Holly Rodrigo :: Part 1 of many

I love my wife. She is everything I need and then there are extras that I am still finding out. But with all of the new extras, I forget about some of the other things about Holly. Believe it or not I forget that she is short and little. I have my moments when the planets align and I am blown away at how small she is. There are also times I forget my Holly does not like small confined spaces. She has only had two panic attacks (both on planes) but she almost...Almost blew up on the Finding Nemo ride at Dland. Here is a picture of the makings of a blow up...I know this is bad but I just started laughing, but at the same time, rubbing her back in comfort and trying my hardest to distract her from the claustrophobia. It happened so fast all I could do was laugh. Sorry I'm a jerk...a brown Puerto Rican jerk.
Like I said before...Holly is short. There is 1 feet and 2 and a half inches between us. But there are people, who aren't midgets, that are shorter than Holly...that is just crazy to me. So what do I do...I take a picture of the anomaly.

Baby Rodrigo...

So I just heard the heart beat of my lovely Baby Rodrigo with my stethoscope. I felt for the baby, pushed and prodded on Holly's belly, found baby's back and placed the stethoscope on her back and listened... woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo
It is really, really quiet but it is there and fast. I can't wait to meet her!!! She doesn't really like me pushing in on her space to hear her heart though. She pushes back and it sounds really loud through the stethoscope; not really pleasant.

Milk...Does It Really Do The Body Good?

In my Google Reader I have a feed to this cartoon artist that makes these weird, interesting, cliche, not so cliche cartoons. I came across this cartoon and obviously it caught my attention. Not many "Christian Artists" would venture this far off main stream...but it happened, and it worked,and it caught my attention like it is catching yours as you read, mmmha ha ha!!

Well I know what I think about this picture...what conjures up in your soul when you gander at this piece of art? By the way this is supposed to be about the church.

Thinking About It

I was really perplexed as to why I am not that sad that Dan & Alyssa are leaving. I was befuddled by my mood when I knew Bill & Patty were going to be gone as well. Then it hit me by joe... distance between me and my family has never really bothered me. I am a product of a divorced family that is separated by 2000+ miles. I live in So. Cal closer to my mom's family and dad's family lives in Ohio. I get to see them every once in a while but we start right where we left off; except we get older. I guess for me, it isn't new to have my family in different parts of the country. I actually like it. Ahh don't you love it when something bothers you and then you figure it out...it adds a sense of closure to it all doesn't it.?.

Rev Rock :: AKA :: Dan Lance

I can speak in front of people. I can perform in front of people. I can preach in front of people. Today, at lunch I had many chances to tell my good friend Rev Rock what I love about him and what he means to me. Maybe I choked at the opportunity, maybe I didn't feel eloquent at the time. I do know that I don't regret not saying anything; here is why? I just feel like I will see Dan again someday and it will feel like the same. There are few friends I can say that about. The kind that you can start right where you left off. I think Dan is one of those friends; so I didn't need to make a speech about how much I am going to miss him. If anything, Holly and I have a new vacation spot. Now we have 3; Trav & Annette, Bill & Patty, and now Dan & Alyssa.

Now to make a speech about what Mr. Rock has done for me in front of 30+ people, to me, is not appropriate. But...to post, for all of bloggdom to read...now that's classic!!!

I lead musical worship. I would consider myself a good singer. I would consider myself a good guitar player. I have never had problem leading people through a song whether it was the band I was leading or a group of people singing with me. I was choir president for my high school so I would lead whole choral arrangements whenever the choir director was gone. So needless to say I have no problem with leading music and having people follow me in song. When I started leading music at The Grove I thought that it was an easy job because I can do all that I have mentioned but looking back, I was not enabling people to usher themselves into the presence of God through a common language like music.

Enter Dan Lance from, to me, Redding California. He took over the College group at VCC and brought a certain style of freedom in leading people through musical worship. I didn't like it. To me, whenever he led, his style was distracting. I didn't get why he would move away from the mic and just sing at the top of his lungs to the ceiling. It is unconventional and not conducive to leading people in musical worship. But the more he led in this way the more I understood that he was leading himself in musical worship and not just the audience. Once I understood this my ability to sing, play, and lead all came together for the glory of One. What I am saying is that because of Dan Lance, my style of leading people in music has freed me to be the music leader I am today. When I lead I do care about if people are going to get it but in the end, by the last song in the set, I am only concerned about what I am giving to God. Sure I have made my own style but the foundation I have is because of Dan Lance. The foundation I speak of is just being myself. Backing away from the mic to scream at the top of my lungs is me giving myself and acting undignified.

Dan thank you so much for showing me the truth about being caught between a song and a scream...

AIDS and The Magic Bullet

The disease process of HIV/AIDS, as most of us know, has no known cure. For many in our world today, you could say that this information could cause a bit of anxiety to know that death is imminent. Death is imminent for everyone but what if you could place a time limit on your life; say 2-10 years until life ends. Many pharmaceutical companies are searching for the Magic Bullet through millions of dollars of research and development to find THE cure for AIDS. One such company thought they had a vaccine but through doing research about the vaccine they have found that this particular vaccine actually makes you more susceptible to the virus.

I don't believe that there will be a vaccine but there is a cheaper Magic Bullet that could help prevent AIDS...Education, Teaching.
If you have time I invite you to read this article. AIDS Article

Questions to Think About:
1. Do you know anyone with HIV/AIDS?
2. Have you been tested for HIV? (I am going to get tested even though I know I don't have HIV/AIDS. My thinking is being proactive in doing away with the stigma of being tested)
3. Do you think everyone should be tested?
4. Do you think you should be tested?
5. Is there a stigma with testing for HIV/AIDS?
6. How much do you really know about HIV/AIDS?

Just In Case...

Lakers 134 Pacers with a big fat LOSE

Education part II

So in our Abnormal Psych class we have been giving presentations about different Abnormal Psych stuff and one of the presentations was on Narcolepsy. At the end of the presentation was a video that made my day. It so funny and sad, but mostly funny. I hope you enjoy...

Competition

So many of you know that I LOVE competition. Love it! I also love trash talking and smack talking. If you don't know the difference here it is...smack talking happens during the moment. I love seeing the agony of defeat on peoples faces when they lose, like when I told Annie the Oz that her team won camp competitions. She jumped for joy with elation only to hear me say, "oops, I made a mistake you didn't win." You could imagine her dismay. Or the many times my boys and I dominate at The New Years Eve Partay. I even compete, even though she doesn't realize it, with my pregnant wife Holly. Fun times! I just love competition. That is all this blog is about. Oh...and to share one of my favorite clips from Scrubs of all times...enjoy

Education

I just had the worst schoolastic day of my entire life...let's just say that I am inches from throwing in the towel. I don't give up but I am inches...mere inches. I really don't know what to do with myself right now...
AAAuugggh!

Blog Love To One And All!

I am so so sorry that I forgot to give the proper Blog Love to those of you who have Blogs. I made a post earlier that failed miserable in this area of blogdom. I will never, ever do that again... ;)
Thanx for calling me out on that Mr. Beat

One Of The Hardest Nights...

10 years ago I started going to the college group at Victoria Community Church. Brian James Park was the college pastor at the time and my life with Christ truly took off at this time. 9 years ago I started leading music at the college group because Brian thought and knew that I had the talent to do so. If it wasn't for Brian's confidence in me to lead I would never have done it. 8 years ago a man named Mickey Thexton, who went to the college group, came up to me and told me that the youth pastor of VCC was looking for someone to come on staff and do music because he is a pansy that couldn't do both at the same time...ok I added that last part. Mickey said that I would have an interview with a guy named Adam McIntyre if I was interested. So I said sure I'll help out the pansy. My interview with Adam was at Riverside Brewing Company, I had a double bacon cheese burger and Adam had a Bar-B-Q Chicken Pizza. He hired me after one look into my Puerto Rican eyes. I was hired on January 26 of 2000. I have never looked back. Working with Trav Osborne, Sam Boone, Adam Mac, Dan Lance, Aaron Foor, Bill Risinger; working with this family has been the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. I am so so sad.

After 8 years with theOverflow and The Grove I told theOverflow last night that as of Dec. 12th I will no longer be their "Worship" Pastor. I will be leaving theOverflow in full and not return. If I stuck around it would not be fair to the next person who takes this position. I will still be at The Grove but I will not be with theOverflow at this time. This is a hard decision but Sam and I are together on this. I don't hate Sam or theOverflow. This decision is based on my current schedule and life.

My nursing school has taken over my most sacred of days...Wednesdays. When I first started I was safe and nursing did not dare encroach on MY day. However, this last semester, and I just found out that next semester, I have had and will have class and clinicals on Wednesday. I knew this day will come but now that it is here...wow...

It was so hard to figure out how to start and tell the students last night. I still can't believe I told them. It is a surreal feeling. But...but... I can't wait to see what God will have for me. I am so excited to look forward and wait patiently on the Lord.

Life Moves In A Flash

This is a picture I took while Holly and I went up to our glorious So.Cal Mountains to visit Aaron Foor and Family. This picture is of Hailey Foor. Let me just tell you that she was the hardest "thing" to shoot with a camera I have ever come across. You see when I first meet Hailey, oh so long ago when she just arrived out of the womb, she moved slow and was a shy person when she started to walk. Noah was the ham and Hailey just laughed and looked cute. NOW...Hailey will dance for you in the middle of an Ice Cream shop on demand and will run circles around you. She will follow her big brother every where...running here and there, climbing a wall to tight rope the top of the wall...pretty much anything you can do I can do better AND STILL look cute! Back to the picture...I almost deleted that picture (I was using my friends Canon 30D...sick camera) when I felt a voice saying, "See how time and life moves like a blur." My finger was ON the delete button but as I starred directly at the view screen for what seemed like a few seconds...my life with the Foors flashed before my eyes to reveal that Yes, life moves at the speed of life which is equal to the relative memories I have and the pace of life I am living.

Which brings me to my next point...which I will blog about in another post...
Aaron is smiling cause at that very moment, if you look closely, you can see the look of satisfaction of Allison. She just blew some booty big time! Loud and Long...I can't wait for my turn...

Yoda's Birthday

I am at Evan DeBaca's birthday party... He is turning one...He is Yoda and he is cute

Dinner and Some Texas Hold'Em

So I am going to tag myself in on the whole "Worship" conversation that should be had and is well overdue. I have been someone that takes the subject of "worship" very seriously and I think that after 8 years of teaching countless students on the subject that my opinion has some weight and validity to it.
My brother Adam started the conversation with a bang I will continue to fuel the fire, and by brother I don't mean it in a Southern Baptist kind of way, I mean it in a his family is my family and I am an uncle to his kids and if something should happen to him I would pick up where he left off in loving his family kind of brother...now you see what I just did...I was worshiping.
How could this be, there is no music; we did not meet together in a building we call church? Not only that but how abstract is what I just called worship.
My favorite chapter in all the bible is Romans 12. I know, I know, everyone's favorite chapter is Romans 12...but I guarantee that most people read it in a personal, singular type of context and not in a familial context; a context that is about the greater good of humanity as a family. Let me get even more specific; the part I like best about the chapter is after Romans 12:2. You see, Romans 12:1-2 are why we all should offer our lives as worship to God after a long court case from Romans 1-11. Then Paul the writer of Romans shows us how to worship starting in Romans 12:3 and so on. But the one verse that I am trying to get better at in worship is Romans 12:13. This verse talks about worshiping God through food and family time with those around you. I don't just mean family with blood I mean family in the sense of the human race. So Holly and I did, with international students from all over. We made dinner for them at our house which was amazing, holly threw down on the crock pot. Then I taught these international students from Brazil, Poland, India, etc. how to play Texas Hold'em. It was so much fun and God was there accepting our worship to Him. This is everyday church life. The is what offering your lives as a living sacrifice should look like. It is organic and fluid. Worship adapts to our Creator as you live out every single moment of your life for others.
As my brother Adam said, he thinks, and so do I, that powerful things can happen when we sing corporately. But do you really want to settle for 20-30 minutes of worship through music a week when you have your life to offer. Not even the early Jewish Rabbis would settle for that. To the early Jewish Rabbi, and I would argue to the modern Rabbi, believed that the highest form of worship to be offered up to YHWH would be to read his very word in order to have it written on their hearts. To read the VERY WORD of YHWH was to thrust oneself into the very presence of God.
Whew...long enough...I think I used up all my words for the day...I am just a guy.

Names For The Baby Poll...

So it seems like almost 40% of the people that voted like the name Lilly...WHY? Well we both don't like Lilly so the baby is not going to be named Lilly. 10 of you liked the name Maya...This could actually happen. It could happen because I like the name Sydney and Holly does not. I do like the name Audrey but not as much as Maya. The only problem I have with Maya is that I can't think of a middle name for Maya. I have one for Sydney; what do you think of Claire? Well I am extremely disappointed in the masses for siding with Holly on this one. I love Sydney Claire. Oh well we still have time...

Shoot Me Now For The Love!

Go to this link. africabeat. It is going to change your life! What kind of world do we live in. This is a story about Paris Hilton. Does that intrigue? I do think, however, that something good can come of this.