True Story....

On the night me and my wife got married we prayed that God would give us a child when he wanted.

And now here we are 9 months later.....

               Welcome to the world Lauren Victoria Diao.

                       We've got alot to show each other.

"For this child I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. "So I have also dedicated *her* to the LORD; as long as *she* lives *she* is dedicated to the LORD."

I Samuel 1:27-28

Before I got married I was praying hard to God asking for help.....  I didn't know how we were going to make it.  I didn't think I was making enough money with the new house and all, and she was moving here without a job.

Before I knew it I got a big raise and my wife found a job two miles from the house...

Before my wife got her job and right after I got my raise I told my friend Grande that if my wife got this job it was like things would be to good to be true.  He said, "Hey Man, thats the way things are supposed to be."

So here we are, alomost 9 months later and expecting our first born by November.  Pretty soon we'll be the Diao Triao....

Again I've been prayin and prayin and prayin.......  Wife's taking off work and the bills keep comming in.  And today..........

I got another raise.

Matthew 6:26- Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

It's not all good all the time.  Yesterday I woke up to go to work and my car was gone.  But is the cup half empty or half full?

My cup is overflowing.....  And with God, that really is the way things are supposed to be.

"Ballin out of control..." - I've been hearing that alot lately.  I wanna make this clear, everything I have, everything I've been given, I fully believe and know that all these things are blessings from God given to me only to have and take care of while I'm here.  God has blessed me man.....  He's given me a life that I know would have been impossible for me to obtain by my own strength and effort.  I could have made it good, but God is making it great.

John 10:10 (MSG)

.....  I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

I guess what I’m getting at is this, People see what’s been going on lately and tell me,”Good Job”,” I’m proud of you”’ “Ballin out of control”….  I just want people to know, or should I say, remember.  I was just a kid from the gutter going the wrong way for a long time.  The hardest thing I did was pray and believe.  But I’ll tell you what, believing has gotten a whole lot easier.

It's not all good all the time.  I've got some real weakness’s and skeletons in my closet that haunt me real bad at times.  But I've got peace, redemption, salvation, forgiveness, favor, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc......

Just like the song goes, Jesus Walks with Me……..

He's already walked with me through the valley of the Shadow of death once. And he'll walk with me every step between now and the time for me to walk through that valley again.

"In every Victory let it be said of me, my source of strength,

And so continues the Roller Coaster which is my life…..

Feb 2003:     Engaged – Thank God for my Lady.

March 2003: Uncle Edward Dies -- Thank God for one of the Best Friends I ever had....

April 2003: 7% Pay Cut – Thank God I didn’t get laid off…

May 2003: Raise – Thank God for more Money….

July 2003: Trip to the Philippines – Thank God for time spent with my Grandfather & Family….

Sep 2003:  Big Raise/Promotion --  Thank God for his favor…

Nov 2003:  Grandfather dies – Thank God for his life and example….

Dec 2003:  Almost Killed (Car Jacked) – Thank God I’m alive….

Jan 2004:  1^st House – Thank God for the New House in Happy Land!!!

Feb 2004:  Married --  Thank God for my wife and for a Beautiful Wedding.

March 2004:  Hey now got a Baby on the Way Now!!!! – Thank God, I’m gonna be a Dad….

July 2004: -- Off to Aruba --  Thank God for a free trip to paradise…

I’ll update more later, or at least I’ll try.  I just gotta say Thank God for everything man.... 

Through all the Ups and downs - In's and Out's,

“He makes all things Beautiful in his time.” - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Peace....

I'm off to the PI in 2 days...  Time to visit my Lolo whom I love.  More on that later....

I've also decided to go back to Wayne State in the Fall...  Wassup to all the Wayne State Tartar's.

Make way for the Bad Guy...