The Weekend Trip
My weekends are generally full of a lot of driving and of course this weekend was much the same. Except this time the weekend started on Thursday since I took two days off work. Thursday was game seven of the NBA Playoffs, and the Pistons were in it so I figured we could do something cool. The pregame warm up was showing Heather my favorite Kzoo areas. We toured Wayside (no debate it is cooler then the CMU Wayside) and the ate at Burdicks, and of course we got the spinach dip. I got a suite at that Hawthorn (perks of all my Hyatt Points) and invited the Betas and Gammas to watch the game. We had a good turnout, and a good time, despite the Piston loss...

Finally got to see Ramiro back from France and Hermen back from Italy.

Marcie and our Neo Ben came out.

The Brothers smiles disappeared as the game came to a close.

We mourned the loss with beer and doritos.

Friday it was off to get Novali. A brief stop at the dollar store to get a pink swimming noodle and off to our hotel where of course... we went swimming. The weekend was a ton of fun, we went swimming, watched movies (Scooby Doo was better then I thought it would be), saw planes, blew bubbles, went to IKEA and the huge Woodfield Mall. It was funny... Saturday night I asked Novali what she wanted to do... I offered McD's Playland, the Park, the Mall, Swimming.... and she chose the mall. We had fun running up and down the ramps at Woodfield. It was a great weekend.

With her noodle at the pool.

she said we had to bite the noodle.

On the way to get food and videos we saw cool fountains.

She was entertained for a long time watching them go up and down...

You can't beat dollar store bubbles!

Nice picture with bubbles and flowers.

We stayed in Itasca, IL and there were a lot of ponds and fun things to see.

She finally was able to blow some big bubbles.

Who doesn't like IKEA... Novali stopped in each fake room and pretended... here she is cooking pancakes.

Here she said she was at work.

Here she is baking a pizza (she did not know it was a dishwasher).

Nothing is more IKEA then cool chairs! She does love pink.

It was a ton of fun. Sunday was a long day though. My presentation for LTA was at 8 AM... so I had to be there at 7:30 to prep. Needless to say it was an early morning. I was very excited to do it and met a lot of amazing women. I had several women ask me to come to their schools and speak. That would be great because I miss working with NALFO groups since we don't have any here at Albion. It was also great talking to leaders of another Latino group and hear that our struggles are all still pretty much the same. The best part was the email from a founder of their sorority thanking me for the job well done. Not every day a founder emails you..

The LTA Convention was at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont, IL.

I had a cool powerpoint and some pictures which caused a little bit of a stir...

So now I am back in Michigan for a while... well two weeks at least before I head to Indy for my convention. I am helping with the curriculum for our convention and we have planned some great programs. I am doing the final session of the weekend to bang the points home, no pressure or anything... I am excited and have some cool things planned that I think will really impact my Brothers.

So right now I am doing the typical Albion things... The Phoenix for wings on Monday, mowed my lawn, oil change, returning videos, and working. This weekend will be spent at a wedding and then helping Heather move into her place in Jackson. Good times.

Summer!Part 2
Man this summer is great so far! I know I just wrote about how good summer was... but yesterday I did my favorite summer activity, I washed the GXE! Got her all cleaned up, after all the driving she has done for me she deserves it. Then I noticed the other day that my rose bush by my house, that I spent time this spring pruning and helping it stick to the trellis, now has roses on it! I felt so proud to have had enough of a Green Thumb to bring it back from the dead. The landscaping, as well as the gardening and everything else at this house was all poorly done. I can only fix so much... but I was glad to save the little rose bush.

My roses! I am so proud of them!

Nothing relaxes me more then a bucket of water and my car scrubbie.

Then tonight I am heading out to play soccer with some faculty and staff here in Albion. That will be great. I heard about that last night while the Pistons were beating the Spurs. Go Pistons! So all in all, it is a good time right now. I have not played soccer in maybe 4 years... so we will see how that goes.

Tomorrow night there is a small get together in Kalamazoo to watch the last basketball game for the year (good luck Pistons!). Then Friday morning I head to Chicago to see Novalí and hangout and then Sunday do my hazing lecture. So on Monday watch for pictures from a fun weekend...

Summer!
Man this summer is going well. Work is very good, it is busier then I thought it would be for the summer, which is good cause it makes the time fly. We are wrapping up our fiscal year and I have some money leftover I am figuring out how to spend, nice to have extra money somewhere in my life...

This weekend was a ton of fun. Friday Heather and I just had a Blockbuster night and watched movies and did laundry. I think Harold and Kumar go to WhiteCastle is a must see... and Garden State was very good as well. Saturday morning I went Golfing with Ramon, Ruben, and Franky Martinez in Holland. I did alright, I still really want to try golfing left handed cause I think I would do better. Afterwards we got some Greek food in Holland. That night it was another get together at the old Rich street house, saw some old faces and met some new. It was great and Gary came out so we got to chill a little which was nice. Sunday was laid back, got up late... lounged around and headed home to watch the Pistons in their overtime defeat! The good part was that I took all my files and organized stuff during the game, so at least I was productive during the Pistons loss.

I finished my plans for having Novali in Michigan. I will have her for nearly two weeks at the end of July. I am very excited about that. One week with me in Albion, and one week in Saginaw. To top it off Andres will even be coming to Michigan that time as well. So everyone will be around while she is visiting. Very cool!

More good news... despite early predictions in the year... Team PLP will be making a showing this year! On Sunday July 3rd at GVSU there will be a race and I entered the Sentra. So we will see what the little GXE can do. I wish the NX was fixed, but she still needs repairs before she can hit the course again. This worked out perfectly cause on the 2nd I have a wedding in Grand Rapids, what perfect timing. I am also seeing if I can fit one or two more races in this season. So if you are free that weekend come and cheer on Team PLP.

Finally, thank you to everyone who called, text messaged, or emailed me a Happy Fathers Day. That was great, Thank you!

UIFI
Well the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute 2005 for me is over... and it was better then ever! I learned more then I have any other time, and had a great time with the other facilitators and the students. It was a ton of fun and I can not wait to do it again next year! For those who do not know what UIFI is... it is the premier leadership development program for fraternity and sorority members. The program covers every angle of being a good leader, from being courageous to holding people accountable, and even about living the values of all our organization rituals. It is a powerful program and I am glad to still be able to be a part of it. Of course a photo recap is in order...

We were at the Alpha Xi Delta house at Indiana University.

The house was amazing!

First up on the agenda... ice breakers!

Can't break the ice without water buckets!

Or Hoolahoops...

Students came from all over the country and all types of groups.

This one time... at Greek Camp... we ate together, worked together, and played together.

Lots of writing... contemplating... made some long 12+ hour days.

Puzzles and riddles.

Large group sessions.

One day we go out and do community service.

And of course... no Greek event is complete without... Togas.

Long days... means early mornings and lots of coffee.

There is that water bucket... poor Nolan.

One on One Consultations.

My group for the week... Chapter 1!

Me and Lorena (Gamma)

The last night we went out... Bowling!

The other half of Chapter 1, Sandi my cofacilitator.

No matter what people say... Bowling is always fun.

Chapter 1 dressed up for graduation.

What travel blog is not complete... without a picture of cheap gas prices.

So that was my trip folks... it was a great experience. I love to see that students are still working on solving the problems in fraternities and sororities and that values and integrity are still important on our college campuses. PEACE and LOVE!

Now I am back... tired as all get out, a lot has been going on... I wrapped up a contract with Lambda Theta Alpha and I will be speaking at their convention at the end of the month. I am excited about that. Today at work I was offered a free campus apartment as part of my job next year... got to work out the details but that is sweet and I am pumped. Work is surprisingly busy right now, but that is good cause I am working on some cool projects right now. Things are good... well except for the Pistons get stopped... hopefully Tuesday they will pull out a win.

Deja Vu
Thursday night... Rich Street in Allendale... cornfields... Beta Party... man it was a weird replay in my life. Thursday the Betas threw a party for Ramiro who was returning from 6 months in France, and for Oso who graduated and is moving to IN. Lots of Brothers turned out, too bad Ramiro didn't... we had thought he got detained in customs. Eitherway it was a good time and next time we plan a surprise welcome home party for someone we'll make sure they will actually make it home.

The Betas and Champange... Stay Classy.

No Beta gig is complete, without Gammas.

Some Sigma Kappas rolled through.

Oso got some cake in the face.

I took Friday off work... but ended up having to run in for a lunch meeting. I was asked to be on the search committee for Albion's first Director of Institutional Equity. I did not want to miss the first meeting so I swung back to Albion for the meeting. Then I wrapped up some personal things and headed to Chicago.

Chicago was fun but Saturday was the worst storm I have seen in a long time. Just before going shopping with Novali there was a warning about thunderstorms. We figured no big deal and headed out. While Tamara was in T Mobile and Novi and I were in the car the storm hit. The rain hit so fast, and so hard that trees were bending nearly to the ground, carts raced throughout the lot and slammed into cars (luckily not mine), and the wind was so strong it rocked my car side to side. It passed in about 45 minutes... and we shopped. Some new Old Navy summer outfits and two pairs of shoes... she is ready for summer!

Novi wore a dress for the shopping trip.

Ready for bed and learning to catch.

I taught her to eat chips and salsa and watch sports..

She showed me how she writes her name!

I love how smart she is getting and understands a lot more. Plus she has become a good story teller... and then... and then... and then... Tamara and I talked about schools. More then likely we will not put her into a preschool... her day care is pretty much preschool already. But we are looking at schools for Kindergarten, and if we decide to do a private school applications for next year will start as soon as this September. Since Tamara just got a job at the University of Chicago she would get a great deal on their Lab School. I don't know much about Chicago or their school system... so I need to start researching. I do know that there are some awesome private schools out there. So we will see what pans out...

My drive home was insane! Chicago storm part Deux hit in the middle of my drive. Some spots the traffic was going 10 MPH... and then in Kzoo a Tornado warning went on! Since I was heading East I would outrun the storm, and then it would catch up. I finally put some distance between storm and I before getting into Albion... as I got my bags out of the car... it hit Albion. Now there are trees all over the street, straight up crazy I tell ya.

Well hope the summer storms slow down and then summer fun can get officially rolling. My mom flies to Bolivia this week, I head to Bloomington, IN for my second time facilitating UIFI, the Pistons are still going, some weddings, and then hopefully some fun trips planned to finish off the summer (Indy, San Fran, IKEA-Chicago, Seattle?).

OverDue
No... I did not forget to return videos again... this weekend I got a speeding ticket. I know I should know better, especially since it was memorial day. I got a ticket for going ten over on the highway... but I guess I am overdue. I have not had a ticket in about two years, and since I drive about 20k a year, the odds were against me that I would get a ticket soon.

I got the ticket on my way to Lansing. Heather I hit up the Cristo Rey Fiesta in Lansing. Usually a huge Beta hangout... Oso, Ramon, Santi, Zach (GV Neo), Ricardo, Santos, and some old skool brothers. It was fun, ate some good Mexican food and saw a ton of Gammas as well. It was a ton of fun and my third night in a row hanging out with Betas, good times.

The rest of the weekend was super relaxed. Got a ton of stuff done. Helped Heather apartment shop in Jackson and like any people who wanted to avoid traffic this weekend... we hit up all the memorial day sales and stayed close to home. Some great stuff for cheap... including a new Palm Pilot (Tungsten E2)! Lots of laid back afternoons... walks around Albion... turkey sandwiches... avoiding laundry... and leaving my phone at home (I will call those of you back later today, I was trying to be on "vacation" this weekend).

Today for some reason is my busiest day so far of the summer. I have meetings schedule pretty much all day, I have a project for AFA due today, WRGA web updates needed, and even a 6pm meeting... and I thought no night meetings in the summer.

Tonight I need to take apart my MAF on my Sentra again... took my car to AutoZone and seems like the one they gave me was faulty. So I get to work on my car again... which is fun and I want to see that Service Engine Soon light off again!

Beta Times
Living in Albion has often left me on the sidelines of a lot of things going on in Beta world. I am not near many Brothers and can rarely have the free time to just catch dinner with someone. Yesterday I got an email from Vic and he got the chance to head out to NY. He was not having luck finding a job, so he figured why not... So on short notice he is leaving, I figured I better get to Kalamazoo and wish him luck. That is what is nice about this summer... slow at work and I can take my nights and drive to see people. We chilled at the Wayside, ate some of their great Buffalo Chicken Nachos and 50cent drafts and watched the Pistons waste some great opportunities.

The game was great, the food hit the spot, and chilling at Wayside with my Brother Vic was the best way to spend a night. We talked about our chapter, my duaghter, his family, the old days, and what he plans to do with himself in New York. I bounced out early, filled my tank with 1.99 Gas (I was excited!) and got some rest.

Tonight I get to do the same thing... Gary is back from Germany and I want to catch up with him. We are planning dinner in Kalamazoo at one of our old hangouts, and then of course... what else do Betas do on Thursday? Latin Night at Club Soda! Some of the Gammas and GV Betas will be coming as well. It will be a nice time to hangout, but I of course will have to leave early to get home and rest for work. I am excited to see them all.

Finally... on the Beta front... last summer we launched our new magazine called REGO. We are about to send out the second issue and they just kicked off the website. So check out the official REGO Mag Website and let me know what you think. It is looking like it will be a huge success.

Three day weekend here we come!

Construction
As usual the last few days involved a lot of driving. I am annoyed with the constant construction in Michigan like everyone else. But what annoys me more is that they never seem to fix the roads that are the worst. Some of the roads they are working on I thought were in great shape... and then others which are full of black bumpy patches are left untouched. Who picks what road gets worked on? And whoever it is needs to get fired. Well... enough raving, here is my weekend recap.

Went to see Novalí on Thursday night. She was excited to see her papi and was ready to play. I love the flexible summer schedule I have so I can plan out some vacation time and go places when I want. It was nice to spend a Friday with Novali instead of my typical Saturday or Sunday. Everything was slower, the stores, the park... we had it all to ourselves. Of course with the weather nice we can finally walk around more. Here is a photo recap of the visit:

She likes to pull her socks over her PJs... says she is a baseball player.

Thursday night she opened some gifts my primos in Bolivia sent her.

Friday we woke up and made pancakes.

She was a great little helper.

We played her Finding Nemo video game, she is learning to use the computer track pad.

She loves walking and balancing on curbs as we walk... Novalí the tight rope walker!

Our usual trip to the Dollar Store was a ton of fun.

The playground was fun as always, and she got all dirty...

One of our dollar store finds was some bubbles!

She blew bubbles and chased them all over.

Saturday it was back to Michigan... it is was finally a nice day to drive. Megan, one of my best friends from WMU, was having a birthday party and Heather and I wanted to attend. Megan just got a new place in Royal Oak and I have not seen it yet since I missed her house warming party. Royal Oak was always where the two of us went to hangout, it is a great area and I am glad to see her enjoying her job and loving where she lives.

We shared some old stories and caught up. We were quite the pair in college.

Some of her friends from work and roommates.

Sunday it was a planned quick lunch in Royal Oak with Nat and Chris. We got caught in the rain walking, the food was horribly slow at Pronto (hum...), but it made for a relaxing time. We chatted about grad school, changing jobs, and moving. Typical talk for people in their mid 20s. Scary...

Today was the Association of Fraternity Advisors Michigan Drive-In conference. Hosted by none other then yours truly. It was a lot of work to set up because all of our campus space is being used for orientation. I got creative and decided to use a fraternity house for the meeting. It worked great! Heather's tip to have some air freshners was a big help, and so were some table cloths and industrial cleaning supplies... the meeting went well, good turnout, and got to catch up with some old faces. Wrapped up the night watching Dodge Ball with Jen, and now off to bed. Orientation season is in full swing at Albion and tomorrow I get to watch it in all its splendor. Good night.