The Weekend

This weekend was another great weekend on Friday when I got home the house was clean and we didn’t have to spend all weekend doing it. Then on Saturday night Jeremy and I grilled steaks, those where the best steaks I have ever cooked. Then we hung out and talked the rest of the evening. On Sunday night we had our life group over and Jeremy and I again grilled. This time it was Pork chops, chicken and sausage. We had a great time grilling and hanging out with friends. I think friends are there to help with troubled times and to reinforce the good times. We don’t walk a lonely path as long as we trust in Jesus and share him with friends. Its what life is all about.

Thank Goodness for Friends & Fire Pits

Last night Marla and I spent the evening out at Jeremy and Mandy’s house on there back porch debriefing on our days. All I have to say is Thank God for good friends and Fire pits. It sure is nice to be able to sit out side in the good weather and enjoy the fire pit. I love the out doors and I love my friends.

Crackdown on Oil Polluters Ahead in Gulf

This mourning on my way to the plant I stopped into a Valero Corner store and saw this Article head line. I actually purchased a paper and not for the sales adds. It's good to hear that something is going to be done to stop or at least penalized. As of yet Louisiana is the only state that has adopted this but I hope that Texas will adopt it. This once again emphasize the need to do some thing to help the environment. Check out this Article

Deer Hunting

As many of you know this was opening weekend of deer season and it is a chance for me and my dad to get out with a couple other guys and wage war on the deer population in east Texas. No really it’s a time to have a chance to enjoy the “Father-Son” bonding experience. It’s really about getting away and spending time doing something we both enjoy. Hear are the pictures of the deer shot this weekend. My dad shot a spike buck and wouldn’t let me take a picture of it. Hear is mine.
She waid around 150 lbs. Now hear is Greg Fair's 8 point buck. It waid about 250 lbs.

My Little Buddy

This is me and my little buddy Caleb watching Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin patch.

The Perfect Weekend

There are not many times when you can say you had a perfect weekend. Well I just had one, and I do mean perfect. On Friday I got my hair cut when I got off at 1:00 from work. Then I went home and sat in my hammock and read my Surfers Path magazine. After that we got together with our friend and went and ate a delicious meal at Perry’s Steak house prior to going to see Marla’s dad in 1776 the musical. That was a fun show, and Marla’s dad did a great job. If you live in the area you should go see him in it. It runs through this weekend.
Saturday I spent the mourning on the porch and then some friends came over and we headed over to the new Bass Pro Shop. It was pretty impressive (no I didn’t buy any thing). Then I came home and Marla and I watched movies all evening. Now Sunday was the best day. After lunch and church I went home and read some more of my magazine and fell a sleep in the hammock for about an hour and a half. Then I set out there the rest of the day till we headed over to Jeremy and Mandy’s to watch the last game of the World Series. Witch was the perfect end to a great weekend I hope I can do it again in the future. This up coming weekend is opening weekend of dear session and I will be in Lufkin This weekend and I will be sitting in nature again. Man if this isn’t the life I don’t know what is. Thank God for a natural get away and how easy it can be to achieve it. Get out and in joy the good weather. “Do not postpone any thing for tomorrow for you might not get one.”

New Link

If you read my last post and where shocked that this is happening. I hope that you will take a look at the new links I’ve added to this site. It should further encourage or inspire you to seek a cleaner life style and help out our eco system. I know I am approaching this from a surfer’s point of view but this is how I became passionate about this problem. I hope to add further links and comments on these subjects.

Eco Depression

To anyone who reads my blog I hope that you will help me with a little problem. On Saturday Oct. 19 2007 I was at the beach surfing. I’m not the most “Green” person but blatant pollution and especially disrespect for the beach infuriates me. The first thing I saw floating in the water was a Frito Lay Chip bag, which someone discarded. Then it proceeded to get worse I then found a 5 gallon bucket that had oil in it and that still had the residue in it that got on me when I pulled it out. Next, I saw a large oil filter (like from a diesel truck). This filter was full of oil.I know that there Is a possibility that a citizen might have discarded these things in the ocean, but due to past events and seeing the oil rig workers just let blow off pressure and oil in to the ocean which got all over my uncles boat while we where fishing and the bucket having a Shell Oil Corp. sticker on it. I would like to invite those who read this to take a stand. I am in the process of formulating an email to send to Shell Oil Corp. From hear on out I will not purchase fuel oil or other merchants products from a Shell Filling station. I ask that if you take care of the beach and all of Gods wonderful creation and all of your favorite and secret spots of retreat.

p.s. please enlighten your friends to this particular problem so that more people can see what corporate oil company’s are doing to our world.

Birthday Weekend

Well as of Friday Oct. 12 I am officially 25 years old. It was definitely one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Marla was an exceptional birthday night planner. For all of you who have read Marla’s Blog you already now what we did, but you I have no idea how much fun the activities of this weekend was. We also went to my parents for dinner on Saturday where we ate fajitas. My parents got me a set of Lego’s, which I put together on Sunday. I wanted to go surfing this weekend but the surf was flat. I hope that this coming Saturday will be better and since Marla will be at a church function there should be no problem with me getting away. So if any of you that read this want to go you know how to get a hold of me. I will soon be working crazy hours again hopefully which will cause an even longer gap between surfing sessions. Well I wish I had something interesting to bestow upon you, like a clever saying or a good motto. Let me leave you with these two quotes~ “Adrenaline is a funny drug” Brock Little ~ here is one from Point Break “Surfing’s the source. It will change your life. I swear to God.”

Freedom !!

We went camping last weekend with a few of our friends. We only went to Huntsville but it was fare enough to get away from the noise and chaos of city living. It was great to get back to nature. We sat around the campfire, and played camp games. It was a perfect trip. I even got hurt which made the trip a success. When we returned home I made the last and final payment on my truck. I am also free from the chain of debt to Chrysler Financial. You know what they say about bad things come in three’s well I think it happens with good things also. I got to go surfing today the waves weren’t large but you couldn’t of asked for better weather or a quitter beach or cleaner waves. There was only one other surfer and nobody one the beach. This week had been a bit stress full but after surfing and thinking about our camping trip the world seemed to be back in place once again. There is a piece in all of use that is missing or goes missing after a certain period of time that needs to be found or renewed. The only thing is now that the good has come and gone does that mean all that is left is the bad. Here is a thought for the day. “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters: these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders of the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. ~ Psalm 107:23-26

Surfing

I might come across as obsessed with surfing but if anyone wants to get me a birthday present (since it is on Oct. 12Th). I just added a link to my amazon wish list. (Hint: there are a LOT of surfing books) You have been warned.

Camping

Camping, next weekend we get to go camping. I'm so excited I get to sit around a camp fire and hang out with all my friends and my dear Wife. Camping is one of my favorite thing to do. its so peace full and quite. Plus this could be the last free weekend for a little while. It looks like I will be getting busy with work. Just to let everyone know I will be getting my truck back this weekend so Marla wont have to carpool or kick me out of the car anymore. Hope fully it will last me at least a year or so so we can save for a new car for me. thanks for your constant vigilance as i tried not to get kicked out of the car. If this happens again i will let you know to watch for me then also.

Transmission Problems

On Monday night the transmission in my truck decided to go out. The auto shop say I need a new one or at least a new rebuilt transmission. This however will not be a cheap fix. So if you see me on the side of the road with my thumb up please pull over and give me a ride. This means Marla got tiered of wakeing up early and geting home late and kicked me out of the car. Thanks ahead of time for picking me up.

Busy Sorry

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. not much has gone on that Marla has not written about. Surfing was not good Friday. So when I got home I cut wood for the windows just in case Dean came towards us. I sure am glade it did not I need surf not water in the house. I hope you all had a good weekend and didn't have to much of a worry with the Dean stuff.

Article from the Galveston Daily News

Surfer cannot get enough of the waves

By Princess McDowell
The Daily News

Published August 5, 2007

GALVESTON — Brian Jarvis didn’t want to go to Hawaii. He wanted to stay in Maine, snowboard and become what he calls a “Maine-i-ac.” He pouted all the way to the island’s sandy beaches and palm trees.

A few years later, Jarvis couldn’t be dragged from the water. When he graduated from high school, his decision was easy.

“My parents wanted me to go to college. I went to Hawaii instead,” he said.

His business, C-Sick Surfin’, offers personalized lessons on Galveston Island after he learned to surf in 1962. He teaches ocean safety, parts of the board, paddling skills and how to identify waves.

But, along with the lessons, Jarvis tells little stories. He talks about surfing in the Carolinas when the area was underdeveloped and there were no places to park on the beach. He reminisces about surfing in water as blue as his own eyes. He’ll offer his philosophy on women and waves.

“If you have to choose between women and the waves, choose the waves because there might not be any good waves tomorrow and the woman will probably be there tomorrow,” he said.

He chose waves a long time ago.

As soon as he witnessed someone surf, he knew he was hooked. He still remembers the first board he bought, for $57.

Jarvis rode his first wave at 15, a 15-foot-wave that he said he wouldn’t have tried if he had the chance again.

“My friends were there and, you know, you have to do it if your buddies are around,” he said.

“If I was alone, I wouldn’t have done it; no way.”

He taught himself how to surf through a trial-and-error process and soon started showing a few friends the ropes.

He got into teaching after someone asked him how he did a few of his moves.

“As soon as I figured out you could make money off it, I saw dollar signs, like chi-ching,” he said.

Outside of surfing, Jarvis worked as a merchant seaman and would earn $5,000 a month working on the ships, then take a few months off to surf and spend the money. Once he ran out, he would find another boat to work on.

He traveled to places such as South Africa and Singapore, sometimes sending back trinkets for his friends.

“I found them little figurines from a vendor,” he said. “I thought I was getting them for cheap, you know. I sent them back to a few friends. When I got back my friends were all mad at me. Apparently, bugs were in them. I guess that vendor got the best of me.”

He finally decided to slow down his life after one long day, Christmas Eve, 1995. For him, it was literally a long day — more than 37 hours.

On a trip home from Singapore, he traveled across several time zones, including the international dateline.

“That was the wake-up call for me,” he said. “It was like God was trying to tell me something. Like, look at this, this is ridiculous.”

Jarvis started inquiring about buying a house. He had searched all along the east and west coasts, but all the houses were $100,000 or more. When he came to Galveston, he found a nice house for just $40,000. He also found his future wife, Karen.

He said it isn’t bad to stay on the island, as long as you have everything you need here and don’t have to leave to go to work.

He said surfing is for those who are truly dedicated and he is the prime example.

“I’ve lost jobs, I’ve had women break up with me, I’ve had family leave me, all because they couldn’t get me out of the water,” he said.

Lazy Days

Yesterday Marla and I spent the day doing absolutely nothing. Here is the thing, while doing absolutely nothing I had time to think. For those of you who know me when I think bad things tend to happen. (ha!) I have been trying to think of something thought-provoking to write next. I was at a loss yesterday but today my Sunday class teacher brought up a thought that was very interesting. He asked what we thought our lives would be like in 2040. So let’s see in 33 years I will be 58 years old and close to retirement hopefully. I hope that I will have made a difference in somebody’s life by then. Ill probably have grandchildren “Maybe you gotta have kids first”. Now let’s get deep.

How many times will I have the opportunity to share the word of Christ? I’m not a particularly savvy speaker or writer. Talking to some body about God and theology is not one of my strong suits. But I hope that in some way or other I can be Christ like to some body or in some body’s life. More importantly will I have been a good Christian father for my children? I hope that I can share more than my passion for the outdoors with my kids. But that I can show them God's hand at work in the lives of His creation. Will I have connected to my kids in a way that when they are on their own they can still have a relationship with their true father? Maybe these are thoughts that go through every father or future fathers mind. To those of you who already have kids or are soon to have kids I hope and pray that you are able to fulfill this great charge God as set before you. Remember this as you walk through life’s journey and I hope this will give you strength and peace of mind, as it is my favorite passage “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its self. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Mt. 6:34”

Today we Fish. Maybe tomorrow too.

First off Thanks to my Wonderful Wife for letting all her readers in on my blog.

Another flat miserable day in G-town. Can't expect much more than that for summer time in the gulf cost.(I still don't know why every body thinks surfing is a summer time sport, when almost every wear in the world sees the best surf at winter time but anyways). So boys and girls when it's flat what do we do? That's right we FISH. But that didn't go so well either with all the rain we have had in the last month or so the bay's salt content is low. That means the fish are not in the bays. I tried to fish the beach front but the current was to rough. So fishing was a bust. But for some reason I still fell that thing are right in the world again maybe adrenalin and surfing aren't the only things that give me the felling I need to get back in touch with the universe.

Let me propose this. Could it be just a getting back to nature and the basics of life that puts me in that frame of mind? If so then why is it that I or dare I say we as a human race have such a desire to acquire so much "STUFF". Believe me I'm the worlds worst. When really all i need is to sit and be at one with nature and especially the ocean. Don't get me wrong, the ocean is a one off the scariest places on earth. You don't know what is under the surface "at least here in Texas". But there was some thing about sitting there in the middle of a giant changing mass of uncertainty that put me a peace. All day I'd cast and wait with no result. No fish biting. But I went out not looking for fish but to set my universe back in order. So I guess it was a success full day. I think I might go again tomorrow afternoon.

Depression Ahead

Summer time flats have hit and there is no end in sight. What will I do for my "Fix"? Can I shoot parking garages on the long skate board, or do some thing? I think it's time to go fishing. I hope to do some camping in the near future. I got a little jealous last night when a friend of mine asked for directions to my secret beach camping spot. I think I will plan a trip out to my spot soon. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do. If any of you have found your activity that gives you a spiritual rush please share. I might be looking for a temporary alternative to surfing.

Adrenaline Junkie?

Adrenaline Junkie is one of the terms I might use to describe my self. Some people find a very real need to have an adrenaline rush. They will use extreme sports, gambling and even go to such measures of shop lifting to get there fix. Adrenaline fixes are as addictive as heroin or any other recreational drug. The actual addiction is due to fear. Which is one of the major contributing factors in the release of adrenaline and other chemicals. I have always loved the feeling of a good adrenaline rush. There is something in me that call's out for the rush. I think I might have an addiction. It’s very possible it’s to surfing but I think it’s to the rush. Here is another question. Is it possible that there could be a spiritual experience to be found in the midst of this addiction? Could it be possible that this addiction is very closely related to the God Gene? My personal thought is that it is, in my experience whether I am surfing, rock claiming or some other adrenaline pumping activity I get a since of at oneness with my surrounding or dare I say an at oneness with God. I fully believe when this happens I am in connection with a spiritual realm. Although some may say that this is a load of bull unless they have had a similar experience then they cant say. Not to say they are wrong but maybe it takes something completely different or more orthodox to achieve at oneness with the world. As some may say "To each his own". Tell me, what gives you that oneness or that religious felling. If you haven’t had that feeling yet you need to get out there and find it, it feels good and can make you happy. But be fore warned that once you find it if you lose it, you might go mad trying to get the feeling back and also just like any addiction it will take more and more to satisfy your thirst for it. Here is a moto to help you on your surch "Seize the Day"

Its a First

Hello my new readers or hopefully i will have new readers. This is my very first attempt at blogging. I am not a very eloquent speaker or writer. This means that some of my wording will be used out of context and might be spelled wrong or the word might be spelled right but is used in the wrong context. I hope that this will bring both humor and enlightenment to your lives.

In the last few months I have been reading West of Jesus. Yes, I said a few months. This is not a particularly long book but it is very deep. It deals with religion, psychology, and most importantly surfing. I believe we all struggle with why certain things make us happy or even have a "religious" experiance. This book tackles some of these questions. I will elaborate more in the next couple of posts. Let me leave you with this.

"'The God Gene' as not based on a belief in a particular god, frequency of prayer, or other orthodox religious doctrines or practices. instead, it gets to the heart of spiritual belief:the nature of the universe and our place in it. Self-transcendent individuals tend to see everything, including themselves, as part of a great totality. They have a strong sense of "at-one-ness"--of people, places and things. Non-self transcendent people, on the other hand, tend to have a more self-centered viewpoint. the focus on differences and discrepencies between people, places and things, rather than similarities and interrelationships." ~Dean Hamer.

I'm not sure yet which one I am but I'm sure some might have an opinion. I hope to become more of the Self-Transcendent person. Which one are you?

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