Recent Blog Posts: The Southwest Voice

Diving in San Mateo

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:26:50 PST

Prince Andy went to San Mateo for his first birthday celebration to compete in the first of the International Sportsman's Expo events. He jumped a new personal best and cleared that magical 20 foot mark by jumping 20' 5" winning 2 firsts in his waves and finishing 8th in the professional finals. Way to go Andy! next up is the International Sportsmen Expo show in Sacramento this weekend. Below is a copy of the San Mateo Times News Paper. He made the front page of the Local section.

San Mateo County Times

Remember that "Splash Dogs" & "Dock Dogs" use the "OFFICIAL" measurements of from end of the dock to the base of the dogs tail. There was a dog that was supposed to have jumped 30' on TV this last weekend, but they measured him from the dock to the tip of his nose as it entered the water, that's and extra 4'-5' over an official measurement! I wish that group would start using the "Official" measurements for their event so as not to confuse people. It would also further the sport if they would use "Official" measurements!

Start Your Training

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:00:47 PST

Everyone with a dog, start training them to jump into water! "SPLASH DOGS" are coming to Bakersfield's Kern County Fair in September. They have 5+ divisions for everyone dog to take part in, even a division for your kids to take part.. Both you, your kids and your dog will have fun.

http://www.splashdogs.com/

Check them out!

Tis the season

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:29:14 PST

May I take this time to wish all of you a very

Merry Christmas

and the happest of

New Years

NEW ADDITION

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:58:43 PST

Hello all:

Haven't been around in awhile, getting all the year end business and Christmas shopping done.

Got a new addition to the family, an 8 week old black Lab named "RUGER". His full AKC name is "Ruger's Ultimate Black Diamond". Took him to the Vet today for his second set of shots and he wighted in at a whopping 16 lb 9 oz. He has no fear, he takes on the bigger, full grown labs that we have already, and backs them down. As soon as he gets his final shots I will start training him for the upcoming Splash Dog season.

If anyone would like to see the Splash Dogs in action, contact the Kern County Fair Board and ask them to bring in the Splash Dogs Orginazation. Everyone can bring their dogs to one of their events and let them jump. They have divisions for every dog. It is alot of fun....

Andy at the World Championships

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:45:48 PST

Have posted an article about Andy. Will re-post it later here if needed. Andy won the Worlds Junior Division Championship by over 2 feet! He had a jump of 18' 9" in the finals to win going away. He also set a new Cynosports Junior World Record with a jump of 19' 3" in the semi-finals. So the trip to Scottsdale, AZ was well worth the trip. Will also post new pictures when I get them back.

Passing time

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:04:01 PDT

Hello all, last couple weeks have been hard to get on here. Seems when you get "UP" in age you start visiting the ER more often. This past week I found out what it is like to give birth (I'm a male)! Ladies I now understand, really I do, I spent a couple days at Mercy trying to pass a Kidney Stone. If you've never tried to pass a stone or had a baby you won't understand. Think of trying to pass a small stone of thru your penis? It is very painful. Always heard it was like a woman having a baby, now I believe it.

Looking for another dog to start training, figured why not have twice the fun as I'm now having ;) As soon as I get back from the Words Championships @ Cynosports in Scottsdale, AZ this weekend I will start looking in earnest. Want a big footed, long legged, male lab out of good stock. Found some people in Tehachapi that breed labs. They have a litter due in December that looks promising. Not sure of color yet. but the father is yellow and the mother is chocolate. Don't think a light blonde male will come out of them? Hope so, but a dark lab would be OK. For some reason 90% of the labs jumping are yellow.

Speaking of the World Championships. The word on Andy is out, people are staring to shy away from his Junior Division, they think they would only be jumping for 2nd or 3rd place? But who knows, that's why they have horse races? It will only cost around $500-$750 total to attend this event? That could be a reason? The Junior Division is for dogs that have qualified at 10' 0" to 14' 11". This is the division Andy qualified for, but being he was, and still is, so young, he has continued to grow in his sport. Most of his competitors are mature dogs who have reached, or almost reached their potential? In practice the last couple weeks Andy has been jumping in the 18'-20' range (remember this is from dock to base of his tail). He could well jump further than the dogs in the Senior Division? Next year he will in all likely hood be in competition in the Professional Division? That's for dogs jumping over 20' But who knows, he may just make the Extreme (over 23') Division next year? Sure would like to see that.

Well, that will have to do it for now. Hope to have GREAT news to share next week?

Reading to First and Second Graders

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:59:54 PDT

I was invited to read out of my book Grannies' Critters by the Mrs. Doering, the first grade teacher at St. John's Elementary School. They were having a read-a-thon.

I love reading to the little ones and they were so well behaved and attentive. I picked a story about a goat, another one about a baby duck, and the last one I read to them was about a puppy. Kids always like stories about puppies. My great, granddaughter is in the class and of course she sat as close to me as she could get. It is always awesome to read to six and seven year olds, since that is why I write my children's books. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Bark in the Park

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:04:55 PDT

Did anyone attend the Bark in the Park in Lancaster this past weekend? Andy did a Little of everything. Dock Diving, Agility and lots of other fun things. Reports are that he hit the 18"-19" mark. But they were not meauring the jumps as it was a "fun" jump. Here are some pictures of him from the event along with a couple other pictures.

Dog Challenge

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:34:13 PDT

I see that Purina is putting another of it's Dog Challenge on NSPN today. I am curious to see how 8 month old Andy stacks up against those dog's. Remember that Purina measures from end of dock to dogs nose, not the base of his tail. In Andy's case that would be an extra 36". His PR at Purina would be 20'2" instead of 17'2".

Next competition is a fun jump in Lancaster on October 6th. Also, I see that 2 more people from Bakersfield have started jumping their dogs last weekend in Pitsburg, Ca.. I think thats great, if we get enough people involved maybe we can get a dock that all can use?

If you think your dog would like to jump, take it to this Lancaster "Bark in the Park". It will be a fun event.

my life list

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:50:35 PDT

Every year in the fall, my friends and I would get together and create a collage of things we wanted to accomplish within 5 years or a year.

It was nice to put things in perspective, anything from re-doing your bathroom to becoming more organized.

I really enjoyed that gathering but it's been awhile since we have done that.

Now comes, life's list -- things you want to accomplish before you check out, so to speak. Mi amiga just finished putting hers together.

Life's lists are becoming popular these days. Lots of people are doing them so I figure maybe this can be a new way for me to outline my priorities for the rest of my life.

Here's my life's list -- though I think I'll be revising it from time to time as I check things off and maybe add new ones.

1. Run a half marathon, followed by a full marathon.
I love to run, especially hills and trails. Not crazy about flat roads, but I will do it, if there is not a hill in sight. There's this Nike Marathon in the Bay Area. It raises money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My 8-year-old Godson, Jeremiah, is a Leukemia survivor so I want to do something to recognize him. Plus, there's something about running, relaxing and solitude. It's my time. Plus, if I can log in 12-16 miles a week, then what else can I accomplish?

2. Do the Mud Run
As you can see, physical fitness is one important item to me. But this is more out of sheer craziness. I have friends and a jarhead of a spouse who does it. Every year, I tell myself I am going to do it. I haven't yet. It's not the running that scares me. The obstacles, the obstacles! But I gotta do it. Otherwise, I'll be spending the rest of my life wondering, what if?

3. Further my education
College was a wonderful, unforgettable time in my life. Earning my degrees were special milestones in my life. And I need to continue. Of course, I need to do that as I manage work and family life. So the bigger task is managing school with my full-time career and family life. But, hey, I am driven. I mean, MBA Olivia or Ph.D Olivia sound really nice together. It will take time but I got to dedicate myself to it!

4. Improve my home
I love my home. It was built in the 1950s and has a large lot. Older homes have such characters. There is something about older casas that can take my breath away. Maybe it's all the hidden or untold history that the walls have seen. I don't want to lose that beauty. I do want to add some more square footage for an extra bedroom and an extra entertainment room. I don't want a new home to do this. It can be accomplished in my home. Plus, I need to build a pool. My boys love to swim!

5. Story-telling family history
Family is a priority in my life. Besides work, it's my family. I just need to make sure that I am constantly sharing past stories of my family so my boys know their history. They only met one great-grandparent so they need to be reminded of their roots.

6. Take my boys to Washington, DC when they are older
I think it's important to connect history through real-life's experiences and what better way to teach my boys about our constitution, Supreme Court, Arlington National Cemetery than to take them there. I want to do it when they are in their pre-teens or teen years so they can have a better understanding of it all.

7. Write a Chica Lit book
I am a big fan of the word so it makes sense to have this desire to want to write a book. I would love to write a funny or heart-wrenching piece on some Latino experience, maybe it's about Latina chicas on a new venture or maybe it's about one particular Hispanic family and their own challenges and special moments. Or maybe it's just a book of Chicana poetry -- another favorite item for me. It's on my list to do!

8. Visit the Pyramids
I learned so much about my family's heritage and ancestors through my Chicano history classes in college. Again, in hand with the family trip to DC, I want to visit the pyramids and imagine what life was life for the Aztecs and other indigenous people in the motherland of my great-grandparents. It's more of a personal journey to learn of my family's history.

Well, that's all I can think of right now... What's on your life's list? Got any tips for me?

broken.

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:16:04 PDT

what do you do when everything goes wrong.... it doesnt even have to be a big thing. i can handle those, but what about when every miniscule thing that you can possibly imagine comes crashing down into a field of brokeness? broken familys, broken dreams, broken lives ripped at seams, broken future, broken past, broken love, it didnt last. broken. i cant even describe how broken feels... its almost as though someone has ripped away all that you loved and replaced it with shards of glass that cut deeper then the bleeding emptyness that your world was ripped from. it leavs you wanting to hope, but you stop yourself because that hope will only get your hope up, then when reality strikes, it pushes your hope farther down then it would have fallen if it didnt get so high. it leaves you longing for an answer that never even belonged to a question. it leaves you looking for a way out that you knew was never there, but you still look anyways thinking that, "maybe, if im good enough, i will be taken from this place of emptyness." but then you relize that no one will come to save you, because no one even relized that you were missing. that does it. you cant stand that pain of knowing that theres love out there, and you cant have it. you cant have it cause no one took the time to give it to you. love is not something that you can have for yourself, not something you can take... the only way to get it, is if someone gives it to you. because no one gives it to you, you begin to compromise yourself so that they will acceppt you and amybe, just maybe, give you one tiny glimpse of love that you would give anything if not everything to see...... and yourself is lost because you left it all alone in that broken field of emptyness. you miss who you were so much that you want to go back and retrieve yourself, but you dont because you dont think its worth bieng who you are with out love, as opposed to bieng who your not, with love for something that wasnt even you to begin with.

Andy in Oregon

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:19:15 PDT

Seven month old Prince Andy traveled to Diamond Lake, Oregon this past weekend. He took part in the "Northwest Challenge" and came away with a 2nd place in his junior division before moving up to try on the senior division. In the senior division Andy finished 8th over all. He is being jumped in these meets to get him ready for the Splash Dogs World Championships at Cynosports in Scottsdale, AZ in November.

Andy set another personal best jump, as a matter of fact he had 4 jumps longer tham his old PR. His jumps were 17'2", 16'2", 16'1" & 15'9" Next up for Andy is the "Bark in the Park" in Lancaster, CA.
http://www.princeandyflores.com/

This & That

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:52:43 PDT

The Auburn event on Sept 15 & 16 has been canceled. So, looks like Andy will go up to Squaw Valley, Ca. to jump in the Art Barkfest Fun Jump event. All proceeds go to the local ASPC in Squaw Valley. Don't think I'll go this time, awful long drive for this old man ;) Sure would like to have an event in Bakersfield sometime so everyone can see these dogs doing their stuff. Most of the dogs love it and it shows. All the "good" dogs are very calm when not getting redy to jump, but let them get close to the dock and they come alive. I know Andy goes bullistic when he gets on the dock, he can't wait to jump and if you don't throw his "Wubba" he will go jump anyway. Then, when he hits the water, he will look back at you as if to say "Where is the damn thing".

Maybe when we finally get our own pool installed (?) we can hold an exhibition and invite all of you to come watch, and maybe you can let your dogs jump?

On the Softball front, I want to put on a tournament for all the local 12u, 14u, 16u teams on Sept 22-23. I am going to put it on at my cost. I do it for the enjoyment I get out of it. But, so far no teams have joined in? I offered a &50 discount for early sign ups and it is a first come, first in. Tournament will only hold 4 teams in each division?

If I don't start hearing from teams in next couple weeks I guess I will cancel it? No sense putting more money into it if local teams don't want to play?

Guess I'll get the ol'quad out and have some fun with it instead of softball? The Softball community complains about not having local tournaments to cut down on costs and yet? Maybe it's about time for me to retire and just follow my "G-Grandson Andy?"

who am i supposed to be, or is that who i am?

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 19:53:23 PDT

augh, there's so much that i want to do, so much that i want to become. have you ever been afraid to be who you want to be, because your afraid your not good enough to be who you really are? i feel i can make great changes if i spoke up. the only problem i have with that is opening my mouth. i know what i am capable of, but why am i so scared to do what i know i can? i'm so confused about who i am supposed to be, or am i supposed to be who i am. i feel like there's this incredible person inside me who can do great things, but i can't find a way to let her out.... i dont even know if that incredible person is me... or just who i wish i was. i am so weak. so confused. so lost. what is wrong with the girl i see in the mirror, because apparantly to all my friends i'm so confident... if that is true then why do i feel like such a coward? that girl who is inside me is screaming, she wants out. i think i know what i need to do to free her, but that brings me back to me fear. what if i let her out and she fails. i am responsible. what if i don't let her out and that spirit she has dies? i am responsible.

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Sat, 25 Aug 2007 19:19:38 PDT

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