Hello World
In programming, the first line of code you’re taught to write is simple:
Hello, World.
It doesn’t do much.
It doesn’t solve a problem.
It doesn’t prove you’re smart.
It just says: I’m here. This works. Let’s begin.
That’s what this post is.
Not a highlight reel.
Not a mission statement carved in stone.
Just a starting point.
Why ERIXland Exists
Welcome to ERIXland — our home on the internet.
Erika and I could have stayed on social media forever. Posting clips. Chasing trends. Letting algorithms decide what lives and what disappears.
But over the years, we’ve watched:
- family videos muted or removed
- short films restricted because of music
- creative work flagged by systems that don’t care about context
- stories vanish because they didn’t “perform”
And eventually, we realized something:
If we’re going to put our lives into this—
the hours, the risk, the creativity, the emotional cost—
our work needs to belong to us.
That’s why ERIXland exists.
This isn’t just a website.
It’s a journal, a sandbox, and a record of a real life being lived—unfiltered and unfinished.
A Human “Hello World”
I titled this post Hello World for another reason.
Because this is also me opening up my own source code.
Not as a programmer.
But as a human being named Eric Diaz.
I don’t want to rewind all the way to the beginning—but I do want a clear starting point.
For me, that point is 2016.
When One Life Ends, Another Begins
In 2016, my grandmother passed away.
She died around 2 a.m. on a Friday in her home in Downey, California, exactly how she asked to go.
I had put my life on hold to help take care of her. And when she passed, something in me did too.
Later that day, an old friend from first grade called me and invited me to a birthday party.
I said no.
I was wrecked. Crying all day. The kind of crying where you’re afraid if someone says “Nice to meet you” you’ll completely fall apart.
He didn’t accept my answer.
He said,
“Dude, you have to get out of the house. You can’t just sit there. It’s depressing.”
So that night, we went to Lock & Key Bar on Downey Ave.
I sat in the corner of a long table, avoiding eye contact, trying to disappear.
And then a woman walked up to me and asked:
“Do you like Brussels sprouts?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Hi, my name is Erika.”
That night, I met my soul partner.
Fast Forward (and Back Again)
Erika has seen me cry more times than I can count.
She stood next to me while I worked through deep depression, alcohol abuse, and trauma from life before I met her.
Now we’re… chaotically married.
I don’t like saying “happily” married—because that’s not real.
Some days are hard. Some seasons are heavy.
But on the macro level?
We’re happy.
This year we welcomed our third child, Isabella, into our lives—
a miracle story of its own (we’ll get there).
And somehow, we’re currently living in Branson, Missouri, managing an RV park.
That was not on our 2025 bingo card.
And that’s okay.
The Curveball Chapter
Here’s the second big lesson life is teaching me right now:
No matter how carefully you plan…
life doesn’t care.
At the start of 2025, Erika and I finally pulled the trigger on our dream.
- We bought the truck
- We bought the fifth wheel
- She had a remote, six-figure job
- The dream was funded
- Everything lined up perfectly
Exactly what we had prayed for.
On day two of traveling—while parked in Fort Worth, Texas—Erika got a video call.
She was fired.
Just like that.
So I sold all the Bitcoin I had been stacking.
And we drove to Big Bend, the first trip we always said we’d take once the setup was done.
When the Hustle Turns Ugly
When Erika lost her job, I panicked.
I went full content-creation survival mode.
I wasn’t creating anymore—I was chasing virality.
I wasn’t telling stories—I was watching numbers.
I became angry.
Obsessive.
Scared.
I couldn’t enjoy the dream because I was too busy trying to save it.
And eventually, I didn’t like who I was becoming.
So I stopped making anything at all.
This Time Is Different
Back in 2018, Erika and I used to make videos just for fun.
They were cheesy.
They were imperfect.
And we loved them.
I kept creating on and off over the years—but never with a real foundation.
ERIXland is that foundation.
This is where the story lives before it becomes a video.
Where long thoughts are allowed.
Where nothing has to be optimized to exist.
What You’ll Find Here
This site will be:
- RV life stories from managing a park in Branson
- Family travel and raising kids on the road
- Creative projects, digital art, and music
- Lessons from building something from the ground up
- Marriage, work, parenting, faith, fear, and freedom
- Raw thoughts at 2 a.m.
- Future worlds still being sketched
If you’ve ever wanted a life with more intention and less pretending—
this place will feel familiar.
Come Build With Us
I’m on social media.
We live stream on YouTube.
And this blog is the source everything grows from.
If ERIXland resonates with you, the best way to experience it is to meet us live, in real time, as things are being built.
Stick around.
Read. Comment. Lurk. Leave. Come back.
This is just our Hello World.
And we’re just getting started.
Come Hang Out Live (No Pressure)
ERIXland isn’t just something we post about — it’s something we build in real time.
I go live on YouTube every Monday and Friday, usually working on:
- the website and blog
- creative projects and ideas
- content experiments (what’s working, what’s not)
- life updates from the RV park
- or just thinking out loud about where this whole thing is headed
You don’t have to chat.
You don’t have to say hi.
You don’t even have to stay long.
Just click in, see what’s being built, and decide if it’s your thing.
If you like process, honesty, and watching something come together before it’s polished — that’s what the lives are for.
👉 You can find the live streams on Twitch
(Mondays + Fridays)
This blog is the source.
Twitch is where we meet.
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