The Best Gift I Ever Received...

Hey Lifers...

With Christmas just a day away, I thought I'd share my with you the greatest toy I ever received from the big guy.

I was maybe six or seven, I'm not real sure, but this was the greatest give I ever received.

It's a hand held electronic football game. It was pretty basic. The only thing you could see on the screen were little red dots. No pictures of players, no players names, no graphics. I remember playing this thing every waking minute I could. I'd curl up on the couch or in a corner somewhere and pretend I was playing out the games from the previous weeks. Yeah that's right, actually using my imagination.

Now I've received some pretty good gifts along the way as well, but as a little kid who loved football as much as breathing, this was the best, and unlike most Christmas toys, it wasn't lost after March. No way, I held on to this thing for years. It was by far the best gift I ever received.

J-Tony

So tell me lifers, what was your greatest gift...

An Ike Turner kind of Christmas....

Hey Lifers...

So the other day, because everybody but me would be on Christmas vacation this week, I did my best Ike Turner and told the DW that I'd best be gettin' me some Christmas goodies this week woman. OK so it was probably more like, hey if you guys aren't doing anything this week, some cookies and stuff would be nice. But it sounds way cooler if I went all Ike on her.

Today I came home from work to a kitchen full of goodies. Her and the clowns had been baking and cleaning all day. There were peanut butter, gingerbread, and chocolate chip cookies. She made chocolate covered pretzels, baked pecans and a pan of peppermint brownies. Rooms were clean and beds made. I thought maybe I was in the wrong place. Naturally my original thought was, man that Ike Turner shit really works.  

So I did what any other man would do.....I pressed my luck....

Babe. You. Me. Let's do it....

So OK, maybe it doesn't work that well.

J-Tony

Smarty Pants...

Hey Lifers...

So somewhere after being a rebel without a clue, and before being a father of three clowns, I decided I needed to go back to school. In my earlier days I had always been one of these guys who just knew higher education wasn't for me. After high school I went straight into the workforce. At the time, I thought it was a great idea. I mean, I had a little jingle in my pocket, and I was away from my rents, what could be better? Well, turns out dollar bills in your pocket is better.

Like I said, I decided I needed to go back to school and get my degree. When I started my little school adventure life for me was completely different. I didn't even know my DW when I started. And the funny thing about going back to school is,  the earth doesn't stop spinning. Meaning, life goes on. Jobs go on, bills go on. Somewhere in there you meet the girl of your dreams, you settle down in a one horse town and before you know it you've got a family, and still no degree.

But, as so many before me have, I persevered. And after many hours of studying, papers, and sacrifice, I have completed my degree. This past weekend I participated in my college commencement. As I stood there in line I thought about the journey I was about to complete. I thought about all the people and experiences along the way. I thought about the years gone by and how I've grown since it all started. As I walked across that stage, with my parents and DW in attendance the feelings and emotions were overwhelming. I finally made it. I finally reached that goal. It is complete..... 

So...Now What????

J-Tony