EEH

Shutterfly or ShutterFree

2010-12-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

If you have ever used shutterfly.com you know how many different things you can do with your photos. Right now they are giving away 50 free holiday cards just for writing about it! Check it out here but hurry, you only have until tomorrow! I am going to use my 50 cards to send out a Christmas card of my Hillary and I at Disneyland. A few years ago I got Hillary a photo calendar of us, she loved it! My next planned project with shutterfly is to get a canvas of Hillary and I to put above our fireplace or in my office at work! With shutterfly you can make gifts for anyone and everyone. When Hillary and I were first dating I got her a photo mug of the two of us. Although that was a long time ago and we look a lot older she still loves that mug. It is affordable and convenient, you never have to leave the couch, or for me, my recliner! Not only are the prices great and the convenience fantastic, friends and family love the gifts you get them because it is personal and thoughtful. So get your New Years party invitations at shutterfly, you won't regret it. With deals like this one maybe they should change their name from shutterfly to shutterfree!

Have It Your Way??

2009-06-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well, in my last post I mentioned there was more to come about my Burger King visit in Pismo.

Burger King's supposed motto.

Some people abuse this so I understand posting a sign.

This I do not understand! Seriously!?

Beach Animals

2009-06-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

So awhile back on my way to a wedding at Ragged Point, myself and Jon were making great time so we decided to make a few stops. We stopped at Hearst Castle, Burger King in Pismo (more to come later), and also just pulled over to the side of the road. Here are some things we saw on the side of the road.

This is more than 100 Elephant Seals, I think we watched them for at least 30 minutes.

This is a little crab guy that wouldn't come out from under the rock.

Paradise Tea!!

2009-06-20T20:13:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am seriously going to start blogging frequently. Me and Hill got a Mr. Iced Tea for a wedding gift along with a tub of licorice. Awesome gift right....? Included with the tea maker was some wonderful tea bags. Although looking back this was not a good thing. Me and hill have been drinking at least a pitcher a day, we LIKE it, A LOT.

It is Passion Fruit Paradise Tropical Tea, it's awesome!! Today over the course of 5 hours I drank a pitcher and was very disappointed when the pitcher ran dry. However we are stocked up on tea bags because right when we got back from Maui, i ordered a case of it online!

This is the case I ordered, each little box has 4 bags! AWESOMENESS!

Check it out!

2009-06-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

So a good friend, Mr. Logan has started a blog. Check it out here!

212!!

2009-06-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

One of the things Hillary and I did after we got married was get a Wii. It has been a lot of fun! The other night me and my wife were playing Wii Sports, and doing some bowling. At the end, my score popped up on the screen and I had a realization, that score is my current weight!

Crazy!!

BACK!!

2009-06-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened, and during that time I did not have internet. I do now so be prepared for a lot of posting!!! In the meantime here is a picture of one thing that happened in the last month!

I thought it was pretty sweet!

T10T: Scary to Marry?

2009-04-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, the day is getting closer. If you haven't heard, the wedding is 25 days and counting. Check out the website for some awesome photos and other cool stuff. But as the day gets closer I think upon things that worry or scare me slightly about being married. So here are my Top 10 Apprehensions About Marriage.

#10 Being Responsible. If you know me at all, I am not always the most responsible however now responsibility is calling.

#9 Budgeting: never really done it.

# 8 Sharing a bathroom with a girl: never really done it.

#7 Sharing a closet: done it before, but when it comes to clothes I realized I have way more clothes than I need and can't even contain them all in a closet right now by myself.

#6 Being responsible for the spiritual and physical well being of my family.

#5 Officially becoming a grown up, so long childhood!

#4 Who will do the cooking?

#3 Eating healthier

#2 Having to share a bed. I can be a violent sleeper often thrashing about and flailing my arms; someone might lose an eye.

#1 ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

I Love Churros!

2009-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

The other day I drove to Costco...... I LOVE CHURROS!!

Oh and I bought a purple polo!

It's Baseball Season

2009-04-09T15:09:00.001-07:00

Last night me and Hill went to the Angels game. It was a lot of fun! We had a blast, we went with Brad and Kelsie it was fun! It makes me realize we should go to more baseball games.

T10T:Food Network

2009-04-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

On this fine Tuesday I want to share my 10 favorite things on the Food Network! At work we often have the Food Network playing, and it has made me a huge fan of the network in general but here are 10 specific things that I love about the network (Mainly chefs and shows).

# 10 Chef's that cry over food

# 9 How hungry the food makes me

# 8 Paula's Home Cooking

# 7 BBQ with Bobby Flay

# 6 Ace of Cakes:This is a cake of LOST!

# 5 Giada's Weekend Getaway

# 4 Everyday Italian:This is her cookbook!

# 3 Food Network Challenge:This is a 20 foot skyscraper made entirely of chocolate!

# 2 Giada At Home

# 1 Giada De Laurentiis

Sharing is Caring!

2009-04-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the mall this afternoon and pulled into a parking spot. When I returned to Fiona I found her next to a friend. I felt pretty special that someone would share a parking spot with my Fiona! Maybe cars should consider sharing spots.

Man Week

2009-04-03T18:14:00.001-07:00

It was man week! For a summary of the events, check out Morgan's blog. But this was my participation in man week. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

I liked the Mustache!

I have an awesome profile!

Teriyaki Chicken

2009-04-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

I was lookin through some pictures on my phone and found this one! It reminded me of how much I love a quality Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl and really anything with teriyaki!

Conficker!

2009-03-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

And yet another reason I am grateful that I have a Mac!

Top 10 Tuesday's

2009-03-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

I am going to try something new. It's nothing that other people haven't done before but we'll give it a try. Something hopefully that people will begin to look forward to and enjoy. I hope to begin a series of posts on Tuesday's that will include a Top 10 list. To kick it off we will begin with

Top 10 Tuesday's Top 10 Reason's to have a Top 10.

10. It's fun to do

9. Quicker to write

8. Quicker to read

7. Its better than Top 100

6. It has potential to be funny

5. I like routine and this will become routine

4. Increase daily blog hits on Tuesdays

3. It's biblical

2. David Letterman does it

1. LOST is on TV on Wednesdays, what else is there to do on Tuesday nights?

I Need a Name

2009-03-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

It's not for me, its for my beautiful baby! My first problem is figuring out whether it's male or female. I obviously am leaning towards female however, I don't want to make Hillary jealous. And also I have an awesome male name, someone help me. I need name suggestions! Some current front runners for names and their meanings:

Male

Rufus = Red haired

Chauncey = Chancellor

Female

Natasha = To be born

Vivian = Life

Sophie = Wisdom

Nadia = Hope

Fiona = White

Francesca = Free spirit

Other name suggestions not listed are allowed.

Do You Have Something of Mine?

2009-03-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was cataloging my books and DVD's, (Don't judge me) because they are already arranged alphabetically I am now trying to keep track of them all. Although the other day I had a conversation with a local pastor about arranging my books according to the Dewey Decimal Classification. Although this is something I look forward to very much I am waiting until I move into a new apartment. The DDC is pure brilliance. Back to my point, I noticed some books and DVD's missing, not stolen, just missing. I have let many people borrow books and movies and I forget who (which is the reason for cataloging them) I let borrow what. (For more info on cataloging your own media click here). One book I noticed missing was Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. This is a great book and I recommend it highly! Another title was Crazy Love by Francis Chan. These are the two that I noticed right away, if you have either of these books or any others please return them or let me know at least, I miss them! On the movie side of things I noticed I am missing Spellbound, however while at Blockbuster I picked up a new copy for $3 so you can keep it however please still tell me so you can by me a cup of coffee or something. Thank you all for your help in getting all of my books and DVD's spoken for and properly cataloged.

P.S.

Most of my titles have a sticker with my name and phone number on the back.

Look What Came In The Mail!

2009-03-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

Please notice some very important features on my new license!

First is the pink circle at the bottom, I am pretty stoked about it!Second is the awesome new license class I have listed next to the typical C, M1.

I Miss Thee

2009-03-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

I did something at work yesterday I hadn't done in at least a year. I loved it. It's an old long lost love and a new passionate fling together. Licorice and Dr. Pepper. Oh how I miss my childhood days of drinkin pop through a licorice straw.

"Sometimes I like to hold stuff like this and pretend I'm a giant."

47 Days til.....

2009-03-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

"Marriage is the greatest test in the world...but now I welcome the test instead of dreading it. It is much more than a test of sweetness of temper, as people sometimes think; it is a test of the whole character and affects every action.

- T.S. Eliot

New Read

2009-03-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

The other day at work we got the new ESV Study Bible. I bought one, I am super stoked about it. You should check it out!

If You Like Ice Cream......

2009-03-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Do you like girl scout cookies, how about ice cream? If you answered yes to both of those questions, this post is for you. A friend mentioned this to me the other day and so a couple nights ago I sought it out. It will not disappoint! Check it out, for your own good.

Thanks Erica!

Quote of the Day

2009-03-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

"The person who understands the evil in his own heart is the only person who is useful, fruitful, and solid in his beliefs and obedience. Others only delude themselves and thus upset families, churches, and all other relationships. In their self-pride and judgment of others, they show great inconsistency."

- John Owen

Wedding Site!!!!

2009-03-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

You should definitely check out our wedding site!! I think it looks pretty legit!

www.carsonandhillary.com

I Passed!

2009-03-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

I took my M1 motorcycle license test today at the DMV, I passed! It was awesome, someone almost backed into me while taking the test in the DMV parking lot.

My New Love

2009-03-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

My boss recently brought in a small bag of Riesen's into work. I had never had one before but for some reason had a prejudice against them. Everyone had them and enjoyed them and then once they were gone I immediately wanted one. She brought in a new bag a couple days later and I had to try one. I right away new that this was a mistake. I do not need any help finding sweet delicious snacks that I enjoy but now with a little help I have found my new current favorite sweet. Dark Chocolate with Chewy Toffee!

This is how happy I get when eating a Riesen at work!

I'm Engaged!

2009-03-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

treverhoehne.blogspot.com

Sunday Afternoon Ride

2009-03-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

After hanging out with Adam and going to a favorite shared spot we have, Jamba Juice, I decided to go for a nice Sunday afternoon scooter ride. I started out on my favorite street to ride on, Victoria, and just started towards Corona. I rode through some very nice neighborhoods up some hills and eventually got to a spot where I looked over Riverside. I then proceeded down this very windy and winding road over some water and through a lot of hills. Long story short, I ended up at Dos Lagos and had no idea how to make it back home without going on the freeway. I made it, and it was a really enjoyable ride. Sorry...No Pictures!

This Is A Test!

2009-02-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is only 74 days until the wedding? Heck, it feels like yesterday that Hillary and I were just arriving at CBU! Right or wrong it has gone by fast and it is hard to believe its 2009. I look back at my time at CBU as a student and realize how blessed I am to walk away with the education that I have. Sometimes I wish I had done more while I was in college but I remain young. To be honest though I am quite happy with my college experience. Of course there is still the occasional "what if". Possibly my time has come and gone, but I am sure I still have some fuel left in the tank. How else would I be sticking around here in Riverside? Except for my lack of playing ping pong my last two years at CBU I am very satisfied with my level of physical activity. Rain will fall and the sun will shine and I remain feeling fine.

Hotter than hades is what it feels like in Fresno during the summer months. Oddly, I would not trade it for any other city in California. Forever it will remain my home. So why am I writing about such random things? Cause I want to! However there is more to it than that. Rarely do you see random bolded letters for no reason. Obviously there is a reason for them. Everyone can try and figure it out. Really though, only the first person who figures it out can win!

Exciting Scooter Advancements!

2009-02-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

I finally got my license plate for my beautifully gorgeous love of my life. No, not Hillary, my other love.....YES, the Scoot Scoot! It looks great and finally complete with the license plate firmly attached in place. Now my question for you is what do I name her? I feel like I am taking a huge risk and letting you into our lives by letting you, the general public to help me name her. So lets shoot those suggestion's this way. I am a big fan of alliteration as well as a name that somewhat describes her such as her beautiful white paint job. Let's hear those ideas!

I'm a Computer Engineer!

2009-02-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, Hillary's computer hard drive crashed....sad I know! After some time on the phone with Apple support I found out that it was going to cost more than the computer was worth to fix. I took matter into my own hands and looked online for some information on how to fix my problem....well Hillary's problem. So I went to Best Buy, bought a new hard drive that was 4 times the size of her original one and installed it myself, thus making me a do it yourself computer engineer! Here is a picture of me working!

Sunday Afternoons

2009-02-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Most Sunday's when we make it out to Beaumont to Fellowship in the Pass church we are invited to a couple places for lunch. It is great to be so far away from home and still feel at home amongst other friends and their families. The Price and Cloud family have become our family and homes away from home. A couple Sunday's ago after church we went to the Cloud's house and enjoyed a great time of fellowship and of course eating. Here is a picture of what I had to eat at the Cloud's. Thank you to the Cloud's and Price's, I never go hungry on Sunday afternoons and sometimes Sunday nights. Thanks family!

I'm Back

2009-02-15T14:37:00.001-08:00

After many complaints from my readership about the difficulty of navigating my other blog location I am returning to where it all started. I have been meaning to do this for some time now but my current living situation is without internet which limits my online time thus limiting my blogging time. But here it is back and better than ever!

The other day I was doing my laundry, (3 Loads) and after taking the first two loads out and bringing them back to my apartment where they remain on the floor, went to bed leaving my third and final load in the dryer. I know I am horrible person I went against all

laundromat etiquette, DON'T JUDGE ME! I was tired, this is not the point, when i returned to the laundry room near my apartment a couple days later, (DON'T JUDGE ME!) I was busy, I found my laundry not in the dryer where I left it but rather on the counter. This was not the weird part, I expected to find it on the counter or even on the ground, the fascinating part is that it was folded! Thank you PHANTOM FOLDER!

Farewell.....well....kinda

2008-09-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well....this is it for my blogging career on blogger. At least for the next year. I got a years subscription for Mobile Me so until September 26th 2009 I will be over at my new blog and all around site. I thank you for your loyal support here at Eccentric Examinations of the Heart at carsonbelmont.blogspot.com but it is time to move on. I hope it will be on to bigger and better things but who knows? Until next time over at my new space I bid thee farewell. To proceed to my new site please click HERE!

Reading, Relaxing, Reflecting

2008-09-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well....Basically I love using alliteration! I know often times it is cheesy or over used but I love it, even when pastors use it in their sermons, however I am always stuck wondering and pondering how much time they spent figuring out words that start with the same letter. Right now I am outside on a beautifully hot day enjoying a sugar free vanilla frescante! So Good! I am currently still reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love I really enjoy it. It brings about a lot of thought in my life. I am almost done and then I will start a new book, hopefully one that will challenge me. I'm not sure what I am reflecting on but it worked with the alliteration. And relaxing, well for those of you who know me know that that is not happening.

Summer Music

2008-09-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Well....summer has come and gone and it was a good one. Who could complain with all of the awesome music that came out! And not all of the music this summer was brand new but I enjoyed it! I just want to share with all of my faithful readers the music that got me through this summer, both old and new!

The first song that I really enjoyed this summer was Spiders by Lovedrug. This is such a good song and so relaxing. The next for the summer is I'm Still a Guy by Brad Paisley. This song is hilarious and also really enjoyable, also anything by Brad Paisley is always a good choice, especially Old Rugged Cross!! One song that I seriously could not get enough of was Sweet and Low by Augustana both the acoustic version and the regular. I would venture to say that the acoustic version was actually better than the original. Another song by Augustana that gets honorable mention for the summer is Hey Now. One album that was all around amazing this summer was of course Coldplay's newest work and in particular Viva La Vida, Violet Hill, Strawberry Swing, and Death and All His Friends! Jason Mraz's new CD this summer was also an enjoyable album to listen to of course his duet with Colbie Caillat, Lucky was very well done.

All in all it was a very enjoybale summer listening to music. If you haven't heard any of these songs I would recommend every one of them to you!

Monday Monday

2008-09-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well...It's Monday morning and I am kinda excited about it. I am very tired and for that reason I wish it was Saturday, however this day is one that I get to begin with joy, and I will begin with joy because I get to chose these things. The name of what day it is will not dictate how I feel!! So I hope everyone else has a manic monday and that they don't wish it were Sunday.

Welcome Back!!

2008-09-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well...I know my blog frequency has been slowing but this is well worth the wait. This is the most recent from TLR, enjoy and Welcome Back!

Crazy Love

2008-08-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

I started a new book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, it's really good so far!

It Finally Happened

2008-08-09T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well....If you have not heard already, It Finally Happened! What....? you may ask, well I am very glad you did! On Friday August 1st 2008 I asked Hillary Joy Kell to be my wife! It was a very enjoyable night that we got to spend together at first just enjoying each others company and then celebrating the exciting news with our families. I was not nervous about proposing to Hillary and never have been but the mere thought of it was very exciting to me leading up to Friday. Although I expected to be very happy and excited to take this step and move forward towards starting our own family I did not expect to be filled with the joy, relief and sheer happiness that I felt on that Friday evening. I owe the entire night to God as he planned things and made things work out that I could not have planned if I had tried weeks in advance. What made the night special was being able to spend it with the woman I love. I cannot wait to begin this journey of marriage with my beautiful fiance! Here are a few shots of how the night went down, after our bike ride we picked a spot in the grass and spread out a blanket and enjoyed a wonderfully made meal by the awesome people at Subway. Then we played catch and enjoyed each others god given ability to do so until it was too dark to see and then we switched to dessert and playing a few hands of speed (which I one). After such a wonderful evening with my girlfriend I asked her a question that made her become my fiance. Thank you so much and I love you tons Hill

Once we arrived at the park

Enjoying some Subway!

After she said YES!!!

Favorite Past Time: Boxcar Children

2008-07-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well....I continue my series of some of my favorite pastimes of growing up. It may not come as a surprise to many of you but I was a reader. When I say I was a reader I don't mean I read a book every now and then but I was reading one or two books per week. These books weren't exactly Dr. Seuss books either. By the time I was in junior high, I was reading the likes of Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, and my favorite John Grisham. However the series that got me hooked on books is the Boxcar Children series. This series written by Gertrude Chandler Warner got me hooked and I read book after book. I could not put this series down. As soon as I finished one I would start the next. As best as my memory allows, my favorite book was the third one in the series titled The Yellow House Mystery. If you are ever looking for an easy read, pick one up. It shouldn't take you long to finish and you may just find a new favorite past time.

Singalong with the Dark Knight

2008-07-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well....I am sure most of you are wondering what in the world could this be about. Of course it must be about Batman. Well you guessed it, it is partially about the first batman movie without batman in the title but it is also about Phil Wickham.

The Dark Knight starts tonight at Midnight and when I looked at Fandango out of curiosity I found that all 8 12:01 showings were sold out and 1 of the 4 1:00 showings was sold out. And then of course there was also the lone 3:15 showing that still had plenty of room. I most likely will not see it tonight but it will not be long until I see the best movie of the summer.

Phil Wickham will be releasing what he calls Phil Wickham/singalong: recorded live in portland. This releases on August 8, 2008, yes that is correct 08/08/08! Right when the Olympics begin. The absolute best part about all of this is that it is FREE! He will have the free downloads available on the above date.

Favorite Past Time: Slush Puppies and Jerky Chew

2008-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well....its time for the second installment of my summer series. As you can see from my title, this one is all about the food. Growing up there was a gas station near my home that sold this blue mixture somewhere between a liquid and a solid state (I am not really sure which). I came to know this amazing soliquid as a Slush Puppy. I think the reason I really preferred these at one time over a slurpee was simply because of the Slush Puppy mascot. What a cool dog? Speaking of slurpees, this Friday at any 7/11 store, walk on in and receive your complimentary slurpee. You may be asking yourself, "Why would 7/11 give away free slurpees?" Well...you can tell yourself, just say "Self, I think it's a promotional offer that they do every July 11th." Don't get too excited, they are pretty small, however, if you hit up enough 7/11s, you just might get a full 20 oz.

The second thing in my title is jerky chew. "What is this?" Well...I'm glad you asked, it is shredded beef jerky. The reason this is listed as one of my favorite past times, is because it reminds me of hanging out with my dad. When I would go to work with him, he would buy me a can of jerky chew. I would stick this in my bottom lip and would let it sit and soak in, enjoying every last bit of that teriyaki flavor. Until next time, go grab a slush puppy and some jerky chew.

Favorite Past Time: Tag

2008-07-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Well...here is the much awaited summer series. Today's topic is the ultimate game for all generations...TAG! I can remember playing a simple game of tag for hours which consisted of running around on a field "tagging" someone. What made this game so popular and so much fun. And if for some reason you ever grew tired of the typical game of tag you could always resort to one of the many other variations of tag. Some of my favorites were freeze tag, flashlight tag, and of course the ultimate hot lava monster. This brings me to another game which I have never categorized in the same as tag however wikipedia differs from this. But this reminds me of many afternoons spent after school at my neighbors house playing kick the can. We would play for hours upon hours and then when we were done we would retreat inside where their mom had Kool aid and cookies ready for us. Then we would continue on with our fun and games by having a huge indoor game of Nerf war. My weapon of choice being the Master Blaster, of course with a pistol in the back of my belt for close range combat. Tables and couches were overturned and converted into bases and forts and mom's and sisters became innocent bystander casualties. The games normally lasted until a lamp or another breakable object was knocked over and then we would retire to the television. Oh the joys and carelessness of childhood.

What was your favorite game to play as a kid?

Summer Series: Favorite Past Times

2008-07-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well... I'm sure many of my faithful readers are wondering what happened to the planned summer series? To answer all of your many questions with one answer: it's coming soon! With coming home from Germany to an apartment with roommates and work I was thrown off schedule slightly however I figured I would make it start come July. So now that it is July 1 it is time to start. I have many things to discuss about my childhood, growing up, and some of my favorite things during that time, however it only really works with reader participation, so please share some of your favorite things as I share mine throughout the month of July. So check back in the next day or two as post #1 in the series will be coming soon.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, last week Hillary told me about this dance on SYTYCD and I only first saw it yesterday and so I just figured I'd share it with those of you who haven't seen it yet.

If that doesn't want to make you learn how to dance, well you probably just hate dancing.

Summer Roommates!!

2008-06-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

Well....just having some fun.

Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Diamond Dog Champs!

2008-06-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well...if you haven't heard, Fresno State Bulldogs won the College World Series. I am stoked as is everyone from Fresno. I've said it once and I'll say it again, Let's Go Dogs!

I've Never...

2008-06-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well...I wanted to blog but didn't really want to invest all that much thought so here it goes.

I've never broken a bone

I've never been to Mexico

I've never attended an NFL game

I've never been surfing

I've never gone skydiving

I've never seen any of the Godfather movies

I've never been to Ikea

I've never had a bloody nose

She's Here!

2008-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well...Hillary is here for the weekend!! YES!

Lets Go:

2008-06-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well...I was in the writing mood but was not real sure what to start. (Favorite Past Times Series COMING SOON!!) First of all I cannot believe that in my last post I forgot to mention Euro 2008. This has been such a fun thing to get sucked into. My two roommates schedules are dictated often by who is playing and at what time so I have also begun to keep up with the scores and different matches. Lets Go Netherlands! Also I must mention again how awesome the Fresno State Bulldog team is. They beat North Carolina on Tuesday night, the Tar Heels are the #2 team in the country. Bring on anybody, there going to the finals. Lets Go Dogs! As I am sure most know Coldplay's album, Viva La Vida was released on Tuesday in America and it does not disappoint. With an entire album that puts you into a state of musical euphoria. Check it out. Lets Go Coldplay!

CWS, US Open, D.A. Carson

2008-06-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well....Right now I am watching the U.S. Open of Golf Championship. You may be asking but it's Monday, did you record it? Well yesterday during the final round at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods in typical dramatic Tiger fashion sunk a birdie putt on the 18th to tie the Championship at 1 under par and force an 18 hole playoff this morning. Tiger holds a 4-1 favorite by the kind folks in Vegas but with his knee the way it is could make it a very interesting playoff.
Also as an update to my last post, Fresno State won their first game against Rice steamrolling the fifth ranked pitching staff in the country 17-5. They now advance to play the North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday at 4 pm PST. Lets Go Dogs!
And finally I just want to point out, yes I am still reading Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church by D.A. Carson. And let me tell you it just is'nt an easy book to read. It is a very intellectual book that requires me to reread pages causing me to take a while to get through it however it is a very enjoyable book. Til next time...

Lets Go Dogs!

2008-06-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well....Fresno State is in the College World Series! I had season tickets to Bulldog games since before I can even remember. I even had my own seat that had my name on a shiny metal plate. Beiden Field was like a home away from home. Friday and Saturday nights were always something to look forward to and of course the Sunday afternoon game after church was always a great time to relax and enjoy some sunshine. For a number of years I could recite the entire roster, jersey numbers, positions and for starters batting averages and other stats. However during those years, they never resulted in any post season happiness. Growing up it never bothered me because by that time it was summer and I was free. But now this season, so many years since the last time I attended a game they have made it to Omaha. I will be rooting and supporting the Fresno State Bulldogs in their quest to win the CWS. One thing I must mention is my dislike for the initials of the College World Series as it is the same for the Chicago White Sox who I dislike very much, which is why they do not receive the courtesy of a link. Some notable former Bulldogs are Mark Gardner, Bobby Jones, Tom Goodwin, Jeff Weaver who was just released today from his current team. Check out the Dogs play on Sunday, (Father's Day) at 11 am against Rice in Omaha on ESPN. Also of note is the fact that Fresno Coach Mike Batesole was voted National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Currently Reading

2008-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well...following the trend of my last post, I want to introduce to all of my readers a new part of my blog. On the right side of your screen you will now see throughout the rest of the summer a section titled: Currently Reading. This will be a picture of the book that I am currently reading. By clicking on the picture it will take you to a description of the book. Now everyone can enjoy the books that I am reading. On a side note today is a very sad and gloomy Thursday. There will be no watching of LOST or The Office.

Who doesn't enjoy reading?

2008-06-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well....while I was in Germany I read a number of different books. These books are the most likely reason for my suitcase being 6 kilograms over the maximum allowed weight at the airport. Thanks to my smile and a friendly airport worker all I had to do was shave 2 kilograms of of my suitcase weight and I did so by taking out 3 books and a shoe. Anyways the point of this post is to tell you all about the books that I read.
The first book that I read was The Shack by William Young. This book was a very thought provoking book. It made some very interesting theological statements all the while making some very keen observations about the character of God and enlightened me some of the different aspects of the Trinity.
I also read John Grisham's newest novel The Appeal. This was a very interesting and entertaining novel covering the dirty side of political campaigning specifically in state supreme court races.
I read Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy's biography. What a great book!? I would recommend this book to anyone whether an avid reader or someone who reads a book once a year. This book is such an easy read yet has so much valuable experience to pull from and learn from.

Finally Reporting In

2008-06-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well...I apologize for the lack of posting since reentering the beautiful United States. I am very happy to be back in the US and back at work. After spending the weekend in Fresno with my family and Hillary I am now back in Riverside working hard for the money. I can't really describe my trip through a blog post so I am not going to try. I am gonna post some pictures on here however all of my pictures can be found on Flickr. In a few words I can say that Munich was absolutely beautiful, the trip was a blast and God did work in our lives as well as a few people that we were able to meet and build relationships with. Enjoy the photos and be ready for me to begin blogging with a fury. Thanks for prayers and support.

This was at the Burger King at the Munich airport.

This is called a Döner Kebab and it is very good.

This was a tobaggon run in Austria....AWESOME!

Lunchtime in the middle of a long day at the sports camp.

This was dinner at what is called the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

I am Here

2008-05-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well...I am in Germanz and just so zou know anztime there is a y it should be a z and vice versa because the kezboard is switched. I am still alive and well but verz tired. German kids are just like Americans in the fact that thez don´t get tired. We have been able to travel to Salzyerg in Austria which was amayinglz beautiful. Munich is also verz prettz and green but Austria was incredible. The people are verz nice here and manz speak English as well as a few other languages which leaves me feeling verz idiodic and such. We have been able to enjoz some sausage while here as well as lots of PB&J. We also have been to an ITalian restaurant where the Calyone was great! Please keep me in zour preazers as we still have almost two weeks left. I wish I could include pictures however I am pazing for the internet time and Europe is not cheap especiallz the waz the US economz is. Catch zall back in the states!

Germany and the Glockenspiel

2008-05-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well...My flight for Germany leaves in approximately 15 hours. I leave for the airport in approximately 10 hours. I will not be a very frequent blogger in the next three weeks however please continue to check in as I may have opportunities to make a short post or for up to date reports check here. All I can say is that I am getting excited and at 5:30 am the day of I just returned from Norms and enjoying 3 hotcakes. Please be in prayer for my team and the people we get to meet in Germany. Thanks for all of your support!

Oceans 11, 12, 13

2008-05-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well...This past weekend myself, Adam and Hillary watched Ocean's 13. I LOVE these movies.

They are awesome! I do realize they are not the most well made movies like Oscar worthy

and all that but the dynamic of these three films

is incredible. The way that each of the characters interact with each other just makes the films top notch. If there were any movies that I would

watch over and over it would be these 3. I am not saying that these 3 are my favorite movies, for example The Bourne Series are also my favorites but I could not watch them over and over in the same way I could do that with the Ocean movies. I would just like to give a nod to the

Ocean films and all the actors involved. Brad, George and Matt are possibly

the best trio in a trilogy to ever appear on the silver screen.

Finals

2008-04-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well...Finals are over and I am HAPPY! What a feeling of relief? Summer is a truly awesome thing.

Music in the Mood

2008-04-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well...I have been stuck listening to a couple of the same things over and over. I have finally got over my stage of listening to the entire One Republic CD at least once a day, I have cut back to about one song per day from the album. That lasted about two months, and a great two months at that. Now I just go back and forth between listening to The Beatles, and the August Rush Soundtrack. That sums up for the most part my listening experience over the last week or so. Sure I'll throw in some Ben Harper and actually quite a bit of John Mayer lately however the old John Mayer not any of his newer stuff. The Beatles are of course legends and unforgettable but as of now I am hooked. In regards to August Rush, I think I find much of the instrumental peaceful and relaxing while I do homework however it does not put me to sleep like many other instrumental tracks. This morning I was reminded of a song that I always love to listen to because as the title implies it takes me away. Music is awesome!

Plum or Plumb??

2008-04-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well...I was thinking about what to blog about on this fine Sunday evening and I decided I don't like plums. I never have and I am not sure I ever will. It may be the color but I don't think so. It most likely is the gross taste that the brightly colored fruit produces. Then I thought about plumbing and how I really don't like to plumb either. But then again who does really like to plumb, probably not too many other than those who are plumbers like to plumb either. But once you get away from the gross general ideas of plumbing it can actually be very fun. Instead of just thinking of pipes and elbows, think of the awesome decorative pieces such as faucet pull out pieces, or polished brass sinks.
The sister site to Plumbersurplus.com is another and for me much more enjoyable site to peruse. Outdoorpros.com has items ranging from awesome hunting knives to some sweet ankle holsters. Check out the sites and enjoy some high class online shopping.

Summer Series/Summer Sacrifice

2008-04-15T20:10:00.001-07:00

Well...I know I have been slacking but I am running out of gas for the semester so I have just been tired and not up to blogging. But here I am back in action. I first want to alert everyone to a summer series I will be doing on my blog. It will be titled My Favorite Past Times. I am very excited about it and there will be some awesome posts to accompany it. So keep that in mind and don't forget about this humble blogger over the summer.

Second I really want to recognize 3 guys that I must tip my hat to. They are sacrificing their summer's for a greater cause then their own relaxation. Ethan, Justin and Tim are my summer heroes. I will not attempt to fully explain what they will be doing this summer as I do not believe I will do their cause justice. Basically they will be kayaking down the Mississippi River to raise awareness about sex trafficking. They will be partnering with the International Justice Mission. To learn a whole lot more about their cause and their awesome battle and how YOU can help and be a part of their trip please check out their blog, upstreambattle.blogspot.com These are three guys that if you do not already know them then you need to get to know them, fast! Check them out at their blog or with questions email them at anupstreambattle@gmail.com

To Grow, or Not To Grow?

2008-04-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well...if you have seen me recently you know what I am talking about. I'll start at the beginning. It began with a dream for the CBU community. You may have heard of No Shave November however this was another event similar called Mustache March. A quick detour about Mustache March and it's origin. It began as a way to raise money for the MACC Fund, and instantly became a favorite past time. I encourage you to just browse the above site to be educated about mustaches and their charity.

I was eager to participate of course, and in learning the rules from Chris during the month of February, the excitement continued to build up. As the shave day approached I began to get nervous but the night of February 29th 2008 I shaved my face clean. It was smooth and I grew anxious wanting a mustache to appear right away, however I knew right away this was going to be something special. This was not something that would be done without purpose or reason but I was going to follow the strict rules being in Fresno away from my friends. To this day I am not sure why but I was unable to shave everything and now I have grown attached. I do realize I do not have the fullest beard, the cleanest beard, or even the funniest looking beard however one thing my beard does have is CHARACTER. I love it and I am not really sure when, if ever I'll be able to part with it. I will admit it has not always been easy between me and my beard. We have had our rough patches (No pun intended) like the week it just would not quit itching, or how about even now as it refuses to grow in a few places but one thing is for sure, we were meant to be together. However as the shave day came on the 15th of March when all other facial hair must be shaved I could not pull myself to do so. Maybe it was because I had a family portrait appointment that day, maybe it was the lack of accountability and guideline laid out for everyman on the site. Maybe for another reason...but whatever it was it was divine. I knew I probably had no shot at Best of Show, yet I knew I was being pulled toward the competition. I was thinking i had a shot at the Most Disturbing award. But hear this, when No Shave November comes around again I will start from scratch. One thing I do know is that me and my beard have become one over the last 33 days. And please give your honest opinions on me and my beard.

This is when it was just a baby.

It was growing.

I know you are loving the shades. The day after I was supposed to shave.
After Spring break it filled in quite nicely.
And now presently where we are at in our relationship.

Bookcase getting some good use

2008-03-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well....I was thinking about what I could let people see into my life and I was sitting on my couch and looked to my left and was inspired. My bookcase has character. Much like many other things in someones apartment, a person's books and movies can tell a lot about them. So I figured why not let everyone see a little into my own character. Here are some pictures that I took with my roommates camera and messed around with in my limited iPhoto abilities.

This shows the many books on my shelf revolve around either baseball or sports in general.

The importance of the Holy Bible!
A part of my movie collection.And a few more movies that I own.

Thanks for reading and please check out my friend Justin's Blog as he is just starting it up.

Underrated TV?

2008-03-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well...I was thinking, can a TV show even be underrated, after all it is on television and millions of people are watching. I have in mind two shows that if it is possible to be underrated these two are. Scrubs and Arrested Development are two highly entertaining and both very comedic shows. Scrubs comes from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Arrested Development originally aired on FOX. Although each received there fair share of awards and nominations I feel that they still did not earn the recognition that they deserved. Zach Braff gives a wonderfully comedic performance in every episode. Jason Bateman is of course the character that keeps the Bluth family as well as the show a float, however it is character's like that of Michael Cera that put the show on top of my list as funniest shows on TV.

Youtube

2008-03-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well...I was thinking, if you are not occasionally browsing youtube.com for entertaining videos then you could be missing out. So here are a few of my favorites. Some of these do have a PG rating so please be aware and provide the proper parental guidance when necessary.

As you can see I really like the Trigon Commercials. There are actually more of those if you search for them. Well enjoy! I do every time I watch them.

Germany!! Here I Come

2008-03-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well... I think I have mentioned this before but I'm going to Germany in the month of May. It should be an awesome trip. Here are some photos of my team that I will be traveling with. Oh and did I mention it's March Madness!!! Let's Go!!!

Art

2008-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well...Tonight I wish to talk about one of my favorite things. It does not compare to My First Love however it is something that I enjoy immensely. Although I do enjoy it, I am not capable of producing it or even coming close to doing so. Art is something that I love to look at but something I am incapable of making. So I obviously will not be sharing my own works however I will be sharing some of my favorite pieces by my favorite artists. Most of them are fairly contemporary and recent.
The first of which is my favorite painting by a gentleman who answers to the name Edward Hopper. I came across this painting about five years ago, Nighthawks is awesome. Another of my favorites by Hopper is Seven AM. Many of his paintings deal with loneliness and I think the reason I like them.
Another artist that I really enjoy is Norman Rockwell. I do realize many people dislike his work but I really enjoy it, especially the sports related pieces. One such piece is called The Rookie.
Probably one of his most famous works of art is The Problem we all live with.
My favorite work by Rockwell and one I have hanging in my bedroom is The Runaway.
Here are some other works that I like, some very contemporary and others very traditional. Julian Beever is a very contemporary artist who does some pretty incredible stuff.

My First Love

2008-03-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well...As I was thinking about a topic to blog about, I thought of telling y'all about my first love in life. It came into my life at a very young age, I was 4 years old. It started as a social event called Tee ball but has evolved into a passion for the sport of baseball. Baseball is the first thing I can ever remember loving. And I loved it a lot! I began playing in what was then called East Madera Babe Ruth - EMBR -(However they have renamed it to Liberty Ranchos Babe Ruth). All of this took place at a school out by my house called Webster Elementary. I can remember after my own games watching my brother's games and running back and forth between the field and the snack bar. My career began on the Tee Ball field where I played for the Giants. Now this was a problem because I was a Dodger at heart and vehemently disliked the Giants. After moving on from Tee Ball I played at the Minors level where I enjoyed time on both the White Sox and the Red Sox. Once completing my time on that field I moved up to the Majors level where I was on the Athletics and then finally my dream came true and I was on the Dodgers for my last year in the Majors. But of course all dreams must come to an end and I was drafted by the Giants again, my career began and ended with the Giants. However this was not the end of my career as a baseball player, I continued on into high school where I played at Fresno Christian for four years. This is my sophomore year. But back when I was still hanging around Webster Elementary I received a job umpiring for the Minors and Majors divisions, and it was during that time that I learned that parents of little leaguers are a very nasty bunch and not one that I liked to be around as they took pleasure from harassing a 15 year old umpire doing the best they can but when little Johnny looks at 4 strikes in a row I must call him out (I often let one go if I felt like the kid was struggling). Also during my time around EMBR I enjoyed playing many hours of Butts Up and working in the snack bar. A map courtesy of Google Earth of Webster.My summers were spent on a baseball field. After baseball was over in May, All-Stars would start. Our East Madera All Star team would travel all over the San Joaquin Valley playing in baseball tournaments that would often include a game on a Thursday or Friday night, anywhere from 2-5 games on Saturday and then the Championship game on Sunday if we were fortunate enough to make it which we often were. This was one of my All-Star teams. Weekdays were filled with hours of practice at the field and then swimming at friends houses.
I apologize for the poor quality of the photos however they were all scanned onto my computer.

This is my freshmen year at FC. I never actually used batting gloves but borrowed someone else's just for the picture.
This was my senior year, my brother Casey, my coach, and of course myself #44.

Drink Up!

2008-03-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well...In an effort to stay hydrated and be healthy by drinking more water I have begun a new practice. Bring along a water bottle buddy with you wherever you go. I have started carrying around with me to all of my classes a 1 liter Aquafina bottle. It no longer contains Aquafina water but rather water from the soda machine in Wanda's. I refill it with water in between each of my classes and then drink it over the next 80 minutes. Today I had 5 refills of my Aquafina buddy (By the way, I am looking for a name for the bottle, let me know if you think of anything). Here are some pictures of me with my Bottle Buddy. Remember to stay hydrated.

Mr. 3000

2008-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Well....you guessed it I have reached the magical number of 3000 hits for my blog. To celebrate I will of course honor other momentous 3000 occasions. To start, my title is stolen from a movie Mr. 3000. The movie surrounds a MLB player and his quest to reach the momentous 3000 hits club. Staying on topic with baseball, Pete Rose holds the record for most hits in a career with 3562. Another baseball record club that is in the 3000's is the strikeout club. There are only 15 pitchers in history to record more than 3000 strikeouts in their career however John Smoltz is looking to make that number 16 this season only needing 25 more to join the elite club.
Switching gears slightly to the entertainment world is Andre 3000, Andre is a vegan and in 2004 was named by PETA as World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity. Well that is about it. As of right now I have 3005 hits. Keep it up faithful readers.

And in case you were wondering the counter at the top of my page is a countdown (in Days and Hours) until the next Lost episode.

Coffee: Friend or Foe?

2008-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well... as I am sure many of you struggle with the same thing as me I may have a slight addiction to coffee or more specifically caffeine. I am currently sitting in a coffee shop on campus and am observing person after person putting the toxic liquid into their bodies and was thinking to my self; "Jack, is it worth it to buy a cup of coffee right now?" (For those of you who do not know, I refer to myself as Jack when conversing in my head. It helps me differentiate between who is talking, whether it be Carson or Jack). And then I got to thinking; not is it worth it financially but is it worth it to pollute my body with it? This is coming from a man (maybe boy) who worked at a coffee house for nearly two years, then another cafe for a few months and now make myself coffee every morning and am always looking for other opportunities to make coffee for a living. I Like Coffee! But how unhealthy is it for me to day after day pour that oil like substance down into my body for what? So now I want to dive into the effects of coffee and caffeine on the human body and how much damage is it really doing and is it worth it.
Among other things caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. It gives a short term benefit of heightened awareness and alertness and energy. However if you consume caffeine over a long period of time it can cause crashes to lower levels of energy requiring you to drink another cup and so on making it addictive and eventually resulting in exhaustion. Caffeine gets in the way of adenosine which is a chemical that typically calms a person down. Also through the raising of Cortisol, a coffee drinker has higher blood pressure. Cortisol is called the stress hormone because it regulates your stress levels. Coffee has also been associated with low birth weight, birth defects, miscarriages, premature birth, inability to conceive, and sluggish sperm. Along with may other things that caffeine does to your body, coffee whether it decaf or regular does many other things to your body. Coffee contributes to tooth decay and cavities and also decreases quality of sleep and aggravates stress in people who drink it every day.
On the flip side there are things that coffee and caffeine do for your body in a positive light. Caffeine increases intellectual activity when fatigued or bored. There are many illnesses that coffee has shown to help prevent including colon cancer, gallstones, and cirrhosis of the liver. Coffee also enhances performance and memory and is a great anti-depressant.
Experts say that an adult should have a moderate amount of caffeine per day which is about 200-300 mg. And now if you are wondering how much does that come out to in food and drink intake. If you have one normal sized cup of coffee in the morning (about 10 oz) then you have already reached your daily limit (230 mg). And now to leave you with some basic guidelines on when and how much do you drink. Do not drink coffee if you have mental illness or anxiety. Also do not intake high amounts of caffeine if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or high cholesterol.
All this to say I love coffee and because of this will not stop drinking it but just felt the need to share these facts with others so that they can at the very least make an informed decision about their addictions or next cup of coffee. So next time you pour yourself a glass, maybe you will think twice and think about the consequences of what you are about to put into your body.

I Can't Read

2008-02-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

Well...I can read, just not a book. Well...I can read a book, I just can't finish one. It is not because I don't like the books but for different reasons never finished any of them. Let me highlight the last few books I have started but have never finished.

Blue Like Jazz

This book by Donald Miller is either loved or hated. I myself do not have an opinion because I have never made it past page 15. I originally started reading it this summer during a family vacation but I was to busy playing Frolf and never made it past 15. I started reading it again at the beginning of the semester but had too much reading in my classes to really devote time to the book.

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
This book is one that I really enjoyed and wanted to continue to read but again due to class schedules and readings I gave up trying to read it during a semester. It was recommended to me by a good friend Jared. John Piper and Wayne Grudem team up to write this really good book for those interested in recovering there manhood (or womanhood).

Maybe I'll actually finish a book this semester before the summer.

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"

2008-02-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well...what does that mean you may be asking. Well some translate it as

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

These words uttered by the Christ ring so true in my life. The problem is that he has not forsaken me but rather the inverse. I abandon God however what differentiates those statements is that he doesn't need me or rely on me. The other problem is that I do not rely on Him either. In Psalm 22 David asks the same question. I feel like God has forsaken me because I have distanced myself from him. His Glory, Majesty, Power and Might are so far away from me because I am so secluded in my secular driven world. I choose to waste money, time, and energy on things that are unimportant and worldly yet I know this and continue to do so. With every penny spent, every second wasted, and every bead of sweat rolling down my face I draw further away from Christ. I want to draw nearer to him, and the Word says in the often quoted passage of Romans chapter 8

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

While this passage is so encouraging I still find myself unable to move down the path that He has laid out for me. I guess this is why my two favorite songs right now are Wedding Dress by Derek Webb and Everything by Lifehouse. First Wedding Dress by Derek Webb.

"So could you love this bastard child?
Though I don’t trust you to provide"

This is Everything by Lifehouse.

"How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"

Those words cut straight through to my heart and pierce it like an arrow. Another song that I can't stop listening to is Prodigal by One Republic. Actually I can't stop listening to the whole album however more specifically Prodigal.

Run away, run away
Like a prodigal
Don't you wait for me
Don't you wait for me
So ashamed, so ashamed
But I need you so
And you wait for me
And you wait for me

Well...thats all I got for now. Just actually examining my heart like my blog title states. Hope you can gain from it somehow. Til next time.

Valentine's Day and TLR

2008-02-14T00:59:00.000-08:00

Well... as you know today is Valentine's Day. What you may not know is the day originates from two early Christian Martyrs. Well maybe you did know that but here are some facts that I may be able to impart to you.

The day became associated with romantic love with Geoffery Chaucer.
About 1 billion greeting cards are sent on Valentine's Day.
About 85% of all Valentines are purchased by women.
In Saudi Arabia in 2008, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items, telling shop workers to remove any red items, as the day is considered an un-Islamic holiday.
It is said that if Cupid's arrow hits you, you will fall hopelessly and madly in love with the next person you meet. (Watch Out!)

Well, a large part of this Hallmark Holiday is giving gifts and The Legit Rappers wanted to give a gift to all of their fans. Ladies, this one's for you. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

Team Germany Sports

2008-02-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well... I have spent a lot of time with my teammates who I will be traveling with in May lately. So I figured I would show how much fun we are through a few pictures. I did not take these pictures but last night we had a Spaghetti and Wii night that was really fun of just hanging out and eating food.

This is us just being awesome!

She thought this was the FUNNIEST thing ever.

Super Bowl XLII Champions!!

2008-02-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Super Bowl XLII Champions the New York Giants. Justice was served on the field and the classic saying proves true, "Cheaters never prosper."

Lost Season 4 Preview and expectations! Part 2

2008-01-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

Well....If you are reading this and did not read Part 1 then you must stop now, do not continue any further and go here to get caught up. In this previous post I stressed the importance of first seeing the Season 4 Trailer as well as the webisodes titled the Missing Pieces found on ABC's site. As previously mentioned in part 1, the Valenzetti Equation seems to be one of the (if not THE) reason for the start of the DHARMA Initiative. This equation is a mathematical equation and the Arrow station was believed to possibly a storage facility as well as a station for working out mathematical problems. The Valenzetti Equation is that of a mystery. While it is believed to predict the end of the world there is not much that can be found online and what is found is not necessarily from credible sources. There appears to be a page built by Valenzetti's son. The Valenzetti Foundation is a website created by Enzo'z son and is said repeatedly to have nothing to do with ABC, however everything he talks about is related to the show Lost. In fact in pictures of the equations taken from his father's notebook are the Lost Numbers, 4 8 15 16 23 42. He states on the website that the first two are from his birthday of April 8th. This equation had a book written about it. The author Gary Troup was on board Oceanic Flight 815 and died in the crash. Interestingly enough, Alvar Hanso bought all copies of the book and also owns the distribution rights to it. The book however is listed on Amazon and you can see it here. Gary Troup was a pen name for author Laurence Shames. Gary Troup actually was on the show Lost and was in the Pilot episode and was the one sucked into the planes turbine after the crash. Also interesting is the fact that Gary Troup is an anagram for the word "purgatory" however the writers have specifically ruled out purgatory as a theory as to what the island is. Gary Troup was also in love with Oceanic stewardess Cindy Chandler. Cindy is the stewardess who was taken by the others on day 48.
In the Season 4 Trailer involving Dr. Marvin Candle posing as Edgar Halowax he says he is at a DHARMA station the Orchid. The Orchid is portrayed as a botanical research station but is later proved to be not true. It in actuality houses a number of white rabbits each with a number on their backs. Most importantly in this little clip is the reference to the Casimir effect. This has quickly become a very popular theory in possibly what the island is or how it is related to this force. The Casimir effect is a very complicated and complex theory and therefore is very difficult to summarize however I will do my best to do so in as little space as possible. This effect was developed by physicist Hendrik B. G. Casimir. "The Casimir effect can be understood by the idea that the presence of conducting metals and dielectrics alter the vacuum expectation value of the energy of the second quantized electromagnetic field. Since the value of this energy depends on the shapes and positions of the conductors and dielectrics, the Casimir effect manifests itself as a force between such objects." I didn't write that last part. The Casimir effect is related to the show in many ways and in one way it is somewhat of an electromagnetic phenomena. Electromagnetism receives credit for many of the islands strange properties. For example; tidal anomalies, healing properties, and the "monster." To try and better explain the Casimir effect I will use layperson terms. Basically through the Casimir effect a wormhole or blackhole could be created. A wormhole potentially created could make it possible to travel in time, or alternately travel across dimensions. A theory is that what if Naomi was telling the truth about the plane being found and there being no survivors, this theory accounts for that. If the plane while off course and in the air, neared the wormhole, the plane split into two planes and one crashed in the ocean and another crashed on the island. While on one of them all the passengers died and the other they made it onto the island. This could have been the purpose of the Swan station was to control this wormhole, and when Desmond left the station and the anomaly happened it opened the wormhole up and that is when the plane made it through. And now that the Swan station imploded they have no control over the wormhole. Going along with this theory, the Hanso Foundation sent the DHARMA Initiative to the island through there own version of a wormhole to study these traits on the island. Since the DHARMA people were purged is Ben keeping more people from the Hanso Foundation from returning to the island. In regards to electromagnetism, James Clerk Maxwell is a real life expert in the area of electromagnetism.
At this point this is irrelevant however if you play the ARG Find815 then you find out that the main character of the reality game is receiving encoded emails from a Maxwell Group. The Maxwell Group in the ARG is a group who is also funding the search for the Black Rock. The Maxwell Group is a division of Widmore Industries. This is Penny's father's company. Penny is the girlfriend of Desmond Hume. Widmore Industries are supposedly tied to the Hanso Foundation, as well as the Paik Heavy Industries. Widmore Industries appears to have its hand in many business ventures as it's logo or name is seen in many episodes on a variety of products. In a flashback to a Driveshaft video shoot a banner for Widmore Construction is seen in the background. The Widmore logo is also found on the hot air balloon of Henry Gale as well as the pregnancy tests taken by Sun and Kate.
Other things that are seen in episodes throughout the series are the recurrences of the "Lost Numbers" which are 4 - 8 - 15 - 16 - 23 - 42 of which the sum total = 108.

The Flight Number was Oceanic Air 815
The news station at Hurley's lotto interview was KSVU-8
The appointment when Claire wanted to sign the adoption form was at 8:15AM
The number of the safe deposit box that Kate robbed is 815
The number of people that die in Hurley's shoe factory fire is 8
The Number of Michael and Walt’s room is 815
The number on the Old Scooter Man's hat in the Sydney Airport is 8 (who Hurley buys the scooter from for $1600)
Kate and Tom Brennan buried the time capsule on 8/15
The copiers that Charlie was trying to sell were model # C-815
Adam Rutherford's time of death was recorded in St. Sebastian Hospital at 8:15
Anthony Cooper's safety deposit box was #1516
According to the driver's license found by Sayid, The Real Henry Gale lived on 815 Walnut Ridge Rd
The September 22nd System Crash occurred at 4:16
Kate has a $23,000 bounty on her head
Danielle askes Sayid where Alex is 23 times
The number of the departure gate of the flight is 23
Hurley's hotel room in Sydney was number 2342
The temperature in Sydney the day Flight 815 departed was 23°C
The number of people who survived the crash in the tail end of the plane according to Libby was 23
Part of the video reel #23108-42 that Kelvin shows to Sayid
Munson's 10 Million was hidden in unit 23c
Karl was being held in room 23 in the Hydra prison
Juliet enters 1623 into the sonic fence keypad
The radio volume in the van is set to level 23 when Driveshaft's song starts playing
Ana Lucia - Sat in seat 42F
Hurley's car has gone 42km when it breaks down on his way to the airport
Number of original passage survivors at the end of Season 1 in the the middle section was 42
Desmond looks at letters he sent to Penny while he was in jail, and the address of Southway Garrison, Desmond's jail, is 42 Berechurch Road
Desmond tells Libby that he needs $42,000 to buy a boat
The number of moves to inevitable mate of the computer on the chess game Locke played in the Flame is 42
Leonard Simms was playing the game Connect Four
42 is the number of cells in Connect Four.
4:8:15 can be seen carved into Eko's stick upon close examination
Nikki had a role in the 4th Season of Exposé
Ben's tumor was growing around his L4 vertebra
Number of years old the girl that Jack did his first solo operation on was 16
Sawyer needed $160,000 for his con of Jessica
Number of weeks since someone had won the Lottery before Hurley did was 16
Number of miles/hr Desmond was peddling the exercise bike was 16
The September 22nd System Crash occurred at 4:16
When Hurley rides past 6 players of a girls' soccer team in the airport, each uniform has one of the Numbers
7418880 (the product of the Numbers, which appeared on the computer screen at the listening station before the discharge

Well thats it for now, but there is so much more that I cannot relay to you so you must check it out for yourself. Wednesday night Jan. 30th there will be the Season 3 finale on ABC at 8pm, and then of course on Thursday starting at 8pm is the Season 4 premiere, enjoy and as always if you have questions leave a comment. Hope you enjoyed the tour of Lost.

Lost Season 4 Preview and expectations! Part 1

2008-01-26T23:20:00.000-08:00

Well...I don't know if anyone is as excited as me for Season 4 of Lost but if you are not excited, you should sure get that way. This post is gonna be a long one so hang on and buckle your seat belt cause its click it or ticket. Now I understand if you have not been watching Lost or if you are confused this might be a little overwhelming but press on because this is gonna be both informative and interesting. This may be a slight spoiler to any of you who just like to watch the show and not think. Well, here we go. SO much information to cover and for really detailed analysis and info visit LostPedia.
Most of this information is gathered from a variety of sites, mainly Lostpedia and also some from the ARG Find 815. After watching all three seasons of Lost recently I have come to realize that this show is more than your typical ABC Drama. This show Lost has meanings and hidden messages spread throughout each episode that can give you a whole new outlook on the show and as some may say an obsession with the show. Now lets start out with the main characters and where we left off from season 3.
Dr. Jack Shepherd (the inherent leader of the group) made a decision in the season finale that could lead them off the island or to there destruction.
Kate Austen in the very last scene of the season while talking to Jack off the island "explains that she has to leave and return before "he" starts wondering where she is. Most believe that "he" is Sawyer.
Sawyer in the end of the season is assumed to be dating and or living with/married to Kate.
John Locke over the course of the season has proved to be a pain to many of the survivors and fallen out of favor with many viewers. In the last episode he threw a knife into the back of Naomi.
Ben Linus has spent the entirety of season 3 in attempts to keep everyone on the island and now with the finale of season 3 it appears that all of his attempts may be in vain.

Now that we have some of the main characters and some refreshers lets get into the good stuff, such as theories and other significant information.
To begin with some conspiracy theories you must first have watched the Season 4 Trailer to fully understand. This trailer is interesting for many reasons. We will begin with the scientist/doctor. One interesting thing about him is his variety of names. Throughout the different videos shown in episodes of this man he uses different names. There is the Swan orientation video, the Flame self destruction video, the Pearl orientation video, and also the Barracks orientation video for those new to the DHARMA Initiative. In the Swan orientation video he says his name is Dr. Marvin Candle (which is believed to be his real name), in the Pearl orientation video he portrays himself as Dr. Mark Wickmund, in the Flame video he is again Dr. Candle, In the Barracks video he is And now in the Orchid video he refers to himself as Edgar Halowax. The one thing in common with all of his aliases is the theme of candles in his last names. This may or may not prove to be important. Also worthy of mentioning is his attire in the different videos. In the Swan video he is wearing the appropriate Swan logo lab coat as he is wearing in the Orchid video as well as the Barracks video. However in the Pearl video he is wearing just a suit without the lab coat and in the Flame video he is wearing a lab coat with the Flame station logo. One more thing worth mentioning about Dr. Candle is believed to possibly have a prosthetic left arm because in some of the videos his left arm hangs lifeless at his side. This leads me to talk about the DHARMA Initiative.
The Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications Initiative or DHARMA was started by a couple, the DeGroots. The Initiative was funded by the Hanso Foundation, founded by Alvar Hanso. In the Barracks video they say the purpose of the Initiative is for the "betterment of mankind and the advancement of world peace." However in the ARG The Lost Experience, it is said that the Initiative is tied to the Valenzetti Equation. This is said to be "a mathematical formula designed to predict the end of the world." However it is said that the DHARMA Initiative failed. Dharma in eastern religion that we know plays a role in Lost means "Way of the Higher Truths which is what Alvar Hanso says in the Sri Lanka Video, saying "it also stands for the one true way." So far there are 7 stations connected to the DHARMA Initiative, and interestingly enough the names of each are all related to the Greek god, Apollo.

The Arrow which is the storage facility where the tail survivors lived was the most common weapon of Apollo, the bow and arrow.
The Staff which is the medical station is known as the Caduceus staff but was originally Apollo's but was traded to Hermes for a lyre.
The Swan which is more commonly referred to as the Hatch. "When Leto gave birth to Apollo, the island on which he was born was encircled by a flock of swans. Swans were afterward sacred to Apollo."
The Flame is related to Apollo because he was a sun god.
The Hydra which is where Jack was held captive and performed surgery on Ben is also related. "Apollo sent a crow to fetch water. The bird stopped to eat figs and wasted lots of time. Knowing Apollo would be angry, the crow captured the Hydra and attempted to blame it for causing the delay."
This theme of Apollo is also related to the Apollo Candy Bar that is often seen on the island and believe to be owned by the Hanso Foundation.
The Hanso Foundation is mentioned twice on the show, once in the Swan video and the other time is in a Korean conversation between Mr. Paik (Sun's Father) and an employee that was not subtitled but in it Mr. Paik is worried that he will upset the Hanso Foundation. Flowing from the Hanso Foundation we find the Black Rock, and the captain of the Black Rock was Magnus Hanso. He is the great grandfather of Alvar Hanso, and is burried on the island near the site of the ship. Interestingly enough the Black Rock set sail from slip 23 in Portsmouth. Just one reference to the Numbers of Lost. Also Magnus is the Latin form of the Dutch name, de Groot , meaning "the great." Albertus Magnust to receive their name from a philosopher.
Richard Alpert who is seen as Ben's second in command receives his na was a German philosopher and theologian, but Magnus Hanso is not the only character on Losme from Richard Alpert aka Baba Ram Dass.
Mikhail Bakunin who is the one eyed Russian receives his name from Russian revolutionary and anarchist philosopher Mikhail Bakunin.
Edmund Burke, the late ex-husband of Juliet gets his name from an Irish statesman, Member of Parliament, and a leader of the Old Whigs Edmund Burke.
Boone Carlyle receives his name from Scottish philosopher and writer Thomas Carlyle. Thomas wrote a book called Heroes and Hero Worship and the Character of Boone is constantly trying to prove is heroics, earning him his nickname from Shannon of Captain America.
Anthony Cooper who is the father of John Locke receives his name from Anthony Ashley-Cooper who was an English politician who was the mentor and patron of real-life philosopher John Locke.
John Locke that of course receives his name from the Enlightenment philosopher who dealt with the relationship between nature and civilization John Locke. This is very similar to the character's fascination with nature.
Danielle Rousseau receives her name from Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Also Referenced are the DeGroots and Hugo Reyes who both receive their names from Hugo De Groot, Dutch novelist, philosopher and jurist.
Desmond Hume was named after David Hume, philosopher of skepticism and, perhaps to a lesser degree, naturalism as well. Both of these men were Scottish.
That is all of the Philosophy connections able to find although each of these has a more in depth story or parallel to it that you can check out here. This is it for now but check back in a day or two because part 2 is coming with much more, including theories as well as other helpful information so you are not lost on Thursday when Lost Season 4 Premieres.

Mr. Random

2008-01-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

Well....A few things you should know, people always say I am very random and off the wall but I always have a logical or what I believe to be rational way of coming to the "off the wall" comments that I make so if you are ever around me when one of these comments are made ask for my train of thought and the conductor will gladly stop the train and let you get on board but hold on cause it's a wild ride. Also, It has again been entirely way to long since my last post. SO...in honor of my nick name here are some interesting things you may have wondered about or if not can now learn about.

For instance, did you ever wonder why the Barnum's Animal cracker boxes had that pointless string on it? I know I did, and no it was not for better carrying, in fact it was "so they could be used as Christmas tree ornaments."

Again, did you ever wonder why Leotard are called just that? Now please do not be upset because this was a childish assumption that was wrong of course however growing up I thought it was because the people wearing them looked retarded. However this is not the case and I apologize for the irrational thought process there, but it came about from a famous 19th century French trapeze artist who wore skintight bodysuits whose name was Jules Leotard.

Have you ever left some loose change in a little tray when going through a metal detector at an airport? And afterwards have you wondered what they do with it, is it a tip to the security guards, or maybe they give it to charity. Well actually the "US Treasury appropriates the money and returns it to circulation." In 2003 roughly $303,970 was left in loose change at airport metal detectors.

That's it for now but hopefully there will be more to come soon. And please feel free to comment because it makes me feel special when you do.

Where in the World??

2008-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

Well....So much has gone on since our last contact. This semester is shaping up to be a very busy one so I am still looking for that consistent time when I can post. The Macworld Expo came and went. I know the feelings are mixed about it but can't we all just be like kids on Christmas morning and be excited regardless. Innovations were revealed that are quite remarkable. My brother put together a very well done review of the Expo so go check that out. I have had some questions about my hit counter. I cannot take credit for it because I did not find it on my own but it was shown to me by a friend on his page and he instructed me how to go about getting one of my own. Thanks Jeremy! I use Clustrmaps for my counter and what is really cool about it is the visual aid of seeing where everyone that visits your page is located. At first it can be discouraging but give it time and it will grow and spread across the country and eventually the world. I just think it is really cool to see how connected the world really is and how easy it is to be in contact and influence those not in your immediate circle of influence.

Monday the 14th...

2008-01-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Well...It has been entirely too long since I posted, It's been somewhat busy with the first week of classes and such, getting caught up with friends and stuff but that is no excuse, I thought about blogging multiple times and just never sat down and did it, so since I have a few minutes before I head into the world to start my day I figure what the hey, I might as well say just what I've wanted to since yesterday. Sorry, I'm done. Anyways a few things to highlight, yesterday was my mother's birthday so Happy Birthday Mom! My little brother got a haircut, (finally) way to go Coop.
Today the Macworld Conference begins in San Francisco but more importantly tomorrow starts the Macworld Expo. Steve Jobs will make an address at 9 am pst in which he is expected as always to release some kind of new product, very exciting.

And also check out Hillary's blog as she wrote a great blog about us and some things we are thinking about in the future.

2000+

2008-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well...What significance does the number 2000 have to you? Recently over the Christmas break that I had off from school my blog counter reached over 2000 hits! It was a very momentous occasion for my blogging life. As of right now my blog is at a magnificent 2,235 hits. Another awesome thing is that my blog has hits from six of the 7 continents. Other things that are relevant to the number 2000...

2000+ years since Jesus walked on the earth.

2000 dollars is the cost of a Panasonic - 50" 720p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV

Year 2000 in Roman Numerals is MM.

Courtney Brown was the first overall draft pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

Stonehenge was believed to be completed in the year 2000BC.

Election Time Is Coming

2008-01-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Well...As many of you know (and if you don't know then wake up) the presidential election is upon us in November of this year, 2008. I decided to write about the campaigns because a friend (and I can say friend now) has mentioned this more than once on his own blog. This particular election is very special to me, and near and dear to my heart. The reason for these sentimental feelings is this will be my first voting presidential election. I know I am such a youngster or if we were in Britain I would say tiddler. Tonight when I got home and turned on the television I saw the results of the Iowa Caucuses and to let you know that Obama won the Democrat and Huckabee won the Republican. And to be quite honest I do not have the slightest idea who my favorite is at this point but I do have time to figure it out. Election 08 is gonna be awesome!

New Year's Eve

2007-12-31T15:36:00.000-08:00

Typically, a festive time of hanging out with friends and family and celebrating the new year. I was ready to continue my posting throughout the break when I realized nobody is reading these and nobody is posting their own either so I decided to take a short break but with my return to Riverside in two days my posting should return to it's usual fact filled and fascinating information. Tonight my New Years Eve plan is to see a movie with my brother and come back to our house and watch tv, maybe play a little Wii. No one to kiss at midnight, no party to go to and stay up till 2am so if I make it passed midnight I will consider it an accomplishment. One thing to mention about my day would be I received an hour long massage today from Zen Spa and Salon, it was awesome. Possibly more to follow about that experience at a later date.

Christmas Time is Here!

2007-12-25T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well...It is Christmas morning and all is well. What a wonderful time of the year. Last night my family and I enjoyed a Christmas Eve service and this morning enjoyed some what we call Swedish Pancakes for breakfast and then proceeded to open our gifts after breakfast. The last few days leading up to this day I have spent the majority of my time in my bed watching Lost Season 3 and enjoying a Christmas Coke in a glass bottle, the way they were made to be enjoyed. I love Christmas for so many reasons and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas as well as a blessed day of remebering our saviors birth.

Tis the Season for Movies and Films

2007-12-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Well...Two blogs in two days. I am back on track. I am relaxing on my couch at home watching "Snipers" on the History Channel. Typically during the winter and Christmas break people have time to go see movies at the theater. These two weeks (from about Dec. 20- Jan. 1) is kinda like a mini blockbuster season. Coming soon on this Friday Dec. 21, National Treasure: Book of Secrets is released as well as the star packed film titled Charlie Wilson's War. The sequel of the three year old blockbuster National Treasure will be filled with much of the same historical fun facts as well as action packed scenes broken up with Nicolas Cage's classic one liners. However if you are looking for a much different and more dramatic with better acting turn your attention to talents of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Two other movies to watch out for coming on Christmas Day are The Bucket List and The Great Debaters. The Bucket List appears to be a movie including two hours of comical dialog between two great actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The Great Debaters, an intense film based on historical happenings of a professor at a small college in Texas during the mid 30s who challenged his students to strive for excellence and use words in their battles. Denzel Washington again with a highly praised performance. In the future be aware of these few movies and their release dates so you can go catch them on their opening night. On 2/22/08 Vantage Point is released, 5/18/08 is Prince Caspian, and on 7/18/08 The Dark Knight is finally released. For now so long and farewell.

Deutschland...Here I Come!

2007-12-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

Well....I must apologize for my lack of posting, it actually was a full week from my last post and I got called on it. Partly the reason being is I am now in Fresno for Christmas Break. This does mean I have more time on my hands however the time is not as structured so it is hard to get motivated but I assure you more posts will be coming soon. Anyways I have seen on two different friend's blogs of their engagement so I figured no better time than the present to announce....my upcoming trip to Germany. I will be on an ISP team to Deutschland in the month of May. I am very excited about this and keep checking back for more updates about this trip. This is a picture of myself and three of my teammates enjoying Chick-Fil-A. This was actually my first experience at Chick-Fil-A and I plan to blog and leave a review on here eventually as well as some movie predictions as well as reviews. Thanks for reading as always.

"This Gift" for Christmas by TLR

2007-12-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

Well....This is not going to be a very long post, however that does not take away from the importance of it. Not much else can be said as an intro, but you've seen them before as R. Kelly and Usher, most recently singing the Numb/Encore, and now they have a Christmas gift for everyone to see, so this is TLR doing "This Gift" by 98 Degrees.
The Legit Rappers are back once again.

Not Another BCS Blog

2007-12-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well.....I hate the BCS. I really do, but before you tune out, I am NOT complaining. I am sick of everyone complaining about the BCS, every sports writer, college student, and sports fan has something negative to say about the BCS. And thats ok, I agree, I don't like it but get over it. If you do not have a better solution quit complaining about it cause right now its the best thing we got. I do realize many of you at this point are getting frustrated with this post and would like to argue and debate over a playoff system of some sort. To have a true playoff system with 33 different conferences and 120 teams in the NCAA Division I-A Football conference is nearly impossible. Some may suggest having a playoff system with just the top 10 teams but then you run into the problem of deciding the top 10 teams. Some may argue that Hawaii this year because they were the only undefeated team but most would say that because of their conference and strength of schedule they do not deserve it or are not as good as the currently ranked #1 team Ohio State. However we will never know because they will never play each other. While I do see flaws in the system, I do not find myself with a flawless system. Now we know that Ohio State will be playing LSU for the National Championship and while I do not like the pick of LSU to be in the National Championship I will still be interested in the game and be anxious to hear about the outcome. Give the BCS a break, they're stuck between a rock and a hard place. There is no fair system that will give all teams a chance to compete for the National Championship....GET OVER IT!

November 29th....Long Time Gone

2007-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well....tomorrow is November 29th, and most of you are probably thinking "yeah...so?" There is a big significance in my life with this date, it is not the date of my birth but rather an anniversary of a relationship. On May 29th, 2002 I spent the day at Magic Mountain with someone very special. This was the start of my relationship with Hillary Joy Kell. As you can see we were one good lookin couple during our freshmen year of high school. Over the last 5 1/2 years I have become closer with Hillary then anyone else and she has become my best friend. More than my best friend she is someone who I love and can always turn to if I need to be cheered up and when she laughs there is nothing that can keep me from smiling. Happy 5 1/2 year anniversary Hillary! I Love You!

These are all pictures from Magic Mountain over the years.

Way Too Long

2007-11-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well....I first must apologize to all of my faithful readers out there for there being so much time between posts. I have not given up or lost my interest in blogging, but I am a very routine oriented person and with the holiday among other things my routine had not been the same during my blogging times but I will be sure to make up for it this week so try and keep up. So much has been going on over the last two weeks, my nephew Braden is doing very well. Thanksgiving break was great, going home for a few days and on Thursday I was able to attend the Kell family thanksgiving which was very enjoyable. Along with food and family it included four wheelers, football, and friends. Alliteration, all F's didn't even mean to do that.

Another event that I feel compelled to write about is my viewing of a movie on Friday night. August Rush is Oscar worthy and a very enjoyable movie. Going into the movie with little or no expectations and knowing very little about the plot of the movie I was very pleasantly surprised. Starting off slow and myself already tired from an early start on shopping that morning I was very inattentive and dosing off through the first part of the movie however after 15-20 min my attention had been regained and I was drawn further and further into the movie and the life of August Rush. A great performance from Robin Williams and a breathtaking job by Keri Russell was not enough to take the attention away from brilliant rising star Freddie Highmore's magnificent performance. Also Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrayed in a wonderful way as a struggling musician and a love lost wanderer. Go see the movie and enjoy the well written first major role was and overall GOOD movie.

And remember, "The Music is everywhere, You just have to listen."

Baby Boy Braden

2007-11-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well...the long awaited time has finally come. My baby nephew has come. His name is Braden and here are a few pictures.
There's proud Dad.

The All New Photo Booth (With Leopard)

2007-11-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is just some fun in PhotoBooth with the new effects that are available with the purchase of Leopard.I went to Yosemite and was fascinated with the water falls.

This sheep was trying to attack me.

I went to New Zealand with Trever and got in some of his shots.Just relaxing on the beach watching the sunset.It was a little colder in space.

Rare Weekend Post

2007-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Well....I don't typically post on weekends but I am in the No and figured why not, and plus I wanted to make sure and share some photos. My wonderful beautiful car has been at the local Taco Bell. One fine evening myself and two of my roommates, Zach and Adam (the Legit Rappers) went to Taco Bell for some burritos when my car would not start for the return trip home. Because of my lack of disposable income it sat their for three weeks. However a friend, Kyle Poulsen, came to my rescue and helped me get my car started. What an awesome guy, and the worst part was that the only problem was some loose connections to my battery and maybe a little corrosion. Thank you Kyle. Here are some pictures of my awesome ride around town.Check out the engine on that baby.

Boredom...or.....Discontentment

2007-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well....first I just want to say don't stick me in a self help group or anything, I have not fallen into a depression that I cannot climb out of. I am just bored, but not bored cause I have nothing to do, I have plenty to do. I have people that I enjoy hanging out with but I am bored, but is it boredom? Another word that might be used here could be discontent. Am I discontent with where I am at? The answer is NO, I love where I am at in my life, I love the people around me in my life. SO what is it that I am bored with or discontent with? I guess it is the slow apathetic way that I live my life. What makes it difficult to live life excitingly and not just in the moment but a true excitement for life? Without Christ how do people make it through the day when they feel like this? How do YOU make it through times like this?"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

This verse is so true and yet I struggle to do these things. Sin that entangles me and everything that hinders me. I see the finish line and then I trip. I can never make it across the finish line on my feet. Thats it, I'm done now. Let me know if anyone knows how we can quit messing up and live a right life and not get bored.

Baby Braden

2007-11-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well....finally he is here. My brother and his wife finally got to meet their baby Sunday morning. To see pictures and how cute he is go here to my brother's blog. I am now an uncle so ya'll can start calling me uncle C. Catch ya'll next time. Oh and remember remember the fifth of November. Go watch V for Vendetta. Also you should check out Sara Groves and her new CD. It's pretty good, although I haven't listened to it much. But you can check out the free discovery download on iTunes. It was released today November 6th.

That's Weird

2007-11-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well...another weekend has come and passed. It was enjoyable, while watching some basketball from our men's team, as well as homecoming festivities. It was fun while myself and Hillary spent some time wandering around the mall and I was reminded how much I like Gap inc. Thats about it but here are some pictures to have fun with.
FOCUS Friends.
Gangsta's 4 Life
Ty-Ty and Art, Not much else to say.

Jacob is awesome!

What a Night?

2007-10-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

Well....I am exhausted and I just got home from an event we like to call Midnight Madness. I have homework that needs to be done and sleep that I need to get through the day tomorrow however I am still racing a little from the evenings events. So I figured why not blog. I do not have much to say except it was a fun night and I think it went well. It was awesome to see the skills that God has blessed many with. The other and most of you would agree much more important reason is what is below. I am sure you all have been asking yourselves, what happened to the Legit Rappers? Well they are back with their fourth Official Music Video and this time they call themselves Jay Z and Linkin Park. So here it is.....