Terrybel tangents

The answer to that question is easy, absolutely nothing. It only means that I have one more year to reach the big 3 0.

The party last Saturday was a great success. My niece, one of her friends, Hotrod, and I ran around all day Saturday trying to get everything prepared and successfully did so before folks started arriving around 5:30. My friend Will, who is like a brother to me, arrived first and Kim and her husband Jeff arrived shortly afterwards. Since there were just a few of us initially, we decided to go ahead and eat so that we could just chill out and talk to everyone else as they arrived. So for about 30 minutes or so, we all just sat around talking, laughing, and eating. Now the first thing Kim did when she arrived was to hand me a wine cooler. I had already told everyone that I wasn't going to drink that night because I wanted to be able to remember the events of my birthday. Well let's just say I overestimated my wilpower. Nevertheless, my attempt was not in vain because although I had 6 drinks over the course of the night, all of them were mault beverages with the exception of a Tom Collins at the end. So in summary, I was quite sober by the end of the night.

Everyone else started filing in around 8 o'clock or thereafter. I think there were probably 35 to 40 people in all by the night's end. It wasnt' easy to tell though because most trickled in and out and were never in one place for a given amount of time. We laughed, joked, and some even ventured to dance. It was just great reminiscing about the good old days and about all the crazy things we've done over the years. It's safe to say that I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are probably already looking forward to the Chrismas bash we have every year.

Sunday, my actual birthday, was a recovery day. Not necessarily from a hangover, but from staying up so late the night before. Two of my friends, John and Calvin, had to go back to Charlotte Saturday night, but their cousin Wali and my friend Will stayed over. One of my cousins called me around 10 o'clock to wish me a happy birthday and I discovered then that everyone else was awake, so we sat around and discussed the events of the night before. Let's just say that there were some hilarious highlights that I'm deliberately not going to post here.
My Mom and stepdad came over on Sunday evening and spent some time with us. Since they don't drink or like to surround themselves in that type of environment, they had opted to just come over on Sunday evening. All in all it was a wonderful birthday and I sincerely thank those who helped me to celebrate it.

Most of the rest of the week was pretty busy. Hotrod and i went to the independent living class on Tuesday, did our shopping, and spent the 4th at my sister's place where we had an awesome cookout and fireworks. We even got to try something daring that day which is a rarity for us. Michelle, my sister, and her husband have a golf cart. So Michelle decides to take it for a drive down the main highway onto the dirt road near their house. Once we were on the dirt road, she turned to Hotrod and asked him if he wanted to drive. So he takes over at the wheel and with the navigational instructions by Michelle he is doing quite well until all of a sudden he nearly has us landed in a canal. Once we reached the end of the dirt road and made the u-turn to head back onto the highway, I took hold of the wheel. I must say I did pretty well as long as I kept my eye focused on the road ahead of me. Since I have a little vision in one eye that made it a little easy for me, but as soon as I lost focus of the road, it was chaos. I somehow managed to get us safely back onto the highway and back to the house just before the battery in the golf cart died. Michelle and her firend Laurie laughed so much that they were nearly out of breath by the time we got home. It definitely was a hilarious sight for two blind people driving a golf cart. But I can now say that I have been given a chance to drive and I didn't do all that badly.

A few weeks ago I had several teeth extracted, so I went back to the dentist on Thursday to allow him to do the impressions for the partial plates that I should be getting in another few weeks. Let's just say the procedure proved to be more of a challenge than any of us anticipated. The lower impressions were done successfully but he quickly made me aware that the upper ones would not be so easy and that I may gag or feel nauseated. They sprayed the inside of my mouth with some type of stuff that was supposed to numb my throat but I immediately felt sick and had to be excused to find the restroom. So after my reaction to the spray, the doc immediately decided that they were going to have to put me to sleep in order to finish the procedure. I was given two Valium pills and was told to rest and they should begin to kick in within 30 minutes. Well I think I started feeling their affect in 10 minutes instead. I have no recollection of the rest of the procedure, our departure from the dentist office, my arrival home, or my going to bed. I just remember waking up around 2:30 that afternoon and Hotrod told me that I had been sleeping for about 4 hours. I felt pretty groggy for the rest of the day.

I had a hair appointment on Friday morning and then Hotrod and I went to Tiana's house to hang out for a bit. She is my niece, Chelce's, best friend. I hadn't been to her new place since she moved in a few months ago.

I finally got to sleep in a little late on Saturday and then spent most of the rest of the afternoon online. We went to Hotrod's brother's place for a birthday party later in the evening and are just now getting home. They had fried catfish and croaker, slaw, baked beans, and chocolate cake for dessert. Hotrod and I just sat around conversating with everyone while most of them were shooting pool, listening to music,and drinking. I had a little wine but not enough to amount to anything.

So now I'm just sitting here at 2:30 in the morning spilling out my week's events when I need to be sleeping. Oh well, who needs sleep anyway? I guess I'll catch some baseball later today and maybe try to go out for a couple of hours if that is at all possible. I'm out of words for this episode, so y'all come back now, ya hear?

wow! has it really been that long since I last posted here? Well I guess so seeing as my
last post is dated January first. Life definitely has its way of scooting right along.
Well let me be totally honest here, I've just been very lazy about updating this space. To
be even more honest, I joined another online journal space for a while but it wasn't
working out for me, so I'm back home to LJ where I promise to stay from now on and to
update frequently.

The past six months have brought some good times, some struggling times, and some very sad
times as well. Ah yes, the roller coaster of life. We just never know what to expect from
one day to the next, but thankfully we are still able to hang on for the ride.

Everyone always wants the good stuff first, so that's where I shall begin. In these past
six months Hotrod and I have been quite involved with the local support group for the
visually impaired of our local area. Our group, known as The Sunshine Seekers, meets twice
a month on Thursdays to discuss and plan activities and outings that may be of interest to
the group. We didn't get to do much during the winter months but in early spring we went
on a couple of outings to Fayetteville and Wilmington where we toured these beautiful garden
facilities. Now why would blind people want to go to a place of this nature you may ask?
You see, our group has our own garden at the recreation center where we meet. This garden
was diligently worked on for the past several years by some in the group and we always find
it interesting to go and observe other gardens to hopefully learn about new plants and
flowers that we have yet to plant. Anyway, the garden facilities we went to were
absolutely beautiful for those who had some sight and even for those who don't. The tour
guides were very generous in letting us touch and smell some of the herbs and flowers so
that we could visualize them in our minds. Growing up I never thought I would ever find an
interest in gardening and things like that, but I have learned and experienced a lot over
these past few months. In fact I am now trying my hand, or should I say green thumb, at
potting plants. I have a small spider plant on the table just inside the entranceway of
our home and a strawberry begonia plant out in the yard. So far I am pleased to announce that they
both are doing well.

Our group hasn't done much else except to go out to lunch a couple of times just to
socialize; however, now that it is summer, we have a few more activities scheduled in the
coming months. We have a crafts class beginning in a couple weeks which I think will be
pretty neat. I've always enjoyed crafts but I am not a great brainstormer in beginning a
project. We are going to the beach for a day or so in August which I'm sure we will need
that cool ocean water splashing on us by that time. Our group is also taking our annual
weeklong trip to Dogwood at the end of July, so it will be nice to get away for a few days.

Hotrod and I are now taking a 12-week independent living class which I think will be
more beneficial to him than me but I have to admit that I have learned something new in
both the weeks we have attended so far. It's sometimes surprising what one will learn when
he or she isn't even considering that option. Nevertheless, we both seem to enjoy the
program so far and look forward to each week.

Moving on to some even greater news, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel
with this medical transcription course. I have struggled with it since November of 2005
and I have many times been on the verge of just bailing out altogether, but not anymore.
We currently have three units of the textbook part of the course left to complete, which is
being anticipated to be completed by August. Then we will no longer be a class but we will
individually begin working and practicing many medical reports, sending them to the
instructor, getting her corrections, sending them back again for approval, and once she is
satisfied and has determined we are ready for the job market, then we will receive our
certificate of completion. What a relief that day will be. I plan to work nonstop on
those practice reports and try to have very few mistakes so that I can hopefully
accomplish my goal of completing the course by the end of the year. It would be nice to
begin 2008 searching for a job, or better yet, be employed with a company by then.

Speaking of completions and such, one of the biggest highlights of the year so far was
being at my niece's graduation from high school on June 8th. It was an awesome feeling and
a very proud moment for me when she received her diploma. Sitting there at that commencement
that day brought back a flood of memories from my own graduation just 10 years and 2 days
to the exact date. Life has certainly had its high and low points in those 10 years but
nothing takes away that feeling of accomplishment when you get to march across that stage
and know that one chapter in life has been successfully completed.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this entry, there have been some struggling and sad
times in these past six months as well. I guess we always need a little rain to go with
the sunshine, right? Without going into great detail, let's just say that I was in a financial
bind for several months and bill collectors and other debts had a chokehold on me.
Sometimes it was as if I were drowning and I couldn't come up for air no matter how hard I
tried. Once my head would begin to surface out of the water a little, someone or something
was right there to dunk me again. If it had not been for Hotrod, my family, and a couple
of really dear friends, God knows what would have happened. Nevertheless, I am slowly
getting into shallow water now and I can see the shore ahead. It's only a matter of time now
and I will be debt free. That was another one of my resolutions for this year and I'm
determined to accomplish that goal by December 31, 2007.

On June 10th life slipped away from one of the greatest men I ever knew, besides my own
father. My best friend Kimeshya's stepdad, who was really more like a biological father to
her and myself, passed away. He had been battling with lung cancer for several months and near his
last days with us he unfortunately began to suffer a lot. This gentleman had a very rare
personality in that he was always positive about life and he had one of the greatest sense
of humor of anyone I know, even during the toughest time of his life. He never gave up the
fight and was strong until the end, but God knew that it was just his time to go and he
took him peacefully on Sunday, June 10. He will always be missed by many and my heart
aches because I lost a great friend, but I will always treasure the great times we shared
together.

Those are just a few of the highlights of these past six months for myself and Hotrod. I
will end on a bright note by letting you know that I will be celebrating my 29th birthday
on Sunday, but the party begins Saturday night. That's right, several of my dearest
friends and family are gathering to help me celebrate and I am exstatic! I am just so
thankful and blessed to be here to share yet another year with them
Although I may not say it often, they mean the world to me and each one has influenced my
life for the better in some way or another. So thank you guys for putting up with me for
29 years.

I promise to report back here and give details of the party and unravel the mystery of what
I plan to do in the next year before I'm an old hen at 30. Until then, stay fly!!

Well it certainly doesn't seem like a new year has begun but such is the case. I always ask myself where time went at the close of one year and the beginning of a new. Does time really slip away that quickly or do we let opportunities pass us by? That seems to be the question for me at the beginning of every new year.

Many people make resolutions this time of year but my resolution is to keep the resolutions I make. I want to finish the medical transcription course, find a job, move into a house of my own, lose weight, visit friends and family more frequently, attend some concert and sporting events, and be financially debt free. I have a lot of these same resolutions each year but my goal this year is to keep those resolutions so that when I reflect back on 2007 in the future, I can see some progress in my life. I want to be able to celebrate the victories instead of mourning the missed opportunities.

Speaking of celebrations, the holidays were filled with a lot of chaotic celebrations for Hotrod and me. We had a four day Christmas this year which was tiring but fun at the same time. We invited some friends over on the 22nd and exchanged gifts with them, had dinner and exchanged gifts with some extended family on the 23rd, spent Christmas Eve exchanging gifts with the immediate family, and Christmas day was dinner at my Mom's house. Let's just say that Santa (Hotrod) and his elves (the family) were really generous and overdid themselves this year. My sister gave me the Dale Earnhard travel set I wanted, a CD recording album which I think is really cool, a leather Dale Earnhardt fannypack, and a really neat fleece sweater. I received a bedl lamp and kitchen oven mit set from my niece and nephew. My Mom and Tony gave me what I will always need, clothes, three pairs of dress slacks and 3 sweaters, and a JLow fragrance to top off the accessorizing. Hotrod really surpised me this year buying give me things I have needed for a long time but they were things I would have never guessed I would get for Christmas. I am now the proud owner of a office size paper shredder, security safe, and a fragrance called Celine. All in all I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. I was just blessed to be able to share the special time with family and friends. All the exchanging of gifts pales in comparison to the smiles on the faces of everyone as we mingled and reflected on events of the year.

Things settled down a bit just after Christmas but picked back up again as New Year's approached. On Saturday night Hotrod and I went out to an Italian restaurant with our friends Kim, Jeff, Lisa, and Daron. It was a nice little restaurant with awesome food. I enjoyed a delicious Italian sausage sub with fries while some of the others had pepper steak subs, pizza, or chicken alfredo. After dinner Lisa and Daron went their separate way and the rest of us decided to go over to my sister's where they were having a pre-New Year's Eve party. When we arrived we quickly discovered that we wasted time and money by going out to dinner because there was plenty of pasta salad, ham, chicken, potato salad, and more to go around. Around 10 o'clock the more conservative Christian types left and the real partying began. Needless to say, I enjoyed several (8 to be exact) adult beverages of choice, Crown and Coke being the preferred selection. After a few hours of dancing and more eating we finally headed for home around 1:30, where I instantly collapsed into bed upon arrival.

I slept most of Sunday until the football games began at one o'clock. My Panthers played one of their best games of the season against the Saints and could have been in the playoffs if they had more victories like that one. Go figure. I also listened to a bit of the Tarheels game but it was obvious they were going to win so I started getting ready to go over to Kim and Jeff's for a New Year's Eve cookout. We got there around seven and the adult beverages were quickly passed around not long afterwards. After having a few drinks I decided to do something daring, something I have never done before. I downed a few shots of vodka. Everyone was impressed, everyone but my stomach that is. However, after about a 20 minute talk with the porcelain god I was ready to start again. We all drank up until midnight when we watched the ball drop in Time Square, which seems to be a tradition for many of us every year. Everyone went to their claimed sleeping quarters shortly after that and so ended the celebration.

As you can tell we have had a fun-filled yet hectic holiday season. Although a part of me is glad it is over and we can finally get back to our regular routine, I definitely enjoyed all the quality time spent with family and friends that is so special and cannot be and should not be overshadowed by material things. Anyway, I hope the holidays were special to everyone who reads this and I trust that the new year will bring happiness and many special events into your lives. Now that it is 2007 I plan to update this space more often, so stay logged in to the next episode.

Happy New Year all!!!

I know it has been quite some time since I posted here but I couldn't begin to go into detail about all that has happened over the past couple of months. Needless to say, I have been quite busy and haven't had much time to even consider updating this journal.

I just wanted to take a few minutes to post here to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and whatever other holiday you may be celebrating at this time. May you find happiness in this special time for friends and family. I also want to take this time to remember those special friends and family who departed this life this year and in previous years. I lost a very dear friend in October and some relatives earlier in the year. Their spirit will be felt throughout our celebration this year, along with that of my Dad and grandmother who passed on several years ago.

Let's not take this special time for granted. Remember to tell a family member or friend how much they mean to you this holiday season and cherish the time spent with them because we don't know if it will be the last.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Well I'm back again for yet another update. A lot has gone on since my last entry so I will try to include as much as I can remember.

For those of you who know, Hotrod and I were planning a trip to the outerbanks with our local support group for the visually impaired. It's an annual trip that we take every year to aprticipate in the fishing tournament that is sponsored by the Lions of NC. We left last Monday morning around 7:30 from home and met up with the rest of our group at our central meeting place. After loading all the luggage and chatting a bit we were finally on the road around nine o'clock. After driving for a few hours we finally decided to stop for lunch at KFC. We finally arrived at the Outerbanks around 3 o'clock. Once we registered and found out the location of the hotel we would be staying, we made it to the hotel and unloaded everything. We had a couple hours to rest before going over to the main meeting place for dinner so I took that chance to rest a little.
We had baked chicken or barbecue as our choices for dinner that night. I chose the barbecue which turned out to be really awesome! After dinner there were a few speakers who welcomed us to the VIP fishing tournament and also made some other announcements. Then the fun began!

After all the announcements were made and the speakers were finally finished, it was time for the dance. Now just imagine over 500 blind people mingling and dancing. What a sight it would be for some of you sighted folks! Nevertheless, we had a blast! I'm not much for dancing, so Hotrod and I sat at a table and talked to a few friends who also were not dancing. The dance was over around 11 and we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's rest before the tournament the next day.

Breakfast was served at 7 o'clock in the meeting hall the next morning and then around 8:30 we headed out to our assigned boats or piers. There was twelve in our group and half of us were assigned to a boat. We got to the boat dock just in time to load up and take off. I think there were about 50 people on our boat but it was so large that you would have never known it. Fishing began promptly at 10 and it turned out to be a very slow day for me. While people were catching fish all around me, I only ended up with two at the end of the day. Hotrod caught three but we knew neither of us caught enough to earn a trophy at the banquet which was to be held the next night. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience!

Dinner that night was flounder and chicken strips. Someone made a comment that we were eating some of the fish we caught but I highly doubt that. We sat through more speakers but not much to report on there.

Wednesday was referred to as "free day" where each group was on their own for lunch and afternoon activities. So after breakfast that morning our group went to check out a few gift shops and walk around near the ocean for a couple of hours. Then we met up with some other friends at Darryl's for lunch. Afterwards we went to the aquarium where our group leader described things that she saw in great detail. Some things she described to us were quite fascinating. I especially liked the one room that had a listing of all hurricanes dating back to the 1800's. They even had pictures and videos of hurricane Isabelle which really did some damage on the outer banks a few years ago.

We were back at our hotel by 3 o'clock and that gave me plenty of time to rest before the banquet that night. The one thing about this trip is that you could get tired easily from all the excitement and hustle and bustle around you, and that's exactly what happened to me. I had only intended to lie across the bed and rest for a few minutes but those few minutes turned into two and a half hours of a deep sleep.

The banquet was quite nice and one person from our group won first place for catching the most amount of fish. Although I didn't win a trophy, it was definitely a great trip. Socializing with friends that I don't get to see often was what was most important.

We arrived home on Thursday evening and we were so exhausted that it took us nearly two days to finally unpack everything and do laundry. I spent most of Friday resting with the exception of an early morning doctor's appointment. The only other thing that happened over the weekend was my nephew's 21st birthday party. Needless to say, the party was enjoyed by all and several of us enjoyed some great dancing and alcohol.

I spent most of Sunday recovering and watching an awesome game between the Panthers and Ravens, which I am happy to report the Panthers won. Other than that there is nothing else to report at this time. So I will be back again soon with another update of my not so interesting life.

Peace all!!

Well it's nearly gametime, just under an hour now. Can the
Panthers
win another one? I would love to see them 2&2 after today's game, but they have to gout out there fighting, like its a playoff game. As I mentioned in another entry, New Orleans is definitely out to play hard this year and they proved that on Monday night. So I guess we shall see what happens.

In other news, the weekend didn't turn out tobe so uneventful after all for us. I had an uncle come to visit yesterday that we rarely see, which was sort of a surprise. I think the last time I saw him was back in 2000 at my Dad's funeral. Although I am not really close with the members of the paternal side of the family, it was still nice to see him and his family again.
We also had a friend come over and hang out for a few hours last night. Her husband was taking their son to the county fair and she didn't feel like tagging along, so she spent the evening with us, which was really nice. We had a blast. By 11 we had two more friends to come over too and hang out. To top the evening off, my friend's husband brought back some funnel cake from the fair, so my hopes and wishes of getting one finally paid off. Everyone finally left around one, so needless to say we all had a blast just sitting around shooting the bull. I really enjoyed it because we don't have friends to come over much unless we are having a party or some gathering of that nature.

Well I better take off and prepare for the drama and excitement of the next three hours or so. I'll be back with another update soon though.

VoicePost 81K 0:25

(no transcription available)

Hi all,

It's a nice autumnlike late afternoon here with the temp around 71 degrees. So why am I sitting in front of the computer you ask? Well unfortunately no one is around to wisk us away to a nice restaurant or even a simple cruise around town. So I am just sitting here with my thoughts, scary I know. My how I long to go to the county fair that started yesterday, but I don't think that will happen either. That cottony cloud of candy and funnel cake dripping with icing seem so vivid to me right now. Just thinking about it all makes my mouth water. Oh well. The fair will be in town until next weekend so hopefully I will get there before the end.

Well college football is in full motion now and so far my
Tarheels
are not looking so great. They have only come away with one victory so far and that one was a nail biter. I somehow don't think this is their season to shine. I also think they need to look for a new coach. Bunting seems like a decent enough guy, but he just isn't getting it done for the team. The only hope the Tarheels have are their basketball team, so I hope they can make up for how the football team is playing when basketball season bounces along.

My beloved
Panthers
finally won their first game of the season on Sunday and it certainly was a nail biter too. Some opinions may differ from my own, but I think that John Kasay is the biggest asset to that team. He has come through several times for them when the offense and defense just weren't giving it their all in tough games. Now of course Sunday's game wasn't a tough one, not by my standards. Too many penalties and fumbles nearly cost the Cardiac Cats a third game straight. Now we all know if it had not been for Kasay's great range of kicking field goals, they would have had no chance. If he had missed just one of those field goals then the story would have ended differently I'm afraid. Oh well, no use dwelling on the past. Now it's time to kick it up a notch and really play ball this week. New Orleans is on a high right now after their spanking of Atlanta on Monday night, so we have to show that we are exactly what the preseason standards predicted for us. Steve Smith is back now and I suspect he will be a little more comfortable out there this Sunday. he has had yet another week to continue to mend from his injury, so you kno whe is ready to turn it up a notch. So let's go Cats!!

In other news I have been spending a little time on an entertainment site for the blind called
The Zone
I have met quite a few people on there to whom I chat with periodically. I don't spend much time on the site because I tend to stay away from online gatherings of that nature because where there are way too many blind people, there is way too much gossip going on and I've never enjoyed that type of stuff. However, I met one really cool person on there and we have since become pretty good friends. Let me tell you, for those who know me and know how obsessed I am over the Panthers and Tarheels, well let's just say I've met my match.
Redsoxfan
is probably the biggest fan of the Redsox and baseball in general that I have ever met. But the wierd thing, I totally understand and can relate so well. I haven't done as much to prove my loyalty to the Panthers and Tarheels and he has with the Redsox, but I share his passion with sports. It's great to know that someone shares the same passion as I do. I haven't met anyone like that who loves sports as much as me since my father passed away in 2000. If you know anything about me, you will know that my Dad and I shared many memories of basketball and football games. So it will be nice to finally be able to compare notes and theories about games and share the triumphs and disappointments of the games with a good friend again. Hotrod and I share so much together, but he has never been much of a fan of sports except Nascar of course. We watch that together and he sometimes listens to games with me, but he doesn't share the same passion for it as I do.

Well that's about all I can relay for now. Time to head off to dinner. Until the next episode, take care all.

Hey all. Here I am once again. Not a lot has happened since my last post except that I have let bygones be bygones and one friend and I are now talking again. I have never been the type of person to just cut lose a friendship unless it is absolutely detrimental to my emotional state. Anyway, to make a long story short, I am relieved that situation has been dealth with; one less thing to worry about.

Well it is nearly that time of year that cheers me more than any other time of year. The leaves will soon be falling, the weather will soon be cooler, and the holidays will soon be approaching. Yes, I am talking about the fall of the year. But the most exciting thing about fall is not all of the things I just mentioned, but the roar and cheer of the crowds for football games. yes, I am an avid football fan. Between the Panthers, Tarheels, and NC State Wolfpack, I can enjoy many action-packed games! So most of my weekends are booked solid for the next few months.

Hotrod and i will soon be going on our annual fishing tournament to the Outerbanks and I can't wait to win that coveted trophy. That is my plan anyway. However, it is tough to keep that mindset when there over 500 people competing in the tournament. I guess we will find out in another four weeks or so.

Not much else to report for now because I am trying to concentrate on the football game, so I'll be back again at some point with another update. Until then,

Peace all!

Well it certainly has been quite some time since I have posted here and I am not quite sure where to begin with an update of the events of my life. Instead of rehashing what has been a few months of emotional roller coasters I will try to summarize in a quite brief update.

Hotrod and I have lost family members to death merely within days of each other within the last month. He lost an aunt at the very end of July and I lost a dear uncle about a week and a half later. Those type of losses always remind us all of how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

We went to Camp Dogwood in early June for our annual weekly stay there. It was a well-appreciated relaxing week in which we did just that. Hotrod went fishing some during that week and I got to endulge myself in one of my favorite activities of the camp, riding the boats. We reunited with several friends that we only see once a year and it was nice to get together and spend a week together. It was certainly a relief not to have to worry about making breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day during that time.

Not only did we lose two family members this summer but we also lost two really great friends, but not in their passing, but socially. It saddened me the way things ended because of a petty argument, but nothing Hotrod or I said seemed to matter to them anymore. Being accused of backtracking out of deals and being accused of being untrustworthy because of the false accusations of backtracking was too much for either of us to handle anymore. Initially only Hotrod wanted to move on from those friendships and I hesitated because I hoped in time the outcome would be different, but as time passed I realized that maybe the close of one chapter in our lives could possibly mean the beginning of a new. We have many more friends out there whom we have not been in touch with as much as we could have been, so we have chosen to rekindle those friendships and move ahead in life. It is very unfortunate but sometimes God takes what seems to be the toughest times in our lives to make us realize what other opportunities that may lie ahead for us.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up my summer experience up to this point. Maybe I will have new and more exciting news to report in the future. I hope to begin updating here on a more regular basis now but with an unpredictable schedule it will be interesting to see if that actually happens.

Until next time everybody,

Peace!