No Go Scuba

I regret to inform you that the group of us who were planning on going Scuba diving were unable to do so. There was a slight problem called "rain," and rain does not make for ideal dive conditions. I am not sure when I will be able to go diving again, but, God-willing, I will do so in the very near future!!

Journey to Shaylin Belle


This is the story of my older sister and brother-in-law, Shaye and Chris, who are already well on their way to adopting a little girl from China.

This is a very exciting time for both their immediate, as well as their extended, family. We are all looking very forward to having a new little girl in our family.

To visit their very own "Adoption Story," click here.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world ." James 1:27 (NIV)

Lettuce W.R.A.P.

ANAHEIM (The Rock) --
What are some of the advantages in being in the youth church at The Rock? A lot!!! For example, we had a guest appearance of a rap group called "Lettuce W.R.A.P." which stands for "White Rapper and Phlunkies," and Yes, they were great! And if you think that the lead rapper looks like Pastor Jerry... I agree!! In fact, the lead singer looks a lot like Pastor Jerry.... and that's because the rapper IS Pastor Jerry!!! And let me tell you, he can rap!!!
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So, how was the rap group formed? Good question! It was actually formed in Pastor Jerry's office while in a youth service planning meeting. Those present were Francesca, Zach, Jessica, Danece and me. Pastor Jerry said, "Well, I'm going to rap today in youth and the rap group name is going to be W.R.A.P., White Rapper and Phlunkies." I immediately thought... 'I bet WE are the phlunkies'...and we were!!! Pastor Jerry gave us the lyrics and the direction, and we went on-stage to practice. It was great. Zach was the b-box, Pastor Jerry rapped, and the rest of us were backup vocalists. We not only proved that white people really can rap... we also proved that white people can dance!!!! If you didn't get a chance to make it to the gig, you missed out, but I did see a video camera recording the concert... so you may be in luck!

The band members are:

Bloomdigity........ (Jessica Blomgren)
Dancie...................... (Danece Goble)
T-Dog......................... (Me / Tristan)
Bam-Bam.............. (Zach Thompson)

Our special appearance in the youth group happened on Wednesday the 8th. We rapped two songs, one called "The Fuzz" and the other called "He Saw It." Maybe they'll get some airtime! You would like 'em if you heard 'em... I guarantee it!

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S.C.U.B.A.

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

In August of 2003, I became a certified SCUBA diver. I have my Open Water diver license and I am certified to go as deep as 60 feet. Since then, I have gone on a few diving trips... mainly to Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach and Catalina Island. Unfortunately, I have not gone on a dive in quite some time, but a group of us from my church, The Rock, will be going on February 25. I am really looking foward to this trip and I will make sure that I let you know how it went. A friend of mine has an underwater camera, so I'll be sure to post some pictures.

Actually, while I'm at it, why don't I show you some SCUBA pictures from the past!!!


In this picture is Zach, me, and Ric. This was taken off Catalina Island.

The following pictures were taken underwater in Laguna Beach, CA, but we did not have the flash activated... so the pictures appear much more dark (murky) than it really was.


This was taken as we were descending in Shaw's Cove, Laguna Beach. I am on the left and Eric is on the right.


Here I am just about five feet from the bottom giving my buddy the "A-OK."


About 45 feet down. This is Eric with his Garibaldi friends.


I'm not exactly sure what this was, but it was a redish-purple color with tan spots. I wish we had the flash working so that you could see the colors on "whatever this was."


Here I am breaking the surface and floating in Laguna!!!

This particular dive trip was really fun. The water was fairly warm (for So.Cal in October) and the currents were mild. We saw an octopus (which immediately hid between rocks), a gigantic star fish, and a few bat rays. Bat rays are amazing!! They look like stealth bombers and they glide underwater... its cool to see. (I would really like to see a Manta someday).

Eric and I stumbled upon an underwater arch on this dive trip. The arch was more like a small cave, but it wasn't very deep before you got to the other side. But inside of this arch was a HUGE school of purple fish. We were able to swim by them and they all just kinda kept their distance and stared at us. It was quite a sight.

Well, I am really itching to go on another dive. I am excited about the dive trip we will be taking later this month. I am going with about five friends and we are (for sure) going to bring our camera and bring a flash this time!!!! I will let you know how it went.