travis' brain dump

So much going on that my head feels like it’s spinning today. Kinda nice though. For the first time in a long while I’m on top of it. I’m trying to get a nice list of documents all written up and updated by tomorrow so I can get back to this project I was working on. It’s just a pain gathering docs from other people who are responsible for components that interact with your primary procedures and hope they don’t throw something in that will ruin the whole experience.

I think I said that the way I intended it to sound… LOL

On top of the work related stuff however, I’ve got a lot to do around my house… I made a list today and almost choked when I reviewed it. Everything from stuff related to the remodel down to normal maintenance and yard work. Owning a home is a pain, but fun none the less! It’s definitely enough to make one question the sanity of having taken on so many projects to complete at once. But I’ve got two weeks. That’s my goal. By the time Arwen’s birthday hits, I want to be caught up on everything around there… I know Jesse will be stoked I get that room he’s renting from me finished up…. at least it’s only finish sanding and painting on one wall and the doorway, lol. Sorry buddy, I know this was supposed to be done a while ago. 🙂

I’ve also gotta get some stuff lined out with my finances… it’s that time again… recap everything that’s out there and see what I can do to make life more tolerable in the bills department while continuing that path to debt freedom! :) This last round was a good one, so hopefully this next round will line me up for some good solid lines to the end of this pit I dug for myself. What a pain, but what do ya do!?

Anyway, back to work.

Well… I’m back. Honestly, that’s about all I can say seeing as how I’m left with this slight empty feeling being back here. I’m not sure if it’s just the fact I’m not in Mexico anymore or if it’s the loss of such wonderful company… I’m thinking both but more so the company though, but I only have to wait a few weeks for a fix there, lol. It’s not all negative, just that slight empty feeling… but that’s okay, there is much more happiness and hope than anything.

First I want to thank the Johnson’s again for having Arwen and I down. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for your hospitality and for making Arwen and I feel like part of the family. We both enjoyed ourselves very much. You are all truly amazing and I am blessed to know each and every one of you. I hope to see you all again soon as I’m already missing you guys very much. You guys rock! 🙂

– 

The rest of the trip was just as great as the first part, especially since I had no more run-ins with the law. LOL Later Saturday, after the whole events of the morning fun with the police, Amanda, Becca, myself and their parents went up to Casas to do some shopping. Again, glad that trip was in their car and not the policia’s!! While there I got to check out the market and see a little of the city and more of the countryside during the day. An amazing site if you ask me, I was quite taken with everything. I took some pictures that I’ll post up later in the photo gallery (http://travis.ginetx.net/gallery/v/tsarbin-album1/2007/). It was a lot of fun.

After we got back we just chilled out and watched a movie then went up to the hamburger stand to get some burgers and potatoes. SOOOO good. I wasn’t feeling that well, but you bet I still ate. haha. Nothing a little pepto and mind over nausea can’t handle! haha The rest of the night went pretty calm as we finished up the movie and ended up sitting up until around 1:30 in the morning talking. Sunday morning rolled around and we all headed over to church. I remember taking in views one last time and thinking to myself I would most definitely have to return one day. After church we headed over for a big dinner/lunch gathering and had some awesome food. It was good to see so many family members just visting, talking and interacting with them. Everyone was just so wondeful. Sadly, afterwards it was time to say goodbye and head back north.  I remember on the drive up thinking to myself how much I will most definitely miss that place and look forward to hopefully going back there in August if everything works out. I can’t wait.  

So, today at work, I don’t really have much on my list to do, just some mop up from the weekend. I sit here and reflect on the trip and everything that has come out of it. I have to say this has been one of the best weeks of my life and has helped me to realize a lot of things that I would have otherwise overlooked, especially where things like my family are concerned. I also have a whole new appreciation and hope for where mine is going and look forward to the future with much anticipation rather than fear and doubt. 😉

I probably won’t be making a lot of contact with people over the next day… still really tired and still taking some things in, so don’t take it personal.

I got my license back… and it only cost me my soul… ROFL!

Actually I’m sure that good ole Uncle Greer will be calling in that marker one day and when he does, I better be prepared to do whatever it takes. LOL

I’m stoked right now… Oddly, despite the incident this morning I was still pretty cool and having a great time.. this makes for an AWESOME vacation story I tell ya. *whew*

Anyway, update complete… time to get back to the fun! yay!

Among the things you don’t want to hear in Mexico is ‘ Es La Policia! ‘ — kinda like hearing ‘ Es La Migra ‘ in the US. 🙂 (jk kids, i’m not messing around here)

So …. I almost took a trip to a Mexican jail today… woo! I was out riding on the four-wheeler with Ali today and we were having a grand ole time while Mandy and Becca were getting some lunch over at Elmer’s when upon our return we see a police truck pulling out on the road… he motions to me to slow down a bit, but then decides to follow me… we rolled up into Elmer’s with the truck on our six. Ali looks back and says ‘ uh oh, they’re following us ‘ and I start thinking to myself ‘ oh this is going to be fun. ‘ — I pull up by Becca and Mandy and we’re sitting there waiting on the cop to come over. He greets me, shakes my hand and motions for me to get off. I walk with him back towards the truck and they start speaking to me in Spanish… I of course replied ‘ no hablamos mucho espanol ‘ and he keeps talking… I shrug and say it again followed with ‘ hablamos un poco. no se ‘ ( i speak a little, i don’t know) He makes some motions and points down to the bottom of the hill where I had done a donut and asks if I had done that… I replied ‘ Si ‘ -I wasn’t going to lie… About then he motions for me to get in the truck and I look over at Mandy and Becca and say ‘ uhh help!? ‘ They start walking over and I see Elmer go in the back of the burrito stand – later knowing he was going to call Greer. (Mandy, Ali and Becca’s uncle)

By this point in time, I’m thinking to myself if I should be sizing them up for some combat, lol… there was no way I was going to jail. I find out Greer is on his way up and I look at the cops and say ‘ un momento por favor ‘ and the cop nods to me. We wait… Greer pulls up and I can’t express how extremely happy I was to see him. I don’t think I could have felt any happier at that moment… he motioned for me to come over by him. I’m standing outside his truck while he’s talking to the police and contemplating my fate. He talks to them for a few, asks me some questions and evidently I wasn’t in trouble for doing the donut at the bottom of the hill, but was mistaken for doing donuts in a park… wha!? I promptly expressed there was no way I was doing donuts in the park (which Greer later investigated and it was a truck, not a four-wheeler) …. By now I’m starting to relax a little bit and Greer tells me to give them my license. I comply of course and then Greer looks over towards Mandy and Becca and said ‘ hey, you may wanna come give him a kiss goodbye, they wanna take him up to casas ‘ — Inside I’m paniced, lol … I’m all trippin out. Part of me honestly was laughing about this whole thing but the other part was all ‘ I’m gonna have to beat someone down, I know it ‘ — I was scared… Mandy walks over and asks Greer ‘ are you serious? ‘  – he nods and I turn towards him with a total look of fear on my face… he makes a slight twitch and smile which lets me know he’s kidding, but I think I seriously needed to change my shorts by now… Greer continues to give Mandy a hard time for another minute then says ‘ no, get out of here … i’ll get his license back later ‘ lol

Man you didn’t have to tell me twice… I turned around and started walking away with everyone else right behind me… Becca got on the four-wheeler with Arwen and took her back to the house and Ali, Mandy and I started walking…. there was no way I was getting back on that thing with those cops around. LOL The cops left and passed us, then Greer pulls up asking if we want a ride… I don’t think he even got the question out of his mouth before we were piling in the truck. I seriously don’t think I could have any more love for someone in my entire life than I did for Greer at that moment in time. I owe him. BIG. Wow…

So yeah, we get back to good ole Casa de Johnson and as the adrenalin left me, so did my desire to eat and think… I just wanted to collapse. I still don’t have my license back, but I trust Greer will secure it later. It’s a good thing I don’t need it to leave the country… *grin* backup documentation baby! I’m set! lol

So yeah, excitement for the day… the funny thing was everyone in the town was ready to go to bat to help me out. Huge shout to Elmer for calling Greer up and to the random folks who were involving themselves in my aide. I love this place, but I’ll never drive a four-wheeler here again. HAHA.