A look back on a long hard year
2007. Well. The only thing that comes to mind the eve of a new year is thank god 2007 is over. This year has been so hard on me. I’ve shed tears of joy, sorry, pain, and happiness, lost quite a few people that I loved, made new friendships and strengthened bonds with current friends, and learned quite a few lessons. So sit back, put your feet up cus this blog is going to be a LONG one :D enjoy.
JANUARY: started bartending on Friday nights. A major thing happened this month that I just don’t feel like discussing, but those of you who know, know. Those of you who don’t, don’t ask cus I wont tell.
FEBRUARY: turned 25. Was waiting for my quarter life crisis, but thankfully it didn’t happen. Also, I started therapy, which wasn’t all bad. Oh did I mention that Jeremy and I became engaged on FEBRUARY 9, 2007….cus we did :D lol
MARCH: Where the year went down hill. But before I say the negative, I’ll go with the good :D my friend Sara had her first baby. He is so beautiful and I’m so happy for her and her hubby Frank. They make great parents. Ok on to the icky…My dad got sick. It seems like March is a really bad month for my family and Jeremy’s. In 2006 his dad and brother both had heart problems. In 2007 an infection was found in my dads body and it caused his kidneys and liver to stop functioning on their own. My life stopped being about me and became about my dad. My uncle Bill and Jeremy were the biggest support I could have had. Also, my Aunt Nora was a great help to me. She told me to get things in order (and of course I didn’t listen to her). This month should have been about dresses and planning and enjoying being engaged. Oh how I wish it was. OMG! I ALMOST FORGOT. March was my brother’s girlfriends first ever trip to Chicago. She fell in love with this city and I can’t blame her. Who wouldn’t!
APRIL: On April 26,2007 my dad died. My brothers and I knew it was coming. We always new that day would come. Maggie was such an amazing friend to me during this time. She is always there for me. Any of you that have lost a parent (v.v.) know how hard it is. Every little girl who is a daddy’s girl thinks her daddy will live forever and is a super hero. I stopped believing that so long ago. I wish I still had. My brother and I planted a tree in our backyard for him. Its nice to look out the window and have a little reminder of him. Also, I want to pay some respect to Nell and Ribbit’s Grandma. They all died within a week of my dad and that was one of the hardest 2 weeks of my life. I would never go back and relive it ever. Ok done with this part because I’m on the verge of tears.
MAY: Things get better!! May 5th, 2007 was my best friends bacheloret party and I must say it was one for the record books! The wedding was a great distraction for me. Most days I didn’t know if I was coming or going, but my friend Nancy also had a baby, which I call Magdalena the miracle (Nancy was told she would never be able to have a baby, thus the name miracle:D). Onto the wedding. On May 19, 2007 I watched my best friend become a MRS! It was sad, but so happy at the same time. I know how hard she worked and we all worked to make her wedding day a success. We had so much fun planning and trying on dresses and stuffing envelopes and joking about spelling names wrong and so many other things. I don’t think anyone has had a better wedding. Also, a friend’s dad passed away about a week before the wedding so we were comrades! Oh and we fish sat for Maggie and Steve’s fishie while they were in Hawaii soaking up the sun, surf, and….showers? lol
JUNE: We had a Memorial Day party at my place and it turned out pretty good. Lots of food, bags, beers, fun, and good company. Dylan graduated from Pre-Kindergarten. He was so regal and presidential in his little cap and gown. My little man is growing so fast. He even made a few of his teachers shed a tear or two. Jer and I started a garden…ok HE started a garden. On the 5th of this month Jeremy and I put his condo on the market, which was blah! We had such high hopes and such a positive perspective. So naïve we were. LoL We attended wedding #2 this month as well. My long time friend Jen got married to Chris and they make such a great couple. I’m glad her and I are in each other’s lives again. We lost touch for a time, but we were able to pick right back up. Oh and my baby sister graduated 8th grade. I know she’d kick my ass if I didn’t put SOMETHING about her in here.
JULY: Jeremy turned 31. We had a bit of a backyard bash for him. I don’t think much else happened this month, which was nice. I’m sure someone will comment about something that happened that I forgot, but I don’t care :D a slow month is a good month.
AUGUST: Dylan stood up in his uncles wedding which was #3 for us. I had a bachelorete party at my house for Linda :D, who’s wedding was #4 for the year…We had a knock down drag out huge huge bash for Labor day weekend. This month was especially huge for Dylan. He had his first day of kindergarten. We ended our days at PMCCC, which was so so so sad. I miss all the teachers there so much. I owe them a million and 1 thanks for the hard work and love they showed D over the 5 ½ years he was there. The 1st day of school went well and he wasn’t afraid at all. He was so excited and still is about his classroom and new friends and all the new great things he learns.
SEPTEMBER: no weddings this month! LoL the only thing I remember from this month was a day spent on the north side with Jeff, Libby, Maggie, and Uncle Bill. We had a blast and paid homage to my dads most favorite place to get a dog and a beer before a cubs game. Then we paid homage to Germany by drinking LITERS of beer. Mmmmm so delicious I can still taste it!
OCTOBER: Omer and Marie got married (wedding #5). We went to a few Halloween parties, and Dylan was a power ranger. We found out that Dylan was going to need a surgery to correct his eyes which wasn’t devastating, but certainly wasn’t the best news in the world. My grandfather passed away the night before the year anniversary of when my grandmother died. Although they were divorced over 40 years it was still eerie. Oh and I was maggies date to her cousins wedding (#6 and the food was terrible)
NOVEMBER: I spent the 1st half of this month a nervous wreck about the surgery coming up. D had surgery on the 15th and all went extremely well. A week after surgery was Thanksgiving, which I cooked. This was the first time I ever cooked a sit down nice homey meal for 12 people. It was sooo yummy and Jerry did a great job on the bird. My big brother and his roommate came into town. We had a blast drinking the day after gobble day. It’s becoming a tradition to walk around the city black Friday and boycott shopping by drinking a few or 10 pints. Dylan also turned 6 this month and his gramma threw him a wicked cool birthday party. He got so many games and fun things. It was a really big blast! He really wanted a party at oddessey fun world, but because of the surgery he couldn’t. So instead his gramma hired a magician and he forgot completely about the other place!
DECEMBER: Someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas and all I could think of was for someone to buy the condo. For the last 6 months we were paying 2 mortgages but living in one place. Because of this shitty market no one wanted to buy anything. Finally all my prayers, wishes, dreams, hopes and everything came true. We have a buyer! Granted we are not going to be closing on it for a few months, but I don’t care. He’s in and renting and I couldn’t be happier. I think I received my Christmas wish.
Also I wanted to say congrats to everyone that got married and anyone expecting which is: sara & frank, jen & chris, jenette & billy, omer & marie, adam & paulina and anyone else having a baby that I forgot.
So that was my year. The good the bad and the terrible. Looking back it wasn’t all bad, but it definitely wasn’t one of the best.
I can say this, my loved ones that I still have are all happy, healthy, and I am so blessed to have them. I love Jeremy with my whole heart even though I don’t always act like it, and Dylan is the light of my life. I lucked out and I have the greatest kid ever.
Thanks for stickin through this with me! Kudos to you for making it to the end of this blog!! Lmao
HAPPY NEW YEAR, MAY 08 BE GREAT!
https://www.mdaevent.org/ParticipantInfo.aspx?j=cffd1f20-47c2-40da-bf5d-c7c9bcde84c9
I have decided to help the MDA with their Send A Kid To Camp lock up program. My goal is to send 2 kids to camp (hopefully more). Each camp trip costs $650.00 per kid and can make a huge difference in their lives. Any and all donations do also help with leg braces and wheel chairs for those that need them. If you'd like more info please click on the above link (takes you to my donator page) and you can view all the info from there. Thank you in advance for your support.
Tony aka Shady326
~shady326~ *YUP...I'M A GOONIE & VPS*
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the
tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the
highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the
rifle.
4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30." Other equirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC
evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them SAFE.
I don't usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I'd be very proud if this one reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.
IN GOD WE TRUST
