173 Pictures
That is how many I have taken since Christmas Eve! Man, 173 pictures and I can only post a couple here on my site. Right now I am posting just a couple little shots and I have a full photo gallery of Novali's Christmas in Michigan! Check it out: Novali's Updates.

Christmas Eve was done traditional Bolivian style in an American twist A La Centellas. For you long time readers you might remember my midnight dinner last year while in Bolivia. We were not able to hold out that long, but we had dinner at about 11pm. My American grandparents were over, Tamara, Raquel and Valerie, and Andres. We were only missing Miguel. It was a full house to say the least. We ate Chuño (my favorite!) Puti and Aji de Pollo with soup and bread, and white wine topped off with some after dinner coffee, desert, and... Present time! Novali and Valerie got way excited as the present exchange arrived (Valerie is actually just always excited). Anyhow some pics...

Our new Christmas Ornament, a Golden Star, in honor of Enrique Centella, my abuelito.

Novali and Valerie warmed up quickly to eachother.

Chuño... my favorite food.

After dinner, it was gift time.

Novali and Tamara enjoying the gifts.

Sleeping by the tree waiting for Santa.

Christmas Day was a pleasant surprise for the little girls. Novali left milk and cookies in front of the fireplace for Santa and she decided to sleep in her new Barbie sleeping bag right in front of the tree. This made it hard for me to sneak in and play Santa... but my dad and I managed to get in there, leave more gifts, and eat the cookies and down the milk. Novali woke up excited and ran around the house telling everyone that Santa ate the cookies. Once everyone was up we opened gifts and Novali got even more stuff... not sure how it will all fit into the car on the way home.

Milk and cookies... gone!

Gift time again.

New gloves and hat... more clothes... more toys... more everything.

Had to work right away on her new coloring books.

Sunday we went to Gladwin to my grandparents house on Pratt Lake. The lake froze and my grandpa cleared a nice spot on the lake and we played. It was great. I pulled Novali around on an intertube, taught her to make snow angels, made a snow man with her grandpa, drank hot coco, and she wiped out once big time... snow all over her face. She got up, I dusted of her face... and while she cried she said, "Daddy I'm Hurt! Dady I'm Hurt!" She was fine.

Playing her letter game.

Ready to play in the snow.

In a pile of snow after being spun around on the tube..

My mom and dad with their grandkids, Novali and Valerie.

The rest of the time in Michigan was spent doing all sorts of new things. She made gingerbreadmen with Grandma, went sledding with Grandpa, watched Tio Andy ice skate and said "WOW!", made snow angels with her papi, took lots of bubble baths, worked on a 1000 piece puzzle, saw A Sharks Tale with Grandma and I, played with PlayDough with grandpa, made a fort in the basement with Tio Andy, and played with all her new toys and her little cousin Valerie. So many funny stories... one was from this morning. She wanted me to get her some chocolate milk. We did not have any (or so I thought), and she got mad at me, and said she was not my friend anymore. Then she walked over, pulled out a dinning room chair, sat down in front of the puzzle, and said, "I am gonna play this by myself... and It's gonna be fun!".

Making animals out of PlayDough.

In her play fort with Tio Andy.

Her favorite Gingerbreadman.

Going down the sledding hill with grandpa.

Making a snow angel.

Posing for her Christmas picture.

Wednesday morning we start the trek home. We will stop off at my house in Albion so I can grab some things I need to take to Chicago, and then off to her mamas house. Then Thursday morning I pick up Miguel at Ohare Airport from his European trip and we head back to Michigan!

New Years plans are still a little in the air, but more then likely it will be low key, and then the rest of the weekend I will be getting ready for a busy couple weeks at work... ah... vacation will be over.

White Christmas
So it looks like we will be having a white Christmas. Which is great! This means I get to take Novalí to do all the fun winter activities. Sledding, building a snow man, and maybe even ice skating if we get a chance (I doubt the lake up north will be frozen, but maybe at Hoyt Park).

I have been getting into the Christmas mode... which is not usual for me. I am not a big present buyer, but I managed to find something for everyone which I think they will enjoy. I even got most of the them wrapped as well which is always fun for me. This afternoon I will finish that up before heading to Saginaw. No cards though people... you know how I feel about cards. Not a big fan...

This week was a good week to get things cleaned up at the office and wrap up my first semester at Albion. It was a good semester, and I ended it with a good thorough cleaning of my office... and man it was a lot of work.

This huge filing cabinet... towering in the corner... got sorted and emptied!

My nice little collection of Christmas cards had to get taken down.

With "Big Grey" empty... she went on to greener pastures (ie Not my Office). Thats me givin' her the BOOT!

Surprise! Under one of my shelves... a heal to a shoe! (Jen stepped on it while moving the shelf)

So now my office is how I want it... at least for now. I have more room, less junk, better wall space to hang stuff on, and space for when students come in to meet with me. This also means I have to find somethings to hang on the walls... hum...

For those who have yet to see my office, or seen it prior to the changes, here she is... this is gonna be a great year!

Well it is time for me to run... got to pick up a few more gifts, wrap some more presents, pack my car, and head to Saginaw!

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down...

Great Weekend
This weekend was a lot of fun... Friday went out with the work folks. Julien is leaving to work at Barnard and it was his last weekend in town. So some fun at Rellis followed by breakfast at the Cracker barrel in Jackson. Saturday was the Baker family Christmas party in Grosse Point. Megan Baker was one of my best friends in undergrad and her family is great and a ton of fun. Sunday was a reminder of how short I am, some highway mistakes on the way home, and then back in lovely Albion.

Today, my phone battery is dead, but I am at work, so feel free to call me here if you need me. 517.629.0433. Or just leave me a message and I will get back to you soon. I did not take my camera this weekend, so no pics... I know you are all bummed.

My car is really dirty from all the highway grime! Blah...

Bad News
Gas prices are the lowest they have been in years! So why is that bad news... well I made two trips to Grand Rapids this week, one to drop my laptop off, and one to pick it up. You might say, but I expected to have to make those trips... well yes I did... but I also expected my laptop to be FIXED!

This was not even the lowest I saw!

The green screen funky thing.

So today it crashed a couple times. Did some weird funky screen thing, crashed again, and then refused to start. My keys light up though... but I would trade for my old broke keys and working computer right about now...

To top off the day, the internet went down at Albion. How does a school lose internet? They have no back up, how can you run a business and not have a back up internet solution? It makes no sense to me and I raved about it all day. So instead of my usual work, chat, work, email, work, chat.... I only could do work. So I started cleaning out this big grey filing cabinet in my office... SCARY!

The night ended cool though. It was my office holiday party. We ate, exchanged gifts (I got a Bodum!) and just relaxed. It was a lot of fun, and after Jenn came over and we watched Van Wilder. Now I am getting ready for bed, and thinking about how bored I am going to be tomorrow with no internet at work. It is not set to be fixed until tomorrow afternoon.... AH...

Classic
Another classic Epsilon retreat, no doubt. We had a blast, we did some fun new things, and of course covered the classic traditions like Plaka Cafe, Golden Griddle, and hitting up the mall. We all got to know each other better. I was reminded how little interaction I have had with the younger guys, and I loved connecting with them more. We ended the retreat with an Ad Hoc meeting in my living room and talked about some vitals issues that are holding back our chapter's success. In time... we will be a powerhouse once again.

I will be posting pictures very soon. We had a sweet room at the Hilton right on the water, we could see Detroit across the water and it was great when snow fell on Sunday morning. I was able to tap into the resources of being a meeting planner with the Hilton (my new business idea) and hooked up a cheap room rate for us. More perks coming soon. More pics of this weekend coming soon, my laptop is in the shop again... yes again... and once I get it back I can post all the pictures.

This week back to the grind, getting a lot done since the students are gone. I have a ton of receptions and dinner parties for work which is cool and will break up the time on the computer working on policies, forms, and websites.

Anyhow more coming soon... and what happened in Canada...

Birthdays
Yesterday, December 9th, were the birthdays of two of my favorite people. Vic Rivera and Geo Athappilly, my fraternity Brothers. Both of those guys have had a big impact on my life. We been through some crazy stuff... we pledged together bringing SLB back to Western. We planned some huge events and made impacts on each other and people around us.

Geo and I both supported each other when our mothers can cancer... my mom still has the plant that Geo gave her. I gave blood for his mothers blood bank before her surgery. Geo has struggled with his eye condition, macular degenerative condition. I think that is the real title, he is slowly losing his vision. We had a lot of long talks about that, and other points in life's craziness. Talked about break ups, religion, politics, fraternity life, and our goals. One deep Brother, all the time. Now he is married and I am so happy for him.

Vic... well we been through a ton! We traveled all over the country... had so many adventures I can't even describe them all in a book. I went to his sisters wedding, and he has been to my house and wondered why we don't have beans with every meal (Puerto Ricans I tell ya). The complete opposite of Geo... Vic and I never talk about anything serious but that is okay. I remember when my mom had cancer, he offered to go and get notes or my syllabus from my classes. That from a guy who
didn't go to his own classes. Vic does stuff like that and reminds me while we will be friends, and more importantly Brothers, for life.

Last night I went to Kalamazoo to see them. Vic of course was sitting at his house watching movies, and Geo was out with his wife so I did not get to see him. Anyhow, Vic and I and all the Brothers around went out and just had a total blast. Thanks Brothers for helping me to unwind a little, and I look forward to our retreat this weekend! Happy birthday again to you two, can't wait for this weekend. Peace!

My job
I feel like a new professional... yes I know I am new to the field, but AFA (Association of Fraternity Advisors) really pumped me up. I was reminded why I love this job, why I love the field I chose, why I dedicate my time (on and off the clock) to work with fraternities and sororities. I made some new commitments, made some new networks, and made new connections with old friends.

My clothes arrrived... late afternoon on my second day... but I did not let that ruin my day. I still went to sessions (in two day old clothes) and I did not let it get to me. The workshops were not as good this year, but time spent with my Western Region Greek Association Board and also with the Betas, Gammas and other NALFO professionals there was awesome.

We were at an amazing hotel property, view of the Hollywood sign and the strip. Celebrity sightings all over the place, David Swimmer, the entire General Hospital Cast, Daisy Fuentes (she spoke at our luncheon), MC Lyte, Tarantino, John Stamos, and many other B List celebrities were to be seen. It was interesting.

Our hotel was next door to the famous theater and connected to the big mall.

View from my hotel window, that is the hollywood sign in the distance.

It was great hanging out with my fraternity Brothers who were there and our headquarters staff Jim Trajilio and the famed Mary Peterson. After convention this summer I felt someone unconnected from the fraternity, but this brought me back in full force. We made some plans as to ways that I can help be involved with the Betas on many different levels. Needless to say I am excited.

The WMU Crew back together. Steve (my Greek Advisor, now at IU), Kristen who was Greek woman of the year when I was man of the year, and Ryan Weier who was IFC president when SLB came back to campus.

The Betas... we represented hard for the frat. Doing big things.

Hanging with the Brothers was great. Our last night we went to a place called Miyagi's. We had a good time, Ammar and I reminded each other of the good ol' MOA days. We had Moet, music, and a place were tons of A List people go... the parking lot was like a car show... I loved it!

Well anyhow, I am at LAX and getting ready to fly home. I have a busy week ahead of me and I am looking forward to being back at my office and getting started on the list of things I committed to do at AFA. Wish me luck!

Long day...
So my trip to Hollywood has gotten off to a terrible start. American Airlines did not get my bags to me... hopefully they will arrive in time for me to change tomorrow morning. I had an overly long layover in the Ohare Airport and was frustrated the entire time trying to use my laptop without it crashing every 5 minutes on me...

I walked Sunset Blvd. looking for Kinko's.

I really wish they would open some of these in Michigan!

I arrived in Hollywood and my shuttle took forever. Then when I got to the hotel my room reservation was all messed up (thanks Cressie), so tonight I have to pay for a room all to myself, and then for the rest of the time I share with two of my fraternity Brothers so save costs (thanks again Cressie). But at least I made it to my destination safely.

Then I meet with the WRGA Folks... I get some more ideas and off to Kinko's... which turns into a living nightmare. Half of their computers were broken, the other half did not have the software I needed, and their printers were horrible. Why aren't all Kinko's the same? They were telling me... "You can't do that Kinko's."... which makes me mad because twice this year I have done that at other Kinkos. I just want to print from my Mac people! Ah!

So right now it is 4:55 AM Eastern Time, I just finished my last prints at Kinko's... and I need sleep... one item on a long to do list. Wish me luck folks. I hope my bags are waiting for me at the hotel room.

Driving and Driving
My holidays are generally filled with a lot of driving, and this year was not exception. The major driving started last weekend with the fraternity Thanksgiving dinners, as well as the major eating...

The Epsilon Chapter, WMU Betas.

The new Alpha Gamma Chapter, GVSU Betas.

My break started on Wednesday when I planned to run to Grand Rapids to look at some potential hotels for my fraternity formal, pick up my laptop from CompuCraft and then buzz to Kalamazoo. However the snow put a major kink in those plans. Grand Rapids got hit with 8 inches of snow while I was there, and since I had not put the winter tires on my Sentra yet... I was a little stranded. It was good because Ramon and Heather also got stuck in Grand Rapids and we made it out and watched a ton of high school reunions, left the MargaritaGrill petting zoo, watched guys with no game, and exchanged some fun stories (Ramon - somethings you are never supposed to tell anyone...).

Thursday it was off to Meijer to get some last minute things, and also to Division street to a Latino grocery store to find some yucca. I found what I needed and rolled to Kalamazoo to get Vic and Miguel... well not that simple. My typical route, 131, was closed and I ended up taking side roads into Kalamazoo. Making a normally 45 minute trip into 1 and a half hours... wow... I got the guys and we headed to Albion... once again... traffic turned a 45 minutes drive into... yep, you guessed it... 1 and half hours. No fun at all!

The snow

Dinner table.

Snacks... snacks...

Dad carving the turkey... a dark on the outside, but just right on the inside.

Fried yucca, one of my favorite Bolivian foods I can get in the States.

I think everyone got seconds... and thirds.

The good food made the wait worth it. My parents arrived and we started to munch... summer sausage, shrimp, crackers, assorted nuts, chips and salsa, and plenty of Coca-Cola. Everyone played Dominos while I watched the last couple items cook and fired up the yucca. Then dinner was served... the Turkey got a tad over cooked (I must have bumped the oven temp while I was cooking other things... it got switched to 450!), and the yucca I bought was not the best (not in season) and the rest of great!

We ate like pigs, and then in Centellas tradition we looked up movie times. We decided to see the Incredibles. Excellent choice, we all loved the movie. From there Mom and Dad went home, and us guys went back to the house and watched more movies.

Friday morning I took the guys back to Kalamazoo. I also stopped at Office Max and got a 9.99 Wireless Router! Then I buzzed up to Grand Rapids again. The snow caused me to never make it to pick up my laptop on Wednesday, so I had to do that, and also Ramon and I planned to see some more hotels. It was a good trip (plus I was pumped about the router deal and getting my laptop back), and Ramon saw the Hilton and like I figured it made him want to have formal there as well... Ramon and I worked on our Formal 2005 proposal and we will see how it goes. Fingers crossed.

Friday night I drove to Chicago to see Novali. She was a little crabby but still my little angel. In the morning we played and had a great time. Nothing too special on this visit, it was cold and rainy so not many options of things to do outside anymore. We watched some movies and I chased her around the house pretending to be a monster trying to eat her arm. Saturday went to a wedding, which was in an amazing church! The reception was also very nice, out in Joilet. Not much of a wedding guy.

Hide and Go seek...

hiding in the closet

Sunday her and I played some more, watched Lion King, and had breakfast (I had coffee, she had cereal). Then I took off back to Michigan. This past couple days I spent a lot of time in my car. It was great to get around and take a break from work. Today I tried to get caught up on things before taking off to Hollywood... the to-do-list is getting larger then the amount of time I have left... ah! Also, my laptop is acting a little funny since getting worked on, I am worried they did something wrong to her. With all the stuff I got going on right now I can not afford to be without my computer, or more importantly time to drive to Grand Rapids again to drop it off and pick it up.

Turkey... Pink Turkey
Well the Holidays feel in full swing for me. Family, food, friends, food, traveling, food, gifts, food, driving... food..

Did I mention food? Well if not that is what I think the holidays revolved around. Which is fine with me, cause for those who know me, know I love food. Anyhow these last few days have been more relaxed and I have been catching up with a lot of people. Lets rehash.

Friday - after work Jennifer and I went to Battle Creek, I had to go to the bank and take a pair of shoes in to get fixed. Well, the Meijer there did not take shoe repairs, my bank took the checks, but it took 4 days for the money to go active in my account... AH! The fun was hanging out with Jen, and also Old Country Buffet! We were in a hurry to get back to campus to see the comedian that we ate there... It was so good... mash potatoes.. mac and cheese... roast beef... friend chicken...ah...

Saturday - cleaned my place because my Uncle Ed and Aunt Cyndi came to visit. It was great and they laughed at my empty fridge, but loved the colors I picked for my walls. Aunt Cyndi took pics of my empty fridge and my bed which was actaully made! Mom woulda been proud of the made bed, but of course not of the fridge.... then I went to Kalamazoo for the 7th annual Beta and Gamma Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was great thanks for Vic and Raul, Rey beat Miguel in Chess, and Ish and Colleen wore matching shirts. A little salsa dancing at Tortilla Flats afterwards and I rolled to GR.

Sunday - Big Boy Sunday Buffet! Heather had never had it, this was a college classic for me and guys. I like introducing people to the joys of buffets... then I checked out hotels for the next Beta District formal, and then had the GVSU Beta and Gamma dinner. The turkey never got done, we waited, and waited... and we all got so hungry we ate the turkey, despit a little pinkness... I am still alive ladies and gentleman!

So that was my weekend. Lots of fun, lots of food... too bad right now I am without my laptop. It is at Compucraft right now getting my backlit keyboard fixed. Had to get it done before she went off warantee. I head to GR tomorrow to pick her up, and then this weekend... I am hosting Turkey Day for the Centellas family! Crazy right?

Yes me... the guy with only pudding and crystal light in his fridge... is hosting the Centellas family Turkey day, and I don't have cable! I have cooked turkey's before, so we will see how it goes. Eitherway no football on TV in the background though...

A Little Busy
So this week has been a little busy. Today was no exception, so I thought I would give you all a little peak into the life of a Greek Advisor for a day...

9:00 AM - Took NX to get oil change.
9:30 AM - Tea reception at Alpha Xi Delta
10:00 AM - Meeting with Delta Gamma Consultant
11:00 AM - Meeting with Dean of Intercultural Affairs & Director of CPO
12:20 PM - had a short lunch (11am meeting went late...)
1:00 PM - CPO Staff meeting
3:00 PM - Meeting with an IFC Program coordinator
4:00 PM - Meeting with Alpha Tau Omega Advisor
5:00 PM - Pick up NX, go home and check mail
6:00 PM - Sigma Chi Scholarship Dinner
7:00 PM - Phi Mu Reception
8:00 PM - Greek Diversity Meeting
9:45 PM - Diversity Meeting DeBriefing
10:30 PM - compile programs info for WRGA
11:00 PM - go home...

I had a long day, tomorrow I was supposed to go to GVSU for a program by Jackson Katz... but I need a day in the office to relax and get caught up on everything. I need next week to come and give me the break I really need. I have been running at full speed for a couple weeks now and I need things to settled down.

This weekend will bring some needed relaxation time. My Uncle Ed and Aunt Cindy are going to be in town and swing by my house. Then I will run to Kalamazoo for the 7th Annual WMU Thanksgiving dinner between the Betas and Gammas. I love traditions, I am very excited to see all the alums who will make it out. Then Sunday I am gonna try to get to the GVSU Betas Thanksgiving Dinner... maybe a new tradition in the works...

Good, Good
Well... I guess my presentation at the National Hazing Symposium was better then I thought. I have had several people email me already about how much they loved what I had to say, and one of those people wants to contract me to come and speak at their school. I am very excited about that and I hope we can work out a date and time that I can be down at their campus. I will keep you all posted.

Consulting. I have had in the past week two new places contact me about doing websites which is promising. I also had one of my current clients say they need me to do some extra work for them which all means more work for good ol' OutsightDesign.

The final good part of this week, I talked to Speedway HQ about my gas incident. The guy was understanding, sympathetic and seemed like he wanted to help me. They are assigning a case "specialist" to fix the problem. I told the guy I love Speedway hot dogs. He was much nicer then those losers at National City, or the bums at Verizon.

So this week is going great, and this Saturday I decided to run home and see my family over there. Then Sunday I am heading with the staff here to Denison Univeristy for a Directors Conference. Should be fun... roadtrip!

35 MPG
So the new Sentra is great. One road trip down, and many more to go. I went all over the place. I was watching my gas mileage and I was getting close to 35 MPG on the highway. How great, this is truly going to be a good roadtrip mobile.

The roadtrip started on my way to Chicago. I stopped at a Toys R Us and found the perfect bed for Novali. It was pink, and had Disney stuff on it, then I found a Dora The Explorer bed set. Perfect! I bought it and hit the road. When I got to the apartment Novali was excited and helped me put the bed together, she passed me parts, and held things in place for me. When we finished she just jumped into bed and did not want to get out. I was so happy she loved it.

Saturday we went and got her hair cut. Last time she got it cut was in Saginaw with my dad and I and we had fun. So here we went again. She did not like it too much this time, but she got a sucker and did not fuss a lot. I got my haircut as well.

It was barely together and she jumped right on top.

Getting her haircut.

That night I had to leave and head to Purdue for the National Hazing Symposium which was being held there in conjunction with the Indiana Greek Leadership Conference. I was excited to be going, and especially to be on the list of people speaking.

Sunday was the conference and it went great. I could not have been happier. I got a lot of positive reactions to the things I had to say and I got interviewed by one of the Indianapolis papers as well. Maybe my picture will be in the paper! Anyhow... after that I drove to Greencastle, IN to see Becky. I figured I was too close to not make the trip over and see her school. It was a good trip, nice leisurely drive through farm country. We had some great Mexican food, saw her office, and caught up. I met her friend Val, and then I started the long drive home... long...

The Nissan was great... had a problem at a gas station with a broken pump... and no sign on it... I think I ruined my nice black Bass shoes... I need to write a letter to Speedway and see what they plan to do about it... have a good week everyone!

Lots of Good News
It has been a stressful couple weeks for me, and this week some good things are happening. Here is some news for all everyone.

1. GVSU Betas - Yesterday the Betas at GVSU got word that they are now official the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. I am so proud of these guys, lots of Brothers did not think they would be able to survive at GVSU with such a small Latino student population, and low percentage of Greek life. They did it... as my gift for their chartering I made them a new website... check it out... oh yeah, turn your speakers on first! Alpha Gamma Chapter

2. Tonight after work I am going shopping for Novali's first grown up girl bed. I am trying to find something fun and cute, like a Dora the Explorer bed, when I was a kid I wanted a Knight Rider bed... but Novali really wants something in Pink...

3. This afternoon, with the help of Jennifer from work, we drove to Byron Center Michigan, and bought my next car. I got a great deal, and I think I found the best deal. I took my time looking for the right car and I found it! Thanks for taking me Jennifer, and for the rest of the world, here are some pictures of the newest Cruceño Nissan...

I will seriously try to not get the upgrade bug and start doing stuff to it... but I am sure it is only a matter of time before I have neon lights inside and subs in the trunk... Team PLP!