Vidcon 2012

photo edit by screennamemissing

I just got back from Tampa airport from Vidcon 2012 and I have to say that it was an absolutely incredible experience. I know I won't be able to express in words how much it meant to me to meet some of my #teamregulars and hanging out with Tony and Sebby, as well as meeting so many amazing youtubers. I cannot describe the love, friendship and community I experienced the last few days, even more so than last year.

When I left tampa airport, I was incredibly anxious about getting there and it didn't help that I spent a majority of the day in Chicago because my connecting flight was canceled and I was given another flight for the following day, which wasn't going to work. I managed to get another flight for that day and get to John Wayne airport. Granted it was considerably later than I had originally planned, but I got there.

Vanessa, Lauren and Rachel came and picked me up from the airport, which was amazing. Then when I checked in and went to see everyone in the other room we had, they all surprised me with birthday cupcakes. <3 It honestly made my day so much better, and I have to thank them all for that. It was such a simple thing but gave me so much joy!

After I had dropped my stuff off in my room, we all headed over to the vidcon pre-party and hung out for a while. Later in the evening, Tony and Seb showed up. Tony was so funny, he was epic fan girling that we were all together in person for the first time. It was so amazing. I wish I had gotten it on camera. Once we were all kinda done at the previdcon party, we all went to denny's and this happened. Watch the video!

Disney Land was allot of fun as well. I initially wasn't too thrilled about going and thought about not going because my thought process was "I've been to Disney World, how different can it be?" I have to admit, it was far different. Sure it was just as exhausting as any other park but it was so much fun! That's to Tito, who gave us some passes and just being a great friend.

For me, I think the most significant part of the trip was the night we did the live stream on youtube. I think they were calling it "talking to the dead." Tony had brought in a medium.  Granted, I think this medium was simply just empathic and was just pretty good at reading people's body language. I don't think she was necessarily a full blown medium. Anyway, that night had really got me thinking and I looked back on some stuff that I had written and thinking about my future but that's another blog post altogether. Several inside jokes came out of that night as well. ^_^ The medium gave me her e-mail address, so hopefully she'll get back to me soon because I would like to talk to her more.

I am so glad that my team regulars, tony and seb along with some of the Black Box TV behind the scene's peeps were able to get together VidCon and get to know eachother better and hang out! The experience was above and beyond what I expected it to be. I think our friendship went to a whole other level, now that we know we're all actually real! I still can't really describe the experience at all and it's something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life. It's also helped me with some huge life decisions I am going to be making here soon as well.

I will be posting pictures and videos up on my facebook and on youtube here in a few days. Just follow me on twitter and on my vlog channel and "main" channel as well as my facebook. :-) Next year, I'm going to try and post daily blogs for sure. Hopefully I'll have a laptop by then!

what a whirlwind

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LumosHallows

Things have been crazy the last couple of weeks. Especially financially. My mom and I are having to find another place to live because apparently where we are living now, does not allow pets. So we are scrambling to get another place to move too and somehow trying to find a way to get some extra money to pay for that. We have been staying in a family member's condo, rent free for around 3 or 4 months now. Haven't had to pay the water or light bill, which has been a true blessing but as life happens, the blessing is passing. Albeit, it would be allot easier if I was able to find a job and the situation wouldn't be so difficult.

Another thing that I am stoked for (but at the same time I wish wasn't for another month), is Vidcon. For those that don't know what vidcon is, Vidcon is a youtube oriented conference out in Aneheim, California. I went last year and I had loads of fun and met so many amazing people as well as getting to meet a few of my online friends face to face for the first time. It's going to be difficult though because the money I had saved up for the trip, I have had to put it towards another apartment and I am coming up short money wise. I am sharing a room with 3 other people, but not sure how I'm going to cover my part and my food expenses as well as getting to and from the airport. So, that is another thing I am stressed about. I don't exactly want to forget about going to vidcon, since I already bought my pass and I bought my plane ticket. I don't want to throw that money away. I just need to find out how to get the rest of the money.

I am trying to find some odd jobs this week and hopefully sell a few diaper cakes before Wednesday, June 27th. So, if you are reading this and you are going to a baby shower, please check out my etsy page and buy an epic gift for the mom to be! *hint hint* Or at least share my etsy store with your friends and family. I would greatly appreciate it! I am not the type to ask for handouts. I would rather earn the money that I need. I do custom diaper cakes as well. So don't fret if I don't have something you like.

I am praying that everything works out and try to celebrate my birthday this coming Saturday as best as I can. I just can't believe I'm turning 23 this Saturday! It's just crazy.

A Sweet lesson on patience

A sweet lesson on patience.

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Parsley tea

How to make Parsley Tea and Benefits

Parsley Tea is to pour 1 cup of boiling water over the plant material to be infused . Allow it to stand for about 5 minutes and then strain the tea , Drink İt Hot ,You can add 1 - 2 drop Lemon Juice
( * Parsley tea should not be given to Pregnant Women as it acts as a uterus stimulant.
** Parsley tea is abundant in oxalic acid. Thus, it should not be given to patients of Kidney İnflammation as it may cause the formation of kidney stones. )

Benefits :

* One of the biggest parsley tea benefits is its assistance in the treatment of diseases such as Arthritis and Rheumatism.

* Parsley tea helps in Detoxification . it helps in flushing out of toxins from the body.

* Parsley tea is rich in vitamin C, which supports the absorption of İron in the body. Thus, parsley tea cures Anemia

* It helps in Blood Vessel Rejuvenation. It maintains the elasticity of the blood vessels and also helps in repairing their wear and tear.

* It helps in bringing regularity in Menstrual Cycles and It assists in easing Menstrual Cramps.

* You may derive Weight Loss benefits from parsley tea as it acts as a Diuretic.

* İt has high content of Chlorophyll. Therefore, it assists the body in getting rid of harmful, pathogenic micro-organism.

* It helps the Lungs to discharge residues that keep accumulating in it due to environmental pollution.

* Parsley tea assists in the dissolution of Gallstones.

* it relieves excessive gas from the alimentary canal.

* One of the important benefits of parsley tea to humans include treatment of Deafness and Ear İnfections.

Deacon pat

Due to moving, school, work and just being busy, I have not had an internet connection since my last blog post nor have I had the time. A couple days after my last post, I did meet with one of the deacons of the church I have been attending and discussed why I wanted to convert. I simply told him that I have always been interested in the Catholic faith and I felt lead (or convicted, however you prefer to say it) to go through the conversion process. Even if I don't end up converting, I know that my faith will be stronger. That is what I told him. He said that was the most honest answer he had heard in a while. Which surprised me. He said most people convert simply because their significant other is Catholic and he or she wants their partner to be Catholic.

The Deacon also gave me a little lesson, to "tide me over" till R.I.C.A. Starts, he basically talked about how
the Catholic Saints are like yoda and Obi-Wan kenobi and the "leadership" of the force so to speak. While he is praying he prays to the Saints to pray with him to God on whatever his prayer request is, and that "force" is something he can rely on to answer his prayers accordingly. Of course if it's Gods will.

1st Catholic Mass

This past Sunday, I attended a Catholic Mass for the first time. I have to admit that I didn't understand what was going on 90% of the time. The priest is great though and once I understand the process of how mass works, so to speak. I believe that I will learn to really love the traditions. I briefly spoke to one of the deacons about RICA but had to go due to work. I just need to schedule a time to register for RICA sometime this week. It doesn't start till, August, but it'll give me some time to get a hold of the community of church.

My decision

Many of my friends And acquaintances may think I am crazy But I am considering converting to catholicism. This isn't something that is out of the blue, I have been thinking and praying about this for some time. Contacted 1 of the local catholic churches and I will be talking to 1 of the deacons of the church and will be going through RICA. I have several catholic friends in some of my family is catholic But this is not played any part in my decision Because most of them do not live anywhere close to where I live and don't interact with them all that often. So there is nobody but myself and God that has gotten me to this point. This is my decision. Going through RICA will teach me about the catholic faith but if I don't feel like this is the right direction, I can drop off at anytime.

So I ask you to support me through this process and respect my decision. I will be documenting my experience is much is possible because I have not seen any other blogs because I have not seen any other blogs about and converting to catholicism or what the experience was like. I want to provide something helpful and useful to anybody else that is considering converting to catholicism.

I am not going to sit here and say that my experience has been or will be like anybody elses experience because everyones spiritual journey is different. I just want to let me know what I experience and that there is someone out there going through the same process.

I haven't told anybody but my mother that I am considering this until now, simply because it has been such a personal decision.  Now that I am laying my decision out on the table for the public to know, I am a bit afraid as to what others might think.

My reason for wanting to convert is because I want to become closer to God and I want to grow stronger in my faith and this is the way I am being led to do so.