i was reading some stuff off of this cool website called ESPN.com (sarcasm) and they had this article:

i thought it was cool hearing/reading about the things that are going on around the world and how people are actively spreading the word of God by various means. then i look at myself and ask, "what have i done to help further the kingdom of God?"

well, everything is going pretty well...back at home for the summer doing the intern thing again and hanging out a lot with the family. but yea, gotta get some rest...early day again tomorrow. keep in touch everyone, g'night

God is great all the time, all the time God is great!

WOW, God is an amazing and beautiful worker. Sometimes we all get caught up in life that we miss out on a lot of the things He has created in this world. Though Tucson is a sort of boring place, it houses one of the most beautiful sunsets and scenaries in the world. It may sound girlie, i know, but i was really amazed by the site of it all: the sun against the mountains and watching the sun go down amongst the clouds. For some reason, that scene really stood out to me the other day, and the smell of some of the flowers on campus, all of us would not have noticed as much if we were caught up within ourselves all the time. So, take some time to check some scenes out, smell a flower, something...lol

Some things i've learned the past couple of days had to do with prayer and talking with God. i notice sometimes that when i pray, it's always asking for this or that, but we should also praise God in our prayers. Praise Him for being a part of a lives, for keeping us going here on Earth, for blessing us with what we have, instead of asking for more and more. Have you praised and thank God today?

It's been pretty exciting this semester, to be able to grow more and more as i continue my walk with JC. Hope that for those people who don't know Him will get to know Him one day, it's really exciting and encouraging.

So, the other day, after my birthday had ended, i thought the celebration had ended. But, no...the party went on into last Saturday (the 25th). It was amazing and wonderfully set up because i was really oblivious to the whole thing. At first, i thought we were all just going out for a regular night for dinner, just the five of us (Greg, Herman, Barn, Andy, and me) over at Olive Garden. We get to the restaurant and Herman hasn't asked for a table yet (because he was the first to walk in). So, i ask the hostess for a table for 5, and it was going to be an hour wait. At that point, i kinda didn't want to stay that long because THAT's a long time for some hungry college guys to be waiting for food. But, this is what blew my mind a bit, Herman goes and asks the hostess if we could get a table right away, almost demanding it immediately. And, it just blew me away cuz it sounded like a demand/request and when you go into a restaurant, you expect to wait a little bit, not just go and demand a table. Sure enough, the manager comes by and takes us to a table, so im praising Herman a bit. But, then i look around the restaurant and there's 3-4 tables open left and right and that had me heated. How can all this be an hour wait for us when all these tables we available? Just as that thought occurs in my mind, we get led through this opening and i am completely awe-struck. There, in the room, is all my friends sitting and waiting for us to arrive for a surprise birthday dinner. At that moment, that was probably the most amazing moment in my life...to see all these people come out of love and support for celebrate a special occasion, that blew me away even more than before. So, as you can imagine, i felt flustered, bemused, confused, and overjoyed all at the same time. It was an amazing sight to see a whole row of tables full of people who came out to be there for you. I really praise and thank God for this and the way He has worked through them all.

Thanks to everyone who called in for birthday wishes, all those who came out to celebrate the big 2-1 with me...it was all fabulous and amazing.  i can't stop smiling inside...have a good night everyone.

wow...i've been left speechless. today was the most amazing day of my life, and it did not involve any form of alcohol. lol, thats what was some people's first response when they found out today was my 21st birthday..."are you going to by any drinks?" "don't get too drunk tonight." i mean, its cool...thats what a lot of people look forward to when they turn 21. but, sometimes we all dont need to get plastered just to have fun, or to gain enough courage to go out and meet someone. we shouldnt need to rely on such a thing to have enjoyment. its like taking steriods so that you can play better, and you dont rely upon your skills that got you this far. but, its cool...i know that i dont need to drink to have fun or to feel great. i have a great group of friends, family, and God who all make life soo wonderful...

i just want to thank you all for celebrating the big day with me, all who have wished me a great birthday, and all who have given me gifts. all of you have made this day more and more memorable. and God, i really thank You so much for blessing me with all of this, even though i dont really deserve it all. but, You truly are amazing and You know how to make things happen. i couldnt have asked for anything better...it was one amazing event after another...and it all blew me away. im here at the end of the day and im still catching my breath...its been all taken away. this day is indescribable. thank you everyone

hola hola, how are you doing today?  yes, it has been a while since i have last updated this, but its ok, im back. there's been a lot going since the last entry, which only involved lyrics to a song. that was just a random post, it was a song i had stuck in my head at the time. if you havent heard it, you should check it, its pretty good...kind of mellow. here's an update to what has been going on:

Spring semester is upon us all now...we're into the 12-13 week of it and time is really flying by. last week was spring break for us U of Aers and it was a much needed break for all of us. im glad to hear that everyone had enjoyed theirs. i headed back home for the week to see my family and hung out with them the majority of the break. it was really amazing to seem them, every time i head back there, things change in terms of my relationship with them. it has gotten stronger and stronger, and some of that may attribute to the fact that i am out of state. but, whatever it is, its great having them all and i am very lucky and blessed to have each and every one of them. those kids are always thinking of new inside sayings to share and the parents have always been good to all of us. i really thank God for them all, for placing me in such a close-knit home. in fact, i thank Him for everything in my life and what has led me to be who i am today. He's taught me a variety of things about different aspects of life, and im still learning more from Him everyday. i am greatly thankful to be on this spiritual walk with Him...ever since i've become a Christian, everything has changed for the better. He really is amazing, and for those who dont know Him, i pray that some day you may have an encounter with Him. He's reaching out to all of us out with His love and grace, i just thank Him so much for all of that...

but yea, spring break was phenomenal, even though i spent all of it at home, it gave me a getaway from Tucson to think about things without the added distractions. though, sometimes coming home, you find yourself troubled with other distractions you left behind after going away to college. its ok though, everything has been great and really really good. i dont really remember what happened the first couple of days in detail, but on Sunday mom came with me again to church, which is really encouraging. though its been a little hard for me to show and explain Christ to the fam, i know in due time, in His time, they may one day get to know Him. after that, we headed out for lunch at Dim Sum and that was really delicious, havent had it in a while. even though we went Dim Sum all the time when i was in Vegas, you really start to cherish the chance you get to go to Dim Sum when you havent had it in a while, especially when Dim Sum in Tucson is not that good. but, the majority of the break was chill time with the fam, the couch, and TV. throughout the week i was running around a lot with mom to different appointments here and there. and from those appointments, i got a new pair of sunglasses, an x-ray, blood drawn from me, three different prescriptions, crutches, an ankle brace, cool socks, and QT with my mom...

i ended up hurting my ankle before break playing bball (which was probably everyone's guess). it was probably the worse sprain ankle i've ever taken in my life. but, here's the story: i was driving down the lane for an open layup and the guy that was guarding me caught up and stepped in front of me. i banged into his knee while i was up in the air, bruising his knee in the process (my bad, Eugene), and when i came down...the foot wasnt in proper landing position and i completely rolled the ankle to the max. so, i was on the ground for a while in pretty bad pain, but the guys were great in helping me out and getting the staff person for some ice. i got back up, walked it off a bit, and started to play again. that was probably the stupidest idea, but i figured since spring break was coming, just keep going and go out with a bang. that surely happened...

a couple of days later, i was back in Vegas and we setup an appointment to see the doc. got some x-rays done and when the technician took a look at them he said, "Interesting." "Interesting good? or bad?" i asked. "Let me give you a sticker that'll help explain it a little better," says the technician. and he goes to a drawer, takes out a square sticker, and hands it to me. i look at it and gave an expressionless face after reading "I broke my bone" off of the sticker. initially, i wasnt upset because the sticker had a picture of a bone on crutches, but it had a smiley face on it. so, it was hard to be really depressed cuz that smiley was funny. but, as it turned out, i chipped some bones in my ankle and i needed to see a specialist. to sum it all up, saw the pediatrist for a short 10-min appointment, which was short and made me concerned cuz it was short, and cant be doing any activity (BBALL) for about a month or less. that was probably the biggest letdown, not being able to play bball for a while. as silly as that may sound, i really love the game, which is why i kept playing on the bad ankle. bball has truly become an addictive drug for me, in a good way though. its my escape away from everything, and i thank God for blessing me with such an ability to play, to have this opportunity to hang out and meet old and new people, and to take my mind away from the bothersomes and the worrisomes. so, its more than just a game for me, its my relief.

other than that, break was really solid...really thankful for all the cool stuff that i got, randomly and for the birfday. ohh, saw a really good movie, too. its called American History X, its really really moving and really good, it gives Crash a huge run for its money. if you have a chance, check it out, but be prepared for some harsh cussing, and thats about it. i want to give a prayer out to all of those who are going through some difficult times. i ask that God may help you all out through it and that He may be with us all for the rest of the night. thanks for reading...i'll try to update a little more often. take care...