Monthly Archive for March, 2004

Spring Retreat 2004

Published on March 31, 2004 in Fun Stuff. 5 Comments



In case you didn’t have the opportunity to check out Lake Swan’s website and see what kind of cool activities they have, here’s what we encountered on our trip there this past weekend: fun and more fun. We arrived on Thursday night, tired after the seven-hour drive to Melrose, Florida. If you ask me where Melrose, Florida is on a map I’ll probably just look at you funny and ask you what the heck you’re talking about. I just know it takes seven hours to get there. Anyways, we got there and it was pitch black, so we were seperated into our bunks and we had a good night’s rest. Well, some of us did. The bed was tough on my back, and I woke up with frost on my face and my sinuses filled with mucus, it was so cold.

Each morning a group of people gathered in front of the tetherball pole, where we would start off the day with a bit of trash-talkin’ challenges. “I bet I can beat ya again. I bet you won’t even get the ball around twice. I bet you think you’re going to win. muahahaha”. After a while everyone got sick of me challenging them so I quit playing. Cry babies.

Breakfast was at 8 in the morn’ and was proceeded by our half-hour quiet times with our Bibles and notebooks. Some chose to do their reading indoors but I took the opportunity to seek God’s Word in the natural world he created. Surrounded by trees and song of birds, I found the most peaceful spots of shade this world has to offer and dove into chapters of James.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6 NIV)

What a gift we have simply by request. That Friday morning I prayed for wisdom in being a leader to my team and peers, asking for a discerning heart and a cautious eye so that I could be just and responsible in God’s eyes.

After our quiet times we had morning lessons which were hosted by Mrs. Estelle Meyers. They were always enlightening and brought out good discussion among the troops. Oh yeah, the theme was Boot Camp this year, so don’t mind any military euphamisms I might throw here and there.

By the time our sessions were over, it was lunch time where we all gathered in the mess hall again and ate our food. It wasn’t the best cooking in the world, but we were thankful nonetheless. It beats eating beatles and grass anyday. It was in the mess hall that I got to know the soldiers best. We chatted and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company as we ate in excitement for the rest of the day.

After dinner it was basically physical madness in the fields. There was a huge lake with tons of activities waiting for us. This included wake boarding (I tried and couldn’t do it), knee boarding (couldn’t do that all the way either), and tubing (no strength required in that one, except holding onto dear life once the boat drags the the tubes out into the lake at 30 mph). The water was freezing but we enjoyed it so much you didn’t really notice the frostbite after a while.

After a few hours of all that we showered, prepared for dinner, and then went back to the chapel for our nightly services, hosted by our very own Rey De Armas. Mind you this guy is only two years older than me and he preaches like a man who’s done it all his life. God is going to use this man in big ways, and we’re majorly blessed to have him in our family. But before Rey ever spoke a word, it was video time. Where my acting debut film Good Intentioned Joe (G.I. Joe… get it? nobody else did) was shown on screen for some serious laughs. If I can get Robbie to make me a compressed version I’ll try to put it on my site for all to see. It’s good stuff.

Then each night was concluded by a gathering at the campfire, where we made s’mores and sang songs. Corny, you say? Maybe. Is it something I would have done without? Absolutely not. It was the experience everyone expects at camp, and it made our friendships seem a little more concrete with every gathering. It was awesome.

So that pretty much describes our Spring Retreat for this year. Just imagine doing that for 3 days straight. I bet you’re exhausted already. If not, then drop and give me 20.

Pictures will be posted soon. I have to organize them and all that. Dismissed!

Retreat!

Published on March 24, 2004 in Recentisms. 2 Comments

Tomorrow afternoon I will board a bus full of excited middle school, high school, and college kids as we prepare to head out to Lake Swan in North Florida, (not to be mistaken for Tschaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet). I have quite a few things prepared for the event, including a new camera, my camcorder, some swimming trunks, sunglasses, a sweater or two, some army fatigue clothing, sandals, and most importantly my Bible. The theme this year is “Christian Boot Camp: Basic Training”. A few friends and I made a little movie that will be divided into 4 parts and played each night of the event. We made sure to fill it up with plenty of comical nonsense just for the heck of it.

I hope this retreat really benefits those who are a part of it. We’ll be having a bunch of activities to take part in, and I’m sure we’ll return on Sunday with plenty of stories to share with our families and friends. Pray for our safety please. We leave Thursday at 3:30 and return on Sunday night. I plan on sharing pictures and clips, so stay tuned. See ya!

Ugly Day

Published on March 15, 2004 in Recentisms. 5 Comments

What a crummy day. There’s nothing in particular that made it crummy, though the clouds covering our lovely state were a shade of depression grey, and the humidity seemed to be more present than ever. After sitting in front of the computer for a few hours of programming, I understood what it felt like to be deprived of the glorious sunlight. What a shame. Before I knew it the day was through, and I was driving home listening to the same cd I had this morning. I guess it’s just one of those lousy days. There are a few disturbing feelings in the back of my mind, like the money I owe my dad, or the test I missed last week, or the essay I have yet to complete that keeps gnawing at my chest. Being away from the stage so long has it’s effects on me.

Fortunately I bumped into a friend last week who is going to help me get a few gigs in Orlando, and a place to stay. I’m considering going there for the summer, just to see what possibilities there are outside of Miami. I’ll probably apply for an intership at relevant magazine since it’s located right around where I’d be staying. I see doors opening. I see opportunities. I see it’s time to get ready for martial arts. See ya.

Too sweet

Published on March 14, 2004 in Recentisms. Closed

I’ve eaten a lot of sweets lately. That can’t be very good for me, but I try to justify it by the amount of beatings I get at the martial arts school. I went back to the boxing class yesterday after missing it for a month and a half, and boy am I sore. Woke up this morning with a stuffy nose, aching muscles, a bit of an appetite, and the sounds of Phantom Planet blaring in my ears. Oh and I’ve been sneezing a lot lately. I used to like sneezing because it was a neat sensation, not even minding the loud noise or the persperation flying out into the air. Recently my eyes have been getting watery with every explosion as well as an itchy throat. Makes me want to use the Nightime, Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching, Stuffy Head, Fever So You Can Rest And Have A Good Morning Medicine. The symptoms go back and forth. One day I think I’m healed and then I step out into the sun and all hell breaks lose in my immune system.

A bunch has happened since I last wrote, but there’s so much that I’m afraid to begin typing. I’m sure I’ll omit important details, or mix up names and dates and emotions and victories. Overall I’m doing just fine. The last movie I saw in theathers was The Passion of the Christ and it was quite the film. But you’ve heard enough about it lately. I’ve seen a bunch of dvds, some of which are purely stand up comedy and others which are classics. I did my first improv skit for youth group and I got a good response, so it looks like I’ll be doing a weekly skit for the audience.

My digital camera is being serviced or replaced, so I haven’t been able to visually document anything that’s happened lately. My brother is very motivated in his new line of work: real estate. Mom has been getting some work coming through. My car had a faulty radiator which costed quite a penny to replace. I’m behind on some school assignments and I’ve got a few websites I’m going to be working on soon.

It’s good to be alive and busy. I’ll try to write in here more often, even if it takes up some of my napping time, and boy do I enjoy my naps.

An apple a day…

Published on March 1, 2004 in Recentisms. 2 Comments

So I woke up kind of late today, knowing full well what was going to happen at 11 o’clock. My yearly physical was due, so I headed off to the doctor’s office at 10, hoping to get attended early so I can head off to work. Ha!
I waited in the lobby, patiently reading the newest edition of Relevant magazine, as the rest of the would-be patients watched Montel Williams. Fortunately I can tune out easily, but there were times when I stopped reading and heard some of the testimonies coming from the television screen. People were crying, talking about survival guilt and how the tragedies happened. I focused my attention back to the magazine. A few articles later I looked up and they were giving Family Feud. The deciding question was “Things that people waste”. The lady to my right said “water”, hoping the contestant would say the same. He didn’t. Instead he said “food” and he earned enough points to win the game for his family. Ding ding ding ding, people clapped and hugged and I looked back down to my magazine. A few pages later I looked up and the 12 o’clock news were on, Haiti had it’s president kidnapped by the U.S. and now their are american troops handling the madhouse over there. Great, more american teenage boys handling someone else’s dirty laundry. The room was practically empty by this point, save the elderly couple to my right, whispering comments as the footage of haitian looters was shown over and over. The media sure knows how to make something bad look incredibly worse. I look back down and read some article on AIDS in Africa and some other editorials. Before I know it, my mother and I are the only ones left in the office. Even the crickets have left and the tumbleweed is closing the door behind himself. Finally I hear my name, and I’m taken to the scale where I’m told I weigh 180 pounds. Not bad. I’m taken to another room where my blood pressure is taken and a thermometer is put in my mouth. At some point I have lost complete track of time, and am told the doctor will see me shortly. The nurse is training a young female highschool intern how to document the information and where to place the files.

I pick up a nearby Esquire magazine and start reading away. I flip through the many pages and realize I’m just about done with the blasted thing. A lady comes in the room, tells me I’ll have to come back in an hour, there’s a really sick patient they have to attend to. I agree to return, after all I’m starving at this point. So I leave the office to a nearby chicken restaurant with me ma’, and we scarf down the plates. She heads off to take care of some business and some banks as I lay in the car daydreaming. It is 5 til 2:00 and we get back to the doctor’s office. I walk back into the patient room and finally the doctor comes in the room… after I’ve fallen asleep for about 30 minutes. He looks at me, asks me a few questions, tells me to turn my head and cough, tells me I need to lose about 20 more pounds, and says I’m as healthy as a horse.

Geez I coulda told you that by a glance in the mirror. And it would’ve been cheaper. Needless to say the day was practically over and I didn’t go to work.

So tomorrow morning I return on a complete fast so they can do some bloodwork. I already know what the doctor’s going to say: “Hmm… looks like your blood is red. I guess you’re ok.”