Friendships and the life we sometimes lead -- Part II

I guess I am writing a reprieve for the first post.....and chalking up the last few weeks of non-communication to her (friend #1) dealing with alot of personal issues oh her own, which I can totally respect. I know she is dealing with alot right now, and the only thing I can do is be a friend for her, and be there if she wants and/or needs to talk.....she knows my number -- she knows she can call anytime anyday. Today we talked at work all day -- alot of it was venting about the day we were BOTH having -- a day I like to refer to as fan-crap-u-lous. It started off bad, and it got worse as the day went on -- I was never so glad to see 3 o'clock as I was today....we both walked out and looked at each other and pretty much was like "What the FRIG!" She said she was contemplating buying a punching bag, breaking it in, then taking a nap. :)

I am just glad everything is cool with her and I ... that to me makes it worth the effort I have been putting into our friendship.

In the same breathe though, I know that I cant keep over-extending myself to her...if I get the feeling I am putting everything in, then I might have to start pulling back. Melissa has already said that if you have to work that hard at a friendship, could you spend that energy somewhere else more positive?

I am getting my sore throat back (again!) so I am gonna stop here and pick up tomorrow. By then I will know what happened with the Angels/Yankees Game (I know Melissa is watching!) Good night for now :)

Saturday night.......

Its a Saturday night, and I'm feeling alright! There are so many things, now that I am writing again, that I want to talk about, but none of them as much as music. One thing many people dont know about me, is that one of my favorite music types is actually bluegrass. (No, I didnt fall and hit my head)....Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, Alison Krause, Bill Monroe....some of my favorites, but I grew up listening to bluegrass music with my Dad. My Dad was a huge into bluegrass, so as kids, we would take trips to Tennessee, and about an hour into the trip, we would get a bluegrass station on the radio, and it seemed like we would keep that station for HOURS!!! There's just something spiritual about bluegrass music. If you ever want to listen to some, let me know

Then there is my all-time favorite artist -- Joe Satriani ... this man is an ABSOLUTE GENIUS!!! There is nobody I would rather listen to than Joe --- there is just something about his music that I love --- it puts me into a mood, takes my mind away from whatever I am thinking of, etc.....there is just nothing like it!

Dont get me wrong, I like other groups (Metallica, Stryper, Dokken), but nothing will ever compare to Joe....he is an absolute musical god! There is no better master of the guitar than Joe. He has taught the likes of Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Gary Hoey.

OK, off of music for a little while - time to talk some sports.....this weekend, the New Orleans Saints are visiting right here in Green Bay to play the Packers......and I PASSED ON TICKETS!!!! I gave up tickets to watch my Saints play so I could get some more overtime at work. I know, I am a fool...but it's not like I was going to have a good time anyway. I would have been spending money I dont have on something I could listen to at work, and MAKE money.....it was a pretty simple choice really. As much as I love the Saints, nothing comes in front of providing for my family. And there will be other Packer games down the road.

I am down 30 pounds since the first of the year....although this past week I put on 1½ back on (I ate like crap and didnt exercise)...but this week I hope I am doing well....at least I think I am -- although I havent worked out yet this week - maybe today....depends on how I feel after work.

Today is Nate's birthday (friend of mine from work) (HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE!) but I didnt go to his party. As much as I would like to have, I know I would have indulged in the beverage, and that wouldnt have been pretty -- either on the item listed above, or for the fact I lived 20+ miles from the party! Plus, I got time to spend with the chitlin, so that is always fun...Michelle and I had some quality time together too....very cool indeed!

OK as much as I would love to write more, I think I am just gonna go to bed...goodnight all :)

Friendships and the life we sometimes lead

This post is dedicated to a friend of mine Melissa, and she knows why I am writing this. Now its time to fill everyone else in.

Melissa is a friend here in Green Bay. She and I both work together, plus she has a 2nd job which, coincidentally, feeds my thirst for hot chocolates! YES!!! I AM ADDICTED TO HOT CHOCOLATES!!! Ok, I wont by them when the temperature is about 90, but just about any other time, I can be found buying a hot chocolate.

At work, we have a program called Sametime, which is basically Lotus's version of Instant Messanger. We use it for everything at work -- it was supposed to save phone calls, but I think we use it more for just chatting with our friends.

Well recently, a friend of mine has been acting -- lets just say weird. So I asked Melissa for her thoughts, as an unbiased 3rd party...one of the nicest things about talking with her is the fact that she IS always unbiased. She will tell you what she thinks....and you always know where you stand. She has never been one to be judgemental, or waiver from our friendship. She basically told me that for someone who is supposed to be an adult, she was acting very childish. I have felt like I have been working overtime to make the friendship work (with the other person) and she basically said if you ware working that hard, is it really worth it? (excellent point! by the way).

So tonight, I tried to call my other friend, but she wasnt home. So I left a message that we needed to talk....Melissa is so right....if you have to work so hard on a friendship, that you have to question how hard you are working at it, is it really worth it in the end?

But like so many people who know me will tell you, I wear my heart on my sleeve. My sister once told me if you keep wearing your heart on your sleeve, and you keep getting burned, you eventually end up with a sleeveless shirt ...... excellet analogy!

So this post is for you Melissa....because true friends are hard to come by, but I am lucky to have you as a friend...and I promise I will never hold the fact that you are a Yankees fan against you :o)

Have a great night......I am off to Sleepy-ville

Total Ramblings -- no real rhyme or reason

Well looking back, I guess I should play catchup with life in general

• I graduated in May from FVTC with my Associates in Compuer Science
• I was accepted into Phi Theta Kappa (honor society)
• I have been back to Schneider for over a year, and currently going through MAPs (Management Acceptance Process) to either become an STL (driver manager) or work in IT

And I have to make a reprieve to a post from last year. It seems that Melissa's favorite team is the Spank-mes, I mean Yankees (sorry, natural reaction)....and we all know, being a diehard Orioles fan how hard it would be to root for the Yankees. But I made a deal....if she ever wanted to watch a Yankees game, I would root for the Yankees, as much as it would turn my stomache....AS LONG AS....they werent playing the Orioles. I mean, I saw the final 3 at Memorial Stadium --- I saw them transplant the home plate from Memorial to Camden, and the first 3 at Camden....and all of this while I lived in Scranton, so its not like I am not a true fan. I mean, we have been "rebuilding" since Cal retired. At this pace, we should have a brand new team in 10-15 years......so yeah........

I think that is it for now...time to go spend time with Peanut :)

Friendship's Many Forms

I wrote this poem for a friend of mine who lost her friend to a blood disorder recently. I thought I would share it:

Friendships Many Forms

Friends come in many different forms
the friend that is lost
the friend that is close
the friend that is now just a distant memory

Every day that goes by

The friend that is close
never lets you down
always lets you cry
never asks for anything in return
always brings a smile to your face when you need it most

The friend that is lost
will always be there in spirit
will never just fade away
will always know how you feel about them
when time escapes the days

The friend that is a distant memory
was never meant to be
has somehow brought you pain
was out for something
and it was probably something for their gain

The love you have for people also comes in many forms
the love of a family member
the love of a spouse
the love of a friend
the love of someone lost

In each of us sits these loves
Sometimes unknown, sometimes untouched

The love of family
growing up and maturing
family gatherings
holidays and vacation spent together
the card you didnt expect to get

The love of a spouse
the love you cherish for better or for worse
the soulmate you never thought you would find
the friend you have for life

The love of a friend is sometimes a mystery
friends that touch our hearts
friends that hurt the caring heart of another
friends that are always happy the way that you are
friends that are taken for granted
friends that you cant go on or live without
friends that you hold closer than anyone else

The love of someone lost
is always in our hearts
in our thoughts
in our spirits
in everyday life - they live inside us

For Molly, the friend I never met
your life on this earth was cut short
your dreams of a life together take away too soon
your friends deep sorrows for the time you didnt get to spend together
know that they are still your friends until we meet again

The Baby is coming!

Just an FYI

the due date is still on for Dec 22nd...and boy is he active! YES, you heard right -- we are having a boy!!! Although my choices of ESPN and JDG version 2.0 were denied, we have chosen a name, but we are keeping it to ourselves :)

Picture was on here, but I have to do some editing to it, and will repost shortly :)

Hope all is well

Soulmates

It has been over 10 months since I have written in my blog - I thought it was time I write again. The subject of soulmates has come up in conversations at work lately, so i thought I would write about it. These are my thoughts:

My wife is my one and only - anybody that knows me knows that. There isn't anybody else I could see myself with. There is no negotiation on this one. She is my one and only. Soulmates, it seems, somehow people think that a soulmate has to be their wife or girlfriend. I have to disagree on this one. Yes, my wife is my soulmate, but I have two other friends that I also would consider a soulmate (just hear me out here). These are people that have come into your life, and you feel very strongly about, but not in a relationship/sexual way - more in a "higher being" way. What I mean by this, is that God broght them into my life for a reason. Its not like I have an alternative agenda or anything. Its almost like they have known me my whole life....we have clicked from the get-go. Like my best buds, Rick and Bill - there isnt anything we cant talk about, and we know that we are there for each other. That is the same feeling I get with these two friends.

The one friend, we originally clicked because of the same issue that we are both dealing with. Since January, I have been dealing with my weight....and as of Tuesday, i was down a totaly of 35 pounds. She has been very instrumental in showing me that I can do it on my own, but also has been a great partner to work out with. For the first time, in nearly a decade, I walked for almost 5 miles consecutively!!!! It was a great walk, and the best thing about it, is that while walking and talking, it totally didnt even feel like I was exercising! IT WAS GREAT!!!!

The second friend, although we have only known each other for a shorter while, there was just something about her that when we talked, it was almost like she had something else to say. So one night,she said that she worked at the same place I used to get my hot chocolates at, so I decided to actually stop by when she was there. Not only was the hot chocolate good, but the talks since then have been even better. She has talked to me like I have known her for years on end. The other day, she even said that she considered me one of her closest friends, and that she trusted me with everything. When she said that, I damn near cried! To hear her say that, it meant so much. I was so touched.

So I guess what I am trying to say is that just because you are married does not mean you can have just one soulmate. There may be other people in your life that will be by your side, through thick and thin, and no matter what, care about you.

You wanna know the best part of this whole thing, Michelle doesnt have a problem with either of these people being in my life! Then again, there really isnt a reason why she shouldnt. After all, SHE is my #1 and only :)

Love ya baby!