Dad in front of the Alamo 

The Alamo 

Dad and I in front of the Alamo 

Here I am in front of the Alamo!  

STUD! 

Dad grabbed this awesome sunrise 

Beautiful light streaming through the clouds 

Dowtown El Paso 

The two big studs 

Here I am in front of the Texas border! YEEHAW! Texas will NEVER be the same! 

This is the most awesome Coca Cola truck on the planet! I didn't get a shot of them, but there were about six little birds underneath the truck to keep dry. So cute. 

We ran into some rain on the way to Houston. Also pictured is "Rhonda" the GPS navigational system. She was invaluable. 

Dad driving from Fort Stockton to Houston. He looked like this the entire time. Didn't move. Really weird. 

Today marks my second day at Lakewood Church. Everything has gone really well so far. I've met all kinds of wonderful people and filled out all kinds of confusing paperwork. I arrived at my new apartment on the third and was really suprised. The apartments I'm staying at are fully furnished. It was ready for me to move in and live in (minus food). There is a pool, workout room, business room with computers and internet access, and gated entry. Unfortunatley, I don't have internet access in my room, so I brought my laptop to work so I can access my normal stuff. Today I'm going to be doing some planning for the future of the department. I like to think of it as my "Standards & Practices". I'm going to start working on forms, how I'll store my media, guidlines, etc. It's really awesome that I get to devleop this deparment in such a way that I'm comfortable working in. I'm not without supervision, but I'm not tied down either. The equipment list that I sent in was approved yesterday. My computer should be in the office in about a week. The other equipment might take a little longer. Once everything gets in I'll get setup and started it seems. I know that I'm going to have projects soon and I'm really looking forward to them. I've met some awesome people and I have a large opprotunity and adventure ahead of me. I guess I'll see what lies ahead. I really miss Danielle. Thankfully she'll be visiting in February. We have to figure out where to put her and how she'll get around. I know she doesn't like the idea of staying with someone she knows, so we have the option of a hotel or with me. If she stays with me we'll need someone around to keep us accountable. I know we won't do anything innapropriate but it's always good to be above reproach. One way or another, we'll figure it out and I can't wait to see her.

There will be no post for tonight because Dad only has around 20 hours a month on dial-up. I'll hopefully post tomorrow if I'm no so tired from driving to Houston. Lots to talk about!

Today Dad and I drove around 350 miles. We left from Palm Desert in California and have landed gracefully (yet manly) in Tuscon, Arizona. We made some excellent time once I-10 left the city and we got into some open road. The speed limit was around 75 mph, which was excellent. When we arrived in Tuscon we unloaded then quickly found the nearest steak house. We went to a great place called "Pinnacle Peak". Dad and I both ordered the "Cowboy Steak". I finished everything off with a nice cherry cobbler with ice cream. Tasty! The idea that I'll be working at my new job in four days is slowly seeping into my skin. It hasn't really "hit" me like a 2x4 or anything like that yet. The idea has been kind and gentle. I have a feeling that eventually someone will find me face down with "You're here" temporarly planted into my forehead with a giggling reality skipping away. I talked with Dad tonight in the hot tub about how I never went to college for what I am about to do. It's pretty amazing that I spent around 2 years at Action House and have been able to work at the largest church in the United States. I also talked with him about what interns have done with their training at Action House . Some choose to make a life out of their training, some choose to throw it all away. Tomorrow we'll be driving around 500 miles. We'll end up in Fort Stockton, Texas!! Yes, TEXAS! When we arrive there we'll only be half way to our location. Crazy! Then the day after that I arrive in Houston. I'll meet up with Wendell (my future supervisor) at the "Kirby Luxury Apartments". The next day I'll be working at Lakewood church! Until then, I'm going to get some sleep because we have a long drive tomorrow. I miss Danielle.

Dad took this pic of me in the room we are currently staying in at the Residence Inn in Tuscon. We just got back from a great meal at a steak house then the spa. I look like a DORK in this picture! 

We drove by a truck carrying about six semi trucks without the backs on them. When we were driving behind them it looked like there was only one and that it was going to fall off and fly through the windshield. Scary stuff! 

This mountain was jetting into the cloads. It looked like a castle in the clouds 

We had some beautiful mountains to look at on our drive. 

This is the Arizona state line. Without us. How sad. 

Dad and I at the Arizona state line. Lookin' GOOD! 

Today we woke up around 7 am. Dad and I were pretty tired because we spent our New Years totally sleeping! WOOO! After a quick shower, we'll head down for breakfast then take off. Today we drive to Tuscon Arizona from Palm Desert California. It's approxmiatley 378 miles and should take about six or seven hours. Watch out I-10, here we come! 

We really are having a good time... I swear.. What I'll be looking at the next four days Driving along the 101! Snow covered mountains Dad and I in Santa Maria before we leave

Today marks the first of four days on the road to Houston. Dad an I started out at 9 am from Santa Maria and have arrived in Palm Springs around 6 pm. I was amazed by the number of accidents we ran into along the way. I think I counted four total accidents. Everything was running really smoothly until we ran into the 126 / 5 south interchange. We didn't even get onto the onramp when the traffic stopped. After about five miles we came across the accident that everyone was slowing down to see. I was amazed to find that my car gets approximently around 30 miles per gallon. Dad doesn't think it's accurate, since the car is loaded down so badly. So, I probbably get better milage than that. I dont' even know what good milage is, so I'm happy with whatever as long as it's milage. The trip really wasn't very eventful except for right at the end. Dad had the idea to drop by a casino. I spent $20 and came out with $121!! Can you believe it?! I won $100 dollars on my first spin on a slot machine. After that I won $30 on another and told myself I wouldn't go below $20 on the payout. I really wanted to play poker but they didn't have the kind that I enjoy playing. More than anything I miss Danielle. I really wish that she was on the trip with me. Most people would cringe at the thought of driving four days with a significant other for some reason. But Danielle and I have been lost SO many times and haven't bitten eachother's heads off before. We would have tons of fun. I love the fact that I look forward to driving around and doing things that could possibly be really stressfull with her. She doesn't stress me out when it comes to difficult situations. Now, there are times when we are both heading to the same goal and we want to go different ways to get there, but thankfully we're both heading the same direction and we able to talk our way through it.

Only two days until I drive out of California and off to Texas. The last few days away from Los Angeles have been really nice. I've been to the Carlton about three times. Once to visit with friends, once with my Mom and finally again to visit with friends. It's beautiful inside. Finally, a nice place to go in Atascadero. I went to get my car checked out today for mechanical safety on the trip to Texas. Apparently I have about $1,000 worth of things to fix. I op'd for only $500 for a timing belt change. Thankfully my parents were able to help me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it. I'll do the rest of the changes once I can afford to do them one by one. I miss Danielle. She's in Kansas and I'm here in California. I know I'll see her for a few weeks in February, but it seems far away. I also know that she's going to be miserable at the Dream Center without her friends and without me. I'm going to be in Texas with a new job, a new place and the beginning of a new life. On the up side, Danielle will be leaving the Dream Center around the middle or end of February. One way or another, in April we'll be together forever and that's what matters. As the time draws near to leave and start anew I'm both excited and nervous. It's exciting talking with people about my new job especially if they know about Lakewood Church. It's also kind of nerve racking because I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing in Texas. It's a big job with lots of potential.

The moving company came today. Before they arrived Clay, Danielle, Lonwabo, Mz and I carried the various things to be moved up to the blacktop. I have to say that I am so blessed, I couldn't have done this without their help. Overall it was a really easy move. We really don't have that much stuff. I've been waiting for a quite a while to get the computer quote from Matt. It's kind of frustrating. I'll be leaving Los Angeles for Atascadero the 23rd. Danielle and I will leave the Dream Center and head for LAX. I'll wait with her at the airport until she finally gets on that jet plane. I don't think it'll be hard now but I know when I'm there with her it'll be really hard to say goodbye. Thankfully my Dad has graciously given her a round trip ticket to visit me, so she'll be out for two weeks in February. I leave with my Dad Dec 30th for Texas. This thought is absolutley crazy to me. Not that I'm leaving with my Dad, but that I'm leaving in general. Thankfully my Dad has all of the "legs" of our trip planned out. We'll have some 7 hour drives in there, but it's not anything we can't handle. I still don't know how I'm going to feel once I finally arrive in the city of Houston and check into the extended stay hotel. I know everything won't really sink in until I'm there for a little while. I don't even know what to expect. What will I be doing, exactly? Will I have meetings with tons of people regarding the new department? Will I meet Joel? Will he be involved in my department? It still continues to hit me that my God, they're pouring alot of money and time into me. I mean, this department rests on my shoulders. At the same time, it's very comforting that David said that if I hit a homerun that will be a very good thing for me. I'm going to hit a homerun, dammit.

On Monday the moving company comes to take all of my precious stuff away for storage and later retrieval! Thankfully Danielle and I don't have much to move and we have people to help us move us lack of stuff. Lakewood decided to have me drive out instead of fly out and have my car towed. This is a very good thing for a few different reasons. I'll have my car when I visit home, so that means no bumming rides from friends. I don't have to worry about someone else taking my car. The best part is that I'll be driving out with my Dad. We've made it into a four day ride. We'll go from Cali to Phoenix, from Phoenix to El Paso, El Paso to Sonora, and finally Sonora to Houston. This will be the longest amount of time I've spent with my Dad in a long time and I'm really looking forward to it. I know he'll be taking some awesome pics, I'll be taking some awesome pics, we'll be just drivin' along singin and weaving all over the road. Well, maybe not the last part but we'll have fun. The next few days will pretty pressure filled. Part of the reason is I'm getting "Senior-itis", meaning I'm gettng ichy to be done and get out of here. Tomorrow Clay and I will be shooting the end scene for "Graves Method". After that the moving company comes in the morning. Later that day (Monday), Clay and I will edit. Even later on Monday I'll be hanging with James for a little while. Tuesday we edit and Wednesday we'll edit. Thursday though I'll be taking off to home. Three more days. Throughout all of this Danielle and I are starting to realize that we won't be seeing each other for about four months, then we get married. Crazy, isn't it? I know it'll be ok though. Finally, it's starting to hit me that I'm going off to Houston for this new job. I got a call from Matt today regarding the total cost of the equipment list I put together. He said it come out to around $30,000. That's insane to me, but it's what it takes to put together the kind of work I'll be doing. Wow. I'm so blown away at how God has blessed me so much. Not because of the money, or the job or even Danielle. I never knew I would end up going where I'm going and doing what it is I'm doing. I never knew I would end up marrying who I'm going to marry. Amazing. Thank you Jesus.

Quantum Post

It's been far too long since I've written anything on here. I used to really enjoy blogging moments and memories from my life. Now that I write this, I realize that I still do. So let's get started. The biggest news of all is that Danielle and I are going to be married on April 16th! Last night we went to Target to register for our wedding. It was an awesome thing because most couples go nuts when they shop together, but not Danielle and I. Her taste matches mine and when I pick something out she very graciously says it's terrible. Just kidding. Be both agree on the things we would like to have in our house 99% of the time. I do have to admit that when we were scanning in various appliances and such I felt really weird about it. I mean, we were walking around the store basically going "I want that, and get me that.." I know that people want to get you presents for your wedding, but it still felt strange for some reason, wandering around asking for things. Secretly, I do hope we get what we asked for (we really need the stuff). On the other hand, what we were looking at was practical. Kitchen stuff, cleaning stuff, bedroom things. We didn't scan in MP3 players and lava lamps etc. I do have to say that our place is gonna friggin' rock. Today Danielle registered at Bed Bath & Beyond. So, we'll go gallivanting around BB&B scanning like crazy again. I'm actually looking forward to it because we'll be designing the look of our future place together. Fun stuff. I've heard some horror stories about wedding planning and wedding processes over the past few weeks from various people. I can't say enough how thankful to God that I am for the blessings in my life and Danielle's life. First of all, my parents have blessed us beyond measure. They've given us way above and beyond what we had expected. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have a wedding really. One amazing thing that happened was on our visit to Atascadero for the weekend a while ago, we secured 95% of the essentials for the wedding. Location, photographer, catering, flowers etc. We got such a hook-up from my buddy at Players restaurant in Atascadero, Glen. He totally came through for us. The location was exactly what she wanted too. My focus is that during this time Danielle doesn't get too stressed and that everything goes the way she wants it to. I've done enough weddings to know that if the bride, and the mother of the bride, are happy then everyone is happy. But it's also far beyond that for me. I just want her to be happy period. Not for the sake of everyone's enjoyment but so that we truly enjoy each other and the day. Finally, I've got so much to do before I leave. I have to get my stuff from Atascadero up to LA for the move to Texas. I have to edit as much of the film as I can. I have to register the rest of the stuff for the wedding. Get tuxedos fitted, finish the GCU video for Action House, figure out how the HECK I'm going to afford new auto insurance. It's crazy. At the same time, God has never left or forsaken me. I have never been in want or need. I serve a big God. It's going to be alright.

Time marches on.. So, here's the update since forever ago. The most important thing that's happened in my life is I asked Danielle, my girlfriend, to marry me on November 11th. We were at Hearst Castle in Cambria. My Mom, Dad, Step Mom, Step Dad, Sister, her boyfriend, Danielle's sisters and parents, and everyone else was there. The greatest part was everyone but Danielle knew that I was planning on asking her when did. I gave her my Great Grandmother's ring that she wore all her life. I had it polished and reset. The great thing was that Danielle had been praying all her life that her engagement ring would be: 1. An antique 2. A family heirloom 3. Set with a saphire Crazy, huh? More later

Time marches on.. So, here's the update since forever ago. The most important thing that's happened in my life is I asked Danielle, my girlfriend, to marry me on November 11th. We were at Hearst Castle in Cambria. My Mom, Dad, Step Mom, Step Dad, Sister, her boyfriend, Danielle's sisters and parents, and everyone else was there. The greatest part was everyone but Danielle knew that I was planning on asking her when did. I gave her my Great Grandmother's ring that she wore all her life. I had it polished and reset. The great thing was that Danielle had been praying all her life that her engagement ring would be: 1. An antique 2. A family heirloom 3. Set with a saphire Crazy, huh? More later

Today is day three of casting for our film, Graves Method, and I do have to say it's getting tiring. Althought I'm only sitting there, I find myself exhausted at the end of the day. We have a good pick of people for callbacks tomorrow. We'll take a look at what we have, then cast the sucker. Today Clay said "Enough auditioning, I want to cast this thing and start shooting." I am SO there with him. I'm really excited to get these people we picked into the callback. We set out the headshots today and looked at our picks and realized that our film rests on these actors shoulders. If we don't get the performances, or if they don't bring them, the film falls on it's face. There's no sex, violence, action sequences or blowing stuff up. It's all characters and acting. I do believe it's a well written script that tells a good story, and that will pull through. I also believe that Clay and I can direct this sucker. It's crazy working with Clay sometimes, we both think so similarly. The notes he gives for auditions are the same as mine 99% of the time. When we write, we're pretty much on the same wavelength as well. On another note, I got off the phone with the guys at Lakewood church today. Bottom line, they want me! They'll fly me out to look at apartments, pay to move me out etc. I should be getting a package in the mail next week with a formal proposal (I feel so GIDDY.), and other paperwork. It looks like I might be out there mid to late November. The film wraps on Nov. 5th. We might do some pickups, we may not. I love making movies. It's just so good.

Today we did a "table read" after Clay's acting class. A table read is where you get a bunch of actors together to do a reading of your script. Overall, I'd say it went very well. It was great to hear the dialog going back and forth. Nothing really stuck out at me as being bad, in fact I really enjoyed it. On another note, I've been sick the past three days. My throat has gotten ALL messed up. I'm at the point where I can't really talk at all. Danielle has done and amazing job of taking care of me. She's made tea, gotten me cough drops, and made me feel great when I don't feel so great. The amazing thing about her is that if I'm in a terrible mood I feel better just from being around her. Not only that, but she doesn't even metion the fact that I'm in a nasty mood, she just recognizes it and helps me get through it. Rock!