Song Of The Month (May): Tracy Lawrence - Find Out Who Your Friends Are

 This song meets a lot to me because at my wedding, I found out who my real friends and family are! It was the rubber meeting the road to washington and my real friends/family showed up. Everybody else doesn't matter. My love for those that showed up increased so much. Its an honor to know that some people care so much about you that they would drop money, gas and time to travel hundreds of miles to be at your wedding. For these few there were no excuses, no stories, nothing but true love. I thank God so much for my REAL family... Jaime, Becky, Nick, Leti, Pastor John, Alejandro, Paloma, Guera, Luis, Art, Mom, dad, Jessica, Iris and Anthony... THEY are my real family!


Tracy Lawrence Feat. Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney - Find Out Who Your Friends Are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

[Chorus]
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off

[Chorus]

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?

[Chorus]

You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)

Man, I've been there
Oooh yeah.

I Love My Life!

Where do I begin? First off I am a married man! I married the love of my life on May 26th. It was a HUGE wedding and also the most beautiful wedding I have EVER been to! We had room for about 600 people and about 550 showed up.

My family all drove up from California. A 15 hour drive but my family did it, because they love me! Out of 5 uncles on my dads side and 1 aunt, and 1 uncle on my moms side and 1 aunt, Guess how many showed up? ZERO! And I should have expected that. You remember all those posts about my extended family not caring about me? Turns out they were all true. Surprisingly though, I could care less. it was more of a relief than anything. Now I know who my REAL family is so I don't have to try to be "familiar" with the extended family anymore. My duty is done and now I move on with my life.

My true family all showed up though. My buddy Jaime and his wife becky who helped immensely with everything, my buddy alejandro who came up from stockton on a 21 hour bus ride, My best man Luis and art who flew up from Sacramento, my buddies Paloma and Guera who flew up from the monterey area, my small group leaders/ premarital counselors nick and Leti from vacaville, and the pastor from my old church Rev John Gallegos. These people, they are my REAL family!

I moved in to a duplex with my baby. we bought a bed, couches and washer/dryer so we are all set. I look forward to living in this place for a while, working hard and then purchasing our own home.

I am happier than a person could be right now. I don't know what I could possibly do to deserve this amazing life. If anything I deserve the worst this life has to offer but instead God has blessed me with an amazing wife, an awesome family and a happy home. It's probably the first time you will ever hear me say something like this:  I love my life!

When I Was a Child...

I haven't written an honest post on this blog in months! My apologies to anybody who was still following my blog!
What Have I been up to the past few months? A lot! for the longest time I wanted to write but I had so much going on that I just didn't know where to start. And to be honest, i still don't so I will just jump in the thick of it.
I'm getting married in less than two weeks! Last night was my last weekend at my parents house as a single man. I have the rent paid for at the place that me and my wife will call our home for the next couple of years. I am two weeks away from Cabo with My love! It all seems unreal to me! When I started this blog i felt like such a little emo kid, like a  ittle boy. And as I write this entry I don't feel that way anymore. Any confusion I had about love, friendship, family and life has for the most part been cleared up.
Its funny but now that I am engaged i feel like my life makes sense. I don't mean this in the "This person makes me complete" mentality, but more like this is what I am meant to do. Living for my wife gives my life more purpose.  Responsibility is a good thing. In the past I simply lived for myself and that meant I could live frivolously. Now I have to live for my wife and myself and although it’s a bit nerve racking,  it will make me live a more responsible life. It’s like Mark Driscoll says, “men are like trucks, they will drive straighter if they are carrying a heavy load.”
So what have I been up to the past few months, I have been growing up. I pray and trust God. I complain less and work harder. I do ministry to the best of my ability. I live to put a smile on my fiancées face. And when I get an extra minute, I fish! Lol And I do it all to the Glory of God. If I could do these things for the rest of my life, then I will be happy.
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who have been reading along for the past few years. You have helped me grow up through reading, commenting, encouraging and challenging me. You all mean the world to me. I know I am speaking with finality but this is only a new beginning!
I finish this blog with a quote from the apostle paul: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

Embracing the Changes on Christmas...

O ne of the main things that I’m worried about after I get married is leaving my family for the holidays. It’s something I had not really thought about up until last year. I really started thinking about our family tradition which is the immediate family getting together, having dinner, joking, laughing, arguing, and just enjoying each other. My biggest concern about leaving the family is that there are only 6 of us, and if you take one away, it’s a huge difference. When I realized that I would have to leave on some holidays I felt bad. I didn’t feel bad because I was going to be with my future wifes family, but because I would be leaving the six.
Then we came to this year. I was looking forward to spending my last Christmas with the six as a single man. It started with my mom. In about October she started saying that she might go to El Salvador and I began telling her that this was my last Christmas with the family (as a single man). Well, she decided either way she was going to El Salvador for a month.
Then my sister started talking about going to Florida for the holidays. Up until last week she had told us that she had given up on going and last minute she decided that she was definitely going. So here I am worrying about leaving my family for the holidays and instead my family leaves me for the holidays. Haha.
And yet, it doesn’t make me upset, not at all. It just made me realize that it’s not the end of the world. When you have to do something else for the holidays, you just have to do it. No worries. I’m going to get married so things will automatically change. You can’t resist the change, you just have to go with it. So I’m not sure if I will be in cali or Washington next year for the holidays but I’m not worried about leaving the family anymore. You have to do what you have to do. Time to embrace the changes.

My Grandfather

My Grandfather passed away this morning. My family chose me to give his eulogy. It's been a sad day. I went to visit my parents, we searched for pictures of him. We talked about him. Mourning is so hard. I know it's a part of life but it's so difficult. I hate seasons of mourning. they are so final and sobering.

oh well, anyway. Your prayers for my family are greatly appreciated.
love ya folks!