New Address

Hey Family and Friends,

I have moved into a new house in Huntsville and wanted to give ya’ll my new address. I will most likely be living here until I graduate (because it’s a great place and I got great roommates!).

122 Varsity Drive

 Huntsville, TX 77320

I’ll be blogging again soon!!

video blog coming soon!

Hey Everyone,

I am purchasing a new video camera in a week or so and one of the uses for it will be to “blog” in video format! I figured it would be something fun and new to try and I’ll try doing it on a daily basis but once school starts most likely on a weekly basis. Not that I have a whole lot to talk about on a daily basis, but at least you get to see mine (& Brandi’s) bright and shining faces! We’ll bring the latest news in our lives, the Houston area, maybe show you our amazing dance moves, a killer joke, or whatever comes across our minds! For now, I will upload the videos on YouTube and will give ya’ll the link when it’s up and running. I wanted to post the vids on here but unforunately it cost $$$ to do that. And i’m a broke college kid . Anyways, be looking out for it in about 2 weeks!

Summer’s Here

Well I have closed out another year at SHSU and am officially a junior. Besides one class that gave me trouble, I had a really good semester and found a couple of professors that I really enjoyed. I’ve decided to take a little time off from school and not do summer classes the first session, however I will probably go the second session in July. But I’ve been in school almost two years straight with no break so a little down time is needed.

Brandi is doing really good as of late. We thought she was going to have to have another surgery but luckily the hole has started closing on its own and she is eating soft foods right now and starting on a fiber diet. Hopefully the hole won’t blow open this time and she can put all of this behind her, for good. We plan on making a couple trips to Dallas in June so we hope to see everyone at some point.

Despite the Mavericks losing in the semi’s, I’ve really enjoyed the NBA playoffs this year. The Eastern Conference Finals that feature Cleveland (L. James) vs. Orlando (D. Howard) should be an exciting series to watch. And with the Lakers showing vulnerability, are they no longer the favorites to win it all? Time will tell.

For you gamers out there, I became the proud owner of a Xbox360 over Christmas but just recently got into the whole Xbox Live. Despite being a gamer all my life, I never did quite understand how some guys (and the occasional female) could spend days playing a game, disregarding hygenie and family memebers. But after coming across the Live feature of Xbox, I have a better understanding of that lol. It is completely addicting and I’ve spent hours playing it without even realizing how much time I spent on it. It’s pretty amazing though that you can play the same game and talk to people across the globe, all from your living room. How about them apples?

 I guess tha’ts all I’ve got for now. It’d probably be best that I get back to work.

A frustrating Sunday night

Tonight I write not only in a frustrating mood but in a confused mood as well. I am currently listening to Brandi scream as she changes her dressing around her pick line. Not easy seeing your girlfriend scream in pain.

I am frustrated because tonight I saw Brandi chewing on food. She just had surgery Friday and wasn’t suppose to chew on food for at least 5 days but it’s only been 2. When she chews on food, she has to spit it out because she can’t sallow it but even when she chews, her intestine has to process the juice from the food that is in her mouth, which causes her intestine to be working when it needs to be healing. But try to imagine not eating at all and seeing how long you think you could go. I guess that’s where the frustrating part comes in for me. Brandi hasn’t actually sallowed food in almost 3 years. I can’t imagine what that is like but at the same time, I want her to get better so she can eat again so it’s difficult when I see her chewing food when I know she isn’t suppose to be.

I pray that God gives me patience and more importantly, an understanding of what Brandi is going through. Unless I experience first hand what she is going through, I can’t fully understand what it’s like. I also pray that he can heal this last hole so she can eat again, and soon.

Family, I hope ya’ll get to meet Brandi soon so you can hear her story and see the amazing girl she is.

Time for an update

Well I have to admit, I haven’t checked the family blog in months & haven’t posted in almost 4. Probably time for a little update from good old Huntsville.

This semester has been going fantastic and at a high pace. My grades couldn’t have been better and I enjoy my professors. Once this semester ends, I need between 45-49 hours to graduate, which will be here alot sooner than I realize. It just feels like yesterday I was moving into my freshman dorm! As of late, I have begun to second guess my career path into law enforcement. It’s more than just “Is this really want I want do?” but certain factors have come into my life as of late that are making me second guess my career choice. However, I do plan on finishing as a criminal justice major so that no matter what happens after college, I will at least have my degree. The best thing I can do is simply pray and trust in God.

For those who haven’t been on facebook (and I think everyone is now w/ Granddad joining us), I have been dating this girl Brandi for close to two months. I work with her Dad at the real estate office and he set us up and we immediately hit it off. Our relationship has gotten pretty serious, infact I brought her home a week or so again to meet my Dad, Mom, and Shawn. As my Dad can tell you, everything went very well and couldn’t have asked for a better first time meeting with the parents! To tell you a little about Brandi, she was diagonsed with ulcer colitis about 5 years ago. To summarize this disease, patients are not able to eat food or drink anything but water because it tears holes in the stomach. She has come close to dying in the past but the worst seems to be behind her. The disease is completely removed and she is waiting for just one last hole to close up. However because of this hole, she hasn’t been able to eat food in 2 1/2 years. She is having surgery this Friday to hopefully sew it up, so keep her in your prayers! But if you’ve seen our pictures on facebook, you wouldn’t know she has been sick just by looking at her. I hope she can meet the rest of the family very soon!

Brandi & I have been to alot of events since we started dating. We recently went to the 25 Anniversary of Wrestlemania in Houston and even though I’m 21 and too old to be interested in WWE, I had an amazing time! I got to see some of my favorite wrestlers and experience a WWE event live, which is something I have always wanted to do. And yes, I know most of it is fake and storylined, but it doesn’t changed the fact that it’s still highly entertaining! We also went to the Dallas Aquarium, the rodeo, a couple concerts, dancing, among other places and events. We’ve had tons of fun!

I guess that’s about it from me. Not sure when I am coming home again..Hopefully sometime in mid May once school is out. I’ll try to update more than once every 4 months! :p

Something’s Up

So here is how of a weird mood I am: I’m listening to country music…I swear, the small town is rubbing off on me

So tonight I was sitting in my apartment (because everyone is home for Christmas, except for me) and I was doing my favorite pasttime, watching The Office on DVD. Tonight I ventured into bonus features and I watched blooper reels…I tell ya, no matter how horrible of a mood I am in, I can always count on The Office as a pick me up. Now there’s a dream job for ya. Working with Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, and others, doing nothing but laughing for hours upon hours. Hey, I can dream right?? Some want big paying jobs, fame, or to be a star, but me, I just need humor from the best.

Well this week had its ups & downs. Ups: the semester is over, I passed all my classes, & Christmas is almost here. Downs: hours were cut back at my work until April and one of my roommates moved out. The cut back in hours really puts a damper on my financial situation, but I’m in the process of looking for a second job and hopefully with a little financial aid refund, things will get better. It doesn’t help I’m not that good with money but I’m trying hard to get better at managing it.

My biggest all around problem though isn’t money, jobs, friends, or other distractions. It’s my inability to trust in God that he can handle things. Yes, I do know that God can do it and wants to help me, but I let my pride and arrogance get in the way. Perhaps it’s because I’m a male or simply a human being, but I try to do it on my own and in my own way but obviously, that hasn’t been working. It’s time to simply give the reins to God. He can do anything to put it simply and this little rut I’m in, is nothing compared to what God can do. I just need to let him take control and trust that he knows what is best for me and my life. But as history shows, that is easier said than done.

Despite whatever problems I am facing, I need to be humble and count my blessings. I’ve already been blessed with so much in my life and need to remember, that I already have the things in life that truly matter: a relationship with God and supportive/loving family & friends. This is what really matters and these two things define who I am.

It’s time for a new direction in life. It’s time to stop being so emotionally and spiritually guarded. It’s time to rely and open up to other people. It’s time to trust in the big man above and give him control.

Cruise Control

College is great. I love Sam Houston and my friends and enjoy the life I have built here. But at the same time, I hate college. There could not be more distractions to keep me from growing in my walk with God. I take one step forward to get closer with him, only to be taken 3 steps backward. What makes it worse, is that I enjoy the distractions, making it even harder to do the right thing. But I suppose that is what sin is. I mean if we didn’t enjoy sin, we never would do it, right? That’s where the true struggle comes in. Sometimes it’s easier than other days, but as of late, it’s been a real battle.

Another item that has crossed my mind is why God made the female species so confusing :p. I have been on an emotional roller coaster the past few months and even though I should just cut my losses and move on, I can’t for some reason. Something about this chick that keeps drawing me back to her. It’s definitely testing my patience, as I have very little, but the best things in life are worth waiting for (so I’ve heard). I suppose men never do truly figure out women and vis-versa, which is where the excitement comes in and leaves room for the unexpected. But whatever happens, is meant to happen and I just need to learn to accept what I am dealt because there is a reason for everything.

I definitely can’t wait to come home for the holidays. This year has gone by so fast and I miss the big city and friends/family back home. Not to mention, a home cooked meal is definitely in the need.

Hurricane Ike??

So this weekend, Huntsville was hit by Hurricane Ike and what an adventure it was! I was in town for part of the hurricane but I ended up going to college station (CS) because it wasn’t suppose to be hit as hard by it. Luckily CS only got rain and nothing else. Unfortunately when I got back to Huntsville, the situation was a little different. The entire town lost power: street lights, businesses, restaurants, apartments, even part of the school.  As of today, they have restored some power in the town, but it will be WEEKS before power is fully restored. I am rooming with different friends who live in dorms (they didn’t lose power) and luckily our water system wasn’t affected by the hurricane. But we lost all of our food at the apartment (spoiled) so that wasn’t good. But I’ll be staying with different friends in dorms and in college station until power comes back to the town. School has been canceled through Wednesday and I am not working until power is restored there. So it will be an interesting few weeks. But overall, I am safe and it could be much worse so I should count my blessings. Conroe doesn’t even have water and Houston won’t have full power again for at least 2 months. So I am thankful my situation isn’t that bad. But i am safe so just thought I would let the family know. Some family members have texted me but service is still kinda iffy (along w/ internet) so if I don’t respond, don’t take it personally .

College Days

So as I sit here on my college campus, I take up the activity of people watching, which I find to be quite entertaining. Who would have thought something so simple could be so fun. But anyways I just got back from my Kinesology activity class and unfortunately it is aerobics, which is mostly yoga and palates. Little did I know what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this class. Even though I work out daily and enjoy exercise, I am a little sore from stretching my body in ways I didn’t think was humanly possible. But if nothing else, I will leave this in better shape than before, which is always good. My other classes are going well. I’m taking 3 CJ classes and I absolutely love them. My favorite is Prison and Street Gangs and it is absolutely fascinating. For some reason, I just have a desire to learn about people’s behavior and what goes on inside their head. Perhaps that’s why I considered majoring in psychology for a while. But trying to understand people is exiting to me. And while law enforcement isn’t in direct contact with this topic, it does deal with it somewhat and can maybe make a difference between life and death.

            As most of you know, country music is low on my list as far as genres go. However, since coming to Huntsville, it has grown on me because country bands are the only ones that come to the ‘ville haha. Our (only) club Shenannigans, plays country music in one section of the club and I have learned to two-step. It’s more fun that I originally thought and maybe one of these days I’ll be swinging my partner throw the air and all that jazz. But that’s far down the line.

            Things have been going good for me though and have gotten much better since school started. All of my friends are back here, we’re going out constantly and having fun, and I am enjoying school (at least for now). One of my roommates recently said “Congrats, Ryan. You survived your first summer in Huntsville.” Barely though J. But at least it’s over and now I know what to expect in the future.

            I hope everyone is doing well. I know the Dixons are moving soon and I wish them the best of luck. I’m sure it’ll be good to be close to the family and know that help is just a block away. My best wishes to Kayla in her first semester of college and to everyone else who heads back to work, home from vacation, or simply just continuing with their lives. I hope to see the family soon and am looking forward to the holidays (and some cold weather)!.

God, are you there?

Tonight I had a good friend call me up to talk about what had happened in her church recently. For the second time in a time span of a few years, another girl had been molested inside the church by a fellow member. My friend being highly upset, called me to talk about it and why God would allow such a thing to happen, especially in his house. She was beginning to question her own beliefs and God’s existence. I tried to explain that as humans, we can’t comprehand God’s plan for our lives, why he lets bad things happen, and that having a relationship with him doesn’t equal happiness 24/7. Jesus paid the ultimate suffering and as followers, it is expected that we experience some of that pain. Fortunately, that pain can grow us closer to him and strengthen our faith. But not matter what I said or how I said it, I couldn’t make her understand. The fact of that matter is, we have no idea God’s plan for any of us but I guess some people can’t understand that, especially if they lack a closeness with him. While I’ve certainly had my downs and distance from God, I’ve never questioned him or been angry at him (so far) and tonight made me realize I should be thankful for that. I started thinking how lost I would be in life if I didn’t have God, prayer, or his Word to comfort me. And no matter how bad things get in our world, just remember it’s happening for a reason and God has complete control. I know I can’t wait for the day when God returns to Earth and rules his kingdom forever. How awesome that will be. I’m sure alot of you have read the Left Behind series at some point in time and I use to imagine what’d it be like to be left behind in the rapture. I just think there would be no greater joy in life then preaching God’s word amongst the Anti-Christ walking here on Earth in complete chaos. Sounds crazy and foolish I know but I can just imagine the joy that would come with that dangerous task. But I know that won’t happen for me but it’s still fun to think about it.

So what makes you excited when it comes to God? What do you think your calling is? It might be more than one thing but for me, I know mine is mission work. I’ve been on many mission trips in my life and there is nothing more rewarding than doing physical labor for God. Working with fellow Christian brothers and sisters side by side, sweating everywhere, helping others and spreading God’s word, it just doesn’t get any better than that. Nothing better my friends.