Another list?

Every January, lists of this and that......
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I'll try not to do it like everybody else, but I do want to highlight a few things..please.

I know I wasn't as prolific as I'd thought I might have been. And maybe I only seemed to write sad stuff, my thinking poignant. I know that it seems that people dread the Holidays because of the end of year regrets or of memories of those gone on to the next stage of their journey or of just plain depressing issues in their lives. Well, this year, the freight train that hits me about 2010 is the fact that I am going to be a great-gpa soon and I have a nephew that graduated college and a niece that found out she is going to have a child. Those alone have made this year very special indeed. I myself have made a couple decisions, one is I have applied for a position in Iraq and if not, my back-up plan is to go back to school in the new year. Got to keep moving, huh?

January showed up, new year, new decade, always full of promise. The ol rainbow chaser still hanging in, even though others were not with us.

February brought us the worst winter storm in many years. It knocked out power and made a mess for, in some places, a couple of weeks. We were able to get a generator and not get gouged on the price and even the gas station, the only one for a ways here, did not double the price of gas during the outage. And the people of this town remained courteous, no fights over gas or Twinkies or milk.

April is when my poor poor wife realized she had been tied to me for 5 years. Thanks goodness she likes me......still.

May is when I went on my first walk for Multiple Sclerosis. I went to honor a friend of mine and as usual, I got more out of it than I gave. We did raise a small amount of money for the cause and I was very proud to be a part of it.
We did lose Lt. John Finn this year. The first Medal of Honor winner in WW II. At the age of 100. Thanks again Lt. for a job well done. Also lost a good friend of many years during this years Iron Butt/Mom's Memorial Run. Take care Bill, I appreciate the fact that you were always good to me.

June brought about a change at work. A job that I had bid on over three years ago, I got. Better work, better conditions, pay. My blood pressure dropped noticeably, quickly. I also went on my first "mission" with the Patriot Guard Riders. Something that will stay with me and I will continue to do. Thanks to Dennis for pushing me, gently, toward joining them. It has made a difference in my life.

July is when I decided I'd had enough. Yet another motorcycle rider trashed in Oklahoma. This time it was a seasoned police officer. He wasn't killed, but was injured severely. Enough to retire from the force, not easy to replace. But, I got with my local state representative and in February, 2011, he will introduce the resolution I talked with him about, which is to assist drivers become more aware of motorcycles around them.

October is the month I "came out". I came out against others being thought of as less thans because of being who they are. Even those in our voluntary military, overseas giving of themselves to defend us and others. Heroes looked down on because they are different. Give me a break, standing in Hell so I don't have to and kids getting beat up at school. The time is passed for treating others poorly, because you want to.

December, ahhh at last December. Big for me in that I was able to successfully give blood. Maybe not a big deal for you, but if you know me, it was a monumental task, it took a lifetime just to get up the courage to do it. But then to survive it, you have no idea how uplifting it was. I finally did something good for someone, after 53 and 1/2 years. Topped off a pretty good year. Looking forward to 2011. Happy New Year to all and really, best wishes for a wonderful year.

P.S. I do plan on adding to this, as usual, if memory serves. Thanks for reading all this stuff, I appreciate your support.