2007 Holidays
When it comes to the winter Holidays the Centellas family has always had some quirks and things that made us different. I know Heather would always laugh cause we would pick a date for "Centellas Family Christmas" usually a few days before or after the actual date. With Andres in DE and Miguel in PA and my parents on the bottom half of the globe this year there was no Centellas Family Christmas Spectacular. My mom was very sad about it, but it of course is the not the first time the family was not all together during the holidays. In 2003 Miguel and I were in Bolivia, 2004 my parents were in Bolivia on a mission trip, in 2005 I was in Chicago... so we rarely are all together for the holiday and I for one am okay with the fact that we just called each other and mailed gifts. I mean the season is about more then just having dinner together as a family and opening presents... its about love and peace and goodwill on Earth right? And we can do that on different corners of the country or even world.

So what all exactly did happen for my winter holidays? Lets do the usually travel recap.

Well for my avid readers my surgery went well. I recovered much faster then I was supposed to which was good. I still had cabin fever as I didn't leave my house for over a week. I was clearly stir crazy, and while the vicodin helped me nap away my boredom I still felt trapped. Heather was a very gracious nurse and took excellent care of me so I had that to be thankful for this holiday season.

The weekend before Christmas I had Novali. Heather drove to meet Tamara and Syed and brought Novi to Albion. We had a fun weekend together and I finally left the house! We did a ton of shopping and Novali as always was hilarious with her antics as we shopped for everyone. I won't recap everything here in the blog, but please check out the pics from her Christmas with Papi in Michigan. Novi's Pics

Sunday we open presents and then took Novali and met with Tamara and Syed. Heather and I relaxed that night and prepared for a trip to her hometown, lovely Bad Axe, MI. Monday morning we went up there and spent much time driving to see her family in Flint, and meet up with Raquel and friends of ours in Saginaw.

Christmas Day we went to Flint to visit Heather's family, but before hand we swung by and saw Raquel and Dennis and the girls. Ayanna now is walking around and Valerie is funnier then ever. We opened a few gifts and then called my parents. Everyone including Valerie talked to them and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. I talked to both my Brothers as well and the Centellas family though miles apart celebrated a Merry Christmas together. Then it was off to Flint to make some rounds with Heather's family and that as always was a lot of fun.

The rest of the week include driving from here to there... to Saginaw, to Ann Arbor, to Detroit, to Bay City... it was a whirlwind of visits with friends and family and enjoying out time off. I got over to Sterling Heights to visit Hermen, to Grosse Point for the Baker Family Xmas (my friend Megan), to Saginaw for shopping and visits with friends and sushi with Raquel and Ayanna. It was a great time!

For New Years Heather has the wedding of a friend we are attending. I am interested to see how a New Years wedding goes, looking forward to the excitement. I think its a novel idea. Then it will be back home and back to work for us... BOO.

Well that was my holiday in a nutshell... my parents arrive in three weeks and more winter fun is on its way! ciao.

Basketball on Ice
I made a last minute trip to Chicago this weekend. Friday I worked late closing the residence halls cause the students are GONE! Yeah... good times.

Saturday I came to Chicago. Just spent the day hanging out in their apartment. At one point Novi showed me out the window the United Center and how she went there to see Finding Nemo on Ice. I told her that was cool, and asked her if she knew that the Bulls play basketball there, her reply, "No, really? They can't play basketball on ice!" I was laughing too hard to try to explain to her how they cover the ice for other events.

We had a fun weekend. Sunday morning it was a short cooking lesson. Yes folks... I know how to cook, I rarely do it, but I do know how. Novali likes french toast and I told her sometime I would show her how to cook them. So we got up and prepped the kitchen. She also wanted a hard boiled egg like her abuela makes. Tamara helped by looking up directions and then we got to cooking. Novali and I make a good team. We made some french toast and hard boiled eggs, not the most common combo but she ate it all and was happy.

Sunday afternoon after lounging around the house we went shopping. Got some gifts for people at Target (Novi's favorite store) and then got some Puerto Rican food. After a feast of tostones, polo frito and arroz con gandules we went to Pets Smart. All her fish died this fall, so I wanted to score her some more fish, we start with just one. He is named after her past fish called Sky, so he of course is Sky 2.

Sunday night we chilled at the house, I watched a little football, made some dinner and got her ready for bed.

Monday I took her to school. I like getting to drop her off. I took the day off so I could take her to school, then drive to Michigan for my afternoon doctors appointment so not totally a vacation day but a break none-the-less.

The Doctor... well I have held off on posting it publicly for too many people but now I have to let everyone know. Tomorrow (Friday December 14th) I am having surgery on my back. I don't care to get into all of the details (its in the tailbone area) for my few faithful readers but it will knock me out for a few days. Anything on the back is hard and I am not looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to less back pain in the long run. So wish me luck in a speedy recovery, more so wish Heather luck as she will have to take care of me.

I apologize this week for not getting back with everyone. Preparing for surgery, wrapping up work projects, fraternity projects and everything else to be out of it for a while was hard work. I tried to cram in gift shopping, never even got cards sent and now its the night before... I guess my attempt to break my no-card steak failed. Argh... hopefully I will heal quickly so I can get on with some shopping.

You Know What
Tuesday night Heather and I picked up Novali. First thing in the car... "you know what? my mami is allergic to cats." Then some "you know what I did at school today... you know that this..." Its funny how quickly a stressful day at work melts away when I am around her and the boisterous ramblings of a six year old. this was the beginning of the perfect holiday trip.

Tuesday we spent at a hotel near O'hare. We had an early Wednesday flight (to beat the rush) so a local hotel with a free shuttle would save us a lot of hassle. It worked... we woke up early, got breakfast, and took the shuttle to the airport. Novali was great and carried her own bag and didn't fuss through security. We boarded the plane and she wasn't scared and sat by the window. It was a great flight, she listened to music and besides a little ear ache on the way down things went smoothly.

Andres got us from the airport and we headed to his home in Wilmington, DE. His condo is very cute and I think its sponsored by IKEA and Archer Farms. He grows fresh herbs in the summer on his patio and complained of the lack of fresh herbs now that the seasons changed... I who rarely cook with anything besides my foreman grill did not sympathize much. His two cats Mona and Pumpkin of course were the center of attention for Novali. We enjoyed a walk around Wilmington with him and Saloumeh and rented some movies. It was a relaxing night of movie time, coffee, and good conversation.

Thursday we slept in... after the 5:45am wake up call the day before to catch our flight we needed the sleep. Andres and Saloumeh got up early to cook the Turducken... thats right folks... we had the fabled thanksgiving bird... turducken. Miguel, Kate and Kate's Brother Chris came as well so it was a full house. We spent the day playing games, catching up, and checking on the bird. We called the Coates grandparents, talked to our parents and had a nice chat with Raquel as well. Did I mention we checked on the bird a lot?

Dinner was great! The bird(s) made the day and Andres and Saloumeh are great hosts and cooks so it was a feast to remember. We were up a little late, read all the black friday sales and relaxed.

Friday we woke up early. Andres went with me to Sears as I wanted to land some great deals on tools. Who woulda thought I would get up early for a Craftsman sale! So at 6am we hit Sears, then got home and woke everyone and by about 8am we were headed to DC. A quick ride up and we hit DC. We checked in early at the Hilton, and Andres used the digital direction service to print directions to the museums. Well we get in the car, he hands me the directions to read them... I ask him, had you looked at these yet? He said no... so I read them out loud. Basically it said... don't drive downtown, parking is too hard, take the metro. At this point we were already half way there to we looped around a few times and finally made it into DC. It was a scenic tour none the less.

My fraternity Brother Alex met us downtown and it was a ton of fun. He was a close Brother to me in college and we kinda lost touch. I had not seen him in years and aside from birthdays and holidays don't talk a ton. He was a big inspiration for me in college so I was glad to get to introduce him to more of my family.

We enjoyed the museums, the great food (Tapas for lunch, Chinese for dinner) and walking around the sites. They dropped us off at the hotel and we repacked the bags and got ready for bed. The flight back was easy... we enjoyed some breakfast and a slightly later flight this time. We got to Chicago and traffic was chill, I was so glad I picked the dates we travel cause it worked out really well. Heather and I did some shopping before heading home... and that was the holiday.

Pictures are posted: Novi's Pics

Tomorrow I leave for Cincinnati for 5 days for a conference. Looking forward to connecting with a lot of friends and doing some more professional networking. I will have a several fraternity Brothers there and very much looking forward to having more Betas in Higher Education and more specifically another one in Greek Life (I was the first and only so far). Ciao.

Its a Wrap
Alright folks... yes my blog has been a little stagnant. I am assuming that is why no one comments anymore... no one is reading my stuff or checking out little Novi in her cute Angel costume. Thats alright... I guess maybe I need to get back into writing on my blog cause its fun for me.

So what has been going on in Sam's life you might wonder? Actually you more then likely aren't interested but I am going to share anyways.

Professionally... I have decided that I need to separate my professional life with Albion, and then my Greek Life career in different categories.

At Albion it is business as usual, I once again have new responsibilities I am learning and I love working the students. Our Greeks are off too a banner year. We raised to date over $25,000 for the St. Jude Children's Hospital, our service hours are up, and we handled some serious issues very well. I have been impressed by the maturity my students have shown this year and I like to think I had something to do with it.

In Greek Life in general... AWESOME. I did twice as many speaking engagements this year then ever and I think I am poised for a banner 2008 year. I was appointed as a founding board member for the new "Hazing Prevention.org" Board of Directors (I have now serve(d) on four different boards). Our first meeting will be in a couple weeks and I am excited. I was named my fraternity's national representative to the NIC and NALFO Board of Directors. I was asked by CAMPUSPEAK (largest Greek Life speaker agency) to be a facilitator of their new Intake Equation program which could mean even more consulting for me (PR and Press Materials coming soon). I had an narrative article I wrote published in the national hazing prevention week book. Finally... the biggest news... I was unanimously elected the new International President of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. Our president stepped down for personal reasons and created this opportunity for me. I have now attained the highest elected position in my fraternity. WOW. Who woulda thought...

Personally... lots of good things happening so let me give some updates.

Novali... is in first grade, she reads all the time and books I think are above her level. She does well in her classes and pretty much gets all As. This fall despite more traveling and weekend work I managed to see her every other weekend with only one exception... but that is because this upcoming week we are heading to the East coast (on a plane!) for Thanksgiving with my brothers and Heather. Even thought I don't get her all the time the list of her "firsts" in life (riding a plane, water park slide, fishing, ride a boat, flying a kite, ice skating, etc.) with her Papi are pretty long and I am proud of that point.

My Family... this is hard as my only close family member is my sister now. My Brothers live on the East coast and my parents are in Bolivia. I was good earlier this fall making a few trips to Saginaw to visit with Kelly, her girls and Dennis. I will spend a lot of time over the holidays up there with them in December. My mom blogs more then I do lately which is a great way to keep in touch... cause the Verizon bills when I call are killin' me!

Heather... twice she has mentioned learning how to drive stick, I figure at least that means she is thinking about trying to learn. Now when she actually gets behind the wheel again to try we will see. She turned 28 years old and bought her first car all on her own (cool VW Jetta). We got to spend most of my Novali weekends together and she is great with Novi. She is busy working with her sorority chapter at WMU and her patience with that group is impressive. I wish our schedules were closer synced so we could spend more time together.

Team PLP... I think my car racing helped keep my life in balance this year. It is a good way to give my mind a break from work and my fraternity activities. I get to shop for car parts, bid on eBay, plan out my next race (hopefully I get the date right) and man the rush of driving my car on the track this year was phenomenal. Can't wait for the 08 season.

Well thats the comprehensive Sam update. For those who still read this... I will be trying to post more and just some general thoughts and ramblings of the Centellas family middle boy.

Happy Halloween

Sorry for the lack of writing. It has been a busy time at work and lots of traveling. Enjoy this pic of Novali Trick-or-Treating last night. This is the first photo I have posted since her new hair cut. She cut off 10 inches and donated it to locks of love. With the Christmas gifts we bought for charities last year (which we will do again this year) and this donation she is turning into quite the little philanthropist! So an update from me... life is fantastic right now to be honest. I have a Thanksgiving trip planned with Heather and Novali to visit my brothers out East, my parents scheduled their trip to the states in the spring, and some exciting things are coming down the line for me personally, professionally and fraternally. I will try to blog a little more so my mom won't get so worried about how I am doing...

On the Road Again
I am starting my busy travel season now... I know you are thinking hasn't he been traveling a lot? Well that is just around Michigan and Chicago and hanging out with Novali. Now I am traveling for work.

This past weekend I was in Kansas where I spoke at the University of Kansas (KU) for their Greek Endeavor. I did my Handsigns-Stepping program and then helped with their new member retreat and did a follow up program on Greek principles and leadership. It was fun and I also got to chat with some of Brothers there and my one Brother who heads up the National Latino Greek Leadership Conference (NLGLC). I am trying to get more involved in that conference and really want to see that grow and be successful.

I was in Albion briefly, wrapped up Homecoming items from last week (I missed Homecoming weekend) and from Sigma Chi Derby Days. Tuesday night I flew to Ontario, California where I am was the Hazing Prevention Week keynote speaker at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). I was excited to be on the road and doing more speaking but UCR booked me for two speeches back to back. One to the Greeks and one to their sports teams so it will be a busy day. So it was hard once again prepping for two programs at one campus.

I returned on Thursday night, worked on Friday and then went and got Novali. Andres was in Lansing for an event with his fraternity so good timing I had Novali! We met up on Saturday after for a late lunch and just time to relax. Luckily Raquel and family came as well so it was a big fiesta at Chuck E Cheese! We stayed for like 4 hours, played games, ate pizza, caught up, more games, took photos, ate some hot wings, called my parents and just enjoyed a relaxing afternoon together.

In the upcoming weeks I have two board meetings (luckily one in Detroit), a conference in Detroit, one in Cincinnati, my trip to Philly to see my Brothers for Thanksgiving, and then potentially a trip to New Orleans... I like life on the road so don't worry about me.

I have been updating some websites. Mostly new photos, check them out.

Team PLP: I finally raced on the Gingerman Raceway near Kalamazoo. Tons of fun and one of my friends out there got a few pics for me. Gingerman Pics

Novali: I uploaded a new page of pictures from all the different events we did her last few visits. We have had some fun filled weekends. Novi's Pics

OutSight: I put a few things on my site. Nothing fancy yet but each year I increase the business more and more and am beginning to plan the future of my little start-up business. More coming soon.OutSight Consulting

Harold Coates
I was asked by my grandmother to write a favorite story or memory of my grandpa for his birthday (9/20). So I wrote something and thought I would post it here on my blog.

Grandpa,
I was asked to write about my fondest memory of grandpa... wow to pick just one experience that really sticks out is hard. I look back at times at the lake learning to clean fish or more importantly how to clean a catfish, or recently when at a car race you asked me about corner balanced tire pressures... I am reminded that Grandpa knows everything and I need to stop being surprised each time he proves it to me again.

So one of the times when I learned a lot was the trip we took to Michigan Tech when I was in middle school. I helped navigate the journey, back up the camper, level the RV, start fires, cook outdoors, and it might of been one of the first times I changed time zones (in lovely Wisconsin). All the while you taught me about the road and to just enjoying being around the people you love. We had a fun trip, saw a lot of sites, and I still fondly look at those photos. It is the little things that you taught me on the trip that I remember. How to tip a bad waitress, haggle with a store owner for an expired coupon, to remember to say your prayers at night, and how to get the campsite to move you to a better location just by asking the right way.

Some of those lessons people wouldn't consider a big deal. But if you think about if I remember them all more then 10 years later it was clearly an important lesson. Aside from on just that trip you taught me so many things about life that I use on a daily basis. I wanted to take the time to write this note and say thank you and that I remember all the things you taught me, even if I am not always walking the right path... I am thinking about it and trying my best to be like my grandpa.

Thanks Grandpa. Love,

Sam

Busy Birthday
What other type of birthday weekend would I want besides a jam packed weekend? This weekend was spent driving all over the state, racing cars, playing with Novali and hanging out with Heather... good times.

The weekend started on Thursday night when Heather and I went and got Novali. Heather was able to get Friday off so we got Novali early. Friday they came to my office, Heather did Novi's nails, and they hungout and waited for me too get off of work. That evening we drove to Grand Rapids and what was the first thing Novali wanted to do? Thats right... BDubs! We spent the night blowing up the free balloons from Buffalo Wild Wings and eating wings. Life doesn't get much better for a Friday night.

Saturday I had a driving school at Grattan Raceway. It is called a "Professional Driving Experience" (PDX), and no mom it wasn't a driving school cause I got too many tickets again... ha. Man the PDX blew me away... I basically got four sets of 20 minutes of track time. I had a national driver as my coach and he rode with me giving me tips, and even drove my car on the track. Near the end of the day I was going pretty fast and lapping all the cars in my group. I was impressed at how the SpecV performed and man I really wish I had more money to spend improving my car now!

Click HERE for more pics.

Saturday back at the hotel Heather and Novali were tired from shopping and running around Grand Rapids while I raced. We hit up the pool at the Hilton and I enjoyed the hot tub. Racing for 20 minutes is a lot harder then it sounds... I was sore and needed the hot tub. We worked on Novali's swimming a little and she is slowly getting better but still not swimming. Soon enough.

Sunday was nice and relaxing. We slept in and then had an all Centellas family web chat. Andres, Raquel, Miguel and my parents all talked. After the chat we made it down to the Hilton Sunday brunch... man I want to go back each week! They had salmon, chicken marsala, roast beef, shrimp, bacon... my mouth is watering again thinking about it. We packed up and went home to Jackson. In Jackson we got some slurpees and went to the Cascades Park and she played on the playground, we walked over to their pond and watched ducks, saw some goldfish in the pond and just relaxed outside. Then we went over to Ella Sharp Park for 18 Holes of Mini Golf. Great day, time for bed.

Monday we had to get up early to take Novi back to Tamara. Her and Heather planned a little morning B-Day surprise. Novi really wanted to get me flowers so they got up early and went and got me some. Very nice. We enjoyed some Trix cereal, I opened my gifts and we packed Novi up.

Click HERE for more pics.

After meeting up with Tamara and Syed we headed home. We made a few fun stops. We stopped at the Round Barn Winery and then the St. Julians wine outlets... for some wine tasting and a few new bottles. Then we stopped at a Don Pablo's for a huge birthday meal with dessert and everything. It was a great birthday... now tomorrow its back to work. Argh.

The Loud Storm
Thursday night in Albion was an adventure. Heather came over because Jackson lost power. A huge storm ripped through our area. Several tornados touched down around the state, many areas are still without power (going on 3rd day now), and tons of downed trees, flooding... nuts.

Half of Albion lost power but somehow my place was fine. I took a few pictures of some downed trees and a special accident on campus.

Huge tree cracked right in half near my apartment.

The tree fell against one of my fraternity homes but no major damage. Big tree in front of another fraternity fell and took out some power lines. Tree was maybe 6 or 7 feet around. In case you could not see it in the previous pic... yes that tree crushed a car! (no one was hurt) Well this weekend was an adventure. Friday I had a wedding with my friend Megan. It was a friend of ours from college, and at the wedding we caught up with a lot of friends from WMU. Well one of them went to high school with Heather, small world. I finally got to talk to my brother Andres and wish him a happy birthday. He just started a new job and life for him is going well. Saturday Heather and I went to Detroit to meet up with her friend Erica and see her baby Mason. We got there early so I washed the car and took a few shots of the new wheels. I am excited, I got a killer deal on them and they not only will be good race wheels, but they look nice as well. I found a cool spot on the Detroit Mercy campus for some pics. Cleaned and shined awaiting their first race. Sunday we went to Ypsilanti for race. This was my first race with the Detroit SCCA group. It was a much larger event then I am used to and much more competitive cars/drivers. There were nearly 200 cars for the event and I was honestly very worried about how I would fare. I was facing 12 cars in my class... one of my biggest groups ever. It was a long fact course which is something I am not used to, Furrin events are usually short and tight. We got four runs and some exciting things happened... after the first run I landed smack dab in second place! Not too bad as usually I am toward the middle/bottom and crawl up spots during an event. After the second run BAM... I was in first place by nearly a whole second! This was the first time I was ever in first. The third run came and I got slower, but my first place time still held up. Fourth I improved over my 3rd run but still did not improve my best time... and unfortunately one of the other guys did improve and over took my time... so I ended in 2nd place. Still a great outing, and still a ton of fun! I can't wait to do more racing. It was a long fast course in Ypsilanti, MI. After the race a quick pic with the SpecV. My trophy, a nice drinking glass. So that was my weekend. It was a nice relaxing weekend with unfortunately a lot of driving again, but what else is new right? This week is mega busy at work, gonna be a few long nights but after that hopefully things will level out. We will see...

Finally
During my busy week I need to find some time to relax and enjoy life. This week I got my new wheels. I am pumped to see how they handle and this weekend I will break them in properly. I got a set of Flik Wasp Wheels in 17x7 with a 42mm offset. Mounted on them are 215/45R17 Falken Azenis Rt615 which are the best street AutoX tires.



I got a sweet deal on the set up. After this weekend I will post how they handle. I made it through my three busiest days of the week, two more to go and its the weekend!

Tomorrow
Tomorrow is a big day...

1. My new rims and tires for my car come in. Now I will really be ready to race.
2. I will officially be a diamond Hilton member... let the perks roll!
3. School starts at Albion... no stopping it now, my busy season hits full swing (and I thought last week was bad).

This weekend was fun. On Friday I went to Michigan City and had Novali. Friday night we did our fun Mich City BDubs run (she loves BDubs!). Saturday despite the weather we made it to the beach, an art show and once the rain was really pouring down we went shoe shopping at the mall (she needed school shoes). Here are a few fun pics from our short busy time together:

Upon arrival we colored and played before dinner at Bdubs.

Sleeping... look closely... no Nono.

We woke up in the morning and set up her email account.

She got addicted to it already... sitting and waiting for replies to come in.

Despite the rain we went to the beach.

A little lady bug on our sandcastle.

A little rain didn't slow us down.

Some jump rope...

Then we went to a Art Festival on the Lake.

She liked the mosaic projects, this was done on top of a dresser.

Large iron butterflies.

I bought her these little butterfly earings.

I also got some good news over the weekend. My car club (www.furrin.org) posted the final results of my race at MSU from the weekend before last. The final results are put through a tire index that changes times based on the type of tire class you run. Well in raw time for my class I was 4th out of nine cars, but with tire index, over all 63 cars at the event I was 11th! Wow... now I am pumped to see how I do on my new tires!

Lots of exciting Centellas family news right now. Miguel and Kate will be having a little boy, so the Centellas heir will be born soon. Andres accepted a new job and will be working for a bank, hopefully he will blog and put out more details for the world soon, and Novali has an email address. Good times.

That Time of Year
August 6th was the Bolivian Independence Day, the birthday of my good friend and Fraternity Brother Hermen Diaz, and the kick off to my busy season here at work. From here on out its 10+ hour days, working weekends, and answering a myriad of phone calls and angry emails from parents and students alike.

My mom wrote a cool blog about the Bolivia holiday and I recommend reading Reflections on the Parada Militar. I really do wish that someone soon I can be in Bolivia for the holiday, I think it must be more then 20 years since I have been in Bolivia for the event.

I want to apologize to those for the next 2-4 weeks who I might forget to call back, or just be too busy to call. Yesterday was a prime example of my new busy life... I worked from 8:30 AM to about 6:45 PM... had dinner with Heather and Jennifer and then did about an hour's worth of work at home that I needed done before the morning. At 1:30AM I got an emergency call about a gas leak at one of my sorority lodges. Today I started again right at 8:30 AM (very tired) and worked until a little past 5. I ran some quick errands and then I spent a little over 2 hours on paperwork for Albion that I need done before returning to work in the morning. Its only going to get busier right now...

Amidst the busy times I do find some time to relax of course. This weekend has been a long time planned retreat/meeting for my chapter. Some alums and undergrads are getting together to try and get the chapter back on track. Saturday after the retreat I am hoping to catch a quick race, and then a fraternity BBQ. Busy busy... then back to Albion and back to grind.

My phone just rang... I have to run to campus to one of my fraternity houses. Off I go, Ciao.

Team PLP back in business!
This weekend was an Autocross in Kalamazoo. It was sponsored by the West Michigan Region of the Sports Car Club of America. Luckily the day before the race I finalized the deal to put me behind the wheel of a 2002 Nissan SE-R SpecV which is a great AutoX car. It will be my first real dedicated race project and I am excited at all the future options this opens up for me not having to worry about driving my race car to work everyday (plus saves the miles on it). Maybe the future will mean sponsorships, big motor swaps, and some full car to car race track opportunities... who knows what the future holds for the little car and Team Parking Lot Performance (PLP).

Well the past held a great opening event for the car. I was able to take Novali and it was an exciting feeling with my new car. In my heat was only four cars, but some fast machines. I had two Subaru Impreza 2.5RSs, and a Mini Cooper Sport. The cars all had well seasoned drivers so I went into the event with no pressure... just to get the feel of my new car (plus I was on cheap dealership tires). Well we all kept the race tight and all four of us were within 1 second from 1st to 4th... and to my surprise I took second! I was only behind by two tenths of a second from first! Wow... I was surprised that I took the Mini, he must of been having a bad day.



I am hoping once I get some solid performance tires on her she will do even better. The plan is to save money and save for some big mods in the future for the car. In my perfect world I would do a VQ Swap, build a rollcage, and take this baby to real tracks... but that is several years down the road. The future looks bright for Team PLP.

Novali had fun... didn't barely watch the race but made tons of friends with the other kids of racers at the course. She got dirty, collected some rocks, and ran all over. Good times.

I posted some photos of the SpecV. Check her out: SE-R SpecV

Vacation Pictures/Video
I finally got to post the pictures from my summer vacation with Novali. I also wanted to post a cute video of Novali fishing off the dock at Pratt Lake in Gladwin.

Click Here for Pics: Novi's Pics

View the video below:



Hope you enjoyed it! I sure did! Ciao.

Summer Vacation
Its been a long year with work, consulting, travel, conferences, and everything else life throws at you. I have managed to have some fun and still saved up some vacation days for this summer. Well the time came, my parents came in from Bolivia, Miguel & Kate were coming for Miguel's graduation, and Andres was coming to Michigan as well.

I went and got Novali from Chicago on Wednesday (6/28) and brought her back the following day. The vacation started. Thursday was a relaxing day, I took her into work with me for a little bit and we waited for Miguel and Kate to arrive. They were coming in early fresh off their trip to Bolivia. That night we relaxed and Novali hung out with her new friend Hannah (the niece of my friend Jennifer).

Friday started with a quick breakfast. Then Miguel and Kate went to Kzoo, and Novi and I went with Hannah and her family to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. It was a ton of fun and great little zoo. They had a nice Africa exhibit and we had a great time. They even let the kids feed giraffes! After the zoo we went back to Albion for Miguel and Kate to return and for my parents to arrive. Once everyone was together we got some dinner, a quick tour of Albion and then I went to get Andres from the airport.

Saturday was an early morning. Miguel's commencement was in Kalamazoo at 9am. We all got there on time and waited for the long program. After they butchered Miguel's name... we watched him get hooded (thats what they call it when a PHD graduates). We had a fun post grad lunch at Bilbos a fun little pizza place and then rolled to Gladwin. We relaxed at the lake for a little bit, and then went to dinner in Gladwin. After dinner we took some pictures... it was the first time all six of the Centellas family were together in over a year! Wow... it was nice to just eat, talk, share some stories and relax.

Sunday was a great day... we basically did nothing but sit around the lake, relax, eat, swim, fish... anything but work. After a big BBQ Miguel and Kate took Andres and Saloumeh to the airport, and then they stayed in Saginaw. Heather went back to Jackson to work, and the lake got a little more quiet.

Monday-Tuesday it was just Novi and I, my parents, Valerie and my grandparents. We fished in the mornings and evenings, played all day with the kids, squeezed some meals in between our activities, and took tons of pictures. Novali and Valerie helped us catch fish, and one night after a big catch Novali even came out and watched us clean the fish. She wasn't grossed out at all which surprised me. The following day she even ate fish! I am glad to see her trying more new things.

Wednesday, Fourth of July, we had visitors at the lake. Heather drove back up from Jackson, and Raquel came over with Ayanna. It was a nice time as Heather and I took the two little ones to see the new movie Ratatouille. Leaving was hard for us to do but we knew Novali would have a ton of fun at the lake and I am sure my parents wanted some good one on one time.

Over the weekend Heather and I went to a wedding and I planned the roadtrip of a life time. On Sunday (after a scary hotel fire at the Crowne Plaza Hotel) we started the road trip. Heather and I drove to Saginaw to get Novali... then dodged holiday traffic and construction to get Novali all the way back to Chicago. Upon drop off of Novi we drove back to Michigan. We dover nearly 600 miles in one day! Wow...

This week was busy... I am in Indianapolis right now for my fraternity leadership retreat. I worked on the programming and created an institute style leadership program called "I Believe, I Promise." I hope it goes well and I have some butterflies in my stomach about it right now.

Once this big weekend is over I plan to post photos from the Novali adventure in Michigan. She caught fish (and ate them!), swam, made sandcastles, and even managed to get a tan. Peace.

Fathers Day Weekend
Well the past few days were really busy...

Friday Heather and I took off to Chicago right after work. We picked up Novali and went to Rosemont, IL to get some rest. We planned a fun weekend to Wisconsin Dells, WI as a pre-graduation gift for her finishing kindergarten. Saturday morning we got up early, ate, and hit the road for WI.

It was a rather quick drive and Wisconsin Dells amazed us! The town was very small, but was made up of nothing but water parks! Huge water parks, ferris wheel, go-karts, haunted houses, pet parks, and anything else you can think of! It is basically just one big entertainment town! In our days there we barely got to see it all... but I will cover what we saw.

We arrived dressed ready for a water park. After pricing a few out we settled on Noah's Ark Water Park which is I guess the biggest in the world. Boy was it huge! We barely got to see it all, its maybe about half the size of Cedar Point but all water rides. We went into several of the wave pools, some of the kiddie play places, did putt-putt golf, bumper boats, a even a few of the faster water rides (I was surprised Novi wanted to go on them). It was a ton of fun and we all got a lot of sun and got even more tired. The night ended at a cool place to eat called the Moose Jaw that gave kids little moose antler hats (kinda like Burger King Crowns) and she loved the pizza.

Sunday was fathers day. We got up for some breakfast and went to the ferris wheel that Novali really wanted to ride. It was a fun little amusement park and we did go-karts (I did drive a little too fast), a couple other rides and the big ferris wheel. She even played a fair game and won a little stuffed animal. It was a great day... then we packed up and headed back to Chicago.

Sunday night we went to dinner and Tamara picked up Novali. Monday morning early was her graduation so it was best for her to stay at home in case Heather and I got stuck in traffic or something. It worked out well also cause Vic and Rey two of my fraternity brothers who lived near our hotel came over and we hungout for a little bit.

Pictures: Wisconsin Dells

Monday was a fun day! Heather and I made it into Chicago really fast and managed to avoid all traffic. It was nice to not be rushed and we got to the school early. It was a fun little program and I video taped it all for Syed and other family members who could not be there for the graduation. They saw a song, got their diplomas, and then all together (two classes) did New York as a closing song... but the words were changed to First Grade First Grade... she can sing it for you if you ask. Afterwards it was pictures will all her friends and then lunch.

Pictures: Graduation

It was a fun weekend, lots of driving, lots of fun, lots of things to do. It was great all the calls, texts, and emails I got for Father's Day. I did feel bad cause I was not able to get a hold of my dad. Called a few times and never managed to reach him. He will be in the states in a few days but still I missed him on fathers day.

Thats it... this week and next will be a little hectic at work as I am taking vacation days and trying to squeeze in work so I don't fall behind. My parents arrive in Albion on June 29th and I can't wait cause it is gonna be a lot of fun having all the family back together again. Til next time...

Race Time
I sold my Sentra in January... and since then planned to buy a cheap little car to AutoX in since my Altima is too big and slow to be competitive. Well its June now and I still haven't found a car and two big race events passed already. Well this weekend was a race at a cool race park, the Knoll-Gas Motorspeedway. I didn't want to miss out on the event... first the idea to race my friend Jen's car came up... I wasn't able to get her a spare set of rims/tires in time for race day. SO... second idea was to run my Altima. Needless to say I made the decision to run the Altima.

Sunday we rolled up to Martin, MI where the race would take place. It was rainy... there was a little hope of sun but we rolled on anyways. We ended up with rain pretty much the whole time, usually it was light, but on occasion it would get pretty rough. Heather came as well and enjoyed reading a book and did take some photos for us during the brief sunshine we managed to get.

We ran in G-Stock with the big Altima. Nine cars were signed up for our class and some fairly good cars in the group (some VWs and a Subaru). It was a totally different experience running such a large car, and man my first couple runs I was hitting cones all over the place with the rear end of car... I am not used to driving something so big, especially not around an AutoX course.

My 4 cylinder 2.5 liter Altima on crappy street tires.

Look at her... next to a VW GTI, MR2, 325i, Porsche...

The rain actually helped us... since I was running all season tires.

Going through Salom #4. It was a very tight course.

The first couple runs I hit tons of cones... but after a while I got used to driving the big body car.

Great pic of Jen racing through turn #2.

The day ended rather well though... both Jen and I got a hang of driving the car through the rain and tight cones. I ended in 4th out of 9, and Jen in 7th. Maybe next race I can hook Jen up with some tires and we can take her car out, that would be fun!

It was a fun day... I was surprised at how many people asked me about my Sentra, I wasn't aware how well known she was in my group. I did get a lot of tips and leads from people on some good cars I could get... its such a hard decision!

Hopefully next race I will be in something more sporty... but for now I broke the seal on the race bug for 2007 and also didn't do too shabby. I managed to take out a VW Jetta and a V6 Contour, both cars with tons more horsepower and sporty suspensions.

Edit: Team PLP Pics

3 Day Weekend
So somehow it has been a month since my last post... WOW. Lets get back on track.

I had also not seen Novali in nearly a month! So to make up for it we planned a fun little three day weekend for Memorial Day. Originally the plan was that on Friday night Heather and I would head up to Michigan City. That way we'd be there bright and early to meet up with Tamara and Novali. Our plan was to check out of Michigan City and then head up to a hotel right on the beach in South Haven with Novali.

Well for those not in Michigan... we had overcast weather and even some thunderstorms predicted for the weekend. So we had to plan some alternatives. Before they arrived we checked out everything there is to do in Michigan City and we decided to just stay here. I was really surprised there is a lot to do in this town.

SATURDAY

I had hoped for a fun beach weather weekend. It is colder and over cast so I had to plan some alternate things to do. So we went shopping for a kite, and got some Subway for a little afternoon picnic. We ate and then put the kite together and I taught her how to fly the kite on the beach. The weather was rather dismal but it didn't slow Novi from getting in the water and running around looking for sea shells and digging in the sand.

Later on back at the hotel we swam in our pool. She is getting a little closer to swimming. Heather got Novali a little kick board but she still doesn't like to venture off without me holding her in the water so I doubt she will get this swimming thing down soon. I think she needs some peers with her to push her into swimming as learning alone I am sure is not very motivational.

We ended the day at BDubs... or Buffalo Wild Wings as I guess they are all called now. She loves their chicken and the smiley face potatoes in the kids meal. I tried some spicier wings then normal and no we did not stay to watch the UFC Fight on that night... cause it was bed time.

SUNDAY

There were lots of options in this little town... there was a Latino art exhibit here at their cultural center, a cool car museum, and a nice little zoo so we might do that. We ended up heading to the Zoo. It was a nice little zoo, enough to see in a couple hours and of course a petting zoo and the fun animals that kids love to see. The zoo was over and we scored some lunch and went to get ready for the beach. Somehow we managed to get some nice sun, so we went to put on our suits and get some sand pales for building a sand castle.

We got to the beach and Novi went right to work. We had a great time... Heather laid out a big beach blanket and Novi started running around. She made a few castles with me and then I decided she might like getting buried. She we dug a big hole and I buried her up to her head! Then I made her head look like it belong on the body of a turtle...

She kept up the energy all day. It started getting late and she didn't slow down at all! So we figured we would stay for the sunset. It started getting cold so we all bundled up as best we could and watched the sun fall over the horizon. I couldn't believe that from Michigan City you could see the Chicago skyline on the horizon. It had to be 60 miles away! With that and the sailboats in the water made a beautiful scene.

We ended the day with the trip to AppleBees where I watched the Pistons lose to LeBron James. Novi refused to eat... so I got on her case and some one went to bed crabby... but she needs to learn to eat better then she does cause I don't know how she is still alive cause she hardly eats!

MONDAY

We got up... breakfast in the hotel again and went out for the day. We planned to meet up with Tamara and Syed at the big outlets shopping in town. It was a fun little morning and Heather bought Novali some cute little blinged up glasses. We had lunch and then Heather and I hit the road home. It was a great weekend... we all got a little sun and had a sweet time.

I posted photos: Novi Memorial Day

Right now I am back at work... busy week preparing for orientation next week. I thought summer was going to slow down, what happened? Eitherway this weekend will be relaxing and hopefully I can make it up to one of my car clubs races on Sunday. Still no racecar...

Blue Man
This weekend was my time in Chicago. I went early morning on Saturday, and I got lucky and was able to get some last minute tickets to the Blue Man Group. Thanks Jen!

Novali and I went downtown to meet Jen when she arrived with the Albion group. Jen and I took Novali to a fun place near Wrigley to have lunch. Joey's Brickhouse was the name, and they had a sweet lunch buffet option. Basically you could order anything you wanted on the menu, as many times as you wanted, and you just paid one flat price. My kind of place... and they had grilled cheese and tomato soup so Novali was pleased as well. We ate, ate some more, Novali colored, we ate a little more, and I got to know some of Jen's friends who live and work in Chicago. It was a fun lunch, at the end her friends went off to the Cubs game, and we went off to find a park to play.

She always loves blowing bubbles.

She couldn't just climb up the ladder... she climbed through it.

A strong wind came... she hung on to the pole for her life. She loves pretending.

Trying to walk on the balance beam.

After entertaining ourselves for a while blowing bubbles and running around the playground we went back downtown to meet up with the students and head off to the play. It was a fun bus ride and Novali was friendlier with my students then I thought she would be so that was good. It was at the small Briar Street Theater in Lincoln Park. Our seats were good but I was worried she might get scared during the show.... I was wrong and she loved it! She clapped and cheered, clapped in rhythm with the audience, and laughed and enjoyed herself. Thanks Jen for the tickets and the great company all day! Novi came home and passed out! It was a long day.

Downtown we stopped to see the horse carriages.

We put Nono in the bag while walking around.

She liked all the neon lights in the lobby..

She loved the show, and wanted to touch the Bluemans head.

Sunday we got up and watched some Fairytopia movies... she explained the whole fairy world to me and all their stuff. It was funny. We had breakfast, called my parents, and then I had to hit the road. It was a quick trip but full and busy. I won't see her again until Memorial Day... I need to plan a fun weekend. Until then lots of work, more trips and the Albion semester will end and life will become much slower for me!

Pictures
I finally have a chance to upload some photos. For the past two months I have been on the road non-stop. I have not spent a weekend in Albion since early February. Right now I am in Washington DC and preparing for lobbying visits on Capital Hill. Its been a long couple of weeks and I wanted to post photos of my trips and am glad I finally found some time.

Photos from Bolivia Trip: Abuelita

Pre-Birthday/Easter Weekend with Novali:I am Old

Sunday was Novali's official birthday party. I called her and we talked. She was so excited and I could hear all her little friends in the background. I wish I could of been there, but I am really glad that I got a fun weekend with just her and Heather hanging out. Maybe one year we have a party in Michigan!

My parents just confirmed their flights to the States this summer. So let the plans begin! Its gonna be a great summer. My parents will be back, Miguel will get his PHD, Novi will graduate kindergarten, and I have some vacation time saved up... and man I need a break!

I am Old
Well today I am officially feeling very old. No it isn't because my back hurts from lifting, or even just from sitting in the same position for too long... no it isn't cause I have to do my taxes yet again... no it isn't cause my 8 year fraternity anniversary is coming up...

Today Novali turns six years old! WOW. In two months she will graduate from kindergarten... man how the time flies.

This weekend will be her big birthday who-ha at Chucky Cheese. I won't get to be there cause of a trip for work. So instead this past weekend Heather and I took her to downtown Chicago and we had a blast. Friday we walked a little around our hotel and got some pizza (she loves pizza). The hotel staff gave her some balloons and she chased them around our suite all night and tired herself out. We slept in... and on Saturday when asked what she wanted to do for her birthday... "I want to see dinosaur bones."

So we got some breakfast, hopped a cab and spent the afternoon at the Chicago Field Museum. After about 3 hours of walking, looking, reading, touching bones, grinding corn in the Ancient Americas exhibit she said, "Lets get out of here."

We went back downtown, walked around, did some shopping at Walgreens where she carried and read the list (her reading is great!). We got her some flip flops, sunglasses and went to the hotel pool. It was on the 19th Floor so the views from the pool were awesome! She is really close to being able to swim, maybe one more time and she will have it!

Later we went to the big Lego store in the mall where she wanted to get a present for Miguel (who had a birthday on Saturday). We hung around the mall, raided the Hello Kitty store and just had a good time relaxing. A nice dinner at Buca di Bepo ended the night. She was a riot to hangout with for the weekend.

Sunday morning we got up early... it seems as though the Easter Bunny was able to find our hotel room and left her a basket of candy and little toys. Not to mention some Hello Kitty bandaids. I guess the Easter Bunny knew that Novali is the youngest Hypochondriac ever and needs a bandaid several times a day.

We went to Easter service at the Moody Church in downtown Chicago. It is a beautiful church and we went for service there once with my parents so I thought it would be nice to go back. We also picked them cause it was a 9:40am service so we thought it would get done early... well over 2 hours later church let out. We took some pictures with Syed and Tamara who met us for church and some of just Novali cause she wanted photos of her dress. Then we left to head north to the McGurn's house for Easter brunch (we were very late).

Brunch was great... Kate and Miguel got Novali some gifts and an Easter basket as well. So Novali was good to go. For some reason she was less then enthused about the birthday cake, maybe she is devote in the no celebrating birthdays before they happen superstition as well. Anyhow... it was a great weekend. We dropped Novali off at an afternoon party and then we went home... it was a GREAT weekend.

Photos will be posted in a day or two... they are on Heather's camera.

I also want to send a Happy Birthday to my Pop. He turns one year older today as well. I told him I don't have to get him presents ever again since I gave him his first grandchild as a birthday present six years ago. Plus he is a little far away for presents... but lets say big BBQ on me when you guys get back to the states this summer! I can't wait for you all to visit.

Home is where your hat is.
Tomorrow morning I catch an early flight and head back home. I will start my trek at 6 AM heading to the Viru Viru Airport in Santa Cruz. After my last cuyape at the airport I'll have the pleasure of passing through customs and getting on my 8 hour flight to Miami. In Miami I have to pass through American customs which can be hard or easy... just depends if they decide I am the lucky guy to get totally searched. I have a 5 hour lay over in Miami (probably 2 hours just in customs) and one of my chapter Brothers might come to have a quick dinner with me. Then I board a 8 PM flight to Detroit Metro. My flight arrives at 11:30 PM and Heather will pick me up after waiting for my bags and then drive me 1 and half hours home. That means I would of left my house in Bolivia at 6 AM... and arrived home to sleep finally at about 1:30 AM the following day... man I will be tired at work my next day!

So that will be my journey to end my week in Bolivia. Given the circumstances it was a great trip. After the funeral life started to be back to normal here. We had family staying in my parents house the entire week. My abuelito's Brother and wife stayed here at the house and abuelita's sister stayed with one of my uncles. It was a fun week of catching up with family, but a sad week of packing up all of abuelita's stuff in the house. It was fun seeing some of the things she saved, and how she saved them. I got to pick a few things that I would take back home with me as memories of her.

The city has not changed a lot since my last visit. It has grown bigger but still the same. Some of the streets and better paved, while others have gotten worse. They made some changes to the Plaza Central which are very nice and make that a better space now. They also built a multiplex for movies with places to eat, arcade, stores... a whole night out.

I got to do some new things... us cousins for the first time ever did a BBQ just by ourselves. It was fun with no uncles around... and we eve spent time making fun of them and all their craziness. We told fun stories about growing up and of course shared some stories about abuelita. It was Fernando's birthday (one of my cousins) and after the food we went Cosmic Bowling. We had a good time but my team (Ivan y Samuel) always took second...

It was a fun week of parrilladas (ie lots of meat), stories with the cousins, a trip to the alligator farm my uncle is building (they have 10,000 eggs already!), and just enjoying the crazy Santa Cruz traffic. I will miss Bolivia as I always do... but this trip it was different... it felt like home. I enjoyed helping my mom clean the rooms, organize the closets, and cook breakfast. I guess even though one of the main reasons I used to want to visit Bolivia is now gone (los abuelitos), but now after 20 years in the states Bolivia surprisingly felt like home. I think I enjoyed telling the cab drivers to take me home, and I actually meant MY home.

Well off I go... packing to go to my other home.

Esther Castillo de Centellas
Thursday I got a voicemail from my Brother... my parents called and my abuelita (grandmother) was very sick. I talked to my parents a little later and learned that she now had leukemia. She had been sick for years and slowly losing her vision as she aged. I learned that the doctors had given her only a few days left to live. It was my last chance to see her, and thanks to my work, and with Heather's support I purchased my ticket to fly to Bolivia the following morning. By luck I got a flight and would be in Bolivia in barely 24 hours.

I packed and prepared for my trip in barely two hours and then went to Ann Arbor. Thursday night was a visitation for my Great Uncle Bob Vaden. I had planned to attend his funeral on Friday but instead was going to Bolivia and I know my American family understood. I was glad I was able to make the visitation and Heather came as well which was nice as we visited with family.

Friday my trip started at 4:30 AM with the drive to the airport... my 7 AM flight arrived in Miami around 11 AM and waited for Andres who was arriving from Washington DC. We got some lunch and caught our 1PM flight. A long flight later... we arrived in Santa Cruz at nearly 11PM. Our parents greeted us and took us for the first visit to their new home.

On arrival most of the family was at the house. My uncles and aunts and cousins were all there and we took turns looking in at abuelita. She had been moved to my parents house and had a nurse with her. We got some late night chicken, ate, caught up on times with my parents and then finally got some sleep.

Saturday was long as well. Abuelita was doing worse, but fortunately the rest of the family from La Paz came. With everyone at the house my mom was of course stressed and trying to play hostest to the 40 plus people coming and going from the house all day. You could tell abuelita knew she was in her last days... she could no longer see, and her speech was broken at best. On Saturday she only really asked for three things that people understood... she asked my cousin David to read her favorite Psalms, number 27 and 91. Then she asked for my mom to sing her favorite hymns, and with all her might she tried to sign along. Finally she asked to listen to her Christian radio station to relax. Such faith...

I remember from when my abuelito passed... for nearly a week he had not been able to move or talk. However on the day of their 60th wedding anniversary he clearly tried to kiss my abuelita, and mumbled the only sounds all week that came from his mouth. If that doesn't give someone faith in god and love nothing can. We all need reminding at times. My abuelita held on until her sister arrived from Cochabama... and for the family to arrive from La Paz... then asked for prayers, palms, hymns, and laid to rest for the night.

That night the decision was made to remove her from all drugs except her sedatives and that at any time she would pass. Andres and I took my mom our for dinner that night to get away from the house for a little while. We ate a great steak dinner (no I didn't take a photo of it) and a bottle of wine and enjoyed being in Santa Cruz.

I awoke throughout the night as people took turns checking in on abuelita. Finally it was at 6 AM on Sunday that our aunt (who is an Oncologist and was able to help a lot) came out of the room saying abuelita passed. It was a weird feeling... relief that she was resting in peace now... happiness that she was in heaven with her husband of 60 years... sadness to see the strongest little woman leave our presence... I will never really be able to understand how I felt but I didn't cry at that time. I actually laughed inside, thinking about how mad our abuelita was I am sure inside that all those people came to the house and she wasn't well dressed and well presented (she was always elegantly dressed). She was a quirky little woman.

It was my first time in Bolivia during a death so I got to learn many of our customs. Shortly after her passing her sister and a few of my aunts washed and dressed her. They talked about which suit to put her in, and her earings and how she would want to be presented. Family came to the house to see her before she was taken to the funeral home. Andres and I went on a mission to make a picture board. While there the idea dawned on us and our cousin David to make some picture cards with Psalms 91 on it. I found a photo I had of her and abuelito and it fit the Psalm perfectly. Sunday around 2 PM nearly the entire Centellas clan was at the funeral home. We took turns leaving for meals and making sure there was always family there to greet visitors.

At 8 PM on Sunday was the wake service. A short service of prayers and hymns, some people stood in front and spoke about the abuelita. She had well over 100-150 people at the service. What surprised me was that the wake lasted all night and people were coming in at nearly midnight when Andres and I had to call it quits to get some sleep.

We returned at 9 AM for the funeral service to find over 200 people there. Students of my uncles, co-workers, friends, abuelitas church friends, and people from their neighborhood. There were over 40 flower arrangements around her casket. Another short service of prayers, hymns and testimonials... and finally the tears came. It came when I thought that this was my first trip to Bolivia that my abuelitos had not been at the airport waiting for me... and it would never be the same. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them cause of the distance, but I know cause of god and their faith they prayed for me each night. I am glad abuelita got to meet Novali and play with her in the pool and listen to her Spanish, I cried cause I was happy they got to meet.

It was a long drive to the cementary... but it was a beautiful place outside of the city. Here the custom is to lay caskets on top of each other. So abuelitas casket would be placed right on top of abuelitos. A few prayers there, a short service... and then many from the family spoke. The uncles, some cousins, my father, mother, and Andres and I both spoke. Then we tossed flowers on her casket as they lowered it down. Once it was resting down we all took a handful of dirt and put her to rest.

We left... the entire family went to eat together, her five sons, her sister, abuelitos brother and wife and two of their daughters, 13 grandchildren, and a handful of great grandchildren as well. Honestly, even when us gringos Centellas visited the entire family never got to together. Issues between uncles, cousins always got in the way. But this time, for abuelita everyone was together. We ate, laughed, and enjoyed each others company.

If there was one thing abuelita would of wanted was for the entire family to be together. Funny... she always knew how to get her way...

Time Flies better then American Airlines
Back in Albion... and it feels good. I am really mad at American Airlines right now. So yesterday I was scheduled to fly to Chicago and arrive at 7pm. Well I decided I wanted to get back sooner so I called AA and there was a chance I could catch an earlier flight. I went up about 5 hours before my scheduled flight hoping for a better flight. Mine had a connection and 7pm is late since after landing I have a 3 hour drive to Albion. I figured I can get in earlier and spend a little time with Novali and then drive home.

Well the first flight I could not get on... the second flight they had was a direct flight and would put me into Chicago at 3pm, basically getting me 4 hours with Novali. Long story short my flight was delayed. First they pulled it out of the hanger late, then they had a problem with a part, then they had to wait for another part to arrive... then once we finally got on the plane they had a delay cause not everyone was on the plane. HELLO! Lets go. While we waited another flight to Ohare that I could of bought a ticket for (and cheaper) left... then my flight left... So mad.

On a good note my conferences went well! Too much happened in my nearly two week road trip to report it all here. I am glad to be in Albion to relax, sleep in my bed, watch my TV, and get my body used to Eastern Standard Time. Ciao.

Back at 35k feet.
Spring is my busy travel season. This past weekend I was in Chicago for MGCA, I went a day early, and stayed two days late to spend time with Novali. Took her to school, picked up from school, and played, ate, and watched movies in between. I was glad I happened to be in Chicago this weekend of all... Tamara's very close friend Alma was in a bad car accident over the weekend. Novali had been wanting to go see her in the hospital but of course she is too young to see someone in the ICU. Well Monday morning she passed on to be the lord, I knew her as well, but more importantly was glad that I was able to be there to help Tamara grieve, and that Tamara and I broke the news to Novali together. She took it well... it might hit her more later, she is still a little young t fully understand.

For Alma... who was a great friend to Tamara, always gave me a warm greeting, and was a great baby sitter and practically an aunt to little Novi... Rest In Peace. In all the tears this weekend I thought it was important to remember the good things... Alma always had a little something for Novali when she visited. Novali always had little toys she would say, "My friend Alma gave this to me." Thanks Alma.

There was good news in Chicago though over the weekend. The conference went very well, one of the most diverse conferences ever! I'd like to say I had something to do with it... but I know I at least have contributed. I am looking to try and get more involved in MGCA and fade a little from WRGA so I can give more time to one association. Other good news and fun was that Novi and I made JELLO! She had it at dinner on Sunday at the local Chinese place (her suggestion!) and I asked if she ever made it. She got excited when I told her we could make it at home! So we did.

For some reason she loves to get dressed up all the time. And of course pose with Nono.

Mixing the Jello. When we called Heather she explained to Heather how to make Jello.

She was so excited as we put in the fridge... she was not excited to learn it would take hours to sit.

We planned to have Jello for desert the following night when it was done..

We didn't have small bowls.. but these martini glasses matched the orange so we went for it.

The Lil Chef... taking her fancy desert to the table. Yum.

So I am back at 35k feet and right now I am blogging from my plane. I used to travel a lot more a few years back, and writing in planes and airports for some reason was always great inspiration for me. Either that or dedicated down time when I could relax and write. Lately not a lot of down time for me to relax and blogging has often become something brushed to the side. Especially now that most of my family emails, I don't have the need to update as much.

Anyhow this spring will be busy. I have a busy travel schedule lined up. With in the next three months I will be in San Francisco (en route now), couple trips to Chicago of course, Toledo, Iowa City, Washington DC, and Atlanta. This is excluding all my short trips planned to Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Saginaw (Kelly I am coming to visit!). Add up all the trips and its nearly every weekend, so either I am traveling for business or hanging out with Novali. I will rest this summer.

Wish me safe travels, say a prayer for Alma's family, and keep checking my site for updates... with all this traveling you get a few blogs a week!