PAVEing a Blog

Yes, it is 1:39 AM, and I can’t sleep.  This is why..

I leave for Seaford, so nervous, I am seeing family and friends I left so hurriedly that I never got to completely was able to say goodbye in my head, let alone my heart.  I have a chance to see them for one short weekend, but that is like a life time.  I am so excited, and moreso, at an event that honors two amazing people, Dr. Susan Betts and Vince Morris, there is no way this could be an even better reason.  I hope all of you, if you are reading this, will be in some way there Saturday to participate in the Vince Morris & Dr Betts 5k, Dr betts and vince morris app.  I am pumped. I was accepted to create my own non-proft organization called Brakeaway Productions, I receive the tax exempt number the other day and now just some final paper work items, and then the official nonprofit organization is created, allowing me to create events to raise funds for charities in need, this is exciting to me.

Then there is the fact of our magazine Repentino. is taking off. I mean, the staff I have grown so close to, within two years, I love the staff so much and these students have the power to change so much and do some incredible things, and they are LEAVING – graduating in a few short weeks.  I am not sure I am going to be able to say goodbye to them and be happy with that.  I am not ready top say goodbye to them at all, not at all.

Then of course there is the fact that my puppies are amazingly growing at a rapid rate and leaving them for a weekend.  Separation anxiety I think.

Of course there is this…

Can you believe the number of visits, 10,016 in what seems a short time?  Each of you have made this blog so successful, and I hope sometime we get a chance to reunite and just chill, I have been honored to reach this mile mark with you being by my side across so many crazy adventures.  I mean CRAZY.  🙂

Courtesy of Alia Suhaimi

The amazing things lately have been putting Repentino. together, our very last OPEN MIC night this upcoming Wednesday with some incredible bands and performances signed up, you will not want to miss this one at all, I am amazed at the lineup – and these students.  AMAZED.  And yes, possibly a guest illustrator that will blow you away, plus a few secrets for our senior staff!

Thanks for capturing me at my best ELISA…(at least I was surrounded by attractive women!)

Of course celebrating the 125th birthday as the oldest American School in Mexico was a huge event Wednesday, and when was the last time I danced like that?  (I felt it today).

What the body can’t achieve, the mind can perceive. 

A quote that my amazing friend Coach Doakes always would say at XC practice, we are seeing this in reality everyday.  Repentino., my amazing friend Osseily Hanna,  with his artistic venture here, if you can spare a few dollars, and everyone does this, this project is going to be AMAZING.  I had the honor of reading a chapter from his book, and trust me, if you can be a part of this by being a donor, you will NOT regret this.

My former principal’s jazz site at WCMD, definitely worth a look at.

And our Slippery Rock students here in Mexico.  Life is hard yes, but sometimes, if you take a step back, you see oh how sweet it is just getting by during what we think are difficult times, with people that allow you to ride the wave of possibility and then some.  I have been that lucky.  Thank you!

Keyshawn Purnell 5k 2013

Subway and Hungry Howie’s just jumped on this as sponsors!  🙂

Post One – Exactly one week.  Seven days, and my heart is beating extremely fast.  I had an idea, and I am going with it.  I think it is important for now and in the future, to lay down the reasons behind the questions often asked, “WHY on earth, if you made the decision to move to Mexico, would you continue to stress yourself out over activities that you can leave behind, 5k’s and such?”  One of many I get asked, but this is also a place that deserves some explanation and well, if it doesn’t make sense, then well, that kind of goes with my personality  🙂

Steaming hot summer day, Delaware humidity as high as it can get, and I am walking past the athletic fields of Seaford, and maybe thinking it is a mirage, yet I am almost positive I see two images in the distance.  What the heck, something about circumference and cutting across an area to make it faster, etc, I cut across the fields.  As I came closer, I spotted Jackie and Vince hunched down, pouring cement into holes resurrecting a stronger foundation for the batting cage supports.  In the middle of the day, the hottest time of the day?  No kidding, that stuck with me.  That one single moment, defined a whole era of what Vince and Jackie represented.  No students were around, and I tried my best to help them although they had the hardest part already done, yet, alot of students were impacted by this.

It’s hard to explain, but leaving so much behind when I left was next to one or two things that come to mind at least the third hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.  Ever.  I remember spaghetti dinners, awesome picnics when we would go away for meets, THE ultimate football game after XC one year, and so much more, so much more.  Yet, I always tried to replicate what Vince believed in, I knew I could never achieve what he did, yet, it’s funny how I really only knew him about two years, and yet the activities I never had a chance to experience drifted down into events I felt important to try and carry forward.

I feel the same way about these 5k’s, and Chapel Branch; the people that these are really for had a standard that should be carried forward always, it will help so many out in future years.  Yet, they tie me to so many memories I had that I cherish about, in this case, Vince Morris and Dr. Betts.  The amazing heart and compassion they had for the things they did over and over for the community, a 5k to keep remembering is the least of what should occur I feel. I could be in Japan, and I feel, that coming home to Seaford to perform these 5k’s is a complete necessity.

Regarding Dr. Bett’s for me, this is maybe the worst tragedy personally, I never ever met Dr. Betts, yet communicated with her every year as she eagerly sponsored our year book, The Aloha.  I was amazed at just the generosity that oozed from the transactions and emails exchanged from her constant support for the students.  I was devastated when I learned about her brave fight with cancer, it you could just tell in her smile, that she was a fighter, and this characteristic, along with Vince’s, would place something forever in each of us.  The story given to me about the use of her red umbrella on the beach, I just love, love the fact this belongs to her.

I still fight with learning how to cut corners, save money for the 5k’s have processes work out so the 5k is memorable, unique, yet raises the funds needed for the designated recipient areas, so not all is spent on shirts, trophies, etc and the funds goes to the charities designated for.  I am getting better.  Right now I received an EIN from the Federal Government, and made the name Brakeaway Productions.  My goal is to have this be a non profit organization that can create events for non profit charities, and then checks can be made to that name, and distributed out to the charities.  In order to bring transparency to the funds, I hope to create a website for each event, and then participants and anyone can see where the funds go directly, and then this will help maximize the profit to the designated charities. Without the help of the below, this dream of having an event to always bring out that part of our hearts that are filled with the generosity of individuals like Vince and Dr. Betts, these events would not occur:

Jackie Morris

Coach Perciful, his wife, and awesome family (with stories)

Coach Doakes

Coach Hood

Coach Uhlich

My Mom

Melinda Duryea

Dan Dobson

Tammy Pham who is PAVE

The Halters

The Fields

The Hawkins

The Doyles

Jerry Sodano

The Betts (yeah, all of them)

The DeMotts (same as above)

Ms. Mervine and her army of volunteers from the Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy, Inc.

The Sigai’s (yep, all of them)

Local supporting companies (Pizza King, Michael D. Betts, LPCMH, Invista, Seaford Florist, Sherwin Williams, Crown Trophy, ASAP Printing).

ALL the amazing XC athletes I came across and that ran under Vince, the athletes that swam for Jackie, and so many volunteers in the form of Boy Scouts, Jason Beale, and the Master Gardener’s who helped add to components to the trail.

All the way to Mexico, the carpenters who have asked and learned about this 5k and contributed to the impacts of this event.

Honestly, this is just a FEW of the individuals I have met in the last few years that have made major motivations, changes to myself, in lieu of Dr Betts and Vince Morris.  More names and individuals will begin to appear.

Strange as it is, my dream is to come home May 10th flying in from Mexico, and see The Vince Morris Trail at Chapel Branch PACKED with those affected by the results of what Vince and Dr. Betts paid forward to all of us.  This is why I believe in this and other 5k’s, they send benefits to others, if conducted the right way, that were the same exact motivations the people they represent pushed forward to others as well.

There is so much history, meaning, and motivation in an event such as a Vince Morris and Dr. Bett’s 5k Walk/run, I hope many future generations will learn of such events and want to participate, with the stories being passed down continually.  🙂

If you know of someone that would also be intrigued by the reason for this 5k, please bring them along, I feel this day will be one to remember for many many years.  🙂  Did I mention I am nervous?  I feel like I am on the edge of the starting line again, and without fail, my heart always speeds up, no matter how many times I’ve done the distance. Only this time, I will be surrounded by individuals that share something we will cherish aside from the running.  🙂

Dr betts and vince morris app

Can’t attend!  Be a sponsor to help this cause!

Sponsor Sheet

And you think I am kidding when I say hold on?  Okay, get this, in the past THREE WEEKS – this is /has been the schedule:

Puppies growing as large as gorillas – and one going to a new home  (pic here)  and two hanging out with me and the farm, lol, I need a home for one of these cutie males…ahem, someone, anyone?

Aside from keeping my apartment clean, we have had our ASF basketball team last week KICK major BUTT in the final seconds and win the ASOMEX basketball championship in the COUNTRY!, and I was there all through the competition!  This was following a fit of anger when hardly anyone from my staff showed up for a concession during ASOMEX, then following me not having to be the mascot  😉 (well, maybe except for one day!) – we are in the middle of Library week starting yesterday!  We need your help! – I need you to go into Twitter, and create a Twitter.com account if you do not have ONE! – and add to our ongoing Twitter short story!  This is what you do –

go to Twitter.com, make an account, then type this in exactly:

in the search if you want to see first, check out the lines already written at:

#asflibweek2013 and you will see the lines already started for this Twitter story – at the end, I will have a program randomly pick someone for a prized entry on top of that, I have a program that takes just the entries that go to that hashtag and put them together as one story, how COOL is that?  Okay so to add your line to our story…

Type #asflibweek2013   and then add your next line to our ongoing story

First day of Library week – Monday, we created ribbons thanks to Janet and Gabby and have people writing their recommendations for books on the ribbons, then posting them, it looks WAY WAY cool – so that goes on all this week.  THEN – we kicked off library week with author David Lida coming in at 2:45, to a great sized crowd, students, faculty, those outside ASF, he was AWESOME.

If you would have seen the involvement and questions the students asked, you would have been so proud to have been a teacher in my school at that time, he was AWESOME, funny, intellectual, involved, and everything you could hope for in an author.  He was just a perfect start to the week of Library week (Schedule here) ScheduledeventsforUSLibraryWeek

we are celebrating this week in Mexico City!  So today, yes, wee hours of Tuesday, we have the book swap again, so bring books to swap with others during lunch and Brunch! – and we have the ongoing ribbon recommendation, as well as the Reading marathon with our Kindles, first time in the library! – today!  from 8:00 – 2:45 – straight reading on the Kindles, in Spanish and English – way cool! – and of course, we need you, reading this now, to add to our ongoing short story on Twitter?  Don’t know how?  Silly, look above….

Okay, so that takes us to Wednesday and thanks to May day, we have OFF School giving me a chance to catch up with the last modules of my graduate classes this semester – did I mention that has been going full swing the last few weeks?  Oh well, as if that was not enough, our magazine, our INTERNATIONAL magazine, Repentino.,  being judged after being rated a silver medallist in the prerunning last year from Columbia University, so this year, we are serious about being officially in the top rankings!  We need YOU to believe in us this year and preorder

Preorder form

one of our Repentino. magazines!  I don’t guarantee alot, but I do this, you will NOT be disappointed when you see the submissions from around the world in this amazing magazine I have been lucky enough to advise and work with a staff that, well, just would BLOW YOUR MIND.  If you have not read our blogs about presenting at Columbia University, and putting together these artists from around the world, where have you been?  Please consider purchasing one which will support artists and our endeavor to spread art around the world….preorder forms are here…  and just forward to me, and I will get your copy to you, I promise, it will be the most amazing international example you will ever see…

Spirit Week at ASF then…The BLUE MOON AND the ASF Film Festival seriously…all three within two weeks of each other?..this past Friday (- Blue Moon Festival)  let me tell you, gaining the largest satisfaction from seeing this crazy amount of talent having performed at our Open Mic Nights from our magazine only magnified this one night of talent.  I used to think Battle of the Bands was amazing, and it was truly, that was an operation to put on.  Yet Blue Moon and seeing the talent for this one night show just blows me away, I walked away reeling.  Wait until you see the videos and pictures I will be posting, you will not believe it.

On top of that, yeah, we are planning the Vince Morris and Dr. Betts 5k May 11th which I am flying back for May 10th – and I am going CRAZY trying to not forget the little details – and when I received the trophies I commissioned to be made here in Mexico, receiving them today, I almost passed out, NO ONE will believe how amazing these turned out and people will be scrapping for these, I GUARANTEE THAT, especially that they are homemade…AMAZING.  If you are in the DE area, Chapel Branch, and can run the 5k in memory of Dr, Susan Betts and Vince Morris May 11, you should be there it is an event you will NEVER forget this year, promise.  Dr betts and vince morris app

Okay so is that enough going on in the last three weeks?  Don’t forget the comical adventures of me placing sets of my boxers out on the window to dry and one falling down and me seeing it hanging on the ledge two stories down, wondering “Could I get those?”  why yes I could, I climbed to the roof, lowered a rope with a hangar on the end of it, and BINGO!  I just was able to grab the boxers by the edge with the hangar and pulled to my safety, YESSSS.  Can you imagine the neighbor looking out their window and  seeing a pair of boxers going up past their window – priceless I was laughing the whole time or I would have taken a picture. I think I invented a new competition, long distance crane cranking….I could do it.    There is so much more, but I am ending with the strangest thing, if we actually wrote down our dream that would be amazing, they are forgotten so quickly…I actually took an afternoon Saturday nap, and had the dream I tell below, I promise I did.  It was soooo….just well, you’ll see, I have NO IDEA what it means, but I thought, if I kept a record of writing all the dreams I ever had, I would have quite a crazy book  – no kidding. Next post I will expound on the topics I did not last time, mainly Tesla and Chapel Branch updates before the big 5k May 11.

And before you get tripped out from the dream I had below – get to that Twitter and participate in that ongoing short story, it will be great to have you involved.  🙂  9711 views on my blog to date, just saying…:)

Dream – “In the Roman period, a young man was brought before the ruling party at the time, held firmly by guards.  His punishment was death, and his body would be thrown into a box beside him that contained a contraption that would kill him at the bottom.  He knew this governing group of officials believed in the afterlife, and he bravely stood his ground accepting his fate. He looked around knowing they believed he would be pursued and tortured in his after life as he was being put to his death by force.  He also was aware of their strong belief in their God in the afterlife.  He asked who will be in charge of governing/guarding me in the afterlife?

He looked around, and everyone pointed to a guard of the highest command to his right.  The man looked directly at the highest in command and told him you will be disgraced as I am already chasing your God and putting him to death before you have any chance to protect him, just as you have failed to protect an innocent man here.  Caught unawares, he leaped to his death rather than fighting against the guards who did not expect him to loosen from them to jump to his death.

Without a blink, the emperor looked shocked, then turned ashen.  He had not had a chance to praise his God before the sacrifice of this man, and in turn was disgraced at the hands of this man you showed so much bravery in light of his death.  From then on, the court looked upon the emperor with disgrace and distaste due to the lack of ritual that had been not done before this man’s sacrifice, being worse than the death the man leapt to.

Did he chase this God after his life on earth?  One thing is for sure, his bravery and existence was remembered in a totally positive and different light than the emperor himself.”