Nine Sierra

On Friday I took the oath of enlistment into the United States Army. I enlisted in the Army and will go to basic combat training this summer-upon finishing that I will then move on to the Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, GA. I'm honored at the thought of being an officer in the U.S. Army, and am very excited about the adventures that lie ahead. It really is a dream come true. Since childhood, I've been very passionate about the military. I've always looked up to my Dad so much...and I've always been so proud to have a father in the Army...I watched him diligently put on his soldier's uniform for my entire life. I was thrilled to raise my arm to the square, look my Dad in the eyes, and promise to defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies. Army strong.

This house is protected by the good Lord and a gun...

...you might meet em both, if you show up here not welcome son.




This is my Sig Sauer 9mm...purchased in the name of home defense.



This is my Bushmaster M4A3 carbine...after the parents house was broken into, I decided to up the ante a bit.



On the left you will see some Remington .223, and on the right some 9mm 115 grain metal.




We don't call 911.

Lackland Air Fest

angie and i checked out the air show at lackland afb...saw the usaf thunderbirds again...they were pretty sweet...highlight of the show was seeing the new f-22 raptor in flight...it was awesome. unfortunately, i lacked a chrissy and her photo skills/equipment...so the only pics i got were weak...but it was fun.

few and far between...

despite lofty expectations...my niners have been dreadful this year...so once in a while when we get a win, i have to savor it while it lasts...thought this was a cool picture of crabtree doin the air jordan, while rockin his j's.

i've officially grown up...

became a costco member and bought a grill...for some reason, they feel like such grown up things to do.




...the fruits of the grill would be a little more savory with victories on the field...

Finally!!!

Well football season has been a disappointment, and sports usually seem to dominate my blog posts. So with the tough years for my teams...my blogging has suffered significantly. But after an 0-5 start...the Niners finally notched one in the "win" column...here's to ten more in a row eh? And the Horns recovered from their two game slide and right back into the top 25 with their big road win at Nebraska...two victories and a nice hill country trip rounded out my weekend quite well.


(thanks to my extremely talented wife for the pic here)

...good times.

I just have one question...

...are you ready for Friday night?









there are two times throughout the year that i consider magical...Christmas time...and the beginning of football season. with it comes such anticipation and hope for a good season...i seriously get so excited this time of year. you can see evidence of one such reason i love the game in these pics of the good ol glory days as a Churchill Charger. i played the great game of football from 3rd-12th grade...i have some great memories. this year i look for the niners to finally turn it around and take the nfc west (yes cannons...the same division the cardinals belong too)...and hopefully the young garrett gilbert can lead our horns to a big 12 championship...don't know what to expect from the cougs but i'll be pullin for em. so heres to tailgate parties, victories, and good times.

a whiter shade of pale

in my wise old age of 28, i'm realizing that i've been blessed with some amazing examples for parents. i've learned a lot from them and their influences on me. one thing in particular that i enjoy, is an interesting taste in music...i have fond childhood memories of listening to john denver, the beatles, the righteous brothers, the monkees, and so forth and so on. i still enjoy this music. (much to chrissy's chagrin) once in a while i'll have a small memory of part of a song and it drives me nuts until i can figure out what the song is....so this one has been bouncin around in my head for some time...and today, on an infomercial for a cd collection called "flower power" i found the long lost tune. i quite enjoyed kicking back and listening to procol harum's "a whiter shade of pale." good times my friends, turn up the sound and enjoy.




this video rocks...and so does that dude's stache.

America the beautiful

i am so grateful to live in the United States of America. it is a chosen land, and i am proud to be an American. happy 4th of july...and God bless America.

office space

so this is a small taste of my desk at work. my mouse pad is clearly the best one in the office. (my name deal is placed there solely for blog pic purposes). for some time i've been wanting little longhorn figurines to adorn my work area and bring me joy. well, my birthday came around and the wifey and the parentals both came in clutch, each presenting me with the much sought after and prized desk ornaments. i like em a lot. i see them there and they bring a smile to my face every time. (which is much needed there)
when the task to name them arose, chrissy stated the obvious...colt and ship. and so, here they are...one on the right is colt, and the one on the left is ship. good times.

On this day...

...June 22,1987...the San Antonio Spurs selected David Robinson from the U.S. Naval Academy with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Big Dave came to San Antonio and changed a franchise. He's been a model citizen and a great role model here in the area, and he excelled greatly on the basketball court winning multiple NBA championships and receiving numerous accolades including league MVP. I remember when we moved here I got his rookie card and was excited to have the card of a player right here in the new place I lived. I grew up in the city along with big Dave and grew quite fond of him and the Spurs. One day about two years ago I was running an errand at the local grocery store and saw a giant standing in front of a wall of Cheez-it crackers. Turned out, if you bought a box, you got to meet big Dave and take a picture with him. Best box of crackers I ever had! It was an honor to meet him. I appreciate all the memories and good times 5-0.

cali recap & the el paso saddleblanket

well the trip to cali was awesome. i really enjoyed seeing where chrissy grew up and we did lots of fun stuff together. it was also really nice being with chrissy 24-7 for almost two weeks. supa good times. i got some fun stuff...picked up some fun niners stuff...including a michael crabtree jersey. i enjoyed seeing some northern California beaches and the naval postgraduate school in monterey. then yosemite was amazing. and i also really liked seeing san francisco...and enjoyed some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. then we had a good time seeing our good friends the cannons in phoenix on the way home. so it was a bit of a bummer having to hit the road and come home. after what seemed like forever on i-10, i noticed some billboards outside of el paso advertising a store called the el paso saddleblanket. it looked kinda cool and they sold cowhide rugs...which chrissy has been seeking for some time now. so we decided to pull over and check it out. upon entering and passing all the stuffed rattlesnakes, i found two acres of cool southwestern and Texas stuff, as well as some Mexican imports...it was a cool place. but something really caught my eyes and has brought much joy into my life. a big ol set of longhorns! i am confident i will cherish them forever.





any of y'all actually get all that?

Happy Birthday to me

I've pretty much always felt that my less than effective golf game wasn't suited for an upgrade in clubs that I've always wanted. I got my entire first set for $65 brand new on ebay. Regardless of the fact that my game hasn't improved much...I couldn't hold out any longer, especially when I found a good deal on a set of Nike Slingshot irons. Wrote it off as a birthday expense. Can't wait to try 'em out.

Small shot of the matching bag I also threw in there.



Good times.

I'm a lucky dude.

Well last Monday I left work early feeling an unfamilar pain in my abdomen. After a very long day, and a blessing from the Colonel and Papa Freeman, we headed over to the ER. Turns out I had appendicitis and had to have surgery to remove my appendix. Chrissy stayed by my side the entire time that she could...trying to sleep in uncomfortable chairs, and even sharing my small little hospital bed once I got assigned a room. When I woke up from surgery and returned to my room, there she was. Since then, she's been right here for me to help me with whatever I needed. She has taken very good care of me and I'm very grateful for all she's done. For a brief report on just one of the things she's been doing, check out her latest blog post. It was a pleasant surprise to get a week off from work, just so happens that the doctor advised me to not return to work until June 3rd, which I've had scheduled for vacaish since October...funny how that worked out eh? Good times. (minus the illness and lil surgery in there)

Thank You

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Wyatt Thomas Yuan

My nephew Wyatt passed away Tuesday night.

To read more:

Here, Here, and Here.

If you can and would like to, there is a donation fund to help offset some of the inconvenient funeral costs. Just follow the button on my sidebar. Hasta vernos con el Rey amigito.

"irrelevant"

timmy's nonchalant response to mark cuban stating that he hated the spurs. i appreciate his on court response even more...when the mavs went on a run and cut the lead to five about halfway through the fourth, we went to 2-1 on four straight possessions and the big fella produced a bucket every time. he is the franchise.

manu makes me so happy...i'm thrilled that he extended his contract with the spurs. i would have been devastated had he left. he is a fiery competitor, and a crafty lefty--thus holding a very special place in my heart. he is the heart and soul of our team. good times and GO SPURS GO!!!

Good times at NAS Kingsville

Last weekend Chrissy and I went down to the coast for a lil getaway...on Saturday we went to Naval Air Station Kingsville for the Wings Over South Texas 2010 air show...it was awesome! Seriously one of the most specatular displays I've ever seen. The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachuted in with the American and Texas flags...then there were numerous trick planes that did some crazy stuff. There was also a Pearl Harbor reenactment, that was pretty cool. (intel reports that more personal pics can be found at Chrissy's blog in the near future.)

We saw the T-45 Goshawks stationed there at NAS Kingsville...they are the training planes for future Naval and Marine Corps fighter pilots.

We saw an Air Force KC-135...a huge tanker plane that refules planes in flight.

Then things really got amped up with a USAF F-16 Viper...it blew me away....it flew past us at low altitute at 650 mph...it just cut through the air...it was crazy how it just kinda glided past us...and then a second later the roar of the jet caught up to us...mind boggling that it was less than half it's top speed....but very impressive for how low to the ground it was.

The main event...the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels. A team of 6 FA-18 Hornets...two solo demonstrators and 4 who flew in formation.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Marine Corps C-130 Hercules also known as Fat Albert, which accompanies the Blue Angels everywhere and brings maintenance equipment and what not. Surprisingly nimble lil bugger.

my TV hero...

ron swanson is the man.

get that weakness outta here...

well it's been a trying year in sports...tough pill to swallow at the end of the college football season...and a very inconsistent season from the spurs...tough times. but manu has finally got his legs back under him after his injury and is beginning to look like himself...hopefully that continues. i am a kevin durant fan (hook 'em)...but this block was the best defensive play thus far this year in the association. no battle. (by the way...this pic makes it look like he fouled him...the replays clearly show that he didn't...in fact after when kevin durant was asked about it he himself simply stated "clean")...here's to good times.

...the rest of the trip

well it was a great trip to maryland...i had a day to spend before going to the temple with the flores family. so i immediately headed down to annapolis to find me some pupusas. they were delightful. i washed it down with a big gulp from the sev that was across the street from our old condo.


this is the view from across the river looking into annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy.


then i ventured up to b-more, specifically highlandtown...where i roamed the streets as a young elder in his first area. not gonna lie, felt a lil uncomf walkin around that area alone and at night time...


...but i had to get me some chicken rico! it was so good...peruvian style charbroiled chicken...i love that place. it was my first time back there since eating there with mom,dad, and grandma nielsen when they visited me on the mish. so it holds a special place in my heart...then i made it back to my hotel and visited with an old friend robby t. the next morning i was pleasantly surprised to not only get to see the flores, but the entire cedar creek branch practically. that branch was clearly the branch that i became the closest to throughout my mission. it was a great trip, the only thing that would have made it better was a little more time out there and if chrissy could have come along to see and enjoy with me.

un día especial

I flew out to Maryland this weekend for a very special experience. While serving in Winchester, VA I became very close to Salvador Flores and his family. He was baptized a few days before I got transferred there, and I got to teach him the recent convert lessons and watch him grow in the gospel. I participated in his ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood and watched him baptize his wife Sandra and daughter Fátima...I also got to teach him how to prepare and bless the sacrament...and then sat with him as he did it for the first time. I gave members of his family priesthood blessings, and was amazed by their faith....I ate many a delicious meals of carne asáda, frijoles negros, and ensalada on Saturday afternoons. And we played many a games of futbol together. I learned a lot from his family and greatly appreciate their example of humility and faith. They are an amazing family. Yesterday I was at the Washington D.C. Temple as Salvador and Sandra went through the temple together and then were sealed to their three little girls. It was an experience I'll cherish forever. I will never forget sitting there in the temple and looking over at Salvador and he just grinned at me and waved. I was filled with an overwhelming feeling I can only describe as a tender mercy of the Lord. As I hugged both of them they both said, "gracias por venir." I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Indeed my friends, there are a few times in life when you realize what good times really are...yesterday was one of those for me.

speechless...

words can't express the disappointment i felt when i saw colt mccoy leaving the field injured on the first drive of the game. four years he and his team worked to get to that game...and to go down like that was straight devastating. if it hurt me so badly, i can't even begin to imagine how he feels. you can't say they don't have heart though, it looked pretty ugly and they fought to get it close. but it just wasn't the way it was goin down this year. i guess the sweetness of victory only comes because of the bitterness of defeat. our greatest glory is not in never falling...but in rising each time we fall. hook em horns.

the eyes of Texas are upon you

gameday is finally here...i've been waiting a long time for this moment. bittersweet, in that it is the last time Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley will suit up in the burnt orange. i wish them and their teammates the very best in this their final game...may the rose bowl be as sweet to us as it was the last few times we've been there. hook em horns.
p.s. on another interesting note, i returned home from the mish two years ago today.