Nana & Henpa

This is for Nana and Henpa!

Best/Worst mics

The best mic is the U67 and the worst is the AKG 214. 

And now you know the REST of the story...

Okay, muchaco's are awesome but they aren't consistent and I know why.  They fry the freakin' pita and let it sit in some stainless steel thing.  If it is a "down" time/not busy, it gets hard and crusty and sometimes (eeewwww this makes me mad)...cold.  

BUT...on  rare occasions Taco Bueno has FRESH PIPING HOT SOFT PITA'D MUCHACOS where EVERYTHING is currently melting inside.  I know I am a fatty for knowing this but hey, whatever. SO, when I have that wonderful thing in my hand...what a horrible thing for ANYONE especially your wife to ask for a part of it.  I say especially your wife b/c it's hard to say no and she always wins (b/c she is so freaking hot and I am weak and I love her).  But I don't regret my decision.  It was worth it.  And it got me to blog to back it up.  

 Taco Bueno is my favorite food in the whole world.  I am not kidding.  I want this meal for my last one (followed with ice cream of course...man....I am a fatty).  

Did I mention I am getting a 24 hour membership?

30 million dollars

I woke up today and realized something wonderful.  I remembered in highschool in the "career counseling" seminar, they advised to remember this exercise in adulthood when we find ourselves in the "real world":

 pretend that you won 30 million dollars.  Now, with that mindset, what would you do?  The same thing you are doing now? What would you do different?  

I thought of that and was pleasantly surprised.  I would be doing the same thing I am doing now; being married to my best friend and raising our precious baby boy and traveling/doing life with my best friends playing music that points us to the Lord .  I truly love my life and am so thankful to the Lord for His blessings.  What would I do if I won money of that measure?  This is what I hope:

I would pray immediately for God to guide my steps (Prov 16:9) and to take it away immediately if it would hinder His will in my life.  (That really feels crappy to my flesh to say that but I mean it).  I would of course talk to Amanda and tell her I won the money (haha)...

I would give a lot of it away.  I would pay off all debts.  I would save for Eli's college.  I would pay off my sisters, brother-in-law's, sister-in-laws college loans (because it really is hard to function with those lingering over your head!).  I would pay off my families debt.  I would give. I would spend it on Amanda!  I would buy some cool stuff too:)   At least that is what I hope I would do! 

All the money in the world couldn't buy what I already have and hold so dear:  my wife, my son, my family: "that's the stuff dreams are made of...".

I love you Amanda.

My favorite things...

Ah ha. So now Wes is blogging again. What happened that would make him do such a thing? Well I'll tell ya.
I'm definitely not a health freak but I try/am trying to eat better with the long-term in mind. So I think to myself: "If I just cut out a little bit at a time, I will be more likely to keep it up and not be overwhelmed as I would by only eating cardboard and running 10 miles a day!" So I decided for 30 days to cut out fried food and carbonation (for me, it's sprite zero or diet coke). Drinking carbonation ain't that bad, it just makes me want to eat more for some reason. So...I am giving it up and drinking only water.

Now that you are up to snuff, you can appreciate this dark funk I am in. Every time I go out to eat, people notice that I get grilled chicken, water only, blah blah blah. And then...it happens:
I order dessert. Everyone goes crazy. "How come you won't drink a diet soda but you will eat that sundae?" Okay, I admit at first glance it does look defeating and pointless. But I HAVE TO DO ONE THING AT A TIME. Besides...I am not fat so why not get dessert??? (That is my addiction to ice cream speaking denial over me:)

But hearing this feedback OVER and OVER...ugh...it is so tiring.

And then, my sweet wife:

First of all, she supports me in everything I do---all the way...so kudos to Amanda. BUT...even she couldn't see the point in encouraging a man not to drink diet cokes and to stay away from fried foods ( okay, On the Border chips are okay...for some reason) when he walks in the front door at 10pm (passed his bed time) with a pint of mint chocolate chip in one hand and a spoon in the other with NO plans to save some for later. I don't blame her. I am just getting scared that I could actually be realizing that fried foods and diet cokes might not be the things I need to give up. Good-bye to Mint Chocolate Chip? No, no; Wes can still give that up down the road.
Wes is still in denial. And he can tell that he needs to go to bed now...because he does 2 things when he is up too late: eat mint chocolate chip and talk in third person.

My wife has made me aware...

that my blog sucks and i need to update it. so I will...try....:)

Part of a poem that I like.

Arise and Fly
The reeling faun, the sensual feast;
Move upward, working out the beast,
And let the ape and tiger die.

(Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A. H. H.: 118)

Hard times and declarative statements

I finally figured out what it means to say “praise God” when times are hard.
Do ever wonder why people say “praise God!” or “Blessed be His name” right after hearing disheartening news? I did.
I remember hearing one of my mentors say to me that if I encounter any form of trial, to say: “Praise God”. So if I have a flat tire, say “Praise God!” If I lose all I have, say “Blessed be His name.” And perhaps the most confusing for me: When really bad things happen I am to say: “God is good.”
As if I think He isn’t? I couldn’t help but think that people who do this have a problem with thinking God was good or faithful. Of course I took it as far as thinking people were really doing it for this reason: “I had better remind myself lest I forget the goodness of God and burn in hell forever!” A bit extreme I know, but at least I was honest with my feelings.

Today I took my Isuzu Trooper in to get yet another battery. I just bought this one last week. So they would replace it and I would be on my way.
Or so I thought.
The mechanic came in from the grease pit and told me with his crooked grin and dip tightly tucked under his bottom lip: “You need a new alternator,” he spit.
“And that’ll be ‘bout $300.00”.
I paused. Then, I forgot to say “Praise” and just said “God!”
Not wanting to take the name of our Lord in vain, I quickly added “bless America!”
Thus, I had some time in the waiting room to think about the subject of
hard times and declarative statements. And this is what I came up with:

For me, the first step of realizing what anything means is identifying what it does NOT mean. For me it doesn’t mean that I don’t think God is good.
It doesn’t mean I need to say it so other people will think better of me. I know God is good and faithful and I don’t care what other people think and rarely say it out loud anyway!
This is what I think it DOES mean:
When I learn of a hardship and follow it with saying “Praise God,” This is what I am saying :
“I choose to focus on what God has given me, on how HE has always been faithful to me, and with the strength that remains behind, I find faith to move forward in happiness, joy, and all else that encompasses “the abundant life” that Jesus so often spoke of.”
Then I gave a quick thanks for credit and charged the alternator to my card:)

Amanda and Wes and Natalie Hughes wedding. 

My first blog

Well, I am so happy to finally be blogging. I feel so behind times! But not now baby! I am an official blogger. This is the worst blog ever. I promise better blogging next time:)