Photo Only!

Great Weekend!

This weekend was great. On Saturday I played in an 4 on 4 sand volleyball tournament. It was the first time that I was a player on a team instead of the person who put the team together. Our first game was at 10:30am and well, we lost. So, into the losers bracket we went. We won the next three games and then we faced the team that put us down in the losers bracket. At this point, one of our players had to leave. So it was 3 on 4. We beat them the first set and lost in the 3rd 15-13. We played really good and had there been refs, the outcome might have been different. I think we all did a lot better than we thought. It was a great time. I went home and I was already sore. I hadn't been hitting lately because of my shoulder but was forced to on this team. I was getting about 80% of the sets and I felt every one! When I got home, I showered and lied down. I crashed and had a great nap.

Later that night I went out and saw a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. Good times.

Today I went to the basketball double header. ASU won and unfortunately Gonzaga lost to UofA. Great game but not happy with the outc

Watch for me!

Ok. I hope that the Arizona State vs IUPUI or the Gonzaga vs UofA basket games will be on tv this Sunday. If so, LOOK FOR ME! I will be sitting right behind the Zags bench. I think ASU will be sitting in front of me too! I am going to have a sign that says Dogs EAT Cats! with hopes of getting on TV. It's ok if you see me, I won't charge you for an autograph since I will be a tv star. LOL

Also, I got my Britney Spears' concert tickets today! YAY.. I am excited! Not that I am a big fan, but I think it will be a great concert.

My block wall is finished and I am just waiting for the front gate to come in. I am so excited. I still haven't got my new puppy yet. The poor thing is having some health issues that the breeder is going to take care of. I hope things are going to be ok. If not, I will wait until next litter. Maybe next litter there will be a deaf female white boxer. Will just have to see what happens with my current little terror. He is adorable and his paws are SOOOO big. He is going to be so big!!!!!!!!!

Last Wednesday, my roommate and I went and got a Christmas tree. I wanted to get an 8ft one but Sam wanted a smaller one. So, we got a 6ft tree. I put white lights on it and decorated it with the little teddy bears that Costco sells and the glass icecycle ornaments also from Costco. It looks cute. I almost bought a couple live wreaths so put on the front door and one on the table. Eventually I will get photos. I have so many cameras but some reason can't find the chargers for any of them. UGH.

Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!

Ok, So last minute I was able to get a good price for a flight to Oregon. It was going to be a quick trip (up on Thursday morning and back Friday morning). I got in to Portland about 10:30am, picked up the rental car and headed to my brother and sister in law's house in Parkdale. Mom called while I was on the way and wanted to pick up a newspaper that had the ads for Friday. I guess Michelle and Mom were going to brave the stores. I stopped in Hoodriver to pick up a paper and when I got out of the car I thought I was going to die. It was so cold! My lips instantly turned purple and frost covered my eyes. Ok, so I exaggerated a bit but it was damn cold. Got back in the car and headed on. I finally got to K & D's house only to find the their heater was set at 68 or 70 degrees. Ok, that's outside winter weather in Phx so needless to say I was cold. Mom and Michelle arrived and we ate shortly after. I didn't cook! I traveled over a 1000 Miles in the freezing cold, so I thought that I earned a pass on the cooking. After dinner, I took a nap after my brother gave me a heavy blanket to keep me warm.
Since Mom was going to Fallon for Christmas, she (or someone) decided to go ahead and do Christmas on Thanksgiving. I got some great things: Mom gave me some money to get a mani and pedi, Ken & Dawnell gave me a gift card to Nordstrom and Michelle gave me a great leather money clip, so photos of our trip to Europe and some picture frames for the pics that I already put up on my desk. I didn't get anyone anything! YET...... I didn't get my surprise done and their Christmas gifts were all related to the "Surprise". Ok, so about 9pm I decided to drive back to Portland since my flight was at 6am. My idea was to go and meet a few friends out for drinks for a little bit then stay at a hotel near the airport so I could sleep as much as possible before my 6am flight! Well, I had fun at the bar and didn't leave until somewhere around 2:30 or so. So, this meant I only had 2.5 hours until I had to be at the airport. I decided to drive to Jantzen Beach and go some food. Well, I ate but it didn't stay down. BAAAAAAAARFFFFFFF. Oh well, it passed some more time. At that point, I had 1.5 hours until I wanted to be at the airport. I decided to drive to the airport on the Washington side just to take up more time. I got the car returned, got my boarding pass printed and to the gate 35 minutes before take off. I was hurting badly! After we all boarded the plane, the pilot didn't have his id and took forever to get through security. The flight took off 45 minutes late. I slept pretty much the entire way back, lied down since no one was sitting next to me and woke up in phx. STILL F-ING TIRED! I went home and went to bed. Woke up to take a mortgage payment in for work then went back to bed. Don't remember Friday too much. UGH!
The End

Hump Day!

Today is Wednesday and the work week is almost over. I have been watching the news a lot and I cringe when I see how cold it is in some places. We had a resident that just got back from Minneapolis and she said it snowed briefly while she was there. Today, it was 87 degrees and we haven't have below 80's during the day in over a week now. Between now and Thanksgiving, the lowest temp during the day is going to be 78! WOW! I love living here in Arizona.

I had a couple more dates with this guy I met and things are going well. I am going to see him again tonight and I think we are going to get a bite to eat and then go indoor car racing! I am excited.

I got a new surround sound for my bedroom and it arrived today. I can't wait to get home to check it out.

All my lights are installed in my house and I am pretty excited. They all look amazing! Some time in the next few years, I will get new photos put on here.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is a week away. I am still looking at all my options and if I travel, it will be a last minute decision. I waited too long to book a ticket and the price has gone up almost double since the last time I looked. I am hoping that the travel gods will shine down on me next week. Keep your fingers crossed.

Bye

Too much to do, too little time

I just read the last post again and thought that I would mention that Ryan and I are friends. He is a wonderful guy, but just didn't work out. I am sure the distance had a lot to do with it.

Ok, it has been a long time (AGAIN!) and always forget about this thing. Let me see what has happened since the last posting. I have found a lot of old friends from Warden and Sandy on Myspace (www.myspace.com/azvballmvp) and it is great talking with them. Also, I received a very exciting email from a great guy that I lost contact with, Kevin. I met him when I was going to ASU and will always hold a special place in my heart!

As always, I have been working on my house and getting closer to being finished. At this time, I am putting in a block wall in the back yard. Once I am done with that, I will work on the landscaping. It's getting cold quickly so don't know how much I will get done before winter hits.

I have started school again and taking some real estate/architecture classes. I thought that it would help me with my design passion. I enjoy being in classes and gaining new knowledge, but the long days have been hell on me. I guess it will just take time to get back into things.

Last night I had a date and we went to the Suns game. The Suns lost but I had a great time. Just before the end of the 3rd quarter, there was a bench clearing brawl..... VERY EXCITING. My date is adorable, NICE BEYOND REALITY, and a gentleman. Let's just say, the smile I have on my face is bigger than Barack Obama!

I have done a little traveling but my last trip to Portland was messed up the night before I was supposed to go. A friend dragged my out and I got my wallet stolen. So, when I got to the airport, I couldn't get through security with my costco card! UGH....... I am starting to think that my grandma didn't want me to have her car. My plans for Thanksgiving were cxl and have been looking at my options, I think that staying here in Phoenix is going to be best for me. But who knows, I am the king of last minute travels. It would be nice to have 4 days off of work and being able to relax!

To my family: There will be an excting (well, for me anyway and hope that you all feel the same) announcement reaching you all shortly after Thanksgiving. Be watching the mail!

Work is work is work: DONE ABOUT THAT!

Ok, done for now!

Playing Catch-Up

OK, Let me see where to begin. Probably not from the beginning because I never like to write that much. A few weeks ago when I was in Oregon for my grandma's funeral, my sister and I went out to one of the bars Friday night. We were sitting at Boxxes playing the bar game "who would you do". My sister had no problems picking out the gay she would do (if she were a gay male) and I pointed out the one I would choose. We were sitting on the couch drinking our chosen drinks when a guy started throwing bread at us. They finally came over, got my sister doing turns on the table, and we started hanging out with them. We followed them over to Scandals where we drank even more. There was one, Ryan, that was pretty cute and happened to be my choice in the "who would you do" game. He stayed around after his friends left and we had a great time playing video poker. We actually won more money than what we put into the machines. Who knew there was gambling in Oregon! Shortly after we finished playing poker, my friend Stephen showed up and I told Ryan goodbye and we left. Stephen and I walked my sister back to the hotel and then he and I went to play pool.
The next day came early and I was hungover! NOT GOOD. We got to grandma's place and my Aunt gave me a valium or something. Let me just say, I just sat in the chair and watched tennis the entire time. CAN YOU SAY OUT OF IT! lol
So, Ryan and I kept in touch and I decided to ask him out on a date. So, this past weekend I went to Oregon and had my first date with Ryan. I met him out at Scandals the Friday I flew in after my meeting and it was great seeing him. We played darts, had voodoo doughnuts, weren't let into Silverado because we were "TOO DRUNK" (NOT TRUE) and played pool at Hobos. Went back to the hotel and went to sleep. Saturday morning we woke up late and went and had breakfast with some of Ryan's friends. All very friendly and easy to get along with. It was very late at that point so we hurried to the Oregon coast. Our first stop was a scenic helicopter ride over Seaside/Cannon Beach. It was great! Afterwards, we went to Seaside and played a bunch of games and won very little tickets. Not enough to get something COOL but we did get a bunch of candy and some plastic fangs! Next, we did the Old Tyme Photos and we dressed like cowboys (after the indian maiden outfit didn't work for me), had a feather boa and beach balls. It was really fun! We walked on the beach and watched the dog jumping contest and headed back to Portland. We had an amazing night at dinner, a hockey game and more drinks! I met a lot of his friends and didn't get into a single argument with anyone! YAY. Sunday morning I was exhausted! We drove to Multnomah Falls and had brunch with Michelle. The only good food was the mimosas. Visited for a bit and drove to Ryan's for a quick nap before heading to the airport then home! END OF STORY.

Damn Technology

Ok everyone. Just to let you know, I lost all my contacts in my phone. The software was updated on my phone and somehow my scandisc became corrupted and all is lost. So, please call or text me your contact info: name, phone #'s, etc.

Mel, Shopping and more Shopping.

Ok. The week has passed and Melissa's visit has ended. It started a week ago when Melissa came to visit her Uncle Christopher for some clothes shoping and a whole lot more. I picked her up at the airport last Monday night and of course, I was running late. Thank goodness there wasn't a line at the ticket counter to get my security pass and no line at the security check point. I had to run and got to the gate about 5 minutes before her plane arrived. Everett had to wait outside of security since they only allow 1 person on a security pass. Anyway, she arrived safely and got her luggage and headed to eat. We ate a Switch which is a restaurant that advertises mostly by gays/lesbians. I think Mel was picking up on the waitress (kidding). We ate dinner and went to my house and went to bed. The next day Mel and I went to work. She was quiet all day and met my co-workers and Ron (the owner). After work Mel and I went to Tempe Marketplace to hit some stores for back to school shopping. Everett met up with us later at the BBQ restaurant we ate at. We went to 2 different clothes stores and ended up with 4 FULL bags of clothes and at the shoe store she scored 5 pairs of shoes in total. After eating, we walked around and decided to go to Dave & Busters a bar/arcade. We had a great time playing games and Mel won a bunch of tickets which she got a lot of cool stuff with. The next day, Wednesday, Everett, Mel and I went to Scottsdale Fashion Square for more clothes shopping. We hit Hollister, American Eagle and I think Wet Seal. She loaded up on everything she wanted and I was thinking about how many jobs I would have to get to pay off my credit cards (kidding). She wanted to do Build a Bear but we were hungry and we went to Olive & Ivy. Dinner was good but Melissa was a little homesick but after talking with Nikki, she was doing fine. After dinner, we went and had gelatto at one of Everett's favorite places and then home and went to bed after Mel tried on a few outfits for us. Earlier in the day, Everett took Mel to the Salon and got her hair done. She had a good day. The next day, Thursday, I let Mel sleep in and then in the evening, we went indoor cart racing after I cooked dinner. We were able to only get 1 race in as we got there a little bit before they closed. It was fun none-the-less. The next day Mel went to work with me again and then we went back to the mall for more clothes shopping and she got new perfume and I chased a boy down for her but she shied away. We also did Build a Bear, well, she got a turtle and clothed it all pretty like. The next day, we went swimming, got her nails done and back to Dave and Busters for dinner and more games. It was a lot busier than the first time there so we didn't get to play as often but we had a great time and won a lot of tickets which Mel got a lot more stuff in the store. We also got our picture take a few times. It was late and we went home. The next day, I woke up late, got her to the airport and I left a few minutes before she boarded. It was a full week and now I can rest. WHEW

Reno-The Ghetto Vegas.

Ok, this past weekend, Everett and I decided to make an unexpected trip to Reno/Fallon for Melissa's 12th Birthday Party. We got to Reno ok but soon notice that we were out of place. We were too cute for Reno. EVERYONE STARED! We shortly called it the Ghetto Vegas! We stayed at the Grand Sierra Hotel in the Summit rooms (same as before) and of course they were great! We relaxed a little and then headed for the drive to Fallon after constant pressure from Nikki to hurry up! We had rented a convertable and drove with the top down even though it was 95 that day. It was a little warm but the worse part of the drive was that is wasn't very sceneric (is that a word?). I kept watching the gps system and it counted down so slowly. We stopped close to Fallon to get a bag and a card for the bday gift for Melissa. We saw a cute card of a chimp dressed like a princess and the inside card read, "Happy Birthday from the birthday Fariy (we added an "'s'" to accommodate Everett). It's not very pretty getting older". We thought it was cute and the play on words was funny until we learned that Melissa was required to read the entire card outloud! Both Everett and I were embarrassed. It was already weird walking into the room of the inlaws that I didn't know with my bf when we thought that it was going to be a bunch of 12 y/o girls. Ok, we visited for a couple hours and headed back to Reno for dinner and a show. EV drove and that made things nice for me. We got back to hotel, rested and then got ready for dinner and the show. We stayed at the casino for dinner and ate at Dolce. EV had seafood pasta and I had steak (of course) I loved the food. We decided not to do the show and stayed and gambled. We had a great time and actually ended up with more money than we started with. EV did most of the winning and I was a great supporter. After collecting out winnings we went back to the room, watched part of Titanic and went to sleep. The next morning, we ate breakfast, and took an earlier plane home. Our spa treatments were cxld so no use staying in town. End of trip!

Got pounded in the rear!

Get your minds out of the gutter. I got hit from behind in my Jeep. It wasn't my fault. I was stopped at a light and the lady behind me couldn't stop and hit me from behind and pushed me into the lady ahead of me. Everyone was ok. Here are some photos of the Jeep.

Birthday Thanks.

Much love and thanks to Mom and Grandma for the great birthday cards and wishes. THANK YOU.

Good to be home!

I can't believe that the time went by so quickly. I am back to work now and ready for a vacation. I thought vacations were supposed to be relaxing! I am more exhausted now than I was before I even left! Although the trip was nice and was great to see so many amazing places, there is no place like home. I haven't got back on my normal schedule yet with sleep and eating, etc. It's 3pm now and I am tired. I just want to go home and go to bed! The last couple days, all I have done is lay in bed/on the couch and watch movies/tv. Someone told me I need 1 day for every hour of time change to recover. Guess I have 6 more days of feeling this way until I am back to normal.
Work welcomed me back with smiles AND a bunch of piles of work. Most of it is caught up now and makes me believe that I really don't do much even when I am at work. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked how the trip was. It's nice to know people care.
So, you may be wondering why I haven't written about the trip yet. Well, I am too tired. PERIOD! I haven't even looked at the photos nor the videos we took. Ok, end of the post.
Bye bye

Travels Travels Travels

Berlin







Poznan
Poznan--where my sister Michelle is volunteering...she is available and really smart and successful.







Auschwitz

NO, I AM NOT DEAD!

I know it has been A LOOOOOOOOONG time since updating this damn thing but I have tried 3 other times and have written about 1 to 2 hours worth of stuff and uploaded picture after picture and then when I go to publish the post, I LOSE EVERYTHING! So frustrating. I will give you a brief overview of what is to come.

1) Update on the progress of my house!

2) New Love is in the air.

3) Some losses I have dealt with.

4) Old friends, New friends.

5) TRAVELS, TRAVELS, TRAVELS!