three little birds were on my doorstep...

ahhh, blogspot... like a cool pepsi on a hot afternoon. i have no idea what that means.
well, it's been a while since i've updated, and that's pretty much due to the fact that well, i really haven't felt like slowing down long enough to write. but today is a nice day. i've got a pile of stuff on my desk that is calling, so obviously this is much more fun. so where to begin...

i got back yesterday from my trip to the country of texas. i went to go visit mom, pops and mi hermana before she heads off to oxford for the fall. let's see, details from the trip... i got there last tues and got to see my parents new house. very nice. it looks like the backlot of universal studios where they filmed leave it to beaver. very suburban, very nice. the neighbors wanted to have a cookout to meet me and say goodbye to mi hermana which was really cool. this neighbor drove by and mentioned that he was a photographer and saw the neighbors out every night talking and watching the little kids play. like he said, it's good to know that this still goes on. anyways the cookout was fun, got to meet the neighbor kids that mi madre always talks about and they were pretty funny.

also got to meet mi hermana's boyfriend which was very anti-climactic compared to how freaked out certain members of my family were hyping it up to be. we got along really well, but i think he respected that i am the big brother and the responsibilities that are entitled to me. whatever, we got along and there's no drama there.

seeing mom and pops was really cool too. mi madre was a lot less stressed than i thought she would be, and handled mi hermana leaving really well. and, she's still my same old madre, going out of her way to make everyone else happy and relaxed (except for me stressing trying to keep up with her on the freeway). pops was his usual goofy self, which is exactly what i came to visit. it's amazing, the man can barely communicate but still manages to crack jokes and keep all of us laughing, if only with simple gestures. i messed with him on a daily basis, and got to ride just me and him out to abilene which was a lot more fun than i had realized i was going to have.

by the way, dallas traffic is much lamer than l.a. traffic. at least out here you have a reason for traffic, out there it's so open and spread out its just frustrating as to why there should be any traffic in dallas at all.

then there's abilene. first of all, i must start off by saying that the acu campus is much more impressive than the oc campus. i'm sure it probably loses some of its charm if you go there, but i was really taken back at how well the campus was maintained and how well designed the architecture was. i even bought an acu shirt to show some love, and to prove to my kiddos that i don't hate other colleges. as for the town of abilene, i don't think i could have handled west texas. as nice as the campus was, i am glad i knew that i had okc to go to while i was in college. not that okc is a raging metropolis, but it def is a step up from the town of abilene.

what else... i got to stay an extra day in texas and go to church with the fam which was cool. except mi hermana pulled the mom bit and was trying to introduce me to 'this girl i had to meet'. i told her 'you're right, i should quit my job and move out here'. ugh. pet peeve alert. that was overshadowed though, by getting to see a good friend from back in the oc days, mike simpson, one half of the simpson jam band that i used to rock out with. random i know, but it was cool to see him. kinda made me miss some of the other oc crew, but we had a good time chillin one night and just catching up.

unforeseen highlight of the trip def goes to my stop in tulsa sunday night. got to see some of the kiddos from park plaza, my amigos that i worked with and a few others i miss from the tulsa days. seeing the kiddos from the park was cool, but it def made me glad to see my kiddos here in simi. not really sure why, but i was def ready to come home.

and maybe a close second to unforeseen highlight goes to no big stories from the plane trips. no bad seatmates, no big delays, no one making out on the plane, just a lot of sleep and more sleep. my

the only big observation from my travels is that salt lake city might be the creepiest place on earth. everyone looks alike, not similar, alike. creeps me out every time i have to switch planes there.

other random thoughts...

it's nice to have phone conversations that end because you're simply too tired to talk anymore, instead of running out of things to say. had a few of those lately. very nice.

texas is nice when it comes to the people, but how anyone lives in the humidity is beyond me. this time last week i was walking out of an air conditioned airport into 98 degree, 98 percent humidity.

right now i'm sitting in my office with my door open and its a nice 73 degrees outside with just a hint of a breeze off of the ocean. ahhh... oh yeah, and there aren't any mosquitoes buzzing around.

the new 311 cd came out last week. buy it. nuff said.

the night before i left i was trying to tie up some loose ends at the office when a lady walked up and asked for my help because she was a meth addict and was trying to fight the urge to get high. we talked about the story of the prodigal son for a while, and she kinda calmed down, but it was the first time i've had someone come to me in that type of situation where i actually felt like i helped the person out. it was a good feeling. i don't know where she's at right now, but i know i did the best i could, and there's a lot of joy that comes from that.

story of the week goes to one of the kiddos at park plaza. he was helping out with officiating at a special olympics track meet, which may just be one of the coolest ways to volunteer to serve ever. anyways, one of the competitors decided not to run in one of the track events, and this kid had the responsibility to go tell the judges on the other side of the middle infield. so he kinda jogs from the starting line area over to the middle infield where the judges are, and as he starts jogging, people in the stands start cheering him on and applauding. he doesn't know what to do so he keeps running to the judges, who are also cheering and trying to give him a ribbon. oh man, i was on the floor as this kid was telling the story. what a great story though, it says a lot about the attitude of the people that attend those events and their spirit. even those helping out with the special olympics deserve a round of applause, even if it is under some funny circumstances. way to go evan, you get a blue ribbon in my book any day!

today is a just a good day. i've got a lot to do, and a lock in to prepare for, but it's a good day nonetheless. i'd like to thank everyone who contributed to me having a good day.

last night was pretty sweet as well. the youth group cooked a spaghetti dinner for our senior saints, and then we had a q&a time afterwards. it was awesome to hear our saints tell stories from growing up, and how much the world had changed in their lifetime. we have some really cool saints at our church. one lady used to have a hot rod in the 50's and snuck onto a movie set with elvis presley, and a couple of our guys worked on the apollo rockets that landed the first man on the moon. if you haven't really talked to any senior saints lately i highly recomend it.

and last but not least, i went ahead and got my tattoo that i've wanted for a while. i got my dad's signature on my shoulder where he used to put his hand when he was talking to me. nothing flashy, but it means a lot to me. it took him a second, but he seemed to really like it when i showed him, and mom absolutely loved it. i can't imagine anything else i'd like to get tattooed and i'm fine with that. when i was getting the tattoo i ended up telling the whole store the story of my dad, and why i wanted his signature and i almost had a couple of people in tears. it turned into a great ministry time, and i was really stoked that i actually went through with it. when i get my batteries charged for the camera i'll try and get a pick up for those that are interested. it's still a little weird whenever i catch a glimpse of it in the mirror but i'm so glad i got it. for anyone thinking about getting a tattoo be sure to think about it for a long time, def don't do something you're going to not be completely stoked about years from now, i.e. tribal designs or random stuff like that.

oh yeah, our mission team got back from india last week with some pretty cool stories. check out http://osh-india.blogspot.com/

well, i'm sure there's other stuff on my mind, but it's turning into a gorgeous afternoon and i think i'm going to sit outside and play guitar and have a pepsi. hope you're having and awesome day. God loves you and so do i.

one love, one heart.