Gen//501920//

Four days away from one month and one thing is true…I...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:05:51 -0700

Four days away from one month and one thing is true…I couldn’t get any bigger with anyone else beside of me.

Against All Odds - It really is a love story. From it’s...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:45:42 -0800

Against All Odds - It really is a love story.

From it’s inception, my relationship with Diana has been nothing short of a miracle. For those of you who know our stories, I know you can attest to that. How I ended up with such an amazing girl is completely beyond me, and I have nothing but the amazing GRACE of God to look at and say, “THANK YOU!!!”

One of the biggest things that’s glued our relationship together is our strong desire to go against the odds, and if you know our stories, you understand why. At this point it’s not even an option. It’s just a part of our daily routines, and it’s not uncommon for us to text each other AAO whenever we run into a tough situation, no matter how big it may be. We know what that means, and along with the faithfulness of God, it gives us the strength to keep moving forward, together.

The reason this theme of Against All Odds is important to us is because it forces us to live our lives by faith, moving forward to the unknown, understanding that whatever happens, we win, and we win together.

The dreams that we have together are so special, and definitely worth fighting for. It’s hard to explain, but there’s this burning desire inside of both of us to forget the past, and be nothing but excited about the future. We have an opportunity to create a new future, and we’re not looking back. The other special thing is that we both know what we’ve been saved from. We’ve shared those stories with each other, we understand where we come from, and its only made us stronger. It’s hard to have a bad day with Diana by my side, but even when that bad day comes, it’s ten times better than what my best day could’ve been a few years ago had the Grace of God not stepped in and intervened, and for that I’m thankful. It’s perspective for me and for her, that no matter what, we have a lot to be thankful for and we’re not going to let the small things get in the way of what we are believing and fighting for.

So here I am, the morning of my wedding day, and I’m completely humbled and thankful. Never in a million years could I have guessed it could be this good. I’m also at peace. I’m at peace knowing that God has already gone before us and made a way. I’m at peace knowing that God has proven himself faithful time and time again, so I know He’ll help me lead this relationship the right way, and I’m at peace knowing that even though I can’t solve the puzzle of the future, I don’t need to.

When I see my bride walk down the aisle later tonight, it will be the most beautiful moment of my life.

It’s a love story, and we’re going against the odds. We don’t know what’s out there, or what’s waiting for us, but whatever it is, we’re going to find it. You can count on that.

Joe

P.S. Please feel free to join us and watch the ceremony live online HERE

Varsity Hill at Contra Loma

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:47:49 -0800

Varsity Hill at Contra Loma

#appreciateafriendmonday shout out to @andrewdamazio. From crazy...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:25:24 -0800

#appreciateafriendmonday shout out to @andrewdamazio. From crazy dorm delinquents, to neighbors, to him standing next to me along with my brother as my best man in my wedding coming up. Beyond proud of him. It’s amazing to watch him play basketball like me too!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day to my best friend and wife to be! My heart...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:32:13 -0800

Happy Valentines Day to my best friend and wife to be! My heart is beyond thankful for you @dianadunca.

Back in the air

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:07:59 -0800

Back in the air

Special night at #GU2013

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:52:17 -0800

Special night at #GU2013

Engagement photo shoot edits are turning out quite nice…

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:43:36 -0800

Engagement photo shoot edits are turning out quite nice…

Black Friday

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 19:51:49 -0800

Black Friday

Portland really didn’t know if it wanted to be dry or wet...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:28:40 -0800

Portland really didn’t know if it wanted to be dry or wet today…

Engagement Photos sneak peek…

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:21:27 -0800

Engagement Photos sneak peek…

Lecrae goes HARD!!!! Epic show…

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:00:49 -0800

Lecrae goes HARD!!!! Epic show…

This song has been approved by RaCharm

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:20:00 -0700

This song has been approved by RaCharm:

All political views aside, this is pretty cool. RaCharm still climbing up that ladder as a producer, and current Prez Obama taking notice! Keep doing your thing Ray. Making all of us proud to say “We knew you when…”

Click on the title above to check it out.

#Salute

Still feeling a little insecure about last night…

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:27:57 -0700

Still feeling a little insecure about last night…

You can always count on the LAKESHOW fans to be at the door...

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:41:46 -0700

You can always count on the LAKESHOW fans to be at the door first!!! Opening night. Halloween. The Rose Garden will be crazy tonight!

40 Years From Now...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 22:37:28 -0700

I just want to look back on my life and know that I made it count. Yeah, there’s a lot of things I could be doing, and some of it even sounds somewhat fun, but is it really worth it? Probably not. I want to make a difference, I want to encourage and help others along the way. A fulfilled life isn’t impossible, and it’s a great day to day adventure…

I’ll be in the sky…

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:37:16 -0700

I’ll be in the sky…

PDX Night Sky

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:15:48 -0700

PDX Night Sky

Life at 25 Today celebrates twenty-five years of birth for me....

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 23:36:00 -0700

Life at 25

Today celebrates twenty-five years of birth for me. It’s kinda cool really, “twenty-five” years, a quarter of a century! Big ballin. I’m just thankful. There isn’t a day of my life where I’m not beyond thankful for those who have helped guide me to where I’m at today. I guess I’m just extra thankful on my Birthday when I remember who I could’ve been, with where I could’ve been, along with what I could’ve been doing, but instead I’m not, I’m living a life I once thought was unimaginable. One of the best feelings in the world is being able to lay your head down at night with peace, knowing you’re right where you’re supposed to be doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

Tonight when the boat I was on floated up and down the Willamette river, I had some time to reflect on all of this. It’s really a great feeling, and it’s one I don’t take for granted, because for years it wasn’t always like that. I just came to a point in my life where I realized there had to have been more, so I went searching for it, and when I found it, I never looked back. I don’t have much to complain about, I really don’t, and because of that, I pray and hope that I can do my best to help others realize that they too can lay their heads down at night with peace, knowing it’ll all be okay, it may not make sense, but it’ll be okay.

I guess more than ever, at twenty-five, I just want to help people. I want to live my life for something bigger than myself. I don’t know how and I’m not sure what that will look like, but I do know there’s people in this world who don’t feel loved and I want to love them. There’s people who don’t feel cared about, I want to care about them. There’s people who feel like their life isn’t that important, and they don’t have much to offer, and I want to show them they’re wrong, because at the end of the day, that’s really the only thing that matters; living your life beyond yourself so that others can succeed too.

Here’s to hoping that this twenty-fifth year of my life will help make this become more true than it is today…

Pic above courtesy of Diana ‘T-BIZZLE’ Dunca

Why I Decided to Not Be Facebook Official If I received a dollar...

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:40:00 -0700

Why I Decided to Not Be Facebook Official

If I received a dollar every time somebody asked me why my relationship with my girlfriend isn’t Facebook official, I probably could’ve treated her to a nice meal at a nice restaurant by now. When asked, I usually just smile at the person and leave it at that. Mainly because I don’t feel that I need to explain myself, but I’m in the mood to write, so why not…

Here we go…

Gossip: Let’s be honest, Facebook does nothing but feed gossip, and this is even more true when it comes to people and their significant others. As I think about it over the years, I can’t remember the last time somebody actually went and talked to the source of a relationship once that particular person’s status was changed on FB. Two people date, Facebook official. Let the gossip-fest begin. They break up, now they have to change their status. Let the gossip-fest begin. I know it’s true. You know it’s true, and I’d rather not be a part of any of that.
Privacy: Call me old fashioned, but I don’t want my entire life on the internet. Yes, I post often, and I post what I want, but there are some areas of my life that mean more to me than others, and I will protect those things with everything I have. My relationship with my girlfriend is personal, we’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, and we’ve worked through the things we’ve needed to work through, in fact, we still do, it’s nothing serious, but relationships require effort, and major communication, but I cherish what we have, and I don’t feel the entire world needs to know about it.
Timing: I realize there’s a right time for everything. I also realize there’s a small level of responsibility on my part that’s come with some of the opportunities I’ve had in life. I’ve accepted that people are watching my life, some old, some young, regardless of who it is, I just want to set a good example, and I genuinely strive to do so on a daily basis. There will be a right time for me to be more “public” about my relationship, and now is not that time

The Facebook game is a funny one, isn’t it? Have we replaced the desire in our heart for pure genuine relationships and encouragement with the shallow feeling that comes when we log in to a website and see a little red circle with a number in it? At the end of the day I know two things; I live a life, a fairly good one, and I’m okay with it not being out in the open for all to see, and I’m in a great relationship with one amazing girl.

It’s real and official in every way that it’s supposed to be.