Monday, January 23, 2006

fundraising ideas?

It looks like my nephew has been invited to play in a hockey tournament in the Czech Republic in April. However, the trip is going to cost $2500. It's a great opportunity and would be a shame to pass up, but the family just doesn't have the money right now. However, we haven't declined the offer just yet. If any of you have any inventive fundraising ideas, please let me know so I can pass it on to my sister. Or better yet, if any of you want to contribute to Theo Tydingco's hockey fund, please contact me and I'll give you details on how to make a tax-deductible donation to making this island boy's dreams come true:)

-Proud auntie signing off.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

This just in...

The Nike Women's Marathon is now officially on the books. It's going to happen on Sunday, October 22, 2006. In case any of you are interested in doing a marathon (half or full), this is one I HIGHLY recommend. It's well-organized, you can't beat San Francisco, and the company is great. Also, the goodies are nice (at the finish you get unlimited Luna Bars, bananas, Jamba Juice Stuff, etc.) Although the course is a bit hilly, it also has an awesome oxygen bar, banana stop, foot care stop, and my favorite - the chocolate mile. There are also DJ stops to help motivate the runners. Yes, men can do it, but I think there are a few rules they need to follow. Check out www.NikeMarathon.com for more details.

If this does not conflict with this year's Ford Fellows conference, I will definitely be there.

Hope to see you there too!

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

my first hockey game

Just a fun little note...

On Friday, December 30th, my sister and brother-in-law scored some great Sharks tickets and I got to see my first SJ Sharks game! Yea! It was a great game and the Sharks won 5-2. Also, my favorite playerJonathan Cheechoo scored. What a great first game!

Of course, Nikko is totally laughing at me because it took me this long to go to a Sharks game, whereas he was only four months old when he went to his first game. Speaking of which... for those of you that read the article about my brother-in-law and nephew, here is a link to the actual TV coverage of that fateful game when Norbert caught the flying puck with Nikko in tow. Enjoy!

Monday, January 02, 2006

Half Marathon, anyone?

As I've mentioned, I've given up on the idea of running a full marathon. After doing the Nike Women's Half Marathon last October, I decided that half marathons are the way to go. Below is a list of half marathons in California, as of today. I bolded the ones that I'm going to train for. If any of you want to join me, let me know so we can get to training. If you want to find more races, simply log on to the Runner's World magazine website and look for race calendars. They update it pretty regularly and have a great search function. Hope to see you all at the next race!

Schedule of Half Marathons in California posted on Runner's World as of Jan 2, 2006:

Sunday, January 08, 2006; OC Marathon; Newport Beach CA


Sunday, January 15, 2006; Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon; Carlsbad, CA


Saturday, January 28, 2006; Bakersfield Track Club Half Marathon and 5K; Bakersfield, CA


Sunday, February 05, 2006; 24th Annual Davis Stampede; Davis, CA


Sunday, February 05, 2006; Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon & 5K; San Francisco, CA


Sunday, February 05, 2006; Pacific Shoreline Marathon and Half Marathon; Huntington Beach; CA


Saturday, February 11, 2006; The Buffalo Run - Catalina Island; Catalina Island, CA


Saturday, March 04, 2006; Woodside King's Mountain Half Marathon & 5 Mile; Woodside, CA


Sunday, March 05, 2006; Palm Springs Half Marathon; Palm Springs, CA


Saturday, March 25, 2006; Napa Valley Trail Marathon, 1/2 Mar & 10K; Calistoga, CA


Saturday, April 01, 2006; Golden Gate Headlands Marathon, 1/2 Mar & 7 Mile; Sausalito, CA


Saturday, April 08, 2006; Skyline Ridge Half Marathon & 10K; Palo Alto, CA


Saturday, May 20, 2006; Palos Verdes Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K; San Pedro, CA


Sunday, July 16, 2006; Carneros Wine Country Half, Napa to Sonoma; Napa/Sonoma, CA


Sunday, July 30, 2006; The San Francisco Marathon 13.1MI., 5K, 26.2MI; San Francisco, CA


Sunday, October 08, 2006; Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon San Jose; San Jose, CA


Sunday, October 29, 2006; Metro Silicon Valley Marathon, Half Marathon, 5k; San Jose, CA

Ottawa update

Hello all! This is just a quick update about the Ottawa tournament my nephew Nikko was in. As I mentioned before, he won game MVP for their first game and was named "Best Defenseman" for the tournament all-star game. The "Best Defenseman" title is an important one, as this tournament had participants from all over the world. The Blackhawks ended up winning two games and tying one game.

The Ottawa trip was bittersweet for the family because due to some controversy about the all-star game (and some other brewing issues), my brother-in-law voluntarily stepped down from his position as the team's assistant coach. As far as I know, many parents are disappointed and some are simply outraged because they know how important he and my sister are to the team. Scheduling study halls, organizing small field trips to the local sites they travel to, running practices, and of course, making time for the team to play and bond are of the many things Norbert does as an assistant coach. Right by his side is my mighty sister Tina who pulls through with a lot of the ideas Norbert conjures up (but doesn't always know who to execute). For example, she helps with their website, creates team communication books for when they go on the road, and any other project that comes up (if you look at their website, the "Happy Hockeydays" photo was designed by my sister, along with their holiday cards). It's a somber way to start off the new year.

On a lighter side, below are the photos and captions that were in the Ottawa Sun that were printed with the story about Norbert and Nikko. Enjoy!



Santa Clara Blackhawks major peewee AA coach Norbert Tydingco and his son Theoren ham it up on Parliament Hill while in town for the 7th Annual Bell Capital Cup which opened Thursday December 29.



The Santa Clara Blackhawks ham it up for the camera by doing jumping jacks on the steps of Parliament Hill on the opening day of the 7th Annual Bell Capital Cup Thursday, December 29.