TCAP Promo 2013

To promote TCAP excellence at The Academy, we created a couple of videos this year. As always, thanks to everyone who participated! Can't wait to start brainstorming ideas for next year...

Grandpa Fred and Thankfulness

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, a little perspective and thanksgiving is in need on this little blog of mine. On October 31, 2010 my Grandpa Fred went to join God's party up in heaven, and as difficult as it's been to lose him, there were some pretty beautiful things that happened with his passing.

Through this whole process of getting older, it has really opened my eyes to how important it is to stay close to your family. I mean, I'm someone who is already very close to my family (both immediate and extended), and I realized that without this closeness, the death of my grandpa would have felt like an impossible "part of life" without the rest of my family. Moreover, had I not invested my time with my family, I wouldn't have all of these wonderful memories of my grandpa to hold onto now that he's gone. I am so grateful that I didn't skip out on Sunday mornings with them because they were almost always spent telling stories, scratching lotto tickets, and enjoying each other over breakfast. I do not regret the time spent caring for any of their needs--when I could be out doing my "own thing" instead. The idea of investing time in others is so crucial, and I am glad I have not taken that for granted.

In addition to family, my faith has been so vital. To have peace and know that my grandpa trusted in God so much--in everything he did. I have no doubt that he is being taken care of by the King of Kings. I also love the beauty of the mass and how when I take communion, I am sharing in the same meal of all those who have passed and are with the Lord. It's really quite amazing when you think about it.

So, to sum it all up, I am grateful for the many blessings I have received--even within my sorrow and loss. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Spring Inspired

In hopes of finding a way to make it through the rest of this winter, I'm posting all things spring/summer-like. We have about 2 more months before things really start to warm up here in CO...so here we go!


One of my favorite sites is Swell for its amazing oceanic photography. Oh yeah, surfers are cool too! When I see things like this ocean wave, it makes me want to move to Los Angeles or some place warm.

How about a little hike at Chautauqua Park? I'm definitely a baby when it comes to doing outdoor things when it's cold...but when it warms up, I'm game! Not only is Boulder great to visit during the spring, but once it gets even warmer, I can't wait to enjoy an ice cream cone on the main strip in Estes Park.

Another thing I'm looking forward to is roasting marshmallows in the fire pit outback. It is so relaxing to be out there, listening to music, roasting a mallow, and enjoying the company of my family and friends. It's the definition of summer time to me!


Okay winter, I can face you again now...the spring will be here in a blink of an eye!

Thankfully Surprised

In the spirit of the holiday, Thanksgiving that is, I decided to compile a list of things I'm thankful from this year. After reflecting, I realized a lot of things have been amazing this year...and despite the tragedies, I continue to thank the Lord for His tremendous blessings.

The List Begins...I am so thankful for:
1. The Lord Jesus Christ for giving me life, for loving me, for saving me.

2. My family, not only my parents (Bob &; Janette) and sister (Amanda), but my grandparents (Emma & Fred), aunts and uncles (Paula & Frank,  Abe & Cris, Geno & Susan), first cousins (Victoria & Joe, Victor, Sam, Nick, and Andrew), second cousins (Isaiah, Jacob, and Isabel). Each and everyone one of these people are near and dear to my heart. They make up the fabric of who I am and where I've come from, and for this I give thanks.

(This is Isaiah's First Holy Communion!)

3. Friends near and far who I've met during the various stages of my life. Without each of them, I would not see the world with such wide-open eyes.

4. Being able to travel so much this year. Some of the trips were planned, others were spur of the moment! This year I got to go to the following locations:

• Washington, D.C. in January for the Inauguration

• Atlanta, GA in March for Sarah's Birthday and a FeRVOR concert. I had to leave Denver in a blizzard...it was scary, but made it okay!

• Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica in June for a vacation 

• Washington, D.C. in September for the Eucharistic Congress. I met so many amazing women during this retreat!

Each of these trips gave me moments of joys and great memories for which I am very grateful.

5. Being able to walk alongside some of the coolest teens this year. We've done several studies including Theology of the Body, Blue Like Jazz, and Epic Church History. We've done community service, attended Steubenville of the Rockies, and prayed across the local high schools. They all continue to teach me so much, and I pray that I am doing the same for them. I hope to be a reflection of Christ to each of them--to love them as He sees them and loves them. A shot out to: MF, EF, ES, MS, ES, and MB--you all ROCK!

6. The opportunity to start up new endeavors such as a photo-a-day blog with my good friend Sarah. We call it Resplendent Awakening. It has been really cool to start documenting my life daily in a way through this blog. It has given me a new perspective and for this, I am thankful.

7. Getting to go to some very cool performances this year:

• Denver Pops Orchestra-my sister's in this orchestra, and they impress me every time I see them! 

• Star Wars in Concert-I didn't realize how much of a fan I was! While I was there, I saw so many people I knew--it was hysterical! 

• Wicked the Musical-again, another thing to give me tremendous perspective on how to not judge something by its outward appearance.

8. Being able to help others via community service, monetary donations, and even hair donations! Locks of Love received a 10 inch pile of my hair this year!

9. Being able to work at The Academy. Not only am I thankful for a job in general, I am thankful for all of the fun people I work with--as well as my students. Teaching 7th graders this year has been new and an absolute blessing!

(Here's some of us playing scooter basketball!)

10. Getting to continue this journey known as LIFE. This year, we lost those we love very dearly and they are not forgotten. But even more than that, I carry on with hope--knowing that God will continue to place us in the palm of His Mighty Hand to carry us on this journey. He makes us strong when in reality, we are weak. He fills us with the Breath of Life that can only come from Him. In Christ Jesus, I remain...Joyful!

My Brain Just Might Explode

That's right...after last weekend of Eucharistic Congress amazingness, I felt like my brain was going to explode after taking in so much good stuff.

Here's a little slide show of my experience.

On the Spiritual Side of Things

On September 11th, I will be flying into Washington, D.C. for a Eucharistic Congress held by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. The theme of the Congress is Sacrifice of Enduring Love. The Congress will draw participants to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of enduring love, the way of all communion between God and His people.

Speakers will focus upon priesthood, religious life and marriage as:

• an irrevocable commitment;

• an identification with Christ in his submission to the Will of the Father; and

• a complete gift of self in love.

I'm so excited to go to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is also known as America's Catholic Church. It is the largest Catholic Church in the United States and in North America. It's actually one of ten largest churches in the world.
This trip is a pilgrimage of sorts for me. The retreats, trainings, and other events I've attended of the last several years have been primarily focused on teens, or the service to teens in ministry. Don't get me wrong, these types of events are great and I do get to spend a lot of time in prayer with the Lord. However, they have not been focused on the discernment of my personal vocation--nor do I take time to allow Christ to fill my cup completely in order to serve.

The last three, four, five times I've been to adoration, I've felt this calling and overwhelming love of Jesus Christ. I have just wanted to stay there and sing, "I love you," to my Savior over and over again. It is this stirring that has lead me to go on this trip.

Also, I want to share with you a book I'm reading...it's called "Climbing the Mountain" by Anne, a Lay Apostle. This beautiful book has provided a link between myself and the messages of Jesus. Reading this book, I have realized I should not ask whether I am called to serve--because we are all called--but rather, I should ask the where, how, what questions with respect to service. It is in this place I begin. With the inklings of the Holy Spirit, I move forward.

O the beauty He has in store for me and for us all!

Whoa...coolness II

lost in a moment from dennis wheatley on Vimeo.

Death Has Been Happening A Lot

For having as big of a family as I do, I'm kinda surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner, but we lost three family members in one week exactly. Living in a culture/society that doesn't have a big connection with the concept of death, I too, had kinda forgotten about the mortality of my human physique. 

This is not an easy topic to discuss on a regular basis, nor do I think it's particularly healthy to do so; however, it does require our attention from time to time. Every living being will reach an end on this earth. Even being thankful for the opportunity to wake up morning after morning is overwhelming...the Lord has called us to live here one more day, and for that we can rejoice. Our lives may seem mundane or even unbearable, but He gave us this day to live out. 

Death affects the youngest of young and oldest of old...it most cases, it breaks our hearts. The circumstances surrounding a death are shared, the time of his passing, his state of mind, his state of being are all shared, and news usually spreads quickly among those who knew him. We talk about times we shared with him, how he loved, memories slip into our mind about how he rubbed his nose or expressed an emotion uniquely. All of the memories seem to be fleeting and simply not enough...we are left longing for more time to be with him.

That's when we are drawn into faith...into a belief of something greater than ourselves. Heaven is an appealing and popular line of thought. Although, people don't like to think about what it takes to get there. Now, I don't claim to know what God has planned for us...but I do know He wants us to have a relationship with Him and with His Son, Jesus Christ. I believe that heaven is beautiful...a marvelous light where darkness has no foothold on us. We get to be in the presence of the Lord Almighty forever and ever. We get to worship His holy name. Understanding will be given to us as a gift, but that doesn't even matter, because we get to just BE in existence with the beautiful Lord of lords. 

So, my thought is....if people don't want a relationship with Jesus here on earth, why do they want one with Him up in heaven? Why do they think they will get to spend eternity in heaven with God, when they wouldn't even consider getting to know Him while they were alive on earth? Although, I understand God has every right to allow anyone He chooses into heaven, it seems odd to me that we presume Jesus didn't mean what He said when He said, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). I'd rather not risk it...I want to be in heaven with Him.

During this difficult time, I had the opportunity to serve my family by creating one of memorial videos. This is the video I created for my great-aunt, Irene Valdez. She died at the age of 77, just surviving our grandson, Steven by 16 hours. Steven passed the day before at the age of 32. Later that week, another one of my cousins, Julian passed away during surgery. 

All three are deeply missed, and I pray they are gazing upon the face of the Lord Jesus. 

Crazy

Sometimes we must be crazy in the eyes of others to worship Christ. I pray I have such courage:

2 Corinthians 5:12-21
We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Heartache...Prayers needed for our country

More over, Hillary's new response after hearing the Republican perspective during the RNC:
Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Thursday, Sep 4, 2008

The two party conventions showcased vastly different directions for our country. Senator Obama and Senator Biden offered the new ideas and positive change America needs and deserves after eight years of failed Republican leadership. Senator McCain and Governor Palin do not.

After listening to all the speeches this week, I heard nothing that suggests the Republicans are ready to fix the economy for middle class families, provide quality affordable health care for all Americans, guarantee equal pay for equal work for women, restore our nation's leadership in a complex world or tackle the myriad of challenges our country faces. So, to slightly amend my comments from Denver: NO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN-PALIN.

Lots Happening

Well, according to the calendar, we're in the thick of summer, however the school districts seem to think it's time to start the fall semester. Aside from the hustle and bustle of school starting, our summer co-ed softball team went from worst to first in the league! That's right, starting the season off 0-4 didn't seem to stop The Roots from winning the entire championship!! Our impressive game play was a shock to all, and a lot of fun! Everyone is now wearing their custom-made Roots shirts with pride!

Here's me as catcher...my official duty during the season because I wasn't so skilled at any other position. I did catch a few pop-flies during the season! 

The entire experience was a blast and I loved getting to know more people in the Denver area my own age!

I've made all kinds of videos lately...a couple for The Academy, another for my Grandpa's surprise 78th birthday party in Rocky Ford. It's always so weird going back to RF. It's like jumping in a time machine and looking at how people lived 30 years ago. Most of the time, you'd never guess it was 2008 when you visit aside from an occasional '08 vehicle.  My sweet grandpa LOVES ferris wheels. He rides one with my sister, Amanda, every chance he gets. He told her during this ride it's his favorite because as a kid, this was the first amusement ride he ever rode. The joy in his eyes is perfectly captured right here!

Other things up and coming:

ToBy as I like to call it is starting September 6th...for those of you unfamiliar with the Theology of the Body, JPII gave his weekly Wednesday speech on his views regarding the bodies given to us by God. It's an amazingly insightful redefinition of sexuality and culture. I'm very excited and honored to be leading a teen rendition at church this fall. Please, pray for me in this! 

I'm sadden to see the Olympics in Beijing come to an end...so many amazing stories of triumph, hard work, and unity have emerged. Although the time of spotlight on China is coming to an end, I implore you...please continue to pray for China and her inhabitants. May the grace of Jesus Christ reign over this gi-normous country.

what we are living for...

So I have this friend, Low, who has a gift...a gift to communicate things I feel but never quite find the words to describe. He writes about his topics twice-first in melodies, then in words. 

One of things that has been consuming my mind lately is the idea of young adults of the 21st century and the new phenomena known as the Quarter Life Crisis. We've been told all our lives that we were special, unique, that our efforts were worthy of gold stars. Our parents, teachers, the world told us that we could be anything we wanted. 

Then after our college degrees are earned or trades are learned we're pushed into the money-making machine known as the job force. Little did we know that our gold stars would turn into worthless pieces of sparkling tin. The accolades we received as kids don't really amount to anything substantial  in the "real world." We were given such a broad scope of possibilities, many of us drowned in the ocean of uncertainties. 

"What do you want to do with your life?" "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "How are you going to support yourself on that dream of a profession?"

Twenty-five years of life has typically been a time when, in previous generations, you settle down into the family life, you've found the perfect job, and you conform to the American Dream. However, it has become more and more clear that young adults of the present culture are not running down the aisle anymore. Perhaps they've seen the pain and destruction of divorce in their own families and are perfectly content to just build relationships with the opposite sex but never commit to marriage. The job market seems pretty bleak and following your dream becomes a distant memory.

To return to the days when all you needed was a Capri Sun to suck back and the dream of becoming whatever you wanted when you grew up. 

I feel like my generation has been lost for sometime. No one stepped up to lead us through reality. We just felt like we could experience it through reality TV shows and that'd be enough. The line between fake and real life was blurred and we remain blinded by the uncertainty of it all.

Back to my friend and his gift of music. He's doing it...he's following HIS dream and in the mean time, learning what it means to understand what we are living for.

Check him out:

The Song Wade

Sometimes...

Sometimes in life, it takes a 2x4 between the eyes, a death, or a verse to strike the mortality in your bones...

Although I wasn't hit by a 2x4, I did get a massive splinter under my nail the other day which hurt A LOT. Also, we had a death in the family...my godson's grandfather passed last week. Lastly, I read this verse today from Paul:

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4:1-2

All this said, I can only reflect on the passing of time on earth. Sometimes things really hurt us-physically, emotionally, spiritually. But it is in these sufferings that we can appreciate the LIFE that is within us through Christ Jesus. His life was MOST glorified because of His death. He suffered so much on earth, ultimately to meet the greatest love of the Father in heaven. He asks us to live a life worthy of to be name after Him...that is...LOVE.

I know I'm not always great at this, but my prayer is to continue to live as He as asked me as best as I can. And when I fail, I will ask Him to redeem my failings and sufferings for His glory, to point to Christ Jesus alone.

Finally, I reflect on the words of St. Teresa of Avila...in hopes of living into the calling of the Lord:

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which He is to bless people now."

I pray I can pick up that responsibility with joy and gladness.

Amen, I say again, AMEN!

I DID! I BOUGHT MY TICKET!

Well, I've been talking for sometime now, of how I wanted to visit my friend in Egypt. Finally, today, I took the plunge and spent the bucks on my ticket to Cairo!! I'm soooooo excited!

Um, I am still in shock!! I can't believe it! I have wanted to go to Giza, Cairo, etc. since I was a child, milling over ancient history books. I sat in awe and wonder at the ancient language engraved in tombs made up of symbols.

Oh how exciting!

Summer Fun

I've recently remembered a couple things that I love to do during the summer that I've been missing out on:

1. Riding my bike! It's been ages since I've taken the ol' Schwinn out for a spin. I'm totally stoked to take her out in the beautiful summer weather!!


I might even set a goal for myself to ride it to work and back...that may be later in the summer, but it'd be cool to be able to do!





2. Playing with frisbees! Now, these have become my favorite discs to throw around in the yard. They fly fast and far, and are fairly easy to catch! Just check out the link to get one online.


Perhaps I'll get good enough to run around and play on a team again!



The best thing about the summer is being able to play outside for hours on end and the weather just be perfectly warm! I'm so glad the piles of snow are a vague memory, and my spirits aren't dampened by the ice, snowflakes, and coldness in the air!

Thanks God, for the SUN! Thanks God, for Your SON! Our lives are infinitely brighter with these two things...we'd die without them both.

New Accomplishment

Due to my new-found obsession with the New Super Mario Brothers game for my DS, I have not blogged in some time. Granted, this is a ridiculous thing to obsess with, but that's my life. Don't ask me how much I've read my Bible or something else good for my brain...just ask me if I beat the Super Mario game...

the answer is:

YES!

I have finally beat the game! The last level served as a great challenge, but I finally got through the entire game. Now, I still have to get into the 7th level, which is a hidden level, but I'll get there eventually.

This game just takes me back to my childhood when Nintendo was the cool new thing. I'm really enjoying the new upgrades to the game such as being gi-normous and stomping on everything (which by the way, is how you can easily beat the final level). You can easily warp into other worlds and then go back to where you were. It's pretty neat. Not to mention the other mini-games they also have outside of the classic Mario Bros. game.

Other things I've done since I last blogged have been:
-helped take care of my grandma...she fell and broke her hip and wrist. She'll be coming home on Tuesday finally. I just hope she's ready and can take care of herself while she's home.
-working...school's almost done and then the SUMMER TIME hits. I'm afraid I might be bored this summer at work though.
-watched a couple movies including Blades of Glory (hysterical) and Spider Man 3 (pretty good).

Things I haven't done but should have:
-worked out much...at all...
-read any books
-spring cleaning of clothes

I hope to balance my life out a bit now that I don't have the temptation of Super Mario Bros. on my mind.

*smirk*

Amazingness Around Me

Do you ever sit and look at how AMAZING the people around you are. I mean, you go to work, church, the gym, etc. and there are people all around. It seems impossible that we'd forget the awesomeness that God puts into each and everyone of us...but we do.

I know this family....ahem, the Shelstas...and they are all pretty much the most amazing family I've ever seen (aside from my own, of course...and all those other amazing families I've seen). Anyhow, the moms and pops of the familia are so stinkin' cool--they traveled the world as young adults, stayed rooted in their faith, and performed with Up With People for YEARS.

Then, they went on to get married and have 5, yes count 'em, 5 children!

Starting with their youngest, Taylor...he just rocks my socks. Every time I see him, he yells my name and greets me with a huge wave or thumbs up. I pretty much think God created wonderfully talented, hilarious, compassionate young man all wrapped up in Mr. Taylor. He loves pirates and colors/draws sweet pictures.

Then you go to Brenna...who can wail and sing like none other! I mean, that girl brings down the house with soul! Her genuine spirit transforms the heart with love and spirit....not to mention, she's as cute as a button! She makes you think more about who Jesus is and how He can be apart of your life every day. She's traveled (and is currently traveling with Up With People too!)

The family continues to Cass who is going to be an astounding teacher (I can just tell). She always gives me a hug to say hello, and she makes you laugh with your whole body when she gets rollin'! She'll be going with UWP soon to join the family legacy of performers and inspirational motivators.

Jared is wicked cool and has gotten the UWP vibe too. He gets to be a techie in the cast...lights, design, sound, etc. This fella also has a touch of humor blessed upon him (which is a total understatement).

And Mr. Garret (who is married to the beautiful Aubrey). When someone can articulate all the skepticism of the Church without being declared a heretic, you've got talent! I mean, we all search our souls and find doubt in what we see on Sundays. However, it's not always so easy to describe and explain where that doubt stems from...not to mention calling folks out on the stuff that sucks. I pretty much think this song captivates the mind and heart when it comes to pastorship. CHECK IT OUT! (P.S. don't misunderstand me, I said CHECK IT OUT, so.....DO IT!

Pertussis Positive

So, after being sick for over 3 weeks, last Friday, I decided to go to the doctor (again) for ear pain. I did in fact have an ear infection, so I began antibiotics for said infection. However, curiously on Saturday I began coughing. Not really thinking much about it, I ignored the cough and figured if I had anything that required meds, it'd be covered because I was already on antibiotics.

Wrong.

I continued to get worse as the week progress...a fever being the second most draining part of it. The foremost draining part of being sick was my cough.

Finally, after missing another day of work, I decided I should listen to those around me and go to the doctor (again!!)... So they put me into the "respiratory isolation" room. The doctor decided to test me for whooping cough, which was a lovely squirt of saline solution up my nose. After depositing a snot rocket into a small plastic pee cup, the nurse politely gave me a mask to wear to the lab and pharmacy before departing the medical clinic.

As I left, adorned with my nifty light blue mask I stepped out of the office heading towards the lab and pharmacy. I do not think I have ever experienced such shame in a public setting. I had a leprosy experience. I walked out and everyone was staring at me because of "the mask." It's like declaring to everyone, "Hey! I'm unclean! I'm dirty! I'm not worthy to be around you for any reason." The doctor said to notify my job and those living around me, because I could potentially make them sick if I had whopping cough. Outbreaks are common in the Boulder County, because people don't notify the proper authorities when they have it.

Well, after several days of fevers and coughing, I was tested positive for pertussis. Check out a microscopic version of the bacteria:

Now, I'm having to notify all those I've been around since I've been coughing. Folks at work, some people from church, friends, all the family have all been put on antibiotics.

Now, back to my leprosy moment. I could not help remember the instance of Jesus and the ten lepers.
"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

My greatest fear is that I will be one of the nine who do not return and and say thank you to the Lord for all He has done for me. Is that even possible? Could I be so arrogant and rude? Probably. Chances are good that I would do such a thing.

But I stand here today declaring just the opposite. I give thanks for the blessings I have. I offer up my suffering with whooping cough to the Lord for those who do not know Him. May every cough be a sacrifice and prayer for those whose life is still in the dark. May my faith in Jesus Christ be all I need and not just a healthy body to live in.

Amen.

Update

It's been forever since I blogged regularly, so I'm going to try to pick it up again. New things that have been happening are all actually pretty exciting...so here we go!

1. My mom has *finally* allowed 32 years of working at Adams County come to an end with retirement! I am so excited for her, and I'm excited for the possibilities she has to look forward to! She has yet to decide what she's going to do with her time and where she'll start working next...but it's still exciting. Her last day is March 23rd, and she can't be more than ecstatic to be moving onto new things!

2. My parents are also celebrating 30 years of marriage! Another biggie for the month of March...can we say fiesta?

3. Things at work have been going well. I'm working on creating and uploading information on our new website. I've been named the site's administrator...and even though it's a ton of work, it makes me feel so good to have it coming along nicely. (Blogging has actually made it possible for me to conceptualize the 'how to' behind creating a website. So props and thanks to Blogger.)

4. Working at the school has given me the opportunity to help folks who need translation. This is by far one of the coolest things I get to do during my hectic days (that and seeing kids get busted). hehehe...I probably have that social justice streak in me still.

5. I'm a fan of my Nintendo DS game system. I bought a new game yesterday, and I totally love it! I'm playing "The Need for Speed CARBON." I love racing games as well as Skipbo.

6. My new baby cousin Isa is as beautiful as ever! She's starting to get that double chin that most well-feed babies get. She's starting to stay awake more during the day, so it's great to see her do more than just sleep. I love her cute little smile...not to mention the funny little grunting noises she makes! They're adorable.

All in all, things are going alright for me. I am feeling a little strained for time..but that's nothing new! Life in the world of Joy is always pressed for time! :-)