Thats a big pig

This weekend I went with a couple friends to Banos. We were doing some shopping and we saw this pig in a restaurant. Of course we had to stop to take some pictures. Be sure you don't miss the best part, the bowl under it to catch all the blood that was dripping out.
The guy was skinning it as we walked up. They take the skin and a thin layer of the fat and they grill or fry it (kind of like pork rinds, but not crunchy). Talk about calories.

After this adventure, we went to the hot springs. Banos is well known for it's hot spring pools. We were given strict instruction from friends. DO NOT go before 6 pm, during the day, there are a ton of people and sometimes, diapers or poop floating. At 5 pm they close the pools and clean them, refill them and reopen at 6 pm. Therefore, DO NOT go before 6 pm. These pools are more like large hot tubs. I was never very intrigued by the thought, but my friends wanted to go, so I thought, one time, I should do it. So we went around 7 pm. When they said there were fewer people in the evening, I believed them. Well, just picture it, the pool is about 20 ft X 15 ft, we counted, there were 75 people in there. It was basically a crowded, public hot tub. I did not want to get in, but I did it so I can check it off my list. So, we are entering, of course, we are the only white people there so everyone is staring at us. The best part, the water is this brownish/green color, you can not see your legs under the water, not even one inch under the water. It was really gross. We didn't stay long, but we had paid $2 a piece, so my friends wanted to at least get our money's worth. I can say that I do plan to go back some day. I will pay the $2 to get in just to take pictures (I didn't take my camera this time because we were all getting in the water and there was no one to watch it). I have no plans of ever getting back in that water. But the pictures will be priceless!!

Steve Szoke (June 1, 1975 - May 27, 2008)

What do I think about when I think about Steve? Elementary school and Junior high, when my sister and I would go over to the Szokes' house, Cindy and Sarah would be upstairs playing dolls or house, and Steve and I would be downstairs playing GI Joe or wresting figures, somehow Steve always won. High school, my sister and I would go over to the Szokes' house, Cindy and Sarah would be inside baking or playing with make-up, Steve and I would be outside, with other friends, wrestling or in the house playing Super Mario World, somehow, Steve always won, but he sure did teach me how to hold my own (thanks Steve!).

In 2007, Steve was lead pastor in the launch of Impact Christian Church. The vision for this church was to be church that was open to everyone, a place where anyone could feel welcome. Steve rented an old warehouse, advertised at his wrestling events, and formed a core group of people to be Impact Christian Church. Every Sunday Steve would preach in jeans, no one had to feel like they were not good enough for this church, everyone was welcome. Impact Christian Church holds a special place in my heart because several of my friends who were not attending church previously now attend regularly and love it. Thanks Steve!

Steve touched many people in his short 32 years, this was demonstrated by the very long line at his wake. The hundreds of people whose lives Steve was somehow involved in. I am grateful to have been one of those. I hope that I can tell God's story to even a fraction of the people that Steve did, and show them that they don't have to be a certain way or have a certain job, or wear certain clothes before God will love them. God loves you just the way you are!!

Photo: Steve, Candy, and Jada Szoke October 2007

Beryl Koch (Nov 18, 1919 - March 6, 2008)

Beryl was an angel sent by God to participate in the lives of so many people. She was always helping, always serving, always showing God's love to those around her. Some of my fondest memories of Beryl are the way she told stories of Jesus using a pan of rice when I was in preschool and kindergarten, making fuzzy lambs in VBS, her winning the watermelon seed spitting contest at a church picnic in the Szoke's backyard (this little tiny lady and she could outspit big boys), having high school youth group at her house when she didn't have any children or grandchildren in the youth group and making us homemade donuts (and lots of them because there were lots of big boys in our youth group). I remember she always brought fresh flowers from her garden to decorate the church sanctuary and Sarah Szoke and I always got to take them home. Some of these things may seem so trivial or just normal daily activities, but they made an impression on me and we will never know how many other people these trivial things made an impression on as well. I have surely learned many lessons from Beryl's life, one big one is when serving the Lord, no matter how trivial or mundane the act may seem, someone may be eternally touched. I am thankful to the Lord that I was able to share my life with Beryl. I will truly miss her but I know I will see her again some day and what a day of rejoicing that will be.