It's Pumpkin Spice Latte time!

The day before I leave

This time tomorrow morning, I will be getting ready and making sure I have everything to head to the station, to get in one of the vans and head to the IAH (Bush Intercontinental Airport).  I only have a few things left to pack...pants, Alieve, my iPhone charger, and if I can find a certain Flip camera and firewire cable.  After that I'll just run through my checklist again to see if there's anything I can leave behind, because my suitcase is busting at the scenes, like it almost WANTS me to pay the luggage fee!  Good thing I know I'll get reimbursed for that though.  Carry-on luggage will consist of my laptop bag, and the digital video cams I'll be using on the trip.  I think I'm good to go though, so I'm not worried.  I usually never worry about this stuff anyway...just ask Belinda, as I know this part of me drives her nuts at how calm I am.  I always feel that I do a good job of planning, but if I forget something, I either live without it or run up the street to a local store and get what I need. Another reason that she is the ying-to-my-yang.  When she packs, we forget something 0.00001% of the time.  When I pack, I usually forget something about 5% of the time.  Better odds to go with her plan!  HA!

I was thinking yesterday about the trip, and a few things came to mind.  From what I've heard, this is the cheapest missions trip K S B J has ever done.  I didn't understand what that meant until I found that since employees were staying in TENTS, that there was a huge cost not being incurred for them...LODGING!  I then did research and found that most time when they would go on these sponsored missions trips, they would stay at a local hotel with the company they partnered with.  The last trip they went on, they were upgraded to a 4 star hotel because of various conditions.  At first when I signed up to go on this trip and found out we were staying in tents and on air mattresses I was worried, because with my bad back, and my usual nights of tossing and turning on a bed, how would I handle sleeping on an air mattress that will be flat by the time I wake up...let alone the noises and other things that I'll have to fight with to keep me from getting any sleep?  I usually only get around 4 hrs of sleep a night before I start the tossing and turning from back pain.  So you can see my frustration.  Then, like I said, yesterday I was thinking about the trip and felt God gave me some insight.  This is a REAL missions trip.  I'm not going on a vacation.  I'm working 14-15 hr days, documenting people going through hardships...REAL hardships...and when I go back to where I sleep, I won't be sleeping in any cushiony place with a pool....I'll basically be living closer to what these people are going through.  With that, my view totally changed to one where I am even more excited about this trip, and am looking forward to relating more with these people, and seeing what God will do through us.

If you want to see the videos I'll be uploading of the missions trip, be sure to check the station's YouTube channel located at: http://www.youtube.com/893KSBJ.  I'll also upload videos that I do of my own views and experiences here on my blog as long as I have the connection to the interwebz!

Okay, well, it's time to continue studying for my Net+ exam, while I enjoy a Venti Bold Blend...which today is their "Gazebo" blend.  Yummmmmmy!

Getting ready to head to the mission field.

This coming Friday morning, I board a plane headed to San Diego, CA, along with seven other fellow K S B J coworkers. From there we will take a bus South, across the Mexican border to the city of Tijuana. For the next five days I will be producing video of the staff working alongside the Newsboys, the local missions staff of  Global Expeditions team that we partnered with, and a bunch of the station's listeners. This is the first missions trip I've ever gone on, so I'm nervous about what to expect, but I'm leaving it all in God's hands. Originally, we had tried to get Belinda to come, and were able to secure some discounted rates and what not, but then found out that there were too many of her coworkers on vacation at the time, which meant she had to stay. By no means will this be a vacation for me since I'm just doing audio/video. My days will be probably 15-16 hr days from what I've put together, so I'm sure I will sleep hard each night.

The purpose of the trip is to help spread the word about the poverty in this region of the world, and how we can all help. The area is beautiful, that's for sure, but the poverty level is some of the worst in Mexico. People living in cardboard houses, no clean water, no electricity, and daily just trying to find food to eat. As well as trying to help spread the word about how to help these people, we will also assist in building houses, running some VBS classes for local children, and just showing them the love of Jesus. I hope I can capture this well enough in video.

I also plan to record some personal video blogs if I can find enough time, and post them back here! Internet access is very limited, so I'll most likely only be able to upload video early in the morning or late at night.  We'll have to see. I'll be gone from July 23rd, through the 27th, so five days. I know I'll miss Belinda and the kids terribly. Please feel free to pray as you feel led, but also please pray for safety for me, and for nothing to happen to any of us or my family while we're on the trip. From what I hear it's a pretty dangerous area of Mexico, but the group we're going with has been in the area for close to 25 years and haven't had any issues ever. Nice to know!

Below is a video the Newsboys put together late last year when they were in Baja (the area we'll be working), with footage from when they were working, as well as using clips from their new hit single "Born Again" (which I recommend you pickup from iTunes!).  The video shows probably only a small taste of what I'll see.  Regardless, the video is powerful, and the song is a perfect match.  Enjoy...

That's MY King! Do you know Him?

Watch this video! It's only three minutes and nineteen seconds. Watch it when you can sit and focus for a couple minutes. Listen to the words. Let them soak in. Thank you Jesus, for being all of this and so much more!

Man vs Food - Houston Edition

On June 5th, 2009, two men entered the arena of battle.

Their oppenents? The Mega Mel Burger for each.

1 1/2 lb of hamburger
1 lb of bacon
1/2 lb of cheese
A large sliced tomato
A large sliced onion
A large sliced pickle
About five cups of sliced lettuce
And a large hamburger bun

This is my video journal of the events that unfolded that day.

A day where one man fell valiantly in battle...

A day where an old foe was vanquished...

And a day where a new and glorious legend was born.



Enjoy the journey, and keep both hands and feet inside the car at all times...

Mega Mel #1 - The Challenge Has Been Accepted! from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #2 - My Opponent Has Arrived! from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #3 - A small wall and needing some space. from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #4 - Losing my partner but gaining a crowd! from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #5 - My Partner Throws In The Towel. from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #6 - My Fan Club! from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #7 - Four...bites...left... from Erik on Vimeo.

Mega Mel #8 - I AM VICTORIOUS! from Erik on Vimeo.

More about E on his birthday

Couple videos from yesterday/today. First one is from last night, walking to J's first softball tourney game.
Walking to the ballpark from Erik on Vimeo. The second one will come after it gets done uploading, and when I have time tonight to get the code, since I'll be at J's second softball tourney game, and then at my boy's birthday party! PONY RIDES FOR THE KIDDOS!


Happy Birthday #2 to E, early morning from Erik on Vimeo.

Youth Baseball Day at Minute Maid Park

Yesterday was exactly as the title of this post describes. Thousands of young baseball players were able to tour Minute Maid Park, walking on the field (well the dirt AROUND the field), and then enjoy the afternoon game of the Astros vs the Cincinnati Reds. We arrived at the game way earlier than we meant to, which meant we had to wait even longer in line until the gates opened, but we were very close to the front of the line, so guess you gotta count your blessings when you can. Once inside, we got to another staging area and then waited another 15-20 minutes. After that, we finally were able to walk on the field, and the outcome of it all it recorded in the video below. It's a little long, but if you care to watch it, enjoy.


Walking around Minute Maid Park from Erik on Vimeo.

After we walked around, we were then let in to go to our seats. We still had over an hour until the game started. That would be fun to watch if we didn't have a 2 yr old (as of this upcoming Friday anyway) who wasn't having it, and did all he could to get around us so he could run free. Poor guy. Then, if that wasn't enough, the sun came around and we got ROASTED! My little shorties got toasted, but not as bad as the poor unshielded patch of skin on my bald head! Guess it's just one more thing to put on our "remember to do" list for the next day game we go to, since we never go to day games. With it being so hot, we ended up leaving after the 6th inning because we just couldn't take it anymore, and felt the kids just weren't protected from the sun like they needed to be. We tried to hide from the sun up on the pavillion area, but a "lovely" old woman named Ann gave us the evil eye the whole time...making sure we didn't cross one INCH over this painted line on the floor, which had EMPTY seats on the other side of it that noone ever came and sat in. God forbid we get into those seats until someone comes to claim them, or please forgive us for stepping past that white line into an empty chair's space! Goodness gracious...WHATEVER, LADY!!! Drove me insane. Almost so that I am 'this' close to writing a letter to anyone at the Astros that would listen. It was insanely hot, and we only wanted to get our baby out of the heat...I don't see the problem, especially since our seats were WAY better. Oh well.

All in all though, it was a fun time, and I'm pretty sure this will be an every year thing to do. Hope you enjoy the video of the beautiful Minute Maid Park.

Csssssssssssss

Being an IT geek...I HAD to put this video up! Enjoy...


Auto Tuning from Casey D on Vimeo.

Kids at the ranch

We took the kids to a "farm" (aka few acres) that a nurse B works with, and her husband, have set up. It's usually only got a few animals running around in it, but with the Rodeo starting up, it's overflowing with cute little chickens, piglets, etc. Here are a few videos pieced together to show some of the cuteness that ensued. My kids look so freaking cute in cowboy/girl hats, that I'm starting to be okay with them. Who knows, maybe I'll get some boots and a hat myself some day! HA!

http://vimeo.com/3464764

***Update: Sorry, embedding this video isn't working, so you'll need to go to my Vimeo site and view it. Enjoy!

Happy 8th Birthday J!!!

My little princess turns eight today! I don't know why eight sounds so much bigger than seven, but it does to me. She's always been older than her years, but I thank God that she still has little glimpses where she seems her age. Here is a couple minute video after she opened her presents this morning, before we went to school and brought cupcakes for the class!


J's 8th Birthday Mornin' from Erik on Vimeo.

KSBJ's Liz Jordan flying with the Thunderbirds

Our afternoon drive host Liz Jordan was able to fly with the Thunderbirds a little while ago, and I totally forgot to put the video on here. What an amazing experience she was able to sit through. Enjoy with sound turned on AND UP!!!

A Christmas Tale

Here is the first video posted with my new Flip Ultra handheld camcorder. This is A & J telling the Christmas Story. They don't know it, and I don't remember hearing them say it like this, but they make some funny comments, and afterwards it gets even goofier. Enjoy!


The Christmas Story, according to a 10 & 7 yr old. from Erik on Vimeo.

It's a...nice day...for a...white Houston!

It snowed on December 10th in Houston! For us Northerners, this was a blessing to see a little bit of home during this holiday season. If only it could have happened on Christmas day! Either way though, thank God for the snow! This video shows how the flakes started, then a while later after it had been snowing, and then even a while later still once it had accumulated a little. All in all, I think my area of NE Houston had about an inch of total accumulation. Would have been more if the ground would have been colder.


White Houston '08 from Erik on Vimeo.

Call + Response

Please watch this movie...literally.

Tuesday Morning Videos

Avery, warming up before his first ever pitching debut, in the "bullpen".

A - Warming up before his first pitching performance of his career! from Erik on Vimeo.


Avery strikes out the first batter he faces! Signs of what will be a promising pitching career! HA!

A - Striking out the first batter he faces! from Erik on Vimeo.


When I was at jury duty last week, I had to walk to the bus stop for my ride home. It was a long 10+ block walk in an area I wasn't super familiar with downtown. It gave me time to look around and see more that I'd like to come back for, like restaurants, pubs, jazz clubs, etc. I stumbled across the JPMorgan Chase Skyscraper that had been decimated by Hurricane Ike, and when I say "stumble across", I really mean it. I wasn't looking at any of the tall buildings, just the local store fronts and then next thing I know I look up and there I am, by it.

JPMorgan Chase Skyscraper - "Post-Ike" from Erik on Vimeo.

Marvin Gaye - National Anthem

This is just amazingly sick!  Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star game in 1983.  I saw it during the Olympics, for a Nike basketball commercial.  Man, this might possibly be the best performance of the song that I have personally heard.  

MORE COWBELL!!!

Here is the infamous video of us playing Rock Band after the hurricane, while we were sitting around waiting for power to come back up.  Thank God for generators!  The video isn't anything special, just some mindless goofing off, but I had some people say they wanted to see it, so here you go!

More Cowbell! from Erik on Vimeo.

Superchick - "We Live"

Time stops still at Grand Central

This is probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. How cool would it have been to be there and see or even partake in it?!

LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL!!!