Fire dog

Fire dog

DSC00071

While I was in Puerto Rico I ruptured my eardrum swimming in the big waves. So my dr. told me to shove some silicone in there if I'm listening to music. so annoying!

View from our table at El Osteria Del Mar restaurant

Dinner in Old San Juan

Filet w/ "smashed potatoes" YUM!

Old San Juan

The buildings in Old San Juan were very old and colorful

Cannon at el morro

KAPOW!

Luquillo Beach en Aguadilla

Luquillo beach was nice but super crowded

Kasalta bakery I will miss you!

Kasalta serves the tastiest cheesecake I have ever had!

Shrimp En salsa

Shrimp En salsa at Mi Casita

Some cool art in Old San Juan

Nuestra casa

Behind V is our little studio apartment that we rented for the week while in Puerto Rico. It was furnished with a full kitchen, TV with VHS/DVD player, and most importantly A/C!!

Pho with V

Mario Vs. Storm

Famous Dave's BBQ

Best BBQ in the world!!

Team Work

Wolfe

Cheeseburgzrz?

Copper Mountain

The Plan: The plan was for me and Wolfe to go bomb copper and also pay respects to our boy Ian D. Phase 1 was accomplished with ease. Copper was awesome. Then there's MC Ian D. Sickest MC. Not with us any longer. Then it all sets in. The silent memorial for Ian was really nice. but also very sad. I think all day we were mostly trying to block out the fact that we had to go to Ian D's memorial most of the time but we really made the most of the day as best we could. The memorial was very nice, emotional, sad, happy, and the emotions really kept flowing. I think that the theme of that day was to make the best out of your life and learn how to forgive. Mission Accomplished! RIP MC Ian D

My new Puppet Mario!

That's right I bought a puppet! Actually this guy is a marionette. I named him Mario.

Fun times with the family in South Carolina

I have been meaning to do this for months now.. I finally got to visit my family in South Carolina for the first time since they all moved there from Rochester, NY. All I can say is what an awesome and hilarious time it was. I'm not sure if it's because we are all getting older or what but we just laughed and joked and laughed some more the whole time I was there!
Things started off rrrreally good when I arrived at my sisters house. My Mom (and Big Phil) whipped up some ruben sandwiches which has become a family tradition when I visit. Mmmmm I love me some rubens! My goal for this trip was to spend as much time with my family as possible. In the past when I was in the ROC, I was always lucky to have DJ gigs and spend time with old friends. This was great, but it limited my family time. So this trip was strictly for that purpose.My Mom and I have been very close since I was little so to see her was awesome. We got to have some really great talks and we spent lots of quality time together. I could tell in my heart how happy my mother was to see me and that made my trip totally worth it. I've had some pretty rough times over the past 5-6 years so for her to see me happy, healthy, and doing really good in my life made her really proud!Here is a picture of Mom's new house. I really love her house a lot. The neighborhood is really nice and quiet and the beautiful SC weather compliments it very nicely. The location works perfectly too with a grocery store right acrossed the street and her work not too far away either. And having a brick house in South Carolina is a good idea too. A few weeks after I left a tornado hit down right there in town but Mom's house was still there after. (unlike some of the other neighborhood!)
One thing that I have learned from being an uncle for 5 kids is that when they are little, they aren't going to like you so much. Expecially when you can only visit once a year or sometimes not even that much. it was like this for all the kids. But the one who really would never come near me was my pretty little niece Hannah. I think for the first time ever I actually even got close enough to hug her and talk to her a little bit. She is an exceptionally gifted student and a really amazing artist. She's going to do something really amazing when she grows up that's for sure!!This is Millie the family dog. It took a little warmin up but we eventually became pretty good friends. She is such a little cutie. She likes to play and chase the ball and I was truly sad when I left and had to say goodbye to her. You can tell that all the love from my family has been absorbed by Millie. She's loving, sweet and happy just like everyone in the house!
My nieces Karah and Lauren goofing around as usual! As Mom would say these girls are "Spitfires". They can be wild but they are really great kids.
Here is my nephew Phillip who just turned 18, my sister Shannon, and my baby niece Lauren. Phil is such an amazing musician. He sings, plays bass guitar, electric guitar, acustic guitar, keyboard and drums! He's literally a one man band and his music is really amazing to listen too.
This is what happens when you let LoLo borrow the camera. She kinda dissappeared for a little while and when I found her she was in her room taking pictures of herself. She must take after her big sister Ashley!! Then there is my goofball niece Ashley. She loves to joke around and she is really fun to be around as well. She has definitely grown up to be an everyday 15yr old teenager. She likes her laptop and she even styles her own hair w/ streaks and all. While I was out there Ashley was trying out for the high school soccer team. i was so proud of her to find out right after I got back that not only did she make the team, but she made varsity! In my opinion that is a huge accomplishment for a sophmore. Congrats Ash!!
And last but not least my big sister Shannon. This woman is a machine and has been for years now. She gets up, feeds everyone, and one by one drives all the kids to school. I got to witness this happen and its pretty unbelieveable. She is non stop all day long with only a 30 minute to an hour break during the day. Shannon is such an amazing person and mother. She should be a role model for all mom's out there with the love she shows and all the hard work she puts in to her family. We really bonded on my trip to South Carolina. It was truly special and inspiring being able to hang out with her. Shannon put it perfectly by saying "Bran, I really got to know you as an adult". That really stuck in my mind because of how true it is. We only see eachother every once and a while so there are parts of life we miss out on. This is very sad but it is a fact of life living so far away from eachother. For now we keep in touch a lot on the computer and phone and it's almost like we are right there talking! So that is my SC trip. I'd have to say that this was the best and truly most special time I think I have ever had with my family. I'm so proud of all of them and I hope that everyday I can make them proud as well!

8th and Santa Fe

This is a cool new art piece in the alley next to Devi's art gallery.