christmas 2007.

gift-giving.

i've recently become very frustrated by much of what comes as a result of gift-giving. i won't get into the details of what has really put me over the edge in this frustration. and i am not just talking about christmas gift-giving. don't get me wrong...i absolutely love giving. i easily become so wrapped up in trying to find just the right gift for each person that i probably waste a good bit of time debating and deciding, walking circles around a store in contemplation before i make the move and bring the item to the counter to pay. i truly enjoy it - but of course part of what makes it enjoyable is the opening and upwrapping of that gift. the other part is that it is a gift - it is not something i have to do, but something i chose to do because i want to.

i think we've lost just that. we've become so controlled by the giving, feeling like we have to give. feeling like we have to spend a certain amount, we fill wrapped boxes with junk that the receiver certainly doesn't need. isn't that a huge slap in the face to every child (not limited to just children though) in our world who would give anything...and usually does give everything - their life...for even just $1.00?

i am not without fault - i know i'll spend more than i need to this year on family and friends that i love and care for. that is why i've decided to do something different next year. i'm not exactly sure what i'll do - whether i give the money i would usually spend to an organization like world vision, new hope, or the like. there are some gifts that i won't stop giving - to hilario's children, hileudy and adrian. their gifts fulfill needs, not unnecessary wishes. and i can't say that i won't buy anything for anyone, especially my nieces/nephew. i invite you all to rethink your giving...maybe not this year since those presents are mostly bought and wrapped, but in the future.

"be the change you wish to see in the world." ghandi

LinC in NYC.

a few photos to capture a few of my favorite moments:

the infamous oprah.

andrew trying to look like a wax figure.

"one love" bob marley.

a fellow met fan, lauren, with david wright.

the tree, of course.

stronger.

"Work it harder, make it better,

do it faster, makes us stronger,

more than ever, never over,

our work here is never over."

those are the words of kanye west in his now popular song "stronger" - those particular lines are played in the background continuously. for some reason, i really like them, as i also like the song.

and just to include a picture, not because it relates, but just because...a picture with kristen lindsay with her former basketball coaches, laura king and myself. basketball, coaching, stronger...i think they do relate.

feliz dia de pabo.

a few years ago, probably my first thanksgiving while working at the nursery with my dominican co-workers, when asking how to translate "happy thanksgiving" to spanish, (i knew the "feliz" but i wasn't sure of the thanksgiving part, aside from some form of "gracias") they told me what i included as my title, feliz dia de pabo (translating literally as happy day of turkey). it works, but there has to be something better. yet, i think it is appropriate for a nation that has probably become more consumed by the turkey and eating than by the giving thanks. i mean, who can blame them? much of this nation is so defined by the individualism of the culture that who is there to thank for getting us where we are but ourselves? and the spanish in our nation correctly interpret the emphasis on the turkey and the eating, naming it "dia de pabo".

**Just as a side note, i looked up the english to spanish translation on http://www.ets.freetranslation.com/ and they translate it as "accion de gracias feliz": action of thanks.**

i could go on and on with a list of obvious things that i am thankful for: a new job (despite how much i loved the nursery, it was time to move on), a good recovery by my mom, beautiful nieces and nephew, etc etc. i of course am thankful for many things great and small. but the photos below are a representation of what brings such joy and contentment...


meet hilario escona. (now i have a feeling i've included this photo before...forgive me, but this is my blog isn't it?) hilario is one of these nicest, hardest working, funny guys at cedar hill. hilario made it very difficult for me to leave cedar hill nursery - not because he didn't want me to go, though he didn't. though each of the guys made me feel like one of them, hilario considered me family. he proudly told our customers that i speak "professional spanish" (that must be said just as he does for it to truly capture him...more like "fessional spani"), hilario considered me half-dominican.

now, steven peralta (my co-employee, elvis' son). i don't have a lot to say, other than how adorable he is. its a cute picture to illustrate the point of this blog: what i am thankful for.

what i am thankful for this particular thankgiving 2007, (not that i am more thankful for this than say my mom's health, recovery, and testimony of faith) is my ability to communicate in spanish. i don't say that in a self-promoting intention. i say this because the ability has opened up so many doors for me. it has allowed me to create real and lasting relationships with several co-workers (such as hilario). they add a whole new dimension of joy that puts a smile on my face just thinking of the memories. the fact that i now am a customer of cedar hill nursery is an added blessing - i look forward to the big greeting and welcoming bear hug from hilario and the others.

disturbances.

i do not want people ready this to misunderstand my blog (my title) and think that i am a negative people, disturbed by many things, can't see the positives in anything. then again, chances are that if you are reading this you already know my personality and know that isn't the case. so let me just move on...

a few things yesterday that disturbed me, on different levels:

- on the phone with my boss, who must have been asking me a favor and giving me instructions, but by the sounds in the background was obviously distracted. caught up in the moment and the busyness, ends the conversation with "love ya." now, i am not disturbed at him saying this because he is my boss and it grosses me out. no. i am disturbed at how frequently people (not limiting it to my boss) throw such words out there, and obviously aren't thinking about it or really feeling it at that moment. it obviously came out of his mouth becauuse of the habit of saying it at the end of a phone conversation with his wife. now that's nice and all - but is it just that, habit?

- a second item came to my attention while driving back from grabbing lunch. a woman in an SUV coming towards me, turns left (her right) onto the intersection road. because of this turn, i am aware that she is smoking in the car, and i see a little girl (presumed to be her daughter, though my point is the same no matter what relationship they share) in the seat behind her. now yes, both the window of the woman and the girl were wide open (but maybe that is another concern on a somewhat chilly day). nonetheless, it reminds me of the popular commercial on tv lately - kids with smoke coming out of their noses/mouths. many people still don't realize the harm in second hand smoke. or maybe they are just too selfish (some call it "addiction") to care.

- teen drivers. i could leave it at that, but i won't. i am appalled at the way teens (high school students) drive. not only the type of car they drive....mommy and daddy's 2007 mercedes, etc etc....but the way they think thay are just untouchable. all in one day, i saw at least 3 what could have been very serious accidents, all the result of immature teen driving. and when you catch their reaction after the factor, its smiles and laughter. maybe i wouldn't be as disturbed by this if i hadn't just had my third car accident since july - note, none of which were my fault. but i support my brother-in-law the PE teacher who wants to start a campaign in regard to this issue.

i am done venting. and yes, another blog entry without photos.

living in Christ.

a.k.a. "LinC". and its about to consume my life (not a bad thing). let me explain...i recently agreed to be a youth leader to the high school group called LinC. it has taken a while to actually reach the point of involvement and feeling part of it, but i think we're getting over the hump. yesterday morning i had youth leader abuse training (striving to prevent any abuse situations, know how to deal with suspected abuse, etc). then a quick leaders meeting to follow. tonight - a regularly meeting with the kids. be there at 5 to "set up", kids come at 6, home by 9ish. we reviewed the schedule for the next coming months. another meeting, trip to nyc, christmas party, breakfast leaders meeting, regular meetings, snow tubing, etc etc. and yet it still sounds very exciting to me. perhaps i'm still in the "honeymoon" stage. my current task - to get some kids who don't now typically go to come and check it out - both from the church i go to, other kids i might know who aren't really involved in a youth group, others from the community.

i think what is important to remember in all of this is to keep in mind what the real goal and focus is. its not about numbers. so when i am told to invite and remind kids of meetings, i do so willingly because i know that my interest is not in getting as many kids there as possible, and that's it. my goal is to create an opportunity, an experience, for these kids to (to steal a phrase) live in Christ. i pray that God will guide me (and all those involved) in this new challenge, to keep Him in sight always.

life is about to get very busy - i feel it in the air. in addition to the routines in my life that are now normal (work, family life, bible study, volleyball on wednesdays, etc) i also start my second year of coaching middle school girls basketball. another item of excitement for me. i am not a fan of just filling our lives with "things" just for the sake of being busy. but when these things are so meaningful and worthwhile, and if Christ is kept at the center, i am open arms.

this all to say, if you want to talk to me or spend time with me, you better schedule an appointment - my windows calendar is filling up quickly. (sarcasm, of course)

dinner is served.

you know you are old when your friends start having babies. marriage is one thing, but now kids too? okay, i realize that "old" is very relative here. i typically define myself as a college kid. now that i graduated college 3 1/2 years ago, i guess that isn't exactly accurate. so janelle, a long time friend from school, college, and now post-college, was the first of my friends to have a baby. the entire pregnancy, i thought it was a boy. then suddenly the night that i knew she was in hospital in labor, as i lay in bed, i suddenly changed and knew it would be a girl. very strange feeling. probably merely coincidental. but sure enough - avery minn peters. what a beautiful girl.

three months at my new job and it is in the past two weeks that i have become quite busy with actual landscape jobs. i was involved mostly in the building (houses) part of the business during the warm months. now that it's planting season again, i've been getting my hands dirty. (not really...i am no longer a "laborer" as i told my sister tonight). i've been especially involved in a client out in pine brook, nj. (montville township) they've been so enjoyable to work with - very easy going and excited at just having some simple planting. since it is fall, they didn't want to go crazy with planting but just get some foundation landscape, and then get rid of the awful junipers they despised for so long. a few pictures:

don't judge me by this. i don't feel that the conditions were optimum for creativity - they wanted a low-medium quantity of plants so it remained pretty basic. stay tuned, however, for additions to my portfolio.

let this be an appetizer to hold you over until the main course...

it takes a community.

i just want to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for my mom and our family. it truly has been a blessing to us. i know i was grateful when yesterday was over, though the road to recovery will definitely have its challenges. the good news is that after such a major surgery she is doing well. we know that her strength and good spirit are yet another reflection of God's faithfulness. the title i used "it takes a community" comes from a devotional book that calvin college put out - it happened to be the one i read the night before her surgery when we were feeling so wonderfully supported by dear friends and family, our community. mom, i know you might not appreciate my putting a picture of you (and dad) up, but you will just have to deal. you are beautiful (even after surgery when your face was somewhat puffy and eyes swollen). more importantly, your story is beautiful and such a testament of faith.

my cup overflows.

i think that there is a danger in blogging. inviting people to read your blog gives the impression that what you have to say is worthwhile - so there is a constant pressure to be creative with words and/or pictures. tonight i throw away those pressures and write simply (but more worthwhile than anything i have to say) the words of david that i was unable to physically speak tonight with the others:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You annoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

psalm 23

single-motherhood.

i gained a whole new respect for single mothers this weekend. (maybe i should rephrase that statement as "i regained respect for single mothers this weekend") not that i encourage single-motherdom. but there are situations where i can respect and admire a woman for raising children by herself. so back to my story - a few months back i agreed to watch my nephew for a weekend so that my sister and her husband could have a weekend getaway of camping. now i had forgotten about this agreement until midweek last week. no problem - no big deal. i live at home, so i knew my parents would be of some help, or my other sister and family live very near. and as my mom tells me, i did a good job. but i'm not going to claim it to be effortless or easy. not to mention that on friday night i had my 11-month old nephew, but also my 7 and 4 year old nieces for the evening. i have a new respect for parents, period. parenthood is something that cannot be done without strength from God, support from family, friends, and church, and a lot of love. hence, a couple of pics from the weekend:

my sisters, mom, and i used to mock out my dad when rolls of film would be developed and the excitement quickly dissipated when discovering that they were dad's work pictures. pictures of poor quality work of the maintenance crew or contractors. pictures of water that shouldn't be inside of a building. plenty of before and after shots. well, another example of my becoming my parents. i can blame it on my job, yes, but interesting nonetheless. my camera now hold more pictures of work site photos than of friends and family.

embrace it.

i'll leave this post simple. let me just say that i have a favorite word right now...as suggested by my title. "embrace". let me leave you to ponder the word, as you enjoy some weekend photos.

inevitable.

i have become my parents. not just my mother, not just my father - a combination of the two. the silly little quirks, sayings, habits...i see them in me. this is not a bad thing (and no, i am not just saying this because they are faithful readers of this blog). maybe others view these quirks as bad, not me. i smirk when i am reminded of my parents.

my boss and i have lately discussed our intrigue of children - more specifically, children as a product of their parents. its fascinating to see the unique combination of traits that a child acquires from their mother and father, and how different two children from the same parents can be. this child, for example:

i see so much of kate, yet so much of adam. he is young, so i hate to label him prematurely. then there's these two:

okay, maybe not the best picture - though not bad either. greta (the 7-year-old on the left): sweet, sensitive, shy at first, smart, school-loving (just to continue with my "s" theme). elizabeth (the 4-year-old on right): sneaky, funny, pushes the envelope (as much as a 4-year-old can), night owl, observant (especially of shoes). not necessarily "opposites", but just very different from each other.

these are the types of things that are analyzed by my boss and i on our lunch breaks, drives from project to project, and while working in the office.

last days of summer.

it technically is still summer, even though most of us have returned to our lives of work, school, and busyness. for many of us, summer is just a change in temperature and not a change in work hours. for the more fortunate (my sister, my brother-in-law) it means a 2 1/2 month vacation...paid. i took the advantage of the beautiful weather of today to go kayaking. unfortunately yet again, i didn't get kayaking as much as i would have liked - and i wouldn't consider my jamaica kayaking a good example. it became more of a rescue (me trying to rescue my mom and dad who tipped and then struggled to get back in their kayak) and then me being the rescuee (in trying to paddle myself with my mom in the water holding onto the back, we drifted into the rocks after making little progress). i have a scar to prove it.

back to my northeast new jersey roots, i took on the ramapo river/pompton lake. a peaceful afternoon. a few others had the same idea - men on their fishing boats, other kayakers, a few swimmers. not sure i would make that venture...swimming in those waters.

i'd like to go back to this very spot in a month or so, to see the change in colors. i will have to dress appropriately of course, but i think the experience will be worth it. some more photos for your enjoyment. the photo of the canadian geese in the water is not a reflection of my appreciation or admiration of the creature, rather a demonstration of how intimidating and scary these animals are when you are at the same level as them. don't they look huge? oh and just to note, the last one has nothing to do with kayaking. it is a photo of my grandmother's (mama) neighbors house. i went there to water her plants while she was away, and was pleasantly surprised by the wedding decorations of this peruvian household. (and in case you don't know me, i am not being sarcastic - i enjoy the difference in cultures).

moving out, moving in.

after three years (to this very weekend) of living in a house in a town neighboring my "hometown", i spent my labor day weekend moving back into my parents home. for some, such a move could be the epitome of failure. i've been too distracted to analyze it for myself yet. though events in life can never be defined so simply - there are always pro's along with the con's.

this weekend, strangely enough, had many reminders for me of college. maybe its the time of year - seeing all of the college kids go back to school. maybe its all of the moving i did - clothes, decor, appliances...in and out of boxes and plastic tubs. maybe its being separate from most of my new jersey family - most of them are vacationing in cape cod (no guys, this is by no means my way of making you feel guilty - i had my opportunity to join you). nonetheless, i have this strange "craving" for college life. i'm sure that if someone dropped me in the middle of a college campus, i'd quickly long for my life now as i know it. the grass is always greener on the other side.

what is so appealing about college, or the beginning of school? (sadly, i have moments of envy at my sister and brother-in-law returning to teach, and for greta and elizabeth to resume their education) i think it is that feeling of starting all over - a new year, a fresh start. the work world has showed me more of circular cycle. no real beginning or end. the new year (now referring to the transition from december 31st to january 1st) is too typical, characterized by resolutions and goals. i shall pick my own random date - to give me that sense of "going back to school", even though i never graduate or complete a level. july 30th. that was my first day on my new/current job. july 30th of every year can be a new work year, a fresh start.

an old picture, you'll have to forgive me. but because of the time of year (okay, not quite apple picking season), and because of my being reminded of college, a picture of me with two of my dear college house/roommates.

promised photos.

here they are - our night with the newark bears.