I am a HUGE Yankees Fan

Brooke's 1st B-Day

2011-06-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Brooke turned 1 on the 26th (Sunday). We had some family over for a BBQ. It was fun to see all the kids so excited to help Brooke open her presents. Funny how kids don't really care what the gift actually is... they just care about opening the gift. Luckily there were enough gifts for each sibling and cousin to open one present each... Brooke had fun playing with the wrapping paper after.

Jill and I love cupcakes instead of birthday cake.

BEFORE

Seconds AFTER

Brooke shoved that cupcake up in her face so fast that it got all in her nose... then she started to cry.

Here are the pics from Derek & Taylor's 1st B-Day... to compare. Even though Derek has frosting all over, he was much more gentle. Taylor too. Taylor gently held the cupcake and licked the frosting... Brooke on the other hand squished that cupcake all up. Crumbs were everywhere. She smashed it against her face so hard she started crying. I have a feeling it was because we didn't get our first 2 kids sweets before their 1st birthday. Brooke on the other hand has had sweets. She's tasted ice cream, brownies, cookies, etc... so she knew what she was getting and she went after it.

Last Couple Months

2011-06-22T07:40:00.001-07:00

APRIL - Some pics from Easter

MAY - Trip to San Diego

JUNE - While I'm at summer school... Jill puts the kids to work:

But then they get donuts!

JUNE - This is what I've been doing after summer school

(I couldn't have done it without the help of Jill,Mike & Jarod... thanks!)

*tons of wood... getting it level in the yard... holy cow... the instructions say it takes 10-11 hours... ya right!

*Final product

My 1st Year of Teaching High School

2011-06-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I'm not sure if anyone will even read this... but I thought I'd try posting a quick review of my first year teaching high school.

IT WAS AWESOME!

http://eastsidehigh.org

I taught at Eastside High School which is a newer school (5 years old or so). It seemed like the students had pride in their school. The campus and classrooms were clean and well mantained. Our classroom had some cool technology... instead of overhead projectors, we had document cameras... same thing but it's a camera so you can put anything under the camera and project it up on the screen. Another thing (super cool) is that we have these cool remote clickers for each student... so I can project questions on the board and then ask the class to click in their answer... and it gives instant feedback on how many got it right/wrong... I can see answers they put and we can discuss why they put that answer. It's very helpful in reviewing material. You can also play a Jeopardy style game with it. You can also creat multiple versions of tests with it... I use it at least once a week.

this is the clicker we had...

this is the clicker we will have next year (students can actually type in answers rather than multiple choice questions only)

I started the year with 180 students... Two were tough but one transfered out. So I had one student that was tough and she ended up not being tough in the end. So I ended the school year with about 170 students and NONE were tough. Of course I had some check out and get Fs... but for the most part... very good students across the board. But then again, I was given Geometry and Algebra II... so I got the sophomores and juniors... much better than freshmen.

Some cool things about being a teacher:

(1) I taught morals & standards to 180 youth almost everyday. They all knew who I was and what I stood for and why. They all knew I was Mormon.

(2) I interacted with several parents and we worked together helping their children do better and stay in line.

(3) I got off work everyday and drove home not needing my headlights on (except for back to school night).

(4) I went from a 4x6 cubicle to a 30x40 personal office

Are you kind of jealous? Ok, here are a couple tougher things:
(1)$$... but I didn't get into teaching for the money
(2) I heard more foul language than I have in the past 10 years combined (this was my #1 rule in my classroom... and my students were really good after the first week)

* by the way... Lancaster is very conservative... saying Christmas in schools is a good normal thing
(3) I had to go to rallies which blasted ridiculous music... but then again, I had to go to team activities that were pretty lame too
(4) I only had to work for 180 days and I'm already on vacation... this isn't on the good side because I opted to teach summer school.

All in all, it's been a wonderful transition. I really do love it as much as I thought I would. I'm so glad I took the leap and made the career change.

~ Mr Dabo

Taylor's Blessing

2009-03-04T12:28:00.001-08:00

It was a great weekend... and Taylor was a cutie!

To All Mothers

2009-02-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Why Only Baseball?

2009-02-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

I know most bloggers are women and probably don't care about this... but I'm throwing this out there for your information.

I am truly at a loss of words for what's happening in Baseball right now. First, I don't know how to answer the questions... I'm not about to. But I also don't know why Baseball is the only sport targeted.

I listened to the press conference today with Alex Rodriguez. He admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs between 01-03. I'm sad because I really admire A-Rod and I'm sad he's going to be hated and destroyed by the media.

My question is WHY ONLY BASEBALL? Do you actually think Baseball is the only sport using drugs?

Let's just talk about football:

Lyle Alzedo admitted to taking steroids from 1969-1990. Lyle said, "I started taking anabolic steroids in 1969 and never stopped. It was addicting, mentally addicting... Ninety percent of the athletes I know are on the stuff... I became very violent on the field and off it..." He later died from the stuff. He won all kinds of awards and a super bowl championship... why isn't the media asking for all that to be stripped of him?

Bill Romanowski admitted it. This guy punched a teammate at practice in the eye and the teammate never could play again because his eye sight was never the same. Last year, he coached his son's high school team... and is trying to earn a head coaching pro job. Again, why aren't his statistics and awards being questioned?

And very recently... Shawne Merriman was caught using steroids... He was suspended for 4 games (the rule in the NFL) but that didn't stop him from winning a spot to the Pro Bowl (All Star team). What's up with that? He gets caught but still makes the All Star team.

Where's the "MITCHELL REPORT" for football? Why isn't the media crucifying the other sports and those athletes in those other sports?

* the Mitchell Report came out last year naming names on which ball players were somehow linked to steroids

One last proof - if you go to wikipedia... you can type in "steroids in baseball" and get a full page of stuff. But you type in "steroids in football" or "steroids in basketball or hockey or the olympcis" and you don't get anything! What's up with that?

Derek & Taylor

2009-02-15T23:07:00.001-08:00

Questions?
(1) Do kids get their cute personalities overnight? If so, at what age? Or is it something added each day?
(2) If Taylor didn't get my eyelashes, do you think she'll have my eyebrows? (sorry for the mention of hair again)
(3) Do you think Taylor will stay dark?
(4) Do all kids make a fist putting their thumb in between their index & middle fingers? (see picture)

My thoughts:
(1) Of course it's something that's added each day, but I thought Derek had a cute personality on day 1... Not that I'm saying Taylor's isn't cute... I guess I'm just comparing personalities between a 2 yr old and a 2 month old.
(2) I sure hope not
(3) I think so. I think Derek will get darker but Taylor is going to stay dark and maybe will always be darker than Derek.
(4) I assume so since Derek did it too. I think it's cute.

Wonderful Post

2009-01-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

check it out

CLICK HERE

Answers

2009-01-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

A few of you got it right...

#1 eyelash
#2 eyebrow
#3 nose hair

I promise the next blog I post will be a good one about my kids!

Random Hairy Post

2009-01-20T16:28:00.001-08:00

Long eye lashes have a few perks. People notice them and make comments on how good looking they are. I never have to put on mascara. However, they do have quite a few negative attributes. If you have an eye lash in your eye, it hurts. They always get tangled. You can sleep on them weird and they get all tweaked. Sun glasses are uncomfortable. And long eye lashes means long eye brows... maybe you knew that already... but did you know that long eye lashes also means long nose hairs? Yep. Let's see if you can tell me which is which.

#1 - top lash
#2 - middle lash
#3 - bottom lash

Which is my eye lash? Which is my eye brow? Which is my nose hair?

Derek - Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

I decided to make two videos... this one below is only about 30 seconds.... the youtube link at the bottom is 3 minutes (the whole song). You can watch the one you want. Such a cute kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U5Avk88MLQ

Derek & Taylor Updates

2008-12-21T00:52:00.001-08:00

It's already been a week... wow, time is flying by.

I hope most people are like me. I totally forgot how to hold a little infant. I wasn't sure about how to pick her up, burp her, etc. Ok, so I figured that after the first couple days, I'd be back to full strength/confidence. I am.

However, I didn't expect to see Derek so conformtable. It didn't take long for Derek to be a pro... he knows what's up... see pic below:

He's loving his new role as big brother... he's getting the hang of it & already multi tasking.

As for Taylor... sweet as can be. She's so easy to read. She sleeps a lot & cries when she's hungry. She's great. She has lost her HUGE cheeks. Don't get me wrong, she still has big cheeks... they're just not as large as they were before... but now, they're not just swollen (and she's not as Chinese as before). See two pics:

Taylor Elaine

2008-12-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I couldn't have planned it any better (in my opnion)...

Check in the hospital at 2:00 pm (on the 11th)

In a bed at 3:00 pm

Baby Taylor came at 6:45 pm.

8 lbs 9 oz

21 inches

Here are a few pics:

(1) a few minutes after

(2) after the bath

(3) on the way home

Hair & Down to the Wire

2008-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

I promised a couple pics of Jill's new hair. It's very cute. I like it a lot.

(Jill doesn't like this picture... but I do so I put it up... it was taken by my favorite cousin Jonelle during Thanksgiving dinner)

(here's a blurry shot from this Sunday after church... cute pregnant girl huh?)

As you all should also know, Jill's due date is the 11th. WOW! We're coming down to the wire. Jill needed to get through today (because of her school and work) and she made it! So exciting. We're as ready as we'll every be! Ya!

Elder Wirthlin

2008-12-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

I will remember Elder Wirthlin for several reasons... Sure he could never read very well, but his sports stories were cool. I will always remember the one where he was a running back and he landed inches away from a touchdown. He says he could have easily moved the ball up for a touchdown which would have earned him the championship, but he decided to be honest and do the right thing (because of his mom). It reminds me of the many times I did what it took to win (even if it were bending the rules). I wonder what I would have done all those times growing up if I would have heard that story during my youth.

My prayers to the Wirthlin family... sweet man... who has reunited with his sweetheart.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T12:44:00.000-08:00

4 weeks to go

2008-11-12T23:57:00.000-08:00

Jill's got 4 weeks to go (doesn't she look great!... and she just got a new haircut with highlights... I'll post that new look soon):

(Yes, in the background you are seeing some Christmas decorations already... you have to understand that we don't have another weekend open before baby Taylor comes... we needed to get it done now to get anything up at all)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-05T13:12:00.001-08:00

Derek as Batman

Playing with Grandma

putting on the mask

The mask is complete

admiring himself in the mirror

We had a great time! And yes, we took all his candy after that night... he got a couple suckers and a few mm's that night... but that was it. Are we mean? We don't think so.

Yes on Proposition 8

2008-10-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

WHAT I BELIEVE:

I believe the family and marriage between a man and a woman are ordained of God. I know families are eternal. I believe children are 'entitled' to be reared by a father and a mother.
I also believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. That said, I also believe that everyone has the right to marry. Some people choose a different lifestyle so they choose not to be eligible for marriage.
I also believe that there are certain laws and rights and benefits awarded to married couples... which are not awarded to people who choose to live a different lifestyle.

WHAT I BELIEVE SHOULD BE DONE:

I believe we should redefine the law instead of redefining marriage.

WHAT I FEAR IF PROP 8 FAILS:

I fear marriage will be devalued.
I fear sex education.
I fear "mom and dad" and "mother and father" will be banned from all schools.
I fear people will be sued for trying to live by their religious beliefs.
I fear anti-discrimination regulations will supersede religious beliefs.
I fear religion sponsored schools will be required to provide housing to same sex couples.
I fear religion sponsored adoption agency's will have to close their doors.
I fear the slippery slope we've started.

WHAT I FEAR IF PROP 8 PASSES:

I fear the voice of the people will be overturned again by a few judges... which threatens the voice of the people in any issue.

I EXHORT ALL TO VOTE YES ON PROP 8:

It will save the fundamental unit of society... Marriage and the family.

A Smile From Our Heavenly Father

2008-10-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

I thought this was fun... even if it may have been photoshopped in.

My Cubicle

2008-09-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to blog about... (1) the economy (2) Derek's 2nd birthday (3) Yankees saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium (and the playoffs) (4) baby #2 on the way.... etc

But I'm going to show you where I work. Don't you love the cubicle life? I hate it. So to make it interesting... can you find the 6 things that are different?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Go ahead and comment the answers or the fact that you could find them without looking at the comments (but sorry, I didn't photoshop the 6 things... I took two pictures... so there are things different about the backgroud and the reflections and the angle I took the 2nd picture... those don't count)

Uncle Mitch

2008-09-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

My parents are grandparents for the 9th time (8 boys and 1 girl)... check out the pics:

http://dabofamily.blogspot.com/2008/09/its-boy-i-was-right.html

Congrats Tyler and Jamie!

Baby i-Pod

2008-07-31T02:11:00.000-07:00

My mom got Derek hooked on "moosick".

He was rocken out to Gwen Stefani.

Do you kids rock out? And to who?

How Many Pictures Do You Take?

2008-07-31T01:09:00.000-07:00

I have one child. We go to an amusement park for a few hours on a Saturday and I brought the camera. I always believe "more pictures the better" because (1) it's digital & (2) you're bound to get a couple good ones. But is 248 pictures too many? Jill and I took 248 pictures in just a few hours at Gilroy Gardens this past Saturday. Is that a lot? Or is that typical for a family outing?

Here are a couple shots:

Derek was more worried about the boy in front of him... bawling like crazy.

No Hands!

The Maynes Family joined us for the trip down to Gilroy.

Now we know why Derek wanted the Maynes' to come.

Jill's too busy to post... so I will

2008-07-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's a ... ?

Jill had 'THE' ultrasound yesterday. I thought that after my first child I'd figure out how to read the ultrasounds. It seems like everyone else knows how to read them... I'm still trying my best to see the head. The picture above is the only one I can actually see what's going on (even if I see a little Darth Vader with no hands nor knees).

So, in the ultrasound technician's most professional opinion... it's a GIRL!

Too Amazing to Describe

2008-07-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

(1) Itinerary:

Buy plane ticket & game ticket Monday morning
Deport from SFO at 10pm Monday night
Arrive at JFK at 6:30am Tuesday morning
All Star Parade from 1-3pm Tuesday afternoon
Yankee Stadium from 5pm to 2am
*(the game ended at 1:38am after 15 innings)
Depart from La Guardia at 6:30am Wednesday morning
Arrive at SFO at 12:30pm Wednesday afternoon
Got to work at 1:45pm in time to prepare for my 3:00 call

(2) The Game!

Some have hobbies. Some are fanatics. Some are band wagon fans. Some play instruments. Some curl up in a corner and read. Some spend as much time as they can under a hood of a car. Some travel to exotic places. But I am sorry, there aren't too many people (I don't know of any) that love what they love as much as I love baseball.

The All Star game was the longest in history, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I got to sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the 7th inning stretch AND during the 14th inning stretch. I paused several times throughout the trip to relax, remind myself where I was, and take it all in. I witnessed Yankees fans cheering and giving high fives to hated Red Sox fans.

Even if I could write my thoughts and emotions... There is no way the words would make you feel how I felt.

You can call me crazy, but I call it passion.

I Couldn't Miss It!

2008-07-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

My Blogspot says it all... I am a huge Yankees fan. I have to go to the Bronx and go to the All Star game, right? Well, I couldn't justify spending $2,000 for a ticket to the game, airfare, & a hotel. How much could I justify? Well, this morning I found a way to justify the $... AND I BOUGHT A TICKET! I'm going to New York tonight (red-eye flight)... I'll go to the game tomorrow night and I fly back on Wednesday morning. SWEET! No Hotel... by myself... but it's going to be AWESOME!

I'll be wearing this (gift from my wife for Father's Day):

ps - PLEASE DON'T TELL MY SOFTBALL TEAM... THEY DON'T KNOW YET.

I'm making my move!

2008-07-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

Click here

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-27T21:26:00.001-07:00

It was a great Memorial Day. We got to visit the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, CA. Derek loved all the American flags.

Jill had a good time explaining what all this was.

Slam Dunk Contest

2008-04-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Derek had a friend over and they had a slam dunk contest.

Derek was first... tennis ball slam!

I gave him a 9.0

Charlie went up and palmed the HUGE orange ball for a one handed slam!

Charlie even hung on to the rim for a bit... which added to his score.

I gave him a perfect 10.0!

Derek couldn't be out done... he took the orange ball for a tomahawk jam!

I gave him a 10.0 too!

Little Things

2008-04-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Derek is happy just about all the time. Here's a shot of him eating dinner (yep, lasagna with his hands & corn stuck in his teeth... classic!)

There are so many little things that he does or says that I need to write down and remember. Here's one. He always sits down and crosses his legs. Such a cute kid! What's a little thing your kids do?

Which is your favorite? And why?

2008-04-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

(1) Why do families today have bigger houses, but smaller families?

(2) Why are homes fancier now, but more are broken homes?

(3) Why do we have more experts, yet more problems?

(4) Why do we have more medicine, yet less wellness?

(5) Why is it that we've added years to our lives, but not life to our years?

My favorite is the medicine comment. I think it's a true statement because people want a quick fix . They don't want to change their own ways so they resort to drugs. I wonder what people will say about Pfizer & other pharmaceutical companies in 20 years.

Pfizer's website says "working together for a healthier world"... do you beleive that? I don't. I beleive the 50 Billion they made last year was all about making money.

Solemn Assembly

2008-04-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have just started a new tradition for myself. I was at the conference center on Saturday morning. I got to participate (live) in the solemn assembly. I also sat next to a father daughter combo... probably her first time. I think that would be fun too. Maybe when my child turns 8 or 12. Who knows, but it was a great experience for me.

Also, for those that know my brother John... here's funny story. We went to conference together. We sat behind a 25 year old cutie and her mom. After the conference, this mom talked to us and wanted to give John her daughter's phone number. John was as cool as could be and accepted and in return gave her his phone number as well. She lives in UT and he flies back to CA on Monday, so he figured he better act fast. He text messaged the phone number with something to the fact that he wanted to get together that night. A reply came back, "who is this?" He replied, "the conference guy"... no reply. He ended up calling the number and it defintely wasn't the same girl.

I can't see this mom playing a practical joke on him... I don't see why she would do that. And I have to say that John did not ask for her number, he didn't even talk to the girl before her mom wanted to give him her number. I don't understand it, but now, John is on a mission to FIND TIFFANY HARRIS.

So I'm going to descibe her and if anyone knows her, let me know... very blonde hair (but totally dyed... she had dark roots)... she's 25... thin... 5'7" ish... cute... her parents live in Carlsbad, CA but she's now in UT... she has a dog (can't remember the name)... she's a stewardess for Delta

Did you invite anyone to the Gladys Knight Concert?

2008-04-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

I didn't invite anyone to the Gladys Knight Concert. I'm kicking myself... who knows what could have happened...

Maybe someone could have actually felt the Spirit and wanted to know more?

Read the CNN article (it was published April 1st... so I'm not 100% of its authenticity)

http://cnnentertainment.co.nr/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/01

Happy Easter from Derek

2008-03-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Blogging World... My name is Derek and Easter is my new favorite holiday. While my parents thought they were good Easter Egg hiders...

in the bushes:

or in corners:

I was the best Easter Egg Hunter. I found them all!

The best news... all of these eggs had TWO M&M's in them. Sweet!

Check me out on YouTube:

CHALLENGE #1 & #2

2008-03-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, I'm not like other guys... or any other nice person. I don't let others win (even my wife). The only time I would consider allowing someone else to win (beat me) is if my opponent was handicapped or has major self esteem issues. I don't think Jill falls in either one of those categories (unless you consider her wrist a handicap).

Jill and I went and played miniature golf a while back and we TIED. That won't happen again. The CHALLENGE begins:

My 1st CHALLENGE to Jill:
(1) Tennis - Saturday morning (22nd)
(2) Miniature Golf - Saturday afternoon (22nd)
(3) Electric Bull Riding - Saturday night (22nd)

Jill will be on Spring Break March 24th through the 31st. She will be down in So. Cal. having fun with her family. I will join her down there on the 27th. The CHALLENGE continues!

My 2nd CHALLENGE to Jill:
(1) Bowling - Friday night (28th)
(2) Ping Pong - anytime that weekend
(3) 1-1 Basketball - Saturday morning (29th) - your dad can be the ref

Are you up for the CHALLENGE?

Bring It On!! (but not cheerleading)

2008-03-15T20:29:00.001-07:00

Jill and I were at the park today. If you don't know us (that's too bad... we're really cool), we're really competitive with each other. Yes, we are also competitive with others, but we also know how to play for fun. And we're ok with that. However, me versus Jill... no holds bar! No room for losers.

We have challenged each other to 10 sports. Winner takes all (the good pride, the fun pride... not the President Benson pride).

We haven't figured out which sports yet... but updates soon to come.

Possible sports:

(1) tennis

(2) ping pong

(3) billiards

(4) miniature golf

(5) darts

(6) bowling

(7) electric bull riding

(8) skeet shooting

(9) horse (basketball)

(10) horse shoes

Not sure how to do (but it would be so much fun):

(1) car racing

(2) fencing

(3) archery

Wouldn't even be a competition, no need to humiliate Jill:

(1) running

(2) swimming

(3) boxing

(4) wrestling

(5) golf

(6) volleyball

(7) football

(8) baseball

(9) snowboarding

(10) 1-1 basketball

So Many Ideas

2008-03-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Time flies. It's been weeks since my last post. Jill (the most un-blogger-like) has even posted a couple times lately. I have had so many blog ideas, but I never got around to actually posting them. Some ideas were:

(1) Romanace

(2) Vacations

(3) Spring Training

(4) General Authority Challange to write

(5) Derek's tricks

(6) Derek's love for "Oouuie" and "why?"

(7) Derek's kind of jacked up teeth - are all kid's teeth kind of messed up?

(8) My life plans

(9) Isagenix Successes

(10) Our Land Purchase (Jill already got to that one)

So you don't get any of those today... you get Derek's menu. Breakfast consists of a whole french toast & 2 eggs. He's amazing... he eat's it all. For lunch & dinner he eats potatoes and more potatoes with an occasional spaghetti dish.

Here's lunch today:

What do your kids like to eat? I'd like to add a few things once in a while. Thoughts?

Sunday Best

2008-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

How come he's just the cutest little kid!

By the way - Derek is now a brand new cousin ... twice in the same day. His Aunt gave birth to her second set of twins. He now has 7 boy cousins and 2 girl cousins with one on the way.

Super Bowl

2008-02-03T12:07:00.001-08:00

I'm not a huge football fan. I'm not a huge super bowl fan. I'll take a Yankees game any day over the super bowl. Even the commercials are too racy for me.

The post is to ask what your favorite super bowl was?

Mine was super bowl XXIII back in 1989. 49ers were down with a couple minutes to go in the 4th quarter. Joe Montana lead then all the way down the field which ended with a pass to John Taylor for the TD with 30 something seconds left. Amazing.

Steve Young's MVP performace in 95 was second on my list.

Sky High

2008-01-31T08:16:00.000-08:00

Here's one of our most recent pictures of Derek. Jill took him to a place called Sky High. It's a huge place full of trampolines. Even the walls have trampolines. Derek loved it (and the staff got a kick out of him).

Prophet, Seer, & Revelator

2008-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Bitter sweet day. President Hinckley is a man of God ready to meet back up with his beloved wife (equally ready to meet his Maker). I love this man! I wish his family the best in this time of loss.

One of my favorite memories is when he came to Argentina when I was down there on my mission. The excitement leading up to his visit was so much fun. Then going to a soccer stadium FULL of faithful latter day saints singing together was amazing. I know the Argentines didn't catch all of his wit (the gringo missionaries would laugh before things got translated)... but they did grasp his love for them and his love for Him.

What's one of your favorite memories of President Hinckley?

Goodreads

2008-01-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

Is this a great website? Or is this just a way to brag about how many books you've read? Or is it a way to waste your time while you're not reading?

Got Grey?

2008-01-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

When is one grey?

(1) The first sight of a grey hair?
(2) When you start plucking a few grey hairs at one time?
(3) When there are too many to pluck?
(4) When your spouse can see them from the other side of the car?
(5) When you can see the grey glisten in your bathroom lights?
(6) When you are debating a dye?
(7) When you don't care anymore?
(8) When you have more grey than not?

(I couldn't find a good picture off the web and I wasn't about to take the time to take a picture of my sideburns)

NAU ? ?

2008-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else heard of this?

New Blog with a New Year

2008-01-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

As we start 2008... make sure you take some time to make some new year's resolutions. Luke 2:52 is a great scripture to think of when trying to figure out what to focus on in your life. According to the King James version, it reads, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

Keep you life balanced. I have a goal for each of the topics in Luke 2:52. I'll share one with the rest of the world. Since I am now back down to the weight I was when I got married, I now what to get back to the same strength. I'll have to hit the gym quite a few more times this year. It's going to be so nice to be strong again.

I can't write a post withone adding a picture. I thought this one was cute. Derek got this for Christmas from his Aunt Cyri.

August Rush

2007-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

Go see August Rush. It's a great movie.

Mitchell Report

2007-12-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

Another sad day in baseball. More to come of my opinion later.

Christmas Cards are Coming

2007-12-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

We found an old friend's new talent. SeasonsBySummer.com is a great location for a great service. Jill and I love our picture this year. I hope I have everyone's address. If you don't get a card from us, it's not that we don't like you, it probably because we don't have your address.

My Parents love theirs too (also from SeasonsBySummer.com)

Gratitude Walk

2007-11-26T15:38:00.001-08:00

I was committed to go on a "Gratitude Walk." It was amazing. Here's what you do:

(1) Before you go to bed, write down 10 things you are truly grateful for

(2) The next day, take that list with you on a walk (choose a quiet place)

(3) During that walk, take out the list and start with #1

(4) Think about why that item is on your list and think of all the things that it has brought you in your life

(5) Continue on down the list.

It was a wonderful experience! I highly recommend it.

I Love Baseball

2007-11-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

I love the feelings I experienced standing in centerfield gazing at the entire Yankee Stadium with Monument Park at my side... I can't express what I felt without using the word reverence.

I love how announcers come up with statistics you would never have thought of (i.e. John Smith has never allowed a run when pitching to lefties during day games at home while the bases are loaded with less than two outs).

I love how no one can tell me who the first black man to play football or basketball was... but everyone knows Jackie Robinson.

I love how records held by legends are being broken by today's future legends.

I love the sound of a line drive canon of a throw from the outfield screaming into the cather's mitt split seconds before the base runner plows his shoulder into the catcher's chest protector... the crowd groans with anticipation as the home plate umpire winds up for the punch out.

I love how the greatest players fail 7 out of 10 times... and the legendary players fail 6 1/2 out of 10.

I love that I purchased a new Yankees hat each year for 15+ years in a row.

I can't wait until Spring Training!

Clean vs. Scruffy

2007-11-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogging World,

This is Jill and this is my first blog. As you know from Mitch's previous posting, he grew out his beard a bit. I couldn't pass up the chance to take a few pictures of my handsome husband to see the difference. Please compare his handsome rugged face with his dashing clean face. I also added a few more pictures to compare clean vs. scruffy. Which do you prefer?

Halloween

2007-10-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just about the only time I'll let my facial hair grow for more than a week. Last year I let it grow for two weeks then shaved a goatee. See pic.

This year, I let it grow... but shaved it two weeks later because we're not going to dress up. Here's Derek in his outfit.

Sad Days for Yankee Fans

2007-10-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I know most of you don't care, but when the RedSox win the world series... it's not a good day. Now you have to add in the fact that Joe Torre left, A-Rod opted out of his contract, Don Mattingly is probably out, and they haven't even signed Posada or Rivera yet. Man, it's not looking good when it should be such an amazing year (Yankees host the 08 All-Star game in their final season at Yankee Stadium).

Missionary Dinners

2007-10-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a bad blogger. I don't post much and I don't even post comments too often. All that aside, I need some advice from anyone and everyone.

Jill and I have signed up to host the missionaries for dinner... usually on a monthly basis. It's nice, we like it. However, the past two months have really ticked off Jill. We bust our butts to get home from work early, clean the place, prepare an extra nice meal, and even prepare the table with the good plates. And for two months in a row, the missionaries have cancelled on us. Not even a very nice cancellation either. They'd call at 6:30 (the time they should be at our place) and tell us they are on their way. By the way, we're already done and sitting down ready to eat. Then at 6:45, they call again and tell us they have to cancel because of another appointment. It ticks Jill off to no end!

Any help here? Should we sign up and plan on taking pizza/take out over to their apartment? Or should we take a month or two off from the missionaries?

Joe for Don?

2007-10-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Being the Huge Yankees fan that I am... I have to wonder which I want more (1) The Yankees with Joe Torre as their manager or (2) The Yankees with Don Mattingly as their manager. Wow. I love Don, but if it were me, I'd love for Don to be Joe's bench coach a couple more years.

A Sad Day For Yankee Fans

2007-10-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Yankees lost to the Indians this week. They're out of it. My son, Derek, is just as sad as I am. There's always next season.

Jill's Grandpa

2007-10-07T16:47:00.001-07:00

For me, Family History is so much fun. I love knowing more about my grandparents, great-grandparents etc. A couple cool things are (1) Dabo used to be Dabovich (from Croatia) (2) my great-great-great grandma was born a Dabo but didn't have any brothers so her husband took her last name. His last name was Cheovich... my name could have been Mitch Cheo (3) my mom's side is a big part of Mormon Pilgram history.

Getting married means I now get to learn about my wife's family history too. We just got this done (picture below). It's Jill's grandpa. So cool.

Derek is 1!!

2007-09-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

Derek had a fun birthday last night. Some family and friends got to join him on his big day. As you can tell from the pic, he had a good time.

Mt. West vs. Pac-10

2007-09-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

I usually love when Mt. West teams beat Pac-10 schools... but when the U beats UCLA the week after the Y loses to UCLA... not cool. What is going on with Notre Dame? Why in the world would Utah St. be playing Oklahoma?

Eating With Your Hands

2007-09-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

Derek is getting to the point where he doesn't like to be fed by someone else. He wants to do it himself. He's eating a lot of things by himself... Spaghetti is my favorite so far. What is your kid's favorite messy food to eat by himself/herself?

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Great-Grandmas

2007-08-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a few days in Rigby Idaho this past week. I was sooo happy the weather was nice. Last time I was in ID, it was 100+ degrees each day. This time it wasn't more than 85 for the whole trip.

The point of the trip was for Derek to meet his great-grandmas. We all had a great time!

Pro Arm Wrestling Debut

2007-08-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start at the amateur level... but they didn't have an amateur bracket in this tournament. So I had to enter as a Pro and compete against the best in the nation. Ya, I didn't do very well at all... maybe next time.

Visit http://john.dabofamily.com/ for my brother's clips... he earned 4th in the Nation! He got a medal.

New Camera

2007-07-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

I got Jill a Canon Rebel XTi for her birthday. It's so nice. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the past two weeks:

(1) Derek & I at the Oakland Temple

(2) Mom & Derek kissing for the camera

(3) Derek brushing his teeth

(4) Derek wishing he had more teeth

(5) Derek with his buddy Charlie

(6) Charlie with his dad Tyler

A's Game

2007-06-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Derek & Charlie experienced their first pro baseball game and they saw a gem. So much fun!

North Tahoe Trip

2007-05-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

My whole family went to North Tahoe this past weekend for a few reasons: (1) my dad's 60th b-day (2) Mother's Day (3) and John's arm wrestling tournament. So Fun!! Here's a clip from John's match:

Derek's 1st Bike Ride

2007-04-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing special happened on this bike ride. It was just another beautiful spring day in Mountain View where we went on a bike ride. But, these pictures were just too cute not to post.

My 100

2007-04-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

(1) I really have no idea where to start.
(2) Passion #1 – The Gospel
(3) My favorite Book of Mormon scripture is 2 Nephi 25:26.
(4) My favorite Bible scripture is Luke 2:52.
(5) I believe ‘on-time’ is at least 5 minutes early.
(6) I can’t stand getting to church late (anytime after 5 minutes before it starts).
(7) I also can’t stand it when people clip their nails during sacrament meeting.
(8) Even worse, during the sacrament.
(9) I read the priesthood lesson before the priesthood meeting (even if it’s in Sunday school the hour before).
(10) I don’t understand atheists.
(11) My favorite calling in church was when I was a seminary teacher.
(12) If I could choose my calling at church, it would be the person in charge of the weekly program handed out in Sacrament Meeting.
(13) You know how the program usually says, ‘get your announcements to so-and-so by Wednesday at noon’? I would say, get your announcements to me by Saturday night.
(14) I believe a book isn’t worth my time unless it’s written by an Apostle.
(15) I’m an Eagle Scout.
(16) I was a Scoutmaster for two years.
(17) Definitely the most time consuming calling I’ve ever had.
(18) Oh, did I mention, I don’t like camping.
(19) I was given a journal when I was baptized (8 years old) and I still have it.
(20) Sadly, I’m on page 130 (out of 200).
(21) However, I wrote over 500 pages in my mission journal.
(22) I have a friend that his way of punishing his kids is to have his kids type pages from him mission journal.
(23) Going to funerals recommits me to the Gospel and to my family.
(24) The Gospel of Jesus Christ defines my life… and my mission set it in stone.
(25) I served my mission in Buenos Aires Argentina (1996-1998).
(26) My wife and I had the opportunity to go back to a few of my areas and see the people again ~ sooo fun!
(27) Instead of writing in my journal, I now write letters to my son, Derek.
(28) Passion #2 – My Family & Friends
(29) I love starting off my day with a huge smile from Derek when he wakes up.
(30) Derek then usually stretches for a couple seconds. I say, ‘strrrreeeetch.’ So dang cute.
(31) Some people say my son looks like me, but looking back at my 6 month old pictures and looking back at Jill’s 6 month pictures ~ he looks 100% like his mother.
(32) The first time Derek was away for a couple days, I didn’t mind. The next time he was a way for a couples days… I thought about him all the time.
(33) There have only been those two times we’ve been away.
(34) I love my wife for loving her family as much as I love my family.
(35) I still regret not asking my wife out on our first date sooner than I did.
(36) I love when Jill gets all dolled up.
(37) Maybe because it’s so rare.
(38) I seriously think I would not have married Jill if she was a Dodgers fan.
(39) I am now a Lakers fan (because of Jill).
(40) I have hated English classes for as far back as I can remember and I married an English teacher.
(41) In high school, I got better grades in Spanish than I did in English.
(42) I liked high school, but I would not want to do it again.
(43) I never read a book in high school and I’m sort of proud of it.
(44) I believe there are ‘friends’ and then there are ‘life-long friends’.
(45) Jill says she and her friend, Chari, could take me and my friend, Tyler, in 2 on 2 basketball… I don’t believe her for a second.
(46) My first date with Jill was dinner and a movie.
(47) My first date with most of the girls I dated in college was – country dancing at Jake’s.
(48) I didn’t like country music and I didn’t like dancing until I went country dancing.
(49) Now I love country dancing and country music.
(50) When I was 9, I knew my brother would be a better baseball player than me when he could throw a rock over the length of a pond and I couldn’t (sad cause he was like 6).
(51) My brother John is the only professional athlete in my family… arm wrestling.
(52) I can still beat him though… but if he gets me in his ‘technique’ – he’s unbeatable.
(53) I don’t like to vacation without a plan.
(54) My mom says I love math because I loved baseball.
(55) Passion #3 – Baseball & the Yankees
(56) I first started to love the Yankees when I got Don Mattingly’s baseball card and started learning about him.
(57) The Yankee history was so much fun to learn as well.
(58) For two years, I was on the Yankees in Little League.
(59) My favorite position to play is catcher.
(60) I have purchased a Yankees hat, just about every year, for the past 22 years.
(61) I have over 350,000 baseball cards.
(62) I love it when people gasp after I tell them how many cards I have.
(63) My goal is to have 1,000,000 cards, but it’s hard collecting with a family and living in an apartment.
(64) The most I’ve ever spent on one card is $310.
(65) The most I’ve traded for was for $1,100 (several cards in one trade).
(66) The worst trade I ever made was a Michael Jordan rookie for an off-the-box cut out Don Mattingly card (current value $2,400.00 to $0.01).
(67) My favorite card is Don Mattingly’s 1987 Fleer card.
(68) One day, I’m going to have an amazing baseball room.
(69) I root for the A’s and the Giants to make the playoffs every year (so the Yankees can come).
(70) I believe that the past 150 years of American history has some ties to baseball.
(71) My dream job would be a pro baseball player.
(72) Since I know that would never happen, my next dream job would be the bullpen catcher.
(73) I would also love to work in administration for the Yankees (or any team for that matter).
(74) I’m playing 5 fantasy baseball teams this season.
(75) Random stuff that didn’t fit within my 3 passions.
(76) I think ‘credit scores’ have it all wrong.
(77) I believe ‘political correctness’ divides instead of unites.
(78) One day I’m going to offer a scholarship to an elite graduating high school student and the criteria will be that only white Christians can apply.
(79) I love any kind of chocolate but I hate the See’s candies with sick fruit stuff inside.
(80) I’m allergic to walnuts.
(81) I’ll pretty much eat anything (but I don’t like tomatoes or bananas)
(82) I currently am trying to ‘personally cost cut’.
(83) Haircuts every 5 weeks instead of every 3 ~ annual savings of $75
(84) Shave a couple times a week instead of a few times ~ annual savings of $25
(85) Wear a hat to work instead of using gel to comb my hair ~ annual savings of $2.
(86) I believe in being on the phone for an hour to get my bill reduced $2.
(87) I am definitely a proud pack rat.
(88) I believe I am the best packer in the world.
(89) I believe my body temperature is higher than average but I can’t prove it.
(90) I always need constant air flow.
(91) I have the air conditioner on in my car no matter what time of day or year it is.
(92) Give me sun flower seeds and water, and I can drive for days.
(93) I love the internet.
(94) I check my email hundreds of times a day.
(95) I get hundreds of emails a day.
(96) I manage all of the bills and finances on-line and I love it
(97) I would love to teach high school math, but I don’t think I could handle stupid kids.
(98) I have 6 toes on my left foot but my right foot is wider than my left.
(99) When I talk on the phone, I can’t help but walk around.
(100) After doing this 100, I’m amazed that I don’t have too many opinions on things… but when I do have an opinion, it’s a strong one.

My Three Passions

2007-04-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

I have three passions in life. They are my three loves, my three priorities, my three joys. They're simple:

(1) My God & Religion

http://lds.org

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(2) My Family & Friends

http://mitch.dabofamily.com

(3) Baseball & the Yankees

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http://yankees.com

I may not post very often, but when I do post, it will probably have something to do with one of my three passions. I hope your life is full of passions as well!