Christmas Break!!!

Bridgedette's Thoughts:

11 more working hours till CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! (not that Im counting)...

This will be my first time being off for 2 weeks, with pay, and with Larry! So, what are the big plans you ask, nothing. That's right, NOTHING! For once there is no plan, and if you know anything about me, PLANNING is my thing!

For the next two weeks Im not going to plan...or try not to....I do have some small projects I am looking forward to:

1. Reading.

I picked up some books from the public library. One is called "IF," its conversational questions that are thought provoking..."IF you had to name the best live music performance you have ever attended, which one would you pick?"......"IF you could nominate 1 person for Sainthood, who would it be?" (Neat questions, right.)

I also got some other books, but found the recorded version too....so im going back to childhood and I will allow someone to read these to me. I love that technology has advanced, and I will take FULL advantage of it. Im very much about working smarter and not harder! :o)

2. Family.

My dad is retired, so I will spend a few days with him, just listening to his stories and maybe helping him around the house. I like to sit outside on my parents front country porch and pet the dogs and just talk.....best memories!

Larry's Grandma is another person on our priority list. This will be her first year with out Popo. While it is a time of joy, the holidays can also be sad for those who have lost someone they love. She has lost her husband and her little Chihuahua dog Buddy.....not to worry (thanks to my Mom and my Aunt) Larry and I will be giving her a tan Chihuahua for Christmas. New puppies are great, but I hope he is a fast learner...training can be a long process.

Larry and I hope to spend some time with all our family members; Larry's Uncle Bob is flying in San Antonio this weekend from Maryland and we are looking forward to breakfast with him during his visit. Larry and I will try to make some time to take my 11 neices and nephews out at least one day....we shall see how many days we can do, we are up for the challenge!

I wish anyone reading this a Merry Christmas and a happy Holiday Season!

Where the walking trail leads us

Bridgedette's Thoughts:

Today Larry and I went for a walk. What I thought would be a easy 30 min walk, turned into a 1 hour and 30 min adventure!

For my birthday I asked for a Nike+ sensor, http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/. Its a 2 piece device that you put into any shoe that is Nike+ supported and the other piece is attached to the base of your ipod. The 2 devices communicate with each other to track how far you preset to walk/run and can give you encouragement for the amount of distance that you set. Its a very neat device...I hade one before, but when my purse was stolen last August 1 of the pieces was in it, and you cant use the device with only 1 peice. Thanks to my family I have a new one!

So Larry and I set out on our walk down the road at Mc Allister Park, when we come to this bend under the highway. For me safety is number one, for Larry Adventure is number one. His curiosity led him to say, "lets check out where this goes," for me I calculate all the risk associated with this adventure. He's so antsy to see whats around the curve that I say, lets go see.

40 min have passed and we have walked concrete, dirt and wood plak pathways to find out that the trail leads to other trails and are too tired to keep going, so we turned back.

1 hour and 30 min later from the time that we started...5.5 miles later to be exact (thanks Nike+), we finally reached our car. What an adventure!

Now to grab some breakfast! Yes, that is right, we walked all morning and had not eaten anything, PLUS Larry cant feel his feet...not good. After grabing something to eat, we finaly came home and are now taking the time to relax, (thank God) Larry is gaining some feeling back in his feet.

The best part of the walk was that even though he and I have not been consistent walkers, and that by far was the longest that we have walked together (Larry says it was the longest he has walked in 3 to 5 years), it was still fun. Larry and I had a great conversation, found a new path and figured out how far we can go without breakfast, lol.

I know that we will walk the other parts of the path together soon and as each adventure that Larry and I have, I dont do my risk analysis as much, I just trust that he will not put us in harms way and see where the path leads us.

City of San AntonioParks & Recreation Department
McAllister ParkHistorical Newspaper Article
McAllister Park is comprised of 986 acres on the north side of San Antonio between Jones Maltsberger and Wetmore Roads. The park’s original 713 acres were purchased and developed using 1964 Bond funds and a Federal Open Space grant. When the park officially opened on April 13, 1968, it contained four miles of trails, 125 picnic units, restrooms and parking areas.
Originally called Northeast Preserve, it was renamed in June 1974 in honor of former San Antonio mayor Walter W. McAllister. Since the park’s opening, acreage has been added, including two large tracts—117 acres in 1974 for a Natural Resource Conservation Service floodwater retention structure in the upper Salado Creek watershed, and 130 acres of airport property made available through a joint-use agreement with the San Antonio Aviation Department in 2000. Construction of the flood retention structure is scheduled for completion in 2003.
The San Antonio Road Runners and Harmony Hills Optimist Club have helped construct park improvements including paved jogging trails, a family area with covered pavilion, picnic sites, and barbecue pits. The Friends of McAllister Park advises the Parks and Recreation Department on an ongoing basis regarding park conditions and needs. Park facilities include five miles of asphalt trails, more than 10 miles of unpaved natural bicycle and cross-country trails, picnic units, Little League baseball fields, and soccer fields. Wetmore Road on the east side of the park provides access to the Texas Transportation Museum and Gunn Sports Park, both privately operated facilities.
Funds from the 1994 bond election financed park improvements including a new entrance road off of Starcrest Drive to provide direct access to playing fields, realignment of the Jones Maltsberger Road entrance, paving of interior roads, additional trailhead parking, and accessible restrooms. The Starcrest Drive entrance was opened in September 2001. Though the surrounding area has experienced extensive development since Northeast Preserve opened in 1968, wildlife can still be seen in the park.
A dog park opened on March 31, 2007. It was part of a $1,637,000 project that benefited a wide array of existing facilities at the park as well as the construction of a new pavilion and two new playscapes. The Optimist Pavilion was renovated and new walkways, barbecue pits and trash cans installed. The dog park features exercise equipment, a covered picnic area, benches and a walking trail. The nearby parking lot has become home to an annual kite festival sponsored by Friends of the Parks

Bridgedette's Thoughts:



Yesterday, Nov. 24th, we attended a mass, hosted by the Knights of Columbus at Little Flower, to remember Popo. The Knights of Columbus presented a beautiful bible, blessed by the priest during the mass, for Larry's Grandma to keep. It was very moving to watch.



As I was watching the presentation of the Bible to Larry's Grandma, a wave of emotion came over me. To think that she survived the loss of the man she loved and is still going on with life, is something amazing to see. You see, I have another friend who lost her husband not too long ago, and is reacting very different to the loss. She has lost her love for life. When I knew her, she was this AMAZING, vibrant and loud woman...now she is just going though the motions and seems to have lost her ove for life. I hope that she finds herself again, it will take time, but I know that she can do it.



Its an intersting way how humans react to what life throws at them. I hope to be as strong as Larry's Grandma is. the strength I see in her is that old school values of "keep working, and keep living."

There is something to be said about the way today's generations view hardships. The values of hard work seem to have left the building, and enter the "I need it now." I hope that my generation can learn from the older generation and gain back that fighting spirit.

An Interesting 10 months

Bridgedette's Thoughts:



WOW! Where has the time gone? 10 months flew by quickly, but I have not forgotten about our blog, life just took over. I hope I can recap all that has happend to us over the past few months.




Popo's passing left us both in a tail spin. For me, it was hard to see Larry hurting so much, yet all I could do was wait and just respond to his needs. After Popo's funeral, Larry and I became very busy at work, and even with working long hours we carved out some time for a mini vacation. We had planned to go to Corpus at the beginning of summer, but I ended up getting the shingles and Larry ended up getting a staph infection. Yes, it is the running joke in my family, that Larry and I do EVERYTHING together...even getting sick! lol. We have now both recoved, Hooray!!



Here are a few pictures with some commentary.



Road Trip to Corpus, End of August:

Corpus is the place Larry and I love to go for a quick get away. The sounds of the water crashing upon the shore with the sand between our toes was the best and most relaxing vacation ever! We like to see the HOOKS play when we are down there too, we even had our photo take with the mascott Sammy the Seagull.






Bridgedette's 29th birthday, September 25, 2010:

As August slipped away we became consumed with the registration of students for the Fall semester and with the implementation of a new registration process we were TOAST! But, we survived with enough energy to celebrate my 29th birthday!! WOW, 29, what can I say about being 29 other than I am SO THANKFUL for the good genes I have! I still look young, just like my Mom and sometimes I look back and cant believe all that Ive accomplished. The best part was celebrating with Larry. My world would not be as bright without him.



Larry wrapped this present himself; it was a Yankees jersey!! The man has good taste (lol).






Class Reunion, September 25, 2010:
Speaking of being "young," I have been out of high school for 10 years! Larry and I celebrated my birthday evening attending my high school reunion. High school was so much fun for me, it was SO EASY! I had finished all my credits by the time I began my Senior year (plus all of my classes were honors), but I was only on campus since I was Student Council President (this kept me busy in the Fall) and because I was waiting for the softball season to start in the Spring. In high school, I was Class Vice President, I did the morning announcements, the football half time announcements, a member of the PALS (peer assisted leaders), part of the Art club, and I was a 3 year letterman in softball....Did I mention that I also worked too. lol. I liked to stay busy and was involed in anything I could squeeze into my schedule. My poor parents were all over the place with me, school banquets, PTA meetings not to mention in the hot sun watching me play all over the state of Texas! THANKS MOM AND DAD!

The Reunion was a big success and looking over over old photos brought back such good memories. It was even better to share them with Larry....and Go figure Larry would work with one of my HS classmates at his job! Small, small world.





Road Trip to Yorktown, October 15, 2010:


My Mom, Dad and I took the day off and drove to Yorktown, Texas. Why Yourktown you ask? Since I've never met my Grandma, the closest I can do to get to know her is finding documents about her. My Grandma was born in Yorktown, Texas. Yorktown is so small that there are only 2 traffic lights in the whole town and we did not get very much cell phone reception!

There were no official "birth certificates" back then, all records were done though the church and all we could find was a baptismal certificate. This is my Mom, waiting for the church record to be looked up.

Here is a link to the history of Yorktown, Texas:

http://www.yorktowntx.com/history.htm

Larry's 35th Birthday, October 19, 2010: HOORAY, 35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The celebration of Larry's 35th birthday MONTH was fun! There were 4 cakes, 3 dinners and 12 gifts to celebrate Larry's big day! I decorated our apartment with streamers and batman balloons....which are still up till this day, ha ha. I know that the 35th will be his best year yet!

Zip Lining, October 23, 2010:

As part of Larry's birthday celebration I bought us a zip lining adventure. And because I love Larry so much agreeded to do it...too bad im AFARID of heights!!!! At first I was unsure, but after arriving I felt like the facility was safe and I did managed to go zip lining. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!! Im glad I got over my fears and made a great memory with Larry.




Larry's Graduate School_Passing of Knowlege Ceremony, October 30, 2010:

Graduate Leadership Convocation honors students
On Oct. 30, students in the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and PhD in Leadership Studies programs celebrated their academic progress during a convocation ceremony that included a symbolic candle ceremony representing the "Passing of the Light of Knowledge."Faculty, friends and family members filled Sacred Heart Chapel as the graduate and doctoral students were recognized. Board of Trustees Chairman Roy Terracina served as convocation speaker and Dr. Helen Streubert, vice president for academic affairs welcomed the students and reminded them that they now belong to an elite group who hold advanced degrees.The students were blessed and welcomed into their new academic community, including: doctoral candidates, doctoral luminaries, master's candidates, and the new doctoral and new master's students.

This was a fun and moving event to see. Watching and listening as Larry's name was called made me SO very proud of him and all that he has done to enter Graduate school. Im glad that I can be part of this journey in his persuit of higher education, as well as being able to be invloved with his Graduate school classmates at this event.

Amtrak, November 6, 2010:

The Amtrak was a journey that never crossed my mind to experience. I am so glad Larry is adventerous! Riding the Amtrak was a very fun and relaxing experience. There was so much to see between here and Austin, sometimes you just have to get a new perspective to appreciate what you drive by every day.

After getting off the train in Austin, Larry and I spent the whole day walking and going to museums. It was a ton of fun, I can now say that I have traveled by foot, plane, automobile and train!

The Passing of Buddy the dog, November 5, 2010:
"Buddy Face," thats what I called him. His face was too cute to resist! From the first time I met him I knew he was going to be my friend. When Popo passed it seemed as if Buddy knew that he was no longer with us, he too was sad. But as Larry and I visited each weekend we all sat in the living room and visited with Larry's Grandma, it seemed as if Buddy was going to be just fine. But Buddy had an accident and fell off the bed one night, we all thought that he was going to be fine, it just wasnt in the cards. Thank God Larry was off that day that Buddy passed; Larry had the hard task of telling his Grandma that Buddy was no longer alive, so very hard for the both of them. Thankfully my parents allowed Buddy to have his final resting palace on their property, right next to my Chihuahua (Mr. Big), under a tree. I hope that Buddy has found Popo and is keeping him company.




General thoughts:

As we enter the holiday season, it was good for me to look back on all that has happened in our lives. I am thankful for all that I have. I hope that I never take anything or anyone for granted and that I learn to overcome my fears. Each day I am growing into a better person, I will always be a work in progress.

Time

Bridgedette's thoughts::

Time. We all think that tomorrow will come when we open our eyes in the morning, but we forget that opening our eyes is not guaranteed.

Yesterday Larry, his family and I spent all day at St. Luke's Baptist Hospital. We were praying and hoping for Popo to have some more time. We were waiting for him to open his eyes, to move, to acknowledge that he knew we were there for him....we were waiting for any sign or response to know that he was getting better.......we are still waiting.

While we have been waiting I have met and heard some interesting stories from the ICU. One woman was waiting on the outcome of her 87 year old fathers surgery. Another was waiting the outcome of their mother's brain aneurysm. An another was waiting for her father to wake up too. They were from all over; California, Del Rio and San Antonio.

We all somehow connected in the waiting room of the ICU. We all could feel the pain and the heartache each other was expierencing. But most of all, we all knew that each of our loved ones needed a lot of help and time.

Myself, Larry and his cousin Vanessa and I spent out time last night trying our best to sleep in the most uncomfortable chairs ever. We twisted and turned, we tried to prop our feet up, we slept at an angle....finally pure exhaustion just set in and we just slept; in the ICU waiting room...waiting for some better news.

From all this pain, I have seen Larry's family come together, spent some quailty time together and shared in the pain of what is about to come.

But I too have learned that sometimes you JUST need to be present. When I left for St. Louis I used all but 30 minutes of my leave. I had no more leave to really be here for Larry Friday, what was worse, It was the end of the month and I was under major deadlines and had a lot of time sensitve work to complete. I did go to work that friday morning thinking that I would get everything I needed to get done...by 9am I was doing great! but then I got a text that said Popo was not doing well. Thats when things changed. Work was no longer the priority. People and their feelings became the priority. I let Larry know that I was leaving my job at 1115 to bring him and his grandmother lunch, before the 12 noon visitation time. I thought I was going to staty for a few minutes and then leave to get back to my work. But what I have learned is that work is not there for you to expierence life with...people are.

People can tell you what its like, but until you are present, you will never fully understand. I wanted to be here with Larry to expierence what he was feeling. I called work and let them know what was going on, and I was cleared to stay with Larry...my work would be taken care of for me.

As people accepted Popo's condition, the stories of his life began to come out. Larry's family would speak of how he loved them unconditionally, of how he loved his Chihuahua Buddy, of how Popo and Grandma have been married for 59 years......not once did people mention how he spent all his time at work, concerned about deadlines and meetings...it was all the time he spent with his family, just loving and being there for them.

I am gald that I chose to be here for the past 24 hours with Larry. That is time I can never get back but was well spent.

Change Part 2

This is a photo of my brother and I when we were little. They say that a photo is worth a thousand words...sometimes those words get frozen in time and dont change.

I come from a family of strong personalities; you can call it a survival skill or whatever, but when two or more personalities clash, be prepared for fireworks.

You see, the photo above is a moment in time....that moment is forever stuck in my parents head and hearts. I know that they mean well and they want the best for me, my brother and the lives we have, but sometimes being stuck in time is not good. There is no progress.

In this photo, I had a certain way of thinking, but now that thinking pattern is matured as well as I. When my parents feel my current thinking pattern is not correct or from their perspective, that it is full of holes....it sets off the fireworks in me.

You see, I have waited my whole life to find someone that understands me. The me that is here today. Not the child, not the teenager and not the lost young adult. Sure, some days I need some guidance, but for the most part I have Larry to talk to and with all his logic and emotions he is the best person to talk to, for me.

I guess I too forget that people are not around Larry and I all the time and do not know how our relationship works. There are many people who always say that their relationship is "fine" or that "all is well," when they are asked about how they are doing. But for Larry and I, the "fine" and "all is well" REALLY is just that.

Larry is my friend....my best friend at that! He is the person that I can be goofy, mad or sad with, the person that I go to the movies with, the person I read the newspaper with, the person that I look at and ask "whos making dinner and whos washing the dishes." lol (you know, the BIG questions in life).

We have just begun our journey together, but have spent so much time just talking to each other too. Larry tells me a long story and I learn to listen better. I tell Larry a short short story with tons of details missing and he tries to figure it out.....we are both a work in progress....mainly me, but a work in progress.

I know that I am no longer that little person in the photo above, and that I will always need my parents. But I am learning who I can become, and I want to do it with Larry right next to me, because he is my best friend and I would miss him....even if I never met him.

Change....

Bridgedette's Thoughts:

As you all can tell Larry is VERY excited to see the Red Socks play....and he is right about the history and the splendor of the unchanged Fenway Park....I know that we are going to love it!

So many things are changing around us lately, but I think its for the good.

My parents are coming home after being gone for so many years. There is some comfort in the idea that they will be home, but then there is also some discomfort. Our family is very close, so when my parents decided to make the move to St. Louis, it was a very hard change to adjust to. But since they have been away, we have all adapted...for the most part, to them not being around to save everyone. Now, its 1 week till they return to San Antonio, I fear another change.

It is now time for me to pursue my dreams. Law School.

There is no question in my mind that I have the capabilities of learning the law, its more than that. The fear comes from all the times that I told myself that "I would never."

• I would never move out of my parents home
• I would never fall in love
• I would never live with a man
• I would never make it in law school

I guess I never really thought about how many times that I told myself that I couldnt do it. The time has arrived that I stop telling myself that I cant......but that I WILL, and have.

• I have moved out of my parents home
• I have fallen in love with a Man...and a very good one too!
• I do love coming home to Larry everyday
• and I will take the LSAT's and go to Law School (so I can support Larry...just kidding..kind of).

For a long time I have been afraid of change. I am a person of comfort. But sometimes change is good. These changes that are happening SO fast, have pushed me to remember what it was like to live.....not just wondering around with no purpose.

I am looking forward to my parents being just a short drive away, but I am also looking forward to the day when I drive away to Law School.......with Larry by my side.

Hello Again

Ok so I know that we've been strangers to blogging for a little while now (actually about 7 months or so LOL) so I thought I would hopefully get our 2010 blogging skills back in order...let's see where to start...

* Bridge's parents are finally moving back home after being gone since '07 in St. Louis. It has been hectic for them but I think it's a good decision. Bridge, Vik, Uncle J, and myself are all going up at different times within the next week to help with the "convoy" home. Soon after, Bridge will begin her preparation for taking an LSAT so she can support me as a lawyer (j/k haha)

* I was recently offered a new position at Northeast Lakeview College doing more advising and getting exposure to different departments since NLC is growing fast. I've been at St. Philip's for six years this year so it'll be a big adjustment for me leaving my comfort zone but I'm always up for a challenge.

* We've almost done with planning our vacation to Boston this summer. I've always wanted to check out America's oldest major city and the history and people around Massachusetts. I've been to other areas up in the northeast like NYC, DC, Philly, and Baltimore but never Boston. Bridge has been to NYC before so this will be good for her too. Plus I am eager to see the Red Sox play. Yup that's right the BOSTON RED SOX! Now you're probably wondering how does a goofy guy in South Texas end up liking the Red Sox?

I was always a casual baseball fan. Growing up around here it was usually rooting for the Astros, Nolan Ryan, or even the San Antonio Dodgers (remember them?) but that's all. The Spurs and the Cowboys were bigger names around here. So yeah I grew up loving Gervin, Robinson, and Duncan as well as Staubach, Aikman, and Romo. But all that changed in 2004. I always liked a good rivalry and none is better than the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry...the underdog Sox versus the mighty Yanks. MLB playoffs are notoriously dramatic since they are shorter and played often back to back. In '04, I remember laying on the couch and turning on Fox to watch the ALCS pitting the highly favored Yankees (they won their division that year) against the hapless Red Sox. To fill you in, the Red Sox hadn't had any luck in over 80+ years since they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Yankees began decades of success while the Red Sox often lived in the shadow of their east coast neighbors. The "Curse of the Bambino" is legendary in Boston because of that business deal back in the 1920's. Well the '04 ALCS was no different. The Yanks went up 3-0 against the Sox and, again, the fortunes of Bostonians everywhere were sucked dry. The Sox gave up 19 runs in the first game of that series as a matter of fact. So when Game 4 was played, naturally everyone expected the Yanks to coast on into the Fall Classic.

But that wasn't to happen. The Sox pulled it out like 6-5 in extra innings to force a Game 5. Nobody expected them to do it again but they won that one too. Fast forward through Game 6 (another Red Sox win) and finally into Game 7 at old Yankee Stadium. The eyes of baseball fans were watching to see if the Yanks would choke or not with the series now knotted up 3-3. By this time, I had been glued to the TV. That lazy night of Game 1 now had me all caught up in this drama! I watched each game with intent of someone watching something like they've never seen before. I saw that Boston Red Sox squad come together and play with heart against a mighty opponent that no one had expected them to defeat. Furthermore, it was also my birthday too so it was an added treat. The Red Sox ultimately defeated the Yankees like 9-3 in Game 7 and on the road too! Immediately the Fox crew went to the streets in Boston and it was absolute pandemonium. It reminded me of when our Spurs won their first title in 1999 with all that craziness! I thought to myself that I would like to visit Boston someday because that city has pride and that is good.

Anyways I was just dumbfounded that the Red Sox became only the third team in the history of professional sports to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a 7 game series. And they did it in dramatic fashion against their opponent of almost 100 years. I thought to myself that I'd found a team to root for as close to my heart as my Spurs or the Cowboys. The Boston Red Sox are the "everyman" team. By that I mean that they represent any fan (or any person even) who has lived in others shadows, that works hard, that doesn't give up, and eventually wins. For almost a century, the Sox were constantly sub-par and had to hear it from sports buffs everywhere about how poor they were. But they just kept hoping season after season to get back to prominence. While Yankee fans are also as loyal, they have been spoiled by years of greatness. They expect their Yanks to destroy the teams they play. They expect the Yanks to win, win, win. When the Yankees did not even make the playoffs in 2008, it was almost like the end of the world was near. The Yankees to me represent trying to get over that hill you have tried to conquer for years. They are that which you have tried to defeat but could not. When the Sox defeated the Yankees in 2004, they conquered their 'hill' and eventually won their first championship since 1918. However, Red Sox fans, better known as the Red Sox Nation, are a unique group of people from all walks of life with chapters nationwide that get together to support their team. They don't care what others say, they just have faith. Faith in anything is a hard thing to have in today's world. But they got it and pass it down from generation to generation. I recommend everyone watch the 2005 film "Fever Pitch" starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. I've seen it numerous times and each time it still makes me laugh and be happy that I'm a Sox fan. I was a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation-TX (yes they have membership cards) since 2005 with the exception of this past year when I forgot to renew (dumb me).

Now that I'm getting to go to Boston with Bridge this summer, I'm excited. I think the city will be really neat. My dad has been there as well as a few of my friends and all say it's a friendly town. The day when we catch the train to Fenway Park will be exciting. To walk in and see a piece of American history will be thrilling. Fenway Park has been around since 1912 and has not changed much since then. Bostonians are very protective of their ballpark and do not like it messed with. Many have suggested that a new Fenway be built like the Yankees just did with their ballpark. But those in Red Sox nation won't let it happen. Fenway Park will stand until God Almighty tears it down Himself. How can you not admire loyalty to a team like that? So even many of the seats are still the original classic wooden type as well as the older stairways and smaller food stands. It would be like walking into a time-warp.

Bridge and I are doing well. People tell us all the time how good we look together. Yes it's true we have fun. We like to do random things and just live life. I think that's a good philosophy. But it doesn't come without work too. Yes we do have a good relationship but, despite what some might think, it does take work too sometimes. We're always learning about each other and fortunately it is not hard to make our relationship work because it's fun. Life isn't always a bed of roses. But, at the core, is our friendship. Not only are we a couple, but we're also best friends. That's something I'm proud of. So to all who read this, thanks for reading and... GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!