Great Pranks...

Check this out. I just ordered this key chain remote that will control 90% of televisions. This is genius. If you are at a sports bar or at a friends house watching the superbowl, you can secretly turn off the television or change the channel. It comes in the mail this week. I cant wait to use it.

Texas through the eyes of a Californian

A friend of mine sent me this blog post and I thought it would be worth sharing with the world. It could not be anymore true.


"I went to Texas last week and for a California boy it was quite a culture shock. Ignoring the fact that if you tossed a banjo in the air, whoever caught it could play it, Texas was a pretty cool country...I mean state. I felt that, outside of the church, it was the best example I have seen of Biblical Community. Sometimes even better than I have seen from within the church. Check it... 1. People say hi to everyone else, no California shoe-gazing. 2. Everyone is referred to as "ma'am" or "sir", the last time I was called sir was when I tipped someone at Starbucks. 3. When our car broke down, we didn't finish the sentence "we are gonna need a jump", and someone had their car parked and the hood open. 4. The BBQ rocked...now that is not directly related to community, but food ALWAYS makes me more willing to share life together. Now hear me loud and clear. I am not selling my flip flops, hair product, and tri-tip to buy a gun rack and move to Texas, but we could learn a thing or two. I don't know what anyone in Texas thought of this Left Coast boy, but they truly seemed to treat me as they would want to be treated. Humm, sounds a little like loving your neighbor as yourself. Maybe the "Bible-Belt" is on to something. Until next time...

...clap, clap, clap, clap. Deep in the heart of Texas."

All I want for Christmas.

Okay, so my family in TX is bugging me to give them a list of gift ideas for Christmas so here is what I came up with. These are in no paticular order.

1. A Bible. - Some how Genesis through Numbers got torn out of mine.
2. Tony Romo Jersey
3. Membership to the gym. - Im getting fatter by the day.
4. Talledega Nights DVD.
5. A Poker table.
6. Bose Sound dock.
7. Camera
8. Membership to E-Harmony. (for a friend.)
9. Golf shoes.
10. Madden 07 for PS3.

I guess thats long enough. Now go buy!

The New Texas Stadium

The Dallas Cowboys just released the plans for the new stadium that will be built by 2009. All for the low price of 1 billion dollars. It will be the largest and most expensive stadium in NFL history. The best part, it will have a hole in the roof to keep the tradition from old Texas stadium alive. (with a retractable roof) The owner Jerry Jones says "We must keep the hole in the roof so God can continue to look down and watch His team play." Amen Jerry! Here is the design.

I HATE DIRTY SANTA.

We had our office christmas gift exchange at lunch today. The limit was $25 but I went out and bought a cool gift that was $30. One of our staff didnt play by the rules and brought a Desk top dolphin mobile worth about 5 bucks. Picture below. I ended up getting my gift stolen and stuck with the dolphins. Its okay. At least Im not bitter.

I got me a ps3.

I got the inside scoop from a best buy employee that a shipment of ps3 consols arrived. When I got to the store, I got the last one thinking I could make some sort of a profit. Turns out that they are going for that much over market value anymore. 2 options, get my money back or tear it open and waste many hours of my life playing it. Tough decision! (that is not sarcasm, it really is a tough decision.)

My way of counseling

Going into youth ministry I was aware that there would be many times where I would have to deal with serious issues. I just didn't know how many. I have come to learn that whenever something is wrong in the youth ministry, the main guy (which is me) is always the person that they go to to tell you how they feel. But here's the deal, I am horrible with confrontation. I get nervous, scared, awkward, and really don't know how to handle the solution in the midst of the moment. But I think I found a way in 2 words, Catch Phrase. Let me explain.

I'm sure you know of the game catchprase. It is a fun board game where the team has to guess the word that you are explaining. For example, if the word is tree I would yell out "tall, green, leafy" and they would guess tree. I think you get it.

Here is how I use it. I have the electronic version in my office. Whenever someone comes into my office and they are either mad or dad, I get out catch phrase.
I tell them right off the bat that this is awkward for me so we are going to take 2 minutes and play a game. We play a couple rounds. It gets them laughing and calmed down. Then I say "lets continue with why you came in here."

I have learned that when people are upset they sometimes say things that they wouldn't normally say. They are just hurt and angry and want to take it out on you. But if you get them in a "lighter" mood, they are more willing to listen and be understanding to what you want to say.

The best example happened a month ago. I had two 8th grade girls come into my office crying because I had to let their small group leader go. They hated me and couldn't understand why I did it. Instead of me trying to explain the situation while they were crying, I got out catch phrase. With in 3 minutes they were laughing and willing to listen to what I had to say.

Yes its weird, but when you hate confrontation as much as I do, its worth a try.
Just don't try it if someone comes in sad because a loved one just died. You kind of have to judge the situation to see if its worth trying.

the kiss test

The World Race

I have a new goal. A friend was telling me about this awesome missions opportunity.
I know I dont talk about it near enough, but besides youth ministry, I have a heart and passion for missions. I have always loved traveling and serving those in need. I think that it is something that every Christian should be a part of. After all, we are all called to go out and make disciples. With that said, there is a missions opportunity called the world race. You spend a year traveling around the world and ministering to the people in each location. Now I have no idea how possible this is now that I have a job but maybe Ill find a way. The only other thing is that its 13,000 dollars. But thats nothing for a life changing experience. Here is the schedule for the entire year.
Leg 1: Matamoros, MX to Palenque, MX
Leg 2: Palenque, MX to Guatemala
Leg 3: Guatemala to Los Angeles
Leg 4: Los Angeles to China/Tibet
Leg 5: China/Tibet to Thailand
Leg 6: Thailand to Delhi, India
Leg 7: Delhi, India to Bosnia
Leg 8: Bosnia to Cairo, Eqypt
Leg 9: Cairo, Eqypt to Nairobi, Kenya
Leg 10: Nairobi, Kenya to Johannesburg, South Africa
Leg 11: Johannesburg, South Africa to Lesotho, Africa
Leg 12: Lesotho, Africa to New York

A new fan of UCLA.

Im not really a fan but I had the chance to go to the huge rivalry game between USC and UCLA yesterday. We headed out early and tailgated from 9am to 1. Then we headed to the rose bowl for the game. Here is what I witnessed.
1. Too many drunk college students to count.
2. Fights breaking out in the crowd.
3. Some pretty hot cheerleaders.
4. And one of the biggest upsets of the year.

Quite the experience.

The challenge of youth ministry.

Going into youth ministry, I was well aware that when I became the main guy, I would have the responsibility of teaching on a weekly basis. It never seemed to bother me though. In fact it did just the opposite. I was excited about sharing the issues that God layed on my heart. I have come to find out that its not that easy. Here are a few things that I sometimes catch myself doing.
1. Waiting until the last minute. I like to let the Lord lead.
2. Repeating myself. There are some things that I believe I say every single week.
3. Going over their heads. Sometimes they just dont get it. (I speak to jr. highers)
4. Putting them to sleep.
5. Not knowing how to handle the constant talking. There is one studentI have that no matter how many times I get on to him will not shutup. I have done everything except kick him out.
6. Struggling to find interesting topics to speak about.

Maybe I am alone in this, but I seriously doubt it. And I know that there is at least 1 and a half youth pastor gurus that read this blog so any advice would be greatly appreciated. (And yes I know I shouldnt wait till the last minute.)

Finish the sentence...

Okay, Treece tagged me so here it goes.


I don't know...if Im doing what I was called to do .

I talk...with a manly Texas accent .

I love...Family, friends, .

My best friend is tall, skinny, a ladies magnet, and he teaches high school.

My first real kiss... is coming soon I hope.

I hate it when people...talk on their cell phone when they are with other people .

Love is... scary.

Marriage is... Permanent

Somewhere, someone is thinking... Whets the purpose of life? I hope I have the opportunity to tell them.

I'll always... try my best to be the most loving Christian I can be, even though I sometimes fail miserably.

The last time I cried was because... Someone close to me died

My cell phone... cost me a lot because I go over my minutes every month.

When I wake up in the morning... I force myself to smile.

Before I go to sleep at night... I do pushups while watching Letterman.

Right now I am thinking about... how bad I have to pee.

Babies are... very pink and smelly.

Today I... was stuck in traffic all day. So CAl sucks!

Tonight I will... Go over my talk for tomorrow, watch the mavs play, cook some dinner

Tomorrow I will... Go to church, watch football, play a round of golf

I really want...to go to Texas, to buy an xbox 360, to make 100 friends, and a dr. pepper.

My First diet.

This is probably the worst timing ever considering that Thanksgiving is this week but I decided to go on Weight Watchers. I have been doing it for 2 days now and it is already killing me. IM SO HUNGRY! My goal is to lose 10 lbs by Christmas. Pray for me that I will not starve to death.

How bout them cowboys?!!!

I know there arent many cowboys fans that read this blog, probably not one, but I have to give Americas team their props for taking on and defeating the Unbeaten Indianapolis Colts. Tony Romo is the greatest qb since Staubach. GO COWBOYS!!!!!!

Today is the day!

Call me crazy, call me stupid, call me "the guy who has no life", I don't care.
Tonight I am going to the local Best Buy and I am going to camp out all night long for the playstation 3 that comes out tomorrow morning. Now you might be asking why I would do such a ridiculous thing. Is it because I am obsessed with video games? (no, I hardly ever play anymore.) Is it because I think this will be the best invention ever? (no, Xbox is better). The sole purpose for spending so many hours out in the cold is because they are selling anywhere from 1500 to 2000 dollars on ebay.

If I can spend the entire night camping out at Chick-fil-A for 52 free combo meals, I think I can do it for this. Wish me luck!

HOLA!

I spent the last 3 days with our student ministry team in Mexico. It was a great trip of bonding and working together. We take students down there every year to help build an orphanage in Ensenada. This trip we went to talk with the pastors and pray with them. It was fun but I seriously get sick every time I step into the country. I could seriously throw up right now, but I wont.

My favorite family member!

I have the cutest little niece in the world. Her name is Ahslyn and she is 4.
My sister went to Italy for 10 days on a business trip (I need to go into the skin care business) but that means that Ashlyn gets to come stay with us for 10 days.
The highlights of day one.

Walked our dog around the block.
Watched the movie "Cars"
Tried to teach her to tie her shoe.
Jumped on the trampoline.
Took her to McDonalds
Played with her toys
Brushed her teeth and put her to bed.

Im worn out. How do parents do this stuff everyday?

How do you recover from saying this?

Refusing to grow up...

First off, I have to apologize to the 2 people out there that read this blog. I have been in some sort of funk for the last few weeks and have been really inconsistent when it comes to blogging. Lets be honest though, you werent missing much. But I am back and I promise I will try my best to keep it updated. With that said....

27 years ago today, the world was introduced to me. It was a cold winter night in Dallas, TX. It was dark and scary but I kept pushing through. I finally made it out and here I am. I AM OLD! 27 is near 30. That is a depressing thing. I believe the reason I went into youth ministry is so that I can continue to be a kid no matter how old I am.

Birthdays are always a weird time for me. Every year, I spend a few hours to my self and try to self evaluate my life. I ask many questions including, Have I had a good life, Have I made an impact on other peoples lives, Have I used the gifts and resources that God has given me to the best of my ability? Most answers always come out "I think so, but I could do better."
And now that I am older, I begin to ask questions like "Am I in the right profession, should I be married with kids by now, etc?

All I know is that I want to do something big in this lifetime. Im not talking about skydiving, running with the bulls, or becoming famous. Im just wanting to make a difference in this world. I dont know if that is writing a book, moving to Africa, or something else, but I just dont want to be stuck in a bubble. But hopefully God will show me and show me soon. Does any of this make sense? Probably not..

That my friends are the things that cross my mind every year on that one day.

Awkwardness Alert

I got a phone call today from someone who I hadnt heard from in years. Her name is Jenny and she is an ex-girlfriend from high school. She is married now so I knew that there had to be a strange reason for her to call me out of the blue. (By the way, isnt it funny how you wont hear from someone for years but as soon as they need a favor they call you. Okay, enough venting.)

She is now a lead singer for a Christian band called Addison Road. They are touring all over the country and found out that I lived in CA, so she called me asking if there was a church they could stay at. Well she dumped me in college so I just went ahead and said no. Im not bitter though, I promise.

The Next Avery Johnson

If you are asking yourself "Who is Avery Johnson?" let me tell you.
He is the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and I am going to be just like him.
No I am not going to turn black and shrink to 5'5 but I did just enter the wonderful career of coaching basketball.

The opportunity to coach 7th grade boys basketball at a local public jr. high school came to me out of no where last week. The athletic director was kind of desperate for someone to fill the spot and called different jr. high pastors. Now I dont know why I took another job when I am crazy busy with being a youth pastor, but it seems like the perfect opportunity. I thought to myself, I love basketball, I love jr. high students, I love teaching, I love evangelism. You do the math. It just kind of seemed to be a perfect fit for this time in my life and I am extremely excited about it. I just order Magic Johnsons coaching instruction video.

Througout the season I will keep you updated with the progress of the team and me as a coach. Im already nervous about a parent cussing me out because I didnt play their son enough. It will happen, Im sure of it.

Fried Green Avocados

Could it be true? This is a new item that they are selling at the state fair of TX. I guess they will fry anything now days. I personally have not tasted it yet, but it sounds like it could be the most delicious thing on the face of the earth. My sister said it was amazing when you dip it in ranch or salsa.

Im not sure where else they sell this, but I have to find it and find it quick.

Random questions about the avocado.... Is it a fruit or vegetable? And how can something that grows on a tree have so much fat in it?

Dodgeball + 7th grade girls = angry parents.

Dodgeball is the greatest sport on earth and it is one of the greates games you can play for a jr. high event. I ran an event last night where we just hungout at the church and played dodgeball for the majority of the time. The only problem is that I take the game way to seriously and dont think about who I am throwing at. I just want to hit people. There were only 2 injuries and I caused both of them. The first injury came within the first 20 minutes of the night. I hit a girl square in the face and made her nose bleed. She was okay though. The other injury came later on in the night. I hit a girl in the stomach, knocked the breath out of her and left a red mark on her stomach. Part of me feels horrible and the other part of me thinks, if you dont want to get hit, dont play.

I think I might be the most hated jr. high pastor in the world.

Im going through a book right now with my staff that is called "God doesn't believe in atheists. It was written in the early 90's by Ray Comfort. It is really good.
It is pretty much a debate against atheism and shows proof why God exists, and proof why atheist don't really exist. Now you might not know many people that are atheists but it is a great tool to give out to non believers that might have doubts if God exists. It is a quick read and he is very practical. Even if you are a believer, I think it could even help strengthen your faith, as it has done that for me.

If you don't know who he is, Ray Comfort is the British dude on TBN with Kirk Cameron.

My Guarantee:

Tonight is opening night for Preseason basketball.
The Dallas Mavericks head to Oklahoma City to take on the Hornets.
I have been a die hard mavs fan my entire life and watched them every year whether they were horrible and won 12 games or when they were good and win 60 games.

They made it to the the finals for the first time in history last year and unexpectedly choked in the end. But the team they have this year is even better than the team last year. They are stacked. They have 13 players who are good and will get playing time throughout the year. This is the year. Mark my word, remember this post when I say that the Dallas Mavericks will be the NBA champions this year. No ifs ands or buts about it.

Best part of October.

I just wanted to share with the world why I love the month of October so much. No it is not because its the beginning of fall, it has nothing to do with football, and Halloween doesn't even come close to comparing with this event. That's right, you guessed it. It is Fair season!!!! I think the fair is one of the greatest things you can experience in a life time. I grew up going to the Texas State fair and looked forward to that day almost as much as Christmas.

Ever year wherever I am I have to go to the fair. Last night I went to the Fresno Fair. Here are the highlights. Pig races, hypnotists, car shows, exhibit halls, ferris wheels, midway games, carnies, and last but not least, the food. I had a turkey leg, corn on the cob, and a funnel cake. And on my way home, I had the wonderful after fair feeling where you think you are going to throw up. You just cant beat it. Wherever you are, I suggest going to the fair.

Foot stuck in mouth.

I was warned not to say anything upsetting when I spoke at the senior lunch. I failed. I was up there talking about the Jr. High ministry and how exciting it was and then I started talking about making a difference. You never retire, you never graduate from serving. I started speaking about the 76 year old volunteer that I knew from Saddleback. As I was talking about him, the words " you're not dead yet, you can still serve" somehow came out of my mouth. Fortunately, I got some laughs out of it and they knew what I meant. I think I might be the biggest idiot on the face of the planet.

I get to speak to old people

Every month, the elderly in the church have a lunch with a guest speaker. I have the privilage this month to be the speaker. One question though. What in the heck do you speak to old people about? What can I tell them that they have not heard before?
Im excited and nervous at the same time. I have just been reminded by some staff not to refer to them as "Old People" when I am talking to them. Wish me luck!

Twins are on the way!

You might of read a post a couple months back that there will be two new Putmans that will enter this world around February. Is that not the greatest news in the world? And no they are not mine.

I have a brother who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. Him and his wife just found out that there will be 1 boy and there will be 1 girl. So Im guessing they are not identical.

Anyways, this is an exciting time for our family and I just wanted all of you to know. I will teach the boy everything I know, and I will protect the girl from all the horrible guys out there.

Im in love!

Thats right.
I went out today at lunch time and test drove a Toyota FJ Cruiser. Thats the kind of thing you do for fun in Visalia. I wasnt sure if I liked it or not when it first came out but now I have to say that it is the best suv out there at an affordable price. I asked the dealer if I could take if offroad, but he looked at me and said "funny question." I wasnt joking though.

The only thing is I have the worst timing ever. I bought an Xterra about 6 months ago. Oh well, maybe in 5 years Ill get the cruiser.

What is wrong with this guy?

Well, I am sure you have heard the news by now. Terrell Elderado Owens took about 100 painkillers and tried to kill himself. That is what the media is saying anyways.
We really dont have a clue of what really went on, but if I had to guess, T.O took a few pills, had an allergic reaction, couldnt respond, was taken to the hospital, and let out the next day and now is great and will play with the Cowboys this Sunday.

It amazes me how something so little can explode all across the country and can become the biggest and most important story of the day. Seriously, no matter what channel I turned to, they were talking about T.O.

He loves attention though, so Im sure he didnt mind all the publicity.
Glad he is okay though, the cowboys need him.

Superdome reopens for 1st time since Katrina.

If you are a football fanatic that watches several games all week long, or if you are just one that tolerates it and spends the whole time commenting on the colors of the uniforms, last nights Monday night game was fun to watch.
The New Orleans Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons. IM sure it was pretty emotional for everyone who was their experiencing the city becoming somewhat normal again. Living across the country, I don't have a sense of reality of what really took place. You see the pictures of devastation and you feel bad, but to me it just seemed like another third world country. It was hard to believe that it was right here.

I didn't understand at first why they spent so much time and money on the dome when there are thousands of houses that have been destroyed, but after last night it is easy to see why. The Saints are a symbol for the city. They represent what New Orleans is and when people see the dome open, they see a little normalcy come back to their lives.

And the Saints stomped all over Atlanta, which wasn't good for me because I have Vick on my fantasy team.

Most dangerous city - my home town?

Just read a very sad article. Out of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. Dallas TX. ranked number 1 one as the city with the most crime in it. Who would of thought Texans were so cruel. Thats okay, I still think everyone should live in TX for at leat a year to experience life to the fullest. Yes, it is that amazing.

Single + Youth Pastor = People watching you

I am starting to find out the hard way what it is like to be single and in the ministry. There was a volunteer that I brought on thinking she would be great and her motives were right for joining the team. Man was I wrong. Believe it or not, some people might want to join your ministry to be closer to you. I know, I couldn't believe it either. At first I didn't even know how big of a problem it would be, but its amazing the accusations that people will come up with on the simple fact that they see you hanging out with someone from the opposite sex. Rumors were spread, integrity is questioned, and people get hurt.

Are single people in ministry allowed to have a life? Are we allowed to date, or even hangout as friends? I would think the simple answer would be yes but I am realizing that it comes with a price. If you are a youth pastor out there and are not married, I want you to know that some people are actually interested in watching your every move. Who knows what there reasons are? Writing all of this leads to a lot more questions than answers but it is something that I think a lot of youth pastors go through.

Swim at your own risk!

A local news crew in the Houston area noticed something moving in the water in Lake Conroe. They took pictures of this huge beast from above in a helicopter. The alligator is 13 feet long and you can see it has an entire deer in its mouth. Sad to say they had to shoot the thing. Here are some pictures.

ITS OVER!!!!

Last night, we had our Jr. High outrech allnighter. I had been putting this event together for a couple months now and being my first huge event at this church, I was pretty nervous and wanted to make sure that it was a success. And it was a success indeed. We had just under 300 students join us for this awesome event, no one got hurt, I didnt lose or leave any kids, and they had fun. To me, thats a success.

We started out at 7 with a pre rally. We just had some stage games and interviewed students as they came in. From 8 to 10:30 we had our rally. We had 2 bands, 2 videos, 2 games, giveaways, and s speeaker. Then the fun began. We stayed up allnight going to different venues. There was bowlng, roller skating, and Adventure Park. The kids loved it. And yes, I made it. I stayed up allnight. I didnt think it could be done.

Best part of the night: The Speaker
His name is Donny Burleson. He was recomended to me by Jonathan McKee. (source for youth ministry.) I didnt really know what to expect. He started off pretty serious and pointing out kids, telling them to be quiet. I got pretty nervous. But when he got into his talk, he was amazing. He was hillarious and the kids were laughing the whole time. At the end of the talk almost 100 students came to the front to pray. Almost 50 went to a room for counseling. God showed up and lives were changed.

It is over now, and I dont have to stay up allnight until next year. THANK GOD!

Getting through the crud.

I woke up early this morning. I went outside to get the paper and saw that the sun was coming up over the mountains. It would of been quite beautiful, however central CA. is known for having a bunch of crud in the air. Some days you can not even tell the mountains are there because there is so much smog. I had to look hard to notice the sunrise.
We always have crud in our life. There are going to be great days where Gods light is shining and everything is great, then there will be times where there is so much crud in our life, we have to look hard and even sometimes wonder if God is even there. I encourage you no matter what is going on, to try to see pass the mess. Know that He is bigger than any crud that can come into your life. Trust in Him, depend on Him, surrender to Him, and eventually the crud will eventually go away.

I'm getting gray hair.

This has literally been one of the most stressful weeks of my life. My hair already had some gray in it, but after this week I might look like Taylor Hicks.

I have always been one to be very laid back, go with the flow, it will all work out, kind of guy. I love working in the ministry and I knew that there would be plenty of tough times, but it just seems that all the tough times have come all in the past two weeks. Not only has there been normal ministry work. (ie. events, small groups, sunday mornings) but there has been a lot of unnecessary drama and conflict between some of my volunteers that I have had to try to work out.

What Im learning from all of this:
You would think being a leader at a church, you would automatically turn to God during these tough and busy times. Unfortunately, I am stubborn and have been trying to do everything on my own. Yes, I am stupid.

I am also learning that stressing out does not help anyone. It actually makes things worse. After prayer, you just have to do the best you can and trust God that everything will work out.

The last thing is that no matter how frustrated you are at certain people, no matter how immature, irrational, mean, emotional, or arrogant they are, you must be sensitive and watch your words carefully.

Im sure I will look back at all this sometime and realize that I am a stronger and better leader because of all of it.

Choosing a hobby.

Okay boys and girls,
Im trying to add some excitement in my life so I am going to choose a hobby and do my best to stick with it. Whatever I decide, I will keep an update on how it is going. Your suggestion is welcomed. Here is a list of potential hobbies.

1. Learn a new language
2. Cooking
3. Pottery
4. Take a class at a community college.
5. Line Dancing
6. Tae Kwon Do
7. Fishing
8. Hiking
7. Bird Watching
8. Mushroom Collecting
9. Photagraphy
10. Magic
11. Lip reading
12. Sign Language
13. Stamp Collecting

Thats it. Help me decide.

Why GOD Why????

My cousin called me up last night and asked if I was coming home for Christmas. She has connections with the Dallas Cowboys. She took me to a game last year and I even got to hangout afterwards at a VIP party with the media, some players, and the owner. She told me last night that if I come home for Christmas, I can go to the game on Christmas Day against the Eagles. But if you read my post from last week, we all know that I dont have vacation days left. Today officially sucks!

The end to another "True Comedy"

2 Questions about this video:
1. Where is Michael?
2. Where is the humor?

Yes this promo makes me cry.
Yes I will still watch and love the show. Thats because I am one of the rare guys that will admitt to enjoying a good television romance. But it looks like "The Office" is taking a serious turn for the worse when it comes to Comedy. Every show does it. (except one)

The Office is hillarious and had potential to become almost as good as Seinfeld.
Seinfeld is the greatest comedy in television history.
It is the greatest for 1 reason. It was a show about nothing. There was no storyline, no plot, no continuation from episode to episode. It was just funny. No drama.
Friends started that way. Thats why the first few seasons are the funniest. But the writers started to focus on the storylines. It was still a good show but not as funny.

With this said, I am looking forward to this season of the office, but I just hope every single episode will not be "the story of Jim and Pam.

Is it possible to pull a butt muscle?

In the unlikely hope of getting buff, I decided to join a gym today.
I always do this. I join, go for about a week and then never go back. I hate working out. Why put yourself through pain? It doesnt make sense.

I hopped on the calf machine, and within the first half hour, I got the worst pain in my butt and it wont go away. Not only did I waist money, I now walk funny.

T.O. plus Fresh Prince song = Brilliance

Click

here

to watch this hillarious video.

I wont be home for Christmas

Today I received the saddest news in the history of news.
Today, I was informed that my vacation days for the year are up.
I honestly was misinformed when I was hired. I was told I had numerous weeks but today they said something different. Here is the sad thing. I was getting ready to book my flight to Texas for Christmas. Now it looks like I will be stuck in central CA. by myself. Im going to be a 26 year old Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone. You can feel sorry for me. I give you permission.

Jr. High Lake day begins with a bang. (literally)

We went to the lake this weekend for a day of skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, and whatever else you can do on a boat. This past week, I received a phone call from a mom wanting to plug her student into the Jr. High ministry. His name is Britton. He had never been to church before. I invited him to lake day. Sure enough, he was the first one to show up and he brought a friend. I was excited to see two new students at an event.

We loaded up the boats and he was the first one to wakeboard. He was actually really good. He caught a wake, started flying through the air like superman and sure enough the board pops up behind him and catches him right in the head. We pulled him into the boat and saw that he was bleeding like crazy. Now, I really had to step up in this moment, because I am horrible when it comes to blood or injuries or anything like that. We took him to the hospital and he ended up having to get 10 stitches.
It was horrible that this happend to a first time visitor, but I was trying to think of what good could come from this.
1. His parents were extremely cool about it.
2. He has a memory now that will last a lifetime.
3. Chicks dig scars.
4. We got the entire thing on video.

How do I get on this show?

Now, I am not a huge fan of Summer television. 99% of the shows are not worth even being on the air. I have however been addicted to one show. (Big Brother Allstars)
This is the first time I have ever seen this show. From what I hear, there have been 6 other seasons. To me, it is real world mixed with survivor.

I need someone to tell me how to apply for this show. I believe that not only would this show be fun, but I think that I would be decent at it. And I could always use the half million dollars.

I will admit, I could not make it out alive in Survivor, and I could not do all the stunts on Fear Factor, but I could easily stay in a house with strangers competing in ridiculous competitions. Sign me up!

I'm LOST!

I am putting together a Jr. High Allnighter outreach program on Sept. 15. Our them is LOST.
This event consist of a rally, all you can eat pizza, and then rotation from bowling to skating to Adventure Park. (go karts, arcade, ect...)

I am freaking out for two reasons.
1) I have no idea how many students are going to show up. This is suppose to be a huge event with hundreds of students but for some reason Im thinking that about 18 will show up.
2) The rally is 2 and a half hours long. I am struggling to fill the time with jam packed entertainment. For all you ministry programing experts out there, this is your time to help a brother out. Any suggestions would be wonderful!!!

I am half way joking and half way concerned. I am trying my best to make sure that this event is great but I am my own worst critic when it comes to this stuff.
You might be far away, but feel free to fly your Jr. High ministry out here for this great event.

Japanese TV game

Not sure what Japanese TV is like or what the premise is for this, but try not to laugh with these TV Game Show contestants!

Book Club Tag

Wow, I have never been in a book club before. I feel nerdy.
Mike Lovato tagged me so here is my list of books.


1. One book that changed your life: The Persuit of God by A.W. Tozer. My brother gave it to me in high school. Helps you see "Grace" in a whole new way.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The Shining by Stephen King. Thanks to the influence of Joey on friends.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Building boats for dummies. Makes sense to me.

4. One book that made you laugh: Motherhood and Hollywood by Patricia Heaton. Absolutely hillarious.

5. One book that made you cry: The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks.
Actually any book by Nicholas Sparks.

6. One book you wish had been written: Fun things to do in Central CA. Havnt found much yet.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Tale of two cities by Charles Dickens. I failed an english class in 9th grade because of this dumb book.

8. One book you’re currently reading: Controlled Chaos by Kurt Johnston. Its about time I read this book.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: He-Motions by T.D. Jakes. One of my favorite speakers to listen to, so Im sure his book is good.

10. One book you’d like to write: 101 reasons why Texas is the best place on earth. Should not take long to write.

There is my list. I guess I am suppose to tag someone now. Isnt that how this works? Okay, I tag Brian Schwanbeck, Courtney Gause, and Stephen Perry.

My trip to L.V.

I know they say "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but I didnt do anything bad, so therefore I am writing about my trip. I met up with my cousin and aunt and uncle in Vegas for a few days of fun. Now I had never been to Vegas before, so I wasnt even sure if I was going to have fun. I will admitt that the only things I wanted to do were see David Copperfield, (thats been a dream since I was a kid) and yes, Celine Deion. Say what you want, that would be a great show. However, tickets were way too high.
Now,I rarely have a drink, I never gamble, and I definitily dont do the other things that go on there. It shocks me to think of how accepting and okay it is there to live a sinful life style. The people just seemed lost. It was actually quite sad. I guess they dont call it sin city for nothing.
We did have fun however. It wasnt until I started gambling a little that I realized how cheap I really am. I would lose 10 dollars and act like I lost 1000. Its the worst feeling. The last night there, I decided to play 3 card poker at a table. I would lose, then lose, then lose again. I got down to 2 chips. Sure enough, I hit 3 of a kind and won big. (well big for me anyways.) Overall, good trip. I dont think its a place that I would choose for an annual vacation but it was fun.

I'm always in trouble...

I was setting up for the Jr. High service on Sunday Morning. Now, I like my church. There are a lot of great people in my church, but there are some very, very, very, very, conservative people as well. I thought I was conservative.
I set up the game, dance dance revolution for jr. high and one of the volunteer staff who was leading worship got up in front of the students and said "I would never allow that game in my house." Now I was stunned. Its one thing to say it to me in private, but not from the stage. And unfortunately, if I get upset I sometimes respond with a smart elic comment. After he said that, I responded with "Well its a good thing we are in Gods house then. He loves dancing."

Looks like I might of lost a great volunteer.

I must live with the guilt.

After church, I went and played golf and then turned on the tv for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. I turned the channel to the Bengals, Redskins preseason game.
Being a huge cowboy fan, the first thing that came out of my mouth was "man, I hope someone on the redskins gets hurt" (competely joking of course.) But sure enough, there star running back, Clinton Portis dislocates his shoulder within the first 10 minutes of the game and might miss some of the regular season. Be careful with what you say!

Shuffle up and deal

My good friend, Josh Treece used me this week for his "Shuffle up and deal" blog.
He takes the first 5 songs that pops up on your ipod when you put it on shuffle. I will gladly admitt that I like all of these artists. Now some of you might be embarassed by artists such as Carrie Underwood or Bon Jovi, but not I.
Click here to check it out.

His Amazing Grace

I was reading through Luke and came upon the story of the crucifixion.
Jesus was hanging on the cross. There were two criminals hanging on a cross. One to the left, one to the right. One criminal started hurling insults and asked "Arent you the Christ? Save yourself and us."
But the other criminal rebuked him. and said "Dont you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are getting what we deserve but He has done nothing wrong."
Then he said "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."

Jesus showed the ultimate example of Grace by saying "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

There are some things that boggle my mind. Some things that just dont make sense to me. This criminal had nothing to offer. He was about to die and could not make up for his past. But Jesus just wiped his sins aways and said, you will enter my kingdom. Unbelievable!

I guess we dont have to understand it, we just get to accept it.

Help make my choice easier

I have a very tough choice to make.
Being a youth pastor, it is completely neceserry to keep myself up to date with the students.
With that said, I must invest in a new video game system. (That is how I am justifying the money I am blowing.) Even if you know nothing about video games, feel free to give your opinion on what I should do.
Option A - Xbox 360. I have heard mixed reviews but somewhat affordable.
Option B - PS3 - Heard great things. Must wait until Nov. Definitily not affordable.
Option C - Get a life, save my money, but not be a cool youth pastor.

Tough Choice. Help me out.

I saw a bright light...

For some strange reason, I decided today to go running.
My goal was to start with a mile and work my way up everyday from now on.
Here was the problem though...
A. I Dont run. (ever)
B. I decided to go at 3 in the afternoon, and it gets hot.
C. I Dont run. (ever)

After a mile I was feeling pretty good, so the stupidity in me spoke up and said "Go for two". I am proud to say I made it. I had to lay on the track for about 20 minutes when I was done though. I thought it was time to see Jesus.

Im going for three tomorrow. Plan the funeral now.

Reminds me of Home...

Last night, I went to see Carrie Underwood in concert at a theater in Fresno.
Being from Texas, I am use to seeing people with Cowboy hats, tight wranglers, and a can of chewing tobacco in their hands. However, I never thought I would see this in CA. It was good to see country people. It made me miss home.
Now being a huge American Idol fan, I was very excited about this concert but was not sure how well she would be live.
The setting was pretty cool. It only seated about 3000 people, and was very laid back. She did the songs from her album but also did a sweet version of "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns and Roses. It was actually really good. Her band was very talented.

Its hard to compare the show with Kelly Clarkson. Two very different shows.
But they are both great, and I would marry either one. (preferably Kelly; she's a Texas girl.)

Get Your Popcorn Ready.

Football season is almost here. I can already taste it. It is going to be a great year for America's Team.

For the past three years, the Dallas Cowboys have their training camp in Oxnard, CA.
The past couple of years, me and whoever would come with me would drive up to Oxnard, watch one practice, try to get a few autographs and come back home.
This year was different. The high school ministry at my church was having their beach camp in Oxnard. So I got to go to the practice, sleep at the beach camp and then watch two more practices. It was like God organized the whole thing just for me.

It was a fun trip watching them run plays, crazy fans yelling at the players, and Coach Parcells cussing them out when they mess up. And of course, the most hated player in the NFL, El Derado Terrell Owens, is now a Cowboy. Hopefully he is a changed man.

Here are a few pics that I took at the camp. Most of the day consist of getting shoved into a fence and elbowed in the face while waiting for autographs. It was brutal.



T.O. running a Route



Roy Williams siging autographs for the fans.



Team Stretches



Pitch to the left for Tyson Thompson



Crazy Fans trying to get autographs. (including me)

Are you ready to be jealous?

Are you sitting down? If not, take a few seconds really quick and find a seat.
Okay, are you ready? Get ready to envy my life...
Here we go. This Thursday, August 3rd, I am going to see Carrie Underwood in concert.

I was hesitant to post this because I am sure I will get made fun of quite a bit. But i compared it to being a Christian. You see, the Bible says that a Christian will go through many trials and persecution. But the end result makes it all worth it. Its the same with Carrie. The concert will be so great, you can say whatever you want. Afterall, she was the season 4 AMERICAN IDOL!

I have seen Kelly Clarkson in concert, so I will give all of you a great comparison of which girl puts on a better show.

Highlights of Anaheim.

I just spent this last week helping out at a Church of God convention in Anaheim, CA.

The best parts of the week were, catching up with old friends from high school and college. It was great seeing everybody. Its funny how much people change in just a few years.

I also got the chance to go listen to my former boss at Saddleback, Kurt Johnston, speak to about 1200 youth workers.

I worked security so I got to push some kids around, which is always a blast

I got to share my heart with students on the issue of sex and dating. (dont laugh) This is obviously a popular issue and they wanted to know where I stand on these issues. (why they wanted my opinion, I have no idea. Im not an expert by any means)
But I do really believe that God used me to open the eyes of some of these students that struggle with this issue.

And to top it off, as I was leaving the hotel, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, and Thurman Thomas walked right through the lobby. There was a sports convention going on.

Now its time to head up to Oxnard, CA for some Dallas Cowboys Training Camp. This has been a tradition the last few years. Cant Wait!

Best Week Ever!

I am very excited about this upcoming week.
I grew up in a Church of God denomination church. Every two years they have a great youth convention in a different city. It has been 4 years since I have been to one but this year it is in Anaheim. My former youth pastor now oversees the convention.
This year there are great speakers such as Ewrin McManus, Debbie Morris, and David Edwards.
There will be awesome music as well which includes, David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and Jami Smith. Can you beat that lineup? I dont think so. The only thing better would be if DC talk got back together and made a suprise visit. How sweet would that be?

It is win win for me. Not only will I see old friends from high school and college but I will also hangout with friends from Saddleback. Should be a great week!

Parents & Ministry

I love and respect the fact that their are parents that are very supportive and trust us in ministry with their precious students. They are great sources that support our ministries with prayer, time, money, and who knows what else.

But some of them can be very frustrating sometimes.
I just had an incredible time at Jr. High sumer camp. It was a great week where I grew a strong connection with the students, and they grew closer to God. One girl came to know Christ for the first time. It was amazing.
I came home excited about ministry. For the first time, I felt like a successful youth pastor. Nothing could stop me or get me down.

I came home and had numerous emails and phone messages from a couple parents with concerns about how I handled camp. They gave me their 2 cents on how to be a better leader and how I could of handled different issues better.
It actually took me a while to even remember what they were talking about becasue there was nothing in my mind that I thought I did wrong.

Is this normal? Am I going to have to get use to this?
I guess its just part of the job.

It's a small world.

Jeremiah Richey

There is a new tv show that just aired for the first time this past week called "The One; Making a Music Star." A friend called me up and told me to turn it on. It turns out that an old friend that I hungout with through out high school and college is one of the eleven contestants. His name is Jeremiah Richey.
I would say vote for him, but they eliminate each other. It was just pretty cool seeing someone I know on national television.

It airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on ABC.

I HATE READING!

With that said, I am in need of some good books.
I have always had dicipline problems with voluntarily reading but summer time is the worst. For the life of me, I can not sit still and read a book. I am trying to get better. I need your help. If you could suggest two books for me, I would greatly appreciate it. One book that I can learn from or grow spiritually and one book that is just for pure entertainment. I am on my knees begging. (its hard to type on your knees.) Help a brother out. Thanks!

Camp comes to an end.

I apologize for the lack of post lately. I have been at camp all week and did not have any access to a computer. Camp was an amazing experience! Even though I am tired beyond belief, I actually wish I was still at camp. It did however have its ups and downs.
Here are the highlights and lowlights of camp, just as I promised.

Highlights:
1. It was the first time since being at this church that I really connected with students.
2. I met and hungout with some awesome youth pastors from other churches.
3. Played 54 holes of frisbee golf. With Josh Treece and my students..
4. Found a huge bird lying on eggs while playing golf. We thought it was sitting on a frisbee that Josh threw so I started poking it with a stick. It got up and we both thought our lives were coming to an end because this huge bird was going to kill us.
5. The Band - Although they had trouble keeping kids under control, they were very talented. 10 times better than last year.
6. Silent Football - My students loved this game.
7. The Rock Wall - After failing to make it up the wall about 15 times, I made it on Friday afternoon.
8 My leader - One of my girl leaders backed out of camp about 2 days before we were leaving. I started to freak out. My assistant found somebody to replace her. I had my doubts considering this girl was not a jr. high volunteer and I had never met her before. She ended up being the coolest person ever and doing the most amazing job as a leader. God totally blessed me when I needed it. Unfortuanately she is a student at BIOLA and wont be around for the school year. She would be the perfect volunteer.
9. Paintball - I didnt play, therefore I didnt get shot in the crotch like last year.

LOWLIGHTS:

1. The Bus ride. It was fun but it took 5 hours to get there.
2. 5 girls from my group got food poison and had to be sent home on Wed.
3. The food. I lost 6 lbs at camp.
4. The Rock Wall. I did eventually make it but it was embarrasing to fail about 35 times.
5. The Speaker. He was okay, but some of us had a hard time following him.
6. Being Loud and hyper during Rec. time. Kids love it, I dont.


Overall
Great week of camp. God did some amazing things. That is all that matters!

Summer Camp

I leave tomorrow for another great week of summer camp at thousand pines. This will be my first time with my new church. I have gone to this camp the past two years with Saddleback. For the most part, my experiences at this camp have been great, but I just wanted to give a list of highlights and things Im looking forward to and also a list of lowlights and things that I hope dont repeat.

Best things about camp...
The Frisbee Golf course - No matter how much your arm hurts, you keep playing.
Paintball - There is no greater feeling then shooting jr. high students.
Worship Services - God has done amazing things during these times.
Silent Football - Its time to teach the new students this incredible game.
Wrestling in Cabin - Im usually just the ref.
Mornings - I usually wake up my guys with an air horn.

Worst things about camp...
Late Late nights - Jr. highers never want to sleep.
Paintball - Getting shot in the crotch 3 times in one week.
Stinging Nettle - This plant will put you in pain for hours.
Sickness and injuries - Every year so far, I have had a kid get sick or hurt.
The talent show - Its tough when no one wants to do anything for the show.
Team Spirit - 5 days of non stop cheering and yelling for your team.

I have a lot of great memories from this camp and I cant wait to make more of them. I hope and pray that this will be an incredible week of leading, learning, and connecting with others.

Thousand Pines, here we come!

What are the chances?

The most amazing thing happened on the night of July 4th. This entire summer, my mother had been planning a trip to Texas. She was very excited and ready to go. Her plane was scheduled to take off on the evening of July 4th. She has been struggling with some health issues. (hold on, im getting to the amazing part.)
If you know me, you know that I hate anything there is about blood, shots, hospitals, and all the above. I might pass out just typing this. Anyways, it was time for me to steo up and face my fear. I had to rush my mom to the hospital. I actually did it. I coudnt believe it. I even set inside the waiting room and did not have to lie down. Back to the amazing part. She obviously missed her flight due to her health. I was watiching the news and they were saying that the flight my mother was suppose to be on had to make an emergency landing becasue one of the wings broke while in the air. The landing was very hard and quite a few people got injured. (no deaths.) My mom has a horrible back and other health problems. The hard landing could of really messed her up. Who knows why certain things happen?

A new found respect for surfers.

This past weekend I decided to go down to Orange County and hangout with friends down there. Some of us decided to go surfing on my last day there. It still amazes me that I lived down there for 2 years but this was the first time I decided to give surfing a try. I knew that it would be hard but I thought I would be able to do it.
Unfortunately, the closest I got was riding on my knees. Every time I stood up, I wiped out. But here are a few warnings for those first time surfers.
1. You will drink an incredible amount of saltwater, to the point that you want to throw up.
2. Water will just randomly shoot out of your nose for the rest of the day. (pretty sick)
3. You will be sore in places that you didnt think were possible.


Other than that, it was a blast.

Suffering for Christ

I went out the other day and bought the new Mercy Me cd. I was driving home from work, trying to sing along, and all of a sudden the most powerful song I have heard in a long time started to play. It is titled "I would die for you." (track #13)
It is written about a young kid named BJ Higgins. He gave up his life because he was obedient to God's call. He went around sharing his faith, talked to anyone who would listen about Jesus, and even started a website in which the sole purpose was to bring glory to God. At 15 he went overseas and led countless people to a personal relationship with Jesus. While overseas, he came down with a mysterious illness that eventually took his life.
The lyrics in the song are unbelieveable and to be honest, very tough to listen to.
One line in the lyrics says "You never know why you're alive until you know what you would die for, I would die for you" Wow!
After spending two years as an intern at Saddleback and learning about "Purpose" constantly, I would think that this would just naturally make since to me. I realized I dont want to just know it, I want to live it.
I kept thinking, I want to be like that, I want that passion, that boldness.
We have to be honest, we have it made. We live in a comfortable country, work at comfortable jobs, and go home to comfortable families. I pray that we will lose our comfort, and be ready for whatever God is calling us to do. (even if that is dying) It's the only real way to live!

So True!

A friend of mine mentioned that he saw an article on the cover of a magazine titled " Texas Women and 49 other reasons to go on living." It was pretty funny and Im glad to see that Texas women placed 1st. Im not sure there has to be 50 reasons to go on living though. Jesus, Texas Women, and sports are really all I need.

Click

I have always been a huge Adam Sandler
fan. I have seen Billy Madison
about 122 times. Back in the day, the purpose and pretty much only purpose of his movies was to make you laugh. He has matured a little in the past few years.
I did not know if I wanted to pay 9 dollars to see Click
. I could not tell by the previews if it would be a good movie or not and I heard mixed reviews. I caved in, and went and saw it last night. All I can say is GREAT MOVIE!!! It had its funny parts, but the greatness comes from the message. It lets you know how important the choices you make in life are. Life goes by fast and we need to make sure we have our priorities straight when it comes to how we spend our time and treat other people.
It made me want to move back to Texas
and be close to my family for the rest of my life. It does have a little bit of language and typical Adam Sandler movie crude humor, but if you can get past it, I highly recommend it. TWO THUMBS UP!!!

I'll admitt it, I'm a wuss.

For one of our summer events, we decided to take the students to a waterpark in Fresno. I was having a lot of fun hanging out with the kids. It was my first time at a waterpark in about 5 years. Now this park in Fresno was not near as glamerous as the ones I have been to in the past. The rides were not near as terrifying either.

But I realized today, the older I get, the wussier I become.
I have been skydiving, I have been bungee jumping over a river, and I use to be able to ride anything no matter what it was. High school and college, I was either fearless or just plain stupid.

Two jr. high students told me to come with them to this very tall, steep slide, called Geronimo. I didnt think twice and told them okay. I wasnt scared at first. But as we were climbing the stairs, the fear got worse and worse. But there is no way I would chicken out in front of two 13 year olds. I made the mistake by telling them I was scared. I was even asking the lifeguard how dangerous the ride was. She started laughing at me and told me that no one has ever died on it before. I sat down, closed my eyes, screamed at the top of my lungs like a jr. high girl, and got the worst headache ever. The lifeguard started sarcasticaly cheering for me yelling "you did it, you did it, Im so proud." The two 8th graders gave me a hard time for the rest of the day.

2 points to this. If you have fear, dont tell anyone. (especially jr. highers and cute lifeguards. And number 2, dont go on waterslides if you dont have to.
Life is too precious.

You're Pitiful

Another great Parody by the legendary Weird Al Yankovic.
Click here to listen

A Sad Day in Dallas

Thank you Mavericks for an incredible season.
They exceeded every expectation.
They won 62 games, Avery was coach of the year in his firt full season as a coach, and they made it to the finals for the first time in their 26 year old franchise.
Even though the refs decided the outcome of game 5, the heat played well. They were more physical and the shots just werent going in for the Mavs.
They are a young team though, and will be competing for many years to come.

GO MAVS!

Part of the job

Every week, I try to think of created ways to make the jr. high ministry at my church better. Afterall, that is my job. I just learned this week that if you put mentos candy into diet coke, amazing things happen. There has to be a way to turn this into a game. Ideas are much appreciated.

Mavs + Loss = Total Mavness

The Past few weeks, there have been times when an good number of people have mentioned to me that I am very passionate about basketball and the Dallas Mavericks. This got me thinking. Yes, I like the sport and the team, but its just entertainment. Why am I so passionate about something that really does not mean much in the big picture? The answer; I dont know, I just am.

I realized though that there is something I need to deal with and deal with it soon. Some of my friends may disagree, but it usually takes a lot to make me angry. Overall, I am a pretty easy going guy. I was watching Game 5 to the Mavs, Heat game last night. The Mavs have already lost two in a row and would be down 3 to 2 in the series if we lost game 5. As I was watching the game, anger and hatred for the players on the Heat was coming over me. Pretty sad huh? I came very close to hitting my telivision, but I have already broken one in the past. (nba playoffs 2003).Issues that really matter such as the war, gas prices, crime, the lost, I really dont think about as much as I should, but for some strange reason my day can be totally ruined by the outcome of a basketball game. I think I need help! My hope and prayer is that people will notice the passion I have for my relationship with Jesus.

What's a blog?

I try to teach students that God made us all unique. That we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are our own person and should not try to pattern our lives with the rest of the world. We dont have to try certain things just because everyone else is doing it.

With that said, I now find myself dealing with hypocrisy. I always said that I would not blog just because everyone I know does it. Well, here I am. I am now officially a blogger. Although, I am not the most skilled at putting my words down on paper (or computer); for some reason, a lot of interesting things happen in my life that will be very entertaining to read. Stay Tuned!