Iced Caramel Macchiato (Taste Test)

Starbucks.com says, “A creamy mix of vanilla and milk poured over ice, marked with Starbucks® espresso and topped with our lush caramel sauce.”

I have never ventured into the world of iced caramel macchiato’s before but Matt Old’s tells me that they are similar to vanilla lattes but with caramel! This information does not help though because I have never had a vanilla latte. I have made the decision to try one of these iced beverages at Starbucks tonight (A Venti Nonfat Iced Caramel Macchiato is 260 calories). Yes I have already gone to starbucks once today but for blogging purposes I will go twice. Wish me luck. I will photograph my taste testing and get back to you on my Iced Caramel Macchiato experience.

John Denton

Memorial Day Weekend Mexico Trip

Our Memorial Day weekend Mexico trip was a great success! Everyone worked nonstop and by the end of the trip we were more than 90% finished with our new 2000 square foot building. I am so excited to see what God has in store for Siempre this year. We have an amazing team of leaders and supporters who have been working literally around the clock to make Siempre a better place for the children that live there and for the surrounding community. Over the weekend I did lots of observing. It was fantastic to see so many people working hard all for one common goal. My favorite part of the weekend was getting to spend time with all of the youth that came and to be able to watch them interact with the kids of siempre. Jackie was always surrounded by 10 little girls reading with them or coloring, I am sure those girls will remember Jackie for a life time, or at least until her next visit to siempre. Either way I had an amazing weekend and I hope you did as well.

Accept,
John Denton

Surf with a friend

Surfing alone is never that fun. You get a good wave, your stoked, then you look around and you realize nobody saw your wave, and even worse there is no one to share your stoke with. On Mondays and Fridays I normally spend my days with my girlfriend Stephanie and my cousin Phil. Nothing is better than hanging out with great friends and having fun. We eat, surf, eat, and surf some more. Philip and I have shared a lot of waves together, whether it’s crashing into each other at Carlsbad State beach, or holding on for dear life on Oahu’s North shore, Phil and I always seem to have fun surfing together. Yesterday Stephanie snapped a few rather candid shots of Phil and me splitting a small wave at Phil’s home break in north county San Diego. Yes it was small, cold, and gray, but not even that could stop us from having fun. This week invite someone along in your journey; grab a cup of coffee with a friend, play a round of golf with a few buddies, take your family out for ice cream, because it is always better when you’re spending time with the people you love most.

Accept,

John Denton

Melinda ‘Didlittle’

What can I say? I thought for sure Melinda Doolittle would have been kicked off weeks ago. Honestly I did. She sings well; Great job Melinda for being an excellent singer. Sadly in life it takes more than just being able to do something successfully, you need that wow factor that separates you from the pack. Last year Elliot Yamin didn’t have the wow factor; if anything he had a scary strange persona. After a year of training, jaw surgery, veneers, and growing out his hair, Elliot has been thrown into the pool of elite idols. His great voice is backed by star power; he looks great, sounds great, and has stellar communication skills. Melinda hid behind her modest, humble act too long and got ousted last night because of this factor. I could see Jordan or Blake winning the idol finale, they both have what it takes. Jordan is only seventeen and is outgoing. Blake can mix up any song and as Paula would say, “he makes it fresh.” Yes I would like Blake to win, but no I really don’t care at this point who takes it in the end.

My Goal

Goal (noun) - something that somebody wants to achieve

What do you want to achieve? Do you have a goal’s set for your week, month, year, and life? The last few weeks a have begun pursuing a goal. I would like to race a triathlon. I know what it is going to take but I am still not sure if I have the discipline to train everyday and eat right. How often do we really want to accomplish something but we don’t because we are lazy.

In Psalm 20.4 it says, “May He (God) give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” God wants us to succeed, and I think it is up to us at the end of the day if we reach our goals. God has placed the desire in our heart; we must act on this desire and fulfill our goals.

I can obtain my goal if I remember to stay off the couch, and stay focused on my goal. After reading my blog take time to click the money button and give a few dollars to Siempre Para los Niño’s Children’s home in Tijuana, Mexico. 100% of your donation will help rescue children from poverty.

Accept,
John

My Dad.

During the process of an event you don’t take in how great the moment truly is, rap superstar Outkast stated in a song that, “you don’t know what you have until it is gone (Many people have said this but I wanted to quote Outkast for some strange unknown reason).” Recently I have been thinking about all of the amazing moments I have shared with my father, and this picture came to mind. I haven’t Kayak fished with my dad for years; I think this may have been a shot from our last outing together. When my dad used to wake me up in the morning and take me out with him kayaking I didn’t enjoy it at all, I would just complain and act like a punk. Then I moved out and went to college and stopped spending time with my dad, I missed our time together. Over spring break my freshman year of college my parents invited me to spend the evening with them in La Jolla, when I arrived my dad had the Kayaks set out and ready to go, he said lets go out and fish before it gets dark. My dad had thoughtfully brought down all of my fishing equipment even my favorite lures; storm bait! We paddled out and had the time of our lives. Fishing for just an hour we caught more large sand bass than we could count, I of course caught the biggest one (that is until my dad caught an even bigger one a few minutes later). Lately I have been thinking about these cool moments I share with my dad, and how easy it is to forget about these great times. I know my dad reads my blog, so thanks dad for being such a great father, and instilling these amazing memories in my mind. I can’t wait to go fishing with you this summer!

Glue Boys

“In Kitale, Kenya, among countless other towns in the developing world, many street children have found an escape from their emotional and physical pains by becoming accidental consumers. Orphaned, barefoot, and malnourished, they habitually spend the scarce money they earn from odd jobs and charity not on food or water, but on a more immediate fix – glue – incidentally the same solvent-based kind that the wider world uses to cement shoes together. With plastic bottles perched at their mouths, the children breathe in the glue’s neurotoxic fumes until they pass out or fall asleep forever.”
Glue Boys is an amazing documentary film that takes you through the life of street children in Kitale, Kenya. The director Philip Hamer was able to gain access to the streets of Kenya that no westerner had been granted before. A mix of street credit and the work of the lord, gave Philip an all access pass to these children’s hearts. As a member of the film team it was incredible to see the reality in front of us on the streets, transformed into an astonishing motion picture that seems so far from most of our realities today. Click the picture to check out the Glue Boys web site and purchase a copy of this feature length documentary for yourself.

Spider-man 3

The best Spider-man movie yet! Stan Lee (Marvel Comic Genius and Mastermind) had a cameo and there was a sweet dualistic battle; good vs. evil head to head the entire movie. This movie was off the charts. If you where one of the many who braved the crowds to see this movie I hope you finally made it into the theater because it was well worth the wait. Stephanie and I attempted to see a 3:45 showing on Friday but when we made it into the theater it was already packed out, thirty minutes in advanced. We than exchanged are tickets for a 4:15 showing and waited in a massive line for a while before getting great seats. That show sold out just as quick. When we left the theater that evening, the lines were crazy. Regardless of a packed theater, it was a great movie. The theater roared in applause every time Spiderman saved the day, and everyone walked out cheering, smiling, and laughing. If you get a chance see this movie.

No Not Phil =(

Ok Phil was the best American Idol sense Kelly. He should not have been kicked off last night. The guy is amazing, plus he is a pastor’s kid. We share a common bond. Phil has been belting out amazing songs all season long. In my opinion Jordan should have gone home! We all know Blake will win this season, but why did Phil go last night. The contest is now full of unoriginal big voices versus the most original Idol yet.

Starbucks and John Denton

After a month without caffeine, I am once again drinking iced mochas from starbucks. I wanted to prove to myself that I was not one of the six million plus Americans who are dependent on caffeine. Between the internet world and me, I think I may be one of them. Caffeine can control your life; meaning your mood patterns and even worse sleep patterns work according to your daily caffeine intake. I challenge you to stop drinking caffeine for a week, without Motrin. Your back begins to hurt, your muscles ache, you get tiered and extremely bored, and even worse you feel like caffeine would make it all go away. A month without a blog, is the start of many months with blogs? Read me again tomorrow for my American Idol update.