Thanksgiving 2008

Well this year's Thanksgiving wasn't bad at all, however probably not much to report on as usual. I spent the evening with Harry, Stacie, and children, as well as Al and Suzanne Chrylser. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner here at the center where we had it in the Windsor Auditorium. We had all the Thanksgiving things: turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, spanish rice, rolls, pumpkin pie, and other pies. It was a great meal. I thank Harry, Stacie and the Chryslers for allowing me to have dinner with them. After eating way too much, I came back and chilled for a few hours to relax my stuffed stomach. After that I talked to my father on the phone for a while. Then topped it off with one of my movies I through into my laptop. It was a good day altogether. However I still miss spending Thanksgiving back home. This is my second Thanksgiving here in New Windsor and I enjoyed it, but I would have enjoyed it more if I was back in California. Next year though I will be. I also want to mention that my Dallas Cowboys beat the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 8-4. That was cool. The day after Thanksgiving, which was yesterday, I helped a friend in the SERV International store doing some organizing was pretty cool because since I been here in New Windsor at the Brethren Service Center, I have never been down to SERV expect in the gift shop. I had a good time helping her out and look forward to doing it again. I am taking Monday off so I can extend the break a little bit so I can do a few thing here. Anyway, Thanksgiving 08 came and went. I look forward to it next year.

BVSer; Unit 275

My Sports Day

This past Sunday was a good day in sports for myself. It had been a while since the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders won in the same Sunday. Well this time it happen. The Cowboys played San Francisco 49er's and beat them 35-22. Tony Romo had over 300 yards passing and Terrell Owens had over 200 yards receiving. If they play like this the rest of the season, they might possibly make the playoffs and are going to be tough. The Raiders played their division rival Denver Broncos. This game was interesting because the Raiders came into this came without scoring an offensive touchdown in like two games. In the first half the defense came to play, and the special teams came to play as well. At the half it was 10-3 Oakland, with the touchdown coming from a run back from a kickoff return. The second half, Raiders just kept coming at the Broncos. They finally scored an offensive touchdown. Not only did they find the endzone, they 3 TD's in the second half and the defense play pretty darn well to win the game 31-10. Denver beat us the first game of the season in our home field. It was great to return the favor in their home. Not only did the Cowboys and Raiders win their games, but in basketball, the Lakers continued their winning streak my beating the Sacramento Kings to improve to 11-1 for the season with the best record in the league. Kobe once again only had to play about 33 minutes or so. Kobe averages around 33 minutes this season. That is saying that the Lakers bench is ripping it up and are on a mission the get that championship in June. In sports this was one hellava day for me. Lets do it again.

Some Real Thoughts......

For the past few weeks, there have been so many thoughts going on in my head that I need to start expressing them in my blog. Because after all, my blog is my personal journal. My blog isn't just to tell what I done in BVS, it also helps me grow as a person and a writer. With that being said, I am going to be completely honest about things in this blog that I probably won't say out loud to anyone, even though everyone can read. Its just something about writing that sets me free. I felt like I have been real, but sometimes I held things back because of what people may say to me or think. Not any more. You see this is my journal that I write. I love that people read what I have to write. That excites me, but I won't hold anything back because I need to be real with myself first and foremost. I want to be real to my readers out there, the people like to read my blog, and the ones that like to hate on my blog. It doesn't matter who. Also, when I write my blog, even though I might write something that people might question, I don't write this to get questioned because of something I write. I admire all my readers out there, but I want them to understand that what I write stays in this blog no matter what I write about. I don't write to answer questions like "Why did you say this? Why did you say that?" I know my boundries and I will respect my boundries.

I am going to start off by explaining why I am not going home for the holidays this year. At first I started looking at prices for plane tickets back home. To me there were a little steap. The times I wanted to go would have cost $600 or more. My parents as well as myself wouldv'e covered it no doubt, but then I thought about some other things and I come to the conclusion that I am nowhere near ready to come home. When I left, one of the biggest things that I seen in my life is that I felt like everyone was passing me by in life. People getting married, having kids, having cool ass jobs. The year prior to leaving, I couldn't get anything going right in my life. I was still at home, looking for work, driving my Pops pickup, getting turned down from place after place. It sucked. Finally, I had the opportunity to experience something completely away from my element. I had the opportunity to do something cool and be away from everything and everyone for a little while and I don't have to see everyone growing up in front of me. Fact is since I left, I felt like nothing has changed for me and everything is getting more depressing for me back home. I can't see that right now. I am in a difficult position because at one point I thought plan A was coming together nicely. But as time goes by, the comments being made, the things I see, I realize I am going to resort to plan B or plan C, which I don't really want. This probably don't make sense to people, but it makes complete sense to me, and that is what it supposed to. I have been feeling like this for quite some time now, it just isn't going away anytime soon. I don't want no one to tell me "how come you didn't say anything, or why did you say this?" The fact is, it is my problem and I got to learn how to deal with this myself. Writing about this helps because it gets a lot of things off my back. I am not going to fib, I do miss folks back home like my parents and my grandmother, and I want to visit them and everyone else, but I got to be in a right state of mind before I do that. It doesn't make any sense to be depressed about going home. And that is why I decided to hold off until I am mentally ready to return.

Everything is how its going over here in New Windsor. Work is still work, still enjoying what my job is for the time being. Francie is still the best, Wolfgang (I'm sure he'll read this, however) is still one awesome friend and the fellow volunteers are nicest people around. Game night is still a blast. It gets pretty lonely at here some times but I manage. I think the people I miss the most during this time is my BVS unit as well as other BVSers that I have gotten to know over the past year and few months. Those are the coolest people in the world. I miss just hanging out with them, having conversations with them and just doing the whole fellowship with them. Those are the people I miss the most.

I want to give a shout out to my fellow church family back home. Keep doing what you are doing and I will see you when I can. I can't wait to come back and play on the new basketball court, LOL. I want to wish everyone over there a Happy Thanksgiving because its coming up next week if I don't get a chance to write by then. I hope I will though.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, its coming up and I look forward to the time off a work for a few days. Not that work is bad or anything because I love my work, but it gives me a chance to do more writing, and continue thinking about my future plans are going to be. I will also be watching a lot of my movies and watching some of the football games as well. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I hope all my family has as great time back home. I'm sure some of the Irizarry's are going over my Uncle Domingo's house and having a great dinner while watching the Dallas game. My mom's side of the family will probably be at Dales, making the best food in the whole world (miss that pork with the peppers). Here I don't know what I am doing this year. I may just hang out and watch the game, then throw in a couple of movies. We'll see. Anyway, I will get back to Thanksgiving later.
I believe I got a lot of things off my chest for now. There will be more things that I will be thinking bout, and I will write about it when they come up. For now, I will chill with this blog entry and let it soak in while I find some other things to write about. Peace!

BVSer, Unit 275

Uncle once again

Last Tuesday, my mom called me up and let me know that I am going to be an uncle again. As of matter of fact, I am going to be an Uncle two more times. Both of my brother's girlfriends are pregnant. The most surprised news for me was finding out that my brother Josh is going to be a Father, which will make my dad a Grandfather. I was awaiting the day for Courtney, my brother Josh's girlfriend, to get pregnant and here she is. It couldn't have come at a better time for them. First of all, they recently bought a house, which means that they can raise their soon to be child in that house. Secondly, Courtney will finish up her nursing program sometime in December and I think that is what they wanted. For her to finish it up before having kids. And my father, going to be a grandpa. It doesn't get any better than that. He is definitely old enough to be a grandpa and now he is one and that is great. I can't wait to see what kind of dad my bother Josh is going to be. Now on the other side of things, my baby brother Todd is going to be a father for the second time. He has a 1 ½ year old daughter named Priscilla. The idea of having both my brother's girlfriends pregnant at the same time is an interesting concept. I congratulate both of theme and wish them the best. Todd, on increasing his family size and Josh on going to a new level in life, Fatherhood. It doesn't get any better than that. And of course, I will always be the best uncle that I can possibly be. I am going to be the type of uncle that my Uncle Domingo, my Uncle Balvino, and my Uncle Mark were to me. A very influential uncle in the most positive way.

Remembering Eva

Eva Weimer leading worhip songs on Sunday Service

Remembering Eva Weimer

On October 15th, Heaven received another angel. Eva Weimer was that angel. Eva had been part of the Waterford Church of the Brethren ever since I can remember and even way before that. She was loved by so many and she loved so many herself. Eva dedicated her life in being a Christian lady. I think we as a church were blessed to have her be with us.

Eva was a lot of things to a lot of people. A daughter, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a friend, an influential person, and of importance, a sister-in-Christ. She held everyone with the utmost respect. She was that kind lady that you can talk to her about anything. I remember going to Sunday services and one of the faces I always looked forward to seeing and talking to was Eva.

I got to know Eva from the Waterford Church of the Brethren. One of the things that I will remember her being is loyal to the church. She been there through all the changes the changes the church as gone through. She dedicated herself to help the church in whatever she can do. Eva done it all. When the pastor is away on a Sunday, she makes sure someone is there to fill the pulpit. The hymnals we sing in church, she picks them out. She also lead the songs. I think one of the things that she had done that made her happy was she would lead Sunday school. Eva loved the children. She loved to spend time with much kids as possible because I believe that she made a difference in their lives. Eva was also a deacon, attended church board meetings, went to most of the church functions, and everything else I think of, she did. This is what I call “God's work” and she loved doing it. In my opinion she was the heart and soul of the church. The church is going to miss her very much

Eva made a big difference in my life. I will always remember her being one of my biggest supporters in my decision in joining BVS. She always had something great to say about that. Another thing that I will remember her by is she would make this delicious chocolate cream pie. Man, that is the best desert in the world to me. No one made it like Eva can. She took the time to hand me over her recipie for the chocolate cream pie so I would attempt to make it when I went to BVS. She wanted to leave her mark where ever I went. It just makes me feel good to remember all that about her. I remember she was one of the 6 people that actually showed up at the church of New Year's eve 2006. We all just played games, ate goodies, talked and just social with one another. I will also remember that she loved to play games. Eva would have fit in so well here at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, MD. I do that here with the older folks on Sunday evenings and they would have just loved her. I think of her smile when she would do something to influence my life in anyway she can.

Eva Weimer will be missed. I still think her presence is still with us and we (everyone she knows) will never forget her. She is a major part of my life and I will always look to tell stories about the wonderful lady that made a big difference in my life as well as other. I know God is pleased with her and I know she is up in Heaven, just chillin, having a great time. This is in memory of Eva Weimer, sister-in-Christ, who I will never forget.