What was the best part of this year for you and what was the worst?

[daddog]

I think the worst part of the year was watching my sister struggle with cancer as you all know in our private forums. That has been tough since we are pretty close.

The best part? Not sure, but going to the con with sondog was a blast. Then spending time with Rowdy and Maddog, the whole trip was a solid A!  I was thinking about when Harppa and his wife came out, but that was 2005 not 2006.

Certainly the squad is doing well. I was not happy about losing ghosth in Aces High, (glad he came back) but change can be good and TeeeRex is an excellent C.O. Both of them are very different, but both strengthen the squad in different ways. 

[skernsk]

It's been a pretty good year for us.  No major illnesses or deaths (although a friend I posted about in the private forums is not doing well.)

Without a doubt the best part for me was my lifelong friend Argyll coming home safe from Afghanistan. 

The low part I am not sure.  At this point it was the washing machine blowing up because now I am using the computer upgrade money to replace it.   If that is the worst, well, I have nothing to complain about.

[Dichodog]

The year was filled with so many highs and lows it's hard to pick them.  I'll just say this.  From the day that She Devil and I met money has been a problem.  I make a fairly decent living but the house I'm was purchased at a different time in my life and the repairs it needs haven't been getting done because I think a fed child is a little more important than a new pool surface.  I would guess that knowing that by mid to late February that all of my debts excepting the house will be paid off and that will mean an $800 a month swing to the positive was the high personal in my life this year.  The lows were the fact that my job isn't what I expected it to be when I agreed to go to work for this company three years ago.  I spent a lot of the year being bitter and mad about it but one day realized that it pays pretty well, the work is challenging enough to keep me interested, and it's fairly secure, put that all in perspective.  I lost my best friend and mentor this year to pancreatic cancer.  I can't express how much that man meant in my life with the advice, support, and life experience he had.  I could always go to him with a problem and find a support or a good kick in the butt if I needed it.  I wept alone as he passed when She Devil was gone but I think that he left to make room for the new friends I have found in this squad.  Life changes it's what we make of those changes and how we raise our children that is a true legacy.  It's not power, money, or fame (of which I've had all three).  And I think I finally made peace with all of that this year.  One more major situation to fix in my life and it will all fall in to place.

I love you guys and I mean that. 

[outlaw]

for me this whole year has been one of a dream so to say. i have full custody of my kids and the ex is out of the picture at least for the next 4 yrs. tommorrow will be the first Christmas that the 3 of us will actually wake up together on Christmas morning and the first i have been with my son since his mother and i split. it hasn't by any means been a easy year the boy is 8 going on 18 and the girl always has believed she had some divine right to argue with me but i have enjoyed every minute of it. in the last year i have made new friends and hooked up with old ones i hadn't seen in ages and i think my family will be growing in the next year but more on that another time. well time to be Dad again Merry Christmas all


God is Great

good hunting all   

Outlaw

[Ghosth]

Well for one more year Cindy & I have managed to stay afloat. I don't know how, yet somehow there is always food on the table, and the bills are paid. I do firmly believe that the more we give, the more we recieve. Its just that you never know what form its going to come back in.

We were pretty worried about making it through the heating season this year. Well our natural gas prices dropped dramaticly, and here we are at Christmas still in the 30's most days. Instead of being down in the below zero's which would be normal. Last month was only 2$ a day for heating instead of 10$ like last year.

We rescued 2 kittens this fall, and they have worked overtime makeing sure this house is full of joy & laughter. Unfortunatly they both know very well what bird is, and how tasty it can be. So most of the parakeets have gone back. I put a door into my office and have a single baby keet named "zeke" in there. He's just a little guy but he's showing good potential for a wingman.

One of our biggest blessings is that Katie is back in school, and for the first time in her life taking it serious enough to get good grades. She has blossomed into a delightful young lady. And just suprised us by walking into the house and crying "Santa was here!" Sure enough, she had filled all the stockings with goodies & love. Cindy & I sat there dazed,  wondering how we got so lucky.

May each of you find some measure of the warmth, peace and joy we have found this holiday season. From our house to yours

Bill, Cindy, & Katie

Merry Christmas all!

[HeavyH]

What a year for me as well.  As some know, I've been involved with a custody battle of my own since Dec 2004.  I was able to get my now 17 year old son away from his mentally ill mother failry easily, but keeping him away hasn't been easy.  Even though 4 courts in 3 states have ruled in my favor, she continues to fight it, and my bills have exceeded 50K.  I've refinanced my home 3 times since Dec 04, and sold many of my guns to help pay off the bill.  Then to top it off, I just got another $4400.00 bill from my attorney for papers I didnt even know he was preparing for another hearing i didnt know we had.  $4400.00 for a stack of papers 1/8 inch thick.  I thought plumbers charged a lot.  But like Ghosth said... there always seems to be food in the fridge, and Jeff is doing very well.  He is getting great grades, and is focused like never before on his college future, and the grades it will take to get into a good one.  I'm really proud of him, he works 20 hours a week, runs 4 miles a day, and is getting solid A's in his classes, some of which are Honors or Advanced Placement classes.  He was accepted into the People to People program for a trip to Europe this summer, and hopefully we will be able to afford for him to go.  He sure deserves it.

As for me, I met the love of my life in 2006.  My life has never been so great in as far as my love life goes.  Alona and I are patiently wading through the immigration process, and I can't wait for my return trip to the Philippines in Feb to see her.  11 more days together will be so great, although we spend at least 2 hours a day together online chatting and talking.  This trip, we are meeting the rest of her family, they want their turn "interviewing" me.  I thought I was done with that, but I guess not (haha).  I love her so much.  She is absolutely the most amazing woman I have ever met. 

I'm not playing the game much anymore, but I do enjoy the time I have.  I do miss the style of play that we used to have with FSO, but it became so lame that I am happy to be taking a break now.  I hope that we can go back there one day and find it like the good old days. 

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Years!

 


Steve