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2012 On A Personal Level: A Year Of Positivity

Nobody

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2012 will forever be a year that sticks out in my mind for a lot of reasons. It was a year full of personal ups and downs. Very high highs, and very low lows. But you know what? While the lows heavily outnumbered the highs, the magnitude of the highs go unmatched. So for me, this year has been a positive one on a pretty grand scale. So rather than fight and argue all the time, I decided it would be nice to move things in a positive direction to end the year. Feel free to contribute your own stories.

January: After being a migraine sufferer for 18 years, and facing failed treatment after failed treatment, I faced a dismal future when an anomaly showed up on a CT scan. My doctor, being honest to a fault sometimes, told me that with my symptoms and the imagery, there was a very real possibility that I had a Chordoma - a very rare tumor at the base of the skull. Although rare, I have had two grandparents pass from this. This is the first time I have publicly discussed this, and it was the reason behind my absence here for a span of nearly a month. After going to multiple specialists and undergoing a battery of tests, it was determined that I had a progressed form of Cervical Spondylosis. When they explained to me that it meant I had osteoarthritis of the neck, the sensation I felt to know it wasn't cancer, was a feeling of relief that will likely forever go unmatched for me. I took this month as a huge positive.

February: Sparing the details, a fierce opponent/enemy of mine became someone I have come to consider a friend. A positive by any measure.

March: There was St. Patrick's Day. That's like Christmas for my kind :D

April: Thursday. April 26. Robert Griffin III. Nuff said.

May: A couple that my wife and I are very good friends with were finally set to tie the knot, after years of personal struggle. They were both born and raised in the same village in Ireland, and had managed to never cross paths for over 20 years before both coming to America and meeting at church. A church neither had ever been to before that day. They originally wanted to fly to Ireland for their wedding, but financial hardship made it impossible, and the sad tone that was placing on their upcoming wedding could be felt by everybody. Since I was in no position to get them to Ireland, I did the next best thing. I talked to the bride's brother a month before the wedding and got contact info for relatives they still had in Ireland. After meeting dead end after dead end in my attempt at a gift, I finally struck gold. I was able to have dirt packaged and shipped from their home town in Ireland, and it arrived just days before the wedding. At the wedding ceremony, my wife and I presented them with the box and a note explaining what was inside. The smiles and tears of joy from both of them made it one of the happiest moments I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of.

June: Too hot to remember.

July: I accomplished the next step of many in my life, and celebrated 3 years of sobriety by getting ****ty ass drunk. Just kidding......about the getting drunk part. My continued sobriety amazes me to this day, because I am still madly in love with alcohol, even though I haven't looked her way in over 3 years. This month also marked 11 years of being married to who is easily the most patient and tolerant woman on the face of this planet. Can you imagine 11 years day in and day out with me? Bless her heart, she deserves a medal. She truly is my hero.

August: I finally decided if things can't go my way, it's time to carve my own path. I decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. The degree I probably should have went for in the first place. It was one of the best decisions I will ever make for the future of my family and myself.

September: One of the greatest months I have had in a very long time. On September 8th, after a 25 year search, I finally got to meet my brother again. I will spare the sappy details, but we are similar in every way other than his horrible taste in football teams. We get along great, and it was never awkward - just like we picked up right where we left of 25 years ago. On top of that, our kids and wives get along great too. Of all the crazy similarities in mannerisms and such that we have, perhaps the weirdest of all is that we were married on the exact same day at the exact same time. Less than 10 miles apart. It will make future anniversaries pretty awesome. A great month indeed.

October: My father received his annual results for his liver function tests. He found out that even without treatment, the years of research and work we put in to finding natural alternatives that could possibly cure his disease were working. Against medical reason, against the suggestion of all of his doctors, against everything we were told. His numbers came back, and for the first time in the 6 years since his diagnosis, his MELD score had dropped. Not only did it drop, it dropped out of the danger level. Also, his hemoglobin count was nearly normal, his WBC and RBC were both in the normal range, and his Hep C viral blood count had dropped to a nearly immeasurable level. Without medicine. Sometimes it pays to do your homework and go with your gut. The drug companies don't always get it right. The medicinal treatments nearly killed him twice in the previous year. A huge positive.

November: For the first time ever, my wife and I were able to put together a Thanksgiving dinner with all of our siblings and parents. It was pretty amazing when the sentimental aspect of it started to sink in. It was the only time we had ever all been together at one time, and it took some pretty amazing feats of logistics to make it all come together, and every thing about that day was as perfect as it could have possibly been.

December: On December 3, my new favorite brother made a long time dream of mine come true when he took me to FedEx for my first Redskins game. The fact we made the Giants our bitch made it that much more amazing. I'm looking forward to a great rest of the month, and to another amazing year next year.

Merry Christmas, ho ho ho mother****ers. Enjoy my new medicine as much as I obviously am :laugh:

We may be a dysfunctional bunch of bastards, but we're a family here at BGO dammit. I wouldn't trade any of it. You're all irreplaceable, even the assholes :laugh: Seriously though, thank you all for always being here.
 
Respect for this post. We all take so much for granted. Speaks volumes that you take the time to mark both the good and the bad. The best of us always find more good than bad in life. Glad you had so many landmark moments this year. I'm all about the moments. Better to make them than wait for them to arrive. :cheers:
 
Respect for this post. We all take so much for granted. Speaks volumes that you take the time to mark both the good and the bad. The best of us always find more good than bad in life. Glad you had so many landmark moments this year. I'm all about the moments. Better to make them than wait for them to arrive. :cheers:
It's easy for us to focus on the negative when we're constantly bombarded with it, but it's the positives that shape our lives, and those are the things I like to hold on to :)

this year was a HUGE turnover in my life. I mean, so many things changed it wasnt even funny.

I met a girl in Jan and told her that I just wanted to be friends. I mean, I've been a player for most of my life and relationships are something I don't do. It had been about 5 years since my last serious GF that I kept around for more than a month or 2. But she stuck around as a friend and I kept getting the "dude, what the F? go for it" so finally one night in bed I said "ok, we can talk about dating." and that was that.

a few months later and we're full blown together. There was never a chance for me and I knew it but I wanted to at least act like I had control. Her ex was still living with her (just as friends) but he was a complete tool, never paid bills, and would just be mean to her to the point where she wanted to stay in her room all the time if she was here.

So, thats not flying obviously. So I come up here one night, park in "his spot" and tell him "you dont look at her, you dont speak to her, and if you are mean even ONE time thats all for you". He gets a gun, pulls it on me but he doesnt have the balls to point it at me. I laughed at him, told him to get out of here before I beat his ass with it and the cops come.

Game changer! I give my landlord 30 days and now suddenly Im in this place in a home that she owns. First thing we did after moving his **** out of the master bedroom was paint it burgundy. Then we ripped the carpet up in the entire house, laid hardwood, remodeled the master closet, laid stacked stone on the fireplace, and started building me a man cave.

Then I got let go from Stone. My "dream job". I mean, it was ME and BEER in a harmonious union!! But it has changed...there have been at least 5 firings from there since I've left there and the culture has done a 180. But that threw me for a loop and left me scrambling for work.

But I got it. I start at Qualcomm Monday and am excited for MORE money, BETTER benefits, and just a place where HR isnt running the show.

We're trying for a kid...pray for us to succeed if you pray please..and are more in love now then the day we first said it. I can honestly say that this year has been the most successful one that I have had in a long time. Sure there were bumps along the road but I cant help but feel like I won the lottery when I come home to my home and see 2 dogs and a beautiful woman smiling at me every night.


Merry Christmas to you all. I am glad you are all a part of this community and that I can be a member amongst you as well.

HTTR!
I remember reading this as it unfolded throughout the year. It was pretty cool watching from the outside too, because it was like we were all sitting here watching it grow through your stories. And trust me Mike, we all knew she was the one, you could just tell the way you talked about her. You were different, noticeably different, beyond smitten. It's a good thing, and I'm happy for you. Good luck with the pregnancy attempt, and congratulations on everything. It really has been a monumentally great year, people just have to look for the good. It's not always as deep as it might seem.

Merry Christmas everybody.
 
Considering everything that's gone on, I think you've handled things rather well, Ex.

Good job, mate. :)
 
Nathan, you are a ****! :laugh: This year sucked! Oh wait...no it didn't! I had a baby boy and gave him the honor of being named after my father! And you better believe he will know what D-Day is!!!
 
Nathan, you are a ****! :laugh: This year sucked! Oh wait...no it didn't! I had a baby boy and gave him the honor of being named after my father! And you better believe he will know what D-Day is!!!
You fooled me for a split second you ass. I was ready to remind you about your boy before you remembered :laugh:
 

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As we enjoy today's conversations, let's remember our dear friends 'Docsandy', Sandy Zier-Teitler, and 'Posse Lover', Michael Huffman, who would dearly love to be here with us today! We love and miss you guys ❤

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