When I was a child we had such a good time in my household playing pranks on one another that I loved to take the pranks to school with me. I had a plethora of rubber spider, bats, snakes, and lizards that I loved to hide in people's desks and on toilet seats, etc. So, as I grew older the pranks got more and more elaborate. I would do the stupid calls to people's houses from radio stations saying they had won a new car or something like that. Well, this is a story about the first day of April in 1996 when I outgrew pranks.
My final stunt included two of my best friends in high school my senior year, one being my girlfriend at the time. They were both juniors. We had it all planned out. We would stage between my friend and me over my girlfriend in the Cellar, the place where we ate lunch on campus, which was most days at the time even though we had an open campus. We played the fight off perfectly, and yelled and made a scene and planned to physically fight after school, which was never to happen. It was just a stupid attention scene and was just supposed to die out and be forgotten. We all seemed pretty mad afterward for effect. I stormed out, and that was that.
Later in the day, after journalism class, one of my other very good friends, this one a girl, approached me. It was the time when we were all trying to choose dates for the prom. So, this senior girl who I held in high esteem (she may have been the smartest person I have ever personally known) and was always a very good friend to me approached me and said to me that since it seemed that I had broken up with my girlfriend would I like to go to the prom with her. That, my friends, is the moment in which I outgrew my love for stupid pranks. My heart sank. I was completely torn up to have to do what I had to do next, and never did I not want to say these two very awful words that came to mind in an instant, but thank goodness did not actually leave my lips, "April fools!" No, I didn't say them, and I have not said them since. I calmly and humbly explained the prank, which I don't think she thought was very funny, and we went on with our awkward friendship for the next few minutes until that blessed school bell rang and told us to go our separate ways. And it stayed awkward for a while.
Well, she found a date for the prom, and I still had mine. She was still one of my friends that came to my house for the after prom party where we watched "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and had pancakes at 3:00 in the morning (thanks mom), but I think because of my stupidity we lost something in our friendship fourteen years ago. We still keep up in different ways (currently only through facebook) and it wasn't a totally lost friendship. What can I say, it is our errors from which we learn the most.
01 abril 2010
27 maio 2009
My Brother Jeff
My big brother passed away this morning. I am hurting.
He was everything a little brother could hope for in a big brother that loved watching Three Stooges. Lot's of pies in the face on those special occasions usually with me on the receiving end. We both inherited our father's competitiveness in any kind of sport or game. He taught me to hunt, track, and enjoy the woods. He hugged me every time he saw me lately, even though I think it was uncomfortable for him to hug a guy. I admire him. He had great stories about his time in the army and how to best get out of doing too much work. He had a very thoughtful faith and was not afraid to share it. I look up to my big brother, Jeff. I love him, and will miss him immensely.
Tomorrow I will travel to St. Louis to be with family and attend the funeral. I will be there until next Tuesday. I would greatly appreciate a phone call. I will be at my parents house most of the time.
He was everything a little brother could hope for in a big brother that loved watching Three Stooges. Lot's of pies in the face on those special occasions usually with me on the receiving end. We both inherited our father's competitiveness in any kind of sport or game. He taught me to hunt, track, and enjoy the woods. He hugged me every time he saw me lately, even though I think it was uncomfortable for him to hug a guy. I admire him. He had great stories about his time in the army and how to best get out of doing too much work. He had a very thoughtful faith and was not afraid to share it. I look up to my big brother, Jeff. I love him, and will miss him immensely.
Tomorrow I will travel to St. Louis to be with family and attend the funeral. I will be there until next Tuesday. I would greatly appreciate a phone call. I will be at my parents house most of the time.
12 agosto 2008
Happy Birthday Aubry
Sometimes I think being a parent is as much an inexplicable and useless urge as paddling out into the ocean on a piece of foam and fiberglass. I never imagined I would like being a father as much as I do. But this post is not about me. It is about Aubry, the inexplicably amazing miracle of the past year.
Aubry, you are a joy. You are a lot of work, but you are lots of fun as well.
I hope that you will grow up knowing that God loves you and knowing that you can accomplish anything you want to accomplish with His help.
I love you,
Daddy
Aubry, you are a joy. You are a lot of work, but you are lots of fun as well.
I hope that you will grow up knowing that God loves you and knowing that you can accomplish anything you want to accomplish with His help.
I love you,
Daddy
26 abril 2007
Big Move
I'm getting ready to move the board (should I give her a name?) to the church building where there is plenty of space to store her and would make it much easier to get her out and take her to the beach.
I think it's a good idea and have been encouraged by the rest of the team to do that.
I just have to remember to do that when I go the the building sometime.
I think it's a good idea and have been encouraged by the rest of the team to do that.
I just have to remember to do that when I go the the building sometime.
17 abril 2007
The Times
My television room is no longer mine. It is official. It is being converted into a nursery for our first child, and my nice comfy cadeira de papai is already in our much less comfortable bedroom. That is, there is not enough space in there for it. So, my life is different already. All of the jungle, scary mask type decorations are off the walls and shelves to make room for more baby friendly smiley plush toys and friendly looking dangerous animals like lions and zebras. I like them. They are all smiling. It's really nice and I think it will be a cozy happy place for my child (which we have another chance to find out the sex tomorrow).
I am saddened again by the sensless violence that occurs in my homeland. The last time I remember such a tragedy is when I was considering moving to Abilene, TX for college, and the violence occurred in a high school, and now, I am out of college and the violence occurred at a university. I don't know what to make of this.
I am saddened again by the sensless violence that occurs in my homeland. The last time I remember such a tragedy is when I was considering moving to Abilene, TX for college, and the violence occurred in a high school, and now, I am out of college and the violence occurred at a university. I don't know what to make of this.
14 abril 2007
Repeat
I went back to the gym for the first time in a month today. I am not a body builder. This is just a means to an end. I have about 53 lbs. to lose to feel like I am in shape. Today was rough. I have not been drinking enough water lately. I think I got a little dehydrated and felt sick. On top of that, I started eating differently today, more whole foods and probably added more dairy to the diet, so my digestion was a little off. All of the activity along with that caused me to have indigestion, which made finishing the workout tough. I did it though. I finished, though I took a few more seconds of rest between sets than I was supposed to.
All of this so that I will be more balanced and confident in the water. I need to add some swiming in here sometime.
I am excited that Travis' brother is coming from Canada soon. He is an adventure sports kind of dude, so I think he may be the motivation I need to get the board out and carry it down the 12 flights of stairs in our building to get it to the car. It doesn't fit in the elevator. After I get it down this time, I am taking it to the church building. No more carrying it so much.
I am getting too old to learn to surf I think. My life is starting to look different. MV only has 3 months left to carry the little grommet, then our life will be something totally not what it is now.
End the end, I am still confident that I will be a surfer.
-currently on iTunes: Beth Carvalho, "Chega de Saudade"
All of this so that I will be more balanced and confident in the water. I need to add some swiming in here sometime.
I am excited that Travis' brother is coming from Canada soon. He is an adventure sports kind of dude, so I think he may be the motivation I need to get the board out and carry it down the 12 flights of stairs in our building to get it to the car. It doesn't fit in the elevator. After I get it down this time, I am taking it to the church building. No more carrying it so much.
I am getting too old to learn to surf I think. My life is starting to look different. MV only has 3 months left to carry the little grommet, then our life will be something totally not what it is now.
End the end, I am still confident that I will be a surfer.
-currently on iTunes: Beth Carvalho, "Chega de Saudade"
24 julho 2006
Travels of a surfer
My wife and I have been doing some traveling through the wilder places of Brazil lately. We had a work/research week in Itu, Sao Paulo, then we left to see some of the natural beauty that this great country has to offer.
We weren't near any beaches, but most places we went, we were surrounded by water, which is a driving force in my love of surfing. We started off flying to Foz de Iguacu. From our base camp just outside the park on the Brazil side we spent two days exploring the national parks around the waterfalls (three Portuguese words: cataratas, cascatas, cachoeiras). These falls are the largest in the world in the aspect of water volume. They are beautiful. Our day in the Brazilian park was sunny, and Mary Virginia was in heaven with all of the rainbows we saw. That day we slept in and left for lunch inside the park at noon. We ate, and then walked off our buffet lunch on the trails leading us to the most spectacular panoramic view of the falls you can find. From there we left the park and went to an aviary that is very close to the entrance to the park. It was fun seeing many species of birds found all over the world. We also saw reptiles and butterflies.
The second day at the falls we spent an overcast day in the Argentina park. We rode a train from the park entrance to the trail center. From there we hiked the lower two of the three trail systems, and made our way to a motor boat launch. We took the boat right up to the waterfalls and got drenched. Then we went on a great ride down the river over some rapids and disembarked to hike up a hill trail. We had to eat our nice lunch that day drenched, but it tasted great. It was a buffet as well, but different from any buffet we had had for a long time. I couldn't believe how different it was from the Brazilian one we had the day before. Almost all buffets are exactly the same in Brazil. We then hiked the upper trail in the park with takes hikers right up to the edge of the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). It is amaizing being right over the fall and seeing thousands of gallons of water going over every minute.
We slept well that night, and the next morning left early to catch our flight to Cuiaba, our gateway to the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world, roughly the size of France. Our first night there was spent in Chapada dos Guimaraes, a place that looks like Arizona. That night we borrowed a car from one of the employees of the pousada where we were staying and drove to the Bride's Veil waterfall in the national park there. It was pretty and tall. The next morning we left early to rapel down another waterfall. We each descended twice, and then to get it all in we left for the City of Rocks, a place that has been through a lot of wind corrosion. It was pretty, but what I was excited about that day was seeing the Red and Blue macaws flying around the valley there. They always fly in couples because they partner for life. We saw quite a few, and the only thing that would make it better would be to have been there at sunset.
We then left the chapada for Pocone by bus and ended up at a fazenda, or ranch, right in the Pantanal. I did a few things there I have never done before. I rode a horse, for example, right up to a river full of alligators. We hiked one afternoon and saw lots of wildlife. We went on a night safari and saw nocturnal mammals. Then, on our last day there, we went fishing. I have been fishing before, but not in a river full of piranha. I have never fished with steak to catch fish. And, yes, we were catching the piranha, and keeping them. We didn't get to eat our catch, but we did have some the night before in a stew. On the way back, we fed a couple of friendly alligators from the boat.
That night, we took a bus back to Cuiaba and caught our flight back to Salvador. It was nice to be home, but we enjoyed every minute of our time together on our vacation, and it was a little hard to come back.
We weren't near any beaches, but most places we went, we were surrounded by water, which is a driving force in my love of surfing. We started off flying to Foz de Iguacu. From our base camp just outside the park on the Brazil side we spent two days exploring the national parks around the waterfalls (three Portuguese words: cataratas, cascatas, cachoeiras). These falls are the largest in the world in the aspect of water volume. They are beautiful. Our day in the Brazilian park was sunny, and Mary Virginia was in heaven with all of the rainbows we saw. That day we slept in and left for lunch inside the park at noon. We ate, and then walked off our buffet lunch on the trails leading us to the most spectacular panoramic view of the falls you can find. From there we left the park and went to an aviary that is very close to the entrance to the park. It was fun seeing many species of birds found all over the world. We also saw reptiles and butterflies.
The second day at the falls we spent an overcast day in the Argentina park. We rode a train from the park entrance to the trail center. From there we hiked the lower two of the three trail systems, and made our way to a motor boat launch. We took the boat right up to the waterfalls and got drenched. Then we went on a great ride down the river over some rapids and disembarked to hike up a hill trail. We had to eat our nice lunch that day drenched, but it tasted great. It was a buffet as well, but different from any buffet we had had for a long time. I couldn't believe how different it was from the Brazilian one we had the day before. Almost all buffets are exactly the same in Brazil. We then hiked the upper trail in the park with takes hikers right up to the edge of the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). It is amaizing being right over the fall and seeing thousands of gallons of water going over every minute.
We slept well that night, and the next morning left early to catch our flight to Cuiaba, our gateway to the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world, roughly the size of France. Our first night there was spent in Chapada dos Guimaraes, a place that looks like Arizona. That night we borrowed a car from one of the employees of the pousada where we were staying and drove to the Bride's Veil waterfall in the national park there. It was pretty and tall. The next morning we left early to rapel down another waterfall. We each descended twice, and then to get it all in we left for the City of Rocks, a place that has been through a lot of wind corrosion. It was pretty, but what I was excited about that day was seeing the Red and Blue macaws flying around the valley there. They always fly in couples because they partner for life. We saw quite a few, and the only thing that would make it better would be to have been there at sunset.
We then left the chapada for Pocone by bus and ended up at a fazenda, or ranch, right in the Pantanal. I did a few things there I have never done before. I rode a horse, for example, right up to a river full of alligators. We hiked one afternoon and saw lots of wildlife. We went on a night safari and saw nocturnal mammals. Then, on our last day there, we went fishing. I have been fishing before, but not in a river full of piranha. I have never fished with steak to catch fish. And, yes, we were catching the piranha, and keeping them. We didn't get to eat our catch, but we did have some the night before in a stew. On the way back, we fed a couple of friendly alligators from the boat.
That night, we took a bus back to Cuiaba and caught our flight back to Salvador. It was nice to be home, but we enjoyed every minute of our time together on our vacation, and it was a little hard to come back.
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