ToshandProm

Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts. Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Home, sweet Home!

In light of all the hip hop happenings this month with people going here and there, meetings held, building projects, etc. there was always one thing that held all of this together and more--my dear Home team. They were there the whole time holding things up so that folks like me could go places and do things that I would not have imagined I'd do without their help and support. Thank you so much guys! I can't express to you enough what you mean to me and all the ways you make our world rock! So instead of me trying to describe who they are, as the famous quote says "A picture is worth a thousand words" I think I'll let the pics say it themselves. To my heroes!

Forever XD!

It's through the offensive that the second generation will come into its own and realize their anointing. They'll see that all that they've been through in their lives, all of the training, all of the tests‚ all of the trials—all of it—has been worth it, for it has made them into the warriors that I've promised that they would be. They'll see that they're no longer the "hope of the future," because the future has arrived, and they are the warriors of the present. It's their day to shine.









There are so many things I would like to say to all those I got to know during this last month. But words aren't enough to thank and appreciate them for being part of our wonderful Family and the special key role each one plays. I'm so blessed to be a part of it all and to truly say "It was worth it all". THANK YOU so much Ryan, Becca, Nicole and home for helping this to all happen. THANK YOU my co-staff team (you know who you are) for all the tremendous qualities you have that I pray one day I am able to gain. THANK YOU Jules, Connie, Ryan, Timmy, Aurora, Kevin, and Jeff for our times together and for putting up with me :) and to all of you who I had the privilege of getting to spend a month of my life with: THANK YOU But of course, the greatest thanks is to You, Jesus, our wonderful Husband who without You, none of us would have been here--THANK YOU!
I think this quote from "Carry the Flame of Revolution" sums up who we are (or have the potential to be):









You are destined not only to be soldiers, fighters‚ and warriors, but champions and winners. You are the ones who will carry the flame of revolution into the future. You are the ones who will make up the primary core of the structure of the Family of the future. You are the ones who will lead that Family into battle, into victory, into its destiny. I can't entrust this calling to children or mere youths. I need grown‚ mature, strong men and women of faith, those who have faced life's struggles and pain, and who have experienced the depths of sorrow and trial, who know what it means to ache, to suffer‚ to weep, and to despair.








Tuesday, September 18, 2007

We win, again!

W&R night was Sunday night and with my good fortune the Lord said it was cool to watch the Pats-Chargers game, and what a game it was. There is nothing quite like seeing a well disciplined, well trained team perform. You just see the difference between the two teams. If anyone remembers from last year there was a play on 3rd down when the Chargers got called for an unsportmanlike conduct penalty that gifted the Pats a 1st down, well the same thing happened again. 3rd down and one of the Chargers LB's decides it would be a good idea to punch Brady in the head way after the play was done. This was supposed to be a big rivalry game, a chance for some "payback" from SD but instead they just shot themselves in the foot. Once again Colvin was being a bit of a bum with some of the stuff he was doing. What can I say, when they mention the leaders on the Pats team you never hear Rosy Colvin's name mentioned because he isn't a leader, he is a good soldier who does his job. Sure we expect more maturity from him but you can't blast him But the team revolves around guys Bruschi, Brady, Vrabel, Harrison, Brown, Seau, and Seymour. There are talented guys like Samuel, Colvin, Warren, Moss, Maroney etc but they just do their jobs, the others guys are the ones that make the Pats what they are. And the best part was at the end of the game when the players all came over to Bill and gave him a hug. Bill has practically been painted as Satan this past week for doing an act that, in the long run, isn't all that different from anything everyone else has done. You can have camera's all over the stadium picking up the opposition's hand signal's. There are no rules about that, and like Madden pointed out (and Bill confirmed) there is no way that it can help in the present game. But no everyone was ready to lynch Bill and the Pats for being cheaters, and unlike most they just came together and won a game that was supposed to be a grudge match and they just dominated. Once again Ladainian Tomlinson chickened out too. Last year he was all hot under the collar about nothing and runs his mouth about how wrong the Pats are, then he actually meets Bill at the Pro Bowl and he is all "everything is fine, it is in the past". Then as soon as some new evidence comes out he goes back to his "the Pats are cheaters line", and then the Pats shut him down and instead of apologizing he says "oh I was just joking". Come on Ladainian that is a cop out, you promised revenge last year and you got whooped, be a man and own up to it.

With even more of my good fortune I also the Yankees-Sox game on at the same time. Everything was going fine until top of the eighth Schilling started to unravel a little. Anytime you see Jeter up is dangerous, to see him come up in the 8th with 2 on and the game tied you know something bad is going to happen. Sure enough he blasts one and now the lead is only 3 1\2.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Culebra

Bus ride to the ferry and back (I had the honor of sitting next to the most energetic reggatone dancer aboard--love you CB)
An old USA army tank from the war

The Lord and my home (thanks guys!) worked it out for me to come help at the XD. It's been really inspiring and I'm super thankful to be here. It's been busy, but the Lord has also done special things for us while here. One of them was getting to visit one of the ten top beaches in the world. It was beautiful and I got to play some beach soccer, nap, taste the Puerto Rican shishkibab, and go on a lively, energetic bus drive there and back. Of course, the ferry ride there was no fun thing for my stomach and I'm glad I brought a bag with me, but coming back I did much better as I opted to sit up on the deck instead of down below. Anyways, here are some pics of that trip.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Nothing News

Don't really have an update, Prom was supposed to take care of that but she is uber busy at XD. Nothing new at Home, Eryn has developed the annoying habit of waking up at night and not going back to sleep for a couple hours. Will work on that. Bradyn started getting potty trained. Most of our legal work has been taken care of. You see there are just so many things you can take care of when your wife is gone! Of course I doubt I am doing most of these things right, I tried doing the laundry and ended up washing it 3 times cause I kept forgetting to hang it up. Folding laundry is skill I never learned too well so the kids drawers look kinda messy.

Not that it is important to anyone else but I finally bought a sharp cooking knife. I tell you it is a gift from heaven. I couldn't stop cutting things. Tomatoes, onions, slabs of beef, fingers, you name it I cut it. Try cutting anything with a dull knife and you will see pretty fast how annoying it can be, but a sharp knife is just a thing of beauty. I quartered and defatted (defatted: to remove the fat from a large piece of meat, usually done with a sharp knife) a thing of beef in no time.

BTW I am extremely annoyed with this whole Pats camera thingy. When a guy like LDT can come out and say the Pats live off the statement "you aren't trying if you aren't cheating", well that is just pure class. Especially when he has two teammates who are confirmed cheats! What happens if Marty says on TV, "well in my San Diego days we did that quite often, there was this one time....." All I am saying is the Pats aren't alone in trying to figure out oppositions play calls, it would serve some of these wise guys best to keep quiet and be thankful it wasn't their team caught.