Farewell.....well....kinda

Well....this is it for my blogging career on blogger. At least for the next year. I got a years subscription for Mobile Me so until September 26th 2009 I will be over at my new blog and all around site. I thank you for your loyal support here at Eccentric Examinations of the Heart at carsonbelmont.blogspot.com but it is time to move on. I hope it will be on to bigger and better things but who knows? Until next time over at my new space I bid thee farewell. To proceed to my new site please click HERE!

Reading, Relaxing, Reflecting

Well....Basically I love using alliteration! I know often times it is cheesy or over used but I love it, even when pastors use it in their sermons, however I am always stuck wondering and pondering how much time they spent figuring out words that start with the same letter. Right now I am outside on a beautifully hot day enjoying a sugar free vanilla frescante! So Good! I am currently still reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love I really enjoy it. It brings about a lot of thought in my life. I am almost done and then I will start a new book, hopefully one that will challenge me. I'm not sure what I am reflecting on but it worked with the alliteration. And relaxing, well for those of you who know me know that that is not happening.

Summer Music

Well....summer has come and gone and it was a good one. Who could complain with all of the awesome music that came out! And not all of the music this summer was brand new but I enjoyed it! I just want to share with all of my faithful readers the music that got me through this summer, both old and new!

The first song that I really enjoyed this summer was Spiders by Lovedrug. This is such a good song and so relaxing. The next for the summer is I'm Still a Guy by Brad Paisley. This song is hilarious and also really enjoyable, also anything by Brad Paisley is always a good choice, especially Old Rugged Cross!! One song that I seriously could not get enough of was Sweet and Low by Augustana both the acoustic version and the regular. I would venture to say that the acoustic version was actually better than the original. Another song by Augustana that gets honorable mention for the summer is Hey Now. One album that was all around amazing this summer was of course Coldplay's newest work and in particular Viva La Vida, Violet Hill, Strawberry Swing, and Death and All His Friends! Jason Mraz's new CD this summer was also an enjoyable album to listen to of course his duet with Colbie Caillat, Lucky was very well done.

All in all it was a very enjoybale summer listening to music. If you haven't heard any of these songs I would recommend every one of them to you!

Monday Monday

Well...It's Monday morning and I am kinda excited about it. I am very tired and for that reason I wish it was Saturday, however this day is one that I get to begin with joy, and I will begin with joy because I get to chose these things. The name of what day it is will not dictate how I feel!! So I hope everyone else has a manic monday and that they don't wish it were Sunday. 

Welcome Back!!

Well...I know my blog frequency has been slowing but this is well worth the wait. This is the most recent from TLR, enjoy and Welcome Back!

Crazy Love

I started a new book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, it's really good so far!

It Finally Happened

Well....If you have not heard already, It Finally Happened! What....? you may ask, well I am very glad you did! On Friday August 1st 2008 I asked Hillary Joy Kell to be my wife! It was a very enjoyable night that we got to spend together at first just enjoying each others company and then celebrating the exciting news with our families. I was not nervous about proposing to Hillary and never have been but the mere thought of it was very exciting to me leading up to Friday. Although I expected to be very happy and excited to take this step and move forward towards starting our own family I did not expect to be filled with the joy, relief and sheer happiness that I felt on that Friday evening. I owe the entire night to God as he planned things and made things work out that I could not have planned if I had tried weeks in advance. What made the night special was being able to spend it with the woman I love. I cannot wait to begin this journey of marriage with my beautiful fiance! Here are a few shots of how the night went down, after our bike ride we picked a spot in the grass and spread out a blanket and enjoyed a wonderfully made meal by the awesome people at Subway. Then we played catch and enjoyed each others god given ability to do so until it was too dark to see and then we switched to dessert and playing a few hands of speed (which I one). After such a wonderful evening with my girlfriend I asked her a question that made her become my fiance. Thank you so much and I love you tons Hill

Once we arrived at the park

Enjoying some Subway!

After she said YES!!!

Favorite Past Time: Boxcar Children

Well....I continue my series of some of my favorite pastimes of growing up. It may not come as a surprise to many of you but I was a reader. When I say I was a reader I don't mean I read a book every now and then but I was reading one or two books per week. These books weren't exactly Dr. Seuss books either. By the time I was in junior high, I was reading the likes of Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, and my favorite John Grisham. However the series that got me hooked on books is the Boxcar Children series. This series written by Gertrude Chandler Warner got me hooked and I read book after book. I could not put this series down. As soon as I finished one I would start the next. As best as my memory allows, my favorite book was the third one in the series titled The Yellow House Mystery. If you are ever looking for an easy read, pick one up. It shouldn't take you long to finish and you may just find a new favorite past time.

Singalong with the Dark Knight

Well....I am sure most of you are wondering what in the world could this be about. Of course it must be about Batman. Well you guessed it, it is partially about the first batman movie without batman in the title but it is also about Phil Wickham.

The Dark Knight starts tonight at Midnight and when I looked at Fandango out of curiosity I found that all 8 12:01 showings were sold out and 1 of the 4 1:00 showings was sold out. And then of course there was also the lone 3:15 showing that still had plenty of room. I most likely will not see it tonight but it will not be long until I see the best movie of the summer.

Phil Wickham will be releasing what he calls Phil Wickham/singalong: recorded live in portland. This releases on August 8, 2008, yes that is correct 08/08/08! Right when the Olympics begin. The absolute best part about all of this is that it is FREE! He will have the free downloads available on the above date.

Favorite Past Time: Slush Puppies and Jerky Chew

Well....its time for the second installment of my summer series. As you can see from my title, this one is all about the food. Growing up there was a gas station near my home that sold this blue mixture somewhere between a liquid and a solid state (I am not really sure which). I came to know this amazing soliquid as a Slush Puppy. I think the reason I really preferred these at one time over a slurpee was simply because of the Slush Puppy mascot. What a cool dog? Speaking of slurpees, this Friday at any 7/11 store, walk on in and receive your complimentary slurpee. You may be asking yourself, "Why would 7/11 give away free slurpees?" Well...you can tell yourself, just say "Self, I think it's a promotional offer that they do every July 11th." Don't get too excited, they are pretty small, however, if you hit up enough 7/11s, you just might get a full 20 oz.

The second thing in my title is jerky chew. "What is this?" Well...I'm glad you asked, it is shredded beef jerky. The reason this is listed as one of my favorite past times, is because it reminds me of hanging out with my dad. When I would go to work with him, he would buy me a can of jerky chew. I would stick this in my bottom lip and would let it sit and soak in, enjoying every last bit of that teriyaki flavor. Until next time, go grab a slush puppy and some jerky chew.

Favorite Past Time: Tag

Well...here is the much awaited summer series. Today's topic is the ultimate game for all generations...TAG! I can remember playing a simple game of tag for hours which consisted of running around on a field "tagging" someone. What made this game so popular and so much fun. And if for some reason you ever grew tired of the typical game of tag you could always resort to one of the many other variations of tag. Some of my favorites were freeze tag, flashlight tag, and of course the ultimate hot lava monster. This brings me to another game which I have never categorized in the same as tag however wikipedia differs from this. But this reminds me of many afternoons spent after school at my neighbors house playing kick the can. We would play for hours upon hours and then when we were done we would retreat inside where their mom had Kool aid and cookies ready for us. Then we would continue on with our fun and games by having a huge indoor game of Nerf war. My weapon of choice being the Master Blaster, of course with a pistol in the back of my belt for close range combat. Tables and couches were overturned and converted into bases and forts and mom's and sisters became innocent bystander casualties. The games normally lasted until a lamp or another breakable object was knocked over and then we would retire to the television. Oh the joys and carelessness of childhood.

What was your favorite game to play as a kid?

Summer Series: Favorite Past Times

Well... I'm sure many of my faithful readers are wondering what happened to the planned summer series? To answer all of your many questions with one answer: it's coming soon! With coming home from Germany to an apartment with roommates and work I was thrown off schedule slightly however I figured I would make it start come July. So now that it is July 1 it is time to start. I have many things to discuss about my childhood, growing up, and some of my favorite things during that time, however it only really works with reader participation, so please share some of your favorite things as I share mine throughout the month of July. So check back in the next day or two as post #1 in the series will be coming soon.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, last week Hillary told me about this dance on SYTYCD and I only first saw it yesterday and so I just figured I'd share it with those of you who haven't seen it yet.

If that doesn't want to make you learn how to dance, well you probably just hate dancing.

Summer Roommates!!

Well....just having some fun.

Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Diamond Dog Champs!

Well...if you haven't heard, Fresno State Bulldogs won the College World Series. I am stoked as is everyone from Fresno. I've said it once and I'll say it again, Let's Go Dogs!

I've Never...

Well...I wanted to blog but didn't really want to invest all that much thought so here it goes.

• I've never broken a bone

• I've never been to Mexico

• I've never attended an NFL game

• I've never been surfing

• I've never gone skydiving

• I've never seen any of the Godfather movies

• I've never been to Ikea

• I've never had a bloody nose

She's Here!

Well...Hillary is here for the weekend!! YES!

Lets Go:

Well...I was in the writing mood but was not real sure what to start. (Favorite Past Times Series COMING SOON!!) First of all I cannot believe that in my last post I forgot to mention Euro 2008. This has been such a fun thing to get sucked into. My two roommates schedules are dictated often by who is playing and at what time so I have also begun to keep up with the scores and different matches. Lets Go Netherlands! Also I must mention again how awesome the Fresno State Bulldog team is. They beat North Carolina on Tuesday night, the Tar Heels are the #2 team in the country. Bring on anybody, there going to the finals. Lets Go Dogs! As I am sure most know Coldplay's album, Viva La Vida was released on Tuesday in America and it does not disappoint. With an entire album that puts you into a state of musical euphoria. Check it out. Lets Go Coldplay!

CWS, US Open, D.A. Carson

Well....Right now I am watching the U.S. Open of Golf Championship. You may be asking but it's Monday, did you record it? Well yesterday during the final round at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods in typical dramatic Tiger fashion sunk a birdie putt on the 18th to tie the Championship at 1 under par and force an 18 hole playoff this morning. Tiger holds a 4-1 favorite by the kind folks in Vegas but with his knee the way it is could make it a very interesting playoff.
Also as an update to my last post, Fresno State won their first game against Rice steamrolling the fifth ranked pitching staff in the country 17-5. They now advance to play the North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday at 4 pm PST. Lets Go Dogs!
And finally I just want to point out, yes I am still reading Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church by D.A. Carson. And let me tell you it just is'nt an easy book to read. It is a very intellectual book that requires me to reread pages causing me to take a while to get through it however it is a very enjoyable book. Til next time...

Lets Go Dogs!

Well....Fresno State is in the College World Series! I had season tickets to Bulldog games since before I can even remember. I even had my own seat that had my name on a shiny metal plate. Beiden Field was like a home away from home. Friday and Saturday nights were always something to look forward to and of course the Sunday afternoon game after church was always a great time to relax and enjoy some sunshine. For a number of years I could recite the entire roster, jersey numbers, positions and for starters batting averages and other stats. However during those years, they never resulted in any post season happiness. Growing up it never bothered me because by that time it was summer and I was free. But now this season, so many years since the last time I attended a game they have made it to Omaha. I will be rooting and supporting the Fresno State Bulldogs in their quest to win the CWS. One thing I must mention is my dislike for the initials of the College World Series as it is the same for the Chicago White Sox who I dislike very much, which is why they do not receive the courtesy of a link. Some notable former Bulldogs are Mark Gardner, Bobby Jones, Tom Goodwin, Jeff Weaver who was just released today from his current team. Check out the Dogs play on Sunday, (Father's Day) at 11 am against Rice in Omaha on ESPN. Also of note is the fact that Fresno Coach Mike Batesole was voted National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Currently Reading

Well...following the trend of my last post, I want to introduce to all of my readers a new part of my blog. On the right side of your screen you will now see throughout the rest of the summer a section titled: Currently Reading. This will be a picture of the book that I am currently reading. By clicking on the picture it will take you to a description of the book. Now everyone can enjoy the books that I am reading. On a side note today is a very sad and gloomy Thursday. There will be no watching of LOST or The Office.

Who doesn't enjoy reading?

Well....while I was in Germany I read a number of different books. These books are the most likely reason for my suitcase being 6 kilograms over the maximum allowed weight at the airport. Thanks to my smile and a friendly airport worker all I had to do was shave 2 kilograms of of my suitcase weight and I did so by taking out 3 books and a shoe. Anyways the point of this post is to tell you all about the books that I read.
The first book that I read was The Shack by William Young. This book was a very thought provoking book. It made some very interesting theological statements all the while making some very keen observations about the character of God and enlightened me some of the different aspects of the Trinity.
I also read John Grisham's newest novel The Appeal. This was a very interesting and entertaining novel covering the dirty side of political campaigning specifically in state supreme court races.
I read Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy's biography. What a great book!? I would recommend this book to anyone whether an avid reader or someone who reads a book once a year. This book is such an easy read yet has so much valuable experience to pull from and learn from.

Finally Reporting In

Well...I apologize for the lack of posting since reentering the beautiful United States. I am very happy to be back in the US and back at work. After spending the weekend in Fresno with my family and Hillary I am now back in Riverside working hard for the money. I can't really describe my trip through a blog post so I am not going to try. I am gonna post some pictures on here however all of my pictures can be found on Flickr. In a few words I can say that Munich was absolutely beautiful, the trip was a blast and God did work in our lives as well as a few people that we were able to meet and build relationships with. Enjoy the photos and be ready for me to begin blogging with a fury. Thanks for prayers and support.

This was at the Burger King at the Munich airport.

This is called a Döner Kebab and it is very good.

This was a tobaggon run in Austria....AWESOME!

Lunchtime in the middle of a long day at the sports camp.

This was dinner at what is called the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

I am Here

Well...I am in Germanz and just so zou know anztime there is a y it should be a z and vice versa because the kezboard is switched. I am still alive and well but verz tired. German kids are just like Americans in the fact that thez don´t get tired. We have been able to travel to Salzyerg in Austria which was amayinglz beautiful. Munich is also verz prettz and green but Austria was incredible. The people are verz nice here and manz speak English as well as a few other languages which leaves me feeling verz idiodic and such. We have been able to enjoz some sausage while here as well as lots of PB&J. We also have been to an ITalian restaurant where the Calyone was great! Please keep me in zour preazers as we still have almost two weeks left. I wish I could include pictures however I am pazing for the internet time and Europe is not cheap especiallz the waz the US economz is. Catch zall back in the states!

Germany and the Glockenspiel

Well...My flight for Germany leaves in approximately 15 hours. I leave for the airport in approximately 10 hours. I will not be a very frequent blogger in the next three weeks however please continue to check in as I may have opportunities to make a short post or for up to date reports check here. All I can say is that I am getting excited and at 5:30 am the day of I just returned from Norms and enjoying 3 hotcakes. Please be in prayer for my team and the people we get to meet in Germany. Thanks for all of your support!

Oceans 11, 12, 13

Well...This past weekend myself, Adam and Hillary watched Ocean's 13. I LOVE these movies.

 They are awesome! I do realize they are not the most well made movies like Oscar worthy 

and all that but the dynamic of these three films

 is incredible. The way that each of the characters interact with each other just makes the films top notch. If there were any movies that I would

 watch over and over it would be these 3. I am not saying that these 3 are my favorite movies, for example The Bourne Series are also my favorites but I could not watch them over and over in the same way I could do that with the Ocean movies. I would just like to give a nod to the

Ocean films and all the actors involved. Brad, George and Matt are possibly

 the best trio in a trilogy to ever appear on the silver screen.

Finals

Well...Finals are over and I am HAPPY! What a feeling of relief? Summer is a truly awesome thing.

Music in the Mood

Well...I have been stuck listening to a couple of the same things over and over. I have finally got over my stage of listening to the entire One Republic CD at least once a day, I have cut back to about one song per day from the album. That lasted about two months, and a great two months at that. Now I just go back and forth between listening to The Beatles, and the August Rush Soundtrack. That sums up for the most part my listening experience over the last week or so. Sure I'll throw in some Ben Harper and actually quite a bit of John Mayer lately however the old John Mayer not any of his newer stuff. The Beatles are of course legends and unforgettable but as of now I am hooked. In regards to August Rush, I think I find much of the instrumental peaceful and relaxing while I do homework however it does not put me to sleep like many other instrumental tracks. This morning I was reminded of a song that I always love to listen to because as the title implies it takes me away. Music is awesome!

Plum or Plumb??

Well...I was thinking about what to blog about on this fine Sunday evening and I decided I don't like plums. I never have and I am not sure I ever will. It may be the color but I don't think so. It most likely is the gross taste that the brightly colored fruit produces. Then I thought about plumbing and how I really don't like to plumb either. But then again who does really like to plumb, probably not too many other than those who are plumbers like to plumb either. But once you get away from the gross general ideas of plumbing it can actually be very fun. Instead of just thinking of pipes and elbows, think of the awesome decorative pieces such as faucet pull out pieces, or polished brass sinks.
The sister site to Plumbersurplus.com is another and for me much more enjoyable site to peruse. Outdoorpros.com has items ranging from awesome hunting knives to some sweet ankle holsters. Check out the sites and enjoy some high class online shopping.

Summer Series/Summer Sacrifice

Well...I know I have been slacking but I am running out of gas for the semester so I have just been tired and not up to blogging. But here I am back in action. I first want to alert everyone to a summer series I will be doing on my blog. It will be titled My Favorite Past Times. I am very excited about it and there will be some awesome posts to accompany it. So keep that in mind and don't forget about this humble blogger over the summer.

Second I really want to recognize 3 guys that I must tip my hat to. They are sacrificing their summer's for a greater cause then their own relaxation. Ethan, Justin and Tim are my summer heroes. I will not attempt to fully explain what they will be doing this summer as I do not believe I will do their cause justice. Basically they will be kayaking down the Mississippi River to raise awareness about sex trafficking. They will be partnering with the International Justice Mission. To learn a whole lot more about their cause and their awesome battle and how YOU can help and be a part of their trip please check out their blog, upstreambattle.blogspot.com These are three guys that if you do not already know them then you need to get to know them, fast! Check them out at their blog or with questions email them at anupstreambattle@gmail.com

To Grow, or Not To Grow?

Well...if you have seen me recently you know what I am talking about. I'll start at the beginning. It began with a dream for the CBU community. You may have heard of No Shave November however this was another event similar called Mustache March. A quick detour about Mustache March and it's origin. It began as a way to raise money for the MACC Fund, and instantly became a favorite past time. I encourage you to just browse the above site to be educated about mustaches and their charity.

I was eager to participate of course, and in learning the rules from Chris during the month of February, the excitement continued to build up. As the shave day approached I began to get nervous but the night of February 29th 2008 I shaved my face clean. It was smooth and I grew anxious wanting a mustache to appear right away, however I knew right away this was going to be something special. This was not something that would be done without purpose or reason but I was going to follow the strict rules being in Fresno away from my friends. To this day I am not sure why but I was unable to shave everything and now I have grown attached. I do realize I do not have the fullest beard, the cleanest beard, or even the funniest looking beard however one thing my beard does have is CHARACTER. I love it and I am not really sure when, if ever I'll be able to part with it. I will admit it has not always been easy between me and my beard. We have had our rough patches (No pun intended) like the week it just would not quit itching, or how about even now as it refuses to grow in a few places but one thing is for sure, we were meant to be together. However as the shave day came on the 15th of March when all other facial hair must be shaved I could not pull myself to do so. Maybe it was because I had a family portrait appointment that day, maybe it was the lack of accountability and guideline laid out for everyman on the site. Maybe for another reason...but whatever it was it was divine. I knew I probably had no shot at Best of Show, yet I knew I was being pulled toward the competition. I was thinking i had a shot at the Most Disturbing award. But hear this, when No Shave November comes around again I will start from scratch. One thing I do know is that me and my beard have become one over the last 33 days. And please give your honest opinions on me and my beard.

This is when it was just a baby.

It was growing.

I know you are loving the shades. The day after I was supposed to shave.
After Spring break it filled in quite nicely.
And now presently where we are at in our relationship.

Bookcase getting some good use

Well....I was thinking about what I could let people see into my life and I was sitting on my couch and looked to my left and was inspired. My bookcase has character. Much like many other things in someones apartment, a person's books and movies can tell a lot about them. So I figured why not let everyone see a little into my own character. Here are some pictures that I took with my roommates camera and messed around with in my limited iPhoto abilities.

This shows the many books on my shelf revolve around either baseball or sports in general.

The importance of the Holy Bible!
A part of my movie collection.And a few more movies that I own.

Thanks for reading and please check out my friend Justin's Blog as he is just starting it up.