Well, another month has passed and I haven’t felt all that inspired to write a blog post. I used to try and update this thing weekly, but Twitter and Facebook get more attention. Jesse is still raising money for his trip to Europe. We drove to Barstow the past two weekends to clean up the yard at my brother/mom’s place. The first weekend we worked 8 hrs and hauled off 3 truckloads of tumbleweeds and branches. It also happened to hit around 105 that day so we were a might bit tired when we finished. This past Saturday, we were able to finish the job and hauled two more loads to the dump. We managed to finish before the heat set in and even stopped to enjoy lunch at our family favorite Rosita’s run by my good friend Genaro.
Now we are looking to hold a yard sale, so we will be pouring through all our belongings to determine what stays and what goes. It’s been 5 years since we moved in, so we definitely have some stuff that can be sold. If you are in the area the weekend of October 15-17th, be sure to stop by and buy some stuff. Jesse will be parting with some of his Star Wars collectibles and the countless Lego Bionicles he has accumulated. We are also going to clear out the DVDs and video games too. Hopefully, we will raise enough to pay for most of his Europe trip. That’s about all from here. If you would like to help Jesse and haven’t done so yet, here is a sponsorship letter he has written on the trip: http://zeliff.net/Jesse/Europe_Trip_Sponsor_Letter.pdf. Hope you are having a great fall and that the holiday season ahead is full of joy.
. Then there was the weird tradition that was only in Barstow of having the Mardi Gras parade on October 31st. Why? I have no idea, that is just when it was. So trick or treating was always on the 30th. We didn’t know any better, so once you moved away you found out that Mardi Gras was not at the end of October and regular places actually trick or treated on the 31st. They recently changed that tradition and now hold the parade the weekend before Halloween and let kids trick or treat on the 31st. The Mardi Gras parade was always a cold night as well as you were in the parade or along Main Street/Route 66 watching a sibling in it. Eventually they began broadcasting it on the local cable channel and that was some big deal because you could be on TV.
Pomp and Circumstance – 25 years later
Monday, June 8th, 2009Class of 1984 Barstow Aztecs
Twenty-five years ago, the Barstow High School Class of 1984 marched across the stage to receive their high school diplomas and launch out into life. We were full of dreams and hopes not knowing what lie ahead, but ready to leave BHS behind. I remember thinking how, like almost every student, I looked forward to leaving the campus behind and enjoying what I would do with my life. I wrote in my senior plans, “I plan to stick around Barstow for a year and then go down to San Diego State.” I was going to study Broadcast Journalism and become a television news reporter. Things didn’t exactly work out that way.
Two weeks after graduation, I was on a Greyhound bus bound for San Jose, CA. My best friend was living in a transient hotel and had a job lined up for me. I went to work for Bentz Tool in Campbell, CA as a Grinder’s apprentice. I was laid off after two weeks and eventually landed a job at a plating company in Santa Clara, CA doing shipping/receiving. I eventually moved back home to live rent free and worked mowing lawns/trimming trees around Barstow. I got tired of that, visited the recruiter and signed up for the Army to get out of Barstow.
I would eventually be stationed in Alaska where I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Reassigned to a post in Texas, I left the Army and married my wife. Our journey took us to Bible school in Dallas, youth pastors outside Ft. Worth, back to school in Tulsa, on to more school in Kentucky, before returning back to California.
I never figured, 25 years after graduation, I would be working back in Barstow and living in the desert again. I am not complaining as I have a great job and actually enjoy being in the desert. The town I desperately wanted to leave at graduation is now the place I provide for my family. I go to restaurants I loved growing up and see people I have known since grade school. I enjoy the smell of rain and work helping people understand the desert. Who knows what the next 25 years will bring? I have enjoyed the last 25 and trust the Lord to direct my steps in the next 25.
Tags: Barstow, commentary, memories
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