Augie's World

Life with MS 01/2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:27:00 +0000

Today I realize how my life has been different with the long fight with MS. With the help of the MS Center, I have been able to have the best MS Neurologist in the country as my doctor and also enter a class call MS 101 with other people who learned they have to live as a person with MS.

First the doctor - Dr. Vollmer is at University of Colorado Hospital. He participates in teaching resident doctors about neurology, holds MS testing groups on trying to find a cure for MS and is the President of the MS Center. I have seen him once, however, P.A. Melissa always tells me he looked at my file. I feel like the people there actually care, which I rarely feel in a medical environment any more.

Second is the MS 101 class - This course answered a lot of questions about what MS is, what to expect in life, what drugs are out there to slow down the process, what groups are available to participate in and what kind of help is available for a person with MS. Pretty sweet.

In July, I finally started a MS therapy (which is just a fancy name of a drug that has proven to slow down the process of MS) called Copaxone. This is a daily injection drug that is supposed to slow down the worsening of MS by 33%. I am no longer afraid of needles as this is something I have to do to myself on a daily basis. I am not sure if the medicine is working at all as it doesn't make you feel any different then before you take it. Here is hoping it is working.

It's Real

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:26:00 +0000

Kind of a late update on things going on in my life.

Late August came around and Noel informed me she was pregnant. HOLY CRAP!! Not in the plans and something that has made me not think about myself so much, which is a nice change. The first feelings of being scared and nervous have changed since then. Now I feel both of those plus excitement.

Every little step forward we take, the more real everything seems to be. Numbness in my legs and Noel's morning sickness. Weakness in my hands and the baby kicking Noel's stomach. Going to the doctors and seeing the ultrasounds, finding out it is a boy, and putting my hand on Noel's stomach so I can finally feel the baby kick....all adds up to a rush of excitement and a little dash of HOLY CRAP.

More doctors appointments coming up soon. I am hoping to be able to keep adding more and more on here about the life with MS, my baby boy and being a father with MS.

The Diagnosis

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 04:35:00 +0000

My week has been long and stressful. I thought my life was stressful until this week happened. Before this week, I was like most people my age: stressed about money, stressed about the job I am in - normal things. My life is also not normal in the since that my wife has severe asthma and we are always trying to find ways to make it not act up. Also with the ritual of inhaler usage and the nebulizer, we were starting to get back on track. Life felt like it was coming back around for the good. Then this week happened:

I was sitting on the couch on Monday, watching television with my ladies (Noel and the dogs April and Joslyn), when my hand fell asleep and then swelled up. We thought it weird, but then it changed. I started to feel numbness in my hand, then my shoulder, and then my face. So we ventured to the hospital to see what was going on. After numerous tests, the results came back undefined with a couple of options available. The options are: slight stroke, seizures, migraines or Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I was told to follow up with the neurologist the next day and left the hospital with the unknowing of what is wrong with me.

Tuesday comes about and we are lucky enough to get in to the Neurologist. We show up and he runs a few tests on numbness and reaction. He informed me that he doesn't think I have MS or seizures. He said more then likely it is migraines that are causing these problems, but we will need an MRI done to figure it all out. This however does bring the stroke back into play which is now a higher possibility then the seizure or the MS. Once again we go away with the unknown of what is going on.

Wednesday and Thursday pass and nothing changes with my symptoms. Weird feelings happening, sometimes the symptoms were acting more more and others were going away. All in all, no change.

Today brings us a new adventure. Today I wake up with the same symptoms, but something new happens. I go to grab the Orange Juice out of the refrigerator like I would on a normal basis - BAM - OJ down on the ground and me trying to figure out how in the world my hand didn't squeeze enough to hold the OJ container. Noel, my wonderful wife, decides to call the doctor right away and he informed her that we need to go the ER again. So, back we go, same story to all of the doctors, RNs and PAs. My file form Monday was misplaced when we get there and everything is not going well. The doctor we spoke with today, however was very surprised that we were sent home on Monday after everything that happened. We inform him of the tests that were ran and now he wants to have an MRI done. 30 minutes shoved into a big magnetic tube and we finally have our answer. I left eh hospital with a diagnosis and some prednisone.

I was officially diagnosed with MS. My life is going to change. For good or bad, I don't know. We will see what the future holds for me. I am feeling confident that with the people I have on my team, I will walk tall during this new adventure in my life. However, on the back side of things, I am scared. I was scared during the week because of the unknown, not knowing what is wrong with me and what I can do to fix it. Now I am scared because of the known. I am not a doctor, but I have heard of MS. I have heard many people have it and it reacts differently in everyone. I don't want to read online about MS because I feel it will scare me even more. Which leaves me back in the world of the unknown again. This is going to be an adventure and I hope I can keep the time to keep writing this blog about my adventure so it could possibly help someone who is diagnosed in the future.

For now, thanks for reading. If you have any information about MS, I would love to hear it.

Augie

Rock-tember

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:30:00 +0000

As the Colorado Rockies entered September, fans were starting to write them off for the playoffs. With a month left in the season, the team was 6 1/2 games behind in both races: the N.L. West and the N.L. Wildcard. Today, the team has reeled off 10 wins in a row bringing back memories of the 2007 playoff run. In fact, since 2007, the Rockies have the second best record in September, behind the New York Yankees, going 58-33 in that time (Ringolsby, 2010).

With 19 games left in the season, nine of which are played in Coors Field and three games against each of the teams ahead in the N.L. West (S.D. Padres and S. F. Giants), the Rockies have the playoffs in their grasp. Only time will tell if the Rockies can pull off another miracle ending like the "Once upon a time..." story they gave Colorado in 2007.

Source: Ringolsby, Tracy. 2010. "Tracy gave Rockies renewed motivation", Retrieved from: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Rockies-on-a-roll-in-September-again.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Sixth Annual Frank G. Edmonson Golf Tournament and Silent Auction

Come one, come all! The 6th Annual Frank G. Edmonson Golf Tournament Fundraiser will occur on July 26, 2009, 8:00 shotgun start.

New Location: Indian Tree Golf Course

Entrance Fee: $100

Includes greens fees, cart, range balls,

The tournament includes a BBQ and silent auction after the competition open to all. E-mail me at augie.maestas@gmail.com for the flyer and entry form for the Tournament.

The proceeds from the tournament benefit a scholarship in the MSCD Music Department.

Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to commit to playing. If you need a foursome, other fun golfers for you to play with can be found.

Project Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Thursday greatness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:23:00 +0000

I know it is a joke, but work with me here and read it. You will not regret it.

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, 'Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.'

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, 'What would you like to talk about?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the stranger. 'How about nuclear power?' and he smiles.

OK, ' she said. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass - . Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?'

The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'

To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit?

One last baseball article

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:23:00 +0000

Now that the season is over and the Phillies won the World Series, we can say good bye to 2008 and look forward to the 2009 season which starts in April. I am not a big fan of Philly, and with the low ratings the World Series received, I am guessing not a lot of people are. I can understand that a lot of people are not big Rays fans as they are still a young team in comparison and do not have a strong following down in Tampa, but Philly has had a team for a long time. Congrats to both teams and way to ruin my season with a lackluster October.

With that said, one question to ponder: Why do people get so out of control after a team wins a championship? In Philly after the last out, fans celebrated in the streets and ended with people damn near rioting. Can anyone explain this for me? I have been excited for Broncos and Avalanche winning their respective titles, however, it doesn't make me want to go out and destroy another person's property. If you have an answer, please let me know.

On another note, I found something fantastic on the Internet this past 24 hours that will please you baseball fans out there. Dr. Ben Fry's Salary vs Performance sketch is a wonderful tool to really look at the relationship between a teams salary and their performance during the season. Here is his explanation of the piece:

"This sketch looks at all 30 Major League Baseball Teams and ranks them on the left according to their day-to-day standings. The lines connect each team to their 2008 salary, listed on the right.

Drag the date at the top to move through the season. The first few days of the season are omitted because the rankings to (at least) that point are statistically silly. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move forward or backward one day.

A steep blue line means that the team is doing well for its money, which reflects well on the team's General Manager. A steep red line implies that the team is throwing away money. The thickness of the line is proportional to the team's salary relative to the others."

Looking at this tool makes me realize that money doesn't make the team a winner, it is the management/coaching and dedication of the players that makes the team winners. A team can spend all the money they want, and still not make it to the playoffs (i.e. New York teams in 200 had the top 2 highest payrolls and neither team made it into the post-season).

Looking ahead, I will let everyone know when the Colorado Rockies put the Guys Night Out tickets and Opening Day tickets on sale.

Until next time!

Monday, Sept. 22 - First day of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:05:00 +0000

As I sit here trying to pull together some vendors so we can make sure out Pep Rally here at Metro State is going to still happen, I thought I would turn my mind to something useful and write a couple of thoughts down. You might want to read about them and you might have some thoughts on them. So here are some thoughts I have as of today:

- Colorado Rockies: After everything I said about them at the beginning of the season and how excited I was to watch them this year, it turned out for not. Not only are they not going to make the playoffs, but they have a very disappointing win-loss record. Besides the obvious, I did have a great time going to the games. Friends, family and baseball. Doesn't get much better then that. I have gone to over 20 games this year and enjoyed every single one. Teams from the Twins to the Indians. Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Diamondbacks. The Braves and Phillies. The Cardinals and the Reds. Last but not least, I went to a Nationals game. I have seen blow outs, both ways. Pitching duels, game winning hits and home runs. I have eaten cotton candy, Rockies Dogs, nachos, steak sandwiches, peanuts, seeds, etc. I have had lemonade, soda, water and of course beer. This year even included doing the Angels in the Outfield rally call and getting on the Jumbo Tron. I have yelled at Spilly and he heard what I was saying. I have sat in the sun and in the dark. I have sat in the heat and in the rain. The year wouldn't have been so great it all of this was by my self. My friends, my family and now my girlfriend (Noel) - they all made the season mean something to me even during a year that the bandwagon fans stopped showing up. Thank you all for making this a great season and I can't wait until next year.

- Work: Well, what can I say. I have a good job that pays well and lets me write on here well I am at work. I get to talk to Flick and others during the day thanks to G-Mail chat. I leave and walk around campus when I want. I have a lot of different things to do everyday well I am here. However, I am not happy with where I am. I don't know what it is, but I want something new. I have been applying for jobs since around March. No luck yet, but there also isn't a sense of urgency to make things happen. I try to come to work with a positive attitude, but by the time I leave I am annoyed and just want to go to sleep (which I have found out is my way of dealing with things that don't make me happy). I am still looking, however, as of right now I am trying to make the best out of what I have and knowing I can go home to Bailey and get to hang out with Noel makes it that much better.

- Babies: Lots of babies coming into this world this year. My brother and Mona are having their first (my brother's 5th) baby and she is due Nov. 27. It is supposed to be a boy, which I am very excited about. My first nephew (Matthew) is 13 now and even though he is a blast to hang out with, he is no longer a little guy. My other nephew (William) is a lot of fun too but he lives in Utah and we don't get to see him all the time. I love hearing stories about him and seeing all of his fun photos, but it isn't the same. I am excited for my new nephew whose nickname as of right now is Brisket. Lesley is having another girl (due Nov. 30th). Which is good for her as now she will have two little girls. Kristal had a baby boy not to long ago, which is her 3rd boy. What a life she will lead when they all start to play sports. The Robinson's have little Riley and she is as cute as a button. Natalie and Deuce are newly pregnant. Sarah and Mikey are apparently thinking about it, but we will see where that leads. Me...no thanks. Not now, or anytime soon. It is fun however getting to see all of the little ones, just not the right time for me.

- Fall (season): Kind of awesome, but yet not really. Awesome because the baseball playoffs are in the fall. Awesome because it is chili time (not much better then the smell of roasting chili). Awesome because of the changing of the colors - especially in Colorado - is so beautiful. Football is here - college and pro, hockey is around the corner. Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming - two of my favorite holidays! What is not really awesome about the fall: Snow is coming, which means the frigid air is coming too. Holloween = worst holiday ever. Another Summer is gone and I sit here thinking I didn't do much again (although I did make it to Mexico this time). With Fall brings Winter, which means my birthday is coming again and I will be 27. What?

- 27?: Wow, I just realized I am 26 1/2. Meaning 27 is around the corner. What have I done so far this year at 26. Well, still have a decent paying job. Moved back in with mom and dad (awesome move for a 26 year old, let me tell you how happy I am....NOT). I no longer have the interlock device in the car which is awesome. I have an awesome girlfriend in Noel. My Bailey turned one in July and she is so much fun to have around (wait, that is nothing I did, she did it). I received a promotion at work and am now the Manager of Marketing and Communications at Metro State. I vacationed in Mexico for a week. What else did I do? What else do I need to do before I turn 27? Looks like I need to go skiing/snow boarding with Mikey and Noel this winter, then I can say I did that before I turned 27. What else is there?

- Noel: Here is a great topic. We have now been together for more then 2 months. We are happy and love spending time together. Her family loves me. My family also loves her - at least who she has met. Even though it has been two months, we have also known each other since I was 7. We both have had some adventures in our lives, but seems like we are over those and ready for this relationship. We have talked about important stuff and this could be something I talk about more often like Flick does on his blog about his "womanpiece". Who knows, but as of right now, we are happy and looking forward to what the future brings us.

Well, I guess that is all I have for today. I will try and write more often for the two of you that do read this. Happy First Day of Fall and best of luck when the cold comes!

Power of Words

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

I received an e-mail this morning with a video from Cannes about the power of words. This video won the NFB Online Competition, Cannes 2008. The name of this video is "Historia de un Letrero (The Story of a Sign)" by Alonso Alvarez Barreda. The web site describes the film like this "With a stroke of the pen, a stranger transforms the afternoon for another man." I would describe this as, "when someone is in need, do not do the easy task, but imagine the bigger picture and how it can affect the turnout of the day."

There are days where you feel like everything is going wrong or not so well. Think of the situation through the eyes of another and see how you can turn the day around. There are also times when you see someone in need, do not do the simple task that that many of us do, but think of another way to help the person. These other tasks could be as simple as dropping some pocket change into a person's bucket, but will just take a little more time to envision and implement.

God gives us options, which we sometimes choose the wrong one. He gives us the choice of direction, and everyone has chosen at least one wrong route. I am one of these people who have gone the wrong direction at times, but it made me a stronger person. The choices I have made helped me grow into the person I am today. There have been people along the way that have helped me change my sign, and in turn, have helped me change my life. Those people have done more for me then they probably think they have. They are not all friends, although, my true friends have stood next to me through it all. They are not all family, even though my family has loved me no matter what. There is one person that isn’t even an acquaintance and I didn’t even know their name, but they took the time to change my sign and in turn change my life. Thank you to all who have stood next to me and who have loved me. You have all changed my life and helped me straighten things out.

It is weird how one short film can make a person think of all this, however, I am glad it happened today. Let me know what your thoughts are on this film and how it made you feel.

Colorado Rockies and 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:21:00 +0000

So, at the beginning of the season, everyone was excited to buy Rockies tickets. Pumped up as for the first time in Colorado, we had a baseball team who were coming back to play a season known as the National League Champions. The first week of baseball was quite the show: Opening Day, presentation of the rings, presentation of the pennant, all the giveaways (shirts, hats, posters, etc.), all the people, etc. The atmosphere was amazing, however, no where close to last years playoffs, but what can you expect.

That said, unless you live under a rock or in a hole, you know exactly how the year is going. Either hear say from a conversation you over heard or one of those awkward quick conversations that happen at a bus stop, in line at the grocery store, in the elevator, etc. You might have read about it, in the news paper, Sports Illustrated, online somewhere. You might have heard about what has been happening on the radio or on television. Or, if you are like myself and all of my friends, you have a large grasp on what is going on and also questioning the decisions of the leadership in the Rockies organization. We have been losing...a lot! I wonder if they are having a problem with "jammed eyelids", lack of a "Live rooster because Jose's glove is cursed" or possibly, no one knows "what to buy Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present." I don't know what it is but it needs to change.

We were swept by the Phillies and out scored 33-10 in three games (with thew first game ending at 20-5). The Cubs just swept the four-game set and now hold the best record in the National League. Our starting pitching has not been the greatest, our relievers cannot hold onto a lead, and where are the bats. I don't understand what the problem is "This is a simple game: You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball." (Bull Durham). For a team who plays in Colorado and the "thin air" (which I will admit, I am the last person to say we have great hitters because of the "thin air" - mostly because in high school I only hit 7 home runs in this so called "thin air") it is hard to understand how the bats are so silent, especially at Coors Field.

We now have a lot of Triple-A players starting for us because of injuries, and I wasn't expecting to see a lot of these names until September when the roster expands for the playoff run. I think Hurdle needs to give a speech to these guys.

Now I am not saying that I don't think we can pull out of this. I am not saying I am going to stop believing and am no longer going to watch the games. What I want to know is, with everyone buying tickets at the beginning of the year and excited for Rockies-Mania, where did you all go? My group has 10 tickets for every Tuesday game throughout the season. We have not missed a game yet and I doubt anyone will. We were at Opening Day and the Sunday game after. We attended the Twins Saturday and Sunday games. Out of our group, there has not been an empty seat, however, every game we go to, we keep seeing more and more empty seats in the stadium. If you are not a Rockies fan, I understand you only buy tickets for your team when they come to town. If you are not a baseball fan, why did you buy tickets in the first place? If you bought tickets, why are you not going to the game? If you want to waste money, I will make a special bank account for you to deposit it into so my friends and I can use it to buy more tickets because we are true fans of the game.

The Rocky Mountain News has "Win, Lose or Drew" in the front of the Sports page everyday. And just the other day was the perfect explanation of the fans this season.

We all know that Colorado has the largest population of "Fair Weather Fans" that have no loyalty to the professional teams in Colorado. The Rockies have 4 months and over 100 games left to play. If you seriously think it is impossible for them to get back into this thing, then keep staying home.

However, I have a couple of quotes that fit in this situation right now:

For all the Rockies players out there, here is one from the Bad News Bears - "Listen, Lupus, you didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya? Now get your ass out there and do the best you can."

As for all of you fans of the game, you will enjoy this and I believe this to be true. Lou Brown from Major League - "Ya know, when I first got to camp I figured this team had no chance. I was just hopin' we'd win enough that I could stay on and really start to build something here. But there's a lotta talent on this club, Charlie. The veterans are starting to play back to form and the rookies are developing faster than I thought. There's two or three potential all-stars in there. I think we're a first division team right now."

So that said, lets support the team and see if we can turn this one around!

Join the golf tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:16:00 +0000

The Frank Edmonson Foundation proudly invites you to the Fifth Annual Frank Edmonson Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament.

Proceeds from the tournament and other fundraising efforts of the foundation support the Frank Edmonson Scholarship for Sound Engineering at Metropolitan State College of Denver.

When: Saturday, July 12th, 8:00 a.m., shotgun start
Where: West Woods Golf Course in Arvada, Colorado (http://www.westwoodsgolf.com)

Please contact me for an entry form: Augie Maestas, augie.maestas@gmail.com I have the form as a PDF that I can send you.

Join us as a golfer at the tournament, no matter what your handicap/skill level; there is room for everyone. Tournament fees this year remain at $100. We are continuing our popular silent auction at the post-tournament party, to raise additional funds for the scholarship.

A couple of additional twists this year:
Frank loved Hawaiian shirts so we will be having a "Best Hawaiian Shirt Contest" with the best shirt being awarded a prize.

Other ways to help:
Sponsor a hole: Sponsorships are available for $100. Hole sponsors will be recognized on a tee box, as well as on all printed materials.

Donate an item to the silent auction: All donations are tax deductible, and an in-kind gift receipt will be provided.

Make a monetary donation: All donations are tax deductible, and a donation receipt will be provided.

We continue to award the scholarship each year in Frank's name to deserving music students. Thanks to you we have increased the annual award each of the last three years and will continue to do so as the endowment grows! We are well on our way to being able to proved a full tuition scholarship.

Frank’s life was dedicated to helping people. Through the foundation and with your support, he continues to help people.

Thank you for your support of this fine cause!

Web: http://www.frankedmonson.org/bio.shtml

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:22:00 +0000

So I was sitting around the lunch/meeting/production/etc. table in our office eating my pizza with some co-workers shooting the breeze. You know what I am talking about, normal lunch time conversation with subjects such as: what did you do over the weekend, what are your plans this week, what are you eating, did you hear on the news..., etc. (I obviously love using .etc, which shows I am lazy and don't want to keep writing a list of things for you or it could show you that I know your time is valuable and I don't want to waste it by having you read a list of nothing because you already get the point). During the conversation (which is mostly based on the Mormon group that had been raided in Texas a couple weeks ago) about what we heard in the news, someone says "Hey, have you heard of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM)?" After the shock, laughter and brainstorming of other portions of the religion that we think there might be - we get serious and he actually tells us a little about it. He gives me the web site (http://www.venganza.org/), which of course I have to peruse to see what the hell is going on. There is a whole web site on what the religion is all about. You can purchase the FSM bible through Amazon in paperback or hardback. This may not be a serious thing, however, it has my attention and I am going to waste the rest of the day on this web site laughing my butt off. You should too!!

Enjoy the photos also and have a great day!

Perfect Game

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:10:00 +0000

So I went to go watch my nephew’s Little League game. He is a 3 bag and a pitcher, and yesterday he was on the bump. I was sitting there more worried about his batting because he is a big kid (5′6″, 160) and should be dropping bombs on those 215′ fields. Half way through the game I realized that the other team has not had a hit the whole game. Then I started thinking harder, which those of you who know me is a site to see as it hurts my head to think, and I realized that there had not been a base runner either. I didn’t say anything, as you all know that would mess it all up, and just kept watching the game. After the game I went to the score keeper and asked to see the book…and sure enough, my nephew, Mathew Gordan Maestas, had thrown his first (and I am sure not his last) PERFECT game!

I love baseball!

And Flick, God was definitely watching baseball last night!

Work

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:53:00 +0000

So here i am, sitting at work listening to people complain about everything they have to do today, and I am writing a blog! Awesome right, I think so, even though I have quite a bit on my plate to do.

I just finished reading my sister's blog about my nephew picking a fight with a bigger and old kid, then getting beat up. This reminds me of a story back in kindergarten as well as when I was in 2nd grade. 1st kindergarten, so I remember being at recess and some older kids were picking on someone from my class. I don't remember saying anything just watching and the older kids turned and headed toward me. Said it was nice of me to stick up for my friend (which he was not my friend and I beat this kid up until the 5th grade because of this story) and punched me in the face. End of story, I cried all the way back to class.

In 2nd grade, another 5th grader decided to pick on me. He was yelling at me and pushing me. I tried to hit him, but as soon as I turned around, there was a fist in my face. None the less he jumped on me and kept hitting me. When he was done I walked home with a bleeding nose. Mom asked me what happened when I got home and I told her I was running home and tripped on the front porch step, hit my face against the screen door. She never knew about the fight.

Thanks for reading my stories of getting beat up! now on to the real news -

So Mexico is 63 days away. Very excited and cannot wait to get the hell out of here. There have been some moments of greatness from the Rockies, however, they are struggling to get started this season. The great thing about baseball is, there is always tomorrow...until Sept. So even though the beginning of the season is a struggle, we have more to think about with the way the Avalanche are playing. Can you believe how great of a series this has been for the Ave's? First three games ended with a score of 3-2 and all three games went into Overtime! Awesome, then last nights game was fantastic with the Ave's taking a 5-0 lead into the 3rd period and then all the fights (speaking of fights from above) WOW. So they play again on Thursday and I am very excited to see how the teams react after how aggressive the 3rd period was last night.

So I am done for the day, I bid you all ado until the next time!

Spring + Baseball = Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:58:00 +0000

Baseball season is finally here in 7 days. This has been a shorter off-season because the great "Rockies Run of 2007" took the fans into late October. The Rockies have finally decided on the rotation: Francis, Cook, Jimenez, Morales and Redman. They have also decided who will start the season at 2nd Base: Jayson Nix.

After talking to the Morning Baseball Chatter group (which I made the name up this morning but we have been doing this for quite some time now) we only have one problem..."Who is going to be Taveras' back-up in Center Field?" Can you believe it? After all these years of saying "This is our year" and thinking "What are we going to look like at the All-Star break" knowing very well that we will be out of the playoff running in August; we actually can say "This is our year" and mean it.

Years before during Spring Training and all the way to June, we were still trying to figure out who all these new young players are and how to say names like Tulowitzki and Yorvit Torrealba. This year we know who the starting line-up is, we know who is in the rotation and bullpen, heck...we know the songs played when they come to bat not only for the starting line-up, but for Spilly too!! All year, even at different sporting events, when we hear the "Let's Go" chant, we say "TULO". I get excited for baseball every year, but with more friends to talk to about baseball and with how the Rockies ended last season, I feel like I am more excited this year then any year before.

More to come as I have tickets to 14 games starting on the best day of the year, Rockies Home Opener on April 4th!!

Wii?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:56:00 +0000

These guys found some Wii-tarded games. Great clip of what not to buy for the Wii.

Love me some South Park

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:17:00 +0000

Great things of life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:39:00 +0000

You know how many great things there are in life? I mean, Spring time comes with the smells of fresh cut grass, hot dogs, peanuts, beer and baseball. Flowers are about to come about, rain storms/Thunderstorms, spring break, wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops. There are so many things that I can list here and the one has me writing about this is - I received all of the Rockies tickets for the group on Friday. I was holding over 100 baseball tickets in my hand at that time and I was happy. Wanted to throw them up in the air and roll on the bed with them. I am ready for my 14+ games this year.

I am ready for a good year with the baseball. I am ready for Mexico as soon as we decide what the hell we are really going to do. Great things in life comes with friends! I have the greatest and funniest friends anyone can ask for. For no reason we all laugh at each other and make fun. For no reason, they will call up and ask if I want to do something or just to check and see what I am up to. It is a great support group and spring time always reminds me of them.

What else is great in life? Well, here is one: Life always has a second chance, or for me, 5th, 6th and 7th chances. I don't know how many times I have done something that should have destroyed my life, however, I still have the chance to live a successful and great life. Second chances are not only in my life but all over the place. Even Bailey has had a second chance in her life. From a couple weeks after I got her she liked climbing fences and visiting her neighbors and because of her visiting actually being 'Breaking and Entering, she was sent to doggy jail! Luckily for her, Aunt Sarah found where she was taken and Daddy was able to go bail her out of prison.

Great things in life come in many different sizes. As small as a smile when walking by someone to winning an enormous amount of money. Great things happen! Don't get me wrong, there are more hard times and bad times then great, but remember, God will not lead you to anything that you will not be able to overcome.

I will write another story on my birthday and I am sure it will be great. I am still practicing this whole blogging thing!

Michigan Women's Basketball Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:48:00 +0000

This is an awesome outburst and exactly how I would feel coaching a woman's team. haha

New Jam!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:44:00 +0000

Check out this video: Shaggy Whats Love feat. Akon

Feb. 24th

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Not a bad weekend at all, a little college basketball Friday night, then Saturday night Mikey and I went to Artopia, which is an art fund raiser put on by Westword newspaper. Good times, can't complain about how things are working out right now. Saving some money, heard some good news at work about a raise. I am getting more opportunities to do better projects at work. I have a couple candidates to make my life happy right now, so we will see how that goes.

As far as what is next, birthday is coming up, so I hope I find something fun to do as well as keep myself from embarrassment. After that Bailey is getting spaded on March 13th, hope she doesn't hate me after that. However it is what is best, I am to young to be a grandpa. haha!!

April 4th is coming faster then everyone thinks. I cannot wait for baseball time. Spilly called a shot yesterday during batting practice at Spring Training. Who does that? Only players who have just experienced one of the greatest feelings in the world.....World Series!!! I am excited for a great season as well as a great summer of fun. Baseball, Mexico, possibly a girlfriend. What else can I ask for? Oh ya, the raise that Cathy told me about the other day, that would make things so much better and a hell of a lot easier to get that Jeep and go camping this summer!!

Hopefully my time has come and we will start to turn this thing around!!

A Valentine's Day randomness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:06:00 +0000

So here I am, another Valentine's day down. Nothing big happened, went to a hockey game with a friend after work. That is about it. I can say I tried to have a girlfriend, and I even tried to let her realize what she is missing because I am missing her also. Sent flowers to her office for one last "Hey, I'm still here waiting" and never received a response.

So time to move on to better things in life. I will say, outside of that, I have some pretty good friends growing in my life now. A couple new ones have come along since the New Year, so that is fun. One from high school and another I have met through work, I am a best friend machine. I will say, out of all people, I probably have the biggest and best support group. However, some days I get out of hand and almost burn some bridges with my actions.

I am trying to control that as it has caused a lot of problems in my life. I thought I almost had it, however, two weekends ago I relapsed and it wasn't pretty. Could it be my emotions that drive me to do things like that? I believe it is, but how do you control that. How do you control when you are going to be stressed? How do you control when you are going to be down or depressed? Once I figure those answers out, I know I can control the monster inside me.

"Seek for yourself, O man; search for your true self. He who seeks shall find himself in God."

So I have also been looking up some things about St. Augustine, who my dad and I were kind of named after. St. Augustine and "his licentious and riotous youth and early manhood" to go along with his "continuous struggle with evil; his attempts to find an anchor for his faith". He also had "the untiring efforts of his mother, Saint Monica, to save him from self-destruction; and his ultimate conversion to the Christian faith at the age of thirty-two." So according to this, I still have a couple years until I will truly settle down and grab a hold of the monster inside me and take control. My dad was about that age when he had me and from what I hear up to that point, he was fighting his monster too. So I guess we will see what the good lord has in the books for me and how it all plays out.

God bless!

Ready for Baseball

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:38:00 +0000

So here I am, sitting at work and all I can think about is baseball season. After the wonderful ride the Rockies gave Denver last year, I haven't been able to get into other sports like football, basketball or hockey. I enjoyed the great games through the playoff run at the end of the season and am very lucky to have been able to go to a lot of them. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been able to witness my first ever baseball playoff game (the clincher of the Division Series). I am excited for this year and already have tickets to 14 games.