calling and I supported him.  The next few days I focused on preparing for vacation which was a nice distraction from this big upcoming change.  I am truly grateful we planned this trip to spend some time together before our lives and schedules changed.

As we packed and prepared to come home Saturday I was sad.  I was sad because we had to come home a day early, so Rich could be sustained and set apart as the Bishop.  That morning I started feeling overwhelmed and nervous about the changes that would be coming.  I worried about how our family would manage and balance family time as we supported Rich in his calling to serve the ward.  I worried about Ava and how she would handle the change of having less daddy time.  I worried about this and more.

As we got in the car and headed home I was not happy.  We drove along the coast for about 15 minutes and I enjoyed the view of the ocean.  It was beautiful!  As we got to the turn off to head inland I began to tear up.  Rich sensed my sadness and squeezed by hand to comfort me.  I appreciated the gestured and it reassured me that it would be alright.

I have to admit the drive through the mountains did not help my mood.  The roads were curvy, it was raining, and I felt sick.  At this point I started feeling anxious about getting home.  I just wanted to get home and prepare for the following day.  It wasn't until we got on I-5 that things began to change.

By this time the weather was clearing up and so was my mood.  The roads were smoother and I began to feel much better.  The sky was beautiful.  The clouds, sunshine, and 4 rainbows we saw calmed me and brought peace to my mind.  I thought about how much Heavenly Father loves me and knew everything would be okay.  I knew that our lives would change, we would face challenges, but most importantly we would not be left alone.  With help of a kind, wise Heavenly Father, loving Savior, and each other we will be fine.  I know I have a lot of adjusting to do and it will be a learning process, but I think we will learn a lot and be better people from this new opportunity to serve.  So, please wish us luck and keep us in your prayers because I know every little bit helps.

The beauty that calmed me...

Family Vacation -- Day 3

On our last full day of vacation we headed to one of my favorite places, Fern Canyon.  It is located inside the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  As you enter the park you pass through Elk Meadow where you usually can see Elk (we saw one in the distance).  Then you head down a 6 mile unpaved road to get to the entrance to the Fern Canyon trail.  It is a beautiful, but slow drive up and down the steep road.  I enjoyed driving through the tall trees and the walls covered in ferns.

The canyon is truly a spectacular view.  It is green, lush, and majestic.  There are fallen trees all around to walk on and a stream that has to continually be crossed during the hike.  The canyon walls are blanketed with ferns (hence the name, Fern Canyon) and there are little waterfalls that trickle down the side.  It truly is one of the most beautiful places I have visited.

As we started our hike the sky looked dark and stormy.  We knew there was a chance for rain, so we were prepared with emergency ponchos.  We packed some snacks and set out for an adventure.  Along the trail we stopped for many photo opportunities.  I enjoyed photographing mushrooms, trees, and ferns during our hike.  Ava also took pictures with her camera.

Just when we decided to head back the rain started to come down.  Within a couple of minutes of packing up my photography gear it started to pour.  We huddled under a tree for a moment and put on our ponchos.  It was so much fun hiking back to the car in the rain.  We got soaked and cold, but it was definitely worth it.

Heading down the trail.  The Elk were in rut, so we told Ava if we see Elk to be quiet and still.  As we walked she kept shhhing us, so we wouldn't upset the Elk (which we didn't see on the hike).

Ava taking a picture of a mushroom.

Ava using her magnifying glass to check out a little mushroom.

Ava helping me set up to take some pictures of some mushrooms growing on a log.

This is the beginning of the canyon.

Rich helped Ava cross the stream many times.

Crossing the stream again.  Some parts were tricky.

Ava enjoyed walking on all the fallen trees.

Ava helping me not fall in the stream.

Me setting up to take some pictures of the trickling water.

Wet and cold, but having fun.  Rich had to carry Ava most of the way back because the emergency poncho was too long and she couldn't walk.  What an awesome daddy!

Me trying to stay dry.  My legs and lower arms were soaked when we got back to the car.  Sorry the picture is terrible.  It is with our phone and Rich was holding Ava.

On the way back we found a tiny little frog.