BUYS

BUYS BUSYU SBYS SBUYSY BSUSYY BSYUY BUYS



Can't talk much. This is a whirlwind of a week. So much has happened, so much is happening, so much is going to happen.

I said I was going to talk about Valentine's Day this week. I can't though. It's a bummer. Maybe next week?

This last weekend, Mr. Dan Mitchell, Ms. Melanie Lott, Ms. Morgan McGannon, and myself headed to Simi Valley to celebrate the birthdays of my sibs Ms. Lacey Lott, Mr. Spencer Lott, and Mr. Connor Lott. Lacey turned 18. Unreal. Connor and Spencer turned 16. Unreal. If this keeps up, I'm turning 45 next week. It was a great weekend. Here's some pictures.

They went to Winter Formal. Happy birthday.

That's all the time I have for today! THIS LIFE IS WILD. Let me tell ya.




Look forward to something this week.

Tripz

I come to you again, still on winter break. 6 weeks. It's been long. I return to school tomorrow to begin the next semester of my college career and if I've learned anything from the last five, this one is going to be a rockin', surprise-filled, wild ride. There's no telling what kind of stuff will go down, the possibilities are endless. So for this reason, I'm excited to see what this semester will bring, amidst the changes, differences, and comfortability of last semester.

One of these changes is what you see above, a new car. Last semester, for the first time in college, a car went from being a "it would be nice to have, but I don't really need it" to a "woah, I'm tired of asking to borrow other people's cars." One of the primary goals of this winter break was to find a car and this 1995 VW Jetta did the trick. Let's hope it lasts a lifetime. I'm rooting for it.

Here's comes the weekend. Before our semester break started, I determined I wanted to head up the hill to Hume Lake at some point to visit one of the greatest spots on this planet. As the break continued and work was piling up, I quickly realized a trip could only happen near the end of the break, so I picked the weekend of January 20th to pack my bags and roadtrip it to Hume. The weekend of January 20th was this last weekend. So I have this new car, a car that I haven't yet driven 100 miles, and I'm going to trek across California, up a mountain, and into the snow. Talk about the ultimate test! I'll say it right now, it (name pending) performed like a champ. So I arrive at Hume Lake Christian Camps and feel like no time at all has passed. The drive, the atmosphere, the smells, the people were all so familiar, so close to home. I see this dude Mike Strand, a dude I haven't seen in 2 years, a dude I haven't seen walk since June of 2010, and it's like one day has passed. One of the first things we do is take a "Day in the Office" picture. Here it is:

Now, during the summer of 2010, Mr. Mike Strand started doing this "Day in the Office" series. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it pretty accurately described the nonsensical absurdity of our media office.  Here's the link to the facebook album (if you're FB friends with Mike): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428868824616.187989.508454616&type=3

And if not, I've included a few of my favorites below:

We had some fun.

So, snap back to the weekend of January 20th. After a fun reunion with the media peeps including, but not limited to, Mr. Karley Mase, Mr. Nathan Pearsey, Mr. Isaac Svensson, and Ms. Sarah Tuch, I found out that many a folk were going to be volunteering this weekend for winter camp because the Joshua class was heading to the Dominican Republic (I think?). Because of this, the Hume staff for the weekend included all sorts of different people, including, but not limited to, old friends Mr. Jonathan Blesse, Boomerang, Boone, Ms. Sierra Falco, Mr. Tony Farao, Ms. Bethany Fox, Mr. Michael Ottenad, Mr. Jonathan Parfitt, Mr. Johnathan Tompkins, Mr. Paul Quinn, Ms. Cheryl Velichko, Ms. Cheyenne Wedel, and Wagon Master Shep,

and new friends Mr. David Anderberg, Mr. Cameron Cadiz, sisters Ms. Sarah Goad and Ms. Chelsea Goad (who I found out some CRAZY, WILD, UNBELIEVABLE connections with), Mr. Kevin Griffith, Mr. Dan Mitchell, Ms. Bekah Newlin, Mr. Abe Saleh, and Mr. Jordan Sonerholm.      

Let's just call it a big ol' reunion.

Here's the summary:

Firefly  //  Contractors  //  testing paintball guns  //  shooting "stuff"  //  cleaning "stuff"  //  rain, lots and lots of rain  //  OK Chalet  //  rock wall  //  mechanical bull  //  getting JACKED on the mechanical bull  //  turning the mechanical bull into a bounce-house/obstacle/jungle-gym/tag-course  //  Contractors flood  //  waking up stupid sore and stupid tired  // snow, lots and lots of snow  //  recreation chapel  //  blast of a conversation with the Goad sisters  //  visit/get asked lots of questions/handed forms/become overwhelmed (and no, I did not take a nap) at the Snowboard Shack with Mr. Michael Ottenad  //  visit/watch/blizzard/freeze at the Screamer with Ms. Sierra Falco and Ms. Bekah Newlin  //  untangle, retangle, untangle Screamer rope  // defrost  //  learn paintball guns are incredibly complicated to fix  //  watch/film/experience Boxsled Blitz  //  cram six people into discarded sled and do our own blitz  //  test tube run  //  defrost  //  rock wall race  //  losing rock wall race  //  burning forearms  //  Mr. Paul Quinn's house  // ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS GAME of Redneck Life  //  Earl Bob (possible car name?)  //  divorced  //  11 kids - Jebidiah Joe, Cooter, 8 Darryl's, and a girl named Dale Jr.  //  18 teeth left  //  wipe/chip six inches of snow off my car  //  load up car  //  snap some photos  //  grub  //  sadly say goodbyes  //  begin the journey down the icy hill without chains  //  home

Amidst all this is the following: wet socks, cold hands, sniffling nose, biggest jacket I e'er wore, lots of laughter, lots of stories, and lots of memories.  Some of these experiences have been captured:


These experiences were captured by Ms. Sierra Falco and her camera:

Here's the wrap up video Mr. Isaac Svensson crafted:

Hume 2012 - Winter Camp Week 3 Wrap Up from Hume Lake on Vimeo.

And here's some pictures taken by yours truly:

All that to say, the weekend of January 20th was incredible and a great way to end the 6 week period we Biolan's know as semester break.  It was great seeing a folks I haven't seen for a LONG time, it was great seeing folks I haven't seen for a decent amount of time, and it was great seeing folks I haven't seen in as little as a few days. Hume Lake is quite the place, impossible to explain. There's just something about it. I was talking with my sister, Ms. Melanie Lott, about Hume and we came to the conclusion that it simply messes with your mind. It's another world up there and it honestly isn't that close to reality.  Crazy weekends, like the weekend of January 20th, happen and then are gone *POOF* like a surreal dream, 'cept it wasn't surreal, it was realreal.  Don't get me started if you spend a summer there.... Oof. You want proof? Check this blog post out: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-it-up.html.

Hume Lake's one of a kind and's got a special place in my heart and the heart of thousands.






So that was break. You got two blog posts, kinda summing up the break, kinda not really. It's that time again where I debate about continuing this whole Wednesday thing, continuing this blog that has been running for three years. It's a new semester and anything goes. We'll see what happens and right now, it's looking good.

It's been a great break and I want to thank everybody who made it what it was.



And finally,

I've got a video for you. This video has been cruising the web for about a week and it has captured the hearts of millions. LET'S OPEN UP THIS PIT.



She's got quite the career ahead of her. Maybe she'll end up in a band like our friends iwrestledabearonce:
















That's it, friends. That's the blog post for the end of January. Can't believe it's the end of January. Before long, it'll be the end of May, then the end of August, and then the end of January again.  It's going to fly and what's CRAZY is how much stuff is going to be crammed in these 365 days. So many good experiences, so many bad experiences, so many learning experiences, so many life experiences.

Buckle up because it's going to be a wild ride. Throw you're hands up too because it's going to be a blast.

Goes

What. A. WEEK.  Not sure where to start, what to say, what to do.

I guess I'll just run through a few things:

Thursday: On Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with the folks at Hume Lake Christian Camps down in Long Beach to produce a video highlighting the mission field right in your backyard.  We spoke with Pat and his wife who go out on the streets of Long Beach every Thursday and simply provide a place for the homeless to "hang out."  Pat provides coffee and various other treats and simply loves the homeless of his community, being a friend to the hopeless, displaying the love of Christ through his encounters.  It was a really interesting time and the video will be a fun one to work on.  Thanks Hume for having me!

Friday: On Friday, I went to Burbank with my pop to put money away for my retirement.  From what I've heard, it's a good thing (and practice) to get into.  I'm 20 now, growing up.  60 isn't all that far away.  Following? I don't know if you remember me talking about a particular website competition.  "The Crexendo Website Competition is an event in which individual students or teams of students compete to design, manage, and launch a fully functional website using the eCommerce Content Management System (CMS) software provided by Crexendo." - http://up.crexendo.com/biola

Biola University, the university I attend, allowed Crexendo to come in a sponsor a massive website contest.  Naturally, with a budding business building in Mawwiage Films, MF entered the contest, spent many many hours perfecting and allocating the webspace, and waited.  Friday was the awards ceremony held at the Immagination Summit at Biola.  I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this thing, I was hopeful, but couldn't pin it down.  I'll just cut to the chase: MAWWIAGEFILMS.COM won FIRST PLACE!  Not only bragging rights, but also a pretty hefty cash prize of $7500.  $7500?  $7500!  Here's the cool thing: because of this website and the adjoining competition, MF has put itself on the map, meaning investment is now required to improve our company, meaning the majority of the cash prize is going towards equipment, advertising , and other business like things.  The hope?  The investment will pay off in the long run.  CRAZYYYNESS.


Saturday: On Saturday, Mawwiage Films had the opportunity to capture the beautiful wedding of Mr. Adam Rivadeneyra and Ms. Karielle Saario.  It was a pleasure to be given the chance to record the events of this special day.  Are you ready for a tease?  SHOOT: 


Adam & Karielle: A Teaser from Mawwiage Films on Vimeo.

http://mawwiagefilms.com/​rivadeneyra

Get pumped for the finished product, we've got three coming your way!



GREAT story right here.


Mr. Isaac Svensson's laptop computer has a half-busted screen that he has dealt with for weeks/months (I don't know, I'd have to ask him).  Finally, it was time.  Mr. Svensson headed to the Apple Store to finally fix his frustration.  The way the Apple Store works, especially  with inquiries, is through appointment.  I believe it's called the Genius Bar (I don't know, I'd have to ask them)?  For whatever reason, Mr. Isaac Svensson, Mr. Kenny Becker, and Mr. Drew Eccleston (who had appointments as well) arrived late at the scene, too late to salvage their appointment times (I don't know why, I'd have to ask them).  I am relaying this story, so this is where it gets a little gray: something happened to where Mr. Becker received a new time, but Mr. Svensson did not.  Mr. Svensson then proceeds to speak with the Apple representative, explaining the situation, asking if there is anything he can do to pick up an appointment.  The rep proceeds to tell him there is little he can do, naturally.  So Mr. Svensson asks if the rep could at least call him if a appointment is cancelled or something opens up or anything else of that nature.  The rep agrees, so Mr. Svensson pulls out one of our Mawwiage Films business cards and hands it to the rep.  At this point, the rep reaches into his pocket and fumbles around in his wallet.  He laughs and pulls out of his wallet OUR BUSINESS CARD.  Turns out, this particular Apple representative was Mr. Louie Huesmann, the new rec guy for Hume Summer 2011, the same Mr. Heusmann who I had worked with in Long Beach the night before, the same Mr. Heusmann who I handed my business card to.  There are two people in the world who carry that business card around with them, and Mr. Louie Huesmann ran into both of them, separetly, in completely unique situations, having no idea Mr. Isaac Svensson and myself were affilated.  Perfect.

To end the story, Mr. Svensson's laptop computer is in the shop getting fixed.  Rockin.




And that's the post.  Some words!  That's a somewhat rarity!  Wow!


In other news, the year is ALMOST OVER.  Spring Break is next week, then it's just a few short weeks after that.   WHAT?






Have a brilliantly brilliant day.

The Shack

Good morning sunny California.  The sun's out and we're loving it.  Mr. Michael Warnecke said I worked at the surf shack.  I can take that.


Hey, so this week has been intense, super intense.  So intense, I'm not really going to get into it.  But here's the moral of the story: life is intense, it's going to be intense, might as well buckle up and enjoy the ride!  Sometimes there's bumps, you might get a bruise or two, but that's not going to stop this ride from flying around the next corner.  I guess you could call that a word of encouragement, maybe a few words of encouragement; it actually encouraged me, in fact.


So, I've got some exciting news: Mawwiage Films has officially entered the Crexendo website competition hosted by Biola.  They are looking at a whole lot of different factors, but, as a shameless plug, if you wouldn't mind spreading this guy around, that'd be awesome, especially to people who are looking at getting married.

Link: http://mawwiagefilms.com   
Los Angeles and Orange County Wedding Videography

Hey, and if you like what we do, if you've seen Mawwiage videos and enjoyed them, take a second and like our facebook page!  Click the banner below:

Mawwiage Films

Awesome.





So, the topic of Biola University the last few days to few weeks has been Mr. Justin Bieber.  A phatty rumor was started: Mr. Justin Bieber has applied to Biola University for the Fall 2011 semester.  All of a sudden, Mr. Justin Bieber was the talk to the campus; was it true, was it false, was it cool, was it incredible?  People tweeted, people facebooked, in one particular instance, a fake facebook profile was created for the singer in order for Biola people to become "friends" with the legend.  As I watched the internet meme form, I really wondered what could come of this.  If Mr. Justin Bieber actually did come to Biola, how would people react?  I would hope that people would treat him like a normal person, not flip out when they walk past him in the caf, say "What Up Justin" in passing.  This is what I would hope.  However, what I watched form on the internet was a ridiculous fanfare of posts, a surefire way to hestitate Mr. Bieber.  It got to the point where Mr. Bieber was said to be replacing the Eagle as the Biola mascot.  Now, if you were Mr. Justin Bieber and you saw someone post that about you and your potential future school, would you really deep down want to go there?  I can't say I would.  Maybe Mr. Bieber is different.  Either way, people around Biola bascially flipped and went NUTTY over this rumor.  It was the talk, it was the life.  I got asked 3,231 times by people who knew I worked in Admissions if I knew the real answer.  I told them I did, but I wasn't going to tell them the real answer, got to keep the rumor a rumor.  Earlier this week, the Chimes, the Biola newspaper, broke the story, Mr. Justin Bieber was in fact NOT coming to Biola, at least for next semester.  People reacted, but the rumor did not fizzle.  The next day, Mr. Andre Stephens, the head of Biola Admissions (my boss in a sense), received this:

Think what you want.



Biola caught Bieber Fever.  Mr. Justin Bieber, we would love to have you study here, just be warned, you're going to have an audience.  I have a theory though, once you step on to campus, everything will change.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.



I've got a video for you, it's a good time, a little drumming, took me straight back to winter drumline.  Sometimes I miss it. 













That's the post.  Got a little Bieber, got a little drumming, can't go wrong.  Fun stuff 101.



Have a great week, drink a strawberry-banana smoothie.