So we have officially completed our wedding party.  Whitney will have 9 brides maids and I will have 9 grooms men.  I chose those people who are closest to me and have had a big impact in my life.  This is not going to be the smallest wedding, but it is not going to be the royal wedding either.  We are planning on having 350 people.  It is going to be very chill and we hope people have fun.

The style of the wedding is going to be modern vintage.  We love the look and the feel of feeling relaxed.  I cannot see myself being in a suit and having other people overly dress in order to celebrate with us.  The feel we want for our wedding is for people to feel comfortable and have fun.  This is going to be a celebration of Whitney and my relationship.  We want people to come and eat a burger and a hot dog with us.  Drink some lemonade or ice tea.  Make some smores over a warm chimney.  Share a piece of cake.  And take some candy home.  We want this wedding to be a celebration of God because our story reflects the things God does through people.  It will be a time in which we celebrate the good times and the bad times because they have made us the couple we are today.  We hope it’s a day in which we can have a good hurrah with those that are special to us.

Wedding planning is a challenge when you come from different cultures too.  In my culture both the bride and the groom plan the wedding together and both families make it happen.  In the American culture, the bride is the one who does most of the planning and the groom just practically just shows up the day of the wedding.  I don’t mind this tradition, but I am a helper… Whit might think too much (ha!).  But I think that working together has really worked for us because it is less stressful on her.  What one person does not find, the other one does.  We make a good team and we are making this happen. 

This will be my space to vent, inform, share, laugh, but not cry and inform my “one” reader on what’s going on with the wedding planning.  I am excited for the big day, and I am glad we have the days we do in order to plan, so log in once in a while and read on.

I arrived in Rome a couple of days before Christmas.  It was the place where my brother and I were finally going to meet up.  I was to go from one airport on the other side of town to an airport that was literally minutes from the coast.  As soon as I arrived in Rome I hopped on a bus that would take me to the train station called Termini.  This station is very impressive and the organization is out of this world.  My bus ride to this train station was about an hour-long.  Upon arriving I managed to track down a ticket sales person (the lady in the Tabacci booth) and I was soon on my way to meet up with my brother. 

The tain ride was nice and smooth.  I had left Paris at 4 am and I was tired.  From a combination of trying to figure out what the heck the French had done to getting help to get to my destination, I was pooped.  So I took a nap on the train.  When I woke up, we were arriving at the airport. 

When I arrived at the meeting spot I realized that there was a lack of communication from my family, my brother and myself.  My sister told my brother to stay inside the terminal until I arrived, but I was not landing in that airport so I could not go into the terminal.  I thought my brother was in the terminal so I had the airport page him a couple of times in hopes that he was paying attention and would come to the booth where I was at.  After waiting for close to an hour, I went hopped on the shuttle and went to the arrivals hall of the airport.  It looked like a ghost town.  I was the only one there!  Then I heard a sound and it happened to be the lady from United Airlines putting some things away.  I begged her to check if my brother had hopped on that plane or not, and he had.  She was so nice she even allowed me to use their phone and call my sister in Sicily so she could get along my brother via his iPhone.  And it worked. 

All along, he had been sitting a couple of feet away from me eating a pizza.  I described what the lady in the information looked like to my sister and to tell my brother to wait next to her.  I hopped back on the shuttle bus in complete relief knowing that when I would get to my spot I would see my brother.  So I ran through the airport to meet my brother and the lady had switched shifts with a lady that was the complete opposite of what I had described.  So I just stood there… and then I heard my name.  Coming from the crowd was my brother.  I had a complete sigh of relief and I just had to plant him a hug.

We were finally on this backpacking trip that took me a year to plan.  We hopped on the train back to Termini and off to explore Rome. 

As soon as we arrived at Termini we took our things to our hostel (free breakfast and dinner).  Let me just tell you… every where you go people are smoking.   I have a theory that as soon as children are popped out they are given some smokes.  Everywhere you go, people are smoking and fill the room with a cloud of smoke.

Like I said… we went off to explore.  And this is what we found.

Nuns taking pictures.  It was funny to see how instead of using their focus on their cameras, they would actually move back and forth to get that perfect shot.

Of course, we had to check out the Colosseum which was something impressive if you get the tour.  If you just go by yourself and have not done your research then it is just a Colosseum, so I recommend to get the tour.

The Vatican.  Something very impressive, yet lacking in the Spirit.  It is truly something impressive to see because it is something made by mankind.  It is where Michelangelo’s La Pieta rests and where the Pope comes out to bless the Vatican on Wednesdays. 

Random Fact of the Day:  Did you know that there is only ONE painting in St. Peter’s Basilica?  All but one of the art pieces look like paintings but are actually mosaics. 

It is at the Fontana di Trevi where I wished for Whitney to say “yes” when I got back.

For more pictures check out the short slide show with more shots of Rome.

Click to view slideshow.

I found some great food and sweets.  From the hot chocolate to the fresh pepper preserved Salome sandwiches with fresh cheese was something to drool over.  The food in Paris was great, too bad its people were not. 

I thought that people were over exaggerating when they said something negative about the French.  But it is all true.  Unlike London, Paris was not a tourist friendly place to go to.  I thought that if I at least tried to speak French they would be sympathetic to the traveler… but they are not!

I tried to spit out every ounce of French I took in high school, but that was not enough for them.  Their country is beautiful, but their attitudes could be better. 

Besides that, Paris was something out of a post card.  From Notre Dame to the Arch of Triumph to the Eiffel Tower, Paris was something to take in one moment at a time.  A simple point and shoot would not give you the quality of pictures you would want… unless you have a REALLY good and awesome point and shoot.  Taking my Nikon was definitely worth it… even if I stood out and made it obvious that I was a tourist. 

Paris in the winter was really fun.  I was there by myself, but I bet it would be even better if someone was there to share it with you.  The lines are short because no one is willing to wait in the cold.  And everything tastes better since you want something warm to eat. 

The downfall to going in the winter is that the snow tends to get on your nerves as you hit the streets.  You have to be in layers all the time.  People tend to be in a rush all the time (I think it’s because of the snow).  And of course, flights and trains get canceled in heart beats.  It is a little more stressful to travel at that time, but none the less it is something to experience before you die. 

Above all, beware of the French attitude and have fun when you visit this awesome city.

I took a trip to Europe!

I had the opportunity to visit my sister in Sicily.  She lives in Catania and I had an amazing time.  It had been a little bit over a year since I had seen her and my nieces.  So I planned a trip with my younger brother.  We were going to take an adventure through Europe.  It was going to be a trip of a life time (so I thought).  I always see him at home, but we never hang out.  So I got him to go with me and hang out as we backpacked through Europe.  So the plan was for us to land in London and then make our way though Europe until we arrived in Sicily to spend Christmas with the family.  The trip was going to take about a week before we got to Sicily.   The countries to be covered were Great Britain (London), France (Paris), and Italy (Rome).

But, things did not happen that way.  My brother did not get the clearance to go, so I left by myself.  I left to London with the hope that he could meet me there or at least in a nearby city.  I am not going to lie, I was sad, but I was determined to have a good time even if I was by myself.  I was determined to make the best of this trip because 1.) it was already costing me money and I had already made the investment and 2.) I was up for the challenge.

Before I left I sent out a message asking people for prayers.   I asked for safe travels and for everything to go according to planned.  One friend responded and said he would not pray becuse then I would not be challenged to seek out what the Lord would do through my travels if everything came easy to me.  Well, it worked!  It was a definite time of reflection and pleeding to God.  A lot of prayers were not answered, but it is through them that I feel I am a blessed man.

Arrived in London and on my way...

There were many cool things to see in London.  I cannot sit here and type them all, but I can show you through pics a little of what I did in each city.

London:

This weekend I shared my dreams with God (as if he didn’t know them already).  I told him what my desires were.  I didn’t tell him what he “wanted” to hear, but I poured out my heart to him.  I did not realize how much I love Him.  There is something unexplainable about having a relationship with God.  I have a longing to be surrounded by His presence whether it’s through his word, prayer, and even the people around me. 

I am a blessed man!  I am surrounded by people who I love very much, and this weekend was the tangible expression of that because I had the opportunity to hang out with them.  I don’t always tell them how much I love them and what they mean to me and my life, but they bring tears to my eyes because they make me a happy man who is able to rejoice in the Lord because of them (Whitney & Ben).  Thank you!

“Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord– that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”  – Psalm 83:18

“O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”  – Isaiah 33:2

“Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.”  – Isaiah 33:17

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13

“Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.”  – Isaiah 32:2

“Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”  – Exodus 5:3

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”  – Psalm 62:5

“A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”  – Isaiah 40:3

I am truly a blessed man… loved by God!

I have a job.  After college I had a hard time finding something in Houston.  I started as a Family Development Worker, as a Social Worker.  It was great because I was able to help families and work with them as they achieved their goals.  My goal was to educate parents and challenge them to get out of that vicious cycle of just asking for things.  After 9 months with the organization I was promoted to Center Director and am running my own education center.  I will still be working with parents and their children.  This will be a great opportunity for management experience (of which I have my degree in) and a great challenge.  I get bored easily so I think this would be a great opportunity to do something challenging in my professional life.  I don’t see myself doing this for a long time, but it is a descent start.

A past love came back.  She is a great friend and the person I want to marry.  I am truly a blessed man!

My Poojo died.  I miss that dog so much, but in her honor I named my kayak… the Pooj.

I have new great friends in my life.  Some are co-workers where I am able to vent to and they completely understand what hell I’m going through because they go through it too.  And some friends are from church.  I have made great friends that challenge me in my walk with the Lord and in my personal life.  They are true and authentic, and I appreciate them very much! 

I have been re-acquainted with my love for the outdoors, so much that I even bought a kayak.  I run more, work out more, and get off my butt a lot more. 

My family has changed, I even have a new niece.  She is a beauty (Anabella or as I like to call her – Annabeller’z). 

I officially invested in my photography business.  I bought a camera and actually do shoots in my spare time.

I gave up coke for good.  I have not had a coke since Lent began. 

I got a new tire in my car.  I got a flat and got a good deal on that tire.

Got to go to Honduras.  I was able to work with Mission Lazarus, a great organization that does a lot of good work for the local people, and got to meet awesome brothers and sisters in Christ.

Above all, it was a great year.  This year, I want to slow down a little more and not take life so seriously.  I want to go back to my laid back good ol days and just take a moment to breathe.  I am going to try not to long for another day when I havent enjoyed the one I am currently living in.  I want to read more and meet interesting people.  Be adventurous, take more risk, be less dependant, run more, laugh more, drink with friends, get new glasses, be a good boss, be obedient to God, seek God, become a member of a church, get baptized, and many other good things.  We will see how I do.  I’m ready for this new year. 

I’m going to live it up!

You could say I am a little shocked by some people, but in a sense, this society does not surprise me as much anymore.  I was reading a story entitled “Mexico Celebrates 200 years with Huge Fiesta” which covered the celebration a good portion of the population had in Mexico City.  The story is about how Mexicans celebrated despite going through a rough patch in their history.  But what’s alarming, is the ignorance and lack of sensitivity among people (see comments below).  But then again, I question the credibility and judgement from someone who calls him/her self “Texashairychest”. 

Sometimes you can’t fight these people because you can’t help but laugh!    

Interesting site.

I ordered a smoked Salmon Sandwich this last weekend and instead of a toothpick to hold it together, they placed golf tees.  I wonder how well they deliver on their promises.