Spiker!!!

We just had to dress Spike up in his holiday best- He was not at all happy with the outfit but we love it so he will just have to wear it, hahahahahaha!

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

Thanksgiving with Sarai's family was wonderful- Everybody brought something good to eat and we all got our fill- After dinner we watched a comedy show downstairs on the big T.V. and it was funnier than I expected- We were all laughing- After the D.V.D. most of us went upstairs and Sarai and I preformed a song for the family- They are a very musical family- In the picture are Sarai's brothers and sisters, niece's and nephews- To see the pictures better just click on them and they should get bigger- Everyone in the Anzaldua Family makes me feel welcome and at home-

Spike is so hyper and silly- If we don't play with him from time to time he will get crazy and start freakin' out- When I first got here Spike was not my favorite thing but now I love the little fuzz ball-

Christmas time is here

We couldn't wait till the day after Thanksgiving to put up the little Charlie Brown tree- Spike was so excited to have something new to knock over- We are going out to Kenosha to have Thanksgiving dinner with Sarai's Fam today and I'm bringing my enzymes cause I'm gonna need um-

The Tukey Day Parade and Pie

So after waking up at 5:30 am, (you heard right!) We began making our own home traditions. From coffee cake to pies to bake! We are spending Thanksgiving together, and tomorrow we will meet with my side of the family. As we get those pies whipped up, and the Macy's day parade on the TV...we are excited to share our first snowfall, and holiday together. We send our love to Virginia....and know you have a space at our table if not in person then in our hearts!!

Happy Turkey Day

Happy, Happy Strudel coffee cake, Starbucks, Thanksgiving morning- Sarai and I woke at 5:30 this morning to go to the store and stock up on pie, cookies, buck's and coffee cake and now we're watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and baking pie- I Miss you all so much and wish you all the most wonderful day- Hugs and kisses!!

Our first snow

Sarai and I had our first snow tonight- It was that sticky snow that looks all fluffy and bright and turns icy by morning- We let Spike out for a minute but he's more mouse than cat so he ran back in- Apparently I'm in for alot of this white stuff so I'm baking more cookies-

What I do....

"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." - Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune 1955

Growing up I always heard the saying that youth is wasted on the youth. I get this now. Its not so much that its wasted as it is misdirected. As a youth worker I work with kids who are violently injured. Kids who feel they are victims feel powerless, feel trapped by circumstance. Trapped by the way things are in their lives. Very few feel they can change anything about this at all.

Thats where I step in. I work with kids who are dis-enchanted, and feel powerless about what they can change. The trick is not so much that they change what is happening around them, but to change who they are in reflection to what is around them.

The point to what I do is to help them with that, help them become more self aware of their own strengths and abilities. To support and help them sustain positivity in such a negative world they can live in. I can only help as much as they allow. Its a tough job, somedays it gets the better of me . Somedays I get a little overwhelmed by the tragedies that these kids go through and feel some what powerless to change anything. But then there are days like today where I know that I will be meeting with a group of about 20 girls who are all victims of violence in their life- Girls who by all means are statistics to their community. And I will show them someone cares enough to set some time aside to help them build themselves up. That its a long road to not become just another victim, but there is support along the way. Days like today make me very proud to see that everyone of these girls decided to do something to change their lives. Plant a seed and hopefully watch it grow.

Instinct

This is one of the sweetest images of any beast other than human I have ever come across. I have quite an affinity to primates. Watching them interact with each other is remarkable. They have an amazing soical network and customs very similar to our own. I find watching animals is as close as we get to really seeing instinct in tact without subtext- We are our memories and our experiences and with every moment we react with all of our learned traits as well as instinct. As humans we are both complex and simple. Both natural and learned.

The hand you deal

I don't believe in the the hand your dealt so much as the hand you deal- In an honest world we all know that (for the most part) we make our world what it is- We deal our own hand with the deck we're given and God gives us the deck- Follow?
Unless you are a magician and know which card will be drawn without looking, you should never let others choose for you- One of my favorite words is "CAREFUL"- To be careful with words and actions in life is to offer yourself the best result in all things- I have a hard time with this but I know I'm doing well over all at this point in my life because I can look around at the outer world and see goodness- The outer world is a reflection of our inner world- You could even call it the outer self- If you find your self in a warm home with love and a feeling of calm about you then your inner self is warm and loving and calm- This isn't always true but it can serve as truth to an honest person- I am very happy and I hope that you are too-

Holiday Folk and Fair

Well,
The holiday folk and fair event at the fair grounds was disappointing but we made it fun by being us- We ate Greek food, Thai food, Irish food and other stuff I can't remember- We watched dancers from many different countries preform on a big stage and bought some cultural junk just for fun- It was so crowded that we could barely move around and everything cost too much-

Svens's Cafe

Sven's is a little cafe on Kinickkinick ave. (the main thoroughfare through Bayview) where Sarai and I occasionally grab a bite to eat and or chi and coffee- It is cheep and really, really good- Soup and Sandwich! Kinickkinick is known as KK to all the locals and has art stores, music shops and trinket shops- It's alot like Carytown in Richmond, Va. , except much longer and it's 4 blocks off the waterfront-

Tatu

I've wanted to finish the fill in on all my existing tattoo outlines for over a year and Sarai and I are finally going to do something about it- This week we are purchasing a Tattoo Machine kit with everything we need to tattoo at home and Sarai will be filling in all my tattoos- We are also purchasing some practise synthetic skin so we can learn how before we begin- I will be so excited to have my art finished- If we get good at tattoo we may continue to tattoo each other for some time- Don't worry MOM and DAD, I wouldn't tattoo my face-

SODA

Sarai and I have a bad diet soda habit- Any diet soda will do- I couldn't find a picture of a monkey with a diet soda but this will do- I drink two or three a day and I think she is about the same- We also love coffee and chi tea but we would give them up before our diet soda-

Today was a work day around the house- The fall leaves have fallen and I was so happy to have a 60 degree day to rake- I also fixed the bathroom- Fall in Wisconsin is like winter in Virginia and winter I've heard is like the north pole if you ask a local they will tell you you are stupid for moving here from Virginia- What are they saying about themselves? Hahaha!

This is a video I took on our trip to Door County- Sarai and I love to travel about and explore whenever we get the chance- This was my favorite journey we've taken so far- The Edgewater Resort was so amazing- It may have been cold but the view was amazing!!!

Getting away

This is Door County Wisconsin- A major vacation spot for travelers and locals. Its comprised of charming little towns and fishing villages in the penninsula. Justin and I woke early friday morning and decided that a small little road trip was in order since it had been a stressful week and some R&R would be grand. We stayed at this beautiful Inn named Edgewater which was literally as close to the water that you can build. We rented a suite that had a small living room, kitchenette, fireplace, a king sized bedroom with jaquizzi- being off season, the place went for pretty cheap compared to seasonal prices. We relaxed and bundled up for walks, took some pics and just enjoyed each other and the views. Saturday we woke found the best breakfast, and went to all those charming little shops. Took our time getting back home and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery that is northern WI. Its nice to know that you never have to travel far to get away, but better than getting away for a while is the reminder of how much you love home!

No Celiac

Well,
I got my results on my blood test and I don't have Celiac Disease- But my Doctor doesn't think I have I.B.S. and so hopefully the biopsy will help him discover what is making my stomach so yuk! The good news is that if it turns out to be I.B.S. after all, my Doctor will be giving me one pill to replace all my others and I should be able to eat anything I want within reason- Quality of life should be improving soon- Soon I'll know for sure what has been wrong with me for all these years-

The eye of the beholder

I fell upon a creative photographic technique the other night while fooling' around in a restaurant with our digital camera- I'm sure Sarai was wondering what I was doing taking pictures of nothing- I can't wait to process all 30 photos, board and frame them for sale- Sometimes the simple accidents are the greatest creations- GO MAKE ART!

Milwauke Zooooooo!

Every Saturday is Justin day and every Sunday is Sarai day- We do what each other wants all day- For my day I wanted to go to the Milwaukee Zoo and take pictures- We had so much fun- Lions and tigers and Polar Bears oh snap- The Monkeys were our favorite so we took a video for our blog- If you look at the glass you will see our reflections- Just hit play and enjoy-

The real cable guy

AHHHHHH!
Yesterday the cable guy stopped by to hook up our wifi-internet and our d.v.r. cable- The guy was smelly, drunk and out of his mind- He hooked up the cable boxes but could not get the picture to appear on the T.V. - After calling someone on the phone it finally got fixed (an hour later)- Then the wireless didn't hook up and after 3 more hours of crazy, stinky,weird guy we kicked him out of the house and Sarai called the Cable company- And because Sarai is so smart, by the time I got back to the house with the take out food she had fixed what the cable guy couldn't figure out in 3 hours- I can fix anything with my hands and she can fix anything with her brains- We are a force to be reckoned with- Sometimes love is learned and sometimes it's a force of nature-

What Now??

It seems that I may have been on the wrong track with my other doctors all along- Never properly diagnosed and given the wrong treatment- Milwaukee Doctors are very on top of their game and my new G.I. Doc. is sure I have Celiac Disease which is a disease that causes all my symptoms from Seizures to Panic to stomach sickness- It's basically an allergy to Wheat Gluten or any other type of Gluten- Apparently all the medicines I take are bad for me and have been making me worse and if I simply eliminate Gluten from my diet I will be symptom free in 3 to 6 weeks- This may eliminate my seizures, my panic and my stomach issues- WOW!!! I always knew my Doctors were on the wrong track- I've been questioning them for years and they never mentioned Celiac once- Cross your fingers and say a prayer for me that I have Celiac Disease because this would mean no more pills, no more illness and the joy of vegetables- I have blood test and endoscopy to contend with until I know for sure-
P.S. - For now the job at Home Depot is on hold so I can get this under control-