The Valley my home is in... if you look directly below the peak off to the right, that valley is where I live, inside a bigger valley.

Me being dumb....again (the water was freeeeeeezing)

A waterfall on my neighbor's property

Some cool flowers....and grass

A cool pic my bro took

No, her name's not Tina.....but she is my Mom's

My cousin Donovan.....being dumber

Me being dumb....as usual

"I think it's kinda funny how money makes a man grow"

Before I start I gotta give a shoutout to the Terri Schiavo family for fighting literally to the death for their daughter's right to life....I just learned the husband had been married to a diff woman for a while, so technically he wasn't even married to Terri for a while and so had no spousal "guardianship" over her......crazy. Love and Prayers to them and The Pope in his hour of need. What a gangsta. anyone who has been even within a mile of his presence knows what a powerful man he is and we will be losing a hero when he passes. (Now to the frivolous but more light-hearted material ya'll came to read)
Yea that's right I got my financial aid check today....feeling like I can buy anything....but I can't, so dont ask me for money. It's weird, I don't know why I get that mentality when I get my financial aid, like I can buy anything.....cause a lot of it's loans, so I'm paying it back later AT INTEREST, so it's an easier credit card basically. wack. Speaking of money I bought a lottery ticket for the lotto drawing on weds. didnt win. obviously, or I wouldn't be so excited about some measly financial aid. But it was nice to think maybe, just maybe, God would choose me this once. Until next time.
Anyway, this break was great and I must say I missed my family a lot more than I had realized. When we hung out we did the craziest stuff ever. Which is normal I guess....or is it crazy, even though it's normal for us? I dunno. But I realized this break why people say I'm crazy....cause I AM. I was helping my dad yesterday(Weds) with some kitchen remodeling, and then when I finished I got bored and decided I was gonna fix a massive swing my bros had made. See, they had dangled the rope between 2 branches that were lower than the one from which it was hanging, so the rope would hit it during the swing, slowing the swinger down. So what did I do? I climbed up 35 ft into a tree to chop those sons-o-beetches down. Took me a while cause I had to use a handsaw cause the chainsaw was too scary up that high. But when it was finished, we swung DAMN HIGH! it was worth it. I have some pics I'll show ya'll....I can't remember why I told you this story, and I'm too lazy to scroll up so I will move on.
I just hung out most of break, went to town once (yea I say "town" cause we have to drive 45 minutes to go anywhere worth going). I was gonna buy some kicks but I found out I had barely enough to cover rent for this month so I waited and just bought like 3 shirts from salvation army. Tightness. I got to drive my dad's subaru outback which is a sick car, everyone should get one, and I noticed something cool about that car. It's the only car I've ever seen that looks cool when it's dirty......definitely something to consider when buying it cause that does cut down on maintenance. On cars, I also woke up early one morning to my dad screaming from outside. I got up kinda in a daze and then went outside to find out my mom had gotten stuck in the creek that crosses the main dirt road a little ways down from our house while taking the kids to the bus, so I went with him on his tractor (that's right, TRACTOR) and we pulled them out of a freeeezing creek at around 7am. So that kinda sucked but was an adventure to say the least. If you guys are wondering if you've seen my house in some picture of Kansas in the middle of nowhere with a nice fence and pretty livestock grazing in some pasture....yea my house is about 5 miles closer to nowhere than that house, and doesn't have a nice fence or pretty livestock. Boonies, boondocks, sticks, middle o' nowhere, whatever you wanna call it, that's where I live. but down the dirt road more.
The night before I left, my mom said I could ask for whatever I wanted to eat, so I went and bought 6 pounds of london broil and bbq'd those thangs......damn that was tasty. and what's crazy is I think I ate at least 1 1/2 of those 6 lbs all by myself. I don't even know why I told you this, but it was one of the last things that happened with most of my family before I left.
Anyway, today was one of the longest days in my life. I woke up around 630.....got ready and finished the packing I had started the night before. I then just lazed around until it was time to go to the train. Got on the train. rode on the train. got to bakersfield. rode a bus. got to LA and waited......forever. No not really, but it was a long ass time. So long in fact I was considering buying a ticket on the Metrolink or the Red Line to get there faster, but I had already bought my ticket to irvine. So I waited. As I waited, a girl who had taken my bus was almost molested. Not even joking. She was only 15 and at least 8 guys checked her out in the span of the first 30 minutes we were in the station. I made it 9 but then we chilled and she ended up being really cool. Naw Im totally playin.....we did sit next to each other on the train but she actually asked me to cause those guys were still following her. And we were in one of those 4seater things with 2 other people so it wasnt just us 2.....I dont know why I'm defending myself, she was freakin 15!!!! Who would think of approaching a 15 yr old?? (if you're over 18 that is). Anyway, got picked up by Katrina, FAMA, and Karina. (The caps are for Fama, who asked to be mentioned in this blog.). Thanks again Katrina, 'ppreciate it.
But yea on the way back to my apt, FAMA invited me to go to a Hillsong concert in San Bernadino with her and Toni since they missed the one on Tues. So I was like "ok". and then 730 rolls around and we went. It was me, Toni, Mike Wu, and FAMA. I called Mattman, but apparently I was all confused and Oxnard is nowhere near San Bernadino, but I didnt feel nearly as bad about it when I learned Matt himself had not known this, and he's a born-in-Oxnard native. Anyway, the place we went to was a "church" but more like a college campus. Like for serious guys this place was ginormous. the main hall held around 1500-2000 peeps, and the place was packed. It was pretty cool. The music rocked, the band was hot and...wait did I just say they were HOT? meh whatever, they were.....and the place was crazy.....there were 3-4 cameras videotaping the whole thing.....one was even on a boom! it was a pretty expensive setup. After the rockin out, we went to TGI Friday's. Good stuff. We had a hot server....what is wrong with me???.....and lots of good food. ANYWAAAY.....on the way back I was hella falling asleep in the car, but when we got back I got all wide awake after a lil while....and so here I am at quarter to 4 in the morning and I'm finishing this blog. I have o say this was waaaaayyyy too long and anyone who lasted through all of it is a trooper and friend.....or a stalker, but hey it's alright, I'm not hatin'. I will be posting some pics after this just of random stuff at home so enjoy those as well. Peace and God Bless.
btw......FAMA (is that enough Kristel?)
Late

Easter Sunday

Today was one if the greatest days ever....Aside from celebrating the resurrection of the big JC, it was also just simply a great day haha. I had to wake up early to go to mass with my family which isn't my favorite thing to do especially after staying up late, but it was ok, I can't really complain cause I knew well in advance what time we were going. Mass was cool of course, celebrating the resurrection and all, you know, pretty ordinary stuff. ;) But man, family was pretty tight this Easter I must say. All saturday we just chilled and caught up.....then on saturday night we had our family easter vigil, which is basically a prayer service thing and me and my bro and his new girlfriend practiced some music and sang for the service...it was good times. But the real fun started later that night when we ate.....and oh man did we eat. I don't think I have eaten that much in a long time, even including thanksgiving which is the national "eat yourself to death day". We had like 3 kinds of meat and then potatoes up the wazoo (that's right, potatoes, not rice guys, my family being white and all), all kinds of vegetables, and tons of bread, rolls, biscuits etc. Man, I don't know how many times I went back to fill my plate, but I remember that we ate dessert like an hour afterwards and I was still full. But I didn't care, I ate a whole plate of dessert too. And this was no dessert-sized plate, it as a full on dinner plate piled with dessert. Unfortunately my eyes were a little bigger than my stomach and I couldn't finish the piece of cake we had, celebrating my brother's 30th bday, but thats ok, I got a bunch of pie and apple crisp so I was koo. After that, I had to chill for a few hours, let everything settle. I was afraid to move faster than a befuddled shamble, in fear of getting more sick. But it was worth it.
After that, since most of the family is musically inclined (except me and the dog), we chilled and played music, sang songs and generally had an awesome time. Man, I had forgotten how much I missed my family until that night, but it was so cool seeing all of them. Oh one thing I forgot, and I don't even know why I'm telling you all this because it's realy embarrassing and juvenile, but our family does a crazy hat contest every year and this year was one of the craziest. People were making the craziest and funniest stuff ever.....me and my brother in law, who is one of the funniest guys ever anyway, decided to have musically themed hats, his was a tambouringe taped to his cap, with a shaker on the back, and mine was a frame of drum sticks with a flute thing that my sister had, taped to them so I could playe it with no hands......ingenious. stupid, but ingenious. Yea so that was a nice silly activity that just exposed how weird my family is. None of you ever want to meet them now.
Anyway, today was fairly kick back, just went to mass, saw the 2-timer catholics (people who go 2 times/year, easter and christmas) Im just kidding, I know a a lot of them, they are really koo. But then after getting back we just ate more food, of course, and hung out with our priest friend who came from the mass. Fr. Steve is one of the coolest priests ever and he makes me laugh so hard.....it's really funny cause he's not trying to be funny but he says things about how certain people make him angry and he just seems so funny, I love it. I hadnt seen him since christmas so that was cool.
The rest of the day was ok....just more hanging and finally people started leaving around 3, first my sisters in-laws, then my brother Eli, going back to the seminary, and then my sister and her husband. It was rough seeing my brother go cause I haven't seen him in a long time and we only got to chill on saturday and part of sunday, but Ill see him soon hopefully so I'll be ok...I think. Anyway, I cant stay on much longer cause of this stupid dial up, but I am trying my best to blog often even while Im gone, just cause it's fun and everyone in my family goes to bed by 11pm so Im bored late at night. Hope ya'll are having a great break, and I will talk to you all soon hopefully. PeAcE and God Bless on his day of Resurrection!!!