Growing up in the U.S, Alfred could always count on "Balagtas" being a unique name; the few who shared it were his relatives. However, thanks to the internet, he now knows that there are a lot of Balagtas' who are not his relatives; there is even a town called Balagtas in the Philippines. (Yes, he is aware that there is a famous Filipino poet named Balagtas) There is also an actress named Balagtas.

So just to make things clear for all the Googlers out there, this isn't the civic website for the town, an informational site for the poet nor the fan site for the actress. This bit of real estate on the internet is claimed by the Balagtas Family of San Diego, CA.

For now, it won't be too fancy. They will post just a few pics and descriptions from their latest adventures.

Welcome to the Balagtas Family website - Alfred, Myralyn, Madison and Camille!

At Alfred's company, a coworker started a coed softball team and Alfred joined. After the team was formed, the new team needed to come up with a name. Many were suggested, but only one stuck "Where My PITCHES At?"; it fit the team.

Several players are really good, but most of them haven't played softball/baseball since high school (or ever). That was ok because the main purpose was to get to know people in other parts of the company better and have a lot of fun.

click here for WMPA crew pics.

These pics were taken by a co-worker at our last game. Thanks, Craig....You made us look good...to bad we lost =/

For Madi's field trip to the San Diego Zoo, Alfred had to chaperone 5 3rd grade girls. Before it got out of hand, Alfred set up ground rules for the girls. First, he had them think of a group name (the girls picked "The Dogs")and a cheer. He gave them a motto - "Always.....be safe, learn, and have fun" to go with the cheer. He taught them to "Fall-in" (stand at attention), so he would have their attention when he gave out instructions. Lastly, the number one rule was the girls had to stay together.

Once at the zoo, he had each girl pick out an animal they wanted to see, so that he could map out the best route before hand. Their list consisted of the following: Koala bears, Grizzly Bears, Panda Bears, Hippopotumuses,and Meerkats. They saw 4 of the 5 animals. Near the end of the day, the Meerkats were on the far corner of the zoo and the girls did not want to walk that far. Instead, they went to the petting zoo and reptile exhibit. Overall, it was a great trip. The girls were very well behaved and had a lot o fun together.

On a funny side note, Alfred unknowingly broke a class rule and caused a major incident. The kids were told by their teacher they were not allowed to buy any food or souvenirs; they weren't even allowed to bring any money. After lunch, Alfred surprised the girls with 2 bags of cotton candy to share as a reward for being well behaved. Initially, the girls said they weren't allowed, but happily ate it anyway. While waiting for the bus to go home, one of the girls took out some of the cotton candy and the other 15 classmates immediately started complaining. The 5 girls tried to defend themselves, but quickly became outcasts for breaking the rules. Alfred stoked the fires a little more by loadly asking his 5 girls about "Nachos" and "Ice Cream" they ate (which they hadn't); this caused more complaining and loud denials form his 5 girls. Alfred had a good laugh.

click here for the Zoo pics pics.

Since Alfred's work subsidized the entry fees, the Balagtas family entered the Bay Bridge Walk to benefit the Navy's Moral, Welfare and Recreation organization. The walk/race is a 4 mile coarse starting near the San Diego Convention Center; it goes over the Coronado Bay Bridge and ends in North Island. The race was sold out with over 8,000 participants. Although some ran, the majority walked the 4 miles which gave it feastive atmosphere. It was a warm day, but a constant wind kept it bearable. The highlight of the walk were the views from the top of the bridge. Madi and Cami did really well. Considering this was the farthest the girls had walked, there was no hint of a "whine" until we were almost done.

click here for Bay Bridge walk pics.

All seven of Lyn's brothers and sisters, surprised her mom by showing up at the ranch for a mothers day party. There was a lot of eating and catching up. In additon, the kids made all the mom's special mothers day hats made from plastic bowls and flowers.

click here for Mother Day at the Ranch pics.

After 2 years of preparation, Madison had her 1st Holy Communion. There were approximately 90 other kids, so it was difficult to see her. According to all accounts, she did very well and had a lot of fun. The Lola's and Lolo's as well as all her ninangs were invited to the special mass. Afterwards, everyone went to dinner at Sunrise Buffet.

click here for Madi's 1st Holy Communion pics.

Alfred's work participated in "Bring Your Kid to Work Day". However, the requirements specified only 1 kid and they had to be 8yrs or older, so that meant only Madi could come; Cami will go next year. Madi got to see what Alfred does at work as well as what Alfred's company does. She went on several tours and hung out with the other kids.

click BYKTWD pics.

One word "BRUTAL". This is the 2nd race for the triple-crown and it had the 2 elements which quickly drains Alfred's energy: hills and heat. In addition, Alfred hadn't ran the 2 weeks prior due to back pain. As expected, this was his worst race in 10 years time-wise.

The girl's school is on a year-round schedule, so they get 3 weeks off during spring break. Since Cami's Ninang (godmother) Debbie Barbieri missed her birthday, the girls (Lyn, Madi, Cami) drove up to Bishop, CA to spend several days with her and her family. As always, the Barbieris were great host. They took the girls out ATV'ing and riding horses.

click here for the Bishop pics.

Camille celebrated her 7th birthday at the local park. Since Cami is in a Spanish Immersion class, she wanted the party to have a 'Fiesta' theme. The main dish was freshly grilled carne asada or chicken tacos; made to order. Although the rains stayed away, the winds did not and caused everyone to bundle up and huddle. Luckily, the the kids were given the perfect party gifts. Kites!

click here for the Fiesta pics.

Death Valley....sort of. In order to make sure the trips are safe, Alfred always performs maintenance and/or repairs before the trip. A week before this years trip Alfred brought the truck in to have an oil leak repaired. 2 days before they were schedule to leave, he was informed the small problem was a much bigger problem and the truck would not be ready for the trip.

When Alfred informed the girls there would not be a trip this year, they were really disappointed. They were really looking forward to the trip. After some more thought, they decided to go to Death Valley anyway. Although they couldn't explore any of the offroad trails, there were plenty of tourist locations they had never seen.

They tent camped at Stovepipe Wells and visited places like Bad water, Artist Pallet and Golden Canyon. Although it wasn't as exciting as other years, they had fun together and saw new places.

click here for Death Valley pics.

P.S. While they were out, Lyn and Lyn's brother, Louie, created a nice built-in for the entertainment center. They did a really great job. It looks nice, fits perfect, rolls out and matches the other cabinets.

After running the full marathon last year, Alfred enjoyed being able turn around and only run the half marathon. He plans on getting the triple-crown which entails running 3 half marathons: Carlsbad, La Jolla, and America's Finest City Half.