Thankful

Well another TG has come and gone and this one was one of the best in a while for several reasons. We actually had my whole family together for the first time in 3-4 years. It was so nice to have my sister, stepsisters, parents, nephews and brother in law's together!!! On Wednesday night we went down to Children's Hospital and brought in some sheet cakes to share with the children and families that would have to be spending their Thanksgiving there. It was a very enjoyable experience but totally not what I expected it to be. We arrived at the hospital a bit before 6pm and went to the volunteers office. There we cut up the cakes into 4 sections and placed them in the red wagons along with the plates, silverware and coffee that the hospital provided. I thought that all 10 of us were going to be doing this together but what they did was split us up to cover 4 different floors; 2,3,4,5. I was assigned floor 4 with the hospital volunteer Linda. We were pretty slow up there, had a few kids who stopped by and were so cute, they seemed to really appreciate the cake. Most of the people who stopped by were family members or passers by. After about 15 minutes my stepsister Allison came up to serve with me. We didn't have too many more visitors and heard that my family on the 2nd floor was running out of cake so we gave them half of what we had left. We were done by 7pm and gave our leftover cake to the nurses who were pretty happy to be getting some. All in all it was an enjoyable experience but I felt like we weren't giving back enough for everything that they did for us in taking care of Grayson during the 15 days he was there for his heart surgery. We discussed afterwards that for next year we would like to do something where we're helping people out more (soup kitchen is what we'll probably do) but it was nice to see the smiles on the faces of the few children who stopped by.

Volunteering @ the hospital made me think about all the things that I am grateful for.

To have my health, after being in the hospital thinking of all the children and others who are in the hospital I am so thankful to have my health and the ability to run half marathons and play sports and do the normal day to day things.

My family, without them i wouldn't be the person that i am today.

My family's health, Grayson is the toughest person that I've ever met and he's only 5 months old!! he has been through more in his 5 months than most people have in their whole lives!! he's such a trooper and i am so thankful that he's made it through his surgery's and is on his way to becoming a happy, healthy baby!!

Chinchilla, she is such an amazing woman, she is so smart, beautiful, kind, caring, considerate, has a really big heart, did i mention she's beautiful??? confident, compassionate, fun to be with, we have a great time going out and doing things or staying at home and doing nothing. I am so thankful and happy that she is in my life!!! She is the best!!!!!!

My really close friends (u know who you are) without you I wouldn't have made it through the bankruptcy & repo of my jeep, I am thankful for the talks with them, the fun times that we've had, the encouragement that things will turn around for me, you are awesome!!

For not being in debt like i was anymore. It's so nice now to not have to worry about hiding my jeep so they don't take it, to get 2-3 calls a day from collection agencies, to have money to pay for things, to own my car, to not be embarrased about my finances.

To live in the USA, to have the freedom that we have, to all the men and women who have given their lives so that we can keep this freedom.

Hot Under The Collar

I don't understand people. Why do people feel a need to constantly take advantage of others? Why do they feel a need to use people who do nice things for them? Why do they try to get things from that person without giving anything in return?

A few months back found out that Alice In Chains was coming to town and got hit up by a "friend" we'll refer to him as "the ditcher" who said he wanted to go to the show, I told him that I'd go with him and pick up the tickets. Got the tickets he said that he'd pay me back next time he saw me. That was 6 weeks ago, talked to him through text on Saturday and everything was set for tonight. Today, sent 3 texts and left a voicemail, no response, so I get off work and can't find anyone to go to the show with me (at this point i'm pissed and don't really want to go anymore) so i head down to the fillmore to sell the tickets. Get there and there are a bunch of people with extra tickets, the only offer i had was for $40. Bought the tickets for $96.41 sold them for $40. that puts me in the hole $56.41, am i ever going to get the money from the ditcher? probably not. Will i get some lame excuse oh, i had my phone off and didn't get your message, probably. And then i'll get some lame sorry and oh i shouldn't have to pay for the ticket since i didn't go. I don't get people!!! If you tell someone you're going to a show with them, then go! If you tell them you'll pay them, then do it!

I've been told a lot throghout my life that I'm too nice, that I do things for people that I shouldn't and whenever i've been told that I respond that's the way i am,"do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is what i live by. It's times like these that make me question wether i should even do nice things for anyone at all (minus my girlfriend, family and really close friends) I mean, what's the point? I'll go out there thinking that this time it'll be different, this time people will actually follow through and not take advantage of me, only to be disappointed again in the end. Oh well, I guess i just need to be more careful in the future. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful gf and friends who let me vent to them and help me get through moods like this!!

On a happier note, spent the weekend with chinchilla bowling friday night with her and roomie, then spent most of the rest of the weekend doing nothing which felt GREAT!! It was sooooooooo nice!!!!! I really had a GREAT time with her (as always) I'm so happy that she's in my life!!

Yeah, Hi

Flashback to November 1st, Post Office @ Arapahoe & Dayton Time 4:35pm

Me: Yes, I'd like to return this package to the sender please
Postal Employee: (after looking at the package for a few minutes and placing a sticker on it) you're all set!
Me: Don't I have to pay for it?
Postal Employee: Nope it's already paid for
Me: That's the label that they sent it to me with, I would like to send this package back to them.
Postal Employee: Oh, ok (takes some measurements, places a new sticker on the package) That'll be $9.45
Me: ok, and this is going to Minnesota correct?
Postal Employee: yes
Me: (after looking at my receipt and seeing my zip code of 80010 on it) So it has my zip code on the receipt, this is going to MN right?
Postal Employee: yes.

Flash forward to today.

I received a sorry we missed you letter from the post office saying that i had a package there. On my lunch drive from the tech center to my post office off Colfax & Dayton, walk in and say I'm here to pick up this package. A few minutes later the postal employee comes back and sure enough there's my costume package!!!!!!! So Christina is her name and I explain to her what happened, we tear off the old label, put on the new one (with delivery confirmation too!!) and have a good laugh at what happened. Finally my costumes are on their way back to MN!!!!!

Weekend was GREAT!!! Had a blast hanging out with Daria as usual. went to the Pepper/Slightly stoopid show friday night. Pepper was sweet, SS kinda sucked. We were the oldest people there!!! Saturday was fun, chilled at D's house drinking, wearing the D&D costumes & satying up till the wee hours playing Trivial Pursuit to which she kicked my ass at!!!! Had to forefit our last soccer game didn't have enough people show up :-( Don't understand why people pay to play a sport then don't show up for the games!!! Daria was a total trooper though, showed up with her hurt foot and all and played a game that didn't mean anything on it!! She rocks!!! Yesterday was Halloween, i dressed up in the orange D&D tux, Wayne was in the blue one. Had a great day at work, wasn't really motivated to do much, took a ton of pictures, handed out candy to kids that came through it was a fun day. Met up with a couple co-workers after work for a beer then headed over to the parents for dinner. Dinner was good but they definitely put me to work!! Had to baby proof the cabinets in the kitchen, move a couch upstairs, & move a bed to where the couch used to be!!!! The dinner conversation revolved around the upcoming election and everyone's different stances on the ammendments and issues. My stepmom was pretty much giving me crap for not having done research on the different issues and was thinking that I was just going to go in and vote not knowing anything, she apologized later for getting on my case and knows that when it comes time to vote i'll be ready. I spent the night in my own bed last night for the first time in almost 2 weeks which sucked, i couldn't fall asleep right away and woke up a couple times during the night. I really enjoy sleeping with Daria, it's so nice to be able to fall asleep with her and wake up next to her, it's a GREAT way to start out the day, i definitely missed her last night!!!