The Empty Womb

Well the long awaited time is reached its final week, Chris will be leaving on August 7th and we wont see him again until his graduation from boot camp. If all goes well that will be in November. He begins his journey into one of his first paths of his adult life and I know that in many ways this boy that I have seen grow into a young man will be a different man when he returns, but no matter what changes he may take on he will always be my son whom I love and respect and am truly proud of. It will be very hard and emotional for me to see him leave. I can’t begin to imagine what Maria is going through at this time. As a man I cant begin to understand the emotional and physical connection that a mother has with her children from the moment that life begins in her womb life takes on a whole new meaning something that as a man I will never get to experience yet alone understand. From that moment on everything begins to change and when I look back and see the changes that begin to take place it is truly amazing I look back and remember the many things and changes that seemed a bit odd at the time but now somewhat make sense, like how much she hated pizza and how Chris loves it! How the smell of anything spicy just made her sick and Chris cant get enough of the spicy foods, She loved tomatoes and Chris can’t stand them. There are so many things that you never put stock into and as time goes on you begin to see your children grow up and develop and you can see why the connection between a mother and her child is truly amazing from that first moment in her womb she was not only caring for another life but unknowingly taking part in the development of that life she was already living it, The likes and dislikes that would become evident later in life. She cared for him in her womb for nine month and even though she knew him already she would meet him for the first time! Can you imagine knowing someone only to meet them for the first time? Nineteen years later she finds herself once again in a similar experience just as he left her womb empty nineteen years ago so that she could meet him for the first time, he will leave her arms empty, It will be much like the first time she knows him and has cared for him and she knows that when she see’s him again it will be like meeting him for the first time again. So I can only imagine what she will be going through I witnessed how painful it was for her when she met him for the first time and know I will witness how painful it will be to say goodbye for the first time.



1 Corinthians 13

1 Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings and of angels. If I don't have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal. 2 Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don't have love, I am nothing at all. 3 Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give my body to be burned. If I don't have love, I get nothing at all.

4 Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. 5 It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people's wrongs.

6 Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. 7 It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.

8 Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away.

9 What we know now is not complete. What we prophesy now is not perfect. 10 But when what is perfect comes, the things that are not perfect will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

12 Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.

13 The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Some Good Smoke!

Well after smoking the brisket for 18 hrs and 6 hrs for the ribs! here it is!




















Very Tasty!!!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Baby Back Ribs!

Brisket has been smoked for 12 hrs. Time to set the baby back ribs on to smoke.





Getting There!


12 hrs of smoke

Friday, August 5, 2011

Smoke a little More

Brisket on the Traeger Grill. well here we have a 17 1/2 pound beef brisket, marinated by Chris with Jack and Coke. And Maria rubbed it with her homemade mix. We are going to smoke it for about 15 hrs on the Traeger using hickory wood pellets, normally i don't trim the brisket but this time i wanted trimming some of the access fat, so will see what the end results will be. I am also currently marinating three slabs of baby back pork ribs in my homemade rub. I wont put them in until tomorrow since they wont take as long as the brisket.







17 1/2 Pound Beef Brisket.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Randy Rogers Band & Whiskey Meyers Concert

Oscar Cadena stopped by today he is a friend of Chris that we know since he was in Elementary and is currently working at Six Flags Over Texas, he came by to give me a pair of tickets to Randy Rogers Band & Whiskey Meyers Concert. This is in Celebration of Six Flags Over Texas 50th Anniversary.

The Finished Product

After 7 1/2 hours of smoking in the Traeger using hickory wood pellets and 1/2 hour on at 275 degrees this is the results of Maria's first Smoked Turkey on the Traeger Grill.



























Juicy and Very Tasty.

Maria's Smoked Turkey on the Traeger Grill

Maria is going to smoke her first Turkey on the Traeger Grill, She prepped and marinated it and has rubbed in her spices on the 20 pound turkey yesterday and we have just put in the Traeger at 10:00 am this morning. she is using hickory wood pellets and will smoke it for 6-8 hours.


Traeger Grill




Ready for Turkey



Hickory Pellets



20 Pound Turkey



Water bowl to keep Turkey Hydrated