Dealing with the pain

There has been a lot of death in my life lately, some not directly related to me, but some that hurts a lot. Last friday there were two tragedies in Phoenix. Two news helicopters crashed into each other killing both pilots and on the same day a Phoenix police officer was killed trying to make a shoplifting arrest. Although these instances are not directly related to me, it is still painful especially when the funerals are aired on tv and I see the pain that the family and friends are experiencing. On a more me-related note, a member of my family passed away last night. Our pet cockatiel Larry Bird deceased around 11:30 pm and maybe whoever reads this may think, "so what its just a stupid bird..." but if you have a pet at home and love them like they are a brother or a sister you understand. My brother and I received Larry as a birthday gift in 1997 and it is a big deal to lose a pet after almost 10 years. My freshmen football coach/jr high PE teacher passed away a few weeks ago, and I was unable to make it to his funeral. I also received word that a family friend from an old church of ours passed away recently and this was hard to deal with because he was like a grandfather to us. This may seem like just a bunch of rambling to most, but I just felt like I needed to get some stuff off my chest. To all of you mentioned, I hope that you are looking down upon us, watching over us with God up in heaven. I would like to leave you with this, "If we live in hearts we leave behind, then we will never die." That is a quote from one of my favorite bands that broke up a few years ago. Larry, Coach Pete, and Evrett: I will never forget you guys and I just want to thank you for what you meant to me and the impact you had on my life. May God bless the families of some of Phoenix's finest as they go on without those they lost...

Chapter 458: The Summer of 07

I have been home for the past two weeks and let's just say that I miss San Diego just a little. I started my new job at a watermelon farm a few days upon returning to the desert and it has been an interesting experience to say the least. The first morning that I arrived at the farm (keep in mind that I wake up at 4 am and start work at 4:45 am) I was, without being introduced to anyone or even meeting my boss, handed some keys to a 15 passenger van and told to drive the inmates to the fields. Two weeks later I have found my place and know what is expected of me everyday and working with the inmates is a blast, they never cease to make me laugh. I have seen more sunsets in the past two weeks than I have during the rest of my life combined. I am looking forward to the part of my summer after I quit working and I can go have some fun without waking up while the sun is still sleeping. I am going to San Diego for vacation this next week then I will work for a few more weeks after that then I will see where the wind carries me, all I know is that I want to make a trip up the the Four Corners (where Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico meet) with my brother and homie Jake. Hopefully camp meeting works out again this year and definitely gonna have to set some time aside to kick it back in the 623. Hopefully all y'all's summer is going splendid and I would love to hear from anyone. Hit me up on email: ahickman100@ptloma.edu or cell: 520-483-7493. God Bless!

A Breath of Life into my Summer...

The first 3 weeks or so of my summer were fairly dull, but with the visit of my cuz a new hope arose from the ashes of what seemed to be a lost cause and alas a new generation of fun was hatched. Timmyaw, Josh, occasional special guests including but not limited to: H-Bomb, Jen Dub and Camel Terror and I have been up to no good over the past week, reeking havoc upon the lives of those who call Point Loma their home. From antiqueing, to duct-taping; these past few days have been priceless in the lessons learned and the friendships strengthened. I will value these days as I journey into the next chapter of my summer which will more than likely be titled, "Traneyaw: The Farmer who was never to be...", but until then, I will keep on keeping on over here in classy San Diego. Good night and Godspeed.

Misplaced Memories

So this weekend was Elev8, the southwestern region NYI event for the the Nazarene church youth. I was not able to attend the district Extrav this year, which was the first time in about 8 years that I was not present, so seeing some friends at Elev8 was much needed. The AZ district once again represented us well, with Payson church taking first place in soccer, MadHouse taking 2nd in flag football and basketball and the AZ All-Stars taking the gold in volleyball. O-Dub also put up a good fight in football, eventually losing to MadHouse in the semi-final game. I miss the days where I was at Biltmore and I got to go to all of these events as a sponsor, but the changing of times and growing up brings on new phases in life and the past slips slowly out of our grasp. I really hope that when I graduate, the plan God has for me leads me back to the Valley of the Sun, because right now that is where my heart is...

Hope floats...too bad I haven't been to the water lately...

So it has officially been two weeks since I have been out of school and it seems as if a couple of hundred months have passed; funny how slow and dull life becomes when you are not hanging out with your friends everyday. I have a few more weeks of work in San Diego and then I will return to the homestead where I will be working for a watermelon farmer, doing who knows what, but at least I will have a job. I am looking forward to being with the family once again.