the things i do for love

today was a pretty good day

lunch bunch out at fiu with the twins (siobahn and shelby) went well. we had fried chicken and some fixins

good times

i then proceeded to drive to ft lauderdale to pick up reuben's girlfriend. doesn't sound too special, but the fact that he thought she was not coming for another week made it more fun.

i had been extra inquisitive this morning about his schedule so i'd know where he'd be at different times so the plan could go as smoothly as possible.

i passed the terminal pickup where sheri was, so i had to pull into the next one and have her walk over. while i was waiting, the guy in front of me decided to back into me. luckily, my car already has a jack up front bumper and hood, so it was no big deal. i got out of my car to help sheri, who was still walking up and as i did, the sassy security person told me i couldn't park where i did. i informed her that the person i was picking up was walking up as we spoke. it was a close call.

when we returned to the apartment i called reuben to see where he was and discovered he'd not be returning for a couple hours. so, we had to wait sitting around the apartment on pins and needles all afternoon, making sure we didn't get caught by reuben coming in and seeing sheri before he was supposed to.

once reuben got home we hid sheri in my room and i talked reuben into helping me make a promo video for fuel. i gave him some bogus plan that would require him to stare at the wall, then turn around (the thing he didn't know was that when he turned around, sheri would be there). he fell for it all. we started filming and sheri came out to stand beside me waiting on him to turn around. we began filming and he turned around. it took him several seconds to see that she was there and even longer to realize what was going on. the look on his face was brilliant. i got it all on video, so that will be up soon enough.

now, i'm watching forrest gump on tv

good day

peace

26 and counting

i won't even speak to the fact that its been a few decades since i posted on this here blog

in other news:

sunday i turned 26.

its weird. i don't feel "26". i'm not sure what i feel exactly, but as i get older i realize how much age and time are, in fact, relative. i don't exactly still feel like a teenager, because i have to be self-sufficient, and i didn't then. yet, i don't feel as if i'm still in my early 20's, because nothing ever really happened then that made that age feel like a milestone. i guess i'm just stuck somewhere in a youthful state where every day is new and exciting.

i love where i am in life. i don't know where in the world (literally) i'll be this time next year or what i'll be doing, and i'm fine with that. i have faith that God knows what he's doing so i'll be alright.

most of my friends are more "settled" in to life than myself, which is fine. maybe i'll have more/better stories than them when we all meet back in the inevitable "middle". lol

at any rate, i'm hoping my 26th year on this big blue and green piece of rock we call "earth" can be the best one and the one in which i can look back on and say i loved more, lived more, and fought for the kingdom more.

peace

recent happenings

life has been pretty boring

i've been sitting around the house looking/waiting for something to do

there are the occasional yards to be mowed, but other than that, the day-to-day is pretty dull

last week i spent several days with my best friends from miami for a wedding

we met in franklin tenn to drive up to the chicagoland area (crystal lake) for our friend heidi's wedding

the trip was fun and some much needed friend time

the wedding was typical but very nice because it was such a close friend

the reception was the most fun i've had in a ling time: great friends, good food, good/great/terrible music, and plenty of dancing

i'm sure all the pictures that are incriminating that will show up on different sites are doctored-you can't prove i was doing any of that! 

the wedding was on friday, so we spent saturday in chicago with no real plan, which was non-stressful

we went to millennium park, the navy pier, the espn zone, walked around most of downtown, and had some authentic deep-dish pizza at one of the best places in town (i've determined that i prefer a new york slice better)

the trip back was somewhat nicer because i flew back, so it cut my travel time into about 1/5 of what it would have been

we are planning a possible trip in the fall to get everyone back together

skydiving pics

as promised long ago, here are some more pictures from my skydiving adventure

jumping out of a perfectly good plane

yesterday i went with two of my close friends here in miami to go sky diving.

it was an adventure to say the least.

i've always been one for adventure, as long as it was pretty safe (not going to cause me too much bodily harm or discomfort). as a child i avoided fair and amusement park rides like the plague and have never liked jumping off tall structures.

the days leading up to the jump i had no idea what to expect. i know very few people that have actually made the jump so i had no one to really tell me what it was like. i relate it to in '03 when i flew to hawaii to do missions (it was my first flight-if you haven't noticed, i like to go all out for my first time at things- first flight across the pacific, first jump off something high at 13,500 ft) before flying, i asked people what it was like. i had some say it was like riding a roller coaster at take-off, others said it was like riding in a car, but you know you're 35,000 feet above the ground. so, because of the unknown, i was nervous, excited, but nervous.

the same went for the diving. i had nothing to compare it to.

oddly enough, my nerves went away the closer we got to the actual jump. when we arrived, it still didn't seem real. it was still an idea. we started to suit up and get instructions, and everything started to become real. it helped that an 80-something year old man walked in, signed the waivers, and started to suit up with us. his name was larry. he's a former marine from WWII, and makes the jump every year. he was a cool guy. he talked about making the jump every year for his birthday and a lot of UM stuff (he told stories about the stadium he wants them to build at least 12 times) i was honored to have him along.

we boarded a small plane and sat down practically on top of each other. at this point, as we started to ascend into the heavens, my nerves were all but gone, to be replaced with nothing but curiosity, excitement, and wonder. one thing that helped calm my nerves was the fact that my friend tricia was right beside me obviously freaking out, questioning if she could do it. it forced me to be strong and act calm.

i rose to my knees, inched toward the edge of the aircraft, felt a rocking, then was out the door. i wish i could explain the feeling. there were so many sensations, and moments all packed into that brief moment. for maybe half a second my stomach sunk, but then went away, and that feeling was replaced with euphoria.

i had not even gotten fully out of the plane when i had the thought "i can't believe i just did that. there's no turning back." my ears popped super hard and it was hard to hear anything but my own thoughts and rushing wind.

the fall was 60 seconds, that seem to last 10. it went by quick. i tried to play up to the camera that was on the head of the diver beside us filming the entire thing as well as look around and soak up everything i could. i tried to look straight down, thinking about the cold, hard truth that i was falling at over 120 mph towards the ground. i looked ahead and around at the horizon knowing that i, as most, only see this view out of a plane window at some point, but here i am with a front row, very real, seat to it all.

the chute opened up around 5,000 feet above ground and we floated down to earth for about 6 minutes. the view was amazing. it was so peaceful and quiet. i was actually able to catch up to my friend scott and float beside him for a few seconds. then we landed right on the bull-eye down below.

my legs were wobbly for a second because i had gone from weightlessness to normal so quickly. i wanted to go right back up and do it again.

i would highly recommend the adventure to anyone. it makes you feel alive like nothing else i've ever experienced before, or probably ever will.

i can't wait to go again

more pictures to come soon.

peace

what a great weekend

this weekend started off on thursday when i went with my friend tricia to see one of my favorite singer/songwriters ray lamontagne in concert 

the show was amazing-very chill and relaxed

his voice is even better live than on the album (which is tough to do for him)

friday i got up early to head to avon park, fl

i met up with my friend gerrard, whom i haven't seen in 6 years

we met and served closely in hawaii in '03

i spent time with his wife, their 8 month old girl, and his in-laws

it was so nice and refreshing to be in an actual "home" atmosphere for the first time in 4 months

they were visiting from the boston area (where they live now) for her sister's wedding

i wound up going to the wedding and being the unofficial photographer 

i can back early afternoon yesterday

it was an amazing weekend

life in the key of west

i went down to key west saturday with a few friends for the day

its a pretty long drive, but fun times were had by all

we sat around on the beach and chilled then drove and walked around taking it easy

i stopped at one spot on the boardwalk to get some pictures of a guy juggling flaming sticks and got recruited to be part of the show...interesting

we ate at a place by the docks and watched some basketball (which i'm glad is almost over-bring me some baseball and football!)

i got a few good shots from the trip as well

peace