Stuffing Humans.

A Thanksgiving review.

Wake up, play video games, lose, play different video games, win.
Dad comes home, puts something on TV that i don't remember, I clean the house.
Find socks, Iron my shirt, teach myself how to tie a tie (took a half hour).
Go to Nana's house, eat loads of food, hide the pie (no one notices??).
Walk in the freezing cold with my aunt and the family friend to rent a movie.
Rent a lame movie.
Get a free big screen TV and park it in my Nana's garage.
Sing Glee songs.
Watch the lame movie. then watch lame comedy.
Go home. write a blog.. and here I am.

It was a nice Thanksgiving, smaller than the usual ones we have. We hung out at my Nana's house, ate a simple Thanksgiving dinner, and spent the rest of the night laughing.
You know, my family's been through hell and back, if i took the time to explain why i say that, you'd be here for hours. Instead, just take my word for it that we didn't always like each other. With that, I am thankful to see that, despite everything, we're still able to get together, in love, and have a happy Thanksgiving.

- There's a big screen TV outside, calling your name.

- Ernie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope it's filled with food and family, I know mine will be good, what about yours?

- Ernie.

I was thinking..

Do you guys remember, a long time ago, when those Native Americans blessed me? They brought me a blanket, with a wolf on it, and told me that in their culture, the wolf was seen as a blessing, because it would bring back the lost children to their village. They said God was calling me to be the wolf, and to bring back all his lost children.

I just made the connection between me becoming a youth leader, and that word.

Interesante.

- Ernie.

Turkeys and Hams.

What am I thankful for this year?

You know, Thanksgiving used to be food to me, food and giving your mom the standard answer of "my house, my family, and my friends" when she asked you what you were thankful for.

Of course, that's changed. So what am I actually thankful for this year?
Well, to start, This summer I got an internship working at my church. I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to get to know students from my role as a leader, as well as  being able to share my experiences with them, and learn from them as much as they've learned from me.
With that, I'm thankful to have been able to become closer to my sister Ciara, work with her, and gain a better understanding of who she is and what her likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses are.
I'm thankful to have gotten closer to my Auntie Sarah, gain patience and someone i know won't be afraid to ask me to do something.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to have worked with my sister Lindsey, to learn about myself, gain an understanding of why I do things, and also, just to have time well spent.

I'm thankful for the freedom to travel the nation, to see half of America up close and personal. I'm thankful for the new friends I made, and the family I made from some of them. I'm thankful to have been able to do things I may never be able to do again. I'm thankful for the wonder that is God's creation, and having the liberty to explore some of it's natural wonders.
I'm thankful to have been able to experience all that with my family, with little annoyance.

I am not thankful for Nebraska.

I'm thankful that people know they can rely on me, and ask me for help when they need someone to do something others don't want to do.

I'm thankful for my wonderful friends, who stick with me no matter what.

I'm thankful for my Amazing art teacher Vicki, for giving me opportunities to expand all my knowledge and skills, for showing me the extent (and potential) of my own talents, and being a generally fun person to be around. I'm also thankful for my other art teacher Miss Breanna, for making me check my angles.

I'm thankful for the Google team i was a part of during the beginning of this year, we may have lost the challenge, but it was a blast while it lasted.

I'm thankful for my teacher, for being understanding and not owning me.

I am thankful for my LIFE.

- "I own the key to the cave of wonders"

- Ernie.

Old men and roses.

I found out today (yesterday, now, because I'm posting this late) that my Tata's best friend passed away.
Chapo, I started thinking about him, we were never close, we never talked, he was just that guy that would sit next to my Tata, in the garage, watching nothing but the air. "Say hi to Chapo" my Tata would tell me, and I would, he was family.
He always wore slacks, a pair of dress shoes, a short sleeve button up shirt (the top 2-3 button were never buttoned) and his huge glasses, which, if you looked at him right, it'd seem as though Chapo had huge bug eyes.

Chapo had somewhat of a garden, or a flower bed at least. Roses grew, beautiful ones. I remember one occasion, when myself and my Tia lili (two and a half years older than myself) were playng hide and seek within the houses immediately surrounding my Nana and Tata's house. I'm not sure who we were hiding from, as it was just us two, perhaps we were on a secret mission?
Anyway, we continued playing throughout Elburg street, we noticed the wide range of flowers growing among the houses, and decided we should pick some for our mothers. We picked a few poppies, some other flowers which I don't remember, and set our eyes on Chapo's roses.

We were good kids ok? So we asked nicely at his doorstep if we could have some of his roses for our mother's, to our surprise, he said yes. He came out, cut us a few roses, and sent us on our way.
Chapo, I've realized, was that guy that would shake my hand, tell my Tata I was getting big, tease me, fix my scooter, and pull a coin straight out of my ear. He'll always hold a place in my childhood, that's for sure.

- "aie mijo, comoestas?" -Chapo

- Ernie

her lipstick was acid, my fingerprints were glowing.

Jess' dad told me that his daughter's lipstick was acid, that he'd scan her dress with infra red to pick out my finger prints, and that he'd cut my... ok.

Anyway, point taken Mr. T. point taken.

Last night I went to Homecoming with my friend Jess. It was fun :) and I still have my... so you know I didn't do anything bad.
Since I didn't know anyone there, i sat with a bunch of people I didn't know.. and Jess. Funny people, 3 other couples. Vivian and.. her date (i forgot his name, sorry guy!). Stacy? was it? and.. Daniel. i think. Then Shannon and Peter... i think.

Anyway. When we first got there, pulling up in the infamous 'Adventure Van', i realized this would be my first 'date', for lack of a better term. The few hours before had been filled with getting ready, waiting anxiously in her dad's man-cave watching a football game while she got ready (you'd think we were getting married or something), and most of all, pictures. I walked up to the entrance, emptied my pockets as requested (I worry about my friends in public school, seeing as his is mandatory), and proceeded (after getting through admission) to buy our pictures. For some reason, the group in front of us had the hardest time just BUYING THEIR FRIGGIN PICTURES.

It took 'em a whole 20 minutes, then they still had to be photographed, whatever.

We took our pictures, yay! I had a bit of fun with the photographer, learned something new. Then we found some seats, with the people i listed above. They were fun, a funny group. We all spilled water at least once, the girls had fun complaining about their dates while they were gone bringing them food.

The question I got asked most was: "did you guys dance?"

Well what's the point of going to a dance and not dancing? Yes, we danced, no, there was no slow dance [insert disappointed expression here]. There was just fast music, which we tried, and half succeeded at, dancing to.

Honestly, i had never seen so many people grinding on each other, as a girl at our table quoted it: "I see teens mating on the dance floor".
Well said.

With that, we were a bit weary of the dance floor. And mainly spent our time hanging out at the table, which was fine.

It was a good night, I have no regrets, and i got to take a beautiful girl (yeah i said it) to a dance.

- "Let me call all my cop friends and let 'em know where this place is" -Mr.T.
- Ernie.

HandSlap.

I was thinking the other day, about this book i had started reading earlier this year.

"The same stuff as stars"

I never finished it, and as far as i knew.. it was in my room. Well, I decided I wanted to start reading it again.. but then I couldn't find it. I searched high, i searched low, i searched through the mess that is my room, and not a single trace of it anywhere.
Anyway, half of that book belongs to Ian, so i better find it. In the meantime I'm reading a Starwars book, because deep down inside, I'm a big nerd, and I love Sci-Fi.

This is the truth people, and you must deal with it. Ernie Macias is a nerd who loves starwars, just like Izzy, so there.

But really, where is that book? It was getting really good, and then we went on our amazing road trip, and I haven't seen it since.

- it's always fun till you lose a really good book
- Ernie.