Reece's Piece On Life

In are you were wondering...there's still snow outside (day 26)

2012-02-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

As long as you know your ABC's...stay cool

2012-02-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

Don't worry, it's exactly what you think it is...

2012-02-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

I love this car...

2012-02-16T18:00:00.000-06:00

I looking at stats the other day, I didn't really so many of you dig this...

2012-02-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

Suzie and I once had a long conversation about if I could pull Kate Middleton...

2012-02-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

She is literally like the the Queen of fashion right now...just Google her name and search engines explode with her royal style. How she pulls off looking so classy in a society that's the extreme opposite is what clearly makes her impressive in my book. You don't have to stop being a lady to dress fashionably. Obviously I can't marry Kate anymore, so I'll have to marry her sister...(or someone with equally good taste).

My boy popped that question...

2012-02-14T18:00:00.000-06:00

As his best boy, I was with him every step of the way ring shopping (which I'll have to share with you all my knowledge on that later) but he did a good job keeping me off here, twitter or anything that would let anyone know what we were doing...Dan carefully selected his ring like he selected his girl...rare and flawless (she shines brighter then the rest of them too) Congrats you two.

Happy, Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2012-02-14T08:00:00.002-06:00

The Essentials on Life...

2012-02-13T18:00:00.001-06:00

Gotta love marketing...

This made me laugh...

2012-02-13T10:03:00.000-06:00

2011 in Review Cont. (In some 30 pics, not one contains me wearing the same suit/tie more than once...holla.)

2012-02-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

Grammy

2012-02-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

It's only one of the greatest inventions, ever...

2012-02-12T10:01:00.000-06:00

This is exactly how I feel every time I see a Lamborghini

2012-02-11T21:30:00.000-06:00

So...if you know me, than you know I dig commercials (it's something I want to make someday) and if you know that, then you know I absolutely love watching Superbowl commercials more than anything else. This year wasn't the greatest collection, but here are some of my favorite. This was number one for this year because it's really how I (um, guy's) feel when they see a hott car...(after seeing this I was ready to move to Italy and buy a Fiat, but it had nothing to do with the girl...)

Weekend Continued...life's fun when you look at this way

2012-02-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

Winter Treetops

2012-02-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

This is mad late, but I was going through my photos from 2011 so I'll post an assortment throughout the weekend

2012-02-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

Blog Reviews: Richard Young

2012-02-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

Ta-da! I'm back with my weekly blog reviews; I read a lot of blogs and I've decided to share (and review) with you some of the biggest ones I read. These blogs are in fact, better than my own (with knowledge everyone should read) and a minimum of one weekly posts.

Big Rich's Small World is a blog about a young man life's in the middle of Nebraska. However if you follow it on a daily basis you'd think from his adventures that he was living in New York. He's married, owns a dog, and lives across the street from Union. I've followed it from the beginning and have watched Rich's photography improve with every picture taken. (He could quit his job and make a living taking profile pictures for people.) The dedication he has to his blog is comparable to none...he has never missed a day and keeps us up to date (with absolutely anything happening in the digital world) as if he's running a new network. It's really easy to make a blog 100% about you, but Rich cares about the people around him and it's almost hard to tell it's his if you don't follow it because most of his pictures are about the people in his world and not just him. The only critical thing that can be said is if you don't/didn't attend Union, a lot of post are about the school (he works there, too) and he's an excellent writer so I'd like to see more of that. It's an easy read, lots of laughs, entertaining and shows the rest of the world it doesn't matter where you live...your world is what you make it. I give it a 5/5. http://www.lovestopicnic.com/

Lately...

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

As I told you before, I've become a hardcore list person. (Side note: Can you believe it's already February?) I've realized that time flies, and if you don't get what you need done (time won't wait for you). It's hard not to put off what you can do today, but someone's got to try..otherwise it'll be next year before you know it

Parker has been BALLIN for us lately..

2012-02-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Lamborghini Madura

2012-02-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing for Sunnier days...

2012-02-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

Never Ending Story II

2012-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest with you, sometimes my state of being content can come from the satisfaction of those around me. Most of my wants usually come from something I've seen other have or stage of life they appear to have reached. I have a full time job, I'm pursuing my Masters, I'm where I should be, right? You'd think a person should be content, but are you content for the right reasons? We all want to be up to date with the Jones, but what if there is more to life than the Jones? Sometimes when we get what we think we want in life, we realize how limited our goals were...everyone wants to live the American dream, the only problem is it's not everyone's dream. What am I saying? Don't let your feeling of content come from things around you, because that can easily change. Find content in something greater, something deeper and you'll find that you are only looking at life through a glass half empty when you could be in the ocean.

When the serpent told Eve to bite the fruit, this is what it looked like...

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

"I want to go to go to there..."

2012-02-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

Boys to Men...

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

A terrible thing happened to me this morning...I was getting dressed for work and thought, "I should go buy a pair of jeans." I immediately thought, "why?" This saddened me because for some odd reason, buying jeans always makes me happy. I'm very eccentric about jeans; I wear them till they absolutely need to be washed and then I throw them away and buy new ones...(I know). Anyway, lately I pretty much stay in whatever I wear to work the rest of the day (so I hardly wear jeans anymore). There was a time that's all I wore...sounds insignificant, but I notice minor things. Just another small example of how life is always changing...

How cool is this!? Or maybe I'm just the nerd that digs something like this...

2012-02-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

Question is...

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Superbowl I wanted is happening...

2012-02-05T18:00:00.000-06:00

I didn't throw a party this year because if the Patriots win, I couldn't look like a supporter... #gogmen

I haven't posted anything watches in a long time...

2012-02-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

Another Superbowl Sneak Peek...

2012-02-04T21:30:00.000-06:00

I usually post a nice picture of winter, but we got a blizzard...

2012-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

I bought a plant this weekend; something to make winter colorful...

2012-02-03T10:00:00.001-06:00

I should start wearing my shoes like this...

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

Black Tie Party

2012-02-02T21:00:00.000-06:00

Today was Dan's birthday, which called for a black tie evening

Ended dinner with the perfect game, poker.

We also said goodbye to our boy Hery, who is moving to Michigan...

I didn't win the title this year, but I did see "her"

At one point, I was down to just one chip...

But two hours later, your boy pulled out with the win...and "Ray"

Jaguar Concept

2012-02-02T18:00:00.000-06:00

Abstract Living

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

Black History Month

2012-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

The Never Ending Story I

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to a new series featured on my blog, the never ending story (on being content). In a world of impressing, comparing, wants and instant gratification it can be a week to week battle. These are my attempts to be content...

If you've read the twenty third Psalms and you're like me, you've probably skipped straight to "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." If I was to completely honest, at the end of everyday I could say that I'm perfectly provided for...all my needs are taken care of...but I can never finish that sentence with anything more than a preposition (if you're not aware, never end a sentence with a preposition). The want for more is always there and the desire to want can be even greater. The worse part is I often want, what I can't see...I'm convinced that Facebook exists solely to say, "look what I'm doing, it's cooler than what you're doing." What you don't see is what comes along with that moment or seemingly envious status. I've done it, we all have...it could have been the moment before or after or during. I remember I once was arguing with my siblings while we were trying to take a picture. A camera is everybody's friend because all it needs is one second to capture a moment of bliss (or supposed bliss). From the time we were born we heard someone say "smile" when taking a picture, but how many people are actually smiling if no camera is present? We live in a sinful world, no one's life is lost in paradise...so why try and push it so vigorously? Many people put themselves into debt simply by trying to portray that they are not poor, don't try to display vivid amounts of happiness when life is less than that because it'll only make you more miserable. In all of this don't think I'm saying displaying happiness is bad, it's not...but try to hard and you're only fooling yourself. However like I said in the prelude, it's a week to week battle. Just remember this, "the Lord is my shepherd, I've got all I want..." (Reece Valentine Version)

And to think I thought Yoga was...Yoga

2012-01-31T18:00:00.000-06:00

I knew it was impossible to get a suit this tailored...

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-06:00

That's my dude...

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

In 2012...why stop at the ceiling when there's the sky?

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

True Story Pt.16

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-06:00

There's not much I can say right now; but just remember this post, okay?

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'll explain all in good time...

You saw it here first, an ad from next week's Superbowl...

2012-01-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

Freshmen at Life Delta 2.0

2012-01-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

I've been told numerous times throughout my life that I'm going to do something "big" "make a difference" and so on by countless people. You would think hearing that, it sounds encouraging, motivating or inspirational, right? I've honestly grown to hate those remarks..."do something big," what does that even mean? It's like immediately telling someone you have high expectations for them and if you don't conclude "big" what did you do...now I don't hate it in the sense of outcome; I'd love to live a purposeful life. However last time I checked, I'm working towards advancing my career and scholastic (just like another million people my age). I don't feel so different...except I get reminded of this all the time. The worse part is sometimes I feel the same way, but I'm just as clueless as to what I'm supposed to do. It's like the story of talents, you're given a bunch of talents and you're supposed to do what with them? I feel like I actively use mine, but most of the time it's just because it seemed like the thing to do (not because I planned it that way). As you know, I've been trying to say less, observe more (especially via books). Now that I'm not in school full time I have a lot more time to read...I read a lot. In everything I read it just screams at me "do something" but what am I supposed to do??? I wish someone would just tell me...then I could at least work towards doing it. I'm not even afraid of failure (because at least I tried) but for now it's like I don't know if I'm trying anything (but what should I try?) lol...sigh. This reminds me of the story of David; God told him that he was going to become King more than a decade before it actually happened...this resulted in numerous plots against his life, confusion (and an entire book dedicated to this peril). I'd way rather be told like a year out...save the stress and self finding for those who like to travel abroad. Patience, faith, yeah, yeah, yeah...I know but what if you're listening for more? I usually hate writing these things because I always like to conclude something, but I've got nothing besides "keep silent and wait for something big" (that was sarcastic, I apologize...) Oh well, I guess for now I'll just go do my homework and get ready for work tomorrow

Winter

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

True Story Pt. 15

2012-01-27T18:00:00.000-06:00

Foodie

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

I've become somewhat of a foodie lately...maybe it's from watching "Chopped," maybe it's what chics I've been dating lately have been digging, or maybe it's just part of becoming a young adult. Either way, it's become quite obessive; the other night I made a fillet sandwich, right? But I couldn't just eat that...so what did I do? I made homeade tarter sauce or like last night I made bruschetta, bruschetta! Does this mean no more mac and cheese? Of course not...(I'm not an idiot) it just means I'm expanding my pallet.

Haha, the contrast of posts...

2012-01-26T18:00:00.000-06:00

New York Loft

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

What's the best part about a blog???

2012-01-24T18:00:00.001-06:00

The fact that it's yours, it's like being able to paint whatever picture you'd like on your online canvas for the day...

It's only January, you've got time...

2012-01-24T18:00:00.000-06:00

You know that feeling you get towards the end of a year when you start to think, "what did I do with my life in 20**??? It's something that always crosses your mind, whether you feel you had a successful year or not. Aside from my resolutions, aside from what may come in 2012; there are four things that I want to make happen by the end of the year, I'll elaborate on those four in future posts...

In life, bring your own comfort...

2012-01-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

FRESHHHHHHHHH

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

Meanwhile in another part of the Midwest...

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-06:00

It snowed last night and it sucks but at least it's not this bad...

Art

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Family.

2012-01-22T18:00:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, the people in our lives...what would life be without them? You know, people come and go...so it's good to enjoy them (while you're around them, anyway) and then there are those you know you'll know forever...so every week, I'm going to find someone to simply show a picture that says, "this person is in my life." Most won't include me...I grow tired of looking at myself, plus I think it's tacky to post too many pictures of yourself (unless you're running like a fashion blog) Never the less, here's to you people.

The Warriors are good this year. This is a serious post.

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Last night Teddy and Chavez convinced me to come and check them out (they told me they've improved). I was in disbelief at what I saw, these boys have put together quite the season. I told them I would post this to take back all my weekend update slams, etc. These boys can ball.

Seriously...what is this commercial trying to say??

2012-01-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

Winter

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Marqwan Sirls and CSC are representing for Youth Congress #cypher

2012-01-20T18:00:00.000-06:00

Check it out. "You" are the church. (Plus this beat is toooooooo nice...)

There are people who care and people who are just curious...

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

New York Flat

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-06:00

Devon Gx

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

This year I'm voting for...

2012-01-18T18:00:00.000-06:00

Twas the night before...

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

I often have days where I get a lot done and not a lot done or an almost but not quite "100% productive day." I don't know if those truly exists, but here's to pursing it. I read this book that advised that some of the most successful people often have their entire day planned out before the sun comes up in the morning. For people like that (and my Dad and Ann) that might work, but I don't go to bed early enough to do that. There are always the obvious things like go to work, do your homework, etc. However those "honey-do's, errands always get pushed till next day. So, I've started making a list of how my day will go right before I go to sleep. I can't control the future, but there's nothing wrong with fully expecting to have an awesome and productive day.

One of the greatest photos of all time...how'd you like that for a profile pic

2012-01-17T18:00:00.000-06:00

I just liked this picture...so I posted it

2012-01-17T10:00:00.001-06:00

This company makes their ties by hand...and now I instantly want one

2012-01-16T18:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

I love watching the Golden Globes!!!

2012-01-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

One day, one day...

I've been in Florida for the weekend and let me just say...

2012-01-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

It sucked to have to come back....

I tried Tebowing this weekend to see if it helped, it didn't...

2012-01-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's not crazy, it's sports...

2012-01-14T21:30:00.000-06:00

Freshmen at Life: Beta 2.0

2012-01-14T13:00:00.000-06:00

Friday evening I was flying into Minneapolis and I began to notice the city below us. Right before landing, planes usually reach an altitude that allows you to make out lights...neighborhoods, street lights, etc. As I looked on, I noticed hundreds of flickering lights (which I finally realized were car headlights). When you're driving, headlights show you just about everything on the road but from above they really don't show more than a couple hundred feet. In my third week of this "less talking mode" I've made a lot of observations. First, talking gets you into trouble...period. Second, not everything people say is verbal (but you can miss that if you're too busy carrying on...) Third, you can actually learn to say more of the right things instead of just anything. Which brings me back to my plane flight...it's no wonder sometimes I go on and complain about the world around me because all I do is think about myself. In the big picture, my life is just another set of headlights on the road...and if you get a bird's eye view you can see that your life is only part of a bigger city, state, country, continent, hemisphere, planet, solar system, galaxy (you get the picture). And when you look at life from that angle, it's easier to see how God's plans for you don't revolve only around you (just like how conversations don't revolve around me). There's a verse that says, "Be still and know that I am God" (be quiet...) Try and acknowledge others around you more often and you'll see sometimes you can learn so much when you just keep silent...

Winter

2012-01-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

Nice...

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

Every Friday 13th I always see a black cat...

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not superstitious or anything, but I mean I always do...maybe I am...a little...

My second favorite show is back, again!!!

2012-01-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

It's Jenga!!!

2012-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

2012 Lexus

2012-01-12T10:00:00.001-06:00

I hate Mario Chalmers, and I love Blake. This is perfect.

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-06:00

Ahhh...if only it really existed (great advertising, though)

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

Ha.

2012-01-10T18:00:00.000-06:00

Who can really argue with this...

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Ta-da! I should eat like this every night...

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

If you're like me, when you get home from a busy day at work and still have homework to do (and all you want to do is go to bed) you're not really interested in making dinner (much less for one person). I mean, if it doesn't say "less than three minutes" I start to lose interest fast...however after watching much Giada (for obvious reasons) I decided to actually make dinner tonight. I just kinda made it up:

Penne Noodles

Chicken (it was veggie)

(And then I figured might as well add some "health" to it so I mixed it with...)

Spinach

Tomato Sauce

Seasonings

And Bam! (I got done just in time for, "How I Met Your Mother" too) And to top it off, I made a cranberry cocktail (virgin, of course...) Midway through making all of this I had a genius idea...rather than make one serving make two and take the other for lunch!? Holla. (I'm having pizza tomorrow, though...)

Last week my Aunt told me, "Just remember...have fun"

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Adventures of Rollerman

2012-01-08T13:00:00.001-06:00

After I watched I realized I seriously need to get off the computer and find something else to do...

Week 1, Book 1: "Young Man's Guide"

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

Every Sunday I'm going to try and write a brief summary on my book of the week. Last week I read, "The Young Man's Guide" by William Alexander Alcott (why must we say their middle name?). Everything about the book is in the name, itself. It was fascinating to me because it was written back in the 1800's but the phrase, "nothing new under the sun" really does apply to us because we're literally dealing with the same problems young men dealt with then (kinda sad if you think about it)...however I feel that it's a MUST read book for all young men. Seriously...Maucus, Jay, Dan, Nathan, Polite, (ummm any other guy I know who might look at this) Ricky, Ted Mosby, Seanathan...this means you.

True Story Pt. 14

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

Small Business

2012-01-07T21:54:00.000-06:00

Freshmen at Life: Alpha 2.0

2012-01-07T13:00:00.000-06:00

I knew going into this quarter's resolution I was already screwed...silence? Silence? (I had to type that twice just to hear the keys press down on my computer...) When a room goes quiet for 2.86 seconds, I start to feel the walls close in...and it's not just speaking. My music is on all. the. time. Then of course there's the car radio, my phone, twitter...and I'm starting to realize there's a good chance I actually start thinking of what I'm going to say next before I even say it (which means brain noise). In fact when I turned everything off, it's amazing how loud the silence is...I should also note that I'm convinced that holding your tongue is quite possibly one of the most challenging things to do...ever (more on that next weekend). I hope through this process I'll be able to hear God more clearly (or at least found a balance to my sound wave madness). So here's what I've observed so far keeping my mouth shut:

1. I'm not as good as finishing people's sentences as I thought I was...

2. Just because someone pauses in conversation, doesn't mean they're done talking...

3. I've probably said less dumb things...

4. My lip really hurts from biting it..

5. I've got a long way to go...

Winter.

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

This photo was taken back in the 1950's...somethings never change

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Fast forward to 2012....buy a camera. Take pictures of yourself.

2011 Acura

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

Collect moments, not things...

2012-01-04T18:00:00.000-06:00

It keeps life less messy, too :-)

The grass is never greener on the other side, unless you live here...

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

FNL Reminisce...

2012-01-03T18:00:00.000-06:00

Basically this is how we looked and felt, every time we had a photo shoot...