Thanksgiving

So, a couple days ago, I spent my first major holiday away from family and friends. It was a sad day overall, although we were setting up our rigging here in Portugal, so that kept my mind off of it for a while. I actually did not even realize it was Thanksgiving until the late afternoon. We had a dinner break in the middle of set up. I had a Big Mac, fries, and a coke for my Thanksgiving feast. I am not complaining, I love me some Big Mac, but being alone and having no big celebrations made me think of what I am most thankful for...

I am thankful for my family. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a close knit and loving family. We all get along so well, and can talk to each other about any situations or problems that we are having. It is so nice to have six best friends to go to any time, day or night, for support or encouragement. I hope and pray that I will be able to raise a family that sticks together and supports one another just like the family that I am so blessed to be a part of.

I am thankful for the circus, Peru and the Pages. God has blessed with the opportunity to be a part of these amazing organizations, and I, foolishly, take them for granted every single day.

I am thankful for my nephew, Isaac Mason. He is such a beautiful and fun baby...well, 2 year old now. I love every chance I get to see him and go to the park and do circus tricks. He is a blessing from God. I love doing or saying something funny, and him replying with "Silly Jon Jon!"

I am thankful for my girlfriend, Jenny, and our growing relationship. It has been fun and exciting getting to know Jenny and Alivia. I pray that God will be in our relationship and guide us down the right path.

And last, but most of all...I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus Christ to live and die on the cross for all of our sins. And that I can be with all of the ones I love for ever and ever and all of eternity.

"The beauty of grace, is that it makes life not fair." -Relient K

Portugal...1st time overseas

Well, apparently the Pages were serious about going to Portugal, because here I sit, in a hotel lobby in Lisbon, Portugal, updating my blog. What dedication I have to this blog!! So, this is my first time ever going overseas and it is already quite the experience.

Here is how Sunday went
5:45 am-Left Myakka City for Tampa Airport
10 am - Flight from Tampa to Charlotte
1 pm - Watch the first quarter of Brett Favre slaying the undefeated Titans
1:55 pm - Flight from Charlotte to Newark, New Jersey
4:00 pm - Watch the last few minutes of Brett Favre still slaying the Titans
6:05 pm - Flight from Newark to Lisbon, Portugal
Monday
6 am - Arrive to Lisbon, Check passports, get driven to our place for the next 6 weeks

So, that was an adventure, with 6 in the troupe, one from Mexico, and two dogs that we just had to bring. Interesting travels.

Now, here is where I left off...
We arrive at our homes, which are in the same lot as the Circus tent. Circo Chen. Good news is I have a room all to myself! Bad news is, its not quite as nice as my cargo back in Myakka City. It is a 8 foot by 12 foot box. With bunk beds, one European electrical outlet, and a rack to hang my wet towel, or clothes or whatever I choose. No heat (although I am supposed to be getting a portable heater tonight) The showers are only about a 20 foot walk, and the toilets 50 feet more.

Ok, surely I am making sound worse than it is. I mean, it definitely makes you grateful for what you have back home! But alot of people are alot worse off than I am.

I have a mall within two blocks that is just massive. And internet there so I can email and talk with my family almost everyday. It also has McDonalds, Bunker King and Pizza Hut!! My first meal in Portugal was a Whopper, Fries and a coke...and people said I would have a hard time adjusting to the food. HA! Shows them! There was a pretty funny moment at Burger King when I was ordering. The total was 4.70 euros. So, I gave the lady a 5. Then, she pointed at the amount due, 4.70, so I pointed at the 5 that I had just given her. It was not working. So, I got out all my little euro coins, and before even trying to look at them, I just stuck out my hand and let the lady pick out the ones she wanted. So, I ended up giving 5.70, and she gave me 1 euro back. I thought it was odd and I laughed, she did not. Apparently, they like giving out exact change here! Learn something new everyday I guess. Now I just need to go study my coins so I know what they are worth!

That is about all of the excitement for the first day in Portugal! Oh, and I woke up today and looked at the time on my computer. It was 10 am. Not bad, plenty of the day to explore or do anything I want. It took me about 2 hours to realize that its 5 pm here...soooooo, still adjusting...

8 months later...

So, I really planned on writing in this blog alot more! Haha, I missed a few months! Anyway, where did we leave off?? Oh yes, the beginning.

Well, it's not the beginning anymore. I have almost completed a whole year of traveling the country with The Flying Pages. Circus life has ups and downs, but when I tell others that, they simply reply with "All jobs have ups and downs." That puts it in perspective for me. I am going to try to write alot of entries in the next couple of weeks while my travels are still fresh on the mind...cause the point of all this is to have stories to tell.

Here is the situation as of today. It's a Tuesday, and we are supposed to be leaving to perform in Lisbon, Portugal next Monday! We're supposed to perform there for six weeks, so we would be there for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Holidays away from home :( ...but I'm traveling the world and getting paid for it, so I shouldn't complain. Here is the other part of the situation. We were on our way back to Florida to ship out the rigging and get ready to leave, but the bus broke down in St. Louis, MO. Therefore, I am sitting in a hotel and waiting to see what will happen with everything. Either I will be in Portugal over the holidays or back home to Peru...I'll let you know when we're on the plane. That's kind of how things work around here!

In the next couple of weeks, I will fill my blog with how life is on the circus tour compared to how things are during the summer fair tour and when we're in Myakka City, FL practicing and not making a dime...or even a penny.

Until we see you again...