The Contender

I do not know if all of you in blogspace are aware of this amazing show. If you do not know about it...find out about it..NOW!

Leah and I began watching this show in India. We both enjoyed it. It was one of many Ben and Leah times that we had weekly. (I miss those times)

Anyway...I was watching the second season last night while I was preparing for Klemtu. I watched two episodes. I was caught up in it.

What is it?

Boxing!

I hate boxing.

After you watch the Contender...you will like boxing. The show is produced by ROCKY himself. And an amazing producer he proves to be. One of the better reality television shows out there right now.

If you haven't seen it...give it a shot...You...yes you...just might like it.

Busy

July 1st Katy (my sister) and Renjy are married.
July 2nd Road trip to Bellingham, Washington. Friend Mike is married.
July 4th Day at the beach and fireworks as Kaylas
July 8th Klemtu Training (Trip to see a real POW WOW)
July 10th-14th Summer Scream 2006 (middle school camp)
July 14th Ben comes home Summer Scream Champion
July 15th Klemtu Training
July 15th Billy's Bachelor party
July 16th George Verwer speaks at Village (The conversation I had with him was amazing)
July 20-21 Putting new roof on house (this is still going on)
July 20th Billy's dress rehersal dinner
July 21st Billy and Holly are married
July 21st late nite drive to Lake Billy Chanook with Amber and the rest of the college group. (fun times had. major sun burn. Wake and Volleyball Amazing!!!)

Look back through the posts and you will find a few tid bits for all the events.

soon on the plate-

Klemtu July 28th-August 11

Please be praying as I feel underprepared for this trip and at the moment I am about $400 short for this trip. Pray that the team would be willing and able to do what God has in store for us. I am so excited for this trip. God is going to wonderful things. We have an awesome team this year.

-me

Car antics

Today I had an adventure with my car. As many of you know, I am horrible when it comes to cars. I don't know anything. If the car starts I consider it a good thing. If the car gets me from one place to another...then I am doing really good.

I got the guts to change my headlamps today. I had recently noticed that my left headlight had burned out. Or more accurately...exploded! When I went to replace the light...I found a shattered mess. NO GOOD! I cleaned it up, careful not to penetrate my soft skin and draw a form of redness I wished not to see at the moment.

I was able to accomlish this first task fairly quickly. I was proud, in fact I was beaming from ear to ear! I am such a stud! Haha

Then came the oil change.

I have done this before...should be simple enough.

Nope!

I drain the oil. Fill up a bucket with the nasty crap. Get the new oil and oil filter ready to put on. Not so fast.

I am trying to take off the old oil filter...but the thing wont budge.

Now for all of you out there who don't know this, I am a certified WUSS! So when I tried to twist the filter off, I just figured two things:

1. I had just turned it the wrong direction (which would in fact have tightened it more)or,

2. I was a bigger wuss than I imagined...

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAADDD!!!"

Patiently, "Yes?"

"I can't get the stupid filter off my car!"

"K, Lets figure this out."

The stories continues...

Various items of distruction and thought to be helpful were used on the filter...

A list:

1. Jar opener (misunderstanding what dad really asked for)
2. Rubber gripper thingie majig
3. Hands
4. A top for the filter...supposed to work...didn't (twist off? not so much)
5. Screwdriver (used to puncture a hole into the filter to twist it off)

Finally after much hard work...Item number 2 but a different version of what we fifst used did the trick.

3 hours later my oil was changed...

3 hours of wasted time! Arghhh

Now to replace my windshield wipers...could be fun??? Right??

Draft

Portland...

You done good.

Roy will make an immediate impact on the team. Aldridge will do good too. I am getting pumped for this next season. I see at least 18 more wins this season.

woo hoo!

Thanks for getting rid of the highly over rated Telfair.

Now lets get rid of Darius Miles for goodness sake!!!

Prediction, Portland sneaks in at number 8 for the western conference playoffs.

LA Hat

I was just sitting here logging a baseball game. An LA Dodgers game. And I had a moment.

I used to own an LA baseball cap. I loved that hat. It was small...just like my head. Blue, which believe it or not brings out my eyes. It was an inspiring hat.

The LA hat (like Fa LA la la la)

I loved that hat. I miss that hat.

Oh, where are you wonderful LA hat???

A moment of silence for the LA hat...

The Bet

On the way home from the Pow Wow we stopped at Dairy Queen.

YUM!!!

I was sitting with a few of the students eating my Peanut Buster Parfait when the issue of soccer came up. The World Cup. Who was going to win? France or Italy?

To be honest I didn't care. I quickly made my mind up and went with Italy on a whim.

Jordan who was sitting next to me said "No, Way!"

I told him (because I love an argument) that Italy would win hands down.

He laughed. "do you know anything about soccer?"

"Ha" I replied, "nothing"

"okay, that is understandable then"

"tell you what Jordan. I bet you Italy wins it all."

"no way is that going to happen" Jordan replies with confidence

"okay, then take the bet." I say

"whats the bet?" Jordan inquires

I think for a few moments...

"hmm." "okay, if you lose you have to wear an Italy shirt that says champions on it."

"Can it be homemade?"

"of course"

"okay I can do that..."

In my mind I am thinking what a great bet. This kid is going to lose, but if I were to lose, I have to do nothing! Muahha!

One week later Jordan shows up to a Klemtu training with a shirt that says: "Italy Champions and an Italian flag penned on it.

Oh the sweetness of victory!


Until the next bet!

Pow Wow

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Indian Culture (feather) this will be a learning experience.

I took an hour and a half drive today to see a Pow Wow with some of the students who will soon be attending Klemtu with me. The students were not so excited when I arrived. This was not because of my arrival, but because they had been listening to an announcer announce names for about 2 hours. This specific Pow Wow was to honor the Veterans. They honored every one of 'em.

The area was surrounded by tables and booths. All yeilding gifts and food. It was not unlike our county fair. Booth after booth of beads and feathers and dream catchers and the likes. Elephant ears. Burgers. And yes even an oriental food joint (don't know where that fit into the picture).

There were dances of all sorts going on.

It was hot.

The costumes beautiful.

The sun burning.

WE were sitting in metal bleachers. They were hard, hot, and sticky!

So we would take random breaks where we would walk around the concession stands. I purchased a few things. Some beads, food, and jerky. The jerky was amazing!!! Really! No joke. Almost as good as mom makes it. I spent like 8 bucks on jerky and leomonade.

If you know anything about Indians, you know that they take there time. They do not make haste. They talk slow and live life slow. Not short bus slow! They are amazing people once you get to know them. They do not get straight to the point. The dance around the point for hours.

We watched many dances. We heard many songs. Beating drums. Wailing chants. This was a celabration.

And then it happened...

A young man was dancing around the middle circle like all the rest. He was like a man in a trance dance. maybe a little to far gone. Slowly and gracefully a feather fell from his costume. It drifted and curled down and around and lightly touched the ground.

Silence...

The dance ceased. There was a meeting of the elders hovered around the feather.

This was serious.

15 minutes later the announcer said there would be a dance. A mourning for the feather. And then a bringing back to life.

This was insane. And a learning time. I never knew that a feather meant so much.

after the dance, the feather was returned to the young dancer. Then an elerly man got up and shared a story.

I cannot repeat this story. It would take to long and I would seriously chop it to bits. But this man spilled his guts. He shared his life. He shared his heart. ALL because of this feather.

A feather. It can change lives. It can change POW WOWs.

Indian Culture. Different? Yes. Misunderstood...greatly. Amazingly beautufull? Totally and completely.

I find myself more and more attracted to these people. And this is why Klemtu has a special place in my heart.

The 4th

Amber and I drove to the beach today. On our little adventure something happened. Yep! Someone was driving too fast. Someone got a ticket. Someone has to go to Astoria to get it fixed (or send cash in the mail).

Let this be a lesson to you all! Slow DOWN!!! Cops are not our friends! And they most certainly are not nice...especially on the 4th!

The fireworks display up at Kaylas was amazing this year.

As usual there were many forms of illegal "Works" present. about 75 people turned up for the now famous show. The oos and awes of the croud were brilliant. The nite sky was perfect. The horizon ahead filled with spurts and splatters of other homes measley fireworks. The smoke. The laughs. The warmth of the evening. It was awesome. Until...

Towards the end of the show one of the mortors tipped over. The firework shot into the nearby forest and exploded. Then it quickly turned and was soon spewing sparks at the un-anticipated and unaware audience. The fireworks were everywhere. Claiming souls and lives right and left...Kidding! A few got tagged. No one was hurt.

I walked away witha few nail marks from Amber's lovely nails!

And we all walked away with a laugh and a story to tell the grandkids!

But the funniest part was Kayla. She at the time had a two year old in her lap when the fireworks decided to have a little fun with us. When the fireworks headed our way what did Kayla do?? Here is a first hand account of what happened. In slow motion so you can catch every detail.

Mortor tips.

Fireworks explode towards us.

Kayla dives off her chair baby in hand.

She screams! "I've got a BABY!!!"

She then proceeds to place that baby between her and the fireworks.

Pretty heroic huh?

I laughed pretty hard. The baby was not hurt. In fact it was asleep at the time and never woke up during the whole "scary" moment.

So kids, the lesson is: Do not ever ever ever ever let Kayla hold you duringa fireworks display!

"Look a Wookie!"

A good friend of mine from a summer camp I worked at got married today. My girlfriend Amber and I drove up to Bellingham, Washington to participate in the wedding. I was origionaly supposed to sing in the wedding, but had to bow out because of my obligations (wonderful as they were) in Katy and Renjy's wedding.

So early Sunday morning Am and I hopped in the car with a cooler full of ice and water. (We bought these really cool glass bottles of water...I think it was called VOSS. Check it out!!) So, we drove through the wonderful state of Washington. (This by the way is the only state besides Colorado that I think I could manage to live in, other than Oregon)

This was our first roadtrip. Other than the beach. We had blast. We arrived a few hours early to the wedding though. As we were driving around the "Majestic" as the wedding hall was called we noticed something funny.

In the car ahead of us was a very hairy man. Afro and beard. Without thinking I blurted out, "Look! Theres a wookie in that car!" Amber laughed pretty hard.

We laughed even harder when the now proclaimed "wookie" got up to sing a song in my friends wedding.

Amber lightly nudged me and said, "Look! The wookie is at the wedding!"

It may not be funny to any of you...but it certainly was hiliarious to her and me.

The Mafia

Today my little sister was married to the coolest guy ever. I like Renjy...in fact I would go as far to say I love Renjy. Renjy and I have gotten to know each other better in the last few months. We work at the same job part time. We laugh, joke, play video games, talk serious, and BE.

One night Renjy and I had a serious talk. Not that this doesn't happen often, but this one was very interesting. It had to do with "family" and how that works. His perspective on what it means that he is now my "brother" if it is only an in-law. He describes family almost as a Mafia type of brotherhood and love. Although the love we share is Christ'slove and the brotherhood is a joining of two families and two cultures (he is Indian).

So for all of you out there who were wondering. Yes, I am in the Mafia. And my peoples got my back! So watch out. We a brotherhood and "We're not gonna take it!"

Congratulaitons Katy on finding a wonderful husband, friend, and man of God.