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2013 - Another Year of Good Times and Good Company
As we look back at 2013, like every year this family
continued to enjoy life to the fullest and spent as
much precious time and made happy memories together
with friends. To start the year off with a bang, the
family along with some of their extended family of friends
brought in the new
year at Lake Las Vegas as they partied til the stroke
of midnight to watched the fireworks at the resort.
This Lake Las Vegas resort has been a vacation/staycation
getaway destination for the family for the past years
just like this year when Ron, Carole and the kids went
back again for some rest and relaxation for Fathers
Day. Family vacations and staycations are a must
to balance one's life and to take a break from the everyday
routine of work, school, and church obligations. This
year Papa Rollie, Mama Pearlie and Richelle made visits
to Las Vegas a few times this past year staying at the
Lake
Las Vegas Resort, Planet
Hollywood Hotel and at the Orlean's
Hotel. Ron, Carole and the kids took several vacations
as well traveling to San
Francisco and Yosemite
National Park, Hawaii
and also went camping
at Lake Skinner. Neveah had even more outings as
she spent her whole Summer
Vacation in San Diego. Even more family traveling
took place as Papa Rollie's cousin Flore and husband
Co visited the US from Canada and spent time in San
Diego and Las
Vegas. The family also got to meet their grandson
Jordan who happens to be a football player for the Canadian
Football League and spent
time touring him around town.
A few family milestone events occurred in 2013 starting
with Kiana who graduated
from Liberty High School. Her Senior Year was a
blast as she spent it as a Varsity member of the Liberty
High Dance Team and also finished her high school
years graduating with high honors. After graduation
she enrolled at the Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts
& Sciences to pursue a career in cosmetology. As for
her older brother, Nico still continues to pursue a
degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production at
the Art Institute of Las Vegas and has also been successful
running his own part-time video production business
NGP
Studio. The big highlight for him this year was
getting hired at the City of Henderson as a Visual Communications
Assistant doing video and photography for the Public
Information Office. As for Nevaeh, this year she made
her first
Flower Girl appearance at friends Jerry and Genneth's
wedding. Another family milestone event this year was
Papa
Rollie 75th Birthday as the family celebrated with
a Chargers Football theme with friends. More celebrating
continued throughtout the year such as Carole
celebrating her birthday in New York, Richelle
and Partrick Birthday Weekend, Ron's
Birthday at the M Resort, Nico
and Kiana's Birthdays at Michael Jackson One, Nevaeh's
Birthday in the Backyard, Ron
and Carole's Anniversary in Paris and also Mother's
Day.
Aside from the long vacations that were taken this
past year, the family continued to take a break now
and then to have family time with one another by occasionally
going to a show, concert, or sporting event. This year
the family went to see The King starring Trent Carlini,
iCandy, Cirque du Soliel's Zumanity, Mystere and Michael
Jackson One, Circus Oz, American Idol, Bobby McFerrin,
Popovich Pet Comedy Theater, Bell Biv Devoe concert,
The Scintas, Lost 80s Live concert, Menopause the Musical,
Earth, Wind & Fire concert, Pin Up, San Diego Padres
Baseball Game, Jabbawockeez, San Diego Chargers Football
Game, Jersey Boys, Selena Gomez concert, Mo5iac, Kool
and the Gang concert, Shania Twain, and the Jay-Z Magna
Carter Tour concert. Scroll down below to read more about all the family outings, celebrations, and events that happened this past year.
There is so much to be thankful for that the
year 2013 has brought to this family. Not only for all the
famly time spent together but also that everyone remained
in good health and was kept away for any illnesses.
Unfortunately this past year Carole had lost her sister
Timi
after losing her battle with breast cancer. Although
she is no longer with us, she and the memory of her
will always remain in our hearts, especially every year
when Ron, Carole and kids walk in her memory during
the American Cancer Society's 5K
Breast Cancer Walk like they have done for the past
2 years. Losing a loved one always makes one realize
that life is too short and that all the more it is important
to make time for your loved ones especially while there
are still here on this earth. We hope that this coming
new year brings you and your family many memorable times
together. Just remember as the saying goes..."A good
family is one that spends time together once in a while.
A great family creates memories that lasts for generations."
Happy New Year from our family to your!
Posted on December 31, 2013
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December Concerts and Shows
To end the year the family took advantage of seeing some concerts and shows for their winter entertainment. To start off
Ron and Carole had a Date Night to go see the jazz, R&B, soul and funk group Kool and the Gang who were scheduled to perform at the
Star of the Dessert Arena down at Primm. Very popular in the 70's and 80's, Ron and Carole have seen the group twice in
the past years but are never tired of hearing and seeing them perform live in concert. It always brings back many memories
for them listening to all their hit songs like their 70's hits "Hollywood Swinging", "Jungle Boogie", "Summer Madness", and their
more recent 80's hits like "Ladies Night", "Too Hot", "Get Down On It", "Fresh", "Misled", "Joanna", "Cherish", and the all-time
party song "Celebration".
The following night Ron and Carole were able to get comp tickets to see the "SHANIA Still the One" show starring Shania Twain at
the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The international superstar and the world's best-selling female country artist was finishing up her
first year of her two-year residency in Las Vegas and they were pretty lucky to get tickets. Since they had extra tickets they decided
to have a Couples Date Night and invited friends Ely and Khit, Ka Matt and Beth Talens who had just celebrated their weddding
anniversary and also Ka Bob and Rebecca Smith who recently got married.  They arrived early and checked out the Shania Twain gift shop
and also checked out some of her dresses and outfits that were on display that she had worn in her music videos. The show was fantastic
as Shania sang her hit songs. Backed by a band of musicians and back up singers the hugh video wall that was as wide as the full length
of the stage set the mood for all that songs that she sang and large props came down from up top to compliment the visuals on the screen.
Twice during the show Shania even came out up stage riding up top of a real live horse. It was a great evening watching Shania and a great
time spending it with great company.
Jay-Z's Magna Carter World Tour also stopped in Las Vegas and this time Nico, Ron and friends Kyle, Cheryl, Ron, Mayette, Joy and Alicia
came along as they all went to the Mandalay Bay Events Center to see the concert. The hip hop rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur Jay-Z
had scheduled two nights in Las Vegas for his concert and the gang all went to see the show on that Saturday night. Before coming out on stage,
a DJ got the crowd hyped as he played hip hop songs from past to present and from the east coast, west coast and from the dirty south. Then
stage lights came on as Jay-Z backed by a live drummer, keyboardist, guitarist and DJ in their position on they multi-level tower of black
scaffolding. Two hugh video walls on each side of the stage displayed crazy visuals as well as close ups of Jay-Z as he started the concert
off  performing songs from his latest album "Magna Carta Holy Grail". But the crowd got crazier when he performed all the earlier Jay-Z songs
like "99 Problems", "Big Pimpin'", "Tom Ford", "Dirt off Your Shoulder" before stepping off stage to prepare for the next set. In the meantime
record producer Timberland who was basically the hype man for the concert entertained the audience on the keyboards and synthesizers with his
talents. Then for Jay-Z came back on stage for his last set which included the songs "Encore", "Empire State of Mind", "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)",
"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", and lastly "Young Forever" which he dedicated to the late Nelson Mandela who had recently passed away.
Click here to check out all the photos from this month of show and concert going. It's never a dull moment in Las Vegas, the Live Entertainment
Capital of the World.
Posted on December 26, 2013
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Anniversaire de Mariage à Paris (Wedding Anniversary in Paris)
Paris is often referred to as the City of Love for many
reasons. Each year millions of people go there to spend
some romantic time together. Another reason is because
French is known as the Language of Love. When it comes
to romance, no city in the world can compare to Paris.
So for Ron and Carole's 23rd wedding anniversary they
decided to celebrate it in Paris. Not at the actual
City of Love but the next best thing, the Paris Hotel
& Casino in Las Vegas. The Paris themed hotel has many
of the landmarks and attractions that you would see
in France. It includes a half scale, 541-foot tall replica
of the Eiffel Tower, a sign in the shape of the Montgolfier
balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe, a replica
of La Fontaine des Mers, and a 1,200-seat theatre called
Le Théâtre des Arts. The front of the hotel is liken
to the Paris Opera House and the Louvre. And as you
walk through the hotel it truly feels like you are walking
under the skies of Paris.
It was a cloudy rainy day as they checked in at the
hotel. Not a good day to stroll along the Las Vegas
strip but perfect weather for staying indoor to enjoy
what the Paris Las Vegas Hotel had to offer. They were
given the Luxury Red Room on the 28th floor which offered
a Strip view. The decor in the room was very elegant
and contemporary with all the modern technologies. But
it was the breathtaking views looking down at the hotel's
Eiffel Tower and the hotel pool, the watershow at the
Bellagio, and the views of the rest of the Las Vegas
Strip that made the room spectacular.
The Tony Award-winning musical and Broadway play Jersey
Boys was the headlining show at the Paris Las Vegas
Hotel which was about the real life success and eventual
break-up of the 1960s rock 'n roll group The Four Seasons
and members Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio
and Nick Massi. Songs include their big hits "Big Girls
Don't Cry", "Sherry", "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)",
"My Eyes Adored You", "Stay", "Can't Take My Eyes Off
You", "Working My Way Back to You" and "Rag Doll", among
others. After the show Ron and Carole had a late dinner
at the Burger Brasserie Sports Grilll restaurant that
offered gourmet burgers and other French interpretation
of their meat-and-potatoes menu. After dinner they stopped
by the Café Belle Madeleine for some dessert and coffee.
The following morning they had breakfast at Le Village
Buffet which offered over 200 items and also included
a made to order Crepe Station and afterwards continued
to walk around and enjoy strolling through the shops
of Paris.
Check
out all the photos from their anniversary weekend in Paris or watch the YouTube video montage of all the photos as they celebrated 23 years
of marital bliss, from Paris with Love.
Posted on November 26, 2013
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Papa Rollie's 75th Birthday Party
In the year 1938, Action Comics issued the first Superman
comic. The ballpoint pen was invented and the cost of
gas was only 10 cents a gallon. 1938 was also the year
Papa Rollie was born on the 1st of November. To celebrate
this big milestone birthday, the family went into planning
mode and with the request from the birthday celebrant
himself, they worked on a San Diego Chargers Football
themed party versus a bowling themed party as previously
planned. (Papa Rollie was an avid bowler throughout
the past years but liked the Chargers theme since it
was football season.) So reservations were made for
the banquet room at the South Bay Fish and Grill Restaurant
by the J Street Marina in Chula Vista and invitations
were sent out to family and friends. Football decorations
were bought and made and a couple San Diego Chargers
jerseys and other gear was purchased to raffle off to
guests.
As party time rolled around, the place was all set and
Papa Rollie greeted family and friends by the Photo
Booth that was set up to take pictures with all the
guests. A video montage of past and present photos of
Papa Rollie with family and friends played throughout
the party for everyone to enjoy. After an hour or so
of photo taking and socializing over appetizers, the
buffet was finished being set up for lunch to be served.
Once again family friend Allan Arceo played host and
master of ceremonies for the party as he has done in
past family parties. After a prayer rendered by minister
Lito Balada was done, Allan had called up each table
one by one to line up for the buffet lunch which consisted
of dinner rolls, salad, vegetables, mashed potatoes,
chicken, and fish. As all the guests were seated eating
at their tables, Papa Rollie made his rounds throughout
the room and visited each table thanking them for coming
to the celebration and took more photos with them to
capture the moment.
When the guests all arrived earlier, they were given
a raffle ticket for their chance to win some door prizes.
But before raffling off the items, one last call was
made to anyone who did not receive a ticket. So when
the raffle started, Papa Rollie assisted by his oldest
granddaugther Kiana picked out a raffle ticket from
the bag. The first winner was Angelo Palaganas who won
the dark blue #17 Phillip Rivers Chargers home jersey.
The winner of the Chargers Glass Tumbler was Angeli
Jacinto. The winning ticket for the white #21 Ladanian
Tomlinson Chargers away jersey was claimed by Fely Bobis.
The Chargers ball cap was won by Art Palaganas and the
powder blue #24 Ryan Matthews Chargers throwback jersey
was won by Jean Siso. Daniel Dela Rosa won the Chargers
Throw Blanket and last but not least, Daisy Bobis won
the other blue #17 Phillip Rivers Chargers home jersey.
Congratulations to all the raffle ticket winners!
As the party went on there was karaoke singing, socializing
and more Photo Booth picture taking that continued.
(See blog post below for the link to view all the Photo
Booth photos from the party.) The blowing of the birthday
candles for the birthday celebrant and also for Papa
Rollie's youngest granddaughter Nevaeh also took place.
It was Nevaeh's actual birthday on the same day as the
party. The rest of the November birthday celebrates
were also called up to be honored. Check
out all the photos from this birthday party which
was 75 years in the making! You can also click
here for the YouTube video montage of all the photos
from this big celebration. A big "Thank You Shout Out"
to all who came out to celebrate and make happy memories
for Papa Rollie's big milestone birthday and to all
who sent their well-wishes.
Posted on November 5, 2013
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Papa Rollie's 75th Birthday Photo Booth Photos
It was a San Diego Chargers Football themed party at the South Bay Fish and Grill Restaurant at the J Street Marina in Chula Vista, California for Papa Rollie's 75th Birthday Party. Throughout the party Papa Rollie and all the guests took Photo Booth photos in their Chargers attire and props. If you were at the party and didn't see your photo
or if you would like to see all the fun Photo Booth
photos that were taken at the party, click
here. Stand by for more party photos to come!
Posted on November 2, 2013 | Read
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Nevaeh's Backyard Birthday Party
Since both of Nevaeh's grandfathers were having birthday celebrations on her actual birthday on November 2nd, the family decided to throw her a birthday party
a week earlier. The party was held in the backyard of Casa de Poblete with a few of her little friends and family. It was a nice Autumn day that had perfect weather
for an outdoor party in the backyard. Since the party was mainly for Nevaeh and her young friends, and to keep them entertained Kiana planned on having lots of
arts and crafts activities for the kids to do. So the week prior to the party, Ron and Kiana along with family friend Natalie shopped at Michael's Arts and
Crafts Store to purchase paints, markers, crayons, popsicle sticks, glue, paint brushes, paper, masks, crowns, grab bags, string, and beads.
As the party started, the kids immediately got busy as each one was given a plain white grab bag to decorate and customize with their name on it. The bags were
for them to place candy, goodies and their crafts that they will be making throughout the day. Afterwards the kids glued popsicle sticks together and created
picture frames and let dry only to be painted later. While the picture frames were drying the kids were given blank masks and crowns to paint and color on.
During the party Nico took photos of Nevaeh with her guests in front of the Photo Booth backdrop that was set up along with different props for them to use.
 (See the next blog entry below for link to all the fun Photo Booth photos that were taken.)
A few round of musical chairs and other parlor games were played and participated by not only the younger guests but the older ones alike. It seemed like the older
guests were also enjoying themselves as more arts and crafts were done throughout the afternoon. The older ones were invited to assists the younger ones in
all the arts and crafts projects but halfway into the party it was the older ones who would leave the patio table where all the arts and crafts were being done.
After everyone had lunch, the birthday cake and ice cream was brought out and served after a rendition of the "Happy Birthday Song" was sung by everyone and after
Nevaeh blew out her birthday candle. More arts and crafts contined on until the sun had set. Before it got dark, the video projector and the family's 12 foot high
inflatable outdoor screen was set up for those who wanted ot stay longer for a Movie Night in the backyard. But before all the guests had left for the night,
Nevaeh was able to open her presents with a few of her friends assisting her.
Check out all the photos from Nevaeh's 8th Birthday Party in the family's backyard or watch the YouTube video montage of all the photos from her celebration.
Thank you again to all the younger and older kids and parents who came out to celebrate Nevaeh's special day with her. It was definitely a fun and creative afternoon
and birthday celebration. Happy 8th Birthday Nevaeh!
Posted on October 31, 2013
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Nevaeh's 8th Birthday Photo Booth Photos
It seems to now be a Poblete Family tradition to have
a Photo Booth set up at all the big Poblete Family parties.
Once again Photo Booth photos were taken during Nevaeh's
8th Birthday Party with her and all her guests. Even
more crazy props were used this time to make their photos
more interesting and funny. If you were at the party
and didn't see your photo or if you would like to see
all the rest of the Photo Booth photos that were taken at the party,
click here!
Posted on October 31, 2013 | Read
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Ron and Carole's Mini Hawaiian Getaway Vacation
A year ago Ron, Carole and the kids were involved and
witnessed the engagement of friends Jeff and Jade as
Jeff proposed to Jade in Las Vegas. The family was also
invited to attend the wedding which was held on
the island of Oahu in Hawaii but only Ron and Carole
were able to go. It was a beautiful wedding which was
held at the House of Worship in the Local of Honolulu.
The reception which was held at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.
(Congratulation again to Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Jade
Inocencio!)
Because they were there for the wedding and were only
able to take a few days off from work, they made the
rest of the trip a mini Hawaiian getaway vacation. They
booked red eye flights to and from the island to take
advantage of the hours spent on the island. For accommodations
they stayed on the far end of the Waikiki strip at the
Park Shore Waikiki Hotel on the corner of Kalakaua and
Kapahulu Avenues. It was a perfect location right across
the street from the beach and the Waikiki Walls. Their
Ocean View room included a private lanai with breathtaking
views of Waikiki Beach and the Pacific Ocean as well
as an unobstructed views of Diamond Head, Diamond Head
Park and the Honolulu Zoo. The hotel was walking distance
to all the Waikiki strip stores and restaurants, had
easy access to the freeway and the hotel staff was very
nice and friendly. The hotel was recently remodeled,
the rooms were very clean, and all the ammenities and
services were great. Fresh brewed Hawaiian coffee was
available every morning for all hotel guests in the
lobby as well as ice cold water and guava juice in the
afternoons. The Park Shore Waikiki is a highly recommended
place to stay if you plan to visit Waikiki.
Because they were only there for a few days, Ron and
Carole didn't waste anytime sightseeing around the island.
They've been to Oahu before, once on their honeymoon
and another time on a family trip with the kids (Nico
and Kiana before Nevaeh was born.) and have pretty much
visited all of Oahu's main sights and attractions. On
this trip they wanted to do some things they weren't
able to do on past trips like hike up to the top of
Diamond Head and to just drive around the island stopping
at a few scenic spots to capture the beautiful landscape,
scenery and beaches of Oahu. And when they weren't driving
around the island they would be strolling along Waikiki
Beach or relaxing on their private lanai of their hotel
room and enjoying the views and sounds of Waikiki.
But it's definitely not a "Poblete Vacation" without
going on a few food adventures. While on the island,
they wanted to check out some unique restaurants and
eateries that are only found on the island of Oahu and
not on the mainland. Two breakfast spots were suggested
to them which they were able to try. One of them was
a restaurant called "Boots & Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen"
in Kailua who were most famous for their Macadamia Nut
Pancakes with their original Macadamia Nut Sauce. Another
restaurant was "Cinnamon's 
Restaurant" which was also in Kailua. They too were
famous for their own pancakes serving Guava Chiffon
and Red Velvet (with white chocolate topping) pancakes.
While on the island they also wanted to see who served
the best shrimp and prawns on the North Shore. They
visited the original shrimp truck "Giovanni's" and also
the original shrimp shack "Romy's Kahuku Prawns and
Shrimp". And what's a trip to Oahu without stopping
by "Leonard's Bakery" for some fresh malasadas. (Visit
the "Ron
vs. Food" blog site to read about more detailed
information on these Hawaiian food adventures. Coming
Soon!)
On their last day on the island they spent it shopping
on Waikiki for some souvenirs and gifts for the kids.
It was kind of a sad moment when visiting the famous
"International Market Place" as they found out it was
going to close at the end of the year to make way for
a new mall and hotel. Since that day was also Monday
Night Football with the San Diego Chargers playing the
Indianapolis Colts, they were fortunate that "Lulu's
Waikiki" a sports bar and restaurant right next to their
hotel was going to show the game live. They respresented
along with some other Chargers Fans who were also on
vacation in Hawaii. Since there was a three hour time
difference with Hawaii and the West Coast, it was funny
watching Monday Night Football at 2:00 in the afternoon.
But it was a great victory as the Chargers beat the
Colts 19 to 9, just in time for Ron and Carole to cross
the street to the beach and watch their last sunset
of their trip.
Click
here to see all the photos from this mini vacation
or watch the YouTube video
montage of the photos from this Hawaii trip. "Aloha
`oe, aloha `oe (Farewell to you, farewell to you). Until
we meet again."
Posted on October 28, 2013
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2013 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk
For the past three years now Ron and Carole have been walking regularly for their own health benefits and to also spread an awareness
to others that doing some sort of exercise daily is important. In the past years they have also put their walking towards good causes by forming
"Team Poblete" and encouraging family and friends to join them in several charity 5K events such as the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.
Last year they participated in the Breast Cancer Walk in support of Carole's sister Timi who at the time was battling the disease. Unfortunately Timi
lost her battle this past June, six days after her 51st birthday. Some may never know or understand how it is to lose a loved one to cancer until they
have lost one of their own family members or friends. Hopefully less will experience losing someone to this disease in the future which at the moment
has no cure. And this is why the Breast Cancer Walk is and will from this day on be an important event for Team Poblete. Prevention, treatment
and a cure is so important because breast cancer can strike at any time to any one whether it's your wife, daugther, mother, co-worker or friend.
This past Saturday, Team Poblete signed up again for the 2013 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
It was going to be a walk dedicated in loving memory of Timi. Carole, Ron and the kids signed up but unfortunately Nico could not make it that morning due
to an appointment at school. Also joining them again this year was Carole's co-worker Christina along with her granddaugther Angelina. Family friend
Junen Diaz also joined the team along with her dog Brownie. It was on Junen's wedding day when the news came that Timi had lost her battle with breast
cancer and she came out to support the family and walk in Timi's memory. The team prepared a pink poster with Timi's photo on it and Carole, Ron and the
girls wore their original ribbons that the family wore at Timi's funeral.
The participants all gathered at the JW Marriott Las
Vegas Resort and Spa in Summerlin that early morning
for registration and to participate in all the pre-walk
events before the start of the walk at 8AM. Team Poblete
gathered together and was in the middle of the crowd
of thousands as the start of the walk began. It was
a different route this year as the walkers left the JW Marriott
and walked along Rampart Blvd with each team or organization
wearing pink or their team shirts and raising their
signs and posters in the air. Cars honked along the
way in support as the passed along the walk route. Team
Poblete made the entire 3 mile walk along with Nevaeh
 who
walked the dog Brownie part of the way and sat with
the dog in the stroller the other part of the way.The
whole event was great seeing the multitude of people
who came out to support the fight against breast cancer.
Although Team Poblete wasn't able to raise as much funds
as they would have liked, it was still a great way to
raise awareness of this disease and to remember and
walk in memory of Timi. However it is never too late
to donate towards this cause. You can still support
by visiting the Team
Poblete webpage or donate directly to the American
Cancer Society.
Check
out all the photos from this year's Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer Walk or watch the YouTube video montage of the photos from the event. Make a difference
and help fight against breast cancer.
Posted on October 6, 2013
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Papa Rollie's First Chargers Game
The 2013 NFL Football Season is finally here and as in the past years, it's been an annual family tradition to kick off the season by attending the first home opener
game at Qualcomm Stadium. Usually it has been Ron, Nico, Richelle, and Patrick who would attend the games all suited up in their Chargers jerseys but because the
games would fall on Sundays, Papa Rollie who had always wanted to join them could never attend because of his Sunday church responsibilities. So with this year's
home opener falling on the first Monday Night Football game of the season against the Houston Texans, Papa Rollie finally got the chance to go to his first ever
live Chargers game at Qualcomm Stadium.
Wearing a Powder Blue #21 LaDanian Tomlinson jersey (because he said everytime he wears his Dark Blue #17 Phillip Rivers jersey on game day the Chargers always lose),
Papa Rollie, Ron, Richelle, and Patrick jumped on the Green Line of the San Diego MTS Trolley from Hazard Center to Qualcomm Stadium. Since it was Papa Rollie's first
time at a Chargers game, they wanted to arrive early for him to watch the warm up sessions and to see the players up close before the game. And because it was his
first time watching a game, instead of sitting up in the View Level seats like they usually do they got seats down closer to the field on the second row of Section 21
on Plaza Level right behind the end zone so that he can be down closer to all the action on the field. After the players left the field for the locker rooms to get
ready for the start of the game, the Country group Lonestar performed for the crowd with the Chargers girls surrounding the stage. Also the West Region Little League
team who lost to Japan in the championship game were also honored and introduced to the crowd. This team who represented the West Region were the Eastlake Little
League team  from the family's home community of Eastlake in Chula Vista, CA. Then the field was set for the introduction of the Chargers players as fireworks and
flames were set off as the players ran onto the field after being introduced. Singer/songwriter Judith Hill who recently appeared on the television show "The Voice"
and was also one of the backup singers for the late Michael Jackson sang the National Anthem as the giant American flag was spread out covering the field. After the
National Anthem the coin toss was done and the Houston Texans won first possession of the ball.
The game started off great as the Chargers intercepted the football on the very first play of the game. Then on the first play of the Chargers possession, Quarterback
Phillip River threw a pass to Running Back Ryan Matthews who scored a touchdown. The Texans came back scoring a touchdown to tie the game in the first quarter.
During the second quarter it was all Chargers as they were able to score two more touchdowns leading 21 to 7 at half-time. At the beginning of the third quarter the
Chargers came back strong again scoring yet another touchdown on their first drive after the half and now lead the game 28 to 7. For Papa Rollie the excitement of
being at the game live so far had been great. Experiencing being part of the "12th Man" on the field chatting away and distracting the opponent team was alot of fun.
And with the Chargers leading by  three touchdowns, it sure wasn't bad for Papa Rollie's first Chargers game. It seemed for sure that the Chargers had this game won
which was what everyone thought until after that 4th touchdown. The game had drastically changed as both the Chargers offense and defense seem to fall apart as the
Texans scored 24 point beating the Chargers 31 to 28. What a big disappointment for Chargers Fans but for Papa Rollie, he was all smiles throughout the night from
all the fun and excitement he experienced during his first ever live Chargers game at Qualcomm Stadium.
Click here to see all the photos of Papa Rollie's experience at his first game. A YouTube video is also available for viewing. Thinking back, they wondered if it would have made a difference if Papa Rollie wore his
other jersey to the game and if that would have given the Chargers good luck instead? I guess we'll never know.
Posted on September 18, 2013
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Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Every year the family tries to at least make it out
to one ballgame at Petco Park to watch some Padres baseball.
The ballpark is pretty special not only because it's
where San Diego's home team plays but because the Poblete
Family name will forever be a part of the ballpark.
When Petco Park was constructed before the gates opened
to the public in 2004, personalized bricks were layed
out to cover the Palm Court Plaza which was the main
entrance to Petco Park from the Gaslamp District. The
names of the three generations of Pobletes are engraved
on the brick that was placed in the court yard. Unfortunately
Nevaeh was left out because the ballpark opened a year
before she was born.
So on this first weekend of September, the San Diego Padres were scheduled to play the Colorado Rockies and Ron, Richelle, and Patrick joined the rest of the members from the congregation of South San Diego who had planned a family church event at the ballpark. They arrived at Tailgate Park where some of them were already BBQing and hanging out before the game. The game that evening was a promotional giveaway night and each one in attendance received a Padres Luchador Mask, similar to the wrestling mask worn by the Lucha Libres in Mexico.
It was a nice warm evening out at the ballpark sitting
out in left field under the big score board where the
rest of the group sat. Pitcher Tyson Ross was on the
mound for the Padres and tossed seven scoreless innings.
During the game, Ron, Richelle and Patrick decided to
grab something to eat. Instead of getting the typical
ballpark food such as hot dogs or nachos, they opted
for some barbeque from San Diego's well-known and beloved
barbeque restaurant "Phil's BBQ" who happened to have
a stand by Picnic Hill at the Park at the Park right
behind the ballfield. As the game continued, the Colorado
Rockies tied the game at the top of the eighth inning.
Then at the bottom of the eighth rookie second baseman
Jedd Gyorko made a homerun to put the Padres up by one
point which ultimately brought them a victory. Check
out some of the photos from this night out at Petco
Park. It's always fun being at the ballpark rooting
for the home team.GO PADRES!
Posted on September 16, 2013
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Summer Concert Fun
After watching Bell Biv Devoe in concert a few months ago (Scroll down to "Bell Biv Devoe at The Beach" blog below), the summer concert going continued as Ron and
Carole went back to The Beach at Mandalay Bay to watch the "Lost 80's Live" concert. It was a chance for them to go back in time and watch and hear these 80's groups
such as A Flock of Seagulls, Bow Wow Wow, Animotion, Trans-X, Wang Chung, Naked Eyes, The Flirts, and When in Rome. It was a nice evening for this outdoor concert at
The Beach as concert goers spread out and sat in the sand or stood out in front of the stage in the wave pool listening to all these 80's groups performing their 80's
hits such as "I Ran (So Far Away)", "I Want Candy", "Obsession", "Living on Video", "Dance Hall Days", Everybody Have Fun Tonight", "Always Something There",
"Promises Promises", "Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)", and "The Promise" just to name a few.
The summer concert going continued as Ron and Carole
also got tickets to watch a special concert performed
by Earth, Wind & Fire at the Venetian Hotel. In conjunction
with HSN (Home Shopping Network), the group performed
a one night only live televised event that was shown
live on TV as well as streamed live online on the HSN
website. Ron and Carole arrived at the Venetian Theater,
the former theater where the Broadway musical Phantom
of the Opera use to play. The theater was still as elegant
as they remembered when they were there last when they
saw the musical play. Arriving early they were able
to see all the behind the scenes set up of cameras and
lights for the televised event. The theater started
filling up as it got close to concert time and the staff
got the crowd ready by going over what to expect for
the live taping, especially during the commercial breaks.
Then the countdown started for the concert was to go
live on the air and then 
Earth, Wind & Fire took the stage performing their big
hit "Boogie Wonderland". Original members Phillip Bailey,
Ralph Johnson, and Verdine White and the rest of the
band members continued on performing "In the Stone",
"Let's Groove", "Shinning Star" and all their other
classic hits from the the past 40 years. But tonight's
concert was also the world launch of their new CD "Now,
Then & Forever". It has been 8 years since the 6-time
Grammy Award winning band had been in the studio and
the release of their new CD which still has their signature
EWF sound was to celebrate of their 40 years of existence
as a music group. Throughout the televised concert event,
viewers were able to call in and pre-order the CD before
it's release on September 10th in stores.
The family has seen Earth, Wind & Fire many times in the past, and usually tries to see them in concert everytime they come to Las Vegas. It was a great opportunity
to hear the group perform their new songs for the first time in front of an live audience. During the concert, record producer, composer, singer, and songwriter
David Foster joined the group on stage and played the piano during the band's performance of "After the Love was Gone". He later came back on stage towards the end
of the concert and joined them again on the piano as they performed "Got to Get You Into My Life". The television portion of the concert only aired the first hour of the concert
but home viewers were able to see the rest of it streaming live online. The band continued for another 30 mins or so performing more of their classic hits and new
songs from their new CD.
Click here to see the rest of the photos from both the Earth, Wind & Fire and Lost 80's Live concerts. Summer is always great for concert going and listening to
some great music from your favorite groups always bring back great memories.
Posted on September 12, 2013 | Read
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Family Camping at Lake Skinner
Because the weather was nice all year round, camping was a regular family activity when the whole family lived in San Diego. But ever since Ron, Carole, and the kids
relocated to Las Vegas over 7 years ago, camping trips were rarely scheduled for them due to the hot and cold weather climates of Southern Nevada. Camping trips
elsewhere were planned but never materialized. So when Carole's side of the family (The Papa Family) invited them to join in on a camping trip to Lake Skinner,
there was no hesitation to make reservations as the family had missed spending time and sleeping overnight out in the great outdoors. In fact this was to be Nevaeh's
first camping trip ever as she was not born yet to experience camping with her older siblings did when they were growing up.
So with the family's Volkswagon Eurovan loaded with their camping gears, tents, and food, they drove down to Temucula Valley which is located on the border of
San Diego and Riverside Counties in Southern Californiia. They arrived to set up camp at Lake Skinner Recreational Park which offers camping, picnicking, hiking,
horseback riding, sailing, and fishing. With 241 campsites, Lake Skinner’s campgrounds provide plenty of space for overnight or extended stays. Each site
offers picnic benches, fire rings, water and electrical hookups.  When they arrived half of the Papa Family were already there setting up their campsites and
pitching their tents. 7 campsites were reserved as bout a dozen individual families came along for the weekend. On the first night Ron had barbequed some
Korean BBQ Short Ribs while Uncle Bert and Auntie Sally prepared the rest of the dinner for everyone. (Each family was assigned to prepare either breakfast,
lunch or dinner for the group.) After dinner campfires were set as everyone sat around enjoying conversations with one another while the kids made smores before
everyone retired to their tents for the night.
The next day everyone woke up to the smell of sausages
and bacon frying in the pan as Uncle Bong, Auntie Leth
and Cindy prepared breakfast. Rob, Bob, Renato, and
Ralene left right at sunrise to cast their fishing rods
in the lake to try and catch some fish while Ron and
Carole took a morning walk down by the lake while the
rest were still waking up from the overnight sleep.
After breakfast the hot temperatures were already rising
as the weather forecasted a very hot day. Luckily for
the family, Lake Skinner Recreation Park offered a big
splash pad for the kids as well as adults to enjoy,
especially on hot days. (Click here to see a YouTube
video of all the Splish Splashing Fun.) After a few
hours at "The Splash Zone", everyone headed back to
the campsite for lunch as Renato barbequed some hot
dogs and the fish that was caught earlier that morning
was fried.  The
rest of the day was spent relaxing and more family bonding
with one another until dinner time. At that time, Ron,
Carole, and the kids had to pack up their site as they
had to return back to Las Vegas that night b ecause
Nico had to work the next day. Some of the other family
also had to leave while half of the group stayed for
another night. Check
out all the fun camping photos from this camping
trip to Lake Skinner. There's nothing like enjoying
the great outdoors, sitting around the fire, having
great conversations and just plain relaxing away from
civilization.
Posted on August 20, 2013 |
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Nevaeh's San Diego Summer Vacation
Like every year since the Poblete Kids moved to Las
Vegas, they would usually spend their summer breaks
from school down in their hometown of San Diego. But
after Nico graduated from high school and immediately
started college and working part time, only Kiana and
Nevaeh spent their past summers down there. This year
however, Kiana also graduated from high school and had
too many activities and appointments to attend to for
the summer, so this year Nevaeh was the only one who
got to spend the summer down there without her siblings.
But she didn't mind because she had a blast visiting
with all her family and friends and getting all the
attention.
This year the highlights of her summer vacation were
taking a trip to The New Children's Museum with her
Aunty Reesh, Uncle Patrick, Aunty Leeann and her kids
Mikela and Jacob. They spent all day exploring and experimenting
with all the interactive exhibits and learning hands-on
about things like the environment and science through
all the workshops the museum had to offer. (Who says
summer vacations can't be educational?) Another highlight
during her vacation was a night out at the South Bay
Drive In Movie 
Theater with Mikela and accompanied by her Aunty Reesh
and Uncle Patrick. The Torres Boys Josh, Jason, and
Jonathon also join them along with their Mom and Dad.
They all had a blast watching the animated film "Monsters
University" outdoors but they all fell asleep during
the "The Lone Ranger" which was the second movie for
the night. Nevaeh also got to watch Despicable Me 2
at the movie theaters with her cousins Justin and Jake,
her big sister Kiana who was down for that weekend,
and Alexa and Jaynee along with their Mom and Dad Jason
and Imee.
 Nevaeh
also got to visit and spend alot of time with all her
family. She hung out with her nieces Eirelle and Kayden
and with all her cousins at Samantha's 5th Birthday
Party. The rest of her family time during her vacation
were visiting with both her grandparents, hanging out
at home, going out for family dinners, swimming at the
pool, and spending time with the family dog Arnold.
But like all summer vacations, they all have to come
to an end. Although she wanted to stay longer,
it was time for her to go back home and get back into
the routine of sleeping and waking up early to go to
school. Click
here to see all the photos from Nevaeh's summer
break in San Diego.
Posted on August 12, 2013 |
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"NGP Studio's" Latest Projects
More recently a lot of people have been asking where
is Nico and what has he been up to lately? The truth
of the matter is Nico has been busy as a full-time student
at the Art Institute of Las Vegas where he is pursuing
his Bachelors of Science Degree in Digital Filmmaking
and Video Production and is scheduled to graduate by
next Summer of 2014. Aside from juggling his school
schedule and working on school projects during non-school
hours as well as working part-time as a Food Runner
at the Vdara Hotel, Nico has been very busy running
his own freelance business "NGP Studio". NGP (which
stands for Nico Giovanni Poblete)
Studio is his own freelance video production business
producing videos for special events and projects.
Following his Father's footsteps in the field of multimedia,
Nico's spare time when he is not at school or at work
are usually spent filming on location with his crew
or at home late at night editing just like Ron use to
do when he ran his own freelance business back in the
day. (Ron still continues his multimedia career working
fulltime for the City of Henderson and volunteers his
talents for INCTV Productions during his spare time.)
Taking over where Ron left off, this new generation
of Poblete talent in the field of video production continues
as Nico's portfolio not only consist of school projects
but actual productions he has produced such as weddings,
music videos, and special projects for local car clubs
and Hip Hop dance crews. Visit the NGP Studio website
at http://www.poblete.com/ngpstudio
to see all of Nico's latest productions. All the hard
work he's producing now in mastering his craft can only
lead to bigger things in the future. Keep up the good
work Nico!
Posted on August 1, 2013 | Read
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San Francisco Road Trip
It was a bittersweet road trip as Ron, Carole and the
kids left the heat of Las Vegas for San Francisco to
attend the viewing and funeral services of Carole's
older sister Timi who had lost her year long battle
with breast cancer. Despite the passing of their beloved
sister and auntie, it was an opportunity to travel to
the San Francisco Bay area once again and reunite with
the rest of the family. So after packing and sleeping
all day Thursday, they started loading up the family's
VW Eurovan alittle after midnight and finally hit the
freeway at 3:00 in the morning driving south towards
Barstow and then west towards Bakersfield. After driving
for almost 5 hours, they made a pit stop at Buttonwillow,
just west of Bakersfield to gas up, take a rest room
break and to grab some breakfast. Then they proceeded
for another 5 hour drive as they drove through the agricultural
areas of Central California, making one stop at the
Dos Amigos Pumping Plant along the I-5  Freeway to get a closer look at the California Aquaduct
and also stopping at one of the fruit stands along Highway
152 just outside of Gilroy to buy some fresh strawberries
and cherries. They finally reached the Garcia residence
a little after 1:00 PM and reunited with the rest of
the family and then checked in later in the afternoon
at the Comfort Inn in San Mateo where the rest of the
family was staying for the weekend. Later that evening
after picking up cousins Megan and Toan at the airport
who flew in from Seattle, they headed out to Max's Restaurant
for dinner to have some of their famous fried chicken.
The next day Ron, Carole, and the kids along with their
cousins Justin and Marcel headed out for a little sightseeing
for a few hours. They drove to the Golden Gate Bridge
and through the Persidio and stopped at the Palace of
the Fine Arts. When they returned to the the hotel,
more family arrived and everyone headed to the funeral
home for the viewing that night. The next day after
Sunday church services in Burlingame, Ron Carole, Uncle
Rick, Auntie Cindy, Uncle Ben, Auntie Nitz, Rose, Marc,
Maylyn, and all the little kids headed for downtown
to drop off Nadia and Bianca off at the train station.
Originally they planned to visit Lombard Street, Coit
Tower and Fisherman's Wharf but were caught in downtown
traffic for several hours because of the Gay Pride Parade.
Because all the streets were blocked, they were only
able to visit Alamo  Square Park where the cast of the
old television series "Full House" were filmed in the
opening credits in front of the famous row of Victorian
houses in the background. Then it was back to the hotel
to get ready for the viewing that evening. The next
day like everyone morning at the Comfort Inn, it was
time for breakfast with the family as the hotel offered
free breakfast to all the guests, even though Ron took
credit for treating everyone to breakfast every morning.
It was also the day Timi was to be laid to rest. Typically
summers in San Francisco tend to be foggy or gloomy
but for the past few days especially on this day, the
weather was just perfect for her funeral. Although Timi
is no longer with us physically, she will always be
our hearts forever.
After the funeral the family and all those who were
in attendance were invited to attend the reception at
the Moonstar Restaurant. Afterwards it was time to hit
the road again as most of the family traveled to Uncle
Bong and Auntie Leth's house for dinner in Discovery
Bay which is a waterfront community by the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta about 60 miles east from San Francisco.
Ron, Carole, and the kids as well as Bob, Ruby and the
girls all checked in at the Hampton Inn while everyone
else camped out or rested at the Llagas's house before
hitting the road for their travels back home. Ron, Carole
and the kids started their journey the next day after
breakfast and set course for Yosemite National Park.
They left the hotel and gassed up the van and finally
hit the road at 10AM. It was a very scenic drive as
they passed by several lakes and  green hillsides along
the way. They stopped at this charming little town square
called Copperopolis to fill up the gas tank and to treat
themselves to some ice cream. About 3 and a half hours
later they finally reached the entrance of Yosemite
National Park. Originally the plan was to just pass
through the park on their way home but who could not
stop throughout park to gander at the natural beauty
the park had to offer. The landscape provided smooth
granite domes and towering cliffs, spectacular waterfalls,
majestic peaks and valleys, and spacious meadows. Before
starting back up on their trip back home to Las Vegas,
they stopped at  the Yosemite Village for some lunch
where deer and squirrels were freely roaming around.
The rest of the drive back to Las Vegas was quite interesting
as they left Yosemite driving through the back country
highways and roads of California and Nevada. It was
a very lonely drive as the rest of the trip was mainly
them alone driving on the 2 lane highways encountering
just a few cars and trucks along the way. However they
did encounter some wildlife on the drive as rabbits
would be seen crossing the road and they also had to
slow down for deer that were just on the side of the
road. They even encountered a horse that appeared out
of nowhere. After traveling a total of 1,363.7 miles
for the past 5 days, their road trip had come to an
end as they finally arrived home at 2:22AM. Check
out all the photos from this road trip to San Francisco
and back. It was bittersweet trip but fun seeing family
and all the sights along the way. For Ron, Carole, and
the kids, they have definitely left their hearts in
San Francisco.
Posted on July 5, 2013 | Read
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In Loving Memory - Timi Papa Garcia
June 15, 1962 - June 21, 2013
After a year long battle with breast cancer, Timi Papa Garcia ended her journey at home with her husband by her side on June 21, 2013 - only six days after her 51st birthday.
She is survived by her loving husband of 21 years, Gerald Garcia, her two sons: Nathan and CJ, her parents: Herminio and Nenita Papa of Chula Vista, California, her five sisters and brother; Julie Robles of Cavite City, Philippines; Ellen Navoa of Queens, New York; Carole Poblete of Las Vegas, Nevada, Cecile Frilles of Moreno Valley, California, Lisa Simon of Chula Vista, California; and Henry Papa of La Jolla, California, and her mother-in-law, Vicki Garcia of Daly City, California. She is also survived by countless cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandniecees, in-laws, and close friends.
Herminio and Nenita Papa's third daughter was born on June 15, 1962 in the Philippines. Timi graduated from Cavite National High School in 1979 before she and her family moved to National City, California in 1982. She continued her education at San Diego Mesa College.
In 1990, Timi moved to Hayward, California where she lived with her Auntie Leticia, and Uncle Ruben Llagas, and became a Registered Dental Assistant. She met Gerald at church in Redwood City, and married in 1992. She then relocated to Daly City where Dr. Bruce Newman, DDS hired her even though she was seven months pregnant. Once year later in 1993, Nathan was born. CJ was born a couple of years later in 1995.
Timi and her "three boys" moved to South San Francisco in 2004. In 2008, she met Janine Greenwald and Julie Strupeni and became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. In 2012, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and had to end her relationship with Dr. Newman after 20 years of service.
Till we meet again, we will never forget you, and we will always love you!
Posted on July 1, 2013 | Read
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Rest and Relaxation for Fathers Day
After a busy week long vacation with lack of sleep
from hosting out-of-town family and friends and with
all the preparations and festivities from Kiana's High
School Graduation, it was finally time for some alone
time for Ron, Carole, and the kids since everyone left
town already to go back home. So they checked in at
the Montelago Village Resort at Lake Las Vegas to spend
some quality family time together and to enjoy some
rest and relaxation to recuperate from that week's activities.
Every summer for the past few years now, Ron and Carole
have come to Lake Las Vegas together for their "Summer
Staycation" without the kids.  But on this particular
weekend, they took the kids along since it was the Father's
Day weekend. They checked in and got the keys to their
lake view room at the Luna di Lusso which was one of
the two condominium resorts at the Montelago Village.
As soon as they got to their room, Ron, Kiana, and Nevaeh
headed straight for the pool while Carole and Nico stayed
behind in the room to catch up on their sleep and took
a long nap. While at the pool while the girls were in
the pool, Ron just stayed in the jacuzzi to relax his
worn out body from the week that just past.
After a few hour at the pool and hours of nap time,
everyone was hungry for dinner and got ready to head
to the main village. Once they got there, some live
Latin jazz was playing as the Saturday Night Jazz on
the Lake concert was going on. They also bumped into
the Regino and Estanilla families who were also hanging
out at the Village. The family decided to have dinner
at Sonrisa Grill for some Mexican food and got to sit
outside in the patio area of the restaurant to enjoy
the beautiful weather and listen to the live jazz from
the concert. After dinner they walked back to their
room at the Luna di Lusso for a good night's sleep.
The following day they checked out at the Montelago
Village Resort after having breakfast to attend Sunday
church services. To continue the Father's Day celebrating,
the family met up with friends Ron and Mayette and their
kids and spent the afternoon at the Galaxy Luxury +
Theaters. Since it was the weekend for the release of
the new Superman movie "Man of Steel", they all had
bought their tickets a few days in advance to insure
they got seats to watch the movie on Father's Day. The
Galaxy Theaters were equipped with all digital sound
and projection, enormous 4K 3D DFX screens, and plush,
reclining seats that allowed you to recline flat if
you choose to do so. What better way is there than to
watch a movie with all this state of the art luxury,
especially on Father's Day. Click
here to see all the photos from this relaxing Father's
Day weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out
there!
Posted on June 20, 2013 | Read
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Kiana's High School Graduation
The day finally came as the Class of 2013 from Liberty High School along with their family and friends and the faculty and staff gathered for their
Commencement Exercises at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It was a proud moment for the family because throughout her high school years, they've seen
her work hard as she was determined to accomplish her goal to not only graduate but to graduate with honors and wear a white gown on Graduation Day.
With all the hard work, she did accomplish her goals and achieved an Advanced Honors Diploma, was awarded as a High Honors Graduate and a Liberty
Classical Scholar, and is a candidate for the Millennium Scholarship. And aside from her achievements with all her studies, she also found the time to
be involved with other clubs and organizations like the Polynesian Club and the Liberty High School Dance Team.
Since the family opened the invitation to everyone to come out to Las Vegas for a "Vegas Vacation" (See blog entry "Vegas Vacation/Staycation at the Orleans" below) and also for Kiana's
graduation, a lot of her family and friends from her hometown of San Diego and also her family from Dallas, Texas came out to share in this big milestone
event of her life. So the whole out-of-town group met up with family and all her close friends here in Las Vegas and sat in Section 119 to cheer her on.
As everyone sat through all the commencement speeches, Kiana's name would periodically be yelled out every chance the group got the chance to do so.
Then after all the speeches were done, the presentation of the Class of 2013 and the presentation of diplomas began as those in white gowns lead the class
with Kiana being one of them.
Right before the graduation ceremony ended, Ron and Kiana's uncles Rob and Patrick left the ceremony early to go set up for Kiana's reception which was
to be held at the Orleans Hotel Convention Center immediately after the ceremony. The hotel catered the party and had a table of hor d'oeuvres and drinks set up
in the banquet room. Ron and Patrick rushed to make sure the video projector and screen was set up for her slideshow that was to run throughout the night
as well as the Photo Booth that they set up for her to take photos with all her guests (See blog entry "Kiana's Photo Booth Photos" below to view all the photos). Rob who brought all his DJ equipment for the party had the music ready
and playing as all her guests arrived, as most of them walked directly from the Orleans Arena. Throughout the night more guests arrived who were not at the ceremony
to congratulate her and to share in the festivities.
Check out all the photos from Kiana's Graduation Ceremony and her reception. Thank you to all who attended! It was a fun night of celebrating and socializing with
the graduate. Congratulations Kiana Lei!
Posted on June 20, 2013 | Read
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Kiana's Photo Booth Photos
To pass the time and to give everyone the opportunity to take photos with Kiana, a make-shift Photo Booth was set up at her graduation reception party.
With a customized red carpet style backdrop in the background, lights, and different props to wear, Kiana and all her guests got wild and crazy striking poses for
the camera. One by one and group by group, everyone lined up throughout the night for their turn to take a Photo Booth picture. All the photos were posted on
Facebook immediately after the party and prints were made for Kiana to hand them out as Thank You cards. If you were at the party
and didn't get to see your photo or if you were not at the party but would like to see all the crazy photos, click here for a good laugh :)
Posted on June 20, 2013 | Read
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Vegas Vacation/Staycation at the Orleans
It was 2 years ago when the family invited everyone out to Las Vegas for a vacation and to attend Kiana's Sweet 16th Birthday. Many families attended and everyone
booked rooms at the South Point Hotel and Casino where her Sweet 16th Birthday was held. (See the 2011 blog page and scroll down to South Point Hotel Staycation
Vacation.) Since Kiana was graduating this year from High School and her ceremony was to be held at the Orleans Arena, the family once again invited everyone to
come out not only for her graduation but to also join them for a Vegas Vacation/Staycation at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. Ron was able to negotiate room rates
for $29 per night since the family was also holding Kiana's graduation reception party in one of the banquet halls at that same hotel. Rooms were booked months
in advance and the day finally came for everyone to come out for some rest and relaxation and to hit the pool.
The first to check-in were Papa Rollie, Mama Pearlie, Richelle, Patrick, Ron, Carole and the kids. After relaxing a bit in their rooms, they toured around the hotel
checking out all the ammenities the hotel had to offer. Since the Orleans was to be their home for the next few days, they checked out the pool, exercise room, shops,
bowling alley, movie theater, and all the different restaurants that were available to them. Then they decided to have dinner at the French Market Buffet and feasted
there until it closed for the day and then  they retired to their rooms for the night. The next day Uncle Edgar and Auntie Precy from Dallas, Texas arrived and checked
in that morning. A few hour later Rob, Cynthia, Tyler, Justin and Jake arrived that afternoon from their drive from San Diego. The whole afternoon was spent poolside
swimming and relaxing until the pool closed for the night. Afterwards everyone changed and showered and all met at the Food Court for dinner eating Fuddrucker burgers,
Sabaro Pizza, and Subway sandwiches. Elmer, Marites, Chelsea, and Brianna who were staying at their timeshare came over and joined the gang for dinner after their
sightseeing on the Las Vegas Strip.
The next day everyone woke up and discovered that "Kiana Poblete's Graduation Party" was displayed on all the hotel room televisions on the Orleans special channel
for hotel guests. But the bigger surprise was that the the Torres Family who had cancelled their trip and reservations due to Josh's outbreak of the Chicken Pox had
arrived that early morning. It was a very special surprise for Kiana who was originally sadden by the news that her Uncle Junior, Auntie Daisy, and the boys could not
come anymore. So it was pool time again until it was time to eat and  get ready for the big event of the day. Staying at the Orleans was so convenient since the Arena
where they graduation was held was just adjacent to the hotel and the reception party afterwards was also inside the hotel. After the ceremony and reception, everyone
left the banquet hall and gathered in Room 328 (Ron, Carole, and the kids room) to watch Kiana open her graduation gifts. But the party still continued as everyone
headed down to the Courtyard Cafe for Midnight Steak and Eggs while Daisy took all the kids to the bowling alley. Their last game finally ended around 3AM.
The following day with everyone requesting for a late check out, most checked out of their rooms as some were scheduled to travel back home that day. But before
traveling, everyone had lunch together at Raising Canes Chicken Fingers and gathered at Casa de Poblete afterwards for some rest before heading out to the airport
and on the freeways. Elmer, Marites, and the girls as well as Junior, Daisy, and the boys were still in town for another day. Together with Ron and the girls, they
all went to Circus Circus Hotel and Casino to hang out that night at the Midway to win stuff animals from all the games and to also ride some rides at the
Adventure Dome. The Vegas Vacation/Staycation finally came to a close and the last ones to leave were Papa Rollie and Mama Pearlie.
Click
here to see all the photos from this
past week of festivities. It was yet another successful party and vacation and we thank all our family and friends for joining in on all the fun and for creating
more happy memories to remember.
Posted on June 19, 2013 | Read
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Nico and Kiana's Birthdays and Michael Jackson One
With their birthdays just weeks apart, Nico who this
past month turned 21 didn't want a big party to celebrate
and Kiana who turned 18 didn't want one either since
her high school graduation party was coming up. So instead
they opted for just a small celebration dinner with
just the family. So for Nico's birthday the family headed
to Lucille's Smokehouse Barbeque 
Restaurant. Cousins Jay and Honeylette joined in on
the feast as they ordered the Chicken & Rib Family-Size
Platter and feasted all night long. For Kiana's Birthday
the family was hungry for seafood so they headed to
the Bay Side Buffet at the Mandalay Bay. They were seated
by the window which offered sweeping views of their
tropical water garden and was right by the Beach at
Mandalay Bay. But it was the buffet itself that brought
them there as the menu not only had the shrimp, crab
legs, and the rest of the seafood they were craving
but different foods from all different parts of the
world.
After Kiana's birthday dinner at the Mandalay Bay, the
family continued to celebrate Nico and Kiana's birthdays
by watching the new show that just opened by Cirque
du Soliel called "Michael Jackson One". Since Nico and
Kiana didn't want a big celebration, Ron and Carole
asked if they wanted to see the show instead. Since
the two grew up watching and listening to the King of
Pop, they gladly accepted and Ron bought tickets for
the family to watch the show. After watching the first
production of Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: The
Immortal World Tour" last year, the family was excited
to see this all new Michael Jackson-based musical production
that has made it's new home at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
As they entered the Michael Jackson One Theater (formerly
the Lion King Theater), life-size images and actual
wardrobe and attire that the King of Pop wore was displayed
throughout. Once inside the state-of-the-art theater,
Mj's single 
"Leave Me Alone" which was a song about Jackson's feuds
with the "paparazzis and tabloids was playing as these
paparazzi-type characters in trench coats and cameras
ran around the theater taking photos of the audience.
Then once the theater was filled the show began taking
the audience on a unique theatrical adventure through
the spirit and music of Michael. The show starts with
four misfits who are guided and inspired by MJ's music,
set out on a transformative adventure. By journey's
end, they will personify Michael's agility, courage,
playfulness and love.
Being Michael Jackson Fans, for this family "Michael
Jackson One" was one of the best Cirque du Soleil musical
shows they have produced. But any MJ Fan would probably
agree. The show was very entertaining throughout and
the music produced was unique as they mixed several
of Michael Jackson songs in a way it's never been heard
before. And the dancing and acrobatics that Cirque du
Soleil is well-known for will not disappoint you. Nico
and Kiana were very pleased about the show and were
glad they got to watch it for their birthdays. Check
out all the photos from their birthday dinners and
also photos from Cirque du Soliel's "Michael Jackson
One".
Posted on June 14, 2013 | Read
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Update on Kiana's High School Graduation Event
Kiana's High School Graduation is finally here! For
those who have made plans to come to witness and celebrate
with her as she graduates on Tuesday, June 11, 2013
at the Orleans Arena, please visit Kiana's
Graduation Webpage for the latest updated information about the event.
And for those who plan to come early and join us for
our Vegas Vacation/Staycation at the Orleans Hotel and
Casino before her actual graduation, click here to Kiana's
Graduation Webpage for schedule of events and other
information regarding your stay at the Orleans. Any
additional questions feel free to contact Ron at ron@poblete.com
or call/text his cellphone.
For more information regarding the Orleans Hotel, visit
their website at http://www.orleanscasino.com.
Posted on June 1, 2013 | Read
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Bell Biv Devoe at The Beach
R&B musical group Bell Biv DeVoe came to Las Vegas for
the Memorial Day Weekend and perfomed live in concert
at The Beach at Mandalay Bay. The three members Ricky
Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe who are also
members of the R&B group New Edition branched off from
the group in 1989 to form Bell Biv Devoe. Ron was able
to get tickets for the concert and took Nico, Jay and
Honeylette and also invited friends Ron and Mayette
and also Jeff and Jade who were in town for the weekend.
The concert was to be held outdoors on this Sunday night
before Memorial Day at The Beach which was the pool
area at the Mandalay Bay. It's called The Beach because
the pool was actually a large wave pool and the whole
area is actually covered in sand. So the gang all met
up at The Beach to enjoy a nice summer evening outdoors
and to go back in time as they watched "BBD" perform
their 90's hits.
Before BBD took the stage, R&B singer Jon B opened the
concert singing his hits such as "Someone to Love",
"Pretty Girl", "Are U Still Down", and "Don't Talk".
Then after his set and a quick stage set up, DJ Shakim
(who also toured with New Edition last year) got the
crowd hyped up spinning some old school songs before
introducing Bell Biv Devoe to the stage. Then the backup
band started to play and Ricky, Michael, and Ronnie
came up on stage to perform their hits such as "Do Me!",
"B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?", "she's Dope", "Word
to the Mutha!", and some if their others hit songs.
But the one song really got everyone on their feet was
the last song of the night "Poison". Click
here to see the rest of the photos from this concert
at The Beach and remember, "Never trust a big butt and
smile...That girl is POISOOOOOOOOOOOOOON."
Posted on May 31, 2013 | Read
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Spending time with the Moms on Mother's Day
Since the family was all together for Jerry and Genneth's wedding in San Diego (See blog entry below), they were able to spend some time to celebrate Mother's Day together that weekend. So on Saturday after the wedding, to beat the crowds at the restaurants on Sunday and because of the limited time Ron, Carole, and kids had since they had to travel back to Las Vegas that day, the familiy decided to have their Mother's Day Dinner that night. They decided to go to "Pho Hiep Grill" which was a Vietnamese restaurant close to the house. The restaurant was pretty busy, but since Papa Rollie, Mama Pearlie, Richelle, and Patrick were regular customers there, the owners made arrangements to accomodate the family. If you haven't had the Vietnamese food at Pho Hiep Grill, it is excellent. The family ordered a wide variety of food such as pho (beef noodle soup), egg rolls and spring rolls, vermicelli noodles, and Vietnamese style grilled pork chops, chicken, and shrimp. It was a great dinner and a great time celebrating the Moms of the family.
The next day after church services, Ron, Carole, and the kids visited Lisa and Mama Nene and the rest of the family for Mother's Day. They had lunch there eating not only chinese food but most especially the kids favorite "Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings". They spent some time chatting and laughing and wanted to stay longer to see the rest of the family who were coming over. But they could not stay long as they had to leave for  their 5 hour drive back to Las Vegas and be back home on time for Carole to go to work that night. But before heading back, Ron, Carole, and the kids made a slight detour to Carlsbad and went to The Flower Fields to get some Strawberry Shortcakes. It was an annual trip there and on this day they had to stop by because it was the last day to get it since they stop serving them on Mother's Day. Richelle and Patrick followed when they found out they were going and met them there to enjoy the scrumptious desserts.
Check
out the rest of the photos from this past Mother's Day Weekend and Happy Mother's Day to All!
Posted on May 25, 2013 | Read
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Nevaeh's First Flower Girl Appearance
This past month Nevaeh was asked to be a Flower Girl of the family's close friends Jerry and Genneth's wedding. Unlike her sister Kiana who has been a Flower Girl in a total of 17 weddings, this was Nevaeh's first Flower Girl appearance ever. So Ron, Carole, Nico, Kiana, and the Flower Girl herself drove down to San Diego where the wedding was to be held and arrived just in time to attend the rehearsal dinner and rehearsal at the chapel. At the rehearsal she was joined by the other two Flower Girls Bella and Sofia who had now become her two new best friends. After the rehearsal Nevaeh went home right away to get some sleep since the Bride asked that she be at the hotel by 9AM. When she awoke the next morning, Richelle and Kiana took care of doing her hair and make up. It was good practice for Kiana who is seriously considering a career in Cosmetology. As soon as she was ready, Ron drove her to the hotel to join the Bride and her Bridesmaids and Flower Girls.
The wedding ceremony was held at the Iglesia Ni Cristo South San Diego House of Worship. The family arrived there just in time before the Bride's limo arrived. Once it arrived, Nevaeh and the rest of the Flower Girls and Bridesmaids stepped out in their elegant dresses. They were all so beautiful, especially the Bride as they all walked into the chapel for the start of the wedding march down the aisle. As the entourage marched, Nevaeh made it down fine and was well behaved during the whole ceremony. However after the ceremony she was back to her normal self running around with her new Flower Girl friends, especially at the reception.
Click here to see some of the photos of our Flower Girl's first appearance at a wedding. Thank you Jerry and Genneth for having Nevaeh in your wedding and congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy life together.
Posted on May 25, 2013 | Read
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Ron's Birthday at the M Resort
Instead of planning an out of town trip to celebrate
Ron's birthday, the family decided to stay in town for
some rest and relaxation by the pool. But instead of
staying on the Las Vegas Strip or out at Lake Las Vegas,
they made reservations to stay at the M Resort Spa &
Casino which was practically in their backyard. So after
the kids got off school, they loaded up the car with
their luggages and drove a whole 4 minutes to the M
Resort to check-in overnight. After receiving their
key cards from the Front Desk, they proceeded up the
elevator to the 11th floor to Room 11-147. The room
had a modern contemporary decor with all the high tech
features such as a Bose Sound System, iPod Docking station,
and a 42" HD LCD flat screen television. The bathroom
even had a hidden mirror TV that would appear in the
mirror when turned on. And with a push of a button,
the drapery and window shade opened and provided a beautiful
view of the Las Vegas Valley with the Las Vegas Strip
in the distance and the resort's pool below.
After dropping off their luggages and settling into
the room, they all headed down to the pool for fun in
the sun. The whole afternoon was spent swimming in the
pool and lounging around under the sun. As the sun started
to go down and before the pool was about to close for
the day, everyone headed up to the room to get ready
for dinner. Since it was Friday Night, it was also "Seafood
Night" at the Studio B Buffet. It had been awhile since
the family had last dined at the M Resort buffet and
since it was Seafood Night, dinner was a special treat
as it was also Ron's birthday dinner. 
The rest of the evening was spent bonding with one another
telling stories and jokes while feasting on shrimp,
crab legs, oysters, and the rest of the delicious food
the Studio B Buffet had to offer. After the dinner the
family retired up to the room for a good night's rest,
only to wake up in the morning and spend the rest of
the day down by the pool again. Check
out the rest of the photos of the family celebrating
Ron's Birthday at the M Resort Spa & Casino. Spending
time with the family and rest and relaxation was the
best way to celebrate, especially now at Ron's old age.
Posted on May 9, 2013 | Read
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We've got Football Star in the Family
It was the last weekend of Papa Rollie's first cousin
Flore and husband Co's vacation in San Diego and before
leaving they waited for their grandson Jordan to arrive
so they could all take their trip back home to Canada
together on the cruise ship. Jordan was flying in from
Kansas City after being there for the past few months
attending a football workout training session with other
football players from the NFL, CFL, and college teams.
Apparently we have an up and coming football star in
the family as Jordan (Linnen) who has played as a Defensive
Back and Kick/Punt Returner positions forthe last four
years for the Langley Rams in the BCFC (British Columbia
Football Conference). He also attended the BC Lions
training camp and played in the Lions pre-season game
for the CFL (Canadian Football League). When he returns
to Canada, he'll be attending the BC Lions training
camp again for this upcoming season. Check out this
YouTube
video of Jordan's latest accomplishments with the
Canadian Football League.
Since it was the last day the family could spend time
together and since Jordan as well as Ron, Carole and
Nevaeh were in town, Auntie Flore and Uncle Co wanted
to treat the whole family out for lunch. It was suggested
by Jordan that since we were in San Diego and so close
to the Mexican border that we should go out for Mexican
food. Mexican food across the other US Border of Canada
was not quite the same as down in the south. So the
family went out to Miguel's Cocina Mexican Restaurant
at the Eastlake Village Marketplace in Chula Vista for
thier award-winning Mexican food and for their famous
jalapeno white sauce that they are well-known for. There
was alot of story telling and laughter that went on
as the family bonded over their feast of authentic Mexican
food such as shrimp and carne asada burritos and fish
tacos.
After lunch the family decided to do a little sightseeing
around town. Even though it was a gloomy overcast day,
it was great for Jordan to see the sights of San Diego
as he had not been back in town since his junior high
school years when his Father was stationed in San Diego
while in the Navy. So they drove across the Coronado
Bay Bridge to Coronado stopping at the Coronado Ferry
Landing and Coronado Beach by the Hotel Del. Then they
drove through downtown to check out the new Central
Library that is currently under construction and Petco
Park, home of the San Diego Padres, as well as down
by the Embarcadero along San Diego Bay.
As they drove around, Jordan shared that he had lived
in Paradise Hills at the Bayview Navy Housing and attended
Bell Junior High which was the same junior high school
Ron and Richelle attended and graduated from. So before
heading back home, they went back in time and visited
their old neighborhoods in Paradise Hills and stopped
by their old alma mater Alexander Graham Bell Junior
High School. Visiting their old neighborhoods brought
back so many childhood memories for the Jordan, Ron,
and Richelle. Later that evening Papa Rollie and Mama
Pearlie prepared a barbeque dinner at the house with
the family and a few friends and the next day Ron, Richelle,
and Patrick took Auntie Flore, Uncle Co, and Jordan
to the Cruise Ship Terminal for their 4-day cruise from
San Diego to Victoria and back home to Vancouver, British
Columbia. Click
here to see all the photos from this past weekend
of family bonding. Good luck Jordan with this season's
training camp with the BC Lions and hopefully you'll
get your big break and come play for the NFL, better
yet for the San Diego Chargers!
Posted on April 17, 2013 | Read
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Kiana's Big High School Graduation Event
Another Poblete child will have accomplished 12 years
of grade school and will be graudating from high school
this June. (Some interesting facts about graduating
from high school...More than half of the students who
enter high school will graduate, but not all graduates
are teenagers. Those with a high school diploma statistically
earn more money, have less health problems, commit fewer
crimes and are less likely to be unemployed.)
So as
Kiana succeeds and overcomes this great achievement
in her life, the family invites you to come witness
and share in the celebration as she receives her diploma.
Come join us for the graduation event and for
a Las Vegas Vacation/Staycation as we plan to stay at the Orleans Hotel and Casino that week. If you're in need of
a getaway in the hot and sunny weather of Las Vegas,
come join the fun! Click here to Kiana's
Graduation Webpage for more information and to RSVP.
Posted on April 4, 2013
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Richelle and Patrick's Birthday Weekend
Richelle and Patrick's birthdays are just a few days apart so this year they decided to combine their birthdays and celebrate with family and friends.
Since Ron, Carole, and the kids were in town to bring Uncle Co and Aunt Flore back from their Vegas Vacation (See blog entry below.) and
their close friends Liezl, Lesley and Riley came down from Long Beach and LA for the weekend, a small birthday celebration took place over lunch at Papa Rollie
and Mama Pearlie's house. Other close friends Mitzu and wife Gaby, Lulu, and the Navarro Family also came over for the lunchtime celebration which consisted
of Mama Pearlie's Pancit Luglug and other Filipino dishes like Fried Okoy, Pork Afritada, and Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki. The afternoon was spent eating,
catching up with each other, and relaxing watching movies.
The next day Richelle and Patrick continued their birthday celebration with family and friends for an afternoon picnic at the family's favorite picnic spot
Shelter Island. Once they arrived they had set up the canopy over one of the picnic tables close to the fishing pier. Everyone brought out their portable chairs
and set them up in the grassy area right by the water which offered great views of San Diego Bay and the city skyline. It was a family-style potluck event as
everyone brought or bought something to share with everyone. The eating went on throughout the afternoon as everyone sat around telling stories and jokes while the
younger kids ran around or skateboarded and scootered down the sidewalk while the bigger kids played a  game of touch football in the grass. Later on
towards the late afternoon hours, a birthday cake was brought out for Richelle and Patrick for them to blow out the candles. As the sun was setting, Rob
brought out some fishing poles and guys along with some of the kids headed out to the pier to do a little fishing. The rest remained out at the picnic area enjoying
the open air and cool evening while Uncle Co, Aunt Flore and Aunt Ruth stayed out of the cool air and played cards inside the Eurovan.
Check out all the celebration photos from Richelle and Patrick's Birthday Weekend. It's always great when family and friends come together for some bonding and good times, especially when celebrating
a special event. Happy Birthday Richelle and Patrick!
Posted on April 2, 2013 | Read
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Uncle Co and Aunt Flore's Vegas Vacation
For the past few months Uncle Co and Aunt Flore (Papa Rollie's first cousin) from Canada have been spending much of their recent retirement years traveling from place to place by cruise ship and plane. Part of their itinerary included a stop in San Diego to visit the family for two months. While in San Diego they got the chance to enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather and also had the chance to help Papa Rollie and Mama Pearlie with some DIY (Do It Yourself) projects around the house. (Uncle Co retired from many years in the construction industry.) Some of the projects they did were repainting of the backyard gazebo, patio, and driveway, building new cabinet shelves in the pantry, changing out the vertical blinds, and resurfacing the kitchen cabinets. Since Ron and Carole have always wanted to do a kitchen makeover at their home, Uncle Co and Aunt Flore offered to help them as well and made plans to go to Las Vegas. (See "Casa de Poblete Kitchen Makeover" blog entry below.)
So on a weekend trip down to Southern California, Ron stopped by San Diego to pick them up for a two weeks stay in Las Vegas. Although they primarily came up to help with the kitchen transformation, majority of their time was also spent bonding with the kids, dining out, movie nights in the Poblete Home Theater, and sightseeing around town. Since it was Aunt Flore's first time visiting Las Vegas, they took the opportunity to drive down the Las Vegas Strip to show her all the luxury themed hotels that she had only seen in magazines or on television until now. They got to see the dancing water show at the Bellagio and stopped at the Venetian Hotel to walk along the canels as they watched the gondolas go by. On the weekend of their stay, they also got to visit two states in one day as they visited Hoover Dam and drove across the dam from the Nevada to the Arizona side taking in the views of Hoover Dam which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, Lake Mead, and the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge which is the 2nd highest bridge in the U.S. (14th highest in the world).
Because of the kitchen remodeling going on, there were many nights of dining out since they were not able to cook at home. And what's a Vegas Vacation without going to at least one Las Vegas Buffet or going out late for some Midnight Steak and Eggs. Coming from Canada, they like everyone else who visits Las Vegas were amazed by the bountiful foods at the buffets and the cheap late night eats at the hotel cafes. And a Vegas Vacation isn't complete without seeing at least one Las Vegas show. So one night, Ron, Carole, and Nevaeh brought them out to see Cirque du Soleil's "Mystere" at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. It was the first time for them all to see the show which was amazing and very entertaining.
Click here to see all the photos of the good times and family bonding they had during their Vegas Vacation. Hopefully one day soon the family will get together again and visit Canada to spend more family time together.
Posted on March 27, 2013 | Read
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Kitchen Makeover at Casa de Poblete
For awhile now Ron and Carole had been discussing whether to remodeling the kitchen at Casa de Poblete. New countertops? New cabinets? Stain or paint the old cabinets? Backsplash? The other question too was do they hire someone to do the work or do they do it themselves which was hard to do because of their busy schedules. So it wasn't until Uncle Co and Aunt Flore from Canada came to visit Papa Rollie and Mama Pearlie and helped them with their house projects in San Diego, that the kitchen remodeling at Casa de Poblete got started. Uncle Co who retired from many years in the construction industry and Aunt Flore who was pretty handy with painting and enjoyed doing other household projects had offered to help out and came up to Las Vegas to get it started.
The decor at Casa de Poblete was more of a modern contemporary style with dark espresso brown funiture and earthtones throughout the house. The only room that did not seem to blend in well with the rest of the decor was the kitchen which still had its light natural wood finished cabinets that were originally installed when the house was built. Not wanting to spend too much money for a whole kitchen makeover, it was decided that changing out the color of the cabinets would be the first thing to tackle and would make the biggest impact of the whole kitchen transformation. To blend in with the rest of the decor, it was decided to change the color of the cabinets to the same dark espresso brown color to match the rest of the funiture of the house. Instead of staining they decided to paint the cabinets and purchased quarts of Rust-Oleum Satin Espresso latex paint at Home Depot along with paint brushes, trays, etc. Then Uncle Co and Aunt Flore got started with the makeover by prepping the cabinets by taking down the cabinet doors, sanding the cabinet casings and doors, and taping up the edges of walls and floors. The prep work took more time than the actual painting itself. It was alot of work but to reward themselves, they would take their lunch breaks outside in the backyard patio and enjoy the nice Springtime weather Las Vegas was having.
Once the casings and doors were painted, another trip to Home Depot was made to purchase some silver 5" flat end bar pull handles to accent the cabinets (and most especially to also keep any dirty or greasy hands off the cabinet doors). After the handles were installed, the cabinet doors were put back in place and the old original natural wood finished kitchen was now transformed into a new modern contempory looking style that matched the rest of the house. Since the cabinets were done so quickly and there was still more time and paint left, Uncle Co and Aunt Flore decided to also resurface the kitchen table and chairs since it showed a few dings and dents from years of use and also painted the television cabinet which was originally painted white but now shares the same espresso color as the kitchen cabinets. Aunt Flore also repainted the white railings of the staircase too to also match the rest of the decor.
Check out the rest of the photos from this kitchen makeover at Casa de Poblete. A very special "Thank You" to Uncle Co and Aunt Flore for their help in making it possible. Thoughts of the both or you will always be with us everytime we walk into the kitchen.
Posted on March 22, 2013 | Read
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Carole's Birthday in New York
For Carole's birthday she wanted to spend it in New
York. So Ron told her to pack her bags and they headed
out on their drive to New York. The truth of the matter
is, they actually headed out and drove to the New York
- New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip for
a one night's stay and to watch Cirque du Soleil's "ZUMANITY"
for her birthday. Although she couldn't as Frank Sinatra
would say "Be a part of it...", the Las Vegas "New York"
themed hotel was the next best thing to being in "New
York - New York". After checking into their Park Avenue
room in the Empire Tower, they headed out to do some
sightseeing around the hotel. It actually felt like
they were walking down the streets of New York as the
famous high rise buildings and skyscrapers lit up the
Las Vegas Strip from the outside and Times Square atmosphere
walking through the crowds of tourists
and hotel guests inside the hotel.  Before having dinner
and seeing the ZUMANITY show, they decided to ride the
Manhattan Express Roller Coaster where the ride's station
is themed like a New York subway station and the trains
are themed as New York taxicabs. The ride begins with
a 180-foot lift and a 76-foot drop, followed by a hill
and a 144-foot drop. The train then traverses two inversions,
a standard vertical loop and a dive loop (twist and
dive), where the train performs a 180 degree spiral
and then performs a half-loop maneuver. (Click
here to see a short videoclip of their roller coaster
ride.)
After surviving the roller coaster ride, they worked
up an appetite for dinner and decided to dine at "Il
Fornaio" which was an authentic Italian restaurant and
bakery. They got to sit outside of the main dining room
as if they were dining outside on the streets of New
York which allowed them to do some people watching at
the same time. The birthday girl ordered the "Linguine
Mare Chiaro" which was thin flat pasta with clams, mussels,
prawns and scallops; seasoned with tomatoes, crushed
red pepper, garlic and trebbiano wine. Ron ordered the
"Cannelloni al Forno" which was large fresh pasta tubes
filled with free-range rotisserie chicken, sundried
tomatoes, ricotta, pecorino, smoked mozzarella and organic
spinach; béchamel, marinara and mushrooms. After dinner
they went back to their Park Avenue room to freshen
up and got ready to watch ZUMANITY which is the resident
cabaret-style show by Cirque du Soleil at the New York-New
York Hotel & Casino. Zumanity is the first "adult-themed"
Cirque du Soleil show, billed as "The sensual side of
Cirque du Soleil". It was definitely not your average
Cirque show as it dealt with alot of sensuality and
sexuality, however it had the usual Cirque acrobatics
that they are known for and there was alot of humor
and comedy throughout the show. After the show they
hung around the hotel for some late night pizza and
some Starbucks Coffee before heading back to their room.
The next day was spent sleeping in and relaxing. They
grabbed some donuts for breakfast at the "America Restaurant"
and did more sightseeing around the hotel checking out
the Statue of Liberty and walked along the make-shift
Brooklyn Bridge. Click here and check
out all the photos from Carole's birthday in New
York. Hopefully some day soon they will visit the real
state of New York in the near future.
Posted on February 22, 2013
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Latest "Ron vs. Food" Adventures
Ron's food blog site has been recently updated with
his latest "Ron vs. Food" adventures. Read all about
them has he ventured out to try the "World's Best Lobster
Rolls" at Lobster ME, got down and dirty on the freshes
and flavorful seafood at the new California Crab Restaurant,
searched for the best fish tacos in San Diego, and checked
out the newest pizzaria on the Las Vegas Strip called Project Pie.
If you're hungry to try out some new places to dine
or need suggestions on where to go eat, visit the "Ron
vs. Food" blog site at http://www.poblete.com/ronvsfood.
"Bon Appetit!"
Posted on January 31, 2013
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Vegas Classic Dance Competition
Performing in front of an audience was nothing new to
Kiana as she had joined different haluas (Hawaiian Dance
Troops) growing up performing Hawaiian cultural dances
for shows and events. However she wanted to expand her
horizons in the art of dance and for her senior year
she auditioned and got on the Liberty High School Dance
Team. The team represents the school at competitions
and performs contemporary dance at assemblies, pep rallies,
and sporting events. Some may interpret this style of
dance like dancing in the clubs but in this case it
is more of an art form that is actually a highly competitive
sport. Their routines involve synchronized technical
skills such as jumps, turns, and leaps and encompasses
various styles of dance including hip hop, jazz, lyrical,
and kickline styles. For most of the year the Dance
Team regularly performs for the high school sporting
events but the rest of the year they perform in competitions
against other high school teams. This month Kiana got
to compete in her very first dance competition with
the rest of the Liberty High School Dance Team at the
Vegas Classic Competition at Desert Oasis High School
which was put on by the United Spirit Association. It
was the first time she got to compete in front of all
the other school teams, spectators, and judges for the
dance competition.
As the Liberty High Dance Team took to the floor, the first dance routine they performed was in the Medium Hip Hop category where they danced to a
medley of old school hip hop hits. The second dance routine they performed was in the Medium Dance category. At the end of the competition their team
took 4th Place in the Hip Hop category and 5th place in the Medium Dance category. Although her team did not place in the top three, it was a very
special night for her as she had the opportunity to perform in competition for the first time in front of a large audience but was extra special because she
got to perform in front of her own support team of family and friends, and most especially her grandparents who were in town visiting from San Diego.
Click here to see all the photos from the Vegas Classic Dance Competition. Good luck to this 2012-2013 Dance Team as this was the first of many more
competitions scheduled for this school year. Go Liberty High School!
Posted on January 18, 2013
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Touristing on the Vegas Strip
If staying at a first class resort out at Lake Las Vegas
wasn't enough (See blog entry "Bringing in the New Year at Lake Las Vegas" below), Mama Pearlie and
Papa Rollie still wanted to stay at one of the luxurious
hotels and mingle with the tourist on the Las Vegas
Strip. So after checking out at the Montelago Village
Resort, they made reservations for a two nights stay
at the glamorous Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.
Prior to checking in they took the rest of the family
for a buffet lunch at the Seasons Buffet at the Silverton
Hotel and Casino just south of the Vegas Strip. After
lunch they walked around the hotel and stopped by the
large 117,000-gallon saltwater reef aquarium to admire
all the tropical fish, stingrays, and sharks. Afterwards
checked into Suite 892, they found that the decor and
 they
headed to Planet Hollywood to check in. As they theme
of the room was from the 1998 motion picture movie "Lost
in Space" starring Gary Oldman, William Hurt and Matt
LeBlanc. The room had framed posters and photos from
the movie and actual props showcased from the film.
After an hour or so of resting in this "Lost in Space"
suite, the family heading over to the Las Vegas Hotel
(formerly the Las Vegas Hilton) to watch "The King"
starring Trent Carlini. It was a tribute show with an
Elvis Presley impersonator singing all of Elvis's greatest
hits.
The next day Richelle accompanied Mama Pearlie and Papa
Rollie on an all day sightseeing excursion as they went
hotel hopping. said they wanted to get their exercise
by walking the Strip so they They started off walking
around the Miracle Mile Shops at the Planet Hollywood
and did some window shopping. Then they walked across
the street to the Bellagio to catch the water fountain
show. While at Bellagio, Mama Pearlie had to visit the
Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens which she
does on every Vegas trip. The theme of the gardens was
still their Winter Holiday theme. After walking around
the Bellagio, they crossed over to Ceasars Palace to
do more window shopping at the Forum Shops and also
got a bite to eat for lunch. Afterwards they headed
across the street to the Flamingo and Paris hotels and
back to Planet Hollywood. Check
out all the sightseeing photos of their sightseeing
excursion. Touristing can be very tiring. They definitely
got their share of exercise on that day and the rest
of their stay was spent relaxing in their hotel suite.
Posted on January 14, 2013
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Bringing in the New Year at Lake Las Vegas
This year the family gathered in Las Vegas again to bring in the new year. And instead of celebrating at Casa de Poblete, they
decided to make reservations to stay at the Montelago Village Resort at Lake Las Vegas. Two years ago the family held a party there
when they brought in 2010 with family and friends. Instead of staying in the same large 3 bedroom suite again like they did two
years ago, they were able to rent out the larger 2-story 3 bedroom casita for a couple days for some rest and relaxation and to celebrate
New Years Eve with family and friends. On their first day at the resort the family took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the ammenities
at the Montelago Village Resort. This Mediterranean-styled resort is just 20 miles from the Las Vegas Strip and includes first class
hotels and spas, a full service marina with watercraft rentals and yacht cruises, and plenty of shopping and dining centered around the
320-acre private lake. During the winter months, ice skating is available on the floating ice rink right on the lake.
The following day on New Years Eve and the family started the day preparing and cooking for their New Years feast for later that night.
Throughout the day a ham was baked and a turkey was roasting in the oven. Other dishes and desserts were also prepared for the family
and their guests which included the Carlos, Dela Rosa, Ramos, and Catapat families. By dinner time everyone was present and was all hungry
to eat. After a short prayer of thanks everyone lined up for the buffet of food which included turkey, ham, spaghetti, palabok, salad,
dinner rolls, soups, sandwiches, chili, chips, dip, etc...  After dinner coffee and tea was served for the buffet of desserts and everyone sat
around the dinner table for a game of Guesstures. It was a battle between the males and the females with Rene and Lulu heading up the teams.
Non-stop laughter went on throughout the game as everyone got the chance to act out a word as their team members tried to guess the answers
before the time ran out. The funny highlights of the game was when Niza tried acting out the word "archery" when in fact the word was actually
"arteries". Carole's also tried to act out the word "gangster" and thought the word was "gangnam" and proceeded to dance "Gangnam Style".
After the game of Guessture was finished, the champions for the night ended up being the male team. With midnight fast approaching, everyone
got ready to bring in the new year and put on their coats, jackets, scarfs, and hats and proceeded upstairs to the outside patio on the
second story of the casita. As they do every New Years, the Montelago Village Resort was to put on a huge fireworks show right at midnight.
Despite the cold temperatures, everyone enjoyed the fireworks and hugs and kisses were exchanged and they all celebrated in the cold winter
air. The rest of the celebration continued with more eating, laughing, and photo taking.
Click here to see all the photos of this New Years Celebration at Lake Las Vegas and from our family to yours we wish you a very
Happy New Year!
Posted on January 14, 2013
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