Making dreams a reality

My girlfriends friend wants to be a fashion designer, and instead of just drawing dresses for fun, or sitting wishing he had certain opportunities he makes them for himself. Its so inspiring to see someone who has a dream that not many people support, but is still making the most out of everything he has and goes beyond peoples expectations. I hope to do that for my parents and everyone out there who's ever doubted me. I want to be extremely successful in business and prove people who had doubts in me wrong for my own benefit. It's great to be around people with a passion and I hope to find more of them on my way to the top tier of success.

Basketball Wins!

Multiple times a week I go to the rec and play basketball with some buddies. Even though its just for fun, I really get into it because I have a strong competitive spirit. Every now now and then I hurt myself by landing wrong or getting fouled. I had a game winning 3 pointer even though a guy was right in my face with his hand up trying to block it. I feel so amazing when I'm winning. I love to use my brain and body to make the most out of every situation I'm in. I like to challenge myself, and basketball is a great way that I can get exercise, have fun, and most importantly, win.

Eating Right

Its been so hard to maintain a healthy diet in college. Thankfully I had good standards of what healthy eating looked like before hand and realized the consequences of choosing foods that aren't helpful to my body. Some weeks I eat minimally and choose good foods, but other times I'm with friends who are stopping somewhere quick, or who want a late night snack and I join them in eating that pizza or that burger then don't feel good later. I honestly try to keep my body in the best of shape, and being stern in my need to eat beneficial foods is a goal I would like to continue succeeding with.

Packing up

Its so strange to be done with my first year of college. A lot of people were hoping I would be successful and I'm happy to make them proud. I've done so much better than I thought I would and learned so much about studying and managing my time wisely. First semester I thought that I just had to go it alone on the fate of my grades, but this semester I learned that in order to improve my grades and my education I need to communicate with my teachers problems that I'm having and things that I would like to fix.

The Most Interesting Man In the World

A few weekends ago I met an elderly man that was very much alive. I made a connection with him instantly because he had a deep passion for baseball. He told me he had multiple season tickets for baseball and football teams. We formed such an instant relationship that he invited me to use his season tickets to see a game. He invited me to his house to pick up the tickets. When I got there he was swinging on his porch in front of his 25 acre plantation. He had a huge amount of land where he grew squash and other vegetables to use for his amazing recipes. He also hunts with bows and teaches his dogs to point and help him hunt. The most interesting thing I learned though, besides the fact that he was a president of 6 different companies, was that he was the secretary in Charlie Wilson’s War. To think that he such a huge part in a largely known historical event was incredible. I can’t wait to talk to him again.

Family in Colorado

The nice thing about having parents who live in Colorado is getting to visit as often as I want. The atmosphere up there is so inspiring. It really gives me a deep connection to the earth. Not to mention I love attending concerts at the Red Rocks. The acoustics are great there. This summer I'm going to do the Urban Assault Race there. It's this scavenger hunt on bikes thats so much fun every year and tests you in both physical and mental challenges. I'm looking forward to biking in the mountain regions. Its going to be amazing. I also can't wait to see my parents again. Its been tough not having them near to talk to.

Easter Sunday

Despite my parents no longer living in town, I still made sure to attend the service at our church. It was a great day to connect with the true meaning of the day and see old faces. I did wish that we had a different Priest, because the guy who usually speaks was not doing the sermon I went to, but I got to see him afterwards and let him know how things are going at Texas State. It was also fun to see the new alter servers because I used to be one myself. I was looking sharp of course. I wish that more people would respect the service, especially on such an important holiday in the religion.

The death of Osama

The death of Osama finally brought closure to all those families that had lost love ones because of his terror. I'm so happy that our troops have been working so diligently to find peace for our nation. Obama's speech to the nation did a great job of bringing the nation together and letting us know that he still cares and has been working hard. On a side note, I recently watched the King's Speech and it made me appreciate Obama's presence in front of the public that much more.

Dangers of Biking

This past year I started bicycle racing. I've been training with the Texas State Cycling team and thankfully have only had a few minor tip overs. Some people havn't been as lucky though. A family friend of mine got hit by a car while riding his bike. He broke his wrist and his foot and now has a boot on his foot and is using crutches. He got a huge bruise on his upper thigh and is scraped up all over. To make matters worse he has a new baby at home and a wife who doesn't have a job. Poor guy is now in recovery mode and is amazingly pissed that a person wouldn't have the courtesy to stop and check if he was okay. Knock on wood that I stay injury-free.

Serendipitous happenings

For SXSW my friend Frank needed a wristband. By the time we made it to the parmer event center we found out that they didn't have any more general admission wristbands, but if you were a badge holder you could buy one. So we decided it'd be a good idea to find someone with a badge. Thankfully we did and when frank went up to the counter he asked if he was an artist and just for the hell of it he said yes. Little did he know that he would get a free backpack and free beer. He sure got lucky.

Mastering the comma splice

For years I had english teachers correcting my papers about simple conjunctions. I looked at the comment, but never really searched to understand the rule. My teacher continuously griped at us about it though, so I finally decided for the final I would sit down and understand it for myself. The sad thing is that it wasn't even that hard or that crazy of an idea. I just never thought it mattered that much until I realized that I needed to start sounding more professional and aware in my writing. I'm glad I learned the rule along with other writing techniques, they have helped me to make higher grades on my essays and feel more confident overall.

Another Long Night at Alkek

Its amazing how many people are packed in here. I had to really make a conscious effort to force myself to start studying a week in advance because I generally figured I could get by studying the night before. This year, I've definatly learned the advantage of preparing ahead of time. Starting my studying early has allowed me to really assess what I need to review, and take my time without the added stress of lack of time on me. Though my study environment wasn't the best, I was able to listen to music and zone in on my classes.

Finals

The great thing about finals is that it means I will be done very soon, the bad part is the immense amount of studying. Its so tough having to go over large amounts of material, especially when your brain isn't ready to focus, or the environment is crowded. Its also hard to learn what study methods are most effective. It was stressful trying to go to the library or coffee shops because they were so hectic I couldn't concentrate. Thankfully I found that Sewell Park was a great place to study. I feel like I've done a good job of understanding my materials.

Anniversary Dinner

My girlfriend and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary recently. We went to Gold Class Cinemas, the movie theatre with the comfy reclining seats. We ate some delicious pizza and quesadillas and saw the movie Arthur. It ended up being more of a love story than a comedy, but it was great for the occasion. My girlfriend also made me a cookie cake since cookies are my favorite dessert. It was great to enjoy some quality time with the person I care about most.

You ain't got no Yeezy?

Over spring break I went to shows at SXSW. The best one by far was the Kanye West Secret Show. That day me, my girlfriend, and my friend Frank got to the line at 2:30pm. There were a few people in the line, but it was considerably short. We sat there all day. We got to know the people around us pretty well seeing as 5 hours is a long ass time to be sitting waiting. We found out that the only way to get into the concert was by having a text from VEVO saying that you were in. Well we didn't exactly have that text, but we found a place along some train tracks where the fence was open. I kept looking for other options to get in. We talked to the security guy and made a deal with him to get us in. Unfortunatly when it came time to go in, he wasn't being so helpful because he had police watching. Before they let people from the line in they let in all these groups of older people that didn't look like kanye fans. Once I realized the guy wasn't going to be able to help us, I scoped out an open area between a tent and a fence that was off to the side. When the guards were busy, my girlfriend and I walked right in to that opening. We realized we were about to be caught if we stayed with the tech-y looking people getting badges so we went to another group of people. They didnt have backpacks and all the girls had heels. Thankfully my girlfriend was able to blend in a bit and we made sure to converse with the people around us. They started sectioning off the girls and guys to check ID's, of which none of us had. My girlfriend walked up to the table and realized she needed ID, so she said she needed to get it from a friend and surprisingly was able to walk right in and past the stage area to the bathroom. I snuck in past 2 guards going around a camera man then waited in the lounge area. By that time we were in, even though we didn't have any badges, had huge backpacks, and looked like we had been outside all day. We got to watch the whole concert in the front. My girlfriend saw Bon Iver and Kanye warming up for "Lost in the World." Kid Cudi, John Legend, Pusha-T, Big Sean, Cyhi Da Prince, and last but not least Jay-Z. P Diddy stopped by to watch. "All of the Lights" was performed with the Reagan Marching Band, it was the craziest, most amazing thing ever. It was really a story of a lifetime.

HE'S DEAD!!!!

Thank you to our Military for staying vigilant.  Osama Bin Laden is DEAD!!!!