Friday, February 25, 2011

10 things I've learned so far....

10 things I have learned so far....

1) I really miss my family and friends.
Sherra and I have made some great friendships so far since being in Maryland, and I know these friendships will be for a lifetime, but I say that to say this, there is no place like home. As cheesy and cliché as it sounds, it is so true. I miss the smell of my parent’s house, the surreal peacefulness that comes from just walking outside on my parent’s patio. I miss the amazing naps on my grandmother’s couch on a Sunday afternoon. I miss the nieces and nephews. I miss the laughter from friends, and the great conversations from people you have known your whole life. I miss the love that my friends give, even though they know my baggage. Oh my gosh I miss the FOOD!!! Yep, I even miss the pooper mill. If you have never moved away trust me, there is NO place like home.


2) I REALLY LOVE THIS CITY!!!!

Let's be real here people. This city is amazing!!! I mean my family is not just living in the hub of the good ole US of A, but the entire world. Foreign diplomacy is a way of life in this city. I went to downtown DC Tuesday night and it was the coolest thing ever.  I got to walk through Chinatown and I felt like Kurt Russell in Big Trouble Little China.



I mean there is everything here: sports (Redskins, Wizards, Capitals, Nationals, DC United) tourism (Smithsonian, Monuments, Battlefields) recreation (biking, hiking, skiing, snowboarding) and even more. There is never a boring weekend if you don't want it to be. Just going for a walk can be breath taking. Note to friends and family....MOVE HERE!!

























3) The people here are not that rude....
All we heard from everyone in the south is that NE people are so rude. Right, they are at times, but so are people in the south. I mean have you ever been to the Customer Service line at the West Monroe Wal-Mart or the Burger King at the end of Thomas Rd. WOW!!! Most of the people I have encountered have been nice and at times down right southern acting. I mean don't get me wrong I have almost had a come to Jesus meeting with a 5 foot Spanish speaking gentleman at the Safeway, but other than that it's been great. I just think rude people are everywhere, and some places just may have more than others.

4) Louisiana REALLY does have the worst weather
The weather has been amazing. Now I know we moved in the dead of winter, but at least it has been very consistent. I mean it's winter it should be COLD, and trust me it is sooooo stinking cold here…..really cold. But at least it STAYS cold. With it staying cold at least your body has a chance to adjust. Honestly, the worst part of the cold weather is that it takes us twice as long to get the kids ready to go somewhere.
In LA on the other hand, it maybe 80 one afternoon and that night be in the 20's. That is nuts people!! We have NO seasons but summer. The people here keep telling me that it gets really hot and humid here in the summer. I just laugh at them when they say that, Humid...hahahahaha (see I did it again). I tell them all the time, just go to LA.....oh around mid July.....and then you will see hot and humid. They have no idea.

5) I don't speak your language
Funny story: My family and I went and got Wendy's a few nights back, and the guy handing out food was not originally from our country. He comes to the US, doesn't speak our language that great...hmmm...not great is an understatement...more like not at all. I could get on a soap box here for a while, but I won't. The only thing I say to that is if you are coming to America...great movie btw


....and you barely speak our language, please don't go into CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! Please. Okay, so anyway this guy hands me our food. He smiles and nods and then proceeds to try and get out an English sentence, but it come out like this, "sadfjasdio sdfihs n[kdbjiwe[i vnmdbnvjdnv." Yep I had NO clue what he said. I look at Sherra and she just laughs and said, "I think he tried to say have a nice day." So i begin pulling out...twss...and he begins screaming at me, NUGGETS...NUGGETS...twss...I slammed on my brakes, roll my window down, turn back, and he is hanging out of the window saying "sdlka ih fuw890q[dfjk dsdfs[wsr." Again, I have NO clue what he is saying. Sherra some how picks something out of his very poor attempt at our language, and she says, "John your nuggets are not in the bag....twss." Well now I am blocking the exit and I am missing my nuggets....twss. I have to pull forward and park the car. Get out of the car walk inside...totally defeating purpose of the DRIVE THRU process to get my food. I hear this guy in the back saying Sweet and Sour...Sweet and Sour. I just shook my head at the lady handing me my food and she just smiled.

6) twss = that's what she said

7) Townhomes stink
Not literally unless Ivey just pooped, but it stinks having to go up stairs. We have 4 stories in our townhome and I struggle going from basement to top floor without having stop and take a break. It is so funny because Ivey will go up a couple flights of stairs and he will stop, bend over, and say "whew". He has picked that up from me and Sherra doing that after we go up the stairs. hahahaha

8) I'm officially out of shape
See above paragraph and pic below. I look tired and its because it's hard work building Frosty!!


9) My job is amazing
To be able to do what you are called to do is pure joy. It feels so amazing not to dread going to bed at night because you have to go into work the next morning. If you’re not doing what you love...get to it. Whatever you need to get there, do it: Get in school, get a loan for your own business, whatever...just step out there. You'll be glad you did!!

10) I want some Johnny's NOW!!!
We have found 1 place here that makes good pizza, but man I could for real tear up a Sweep the Kitchen from Johnny's!! Man, I love that place.

11) No Chinese Buffets here!!
What?!!??!?!?! I know right....I haven't found one that serves buffet all the time. This is just a crime and they don't even know it. Maybe I should open one??? hmmm.....nah.

I know I said 10 things I've learned, but I thought if you read this you should get a bonus!

Anyway that is what I have learned living in the DC area the last 2 months.....Peace, I'm outty 5000

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I'm going to give you to the count of 10

Preface: I in NO way claim to be an expert at what I am about to disclose!!



I've been working on a new song. I started working on this song last week sometime, and I feel like it's going to be a pretty good song. I am really excited to hear it played with a full band, and see how it is received by my team.

Wait....sorry I have gotten ahead of myself here. It might be beneficial for you to know how I write songs before this blog makes sense.

Song writing for me is truly organic. It rarely happens in a 10 minute sit down. I will usually stew over the song for weeks and even months. Probably because I usually think the song sounds like a big ol' pile of poopy. Poopy...that is a strange looking word when you type it out. I'm not even sure I spelled it correctly. Anyway, I digress. Song writing usually starts by me playing around on my guitar and I figure out this "cool" guitar lick (lick meaning riff or hook) that I like. After that I begin piecing other parts of the song around that "cool" (I keep putting cool into "" because cool is very relative in music) lick. This "cool" guitar part might end up just being a very small portion of the song, but that guitar part was the light in my bulb. Once the majority of the song is written I then begin humming a melody (that usually sounds like all my other melodies I've written) over those chords I just came up with. Finally, I begin piecing lyrics into that song, and hopefully by the end of the song I have something worth showing to someone.

......This new song was just the opposite for me.

Sur.ren.der \sə-ˈren-dər\to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another


I have always been intrigued with the concept of TOTAL surrender to the Lord. What does that look like in today's world and I have ever witnessed someone totally sold out for Christ. (Like an Apostle Paul)
If I had seen someone like this, would I stare at them in wonder or would I be uncomfortable around them? Would they make me feel awkward, because they are a "Jesus Freak"? It's just something I've often thought about.

I have had moments of total surrender. There have been moments where I felt as if nothing in my life mattered more to me than my relationship with Jesus Christ, these brief moments where I longed to help the poor and the broken, where I was more concerned about reaching the lost than watching LOST. But on the flip side, I also I have had many moments of a complete rebellion. I have had moments where I have spit in the face of God to satisfy my own selfish pride and gratification. Or AKA my PRIDIFICATION


Sorry I had to do it.
This new song came from all these thoughts about surrender. I wrote these lyrics down and began praying them in my life last week. It was really for my prayer time, and I had no thought of making these words a song. This has rarely happened to me in the song writing process, and it feels much more real for me. Here is just a small section of the song. Maybe you can use these lyrics to begin praying in your own life.

I lay my crowns at Your feet,
I place my trust in You I seek
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way

Mend my heart so it beats
For Your Spirit my soul to keep
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way


There is nothing to fear
Because You are here
I have nothing to fear
Because Your love is near

     Lord have Your way in me
     Take my life and let it be
     A lot like You
     And less like me
     Lord have Your way

     Lord have Your way in me
     Fill my cup and let them see
     Through Your grace I am free
     Lord have Your way in me

Anyway that's just a verse and a chorus of what God is doing in my life. I leave you with this final thought. Let's all make total surrender our prayer as Christ followers. Think about it total surrender means to forgo who we are as selfish creatures in favor of being more like the Father. WOW just imagine.

I'm outty 5000

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Hmmm..I never took you for a blogger.

This is my first blog, and this will basically be an infomercial about me.

I want to let you know right out of the gate I am very complex, but yet very simple person to get to know. My wife will attest that I have many moments where I am more of a woman than she is, so hence the complexity. For example, I LOVE fashion. I love everything about fashion. I love that it can be what you make it to be. I have a friend, who recently said, you can be inspired by the scenes of your personal world to help create your fashion. That is why I love fashion. My only advice is, stay relevant, but more importantly just put something on and WEAR it like YOU would wear it, and forget what other people say about what you have on.

Also, I love being creative. My outlet is music, acting, and poetry, but I love creativity in its simplest form. I love playing with my 2 year old son and watching him create scenarios with his toys. I love watching those wheels of his start turning with Buzz Lightyear in one hand and Woody in the other. Usually what happens is Buzz flies around the room and Woody will ride on his back, but it's so cool to see him think about what adventure Buzz and Woody are going to do next.

I can remember at a very young age this same creativeness being harvested in my life. I was one of those kids that if He-Man was on TV, I was dressing and acting like He-Man.
he-man
(yes I did find a pair of grassy underwear to look like He-man)

If football was on the TV, I was in my football attire acting out each play in front of my very annoyed father. I remember at that age I loved acting and playing the parts of other people.

With this creativeness running wild like Will Ferrell in Talledaga Nights, it is hard to turn that off. I am always thinking about music and the arts, and how I can get better at those things. This at times makes me a complex person to talk to and to understand.

Now the simple side of my life is much easier to understand. I live by a code. It is a simple code that all men should live by. It doesn't take much to live by this code, and I think most women would appreciate you more if you lived by this code. I call it the John Wayne code AKA the Duke code.


The premise behind this code is very simple; men always ask yourselves before doing something, "Would John Wayne do this?" Kind of like WWJD, but not. Now I understand that if you stuck to exactly how John Wayne lived his life you would end up being a beer guzzling, chain smoker, and I personally do not promote that life style. What I am getting at is that you should live like a man's man. For example, men if you’re thinking about going to the tanning bed...don't. If you feel like you need to get a pedicure...you probably shouldn't. If you’re a single guy thinking about purchasing a dog, and the qualities you’re looking for in that dog are small enough to fit in my man purse, you probably should just be lonely. If you feel like waxing your chest hair off...don't. Now, there are exceptions to the last one. If you look like Chewbacca or if your chest looks like Tina Turner is pitching a tent on it, then you’re good.

 

Also, if you’re an Olympic swimmer then I understand, but unless you fall into those categories then just leave it.

You see this code is very simple, and yes I myself break the code all the time. (See paragraph about fashion and I am now a blogger) But what this code does for me as a man is it set boundaries for social do's and don’ts. You will never hear a woman say man that guy is just too much man for me. Most women are looking for that provider in their life. She is looking for that stable concrete figure that will not get rattled when the rubber meets the road. When my wife said "I do" she wanted a man to continue to show up, not some self proclaimed metro sexual who gets a "Mani" and a "Pedi" more than she does. I'm just saying.

So, this is kind of me in a nutshell. Most of my blogs will be useless and funny, but some of them will not be a total waste of you time. I'm outty 5000