Too Young For a Knee Replacement

Author: Jose G. Barr

Too Young For Knee Replacement

I was 42 when I had a full knee replacement. The journey to replacement was one that was full of different surgeries and treatments. My doctors way back had told me that I would eventually need to have it done. That journey from my first arthroscopic procedure to the replacement was about 10 years. Read More

"Mary Poppins" at the Redlands Bowl

Author: Jose G. Barr

Mary Poppins has flown into Redlands with her magical umbrella for the 92nd Redlands Summer Music Festival and it is a magical experience.  The musical is running through this Sunday July 27, 2015 (all performances are begin at 8:15 PM). Ruby, Joseph and I had the pleasure of attending Friday night performance with our good friends (visit her blog at Mama Noticias). We had a wonderful picnic dinner and snacks before the performance an snacks throughout the evening.

The bowl was overflowing with people (over 6,000  in attendance) ready for a great show, and the cast and crew did not disappoint.  Jonathan Briggs is wonderful as the main storyteller Bert the Chimney Sweep, and sometimes artist. He takes us back to England in 1910 for a visit with the Banks family. Mary Poppins enters their life when they most need her, the whole family benefiting from her wisdom and magic. Hannah Jeanette Briggs is amazing as Mary Poppins, drawing us into the musical with her performance.

We will be coming back to the Redlands Bowl for more amazing performances throughout the summer.  If you should happen to be in the area, come out and join us for an evening of entertainment that does not disappoint.

Night Terrors - A Fathers Own Nightmare

Author: Jose G. Barr

I remember the first time my son had a night terror. It happened one evening over 2 years ago.  Joseph had been asleep for about 2 hours when it happened.  I had just turned out the lights when we heard our little boy screaming in fear.  I rushed to his bed where he was sitting up and staring into the distance, his hair plastered in sweat, his teethe chattering uncontrollably.  I spent the next 10 minutes holding him as he worked through the night terror he was having.  At the time I had no idea what he was going through. I spent much of that time trying unsuccessfully to comfort and assure him he was safe.  His cries for help were extremely lucid and very terrifying because of it.  He would cry out over and over "Daddy, Help! Daddy, please me help!"

Illumination Entertainment's "Minions"

The prequel to the "Despicable Me" movies by Illumination Entertainment gives us a glimpse into the world of the minions before they served Gru. Read More

Patience is Not Just a Virtue, It's an Absolute Necessity

Growing up I always wondered how my father could be so patient with my sister and me.  There were days that I was sure that he would get mad when we had done something wrong, yet he would just smile and sit down to talk to me about what I had done. This stood in stark contrast to what I had seen other father's do to their children. All too often they would lose control, yelling and screaming at their children. The terror visible in their children's eyes.

Infertility and Fatherhood

Author:     Jose G. Barr

When Ruby and I first got married, our dream was to have 3 children to fill our home and hearts with love.  About a year later we got the good news from her doctor, we were going to be parents!  Six weeks later, as we were driving back from a trip to Mexico she started having very bad cramps.  They were so bad that I rushed her to the emergency room at the local hospital.  A few hours later we received the devastating news, we had lost the baby to a miscarriage.  We were grief stricken, Ruby had heard our babies heartbeat just a few days before and now there was nothing but silence and an emptiness where our baby had been.

Family Portraits with A Story in Time Photography... Amazing person, Amazing Artist

Author: Jose G. Barr

About a year ago, Ruby started asking about doing our family portraits again, it had been over 3 years since our last session.  One thing that we are big on is capturing special moments in our lives, whether its with our phone camera, an SLR camera or hiring a professional photographer. It seems like just yesterday I was holding my little boy in my arms and now he is a senior green belt in Tae Kwan Do. Time flies and capturing these moments in time is important.

Adoption and Fatherhood

What is fatherhood? The dictionary defines it as the state of having one or more children.  

This definition is a very simple one, yet so very true in what it does not say.  Fatherhood is not about biology, but about a mans spirit, his heart and soul.  Being a father does not mean that you must share 50% of their DNA. Joseph and I do not have DNA in common, yet you would never know it, he and I are alike in so many ways, right down to our little quirks, that there is no doubt that he is my son.  

Universal Studios Fast & Furious - Supercharged

Today Ruby, Joseph and I spent the day at Universal Studios Hollywood to experience the new finale of the studio tour, Fast and Furious - Supercharged.  We arrived bright and early to beat the heat and the crowds (Universal is open at 8 am for Fast and Furious - Supercharged until August 16, 2015) and met up with family (Thank you Ricardo, Sandra, Vanessa and Eileen for joining us) for a day filled with fun and adventure.

Because we arrived early, we made good time through the Studio Tour line and boarded a tram in about 20 minutes.  The tour began as usual, with the tour guide offering up little gems of information about the studios history. Even after all these years I still enjoy the tour, learning more about the studio, new television programs or upcoming new movies.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Annex - A Father and Son Story

US Space Shuttle Enterprise, OV-101

I remember very clearly a trip that my Father and I took in 1977. We headed North from Los Angeles to Edwards Air Force Base. Here we would witness the Space Shuttle Enterprise land for the first time. It was an exciting time and one of the many memories that I have of my Father.  We arrived very early in the morning to find a good viewing spot. We got lucky and found a place to park the car in the front row, about as close as any spectators were going to be allowed. My Father had brought his ever present thermos of hot coffee, 2 sets of binoculars, some lunch and plenty of water.  I can still feel the excitement that was in the air, thousands of people, all there to witness history in the making.