The Proposal....Part 2

The account, the night of....

nybunchz says:

you were in a tux?

Almonds says:

yeah

I don't wear bow ties for "just cause"

I changed when we were getting ready for presents

hnybunchz says:

k

Almonds says:

I excused myself to use the restroom

lol

hnybunchz says:

and

Almonds says:

and.....

?

lol

ok....so when she was all WTF, i walked up to her, in front of everyone....

.....pulled the ring out of my pocket, got down on one knee, and said....

hnybunchz says:

everyone didn't know right?

Almonds says:

correct

one sec

hnybunchz says:

k

Almonds says:

..."it would be the greatest gift in the world if you would do me the honor of being my wife"....sorry had to ask her exactly what I said

that is when she got watery eyed

hnybunchz says:

and she said "yes" rite?

lol

Almonds says:

...no....first she got weak kneed, cause she ended up kneeling in down too

hnybunchz says:

what>?

Almonds says:

lol

hnybunchz says:

was she alright?

Almonds says:

then after a few seconds she was like "what kind of a question is that"

yeah, she was fine

hnybunchz says:

what? really? lol

oh good.

Almonds says:

lol....she was like "if you don't already know the answer, I don't know what to do with you"

hnybunchz says:

oh wow...LOL

is that really what she said?

LOL

Almonds says:

yeah

hnybunchz says:

oh...

Almonds says:

she said it quietly.....

hnybunchz says:

LOL

Almonds says:

I think I was the only one who heard it

lol

hnybunchz says:

lol

so she said "yes" for everyone else though rite?

Almonds says:

yeah

hnybunchz says:

oh good

LOL

Almonds says:

I was like "but everyone else doesn't know"

hnybunchz says:

what?

Almonds says:

so she was like, out loud "yes, of course I'll marry you"

hnybunchz says:

ah, i see

The Proposal.....3 years later

My wife and I have a longtime friendly game of oneupmanship going on.  Ever since we were starting out as friends.
She got us tickets for a local play> I fly her halfway across the country to see one of her favorite artists (Billy Joel) in concert. Of course, that was back when we were both making 6 figures a year, and could afford to do thing like that, lol!
She used to attend a LOT of large events for work, to the point where she had a spending allowance for dresses and shit...  I'd go with her sometimes, and ended up acquiring myself a tuxedo (yay!)
She'd always give me crap, cause I was the only guy she knew that loved any excuse to dress up and look sharp. (Hey, can't fight it if you look damn good in a tux!)
Anywho....back to the oneupmanship!
We had known each other a year by the time we started dating in Feb 2009.  And by April, I was buying the ring.  That was right before a little birdie (aka my awesome next door neighbor) let it slip that Wife was planning a surprise party for me.  Using my own people and apartment against me.....clever girl.....
I milked the guilty traitor for all the information she had, and told her not to tell Wife that I knew.

Then I started my scheming!
"Hmm....got this ring already....and I would *definitely* remember the date if it was on my birthday!"

Things went off without a hitch! *success...*fist-pump**

Wife, the ever coordinated event planner, had her schedule in motion, we went out for lunch that day, did some shopping, and were going back to my place for "dinner"

:O "A party?  For me????"  :O  :D

*unsuspecting Wife*

When Wife told me it was about time to open presents (YAY!!!!!....my favorite part, aside from cake!  ....don't judge me!)
I told her I needed to use the latrine right quick, and went off to change.  Roommate and Neighbor were, at this point, both in on it, and Roommate was videotaping "the party"
They kept Wife occupied while I changed (since it takes slightly more than 2 minutes to change into a tux!)

Then some sappy stuff happened, and now we are married....
THE END!

:)

A Good Week

I wanted to take the time to congratulate my soldiers, and the other soldiers in the unit, on a job well done.
They have all earned their combat patches, and today's ceremony was befitting of the event.
I also want to thank the Colonel for taking the time to patch the medics who were covering the ceremony, and could not be in the formation.  It meant a lot to them that he took that time to give a first-time deployer their proud moment, as well as the other medics who were on tasking.

I also appreciate the recognition, by or mission Colonel, in that I was unaware I was being requested, by name, for missions.  It is those moments that make our lives a little better.

And, also being able to teach the new medics has been a rewarding experience.  We have some new NG medics, who don't work medical in their civilian jobs, and we have had the pleasure of taking under our wings.  Not only is it nice to have a little more testosterone in the AS, its great that they are ready and eager to learn anything we have to teach.

I want to show my appreciation for making my birthday dinner a Section (and anyone else who wants to attend) event.  It will be one of the last times a majority of us are together, as I leave for a long mission the day after.  Another year older, another year wiser, I hope...

I would also like to thank SSG P for inviting me to help mentor young soldiers, in preparation for the Board.  We now have several medics hoping to attain their Promotable, "P-status" in the next several months.  Having been an NCO, albeit a young one (CPL), I only hope I can give them the knowledge and reassurance they need for a confident presentation.

My Dads

I have been accused of making my family look perfect.  Making my life a "dream".
In reality, I just try to forget the less-than-pleasant experiences that were part of my molding.
Dwelling on the negative things in life accomplish nothing, so why tire myself out reliving things?

My birth father, overall, was a good person.  He had his demons, as anyone does, but he fought them all my life. He struggled daily to stay on top of his disease, and he took a lot of blows in the process.  He was rejected by plenty, for his demons, through no fault of his own.  He caged his demons, with strong medications, that changed who he was, but he accepted that change, and he relearned who he was, and he came to almost thrive in his new being.  He fought, tooth and nail, against prejudice and discrimination, to be a good person, and good citizen.
There were times when he had to chose between feeding himself or medicating himself, and mostly, he chose medicating, except when my hunger was at stake.  At those times, his other side, his darker side, showed through.  And each time that happened, it was a struggle for him to return his control, and go back.  He  didn't need to explain much, I saw enough to kind of figure it out.  But it wasn't until his final months that I finally had a name for his demons.
My father was a Bipolar Schizophrenic.  By the time I came into his world, he had almost 2 decades of war raging within.  He had been diagnosed in college, and subsequently dropped out.  In those days, mental illness made you a social pariah.  His family was of the belief that drugs (not the legal kind) were the answer to his issues.  Several months later he was arrested for almost killing someone.  Paranoid delusions and a drug trip in a bad combination.
He was entered into a program, and subsequently put on medications that would define his life.
Being of above-average intelligence, he knew these medications were the answer, even if he was a completely different person, he was willing to accept that to pacify his mind.
He met my birth mother, a "reformed" thief and pathological liar, in a program years later.
She was a believer in recreational drugs, and thought him odd to never indulge in the play.
She preferred him off his meds, and thought him a boring specimen when medicated.  After several attempts take away his meds, they had a violent argument, and it was about that time that she decided to leave the "damaged goods" (including my brother and I) and go find a better life.
Ironically enough, my biological brother ended up being diagnosed with a Muscular Distrophy (BMD).... as did one of my half siblings, from her second family.  So much for being "perfect"

My dad (my adoptive father) has his share of demons too.  He is an alcoholic.  I am also an alcoholic, but I've learned from it, and can drink responsibly, and also only drink when I'm with my wife or family.
My parents have been in a strained relationship for years.  My dad has started hanging out with folks that also drink, instead of going back home right after work.  His opinion on the matter is having worked all his life, he deserves to enjoy himself.  He is getting older, not able to work like he used to, after a back injury several years ago that almost required emergency surgery.  He has a devastating family history of Alzheimers and Dementia.  He's trying to "enjoy" his time.
He is the son of alcoholics.  His father was a violent alcoholic, his mother an alcoholic to drown out the troubles in her marriage.  My dad isn't a violent alcoholic, though he has had outbursts several times.  He knows its better to take anger out on objects, rather than people, though.
He is what I would call a functioning alcoholic.  He goes to work M-F, sober.  He doesn't drink before noon on weekends either.  We came to an understanding, last time I was home, that he would not drive home after driving, and he has been good about that.  He'll either drive home after work and be picked up, or will walk (about a mile).
He is an adult.  I know I can't control what he does or doesn't do, but I can try.
I know that when I'm home, he drinks less, if at all.  I feel some guilt for not being able to be home, at that.  When I (or my sister/BIL) are home, we are usually working on some project, and he seems to enjoy things, keeping his mind off the drinking.
His drinking is more a substitute for socialization than anything else.
Wife and I have talked about bringing him out to live with us, but until my parents divorce and my mom does what she will do, I feel better knowing that neither of them is living on the farm alone....

The Philosophy of God

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

The "What if"s

I asked this question:
 

LEGIT QUESTION: if you could change one thing in your life, without anything else changing, what would it be?

   

It didn't actually come out of nowhere, like most of my questions.....

I got a FB message, and friend request from someone today.

Someone who I haven't seen in about 10 years, 4 months, and 16 days.

When Shanna became pregnant, we ended up in a group for young parents.  Most of them were also students at our school.  This girl, Kristen, was due about the same time as us, so she and Shanna ended up getting close.

Within one month of each other, two baby girls were born.  That would have sealed the fate of BFFs, had events unfolded differently.

Because I am a facebook stalker, after I accepted her friend request, we started chatting, and I went snooping through pictures (YES, I even do it with those of you who haven't made your profiles into Ft Knox)

I guess my curiosity was moving faster than my mind, because I clicked on her mobile uploads, and was bombarded with pictures of a 10 year old little girl.

Alyssa is 5' flat, with long brunette hair.  Shes an Honor Roll 4th grader, who doesn't like English class, but excels in math.  She is into competitive jazz dancing (?) and has enjoyed parts in several school plays.

She is outgoing, creative, funny, and smart.  She plays soccer, and hangs out at the park with her friends.

She loves the Jonas Brothers (tolerable) and Justin Beiber (not so much)

She thinks the beach is the greatest place in the world.

Shes loves decorating the sidewalk with colorful chalk designs, and wants to be a designer when she grows up.

Got me thinking (more in depth than usually) how Victoria would be today, had things turned out differently.

As a toddler

At school

Spending spring break at the beach

Her 10th Birthday

Stuff that I would do...

Friends for halloween

Her and her little sister

Photos shared with permission

Its hard to know/imagine what She would be like today.  Would she like the same things Alyssa likes?

Would she be like me?  Would she be like her mother?