Wow! I totally missed number 1000, so here I am to celebrate number 1001.
Thanks for showing up. :-)
Come back tomorrow (and every Friday in April) for your question for Fun Monday, I hope you can take some time to participate, I think we'll have some fun.
No, really.
On to my next 1000 posts!
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memories. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Fun Monday - To Be Young Again.
For our last Fun Monday in February on the last day of the month, I would like to hear about an early childhood memory. That is the task given to me this Monday by Molly at Return of the White Robin for the final Monday of February. Let's see what I can uncover, shall we?
She first came to me when I was sixteen, almost seventeen. She was the most beautiful thing that I had ever laid eyes upon, and she was all mine.
Or, maybe I should go with this one...
One year for Christmas, we traveled to Colorado, from San Antonio, Texas to visit with my maternal grandparents, also known as "Nanna and Poppop." It was a trip that we all greatly anticipated because we were going to see family that we hadn't seen in more than a year and it was Christmas time. The family time was wonderful as we would visit my Uncles homes that were in the mountains and go sledding or tubing and have a generally great time. Christmas Eve was spent with my grand parents and, as tradition holds near and dear, we were allowed to open some of our gifts before heading off to bed, I remember getting the game Risk and an ABBA album, my first album ever. I had worked all fall delivering newspapers to buy myself a turntable, but had yet to purchase any albums.
I was in heaven. Seriously.
Christmas morning came and to my brothers and my surprise, there appeared to be no new presents from Santa. Uh oh, maybe we really were bad boys that year. Shoot. Well, not much more was thought about the morning because we would be heading to my Uncle Greg's house later that day for some more tubing fun and eating great food and celebrating family time. Who could complain? Santa's appearance, or lack thereof, didn't really seem to bother me and my brothers.
My parents were very good at distractions apparently.
Anyway, after the holiday fun, we had to head back to San Antonio and their lack of snow and mountains and family. All good things must come to an end I suppose. I think we drove straight through to get back home, it's hard to remember these things when you sleep through them. When we arrived back home I remember walking into the house and noticing our Christmas lights were on, thinking that we must have left them on while we were gone, for nearly two weeks, to keep anyone from thinking the house was empty. Or something like that.
Then I noticed something else... Santa had come and left a "boatload" of presents for me and my brothers. That my friends was an awesome Christmas.
She first came to me when I was sixteen, almost seventeen. She was the most beautiful thing that I had ever laid eyes upon, and she was all mine.
We would go everywhere together, never wanting to be apart. I filled her with what she wanted and she always got me running. Throughout my senior year in high school she was my most dependable friend, always there when I needed her.
After high school I joined the Air Force and we had to be separated for nearly four months, it was an agonizing time in my life, I mean we had never been apart for more than a day, and now to have this thrust upon our relationship. While in training I would hear rumors of her seeing someone else, but they turned out to be fruitless, it was just someone trying to put the green monster of envy and jealousy between our love.
The next six months were the best; she was the one I could turn to when my training got to me. Often times we would head up to the mountains to be alone in the peaceful surroundings. As my final days of training came closer she was there to help my friends and I ease into the transition of heading to our first duty station.
She was a godsend.
Then the day we both dreaded came to pass, and I got my orders, to the United Kingdom, and we both knew that I couldn’t bring her with me. She did come with me to where my parents were living in San Antonio to see me off. In fact, she stayed with them for a while, and when they moved back to Colorado, she gave them a warm homecoming.
When my tour in England ended, I knew that she would be there, but I also knew that I had tried others, and almost brought one home with me.
She didn’t care.
She loved me, after all.
So, I took her to Abilene, Texas, when I moved there for my next assignment. I don’t know if we rushed it or not; maybe we were forcing our affection where it wasn’t, who knows. We grew apart, so much so, that my roommate asked if he could take her from me. I was shocked, but I knew that it would be for the best, besides a new girl had caught my eye. She acquiesced to the exchange, and I felt that she was in good hands. My new girl was attractive and dependable, but it still felt weird.
One day, maybe a month later, I saw her on the street. My roommate, now former because of my new rank in the military entitled me to not having one, was nowhere in site.
I started to cry.
It was obvious that she had been abused, and was left on the side for dead, sitting in a puddle of her own tears. Then came the anger, how could he do this to her.
I resolved on that day, to never again sell my old automobiles to someone so young and irresponsible.
Or, maybe I should go with this one...
One year for Christmas, we traveled to Colorado, from San Antonio, Texas to visit with my maternal grandparents, also known as "Nanna and Poppop." It was a trip that we all greatly anticipated because we were going to see family that we hadn't seen in more than a year and it was Christmas time. The family time was wonderful as we would visit my Uncles homes that were in the mountains and go sledding or tubing and have a generally great time. Christmas Eve was spent with my grand parents and, as tradition holds near and dear, we were allowed to open some of our gifts before heading off to bed, I remember getting the game Risk and an ABBA album, my first album ever. I had worked all fall delivering newspapers to buy myself a turntable, but had yet to purchase any albums.
I was in heaven. Seriously.
Christmas morning came and to my brothers and my surprise, there appeared to be no new presents from Santa. Uh oh, maybe we really were bad boys that year. Shoot. Well, not much more was thought about the morning because we would be heading to my Uncle Greg's house later that day for some more tubing fun and eating great food and celebrating family time. Who could complain? Santa's appearance, or lack thereof, didn't really seem to bother me and my brothers.
My parents were very good at distractions apparently.
Anyway, after the holiday fun, we had to head back to San Antonio and their lack of snow and mountains and family. All good things must come to an end I suppose. I think we drove straight through to get back home, it's hard to remember these things when you sleep through them. When we arrived back home I remember walking into the house and noticing our Christmas lights were on, thinking that we must have left them on while we were gone, for nearly two weeks, to keep anyone from thinking the house was empty. Or something like that.
Then I noticed something else... Santa had come and left a "boatload" of presents for me and my brothers. That my friends was an awesome Christmas.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Seriously, Cheese!
The more original a discovery, the more obvious it seems afterwards. ~ Arthur Koestler
Did you know that the moon is made of cheese?
No, really it is.
I distinctly recall hearing about it when I was, oh about four or five. Nobody would ever think about lying to a four or five-year old, now would they?
Would they?
So imagine my surprise when I find out that we have actually sent people to the moon. Seriously. people have actually camped out on the moon, and it appears to be rather dusty, and seriously lacking in color.
Did you see that? I used the same word two different ways.
Seriously.
Oh, and the moon is made of cheese, and I challenge you to prove me otherwise. Go ahead, give it your best shot. I'll be waiting, right here.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Being Bi-Polar Sucks
Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency. ~ Raymond Chandler
Andy went "home" today. Yes, that home away from home, also known as college.
It was very traumatic, which is odd considering it's his second semester and all. Alas, there was lots of drama, maybe even a few tears.
Not by Andy.
Nor by any of his siblings.
Momma didn't even shed a tear. As an aside, she did want to kick my posterior, in a big way. Can't say that I blame her, I was being a bad boy.
Yes, you guessed it, I became an emotional wreck.
Not because of Andy going back to school, no we're kind of enjoying the extra space. I kid, because I care.
No, because my Christmas present, the one that I had so thoughtfully worked into getting, was going back to school with Andy. Sure, I don't use it that much, actually, I can't remember using it at all while Andy was away on his 'J' term. It just sat there, minding it's own business.
Oh, it also killed my DVR, but I digress.
So maybe I should be thanking Andy for giving it a better home, after all, he did use it the most. I finally did relax and realize the truth of the matter, but I probably could have handled it a little better, especially since Andy was also borrowing a few things that I wasn't expecting.
They would have been useless now anyway, so I should have realized that as well.
I'm thinking that maybe I might have missed taking a pill today, but hate blaming my moods on that, no matter how factual the evidence is on the matter.
I guess I will just have to live without it's company, which is good for me to realize, especially since it's 150 miles away and all, however, I will try to remember the good times that we shared in the month that we had together.
I will miss you, but you are in good hands.
Live well and free, dear PS3.
What?
Did you expect it to be something really important?
Monday, September 15, 2008
So, I Went to this Baseball Game...
... and all I got was the Chicago Cubs first no-hitter since 1972!!!
It was awesome and surreal at the same time, I mean here me and the boys are in Milwaukee, watching a Houston Astros "Home" game, and we were witnesses to some pretty cool history.
See the highlights here.
What is funny is Benjy and I were joking about it in the third inning, and told him that we probably already screwed it up for Zambrano. Boy were we wrong.
Thank you Miller Park for being gracious hosts to me and the other 23, 440 people at the game, we will NEVER forget it.
AWESOME!
P.S. - Let's not forget why the game was played in Milwaukee in the first place, and keep the residents of Texas in your prayers.
It was awesome and surreal at the same time, I mean here me and the boys are in Milwaukee, watching a Houston Astros "Home" game, and we were witnesses to some pretty cool history.
See the highlights here.
What is funny is Benjy and I were joking about it in the third inning, and told him that we probably already screwed it up for Zambrano. Boy were we wrong.
Thank you Miller Park for being gracious hosts to me and the other 23, 440 people at the game, we will NEVER forget it.
AWESOME!
P.S. - Let's not forget why the game was played in Milwaukee in the first place, and keep the residents of Texas in your prayers.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Completely Obnoxious Orangutan Loses Intermediate Naming Game
So the answer to yesterday's trip into subliminal messages via the title of blog posts was....
Bosnia!
Yes, Andy is currently in Bosnia, I think it's real name is Bosnia-Herzegovina, visiting non-approved Marian Apparitions in Medjugorje. I hear that he has even finally written his mother.
She was none too pleased to find out that he updated his Facebook page, BEFORE dropping her a line.
Can't say that I blame her.
He is there praying for anyone that requested it, and for the Cubs - no doubt. I imagine his lack of Cub-news is driving him nuts. The kid has turned into a genuine Cubs fanatic. Who knows, maybe this year is THE year.
Just don't hold your breathe.
I have a question regarding hyphens, that I am opening to the floor... Hello floor?
I know of some friends and acquaintances that go for the whole keeping my name in a hyphen thing. Way cool, if you ask me but what happens if your kids decide to do the same thing, and so on? You could have Jennifer Gerardette Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz marrying Roger William Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller, and our kids would then be Andrew William Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller.
When do you stop? Would you? If you have a hyphenated name, and your kids have it as well, whose name do they drop? Do the drop the whole hyphen and go with the man's name (if it is a woman)? Do you just keep adding hyphens, like the example above? Whose names go first? I deferred to the female side as going first, but is that correct? Oh I also threw in the middle names, just because.
Imagine the roll call in class; "Andrew William Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Kaesik-Ballog-Busch-Miller?"
"Ma'am, that's Andy Eaton=Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller."
"Oh, so sorry, you like to be called Andy then, correct?"
On a completely new twist, how can I have two famous brewers of beer names, yet not be in the beer making business? I need to check my family history for sure now --- maybe someone is holding my check. :)
Now go and check this out. Looks like carbon emissions don't have as much to do with the climate after all. But we should definitely ban those pesky bonfires. Oh and while we're at it, let's see if we can make the lightning stop starting forest fires, and let's not forget those annoyingly beautiful volcanoes that erupt - for no reason at all.
Time to go back to the silly stuff.
Where's my Diet Coke?!?
Bosnia!
Yes, Andy is currently in Bosnia, I think it's real name is Bosnia-Herzegovina, visiting non-approved Marian Apparitions in Medjugorje. I hear that he has even finally written his mother.
She was none too pleased to find out that he updated his Facebook page, BEFORE dropping her a line.
Can't say that I blame her.
He is there praying for anyone that requested it, and for the Cubs - no doubt. I imagine his lack of Cub-news is driving him nuts. The kid has turned into a genuine Cubs fanatic. Who knows, maybe this year is THE year.
Just don't hold your breathe.
I have a question regarding hyphens, that I am opening to the floor... Hello floor?
I know of some friends and acquaintances that go for the whole keeping my name in a hyphen thing. Way cool, if you ask me but what happens if your kids decide to do the same thing, and so on? You could have Jennifer Gerardette Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz marrying Roger William Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller, and our kids would then be Andrew William Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller.
When do you stop? Would you? If you have a hyphenated name, and your kids have it as well, whose name do they drop? Do the drop the whole hyphen and go with the man's name (if it is a woman)? Do you just keep adding hyphens, like the example above? Whose names go first? I deferred to the female side as going first, but is that correct? Oh I also threw in the middle names, just because.
Imagine the roll call in class; "Andrew William Eaton-Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Kaesik-Ballog-Busch-Miller?"
"Ma'am, that's Andy Eaton=Devlin-Sauser-Stankevitz-Ballog-Kaesik-Busch-Miller."
"Oh, so sorry, you like to be called Andy then, correct?"
On a completely new twist, how can I have two famous brewers of beer names, yet not be in the beer making business? I need to check my family history for sure now --- maybe someone is holding my check. :)
Now go and check this out. Looks like carbon emissions don't have as much to do with the climate after all. But we should definitely ban those pesky bonfires. Oh and while we're at it, let's see if we can make the lightning stop starting forest fires, and let's not forget those annoyingly beautiful volcanoes that erupt - for no reason at all.
Time to go back to the silly stuff.
Where's my Diet Coke?!?
Friday, January 18, 2008
They Call It 'Puppy Love'
I am going to approach this post a little differently, and just go with what 'feels' right. By that I mean that i am not going to start with a title and work my way down.
Nope, instead I will just 'wing-it.'
Feels pretty good, so far. I mean I am feeling absolutely no pressure, whatsoever, to produce something that will live up to a title. Granted, I also am currently flailing around trying to think of an idea - got any?
Parents of teenagers, I have a question to ask you.... How the heck do you get a 17 year-old lovesick child to pull his, or her, head out of their (expletive deleted) and realize that there are more important things to worry about?
I mean just because I convinced my parents to separate, during my senior year in high school - for a girl, doesn't mean I want my 17 year-old to do something similar.
See, I knew something would pop into my head... Story time!
When I was a junior in high school my dad, a career Air Force Officer, was getting reassigned to; Omaha, Nebraska, Washington, D.C., or San Antonio, Texas. Which meant that once he got his assignment, we would be moving. No big deal, we've done it before.
In April of that year, 1984, I fell in Looooove. Yep, the cynical shy kid in the back row had found his love connection. Mon (oh, I should leave her name out)ez. Yep, she was going to be my wife and we'd grow old together and become fat and happy with lots of babies and grand babies.
Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but knowing myself the way that I do. It wouldn't surprise me if that thought actually.
Anyway, being in love one does not want to move away. I knew though that if I said I didn't want to move because of 'M' that we would be loading that moving van quicker than you can spell some really long word. Luckily, it was my senior year, AND I was in the reigning State Champion Marching Band, AND there was already plans on going to Orlando for a band contest.
*** Side note here for all of you band-haters. I don't recall our football team travelling all around the country in nice coach buses. Playing a trumpet did have it's advantages, don't forget that.
My dad got his orders in May, and I started my offense.
"It's my senior year!" - "We're going to Florida with band this year!" - "I think moving a kid between his Junior and Senior year of high school is against my Constitutional Rights!" (They actually laughed at that one.)
So, I tried and tried to convince my parents that separating me from my graduating class would just suck - never once mentioning 'M.' Heck, my grades didn't even suffer. Trust me, I was trying my best to stay.
CRACK!
Yep, they broke down and decided to keep myself, my brothers and my mother in Colorado, while my Dad moved to San Antonio. (Oh yeah, that factored into my dislike of the move as well. We were just there three years prior, and I wanted variety. Actually I wanted Omaha, don't really remember or know why just that I did)
Two weeks after my dad got settled in... You guessed it. 'M' and I were no more.
Now, I WANTED to move! This is when I found out the real reason that my brothers, mother and I stayed in Colorado, while my Dad moved to San Antonio alone. No, it wasn't a divorce - they will be married for 42 years in April. Nope, it was cheaper for us to stay in Colorado until we got base housing. So, my Mom kept working and my Dad lived in, basically an apartment on base - I think.
I graduated High School on June 1, and on June 2 we were heading down to San Antonio.
How's that for right off the top of my head?
That's the other thing I think I should mention for anyone that may read these entries. I usually write 'live' meaning that I don't edit and rewrite before I post. Don't know if that is the right way, but it is my way.
Okay, that's enough for now, I think.
Bye-bye!
P.S. - How did the title work out? Should I go back to title first then blog, or whatever?
Nope, instead I will just 'wing-it.'
Feels pretty good, so far. I mean I am feeling absolutely no pressure, whatsoever, to produce something that will live up to a title. Granted, I also am currently flailing around trying to think of an idea - got any?
Parents of teenagers, I have a question to ask you.... How the heck do you get a 17 year-old lovesick child to pull his, or her, head out of their (expletive deleted) and realize that there are more important things to worry about?
I mean just because I convinced my parents to separate, during my senior year in high school - for a girl, doesn't mean I want my 17 year-old to do something similar.
See, I knew something would pop into my head... Story time!
When I was a junior in high school my dad, a career Air Force Officer, was getting reassigned to; Omaha, Nebraska, Washington, D.C., or San Antonio, Texas. Which meant that once he got his assignment, we would be moving. No big deal, we've done it before.
In April of that year, 1984, I fell in Looooove. Yep, the cynical shy kid in the back row had found his love connection. Mon (oh, I should leave her name out)ez. Yep, she was going to be my wife and we'd grow old together and become fat and happy with lots of babies and grand babies.
Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but knowing myself the way that I do. It wouldn't surprise me if that thought actually.
Anyway, being in love one does not want to move away. I knew though that if I said I didn't want to move because of 'M' that we would be loading that moving van quicker than you can spell some really long word. Luckily, it was my senior year, AND I was in the reigning State Champion Marching Band, AND there was already plans on going to Orlando for a band contest.
*** Side note here for all of you band-haters. I don't recall our football team travelling all around the country in nice coach buses. Playing a trumpet did have it's advantages, don't forget that.
My dad got his orders in May, and I started my offense.
"It's my senior year!" - "We're going to Florida with band this year!" - "I think moving a kid between his Junior and Senior year of high school is against my Constitutional Rights!" (They actually laughed at that one.)
So, I tried and tried to convince my parents that separating me from my graduating class would just suck - never once mentioning 'M.' Heck, my grades didn't even suffer. Trust me, I was trying my best to stay.
CRACK!
Yep, they broke down and decided to keep myself, my brothers and my mother in Colorado, while my Dad moved to San Antonio. (Oh yeah, that factored into my dislike of the move as well. We were just there three years prior, and I wanted variety. Actually I wanted Omaha, don't really remember or know why just that I did)
Two weeks after my dad got settled in... You guessed it. 'M' and I were no more.
Now, I WANTED to move! This is when I found out the real reason that my brothers, mother and I stayed in Colorado, while my Dad moved to San Antonio alone. No, it wasn't a divorce - they will be married for 42 years in April. Nope, it was cheaper for us to stay in Colorado until we got base housing. So, my Mom kept working and my Dad lived in, basically an apartment on base - I think.
I graduated High School on June 1, and on June 2 we were heading down to San Antonio.
How's that for right off the top of my head?
That's the other thing I think I should mention for anyone that may read these entries. I usually write 'live' meaning that I don't edit and rewrite before I post. Don't know if that is the right way, but it is my way.
Okay, that's enough for now, I think.
Bye-bye!
P.S. - How did the title work out? Should I go back to title first then blog, or whatever?
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