Life in Drive
It is always hard being on the Westcoast for only four days... by the time you get used to the time change it is time to turn around and come back. Well I am back, in the middle of Greek Week, and preparing for Novali's birthday weekend! Lets recap what I have been up to.

WRGA.... new look. new services. new benefits. At our conference this year we launched a new logo, a new website and had the best show ever for our general sessions. We had the guy who does all the visuals for MGCA come and help me out in the AV booth this year. Not being alone back there was great, and I can't wait for next year. The conference was a great time and I got to see tons of old friends, made some new friends and lots of networking.

Our new logo.

Our main sessions were better then ever.

We had a speaker crowd surf!

Only one Beta and one Gamma there, Chris and Anna.

On my return is Greek Week at Albion... man it is busy. Two or three events per day, and of course the planning was a little behind like every year. Either way it is a ton of fun and I love the funny antics. We had a great speaker on Tuesday night on GLBT issues in Greek Life and that went over very well. Our week ends on Friday and man it could not come sooner... after this the semester will really slow down for me. No seriously, my life will be slower and more relaxed.

Last night I got to go shopping for Novali's birthday present. On Monday she turns five... man I feel really old now! I also love being in the toy store and checking out all the new stuff. For some reason any time that I am in Toys R Us and I always remember the one time that my little Brother and I rode our bikes all the way to one in Saginaw. It was a day long trip!

Well today Tamara called and sent me an email update about Novali... she lots her first tooth! Not only did she lose one... but she lost two! Novi complained a few times about her tooth hurting, and today she had a dentist appoint. She let the dentist pull her teeth and she has two little baby teeth popping out of her bottom gums. Check out the pics!

Cheese

Cheese part 2.

Well I need to wrap up work... I have a Greek Week event tonight and a meeting with my Honduras group. I burned CDs for everyone and made labels for them and CD jackets. It was a fun group and I miss hanging out with them. I can't wait for next year.

This weekend is the Centellas family birthday weekend. Miguel has his B Day tomorrow, and Novali and my dad have theirs on Monday. Miguel and my mom and dad and I are all going to Chicago this weekend. Little family road trip. Fun fun fun...

M.I.A.
So it has been a while since I blogged... I know... I am starting to become a slacker. The deal is that so much has been going on I have not had any time to be able to write. Work was crazy busy as I was wrapping up things to be able to leave for Honduras, my fraternity Formal and Awards banquet was the weekend before Honduras, and then on my return I was swamped with work at Albion and also with WRGA because our WRGLC is next weekend! Man it is busy... so here is the recap.

Formal was awesome! Each year my fraternity district hosts a regional formal for our ten chapters and gives out district awards. I was the chair of the event this year, second year in a row, and fourth time out of six formals that I was on the committee. We had the event at the Double Tree in Novi, MI and it was great. We had over 100 people attend, 20+ hotel rooms, and a great time. The hotel said we were the best behaved fraternity they ever had! Now I am working with a couple schools who are working on proposals for Formal 2007 and no... I will not be on the committee... just helping. We had Brothers came as far as California, we had three candidates for our next national board of directors, and our current national president. Our district alumni association announced that I will be the new chair of our association and help rebuild the group and then hand it over when I become a member of our national board of directors (I am running unopposed).

Heather was my tall date.

My chapter was well represented.

Rudy from my chapter won the Commitment to Education award. It is the third time an Epsilon Brother won.

Our national president presented me the Fraternal Commitment Award, it is the highest award a Brother can receive.

So the Honduras trip... what can I say, it was amazing. I was able to enjoy it even more since it was my second time there and I knew the country a little. We had a great list of service projects during our time at the mission, and the side trip was a ton of fun. This year we had a group of 12 going (11 students and me) so it was bigger then last year. We stayed at the same mission, but this year we got to do a lot more with the children. Our morning service project was still a lot of work.... carrying rocks, mixing cement, picking up trash, etc. What made it better was in the afternoons we got to plan out fun activities instead of just playing games all afternoon. We did art projects, had a library reading day, played games, and planned a St. Patty's festival for the kids. It was great! Not to mention we got to go to a soccer game one afternoon.

Our group in the courtyard of the mission. Last year we helped plant a lot of the flowers you see here.

Tuesday afternoon art project.

Reading books with the kids.

We played basketball, football and of course soccer.

The kids were so much fun.

Our St. Patty's Day Party!

The Comayagua Burros! We really got into the game..

It was a good game... hard fight to the end. 0-0.

Carrying rocks for a foundation... my back!

Deja Vu... mixing cement by hand, just like last year.

Our side trip this year was to the ocean city called Tela. It was a very small town, lots of tourists and beautiful weather. Many international tourists and seafood galore! We ate like kings, danced to Latin music, played poker, laid out, just relaxed after a long week of hard work. I never found any Cuban cigars to bring back as gifts... but I did buy some really cool bowls (I have an obsession with wooden bowls for some reason).

Our hotel was on the beach, look at that view!

Moe and I dancing some Bachata.

Gingros on the beach... I stayed in the shade!

Dressed up for going out to dinner and dancing.

Last night... poker and cigars. It was a 30 limpira buy in I knocked two people out and ended up with 128 Limpira (about 7 bucks).

Our last night... beautiful sunset bid us fairwell.

After a busy week in Albion on my return I am now in Chicago for the weekend with Novi. She taught me how to use her website (www.noggin.com) and that site rocks! I might jump on from work sometimes if I get bored! I loved it! Then we watched some TV, ate Mexican food and watched Chicken Little (I got her the DVD for this weekend). She taught me about her websites (www.noggin.com and www.nickjr.com) and all the games she plays online... the games were so cool and it is all free! Memory games, number and word matching, and just some fun ones. It was a great little short visit, next time I see her she will be five!

Playing a Dora game online, she is good at the memory game.

As soon as she saw I got her Chicken Little, she popped it into the DVD player.

Captain Crunch breakfast with papi.

She is big enough to carry her own bag now.

So now I am back... this week was very busy at Albion. I have some big projects going on, I am managing our Whos Who selection process and working on two big policy proposals for the board of trustees meeting in April. Not to mention that WRGLC is this weekend in San Francisco, and Greek Week is the week after! So there is a lot on my plate and I am only in the office for two days! Well I better get started.

Mission Honduras
Today are in Comayagua, the large city close to the mission. We are eating and going to a game of the local semi-professional soccer team, LOS BURRITOS! I taught a class in Spanish today and it reminded me how much more I need to practice my language and also learn to read...

Anyhow it is very hot and for the next two days we wil be mixing cement by hand and building a retaining wall. Two days down and no burns.. wish me luck. For those who want to see some stuff we are doing check out the website: Mission Honduras.

For the weekend we will spend two days on the Golf of Mexico shore in a small town called Tela. I hear it is going to be twice as hot as it is here... At least we will have water to cool us off.

Well I have to run. I just spent like 20 cents for 10 minutes of internet. I will post pics when I return. CIAO!

Novi's New Room
Well two weeks flew by, and it was my time to be in Chicago again. Work was so hectic the days went really fast and I needed a weekend away from Albion and all the stuff going on. I have been working on things for the WRGLC Board, my Fraternity District Formal, and some OutSight Consulting, not to mention being busy at work. So these weekends are a great break and change of pace.

This weekend Tamara was moving into a new place, and now Novali has her own room. So she was excited about the move as well. Being that I have moved once a year for the past 6 years... I know how much of a pain moving can be... but it was fun being part of the excitement of moving. I help keep Novali out of the way, and also moved my share of stuff as well. Here is a weekend recap.

Friday I arrived a little late. I was wrapping up work and getting things done to be away for three days so I hit the road a little late. The trip started out well, Speedway gave me free hot dogs... and I got a good price on gas at my Indiana border station. Good luck from the start. I got there and she was getting ready for bed. We played a little, then I read her a bed time story (I love you this much), she said her prayer and went to sleep.

Saturday was fun... Novi got me up at like 7:15AM and we started playing. She put on her TV shows and started to dance. So I took some cool photos of her dancing around. After the dance party she tried on the shoes I bought her. Last weekend Heather and I found a couple good deals on some Kenneth Cole shoes for her... she now she is stylin'. I got her a pink pair of summer shoes, those are for her birthday and I told her we would get her a new dress as well. The other pair is a cool pair of black tennis shoes that have velcro so she can put them on herself.

Her new pink summer shoes.

All dressed with her new Kenny Cole shoes.

While watching TV, she said she had homework to do and took out her laptop.

As we packed the cars, she slept before going to the new apartment.

All Saturday was spent moving things to the new place. Novi was a big help and always offered to carry things. I had fun helping out as well, and wanted to do some cool things for Novali's room. Once the place was well settled, and the dinner hour arrived, Novi and I ran to Target. I got her a Hello Kitty Lamp, a little fun bin, and a small round decorators table for her to put things on. I wanted to get her a poster or something... but none at Target. Then we got some pizza and crazy bread and had dinner at the house. It was a relaxing night and I got to read her a story again (Chapter One - Snow White) and she went to sleep. Once she hit the hay I went out with my fraternity Brothers Vic and Rey. One of the Gammas from MSU was having a party at a club in Chicago. So we went out, wished Allison well, danced a bit and hangout. I didn't stay out late cause I know Novi would wake me early...

Sunday Novi woke me up before 7AM! We had some breakfast watching Madagascar, we both worked on our laptops. I was not able to stay late cause work at Albion is calling my name. I have to prepare for my trip to Honduras, I leave next Monday, right after Formal weekend. I am excited, it is a great trip, but it is stressful leaving since I have to help prepare the students and wrap up work so I can be gone for a week. Anyhow... in my short morning we still had fun. Novali did her first pout and went into her room and shut the door and refused to come out. It was funny... I kept knocking on the door and she would say "Go Away... ". They grow up so fast...

Her room! Her bed.

All her toys... Dora Playhouse.

Her own closet and shoe rack.

Her new Hello Kitty lamp.

Now back in Albion... the drive back was not fun, snowed most of the trip. I made it back and got a lot done tonight. Have a good week everyone!

MGCA the 6th
This year was my 6th year at the Mid-American Greek Council Association (MGCA) Conference. I have always loved this conference because it brings so many people from different campuses together (1500 students) to exchange ideas and have a good time. This year I came out a day early to spend some extra time with Novali. We had a great time at the Hyatt, we ran around, got Starbucks again (don't worry mom, she only got chocolate milk), and ate at the famous Knuckles Sports Bar (it was at noon). Good times.

Novi had fun trying to climb into the big beds.

She got a balloon from the MGCA staff and played games with it.

She liked the Blacklights in Knuckles.

Nono, her balloon, a Knuckles menu and big smile.

Chocolate milk in a fancy cup.

Chicken fingers, fries, onion loaf and lots of ketchup.

The conference started and I took Novali back home. My students arrived and we were prepared for a great weekend. The opening speaker was a friend of mine, and he mentioned me during the program and that impressed my students so I was off to a good start. It was great seeing all my Greek advisor friends, and I wasn't the only Beta this year! Total of three Betas and two Gammas, and the NPHC and Latino Greek turnout was much better then last year. My favorite part of the conference is the Friday luncheon when people sit with their affiliation. Friday night I picked up Novali again and took my students out for Chicago style pizza.

Zach (GVSU), me and Chase (BGSU)

Betas and Gammas at the luncheon.

Saturday was great. Aleece (Albion Panhel President) and I entered the Case Study competition, and the students loved their programs. It was great. Then was the final banquet where we all get dressed up and have a dance afterwards... where this old guy strolled all night, and even did some Merengue. Good times.

Zach and I at the banquet.

The Albion Crew.

Good news at the banquet, Aleece and I took second place in the case study competition which was awesome. The conference wrapped up and everyone headed home. I stayed behind to spend the afternoon with Novali.

When I got to Novi's we chilled for a little bit, and then decided to watch a movie. She told me I could pick, so I did... and then she said, "No, thats not the right one, I'll pick it." Too funny...

She wanted her backpack and rainboots on for the movie.

Smart one... she knows all the buttons on the remote.

Its cool all the new things she knows. Her new thing this weekend was that she memorized her mom's cell phone number. We hung out in the afternoon, played some games, watched some Strawberry Shortcake and then I had to make my not-so-fun drive home. Back to Albion, back to the grind.