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'The story is about applying for a new role in the company I currently work for. It talked about my desire for the job, the interview process and how I felt about a new beginning.'

"I was up for a promotion at work. I gathered my portfolio of past accomplishments and things i'm currently working on and went over them so i could present them to the person interviewing me. There were a few of us interviewing for the role and were excited to be interviewed. I had my interview, presented my portfolio, discussed at length, my qualifications for the job and discussed the role as well. It was a lengthy interview. I saw this as a good thing. It was good conversation with talks about work, how we approach work, how we approach adversity, things of that nature. I learned a lot about the company; much more than I had already learned. It took a few days but i was offered the position. This person had considerable power over me in that i wanted this job and they would be the one deciding who received the promotion. I was excited and proud to be chosen and for the new role. It brought many new responsibilities and challenges but i was ready for them. I felt that i had worked hard for this promotion and it filled me with pride to have gotten it. I was looking forward to the new role and couldn't wait to get started. It had been a long time coming. I felt I was quite deserving of the new role."

"My brother had a child with a woman and the child lived with my brother and I for the better part of five years. My brother started to date a different woman. As a result, the child's mother took the child away and I can't see him anymore."

'I live with my brother. We live in my mother\'s house that was left to us. It is big enough for both of us and has no rent or mortgage, so we live here. My brother has a child, my nephew. My nephew spends half his time living her and half living with his mother. The mother lives in a different city (not far, just a 30 or so minute drive) with her parents. I always had fun playing with my nephew but always knew I would only have a limited time to do so because he would have to live elsewhere to go to a decent school. I always thought my brother and the mother of his child had a good relationship. I don\'t know if they were ever officially married (though there was no wedding) but she uses his last name on her mail. Whenever she visits, she always ended the visit by telling my brother "I love you". But recently, I\'ve noticed my brother spending a lot of time with a different woman. I say "spending a lot of time with" but it is clear they are dating. I don\'t really care about the relationship between my brother and the woman who gave birth to his child. However, seeing his relationship with this new woman gave me a bad feeling because I knew it would put my opportunity to see my nephew in Jeopardy. I\'ve lived with my nephew since he was born. I watched him grow up, watched his personality began to develop. I grew very fond of him, though it is easy to grow found of a child. But I felt like I wouldn\'t be able to see him anymore if things continued. So one day, my nephew\'s mother found out about my brother\'s relationship with another woman. She didn\'t cry or scream like you see people do on tv or hear your neighbors do. She just took her son as usual. But she said she wouldn\'t bring him back. And so just like that, the little boy I\'ve spent the last 5 years doting on and playing with was taken away. I am not close with his mother or her family, in fact I don\'t know her number or address, so I cannot go and visit. I just have to accept that my days playing with my nephew have ended.'

'my mom had her labor pain at an unexpected time and had to get admitted in a rural hospital with less facilities. My mom give birth to me through suffered some complications and till now she has been suffering from back pains, unable to stand for more then 10 times'

"Last week, I went into labor early and very suddenly. My husband rushed me to our local hospital, although I had planned to delivery at a larger hospital in a nearby city. Our local hospital isn't very well-equipped, and there are no gyns on staff, and sometimes, there isn't even a doctor there. But I had no choice, It was close, and I was suffering, so we went. Fortunately, a doctor was available, though she wasn't an ob-gyn. The baby was coming so fast, there was no time for an epidural, so I couldn't have any pain meds. Also fortunately, my baby, Charles, was healthy and continues to do well a week later. I wish I could say the same for myself. The pain usually goes away after delivery, but that didn't happen. I had and still have very bad low back pain. Sometimes it is excruciating, so bad, in fact, that I find it difficult to stand. My husband's mother is staying with us to help take care of Charles, and she is a godsend. I don't know what I would do without help right now. I have an appointment to see an orthopedic specialist but not till next week. Until then, we are just taking it a day at a time. This should be such a special time to enjoy my new baby, but it's not. We are all just getting by, day to day with the help of my mother in law. I haven't heard of anyone else having exactly this experience, and I really can't believe they even sent me home from the hospital. Honestly, I have to wonder if I would still be in this much pain if I had been able to give birth at the larger hospital."

'I was able to drag race for the first time in many years and I was able to do it in a national event. While I lost in the 1st round, it was a memory that I while never forget.'

"It had been a lifetime dream of mine to be able to drag race in a National event. I had raced many years ago and had gotten out of it. While it was always something that I wanted to do, my family always came first and working to provide for my wife and kids was my priority. There was a national event coming up and while I planned on attending it, it was only as a spectator. My family apparently had different plans as they worked out a plan with some friends of mine. Their plan was for me to actually drive a car at the track and race. They worked out their plan to perfection as I had no idea what they had planned. As it turned out, I was really surprised that they had figured out a way for it to happen. I didn't have a car to run but they had figured out a way for me to have one to enter. I ran the qualifying passes and it felt great to be back on the race track. Yes, I was a bit rusty behind the wheel of a drag car, but it sure felt great. My family said that I was grinning from ear to ear when I climbed out of the race car after my first pass. When the 1st round came up, my nerves were a little wound up as I had a ton of different emotions going through my system. I was nervous and excited at the same time. While in the staging lanes, my family was all around the car and we were just saying how fun it was to be at the track and that there was no pressure. It was time for the race rounds to begin so I got into the car, buckled in, and put my helmet on. I waited for my chance to run and got the car pre-staged. The lights came down and I had a really sharp reaction time. The other racer had a great reaction as well. When we got to the finish line, he was slightly ahead and I lost the race. Even though I didn't win any races, it was great to have the chance again to see if I could still do it, and I could. It was a moment in my life that I will never forget and hopefully, I will get the chance to do it again in the future."

'Our first child was born after 48 hours in the hospital. We had a little girl. Mom and baby were both healthy.'

"It was 48 hours for me and my wife tells me it was an eternity for her. In the end, it was the most wonderful and exciting thing that ever happened in my life. This story,is my story, of the birth of Robin Marie Johnson. It was our first baby, we were nervous, excited, and afraid. We read all the books, we went to all the classes, she took the right vitamins, and ate healthy. But nothing could have prepared us for that 48 hours at Mercer hospital. I thank all the doctors and nurses and most of all I thank Emily my wife, I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful woman a part of my life. We had been to the hospital a couple of times already with false labor pains, so when she told me it was happening 3 weeks ago, I was excited but skeptical. We loaded up the mini-van and drove the 23 miles to Mercer. She was brought to a room and they did some testing and we waited and waited and waited. I finally went and found a nurse, we had sat in the room for 4 hours and no one would tell us what was going on. She explained that there were three woman in active labor right now and that my wife was just in the beginning stages of labor. A doctor would come talk to us when they had time. That was 8 hours later. We had nurses constantly check on my wife but we weren't able to talk to a doctor till nearly 12 hours after we were checked in. It turns out it was a full moon, crazy night and in total 42 babies were born in 48 hours. The hospital averaged 6 births a day. The doctor told us he would have normally induced, but he just didn't have the time so we went through a long slow process. Robin has 41 friends that share her birthday, she has all her fingers and toes, and definitely has two parents that love her."

'After graduation, my partner and I took a celebratory vacation. We toured the Southwest and rounded back up to Missouri.'

'3 months ago, right after graduation from collage, my boyfriend and I decided to take some time off from all the hard work we have done in the last 4 years and tour Southwest states. We figured, if not now, then when? When we get married? When we have kids and jobs and other responsibilities? If there was a time to do this, it is now. We packed out small Honda and with minimal planning went on our great adventure! And it was amazing! We set out to check out this great county and it\'s amazing vastness and natural beauty. Main goal of our trip was to hit every national state park we could but also visit major cities and hit their night scene and experience their culture and cuisine. We started in Missouri, our home state, and handed west, through Kansas, Colorado and Utah util we hit the Pacific coast in California. I always wanted to dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean and now I finally had a chance. We took some scuba lessons and enjoyed our time in Santa Barbara. We were also amazed by California\'s red forests! You can believe it until you see it! The size and majesty of those trees will always remain ingrained in my mind. After spending some time in CA, we circled back to Arizona to visit the Grand canyon. I am not afraid of heights but my boyfriend is, so needless to say, I had great time but on the other hand, he really didn\'t . From Arizona we headed east to New Mexico and , of course, we had to check out what all this hoopla was about area 51. It\'s amazing how much business is devoted to "little green man" in here. Although we don\'t believe in conspiracy theories regarding alien abductions and such, we had to get souvenirs and gift for out friends. Our time on the road was almost over and we continued east through parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and finally back to Missouri. I must admit, after all this time spend sleeping in the camp sites or cheap motels I was so happy to finally get a great night sleep at my own bed! I don\'t regret going on this trip, it was mind blowing and exciting but after awhile you just want to rest a bit and take it all in.'

'I quit my job two weeks ago and put my family in financial stress. I quit my job because I almost killed someone by mistake.'

'I quit my job two months ago now, after being so short-staffed and overworked that serious safety issues began to happen. Even though safety issues began to happen more and more, our supervisor simply kept piling on more work. Her boss told her it wasn\'t important and we could skip doing it, but my supervisor wanted to impress everyone and be "number 1" so she ignored all advice. Whispers began behind her back, the other pharmacists began to worry about their licenses but the pressure just kept mounting. I found the wrong pills in a bottle on the shelf and my supervisor got mad at me, even though I had not filled from that bottle at all that week. Nothing was ever mentioned again and I began to lie awake at 3 in the morning wondering if the wrong medication had gone out unnoticed before or since. This income was so important to my family, the job was so important to my self-worth but I knew if anything happened I would be liable no matter who was truly at fault. My job had been toxic to begin with, my supervisor was abusive and infamous in our company for being a nasty person. My coworkers trained me by yelling at me and then arguing and ranting with each other in Spanish about me. But I persisted, I did not want to let them win. Every morning I hoped I would get in a car wreck serious enough that I could not work for the foreseeable future. I snapped at my husband, I snapped at my child. Every moment not spent at work was filled with crushing dread that I would have to go back in a few hours. My marriage suffered greatly, my self-esteem was trashed. Yet still I kept on. But that one little tablet of Tramadol was enough to snap me out of it. I was terrified, someone with over a decade of experience had mistakenly put a controlled substance into a bottle of blood pressure medication. And no one caught it. The counts of the controlled medication done every day weren\'t off? That seemed odd to me, every tablet of those is so tightly accounted for that someone either counted wrong or they noticed but didn\'t have time to deal with the paperwork so they brushed it aside. How many times had it happened before? Why was I being blamed? These questions ate at me and ate at me until I realized I was killing myself for a job that would throw me under the bus even knowing criminal charges could be brought against me when I didn\'t do anything wrong. So I quit even though now we are relying on food banks and credit to make do.'

'I had been ignoring my mental health and bottling up my emotions. This let to me having a panic attack. This finally was the push I needed to seek help for my mental health.'

"Sic months ago I had the scare of my life. I thought I was having a heart attack. It all started because I was keeping my emotions bottled up. I was under a ton of stress with moving and work, and O felt like I should be able to handle it all. So, I chose to keep all the stress in and not tell anyone how I was feeling. I was packing some boxes when all of a sudden it hit me. My chest got really tight, and my breathing went crazy. I couldn't see straight, and I started freaking out. My husband asked me what was wrong but I couldn't talk, all I could do was shake my head and clutch my chest. My husband called 911 and the paramedics arrived and checked me out. They gave me oxygen and checked my blood pressure. One of them told me it was ok just try to breathe normal. Finally, things started letting up and I was breathing normal again. I started crying and told the paramedics how sorry I was that he had to waste his time to come out. He assured me it was all a part of his job and that he thought I was having an anxiety attack. I felt embarrassed but he assured me it was nothing to be ashamed of and I needed to get things under control or it could lead to worse things like a heart attack. Now, I will always make sure I take care of myself and let things out, talk about my stresses to my husband so this doesn't happen again."

'It was my birthday last month, and I had the most memorial moment in my life. My friends and I celebrated my birthday at Universal Studio. We also had a birthday party at the Harry Potter Restaurant at the Universal Studio.'

"In the past month, I had the best birthday celebration in my whole life. My friends and I took a trip to Universal Studio. It was the most memorable moment of my life because I couldn't forget this trip. This trip was so special that I wanted to relive every moment of it. My friends surprised me with this trip because they paid for everything. While I was at Universal Studio, my friends and I visited a lot of places. The best place I visited was the Harry Potter Land. My friends celebrated my birthday at the Harry Potter restaurant, which was unique. The moment I saw the big cake coming my way, I saw 35 candles were sticking on the cake. I remembered when I blew all the candles, my friends laughed at me because it took me 5 turns to blew all the candles out. I couldn't stop laughing at myself because I was happy and cried at the same time. I haven't had such a celebration for a long time, and I was thankful that all my friends took the time and money to celebrate my birthday. I also remembered I got a free wand at the Ollivanders' Wand shop because it was my birthday. I immediately felt so special and joy that I was the happiest person in the whole universe. I couldn't forget how this birthday celebration was important to me because it was the happiest moment I had."

'I went to the hospital with chest pain. I spent a day and a half there without a diagnosis. I went home only to find out three weeks later that I had had another heart attack.'

'Three weeks ago, I had a strong chest pain. I did not want to go to the hospital, but my wife made me go. We got there and my chest pain was getting stronger. There was a huge line to be attended and the nurses did not gave me any priority, although I said my chest was in real pain. We waited and waited, until I talked to a nurse, who said everything was fine and that I should just rest. After coming home, my chest pain was slowly decreasing and I thought I was going to be fine. The next day I was feeling good with no chest pain at all. However, I still did not knew what had happen to me the day before. I then scheduled a doctor appointment, that was only available three weeks later. During the three week wait, I was complete fine. The doctor appointment day arrived, and I went to the doctor. He ran some tests and told me that the chest pain I just had three weeks ago was actually an heart attack. To know that scared me a lot, as I did went to the hospital but they did nothing to me. I could have died! Thankfully my heart resisted the heart attack and I am fine. I told my wife what the doctor had told me, and she was very mad with the hospital for not doing anything. Next time something similar to this happens, I will MAKE the hospital take me as a priority, and run exams. I will make that happen even if I have to scream that I am dying from a heart attack.'

'My aunt is suffering from breast cancer and currently in treatment. Her ex was just released from a long jail sentence. He beat her up to the point of breaking ribs.'

"A couple of months ago, my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is on Medicaid, which it turns out is very good for breast cancer, so there have been no issues getting treatments and getting them covered. She had to have a single mastectomy (a double was refused by Medicaid), followed by radiation, followed by chemotherapy. She is now in the last round of radiation. She still has a wound in her chest from surgery, and a ton of side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. It turns out the side effects can be pretty rough, or else my aunt is having an especially bad time of it. She has had: loss of hair, ulcers in mouth, loss of toenails, extreme acne on the scalp, general discomfort, tiredness, nausea, and other awful side effects. But the worst one was getting pneumonia. Apparently, you're more susceptible to getting it during cancer treatments. So overall, she is having a pretty rough time of it, and so are multiple family members who are helping her through this by taking care of her, buying and preparing food, handling household tasks for her, and driving her between appointments. But everything was still proceeding about as well as can be expected, in these circumstances. Until this last weekend. Her ex-husband was released from jail. Their relationship ended so long ago, I didn't even know he was in jail, or what crime he committed. But upon his release, he went over to her apartment. She, thinking he came in friendship, let her in. And he beat the crap out of her, for no reason anyone knows. The beating was severe enough that on top of everything else she has going on, she is now beat up to the point of having broken ribs. He also stole her phone, and threatened to kill her. The police haven't found him yet, and we don't know what to do."

'My senior dog became ill and very quickly deteriorated. Her world had shrunk from hiking and running to being unable to walk and being confined to one room. I said goodbye to her on a sunny morning on the deck.'

'Three months ago, my old faithful friend, Arwen was unable to get up out of her bed. She had lived a very active, long life. We spent our free time going to the park and hiking along the shady paths along the lake. For sixteen years, we had been inseparable, enjoying weekend excursions. She loved to run along the quiet paths where we hiked. She would bark at butterflies and chase falling leaves! I knew she loved the outdoors, so I helped her and carried her outside to lay on her favorite cushion on our sunny deck to take in the morning breeze. She wagged her tail and laid her tired head on my kneee as I sat beside her. She did not want to eat anything that I offered. I had called before we went outside and had an appointment at her vet. I carried her to the car and placed her on her favorite blanket. I knew that she would not be coming home again, and I wanted this to be as easy on her as possible. Although it made me sad to say goodbye, I knew it was time for her suffering to be over. Although this was a sad morning for me, I am so thankful that we had our time together. Arwen, I will never forget you! You made a huge impact on my life!'

'it was very emotional and happiest moment i my life and i always cherish that beautiful moments in my life that moment completely changed my life and me, i became completely different person after attaining motherhood there was a lot change in my character and i would love it'

'A few summers ago, my family and I took a vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada. We had planned this week long vacation for several months in advance. It had been arranged so that we could visit relatives who live in the area. The morning we were to leave for our trip was very sunny so I woke up a few hours early from the light shining through my window. So, I used this extra time to finish packing my belongings that I had forgotten to pack the night before. We left around 9:30 on a warm, July Monday morning. It was a long trip and when we finally got there we were exhausted. So we decided to just rest and start out early the following morning. After that we went to Ride Niagara, a simulated ride over the Niagara Falls. It was rather realistic considering we never moved from a set position. After the ride, we met a French Canadian, who had a heavy accent and lived in Quebec. He helped us decide what attractions were worthwhile. After visiting a few of them we returned to the hotel worn out. On that Wednesday we rode on the Maid Of The Mist. When the boat reached close to the bottom of the falls everyone could feel the power of the falls by the incredible mist and loud roar of the falls. Later that day we went on a journey behind the falls, which took us through tunnels that actually opened up behind the falls. The lines for both these activities were very long so this took up most of the day. We spent another day visiting tourist attractions in that area. Then we decided to spend the rest of our time visiting our relatives. We saw many of our family members we haven? t seen in years. It was sad that we had to leave that Sunday, but we did. So we left for a long ride home with only the memories of our vacation.'

'I went to a funeral for a friend who died unexpectedly. I talked about what a good and positive person he was.'

'A good friend of mine recently died in a car accident. Attending his funeral was very emotional. I was in tears the whole time I was in the room with his body. It was so incredibly unfair to me that this funny, kind, gentle human being was dead at only age 37. He had only just gotten married two years ago. That\'s all the time he had with his wife: 4 years of dating, 2 years of marriage, and then dead, with no kids to pass on his legacy, all because of a distracted driver. It made me so incredibly sad and also furious at how unfair life is. At the funeral we were encouraged to get up and say a few words. Some of his family did get up, but so did a few people that only seemed to be doing it to draw attention to themselves, like, "I know he is dead, but have you thought about how *I* feel about it?" which only made me more mad. Although I hate speaking in front of people, I did go up to talk about what he meant to me. I did not mention how I felt about the other hangers-on who got up to talk, because that would have been very inappropriate for a funeral, but instead tried to draw the focus back to what a wonderful human being this man was. How I never saw him angry, how I never saw him complain, how he always was so fun and jovial and approached each day like a blessing. Later on his wife told me how happy she was about my little speech. I felt glad I could support her. It also made me think about how when I die I want a happy, positive, and small funeral.'

'Our pro online video game team had practiced months for this event. There was money on the line and reputation as well within the community. It all came down to the victors in the competitive match!'

"It was the finals of my competitive match with my online buddies. We had practiced a lot online and in lan tournaments to prepare for the finale. Sometimes we would have time out members when some of us get tired and unfocused. I loved the memory because it my 2nd competitive scene match and it was my other friends very first match! We all were looking forward to this moment and what way to make it even better than to figure out it was for real money! Someone had hosted our match and put up $500 for the winners, split evenly of course. You can say there was more pressure but for sure it was nice to see our video game endeavors were finally paying off! My pro buddy didn't like how my other friend was brand new. He barely had any experience and he said he was going to cost us the match. I asked my pro buddy to give him a chance and to represent us! He said it was all up to me because I was the one who created the hosting. Fast forward game day, we had practiced for a while and were ready to play. Game starts and we are up a heavy lead (3 vs 6). We start choking and we lose the lead big time (6 vs 12). We start grinding and it of course becomes overtime for both the teams (15 vs 15). It ultimately goes to 1 vs 1 with my new friend being the last alive. He magically clutches it and we win the round and the prizepool of $500!"

'Purchased a Virtual reality headset and showed it off to family and friends.'

"This experience happened when I got something I've been wanting to try my entire life. A VR headset. This has been one of the most anticipated purchases since I was a kid. And I finally got a chance to use it. When I first put it on, I was blown away by how it looked. I felt like this was the future. I completely lost myself in the game I was playing, and for a while, i even forgot I was standing in my living room. This was so much fun. I had a blast, and I couldn't wait to tell others about it. I invited over my friends to try for themselves as well. They were a bit skeptical but once they put the VR headset on, they were blown away just like I was. In the end it was a great experience and I will never forget it. Even my family came over to try it. They also enjoyed it. One of my friends even went out to buy himself one. All in all, they really loved it."

'My mom battled with cancer through 6 rounds of treatment. In the end she was victorious and beat the cancer and we all celebrated!'

"The most memorable thing that happened to me recently was when my mom was told that she was cancer free. She had stage 4 cancer in her lymphatic system that she had been fighting. The doctor had told us that the chances of survival where not very high. She had to do six rounds of chemo so that she could try to fight the cancer. During her chemo she was very sick all of the time. My mom has always been a very strong and independent woman. Suddenly she could no longer open jars or close the heavy back door any more. Seeing her like that was very hard on the entire family. We all took turns staying with her and helping her out by cooking and cleaning. After her six sessions we had the longest wait of our lives. After Chemo you have to wait over a month to do a scan to see if it is gone. Finally the day came for us all to hear the results and the doctor brought a cake in the room that said remission! We were all shocked, even the doctor who said this wasn't a likely outcome. We were all jumping for joy. We celebrated by taking her out for dinner and then held a party for her later once she was feeling better. I cant think of a better gift to have received."

'I did some walking meditation one evening. During the walking I managed to let my mind settle down, which led to a deep sense of peace.'

"My friend recently had an anxiety attack, so I thought about it and wanted to help calm his nerves. I looked up some helpful practices and I stumbled (pun intended) across walking meditation. As I read the description of the exercise/practice, I realized this is something he actually do on a regular basis. He lives very close to a he lives in a very nice subdivision with lots of nature around him also there is a forest preserve with a walking path. I have gone down it many times and it is just a wonderful way to connect with nature I think this would be great outlet for him to release some of his stress. After I made the suggestion to him he was very excited about what that could do for him and so it could help him saying anxiety. When he weather permits, he typically like to take a walk or ride his bike through some trails in the woods at his house; He generally focuses on the wind and the temperatures of the breeze, the ambient noises coming from the trees, and he particularly likes the warmth of the sun and the way it shines through the trees. One day, he was walking down the path and and saw two deer standing in the way. One ran away the other just kind of stood there and looked at him for a short period of time. He was startled for a few seconds and then figured he was not going to be harmed. The deer found an it apple on the side of the path, bit down on it and then took off into the woods. He said this was a wonderful serene moment and he felt that he was very connected with nature Either way, he explained he always feel a bit more relaxed and content afterwards. I'm glad this is a remedy for his anxiety. I'm sure that there are other opportunities in his life feel an inner sense of peace from doing this type of meditation. The feedback has been very positive and I may start doing it myself."

'After a routine dental cleaning on my dog I received a very worrisome phone call from my vet explaining her lymph nodes were enlarged. this whole process and situation lasted about 2 weeks long. I had many sleepless nights.'

'One day after dropping off my dog for a dental cleaning I returned home to receive a call from the vet telling me my dog had swollen lymph nodes. I was shocked and confused. The vet advised me to have a test done to rule out any diseases or cancer. It was quite scary. After researching the test online, I realized how dire this situation is. I felt like I was in trouble and the anxiety and fear set in. The test results took at least a week to get. I was an emotional wreck the entire time. I didn\'t sleep very much. When they finally called and I heard those words "she doesn\'t have cancer", a weight suddenly lifted and I felt such relief. My dog wasn\'t going to die. I could go back to being happy again. I realized I need to make the most of her time here with me. They have such short lives. They deserve to have a happy life while their alive. This changed my life.'

"A few months ago my dog became more ill, and I knew it was time to put him down. It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, but I didn't want him to be in pain anymore. I stayed with him until the very end, I never left his side."

"About 4 months ago, I lost my best friend, my 16 year old miniature poodle. I know it's silly to call a dog your best friend, but he's been through everything with me. I knew his time was limited, dogs only live to be around 10-15 years old, but it was still the most difficult day of my life. Weeks prior to losing him, I could tell he was going downhill. He wasn't as excited to eat anymore, he had trouble walking, he completely lost his eyesight. It was hard, watching him go through that. I didn't know if I should be the one to put him down, or hope that maybe he would pass peacefully in his sleep one night. As time went on, I could really see him begin to go downhill. I woke up one morning and found blood in his crate, knowing something was wrong I took him to the vet. They couldn't see any cuts on him, and explained that he may be bleeding from his anus. I asked if maybe he ate something sharp, and they said it was possible but to watch him and see if he continues to do it. So I watched him, and he bled every time he went to go potty. He began to throw up after every time he ate, he didn't know where he was half the time. At one point I picked him up and he bit me, not because I had hurt him, but because he was starting to lose his mind. We knew it was time to put him down, and I hysterics. How could I go to the vets office, and not come back with him? How could I be the one to take my best friend out of this world? How could I stand there for one second and him be there with me, and the next he's gone. The day he bit me was the day I called the vets office and made the appointment, after I hung up I just sat down and cried. That night and the following morning I considered canceling the appointment, but hours before we were supposed to go in it looked like he had a seizure. I held him the entire time to make sure he didn't hurt himself, and once he was done I made him comfortable until it was time. We brought him in, and they drugged him so he was out of it. I didn't leave his side the entire time, I wasn't going to leave him alone. He had been there for me my entire life, so I was going to be there for him. I hugged him one last time while the vet injected him with two different shots, and I saw the light leave his eyes."

"i broke up with my boyfriend because he is scared to commit. I am not getting any younger you know. I things to do and he is someone I would like to share my life with and I find it insulting that he doesn't want to do that with me. Can you go to red lobster and sample lobster. No."

"Dear Diary,I've had it with Jason not willing to commit. He is able to commit to other things such as his friends and his career but when it comes to me it's crickets. Understand this, if things dont change I will have to change them. I am a young beautiful woman that deserves a man that is willing to build with me. I cannot stop my life for someone that is always doing what he wants to do. Here is going to be my way of doing things. I am going to slowly withdraw myself from the relationship. I am going to put a wedge between me and them. I am sure that he waill get the message. I cannot keep going through this. It is making me look weak. I know that I am patient because we have been together for five years. However, it should not be something that I invoke in order to get done. It should be something that he feels and believes he should do. If he feel like he needs to take a dump, he aligns himself to a toilet because he values body health. In like manner he should see value right before him."

"This summer I attended the convocation at my cousin's university. It was a festive event. Especially, the talent show at the end of the event was very memorable."

"Last summer I and my extended family members were in my cousin's graduation ceremony. We were very excited about it. It was one of the most fun experiences I ever had. We were there from the morning till late afternoon. I remember it was all exciting and lively. Everyone was very happy and proud about the graduating students. We all congratulated the graduates and walked around the campus. At the university stadium, where the graduation ceremony was conducted, we had a chance to watch a talent show. The talent show was at the end of the graduation ceremony. All the participants were current students. I couldn't believe some of them were performing as good as professional artists. Some of them sang some popular songs and the guests were really excited about it. In his address the university president thanked us all. I believe all the guests had a very high impression of my cousin's university. The entire event was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me."

'I had to homeschool my children for a year because their school had closed. It was hard and I hated it. I looked for options, and there were none. Then, a letter in the mail came from the old school, telling me they re-opened!'

"About two months ago I finally got some great news in the mail. Often my mail is consumed with junk and most of it gets tossed into the recycling, but on this particualr day, there was a golden letter that I couldn't have been happier about receiving. It was a letter informing me that the school was re-opening its doors. This meant I my days of homeschooling were coming to an end! A year earlier, I had learned that the school my children were going to was closing. Major repairs needed to be done on the school and I had to find an alternative for my children. I looked and looked for good alternatives, but there were none. I live in a small town and the closest school was miles away. It just wasn't feasable to drive my kids to school when it would take us an hour to get there and an hour to get back. Hence, my journing into the world of homeschooling began. I didn't want to homeschool because I knew it would be difficult. My children were used to the routine of public school and not their mom being their teacher. How was I supposed to keep them engaged and interested in learning when they are at home? The distractions in the house were too great with all their electronic devices. I decided that I had to become two different people, mom and teacher. I also had to designate an area of the house as the school zone. Despite this, my children had a hard time adjusting to me being their teacher. They would wine about the homework and compare me to what it was like when they were attending public school. I had to remind them over and over why we were doing things they way we were. I think it took us a good couple of months to really get into the flow of homeschooling. It wore me out to homeschool. I did enjoy having my children home, but it was exhasting mentally and physically. I was used to some quiet time during the day, but now my day was full of teaching my own children. So on that blessed day close to two months ago when I recieved that letter informing me that the school was going to re-open, I jumped for joy. It isn't that I didn't like being with my children everyday and teaching them, it was difficult."

'I became sick, and had to go to the ER on Easter Sunday. My roommate drove me there and back, and was a source of strength and compassion.'

"One Easter Sunday, I had to go to the emergency room. This was totally unexpected, as I hadn't been to a hospital or emergency room in several years. It didn't start out as a trip to the emergency room, but the urgent care I went to sent me right over! It happened like this...Two days prior, I had developed a rash on my left forearm. This was nothing new, as working outside you sometimes end up with all kinds of bruises, bites, scratches and rashes. What was different this time was on Easter Sunday, I was having a hard time mentally. I was dizzy, disoriented, having a hard time concentrating, couldn't focus, etc. My roommate, who had moved in two years prior, was concerned enough to offer to drive me to a doctor, as it was obvious to him that I shouldn't be driving! After finding one nearby that was open, we headed there, and when we arrived, I was so disoriented I couldn't complete the check-in process, so he gave them my information, and they sent me right over to the emergency room! There, I was seen almost immediately by a very competent doctor, and had to undergo an EKG and blood draw. My roommate, knowing that I had a real phobia about needles, stayed by my side the entire time, and even held my hand while my blood was drawn! I ended up being in the ER for nearly 5 hours! The doctor diagnosed me with not only a case of shingles, indicated by the rash and associated pain, but also a pretty severe case of low sodium! I was immediately given anti-virals and pain meds, and the doctor actually told me to eat more salt! He even suggested I have a bag of chips on the way home! More than anything else that happened that day, the simple acts of kindness and compassion on the part of my roommate made me realize that this was a person who I would be able to count on, probably for the rest of my life, which even with everything going on that day, made me feel very happy and content!"

'I went to another state to visit my family. I do this every summer, but this year was special. My grandmother is very sick and it may be her last year on earth.'

'Earlier this summer, in June, I went to visit my aunt in another state. I always stay with her about a week each summer with my 3 children. She lives there with my uncle and her two children. We look forward to it every year. It is a special visit always. But this year was extra special. My granny, who lives right now the road, is very sick with an incurable disease. She very likely will not be here on earth for our next visit next summer. So I made a point to visit her and spend extra time with her. When I arrived I was take aback because she was much sicker than she was the last time I saw her. I sat and talked with her, helped her around the house, and ran errands for her. I visited her on numerous days this visit. Last year, her husband, my grandpa, died. So I know how important it is to spend time with her because it may be limited. As a matter of fact, my grandpa died one week after my visit last year and I was so grateful that I made a point to spend time with him. During my visit with my granny I had deep conversations with my her. She told me details about her life that I did not know, and gave my advice about my own life. I will cherish that forever. I also spent a lot of time with my various family members, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. We had a blast as always. We sat by the pool and sunbathed. We went to softball games. We went to a skating rink and out to eat. We played with puppies. Overall, the visit was perfect, and made even better with time spent with my granny.'

'Over the weekend of the Fourth of July, I visited a friend in his hometown of Ormond Beach, Florida. We did a number of activities, but the most memorable was a walk along the beach'

"I plan to see my old friend on weekend. So I scheduled it for the weekend of the forth july. I go to see my friend in his hometown of Ormond beach which is held in Florida. We done number of activities on that day. And we spend lot of time together on the day at the beach. But we took walking together along the beach are most memorable one. And we have a dinner in a restaurant. We decided to spend more time with eachother. But we had few time for that. So we enjoyed as much we can. We've collected many memories on that day that are most embarrising one. The day are unforgottable. We are eagerly waiting for the another day like this. Long distance relationship are pure and divine. We are together forever."

'I went to a bachelor party this weekend. It was just as wild and eye opening as I was expecting with the opportunity to meet tons of new people to share life with.'

"I went to a bachelor party a week ago. It was just as wild and eye opening as I was expecting with the opportunity to meet tons of new people to share life with. I was so surprised at everything we did. The groom's brother, was the best man and he planned everything. We started the night out with a nice poker game. We played for about an 2 hours. Great game of friends and the groom ended up winning the most which is great since he is the groom. After we finished our game we went to a loyal strip club for some fun and dinner. The show was great lots of beautiful women. The owner who was a friend of Jack's even had the lady's do a special show just for us to celebrate groom's last day of being a bachelor. Great music and great dancing I will never forget. When we were done we went back to groom's brother, and sleep for a couple hours. We had a 7am fight to go see the Cowboys play. I am not a fan, but Alex loves them and this was his day or should I say days. We showed up at the station a couple hours early. We were all a little confused why and then to our surprise the manager of the Cowboys comes out and leads us to the field. Another friend there works for the owner in one of his other businesses and got us in to meet the whole team. These was the best bachelor party I have ever been too. And I am glad groom had the time of his life. We flew back to town the next day and groom was married a day later. I wish him all the luck and happiest in his marriage."

'I baked my first wedding cake for business and had to deliver and set it up during a family emergency.'

'I baked my first Wedding cake ever this past summer. I started a from home bakery about a year ago and have been blessed with a lot of business but mostly smaller cakes. I agreed to take on a large three tier wedding cake this summer. This is by far the largest cake I have ever made. This cake was also to be square which is a difficult shape to maintain on a cake because you not only have to get your icing smooth but you also have to keep your corners sharp. I was so very nervous about making and setting up this cake. The morning of the wedding I was already a nervous wreck. We received a phone call at about 4 that morning saying that my father in law had had a stroke and was in the ICU. I contacted the brides sister in law who was handling all of the plans and and spoke with her about the situation. I packed up all of mine and my 2 small kids stuff for a weeks worth of clothes and snacks to make the 4 hour drive. I packed the cake unassembled in my car and went to the church. I was able to manage watching my 2 little kids and set up the wedding cake without any serious issues. The bride was very happy with the cake. The cake looked wonderful, I got a bunch of good pictures to post on my business page which was very helpful to me. I then got my kids and myself squared away in the car and made the 4 hour drive to my in laws home.'

"Again, sad, mad, depressed, disappointed. One night in jail and a record for life. I'm thankful that the outcome was not worse, but at home it is."

'I know being an adult escort is legally prostitution. I was arrested for it last year however got away with a slap on the wrist and a small fine. Sense I make such good money at it, it\'s usually well worth the risks. Well, after last night I\'m reconsidering this profession. I got a referral from one of my regulars. Referrals go pretty well most of the time. I kind of know what to expect from the person who\'s referring them. When I arrive at the hotel room everything seemed normal so we immediately handled our financial business. He then went into bathroom and asked me to put on a blindfold. I was a little reluctant however, since it was a referral I did it anyway. Several minutes later he comes out of the bathroom takes me by the hand and opens the adjoining door to the room next door. He takes off my blindfold and I see that the entire room is filled with at least a thousand pieces of fresh fruit. I looked over at him, and to my utter shock, he\'s wearing nothing but an adult size baby diaper! Not to get into too much detail but he wanted me to do unspeakable things to him with the fruit. I had to think about it for a second but like I said, the money is good and besides no one was getting hurt. About 30 minutes go by then all of a sudden, there\'s was a very loud knocking at the door. Since he\'s in the diaper, I go to answer the door. To my surprise, it was the police saying that someone had called in a domestic disturbance happening in our room. Then without hesitation, my client blurts out "She\'s a prostitute and she made me do it." So guess what? I get taken to jail and he\'s left to try and explain the "situation" to the police.'

'I lost a job. But I found a new partner and am moving on. Aand thats what makes me feel like nothing is a big deal'

"In the last three months lots have happened. I moved to a new house. I found a girl I liked. I also was fired from my job. That was emotional for me. I wanted that bartender position. Unfortunately, they didn't like me. They thought that I didn't do a good enough job. Luckily, that day the girl I liked told me she liked me too. It made everything turn upside down. I have been seeing her since then, and we are happy. We spend a lot of time together. I even found another job. That means that I didn't lose what I thought I lost. Instead, I found a new life. I am planning on moving again. I think that we all need to smell the roses. We shouldn't be so upset about things. Things go wrong. Things don't happen the way we want them to. But if we don't see the silver lining, we are dumb. I hope I stay with her. She seems to like me. I need to be more positive. And this experience has shown me that."

"In April I traveled back to my home town for my brother's wedding. I met with friends family members I had not seen in a long time. The wedding day was a really great get together moment for a lot of people."

"The event is my younger brother's wedding. This event took place April. It was a great and memorable event for every member of my family. One of the reasons why it was memorable was because it was also a family reunion. All members of my birth family have not been in the same place together in over four years. All of us coming together for my brother's wedding was truly magnificent. When I traveled back to my family birth family house in anticipation of the wedding, I nearly cried. I had missed a lot. The day of the wedding was also fantastic. I was able to meet other extended family members. I was also able to meet childhood friends and family friends. We had a lot of catching up to do. I was surprised when I found out that two of my childhood friends were seeing each other and they already had a kid together. It was a really crazy moment for me. It made me to reminisce all the time I was with them as a kid. In all honesty I never expected them together, but I believed they grew to love each other. The wedding ceremony was generally great for me and everybody involved."

'Working hard at my job eventually led to a promotion. My life has greatly increased since achieving this goal.'

'When I joined the military as a teenager I only planned on serving one enlistment of four years. Twenty years later I am now sitting here wondering where the time has gone as I am in the process of retiring and beginning that next chapter of my life. I stayed in for many reasons but one of the biggest reasons were the promotions and opportunities afforded to me. Prior to the military most job positions I had lacked any ability to be promoted or opportunities for advancement. For those that had them the qualifications were vague, subjective, or I did not qualify due to things such as a college degree being required. In the military I found that everything was written so that things were defined and understood. Everyone had the ability to be promoted it was a question of if you wanted to be. What very few understood, though, was that you could go above and beyond just being promoted with the norm but hard work and knowledge of your job could be recognized by superiors with advanced promotion. This happened to me multiple times. When I went through the nursing program, on my last week of school, I had to study both for the nursing exam as well as my promotion exam. I was in the top 5% of the nursing class and I was the only individual to get a perfect score on the promotion board. I was promoted 2 years earlier than I was eligible to recognize me for my hard work. One year later I was promoted again one year earlier than I was eligible which, combined, pushed my rank 3 years ahead of fellow peers. This went on for my entire career. The hard work I put in went towards early promotions allowing me to achieve rank higher than peers. This led to higher pay raises and more income earned over time. It allowed me to attend education and training opportunities I would not of been able to otherwise. This allowed me to be able to afford materialist goods I desired and to pay for the family I currently share my life with each day. The promotions and income allowed us to have nicer homes, nicer cars, and more time off to spend with one another. Many complain that promotions, wealth, and education are all based on who you know and luck. I came from a household of poverty and am now considered upper middle class retired before age 40 with a masters in nursing. I am proof that hard work leads to those promotions and success in life. I made my own "luck."'

'We took our family trip to Universal Studios during a work event. We went to the Walking Dead when it opened up and someone pulled the fire alarm part way through, only to experience panic and confusion.'

'Once a year we take a family trip for a few days during the summer just to reconnect and build memories. This year we decided to go to Universal Studios during our company event. My company buys out the place for a few days and only company employees get to attend after a certain time of night. We had a wonderful time going around the park enjoying all of the attractions. However, the Walking Dead walk-through attraction was closed for most of the day. My kids were disappointed because it was something they had been looking forward to. When we heard that they were going to reopen it at 10 p.m., we made sure we were first in line. We were queued at the front waiting, but when they opened the doors, they let a woman through in a wheelchair with her family first. The woman was clearly upset. She was cussing and calling her family members names, saying that they were forcing her to go through the attraction. We all laughed it off and gossiped for a minute. But after a few minutes, we were allowed to go through. About halfway through the attraction the fire alarm suddenly went off and all of the lights popped on. At first we thought it was part of the fun house and didn\'t know what to do. But when I seen one zombie start to climb out and then panic and back up real slowly, I realized it was real. I looked all around with my kids for the emergency exit, but I couldn\'t find it. I said out loud, "Where do we go?" And a zombie still in full character slugs his arm to the right and points to the emergency exit. We started laughing so hard when we went out. One zombie started saying, "what do we do?" When we got out, we heard that the woman in the wheelchair panicked and threw the alarm. It was hilarious and we all had a good memory out of it.'

'My son recently started going to community college and is working towards being an architect. He has been working hard and I am so proud of his progress so far. The cost of college is high and was surprising but my son is worth it and I look at is as an investment towards his future success.'

"My son is still in school but has been on vacation for the past month. He had decided to take a class during the summer, so his vacation didn't start when my other kids vacation had started. We ended up waiting for him to be off so we could go on vacation. Our vacation was pretty short and ended up only actually doing something for a week. It was more of a stay cation. But it was still fun and we did a few things close to where we live. I was a little frustrated and surprised that he wanted to take this class, but it was with the teacher that he really wanted. So, in the end it was fine and my family was able to adjust. It can be hard to keep up with his schedule because its always changing and he usually needs someone to take him to and from school due to lack of parking. So I have had to plan for that, and to make sure my schedule is flexible so I can either take him to school or pick him up. Its a good thing his college is close, or this type of thing would never work. I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked toward his civil engineering degree. So even though I have to deal with the transportation issues, high cost, and the challenging schedule, I think its been worth it. I'm so happy he has this opportunity and I am able to support him through it. My parents never sent me to college or even really thought about my education. So I'm glad that I am able to do this for my son and be there to help him continue his education."

'I go downstairs to grab a sugary drink thinking that is what I needed for a hot summer day when I was feeling massively dehydrated. I just throw it all up. I found it hard to stand and even walk and this progression alerted me it was time to go to a hospital.'

'I had had a hot day and was about to leave for home. The day was good and the game was such a relieve since we had beaten our rivals. We had awaited for this clash for more than a year and it was time to prove to them that we were unbeatable. My team was well prepared and with our Captain in good form, we were sure of victory. Earlier that day i had a bad feeling of unwelnes. My head was throbbing like it was going to burst. I had a feeling like i was sick. All the same the game started well and we were able to have a very early lead with one goal to nill in the first half. Our coach was enthusiastic and hopeful that we were to win. On the second half, they equalized and that is when i new that football was like a game of cards and the tables can change at any given time We had to do something. Time was not on our side. We had to change the attack pattern and do it fast. We needed one more goal to make the difference. Ten minutes to full time, Joe sent me a cross that changed the game. I was in a good position to score but chose to pass it to the Captain who was in a better position than me. It was a smooth pass but i was attacked from behind and fell to the ground. The Captain had netted it and we were on the lead again. My head was throbbing and i was substituted. The game ended well. We won. Back at home and i was feeling better. I go downstairs to grab a sugary drink thinking that is what I needed for a hot summer day when I was feeling massively dehydrated. I just throw it all up. I found it hard to stand and even walk and this progression alerted me it was time to go to a hospital.'

'We lost our beloved dog to metastatic liver cancer after several months of trying to do everything we could to make him better. We took him to the vet together and we were with him, holding him, when he breathed his last. We will miss him forever.'

"2 months ago my heart was shattered, and I haven't been the same since. That's when we lost Buddy to liver cancer. Looking back he hadn't been the same since the end of last year, but I didn't see it at the time. It started with throwing up more, and losing a bit of weight. I just assumed it was part of him getting older, nothing more. Then one day I noticed he was laying down in an awkward position, and wouldn't sleep. I took him to the vet, and when they called me in to that special room where they give you terrible news, time just stopped. He had advanced liver cancer, and there was not much hope. I fell apart right then and there - Buddy was my entire world. He had seen us through good times and bad, and was our ever constant companion. I called Josh, and told him to come home through the sobs. The vet gave us our options that included an aggressive dialysis schedule, or comfort measures. I couldn't bear the thought of not having Buddy, so we went with the aggressive dialysis schedule. I took him 3 times a week to the animal hospital, and would sit with him for hours before taking him home. I held out hope for a few months, but it became apparent that he was still deteriorating. Josh convinced me that it was time to let Buddy go. The vet came to our house so Buddy would be kept comfortable. We stroked his fur and cried together as he finally was at peace."

'Basically we had a cookout at my uncles for my mom who passed away 2 years ago. It was a fun and emotional day for the family.'

"This event happened to me about 6 months ago. My dog and best friend Indy passed away. She was with me day and night for 12 years. I think I will miss her forever. She had such a big personality one of those unique characters. Indy had problems with her eyesight she couldn't tell what was what when it was far away. She ones saw a woman pulling a suitcase and thought it was a dog or animal on a leash. She barked and went crazy over seeing a suitcase being pulled along the street. Our family always laughs about that. She also saw a huge painting of a man on the wall of a store in town. She thought he was real and barked and barked. Her hair was raised up on her back and she didn't stop till we drove away. Indy was part Lab and part german shorthair. She had a short tail that had been cropped by who ever had her as a puppy. She was a rescue dog. We buried our beloved Indy in the backyard in the garden. She spent a lot of time out there with me. I planted wildflowers over her grave. We placed a big rock with her name printed on it to mark her grave. I still talk to her when I am in the garden. I will miss that dog till the day I die."

'I cooked pulled pork for my wifes vacation. I was concerned that they might not like it. Everybody loved it, and people came out of the woodworks to have some.'

"My wife and kids were going on vacation that I unfortunately could not go on. This vacation had been planned since the month they had gotten back from the vacation the year before. She was to spend a week out out of town with the kids visiting family. I had mentioned cooking bbq to send with her this year. I love bbq. Throughout the year I will have a few big cookouts, have people over to eat and have drinks and will generally share with neighbors as well. So the day before she left, I woke up at 4am and fired up our big offset cooker (the smoker) and prepped roughly 30 lbs of meat. I threw the meat on and tended to the fire all day all while she ran around took care of any last minute errands she needed to take care of before leaving. The meat hit its plateau, one of the longest I had experienced in my roughly 20 years of cooking bbq. Stressed because even when these were finished we still had work to do. At around 10pm they finished, we pulled them and let them rest. We then quickly shredded, and vacuum sealed all the meat for her trip. She leaves on her trip. We talk occasionally but no mention of the bbq. Day 2 passes, still haven't heard anything about the barbecue I sent. I just assumed it would be a few people and a maybe a small dinner get together and they would probably enjoy it. On day three I received some pictures of some tables and a tent setup with my bbq on display. They had invited everybody. At this point I am concerned. Is this type of bbq everyone's cup of tea? Apparently so, as I received a picture of groups of people eating and having a good time. My wife called and said it was a huge success, some even had as many three to four pulled pork sandwiches, she explained that people who didn't even plan on coming showed up to eat after they heard about the bbq. It was a hit and they all thanked me. It felt good to know it was a success. My hard work paid off."

'I had cemented myself on going to one college. I was working out finances and was completely surprised by an offer from a college. When I approached these two college with requests for more aid, the other college responded better to my request.'

'Five months ago, I was in shambles. I was still trying to figure out what college was the best for me but also still affordable. I had my heart set on this college from Sophomore year, with the cost that far exceeded what my family could afford. I had applied to many other colleges; I was awaiting final offers to see what I would get. One day, I received a financial aid letter from another school, which was just as prestigious as the first college I had my heart set on. I saw that letter and was amazed at the level of generosity of the financial aid department, but I needed more to be able to attend. I had been sending financial aid appeal letters out to every college that sent me a financial aid offer as to try and get the best offer, I could get. What comes next is what made me realize why this school was in fact the right choice for me. I sent a letter in asking for them to give me extra consideration for aid based upon my special circumstances. I then less than a week later received an email informing me that my aid package had been finalized. I was awarded an additional $4,000, giving me a full ride to the school. When I heard this, my Mom and I cried for we had finally figured out a college that would work for me. For a low-income hard-working student, that was the saving grace I needed to realize that they were the one for me. The other school responded much worse refusing to offer me anymore money and refusing to help make their program affordable for me. They took almost two months to respond. What this made me realize is that the school that was generous would eb the school that I would want to attend for the next four years. When I needed help, they would be able to help me and ensure that I made it through. After realizing this, I immediately committed and paid my deposit and now am going to be attending that school in the fall.'

'I applied for a job working with special needs children, which I did not have the training or experience for. To make matters worse, I did not prepare for the interview much. To my surprise, I ended up being offered the job on the spot.'

"A couple of months ago, I applied for a job working with special needs children. I needed income for the summer, so I applied to as many jobs as I could. I had not received many phone calls back regarding my applications. This particular job I applied for, I was not necessarily qualified to do. During the school year, I had a job working with children but I had no experience working with special needs children. This job also required a special certification which I did not possess. I applied anyways. Two weeks later I got an email from the company requesting a time to set up a phone screening. I passed the phone screening and got an interview. I was not able to prepare for the interview much, and expected to bomb it. I was nervous and unorganized before the interview and decided to just wing it. I did the interview. The questions were hard, but I think I did a good job answering most of them. There were a couple of questions that I think I messed upon. At the end of the interview, I was hired on the spot. I couldn't believe it! I thanked the interviewer and completed the paperwork for new employees. I never got a job so easily. It made me believe more in myself and what I had to offer."

'A crazy bachelorette party that ended with a finger nail in my drink, a lot of embarrassment, and being cut off.'

"A few weeks ago I went to a bachelorette party for a good friend. We all went out prior and did hair and nails, got dressed up and hit the town with tons of party favors in tow. We went to a place that we all know well where we ordered our first round of drinks. After a few rounds, one of my friends brought us another round. It was around our fifth or so and things were really getting loosened up. As I was drinking my drink and slurrping what was left at the bottom of the glass, I saw something pink. I played with it with my straw thinking it was a chunk of fruit or something. That's when I realized it was a finger nail!! i was so grossed out, I dropped the glass and it broke on the floor. It was super embarrassing because it caused a little scene. The bouncer came by and said I had enough to drink. I tried to tell him there was a nail in my glass, but he wasn't believing me since our bachelorette group was pretty loud at this point. When I dropped the glass, the nail was no where to be found, so I had no evidence. I was cut off from drinks and our group was under scrutiny after that. I didnt ruin the party, but it sure put a damper in things! We will all remember this night forever. Eventually, we went to another place, but it wasnt as fun as the first."

'My friends and I were stuck in a hotel elevator. We were all miserable but turned the situation around. It was one of the most memorable experiences for all of us.'

"This summer I went to San Diego with my friends to celebrate a birthday. We out to downtown and went out to eat then we went to a couple of bars and we had an amazing time. We were all pretty drunk but we were still respectful of others and was just having fun. We are all kind of old to be staying too late and we were all pretty beat so we decided to hit back to our hotel even though the clock hadn't struck midnight yet. All 8 of us cramped into the hotel elevator including another man in a suit. Just as the elevator door was beginning to close my drunk friend decided to stick his finger out at the very last moment. Not surprisingly, the elevator was jammed and we were stuck in there. The man in the suit yells at my friend for being an idiot and now we were going to spend the rest of New Years Eve stuck in an elevator. We were all miserable. 30 minutes goes by and still no signs of help yet. Suddenly, I really had to pee, so did another one of my friend. We couldn't hold it any longer so we decided we had to go but just as we were unzipping our pants, the man in the suit offered a flask with a jalapeno symbol on it for us to pee in, that made us all laugh and it broke the ice. The firemen eventually shows up and gets us out of there. The man in the suit turns out to be the owner of the roof club at the top of the hotel so he invited us to come for free and bought us all shots. It was one of the most memorable experiences because we all as a group turned a situation around. It could have been a depressing sad night but we ended making the most of it and had one of the most memorable nights together."

'While picking up my kids from their dads house I encountered a roadblock. I was able to handle the problem with the assistance of law enforcement and also use the situation as a life lesson for my children.'

"Due to a nasty divorce, I now have to allow my boys to visit their dad every summer. I keep them for the school year to ensure that they get the best education possible. Don't get me wrong, I think every child should have the opportunity to have a father in their life, but seeing as he was abusive towards me I don't believe that HE should be the father in their life. In fact I am happily re-married now and have a beautiful little girl with my current husband. Flash forward to the end of this most recent summer, I was heading to my ex husbands house to pick up my boys. The arrangement had been for them to be picked up at 12 noon. I arrived at said time to pick them up for my ex husband to come outside and tell me that I could not have my boys until later that day because he changed his plans(something of course not communicated to me). I told him that per our agreement we had come upon I was to pick them up by noon and that I was not leaving without me kids. This man then went back inside and slammed the door on my face. Now at this point my boys knew I was there and I could hear them on the other side of the door crying because they wanted to see me and he would not let them. After an hour went by of me knocking on the door and ringing the door bell, I had to get law enforcement involved. Something I never ever wanted my kids to be exposed to or involved in. When law enforcement arrived they went inside to retrieve my kids and escorted us off the property. Thankfully myself and my children left unharmed and I was able to have a conversation about wrong and dangerous situations and when the police should be called. We were able to turn a completely negative experience into a life lesson and I am very grateful for that."

'I had a miscarriage and it tore me up inside. I am still not over the experience even though it has been a couple months.'

"After trying for a year to have a baby, I finally got pregnant. My husband and I couldn't have been happier. We planned out everything. We had the name picked out right away for each gender, we knew how we were going to decorate the room, we notified everyone, we were just ready. Then, 6 months ago, I had a miscarriage. I couldn't stop crying. I didn't know why this was happening to me. I thought it just meant I wasn't meant to have a baby. I stayed in bed for weeks. My husband was almost as broken up as I was. When everyone found out, we were flooded with support, gifts, small favors, etc. That helped us, but we still couldn't get over it. My husband and I haven't tried again and I don't know if I ever want to. I'm still not over it. I don't want to get my hopes up again and then have to have them crushed, and I don't think my husband does either. Hopefully in the next year, I will be back to normal."

'Son brought in abandoned newborn kitten.All my kids pitched in and took care of it.Kitten thriving now!Proud parent of great, caring kids.'

"My son found a newborn kitten, abandoned by its mother. He watched to be certain that the mother didn't come back. When she didn't, he brought in the kitten. After a family discussion, we decided to do what we could to save it. We all began to take care of it. The kitten was no more than a day old. I watched as my children fed, cleaned and provided around the clock care for it. My husband and I did the online research for them and assisted when needed, but my kids did the most of 24/7 the hands-on care. The most stressful was trying to be patient as the kitten learned to drink from a bottle and not fight. The most difficult was having to stimulate the kitten to eliminate. The burping after feeding was probably the cutest! What makes this so memorable, is that it was so moving be a part of this and to watch them save this baby kitten. My husband and I are so proud of them. It's wonderful to have helped with saving this tiny baby's life. The kitten is now a member of our family, and is thriving!"

'I endured a nasty deposition by four lawyers. They were even more unreasonable and vicious than expected. It started with a pre-dawn bus trip in an ice storm and ended with my throwing up through most of the return bus trip at the end of the day.'

"I was deposed in a lawsuit I initiated against some vicious people. I knew this would be difficult, especially as I had 5 opponents, so 4 lawyers would be questioning me. I tried to set some reasonable parameters but this only made them more difficult. Apparently they have no scruples and nothing to do with themselves but hurt others. The deposition was in a gray rundown room in the basement of the courthouse. There was an ice storm forecast, but they would not reschedule. I had to get up at 3:45 a.m., dress in the dark in the freezing cold in the car (and this is slow for me as I have a tremor), drive to a coffee shop to use the restroom and have a bite to eat, and then leave my car there for safety to walk to the bus stop. The buses are in poor repair, very rough riding and full of exhaust fumes that make me sick. I had to make a tight time transfer to a second bus too. Then the torment began. I had insisted on a 5 p.m. end time but they started right in to pressure me on this. Two of them made angry faces at me most of the time. They dragged out the deposition so I'd be forced to schedule a second day. They concocted nasty and unfathomable procedural offenses on my part. One insisted on interrupting so that two were questioning me at the same time. There was a short lunch break at which I ate my barley and lentil pouch without benefit of microwave. Finally, it was over. I threw up through a good part of the return bus trip. Fortunately, I had packed a barf bag. But my digestion was off for weeks afterwards."

'Last night we went to a Styx concert and the love of my life proposed to me during the song "Lady". It was so romantic and I am very happy and blessed to marry such a wonderful man.'

'Yesterday I had to take my kitty to the vet. I had to drive an hour over very rural back roads to get him there. He is quite a large cat and did not take to traveling well. I had to take him to the vet because he had been coughing and refusing to eat his prescribed kitty food. He was just having a hard time of it. I finally got him to the vet and he was able to get out of the car. I should say that he cried the whole time we were driving. I had to turn the music up to drown him out. I dont want to be mean, but he was really crying. Finally we got him to the vet and he calmed down a little. He got his urine checked and is having problems with allergies. The cat might have asthma. The cat!! I could not believe a cat could have asthma. Anyway, $100 later and we were on our way back home. The ride back was better.'

'My four year old son needed foot surgery. My husband and I were nervous because we had never gone through surgery before. It ended up going fairly well.'

"A memorable event that I have recently had happen was when my four year old son had foot surgery this past Thursday. He was born with a condition called polydactylism, which means having extra fingers or toes. In my son's case, he was born with an extra pinky toe on his left foot. As a baby it was easier to manage, since babies obviously don't need shoes, but now as a preschooler his extra little toe would often hurt him while wearing tennis shoes. My husband and I always knew that he would need this surgery, but we were still worried when the day actually arrived. Neither he nor I, nor our older son, had ever needed surgery before. This was uncharted waters for us. When we arrived at the hospital Thursday morning, the nurses took his vitals to make sure he was healthy enough for surgery that day. Other than that, a lot of the time was just spent waiting. It made my husband and I feel sad because our son was hungry but he was not allowed to eat prior to the surgery. Thankfully the hospital did have a good amount of toys that helped keep him distracted. Finally around 12:30 in the afternoon he was taken back for his surgery. My husband and I were not allowed to go back with him, but the nurses and doctors made it fun for him by taking him back in a big push car. Once they got to the room, they put a small mask on his face with the strawberry scented gas he had picked out earlier. After he was asleep with the gas, they put the needle in his hand for the other anesthesia. Surgery only lasted about one hour. The nurse came to get my husband and I to take us to where our son was recovering. He's normally a really happy little guy, but unfortunately he was in a lot of pain and very confused coming out of his surgery. He ended up needing three shots of morphine in his IV to manage the discomfort. Thankfully it seemed to work quickly and soon we were on our way home. He seems to be recovering well and we're thankful his surgery was an over-all uneventful, yet memorable, experience."

'A friend from work threw me a surprise birthday party a few months ago. I received concert tickets, and I had a great time overall.'

'My birthday was coming up. It wasn\'t supposed to be too special. I was turning 27, and I lost the spark that I used to feel whenever my birthday came up. Instead of jitters and happiness, I just felt like I\'m one year closer and closer to being old. In fact, I felt pretty old. Everyone around me kept assuring me how young I really am, and how I still have so much life left, yet I can\'t help but just feel like an old geezer. One thing happened that changed all that, though. I told my best friend that I wasn\'t too excited about my birthday and not to do anything too special for me. This was a huge mistake. My friend took this as a challenge, and although I didn\'t know it just yet, he was going to give me the best birthday party I\'ve ever had. When the day arrived it was just like any day. I went to work, ate my daily breakfast, did everything I usually do. Then, when I got home, he, along with all of my other friends and even some family all shouted "Surprise!" as loud as they possibly could. I was in complete disbelief. We partied, hung out, talked, and had a wonderful time. He got me concert tickets to my favorite band. Maybe birthdays aren\'t so bad after all.'

"I was evicted unexpectedly from my apartment leaving me, my future wife, and my two cats had to live in our car for two months. We were able to move in with my fiancee's homophobic parents. We are slowly rebuilding our lives after facing homelessness."

"Three months ago my family had an unexpected crisis. I was evicted from my apartment. I have a fiancee and two cats and we had no where to go. This was really hard to cope with and I did not know what to do to make it better. I had no choice but to live out of my car with my family for about two months. Being homeless and living out of a car is not something I would want anybody to go through. It hard and embarassing and crushing to your self-esteem. I felt like I had no control over my life and that I did not do enough to keep a roof over my head. And the cats hated being stuck in a car, can you imagine that added stress. Finally my fiancee's parents said we could stay with them until we got back on our feet again. Although I was grateful for this it was uncomfortable living with people who have such hateful opinions of gays/lesbians. I dont have these feelings so I did my best to ignore that because like I said I was grateful for a place to stay. We are slowly getting back on our feet and I hope that it continues. Its not fun being homeless. I only faced this issue for a small amount of time compared to others. I am hopeful for the future."

'Four months ago I attended my green card interview with my husband. We had to prove that our marriage was real so that I could stay in the USA. The green card was approved the following day.'

'My husband left our country for the United states around 5 years ago. He comes home few times a year and as soon as he got his citizenship, he wanted me to join him. I prepared all I could and have a travel agency arrange my flight. My visa was approved luckily. I packed all my stuffs and left for the airport. I landed in United States the following day and I was welcomed by my husband. After settling in for a while, my husband started processing for my green card. We went for the green card interview. It was a very fast process but the officer responding to us insisted on us proving that our marriage was real and not some sham. We showed her all old pictures we had together. This includes our wedding pictures. She was convinced after seeing that we were married even before my husband came to United States. My green card was approved the next day and I easily became a citizen. I was so happy. The process was a very easy one for me.'

'I have a therapy dog, named Sheriff, and he and I visit Shriners Hospital for children. Over the course of a few months I saw the power of a therapy dog with a patient named Rebecca. Sheriff and I were there with her the day she left this earth to become an angel,'

"One of three of my Siberian Huskies is named Sheriff and he is a certified Therapy Dog. Although we visit several kinds of places such as Senior Citizens Daycare Centers, Schools for Disabled Children and Assisted- Living Homes, our favorite place to visit is Shriners Children Hospital. When Sheriff and I do our weekly visit we actually put on a program in the hospital's auditorium. It is always amazing to me to see these happy children faces when I know they are battling serious, and sometimes terminal illnesses. Just being in these children's presence is such a blessing and reminds me to appreciate each day. The program Sheriff and I do is quite interactive with the children, so when someone doesn't participate it is quite noticeable. About 6 months ago I would notice a young girl, probably about 7 years old, standing off to the side. She looked incredibly lonely and sad. I have learned over time to let the kids approach us or Sheriff as they deemed to be comfortable. Each week I would hold eye contact with her for a little longer and subtly move a little closer to this girl, whose name I later learned is Rebecca. It took about 4 weeks to get close to Rebecca, and finally one day when we were close I asked her if she would like to pet Sheriff. She approached us in a shy manner and gently put her hand on Sheriff's back. The following week she actually walked up to Sheriff and gave him a big hug. My heart felt so much overwhelmingly love for this girl. As time went on I spoke with Rebecca often and felt we had become close. It was with a heavy heart when I received a phone call from the director who asked is Sheriff and I would visit Rebecca in her room. She had become gravely terminal. It was a day of love but one of extreme sadness as well. Rebecca's mom told me that one of Rebecca's wishes was to see Sheriff. She told me that Sheriff brought so much happiness to Rebecca. That day I knew the power of Therapy Dog and what a difference they make in people's lives."

"A few months ago, my daughter moved seven hours away. Then i found out that my son was moving as well. My husband and I were both sad for a while until we discovered that we would have only ourselves to worry about. Now we're excited."

"About four months ago, my daughter moved seven hours away from us. As the baby of the family, she is the first to actually move to a different town or city, let alone 7 hours away. The only good thing about her moving so far is that she will be only one hour away from my mom. It makes me feel better that if anything happens my mom will be right there until I can be. I took it really hard, of course, and haven't been quite myself these past few months without her here. She was not only my best friend, but she was always here to make sure I take care of myself. She would do little things for me when I worked all day, like clean the house, have dinner ready, and put a scentsy on so the house smelled good when I got home. We talked all the time about absolutely everything, and all of a sudden she was not here and I was extremely depressed. My husband and I had drifted apart and hadn't even realized it. Last week, I found out that my son is moving as well! Both children leaving in one year! In fact, he will be almost in the same town, and I told him when his father and I are not getting along, I am going to bring his dad to his house and drop him off! Only jokingly, of course! My husband and I have been talking about being alone again and although we miss our children, we have an opportunity to get to know each other again, and perhaps even fall in love all over again. We are very excited, and have been communicating more and are even starting to flirt again! We will see what happens!"

"I was in a bad position of almost being homeless due to another person's laziness. Just as I was starting to get really nervous about having a place to live, my neighbors posted their home for sale. I purchased their home. I'm still working on the remodeling."

'i was in a bad position, because my body not in proper condition. it really very lazy, i want to sleep more time. early morning cannot wake up, sometimes i getting trouble with my body. fever, cold, sick like etc.. in the situation still i am working on a company. just as i was starting to get nervous about having a place to live, still i earning money and save also into bank account. slowly i earn money into my bank account, i want to buy a separate home. long time my hobby is buying a own home. that dream became coming true, because of my neighbors posted their home for sale. i saw it, i willing to buy, lot of happiness and joy. after that i want to purchase their home, then i make a contract with them, then long time i working make a more money for them. still keep money for every month, and i remodeling the home nicely. nowadays so many houses are remodeling into the passion, i also want to make like that. i find a remodeling contractor and ask them to do remodeling for my own decision. now i feel happy and still working for that house payment loan. and every month on going the due payment. now i feel better to before. i stay happily and enjoyable at my own home. after that i tell this thing to my parents they also very happy.'

'My son began crawling around and interacting with things. This reduced his reliance on me for carrying him around, entertaining him, etc. This allowed him to learn so many new behaviors and really brightened his personality.'

"Since last writing about this event, it has continued to progress and develop. My son is now much more mobile and active than he was when I last wrote about this. He is walking around (while holding onto things) and climbing all over everything. He is opening cabinets and drawers and taking things out to play with them. He is quite a handful now. His personality is even more apparent and he is able to process and display more complex thoughts and emotions. We are much more social with each other now. talking and playing have a lot more significance now. He has grown so much in the last few months. It is clear that at this stage, his growth is faster than it has ever been. I assume that his growth will continue to accelerate until we can't even keep up with him anymore. Enough time has passed that I am beginning to miss when he was smaller because of the simplicity we had in our lives, but I love watching him learn and grow up. I look forward to seeing him start to walk on his own. I am also excited for his first word. It will be great when we can communicate meaningfully with each other. I also am looking forward to when he can hold a bottle up all by himself."

'I meet someone when I was very depressed. This person is an incredible guy inside and out and has change how I view myself. This relationship has endured for quite some time now.'

"I can't I just met this guy 6 months ago. He came to me in at a time in my life when I was in turmoil. My mother and I had stopped speaking, my dad was far away, and I didn't feel like I was close to anyone. I was merely existing in a world and had no direction. An occasional thought of suicide would pop into my head and it scared me. While I was at the pharmacy picking up anti-depressants that were prescribed to me, I bumped into a man. I immediately started to apologize and felt my face heating up. He just smiled at me and told me not to worry. I must have just stared at him because his smile was so sincere, so he asked if I was okay. That made me laugh out of embarrassment. My name was called at that moment to pick up my pills, and he was waiting for me when I was done checking out. He asked if maybe I'd like to get some coffee next door. I had nowhere else to be, and really just wanted some human contact, so I said yes. We really connected. He made me realize life is worthwhile and there is beauty in everything, especially when you least expect to find it. We've been dating steadily now and I've just started talking to my mom again. I think I'm going to be okay after all."

'My dog had been missing for 3 months. My daughter said she had saw him in a yard.So we went there, it sure was Peanut, he was happy to see us.The man there said he had dog for years.He said he was going to call police, I said good.When police arrived.They said take your dog.'

'It was a typical morning making breakfast. Letting the dog out, and getting ready for work. While my husband and kids are eating. I m upstairs getting ready for work. Then I go downstairs to clean up the mess. Meanwhile evryone is getting ready for school and work. Then my husband leaves or work. My two kids leave to wait at the bus stop. So now eveyone has lef. Im getting myself together and making sure all the lights and oven is off. Then I leave for the day. While at work I realize that I left our dog Peanut outside. So I end up leaving work for a long break. And head home to put Peanut back in the house. I arrived home and he was gone, dug a hole under fence. So I was horrified. Well 3 weeks passed and my dughter said she saw Peanut in a yard near school. So we left to find him. We arrived at the house and sure enogh that was Peanut. He was jumping all around, happy to see us. A man came out. I said this is my dog, I am taking him home. The man said no, and he called the police. The police arrived, I showed them the missing poster, and pics on my phone and the ad that was in the paper. The police officer said take your dog.'

'First time traveling with the wife to Las Vegas. We had to see the attractions and lights as well as the desert landscape. That type of landscape is unfamiliar to us as we are from a tropical island.'

'My recent event that was memorable was traveling to Las Vegas. My wife and I had traveled for the first time together. I have been to Las Vegas twice before but she had never been. She was in awe at how different things were compared to where we are from (Hawaii). We had a great time seeing all the lights and people and going to the attractions. I am very pleased at our experience there. We will definitely need to go back another time. Possibly do a road trip the next time we visit the states as we are from and isolated island in the Pacific. My wife and I need to travel more often but it is very expensive to live in our state and can only make what it takes to survive out here. I would like to be able to travel much more often than we currently do. Hopefully next year we can either travel back to the states or to another country. That is what is on my bucket list, to visit another country. One thing, I need to get a passport first. I hear that it can be difficult to get if you dont know what to bring. I will need to research to be fully prepared for the situation.'

'My cousin got married and we were invited after many years of not talking. The wedding was amazing overall and my cousin looked beautiful. The night ended with our aunt vomiting on a table and passing out. A memorable wedding to be sure!'

"This past spring, we attended the wedding of my cousin and her fiance. My immediate family lives out of town, so we all flew in for the occasion. After arriving to the wedding, we were seated at our table and the ceremony itself got underway. The main of honor was the bride's sister and the best man was the groom's brother. My cousin looked absolutely amazing in her dress and she seemed to really feel comfortable in it. The ceremony was short and sweet and then the party got started. We enjoyed a delicious dinner that was served family style at out table. After dinner, the open bar really got going and people were ready to party and dance the night away. There was the standard father-daughter dance and the groom-mother dance. While I myself refrained from drinking too much, my aunt did not follow the same game plan. I looked over a one point and she was dancing with a glass of tequila in her hand. After a few hours of repeating this behavior, she got really sick and threw up all over the table. It was embarrassing, but in our family embarrassing is the norm. Overall, minus the vomit, everyone had a great time. It was such a treat to spend time with some family member and celebrate a new party of life beginning."

'I was mugged last month. It was very disturbing for me and I think about it a lot. It was after I got off the subway and at night.'

"I still think about the mugging. It's been over a month now yet it is still just as upsetting now as it was then. Every time I'm on the subway I find myself looking around constantly, scanning everyone else up and down. I'm even thinking about what I should do if someone starts approaching me, where can I run to, where is the nearest exit, or is there anything I can just hide behind. Every now and then I see someone who looks like the mugger. It startles me every time. Even if its in broad daylight or in some big store with dozens of other people in it. I know this is insane but I think he may be following me, maybe lying in wait to do it all over again. And this I really hate, I used to have no problem with chatting up people in public, no problem with making new friends, but now I try to avoid it all costs. I just walk around with a hoodie up and headphones in, hoping no one notices me or walks towards me or anything like that. I'm pretty much running when in public just so some other mugger will have less of a chance to exploit me. I haven't worn what I was wearing that night again. Not even the shoes. I should probably just throw all that clothing away, even seeing it sitting in the corner of the room is too much. It just brings up those memories all over that run and run like a video stuck on repeat. I'm not sure if I should donate it to goodwill or something - I don't know why I find myself thinking like this, but it's almost like everything to do with that night is tainted. Why should I give something that's been ruined like that to someone in need? I'm actually thinking of moving out of the city now. If something like this happens again I just couldn't handle it. I can barely handle it now. Things weren't all that stressful before the mugging, but now I'm almost having panic attacks just putting on my coat and tying my shoes. Everyone has noticed that I'm not going out anymore. Everyone at work can see that I'm almost falling apart. And I just can't stand going to work, climbing down the stairs at that same station. It doesn't matter what time it is, even when there are a hundred people on the platform."

'My family hosted a surprise graduation party for me. All my friends and family were present, they made my favorite foods and showered me with gifts.'

'One May 9th I came home to a great surprise. My husband, family and close friends were in my backyard with the scent or ribs rushing to my nostrils. Everyone shouted surprise, hugs and kisses came towards me one after the other. I had just graduated and recieved my masters degree in criminology. I did not recieve a party when I got my bachelors so I really was not expecting one now. My parents with tears of joy mentioned how long they have been planning the party and how hard it was to keep my husband from letting out the secret. My husband while laughing mentioned how it was the hardest thing to do because i am always being noisy. They prepared all my favorite foods; jerked chicken, ribs, curried mutton, hotdogs fries and cheesecake. They had the right playlist and decors is my favorite colors. In the center of the yard was a table with gift boxes and cards. I was overwhelmed and still in disbelief as i have never had something like this so much joy and pride in one place at the same time. Eveyone was talking and laughing, kids running around the yard. I grabbed my plate and feasted upon the food the had prepared. I ate, drink and dance and the end of the night we played games and i opened my gifts. I received gift cards for my favorite restuarants, cash, jewelry and the greatest of all a new car from my husband, I could not hold back the tears as it burst from my eyes. This was definately one of the mostl memorable moments of my life.'

"The birth of my friend's son and how strongly it affected me. I was so happy that my friend would be able to share the same types of experiences with his son, that he had shared with his father."

'My best friend growing up had a kid. He was the youngest of the group of friends. He had a baby boy with his first serious girlfriend. It put my life into perspective and made me rethink the way I was living. I was smoking alot of weed and drinking and not concentrating on being successful. My friend eventually grew apart and became a full time dad. He was great dad. I wanted the same thing so I stop drinking and smoking. I started working out more as well. I eventually abbged a good woman. I think seeing my friend grow up made me want to do the same. I liked that my friend was a good dad and I think he eventually had more kids. We both grew up and apart and I wonder how he is doing lately. I now live in a big city and moved away from the small town where we all grew up. I hope to one day see my friends again and catch up.'

'My wife delivered our twin baby girls. One of the twins needed to be taken to the intensive care. Thankfully she recovered and we were able go home as a complete family.'

'It was the time when my wife was about to deliver our twin baby girls. We were in the house and her water suddenly broke. I rushed upstairs and got all the stuff we prepared ahead. Everything happened so fast. When we arrived in the hospital my wife was taken to the Operating Room as she need to undergo C section. I was very anxious and was pacing about. After a couple of hours in waiting finally the babies were out. What seemed to a joyful moment suddenly turned into a sad one, as one of the twins needed to be resusitated and was taken immediately to the intensive care. It was really devastating for me and my wife. One baby was doing fine while the other one was fighting for her life. It was difficult to celebrate and be joyful. We spent a couple of weeks in the hospital. After a few weeks one of the twins recovered very well. We were now ready to go home. After several weeks of being apart it was a very happy moment for our family to be together. The babies have recovered and are healthy as well as my wife and I thank God for that.'

'My husband and I were going through some marriage issues when our cat helped us remember what we were working so hard to preserve.'

'Several months ago, I found out that my husband had hid something from me that he found embarrassing. I was hurt by it because, throughout our marriage, we\'ve worked tirelessly to build trust with one another; to cultivate respect and empathy. We\'ve worked to undo the unhealthy lessons of our upbringings and to get past our deeply ingrained insecurities and mistrust for others. We\'ve made great strides. In that moment though, when I discovered this stupid thing he\'d hidden from me, I felt like everything that we\'d worked for was moot; that it didn\'t matter to him. We\'d built this life with our home, our beloved pets, our mutual hobbies, our nights in laughing on the couch...all of it. We were sitting on our bed together, discussing the issue when we fell into a silence, unsure of where the conversation was going or what good it was doing. I remember tears rolling down my cheeks when I heard our cat, Archie, batting around a small gumball. They\'re his favorite toys. He doesn\'t eat them, just bats it around our wood floors for a while until I replace it. My husband and I both heard the tell-tale \'roll, clatter, clatter, roll\' when we said, unprompted and in perfect unison: "Get that gumball, Archie." We both let out a gasp of a laugh. It was bizarre, both of us uttering this weird concoction of words that no one else has probably ever said. Thinking of them in the same order and at the same time. We smiled quietly and sat in that moment for a little while. It\'s been a few months since then and I still think about it occasionally, especially when I hear a faint \'roll, clatter, clatter\' in another room. I think about our problems as a couple and how we\'ve hurt each other and how it will take time to heal from things. But I find that small story to be a sweet reminder of our closeness and our love for each other and our lives. I wouldn\'t trade that, not for all the gumballs in the world (but I\'ll still buy a few for Archie. He\'s a good boy.)'

'I wrote about my move to another state because of my work situation. I expressed my opinion about true friendship and how it is so important to have good friends who can support you when you are down'

"Life is full of unpredictable situations and it's so important to have people who support you. About 9-10 month ago I had to move to another state. I was transferred because they shut down the building I was working in before. I was very sad and afraid about my future. I was worried that I might get fired too. It was a relief when I found out that I can be transferred to Austin. They have a huge division of my company there. I was relieved because one of my best friends lives there. I visited her in Austin few times before but I still didn't know the city that well. I didn't know where is a good place to rent an apartment. Well I didn't even know where my company was located. My girlfriend was amazing. She did her own research and helped me tremendously. She helped me with my move too. She opened her house door to me for some time until I found a place to live. It took me a while to get my car there so she was driving me around and let me use her car from time to time. She was amazing and I don't know what I would of done without her."

'My son started walking at 9 months. I was not expecting it but it was enjoyed by the family and is a memory that will last forever. I was overjoyed and excited to share with the family.'

'My son was young when he started walking. He was only 9 months old. This was earlier then some of my friends kids. It was something to watch. It was fun and joyful to see him laugh and giggle as he walked around. Many of my family were there, and saw the scene. Some were amazed. They tried to remember when their kids started walking. I think a few were around the same time. Other were amazed because they felt it was quite early. But overall everyone had a great time. They watched him walk, sometimes falling. It was a day full of emotions and fun. It will be something we will remember forever. I am glad he is progressing properly.'

"On the day that my Uncle's memorial service was happening I lost my best friend. My dog died. Even though I knew it was going to happen I was still unprepared."

"I knew that my dog was doing worse that morning, but she had come around before. As the day wore on and it got closer to the time to go to the service I knew I couldn't leave her. She was laying on her dog bed and breathing heavily. Just before it was time to go I told my fiance to go without me. There was no way that I was leaving my dog alone. I laid her head on my lap. I played her songs that we had listened to together over the years. She was mostly quiet as I stroked her head. I told her stories about our life together. I told her what a great dog and friend she had been. I told her that it was okay to go. It would hurt me worse than I could imagine but I had to let her go. It was only about a half hour after my fiance left. I knew something was different. My dogs breathing changed and she seemed agitated. She let out a few rattling breathes and then she was gone. I felt like my heart was literally ripped out."

'I was leaving my family to go to university. they would miss me plenty it was very emotional. i got anxiety on the way there but once i arrived to sf, i felt calm.'

'I was getting in my car, getting ready to leave my family behind. My girlfriend was crying because she knew she wouldnt be seeing me for a couple months. I was off to university and ready to accomplish the next part of my life. The anxiety i felt was unnnerving. As i was driving, i felt my heart begin to race. Why am i so trembly? i thought. Then, i became lightheaded. It was hard for me to focus on the road and started swerving. I stopped to rest. i mustve made 20 stops on my way to san fransisco. it took me all day to get there. But once i did i saw the lights. A wednesday night and the city was surprisingly calm. One or two other cars on the road driving around the streets. The city really felt asleep. Anxiety than just slipped away. I was calm and absorbed the calm energy the city was giving me. i knew I was gonna be ok.'

'There was an almost accident among four cars in a T-junctionwhere it resulted in a serious challenge among all the drivers.This was all because one driver wanted to overtake another.'

"I was going to work two weeks ago and was involved in near accident. I was coming off the road and nearing the T-junction when a car ran off the road a little bit and caused quite a mess. All the cars stopped and it was like a wreck had just happened. No one was hurt, just confused. There wasn't even a real accident. The cars were all in angles that just wasn't going to help anyone get out. We all started to get out of the cars and try and figure out how this would work to get out of. A policeman came and was trying to help and was asking what had happened. The car that had drove off the road a little came and told him that someone was driving and trying to overtake them on the road. The car was driving faster and trying to pass them, but wasn't passing them just swerving into their lane. It was a mess! They said they had drove off the road since that was their only option and it caused all the other cars to swerve and stop. Eventually, the policeman got a hold of the situation and started to help people back out and go onto the T-junction. It took a while, but everyone was really thankful for the cop! When I passed by the policeman, I waved and rolled down my window. I told him to have a good day. He laughed about it and told me to have a good one too."

'After only talking for 2 days after meeting online, I met a guy for dinner. We went to a great italian restaurant and had a wonderful time, and I quickly realized what a great guy he was.'

"After find him on a dating app, we started to talk quickly. Even on the phone, which I normally hate. We agreed to go out for dinner, already 2 days after starting to talk. He wanted to show me his house, so I drove to his place. After talking for a bit, I drove us to the restaurant. We had a lovely italian dinner in a nice setting. We shared a bottle of wine. There was a piano player which I enjoyed. When we got back to his house, he asked if I wanted to come in. I was a little hesitant, but agreed as I didn't want the night to end yet. We started to watch a movie, and he fell asleep. We cuddled for a while, but I decided to leave as I didn't want him to want to hook up with me. Later on he told me that he never expected to hook up with me that night. I was really impressed with how the date went. He was a great guy and we met again 2 days later."

"It was my wife's birthday at an all inclusive resort. We had a blast there. We danced alot, we ate alot, and we drank alot. We also did alot of activities."

"It was finally my wife's birthday. I wanted to surprise her and the family with a special trip to a place none of us has been before. We decided to go for the first to an all inclusive resort in order to reduce the stress and burden of paying everything. When we arrived we were greeted by the friendly staff. Once we checked in we decided to go to the lobby bar for a drink. We then took our drinks into the van and the van took us to our rooms. After leaving our bags in our hotel rooms we then went to eat lunch at the buffet. It was the first time that my wife went to an all you can eat buffet. At first she was skeptical but then she said she enjoyed the food and how it was set up. We then went to to the pool area where there was a snack and drink bar with all you can eat snacks as well. We enjoyed our time there and swimming there was a blast. Afterwards we went to the night entertainment. It was there that we saw the different shows for kids and grown ups. I was able to get more drinks from that bar and bring it to her and the family. The next day we had alot of fun doing all the other activities."

'I was in a situation where I would have to move across the country. I had to let go a lot of my belongings to make this move. The move helped me understand what was essential and nonessential.'

'I was in a situation where I had to move, and a family member offered to let me rent from them. The catch, however, is that they were on the other side of the country. Since I did not have a car and did not want to rent one, I decided to take the train. I chose the train, because I was able to have take several bags with me. On a plane, I would at most be able to take a carry-on and a checked bag. On the train, I could have two carry-ons and two checked bags. Once I booked my ticket, it was time for me sort through all my belongings. Even though I could have more luggage on the train, I could not take everything with me. As such, I had to throw out over half of what I owned. I had previously given away 90% of my books, and now I had to give away half of what was left. This was in addition to giving away most of my already limited amount of shoes, a bed, clothes, kitchenware, and many other things. It was difficult, but with enough detachment and my walks up and down several flights of stairs, I did it. While the move was difficult emotionally, I learned a valuable lesson. I learned about what was essential and nonessential. I learned the consequences of choices I had made that led me to having to move across the country. Finally, I learned to let go. While I hope that my next move will be under different circumstances, I know that I will have the emotional strength to handle whatever emergency situation that comes my way.'

'I had only my student teaching internship to complete for my Elementary Education degree, but had to quit due to financial difficulties. It was a time in which I felt like a huge failure.'

'Recently, I was on the cusp of completing my BS in Elementary Education. I had completed all coursework and only had my student teaching internship to complete. For my internship, I was required to act as a full time teacher without pay for 12 weeks, meaning that I would be out of work and without a paycheck for three months. I had prepared for this in advance, but once my internship actually started, emergencies started happening left and right, and before I knew it, every penny I had set aside had been used up. I vividly remember having moments when something would happen, or my wife would make me aware of a situation that I would look up and say, "Really? This has to happen now?" I remember feeling that things were happening to purposely cause me to not finish my degree. Almost like divine intervention, and I couldn\'t understand why. About halfway into the internship, I found myself out of money and behind on bills. If I had stayed the course for the last 6 weeks, I would have finished my degree but I would been evicted and possibly had my car repossessed. I have a wife and kids, and with that, I had to make a very important decision. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, and I went back and forth on it quite a bit. I decided to quit the internship and get back to work. My wife urged me to stay with it, but, being the one who does our family budget, I knew there was simply no way to continue, short of a miracle. As a result, I was forced to change my degree program and lost a year\'s worth of credits. It was one of the hardest failures I\'ve ever had to endure.'

'People interrupted a show with people I care about in it, and I started an audience rejection of them. Karma got them later in the form of a DUI.'

'A couple months ago, I went to a comedy show to see my boyfriend and 2 other friends in a comedy show. Before the show started, a group of drunk middle aged people wearing "fun hats" came in and asked for discounts on tickets. My friend who was producing the show foresaw them becoming a problem, and warned them that they had to remain respectful and not disrupt the show. Once the show started, they started getting loud, heckling the comedians, have loud conversations amongst themselves, and interrupting the show over and over. My friends on stage were struggling to keep the show going and not lose the audience by being too hard on them. I was finally fed up and yelled out for them to shut up. This caused a chain reaction where other frustrated audience members started yelling at them, confrontations between other audience members and them, some of the other comedians trying to hget them to leave and then finally the show runner came to ask them to leave. The main ringleader was wearing a pirate hat and refused to go after his friends did. He would start feigning falling over into the chairs when my friend touched his arm, and getting in front of the stage and shouting so that no one could move on. Finally the show runner had enough and have him some money back so that he would leave. The show went on, but the energy of the room had changed, and no one did particularly well after that. I was so frustrated for my friends, who\'s set\'s were ruined, and my friend the show runner who I was worried had lost money since he had to return so many ticket prices for the group of hecklers. The selfishness and audacity of the group was infuriating. Later in the night however I got 2 pieces of information. First, the show runner gave them some singles instead of the full cost of the singles and they were too drunk to notice. And second, that a drunk man in the pirate hat, was spotted getting a sobriety check by the police on the side of the road not far away from the comedy show. There is no way that he was sober enough to have passed.'

'A month ago I got into a very bad car accident. This occurred when a deer caused me to swerve off the road and into a persons yard. Luckily a ditch slowed my car enough to stop, and I walked away from the crash with no more than some soreness and a badly damaged car.'

'Dear Diary,What a time I\'ve been having since I last wrote! I finally have a chance to tell the story, and what a story it is! About a month ago, I was driving home. You know that road right past the freeway entrance? The small side road I take to avoid the light at the end of the main road? Well, I was going down there, and apparently a deer mistook my car for a doe or something, because there he came, running right out of the woods straight at me! I\'m no killer, so of course I swerved to avoid hitting the poor misguided fellow. Unfortunately for me, I swerved right into the yard of this nice old couple, who thankfully didn\'t have the time or energy to fix the ditch at the front of their yard. That beautiful ditch was the only thing that came between me and serious injury! It enabled me to slow down enough to stop. When I did, oh boy, was I eager to get out of that car! My heart was pounding so hard I thought I would die right there! The male half of the old couple ran out, and checked to make sure I was ok, bless his heart. Just some soreness, I told him...and a totaled car that I was pretty sure was going to chew up my insurance deductible. "No worries, son" said the old man, "I\'m a retired auto body guy and can do it for you for the amount the insurance pays and no more!"I am so so grateful! Not only did I live to tell the tale, but I also managed to get my car fixed for no out of pocket cost. Well, diary, I\'m off to buy some anti-deer whistles for the car. Hope they work! Max'

'My family took a beach vacation recently with three small children. It was tiring but a great experience all in all, especially our trip to a natural spring.'

"A week ago my family and I went on a really fun vacation. We went to the beach! We took our 3 children with us, even though they are small they quite enjoyed the beach. They mostly stayed in the sand playing with toys, but they really liked it, you hear sometimes that kids don't like sands but they loved it. We're exhausted but it was worth it, we need a vacation from the vacation now. The highlights have to be the natural spring where the kids swam a lot and we canoed a bit. We packed lunched for that one. Because the kids wouldn't have lasted a whole day otherwise. We actually fell from our canoes which was a bit embarrassing but the water was great. We're back home now. It was a great trip which we'll remember for a while. I hope the kids remember it, but we surely did. I'm not sure when we'll have the chance to go on another one of those. So we need to enjoy them while we have. Thanks for reading."

'I had to give up student teaching because my child was put on half a day. I have had issues, but I am trying to stay positive and find other things to do while I wait.'

"Two months ago, I had to give up student teaching because my child was put on half a day. I am so disappointed. This was the last thing I needed to do before getting my teaching certificate. So close, and then I hit an obstacle I can't get past. Fortunately, I have online work to fall back on. I have been making a decent amount of money with audio transcription and my blog. I also got my old job at the library back. I do that while my child is at school, and I work online while my child is at home. It's not a bad routine. I like working at the library. It is nice and peaceful there, and sometimes I have enough down time to do a little studying. And, of course, my child won't be on half days forever. I think it will be a year or two. I took a leave of absence from the university, so I'll be able to go back when my child is back on full days. I'm looking forward to it. I just hope I remember what to do when I go back!"

"Our cousins came to visit us over the summer. It was a great bonding experience for all of us. I can't wait to be able to go visit them soon."

"They only live about six hours away by car, but it has been a few years since we have seen them. My daughter is a year below their daughter and a year above their son so it is a perfect match. They get along so well. While they were here, we went on a nature walk and swam in the waterfall. My daughter is homeschooled and her friends are limited. Having her cousins here made her feel more involved. They really got to act like kids and just enjoy themselves. We had a cookout when they were here also. The kids swam all day in our pool. We got ice cream after the cookout. Both cousins spent the night with my daughter. I feel this was so important for my daughter. She felt like she bonded with her cousins even more. Since this event, they have been staying in touch with their phones. They have a group chat with another one of our cousins who lives on the west coast. It seems as if the other two cousins don't have a lot of friends either. This bond makes them feel as if they all have someone to relate to that's in their same age group. I really hope we get to go see them soon, I think it would be great for all of the kids. My daughter and her cousins actually have a lot in common so it makes it easy to get along. We didn't sight see a lot when they were here. We really just hung out and let the kids play. I think this was the best thing because it made them get to know each other more. They had last seen each other when they were much younger so I didn't know how much they would have in common now. They all call each other their best friends. It definitely makes my heart melt when I see their bond."

'The event in my life was falling in love. She loved to hold me and hug me. She was a great ex girlfriend.'

'The first time I ever fell in love. She made me feel like there could be no wrong in the world. She was beautiful, she was kind, she would take care of me, bug me until I told her what was on my mind and somehow knew when I should and when I didn\'t need to talk about something, and then make me feel better afterwards. She knew me like nobody else did. Not my friends, not my family. She would make sure I ate when I was hanging out with her, she would get me a drink even if I had money, and I just...felt safe with her. She was so nice to me. I did nothing to deserve her, I met her by chance because I was sitting on a bench in a bit of a downer and she came over to see what was wrong with me, a complete stranger. It was in Fall, and it was at that sorta perfect time of year where all the gorgeous colors had come out, but barely any of the leaves had fallen from the trees, so it just looked incredible. I hadn\'t had really any sleep at all that day, and it had gone by really really slowly for me. I met up with her in our usual spot, and she could immediately tell something was up. I could tell by the look on her face that I looked like complete crap, that and the fact that she got up and gave me a hug without saying anything. She walked over with me, and sat down with me, not letting go of me all the while. She looked at me expectantly, and I just sighed and said "I don\'t suppose I could get away with not explaining today, could I?" and she just shook her head, making us both laugh a little. I hugged her again, and everything just started to pour out. I\'d explained everything that happened that day that led to why I looked like such crap, and she sat there and listened the entire time, the same as she always did.'

'A friend from my childhood saves me from the anguish caused by a cheating partner and troubles at work.'

"After several months of support and therapy, I set out on a mission to rebuild my self-esteem and secure my livelihood. I began by exercising, self-coaching, and making changes to my finances. My health was something that simply went out of control. I gained so much weight and my blood pressure was high. To make matters worse, I began exhibiting sleep apnea. I would snore and choke at the same time, sometimes waking up my kids and resulting in an abbreviated sleep. If didn't make lifestyle changes soon, my weight, exacerbated by my stress, would end my life. Everyday I exercised, I also practice mindful meditation. I spent a few minutes in silence thinking about what I was thankful for and my commitment towards achieving my financial goals. The exercise and meditation reduced the physical and mental effects of my daily stress. A major part of my daily stress has been finances. I've been riding the edge due to my bankruptcy, sometimes barely having enough for utilities. I've been doing my best, however, from falling off that edge by taking up side jobs and selling things. I've also had to ask for help from friends, swallowing my pride for the sake of electricity. I think I'm able to persist because I'm doing all of this for the greatest reason of all: my kids."

"I met my girlfriend's parents in Vermont. I was very nervous but we hit it off. It turned out to be a great weekend and we are meeting fir Thanksgiving."

"This was over the summer. I met my girlfriend near the beginning of the year and we have really hit it off and get along well. I hadn't met any of her family and they had been hearing a lot about me, as well as seeing me a lot on her Facebook. So she said they really wanted to meet sometime soon. I was a little nervous but I knew it was important to her and I agreed. They suggested getting together to meet for a nice weekend sometime because they are too far away to just meet for a quick dinner. Because they live in Massachusetts, and I live in upstate New York, it was decided to meet in Vermont which is about halfway for each of us. I was a little bit nervous because I am introverted and quiet around new people, but I wanted to make a good impression. But luckily, it went really well and everyone ended up having a great time. We walked around town after having Mexican and got to talk a lot. And I got to learn more about my girlfriend's time growing up and her family, which was nice. And we also did a brief hike to see some flowers. After dinner, we got together and played a board game which was a lot of fun too. Overall, it was a really pleasant experience and I wasn't nervous. They are even visiting New York for Thanksgiving which I'm really looking forward to now."

'A trip along the east coast of North America. Highlights of some of the places visited and the sights seen.'

"A little before Christmas, my husband and I decided to take a trip along the East Coast. The weather was nice, so it was the perfect time to do so. First, we stopped on Connecticut to visit my sister, her husband, and our nephews and niece. She showed us their local community and we also went to an old toy museum. From there, we decided to go to Boston. We stopped in and saw the Cheers cafe. Boy, that was sure fun! My husband and I took our picture at the iconic Cheer's sign. We also stopped downtown to get some classic Bostonian food. Our last stop was Vermont. My husband's work is from there, even though he works from home. He showed me the little village of Woodstock. They had a cute little in and a covered bridge that looked like it was from the movie Beetlejuice. The restaurants and storefronts all had wood. It was so beautiful. For souvenirs, we took home Vermont maple syrup and their coffee. It makes our breakfasts so much better and reminds us of our East coast trip."

'It is a recollect the days when I had a few difficult moments in my life and how I tried to work on them to finally graduate from school.'

"I recently graduated from college in May 2019 after spending 6 years on and off in school. This is memorable to me because at the end of all the pain and hard work, I feel I have achieved my dream of finishing school. In all these times, there were days when I had to work long hours at my job as well work on the courses to achieve a good GPA. I finally managed to get a 3.8 and earned me a cum laude. Initially I went to a community college to get my subject credits as my friends started to go off to costly state and private schools. While they had the luxury of getting good grants my situation didn't help. I got my associate degree and then earned a bachelors by transferring the credits into a state school. As I recollect the days when the tuition seemed too expensive, I had to take time off and earn some money to keep myself sheltered. I also recollect days when I used to eat ramen all week due to scarcity of money. Looking back and thinking ahead, this graduation day would give me a great boost to my confidence whenever I'm feeling low. Dreams do come true. While these are good to reflect, it is also important to plan ahead. For example, I have been applying to numerous jobs in the last couple of weeks so that I can make use of my degree. I did clear couple of interviews at a local office and hope to hear back from them soon. In the mean time to keep myself busy, I keep working at the same job I worked as a student in school."

'A couple months ago, I took my girlfriend on vacation where it was the very first time she had been to the beach. I decided that this trip would be the perfect time to finally propose to her after being with her for over eight years. I proposed to her on the beach at sunset and she said yes.'

'Just a few months ago I made one of the biggest (and scariest) decisions of my life. My girlfriend and I had been dating for about 8 years and decided it was time to take a nice vacation for just the two of us. After discussing it for a while I found out she had never been to a beach, so we decided to head to Miami. She was so excited and everything was perfect, however there was another reason I wanted to take this vacation. I decided that she was the love of my life and it was high time that I went ahead and asked her to marry me. So I found the perfect beach in Miami for us and decided this would be where I popped the question. After the flight, we checked into our hotels around 5pm and decided to go out to eat before we went to the beach. I got the ring ready, and decided it was about time to make the biggest decision of my life. Dinner was amazing, I had the fried calamari and she ordered the baked salmon. I saw the gleam in her eyes and debated whether to ask here then and there. Something in me told me that the beach would be the perfect place, so I decided to wait. After dinner we got changed and headed to the beach, when she saw the sunset her eyes lit up and you could tell that she was amazed at what she saw. I figured this was the best time, so I grabbed her hand and got down on one Knee. Her hand pressed quickly over her mouth as I finally got the nerve to ask "would you marry me". Tears ran down her cheek and as she shivered with excitement nodded her head and said "Yes". This was the greatest day of my life and the start to many great adventures.'

"I went to a wedding of a long time friend. I hadn't seen him in a while so it was great to catch up."

"i went to a wedding of a close friend but someone that i hadn't seen in a couple years. i got to cathc up with a ton of people i haven't seen in awhile. the close friends name was sarah and we went to college together. it's been about 5 yeras since i have actually talked to her and seen her. it was good to get to know her new husband and also a lot of the other girls that i haven't seen in awhile and meet their boyfriends or husbands also. many have we changed since then. we all have our careers some are moms and some are still doing the stuff we did in college and unable to relaly settle down. we promised we would keep in touch more often. i have a feeling that might not happen though. All of us girls were so close in college we were in the same sorority we cheered together and we truely were best friends. it makes me sad to think how we got so far from each other when we use to be so close. The one friend christy has 2 kids that i have never even seen before. i have to say facebook lets me know what they are doing but it's stilln ot the same. nora has 2 kids a lawyer and an amazing husband. how did we go from being best friends to barely even knowing each other."

'I was on a trip with co-workers up to a new location our company had opened. On the way there we saw a fed-ex truck flip over.'

"I was driving on the highway with some fellow co-workers back in Spring. We were all headed up to the new building our company opened up to make sure that we had everything we needed for contractors, power, and other needs. It was not a bad day weather wise. It was slightly cooler than normal, but overall a nice day. The traffic wasn't too bad either. Heading into Boston during a work day can be frustrating with all the traffic you have to deal with. We were probably about a half an hour from our destination. I was sitting behind the driver, my boss was to the right of me and there was another co-worker in the passenger seat. All of a sudden I heard my co-worker whom was driving say, 'oh crap!', and I looked forward and saw a box truck slam on its break. Then like a bullet I saw a Fed-ex truck swerve. From there it went right to left and went head on into a guard rail. Time seemed to slow at this time, almost like in a movie. The fed-ex truck's back end came inward and the truck began to flip over the rail. It was all so surreal. The traffic stopped and we saw the drive unclip his belt and hit the roof of the truck from within. At that point we felt that he was good to go and other passer bys stopped by to help him. I did see the story about it that evening and the highway was shut down for some time and no one was injured. That is something is something I won't ever forget!"

'This talks about how the birth of my nephew has caused a break in my grief of my late best friend. It goes on to discuss the emotions I experience in this new person entering my life after losing someone so important to me.'

"Back in January of 2018 I experienced one of the most traumatic events of my entire life. My best friend killed himself. His downfall had actually started back a year before that. Three weeks after he came back into my life after being gone for ten years, he told me our plans to hang out were cancelled and then he sent a picture of himself to me with a gun held to his head. I jumped into my car and drove over to his apartment as fast as I was able. When I arrived he was thankfully alive and concious, but informed me of all the pills he had taken. There were over five empty bottles. I wasn't aware at the time he had a flair for the over dramatic, so I began freaking out. I began to make sure that he kept engaged in conversation with me and did my best to keep him alert. Not long after he stood up saying that his arm hurt and he then he fell to the floor. Dead. His heart had stopped beating from all the pills that he had taken. I called 911 and tried CPR. I kept his heart beating until help arrived. They were able to revive him where he spent about 4 days in the ICU and then was under psych evaluation for five days. He made three attempts after that over the course of a year before he succeeded."

'My best friend got married and I was there to support him. He had a good wedding ceremony and reception.'

'My best friend named rob got married. He was a super cool guy and we were friends all of high school. He made me his best man. I was super nervous about this because I do not like speeches. I got a nice new suit for the wedding. He was getting married to his high school sweetheart. Her name was Rachel, and his was Dustin. His wedding was super fun. He was super happy and she was even more. I gave the speech it was awesome. I killed that shit cause that is how I do. We danced and got drunk all night. They got divorced like 3 months ago because life is shit. This is the great twist. Was that not fun?'

'I won a nice prize in the lottery. bought a ticket and put in aside. When I checked it several weeks later, I found out that I had won several thousand dollars.'

"I am in the habit of buying lottery tickets every time I go to the supermarket. I might win a dollar here and a few dollars there, but as the gamblers like to say, the house always wins. Anyway, about two weeks ago I realized that it had been awhile since I had last checked to see of I had won. There is an app on my iPhone that Can check the tickets quickly with the camera on my phone. When I had some free time I took the tickets off the bulletin board and put them on the table. The first tickets, I scanned where as usual, not winners. Then I scanned the ticket and it said I was a winner of several $1000. I couldn't believe it. I took it to the place I bought it and check on their machine. Sure enough, it was a winner. I took the train into the city and took it to the lottery office. The man there made sure I signed the ticket first. Then I had to fill out some papers. Several days later, I got money in my bank account. It was the money I won. They took out some money to cover the taxes. Still, it was a nice piece of change. I will use it to catch up on some bills. I will also save some of it. Since I believe each time you have a game of chance the odds reset. I am still going to play the lottery. Maybe I will win again. After all, some people get struck by lightning more than once."

'I went to a baseball game with my dad. The weather looked like it might rain, but it ended up being a nice day. The game was exciting and it was a fun night.'

'So my birthday was a few weeks ago and I got surprise call from my dad. He was in town for a little bit in a few weeks and had bought tickets to a baseball game in my city. So we made sure I could make it and planned to meet at the park. The week leading up to the game was very rainy and I was getting worried that it might rain out the game. In which case my dad may be unable to make the makeup game. So I kept a close eye on the weather forecast for the day we were to go. Unfortunately it looked like rain and there ended up being a major storm in the morning. Lots of rain and really no sign of it breaking up, until around mid-day where all of a sudden it went away. So we met up and it was actually very nice weather by the time we arrived at the park. There were a lot of people there even with the threat of rain. We had dinner at the park before the game and sat down to watch the game. The people who sat around us were all nice and we had conversations about the game. The game went long and it was an exciting one with lots of action. Unfortunately our team ended up losing in a heartbreaking fashion in the last inning. After the game it took a while to leave the stadium and even longer to get out of the parking ramp I was in. All in all it was great time and everything worked out.'

"I went to my stepdaughter's wedding in Las Vegas and flew first class of the way there. The flight was very entertaining and the trip was extremely memorable!"

"In May, I went to my step daughter's wedding in Las Vegas. It was our first time there and also our first time travelling cross country. On the flight there, we chose to upgrade to first class, so i got my first ever experience in it. First, when we arrived at the airport, we went into the cardholder's lounge, since my husband has access. We had some good foods and ordered a couple of drinks before out flight. Then, when it was time to board, we were the first ones on the plane. We settled in to our seats where there was a blanket and pillow waiting. My son was already looking through the in-flight-entertainment catalog to see what movie he would watch during the flight. The flight was around 5 hours long, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the amenities. Midway through, lunch was served, and it came with a very tasty ice cream cup. I ended up getting to watch 2 movies on the plane, one of them being the wonderful remake of Mary Poppins. The flight then landed smoothly and we were off to our hotel. We chose to stay off the strip, in order for a more family-friendly accommodation. When it was time for the wedding, we got to explore all that the Las Vegas Strip has to offer. We even ate dinner at the glamorous Caesar's Palace. Overall, the trip was very memorable and a once in a lifetime experience!"

'I was applying for a promotion at work as well as many other people. I was nervous I would not get the position. When I found out I got it I was beyond happy and realized how worthy I am.'

"A few months ago.. maybe 3 to be exact I had applied for a new promotion at work. I was so worried that I would not get it. So many people applied for this position. The hours were better, the pay was better, and even the benefits were better. The only thing is you would be working alot harder and you would be dealing with many more problems on a daily. It came time for the interviews. I remember my interview and how nervous I was. I was certain I completely failed at the interview. I can remember about 10 other people waiting to be interviewed for this position as I left the room. I waled to my car with tears streaming down my face. I was thinking there is no way you got this. Just keep trying for something else. This wasn't meant for you. I had all of these negative feelings and I really had no reason too. I had just as good of a chance as everyone else that was trying to get the position. I remember later that night I was home cooking dinner when I got the call confirming that I was the one who got the job. Still to this day I can not put into words how happy and proud I am of myself. I did this. Nobody else. I am just as worthy as anyone else. Never put yourself down you got this too."

"I was very nervous about attending a baby shower where i wouldn't know people very well. I ended up having a good time in the end."

"Last month, I went to a baby shower. It wasn't anyone I am really close to and they don't tend to run in the same circles as I do. I was afraid that I would not enjoy myself because I didn't know everyone as much as I would like. I arrived a little early (as I usually do) and helped with any last minute set-up. The space was adorable, with lots of pink and bows everywhere. They really outdid themselves. I forgot to get the name of the caterer but the food was absolutely divine. They served so many kinds of finger foods and I probably stuffed myself with enough to feed a small army. I ended up making a lot of small talk with everyone and it wasn't as terrifying as I thought going into it. I actually have a lot in common with a few of the other guests. So we exchanged numbers and hopefully we'll all be able to meet up sometime soon. It was a really fun event. The gifts she received were all cute and pink (as you could imagine) and we played a lot of fun games. I don't think I'll ever be afraid of going to a baby shower even again. I can't believe I thought about not going! What a great day."

"My Youngest Son's birthday celebration and his surprise gift on that day was his admission to 1st choice university."

'Three months ago my youngest son learned he was going to his first choice university. He had been wanted to get into Princeton for a long time. I had told him I would cover the cost if he could get in. He has been working very hard to keep his grades up. He has studied extra after school and on the weekends. He has a good work ethic. When I helped him put in the application Princeton I was not expecting he would be accepted to go to go Princeton. Getting into Princeton is not easy. Princeton is a highly selective university. He did well on the SAT. I read his essay and thought it was well done. I planned a nice day for his birthday. I made a cake. On his birthday, I went to get the mail and notice Princeton University on one envelope. I took it to my son. I watch as he opened it. It read he was accepted to both our surprises.'

"I was in a hit and run accident, which really scared my daughter and myself. Though it's a mess trying to deal with the police and insurance companies, the accident taught me to be grateful for life itself."

"About 5 months ago, I was driving when another car struck me. My daughter was in the back seat and was very scared. The other driver did not stop and kept going. It was hard for me to pull over safely, but I managed to do so. She was crying the whole time, as I was trying to figure out what was going on and what happened. The whole incident put me into a state of shock. I couldn't understand why the other driver kept going. I felt very helpless, but finally managed to call the police. Very luckily, my daughter was unharmed. I was a bit injured, but not too seriously. I was very glad when my brother finally came to pick her up. I was left to deal with the police at the accident scene, and it was a hassle. The entire time I was in a state of anxiety, shock, and I could feel the adrenaline going through my body. I was so angry at what the other driver did, not stopping. I was able to get a tag number, which has helped in the investigation. I'm still dealing with the trauma and stress from the event, but I was most glad that my daughter was not harmed. The whole situation could have been much worse."

'Mackinac Island trip. Saw the fort and other attractions on the island.The most memorable thing was getting our pictures taken in Western attire and getting the picture framed.'

'The day was perfect. Off to the Island, Mackinac that is. We both lived in the area for thirty years and had not ever visited the island even though it was less then and hour a way. My wife and I had talked for years of visiting the Island. Now off we went. The fairy ride over was a little rough I was concerned because my wife did not like boats. The first thing I noticed about the Island was it smelled of horse crap. The next I noticed was the people. There were bicycles whipping between the horses and the people. The first thing we did was get tickets to the butterfly house. Then we trekked to the top of a huge hill to see the Fort. After the Fort the butterfly house. There were thousands of live Butterflies everywhere. After this we were both tired, only there for and hour and are legs felt like rubber. Fate was with us and we existed the house there was a horse taxi right there. So off to the Grand Hotel. A nice place but disappointing in the fact they charge people ten dollars just to walk on the grounds. Off to eat after that then shopping. My wife surprised me by not buying much of anything until we reached a shop that took Western Picture of you dressed in Western garb. This was something she always wanted. So I dressed up as a cowboy and she as a bar wench and we had our picture. This thrilled her which thrilled me as well. All in all the trip will be something we always remember. And we have a picture to prove it.'

'Four months ago, I had to sell my favorite possession, my beloved 1970 Chevy, corvette. I had this car for over 30 years and had so many wonderful associations and memories.'

'Letting go of my special car was a very sad day in my life. Some people would say that "a car is just a car" and there is no reason to get emotional about it, however, my car was more than just an object or a means to get around. My car represented me and my true personality. In my youth, I worked extra hard to purchase my dream car, I took all types of odd jobs and made sacrifices to make it happen. It was not easy because I just graduated college and did not make a lot of money, however, I was determined to work extra hours in order to make my dream come true. I still recall how good it felt when I first drove to my apartment in my brand-new car and pulled in front of my building! I felt so proud, like I was on top of the world and nothing could stop me. Those were the happy days but life has a way of changing in unpredictable manner. They always say that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans. We face both, moments of triumph and failings. I got married, became a father, became a father again, lost a job, found a job, and lost one again. Family became a priority above cars and other non-essential possessions. I hit hard times and had to say goodbye to my beloved car. I did not want to wake up that morning, knowing that I would have to take it out of the garage for the last time and watch some strangers load it unto a trailer and drive away into the unknown. It felt like closing a favorite book, filled with chapters representing a happy part of my life that I could never get back again. I did not look as they drove away with my car and headed back into my house. My heart ached and I felt sad, however, seeing my kids laughing while playing some silly game on the rug erased the dark clouds that gathered above my head on that day and I knew that more happy moments were bound to come my way in the future.'

'A sketchy looking man and an old woman stood at a bus stop. When it began raining the sketchy man used his own umbrella to shield the old woman from the rain.'

"One week ago, I encountered something I rarely see in my day to day life anymore. I saw someone act out of pure kindness. I was waiting at the bus stop that morning to head to work. I work at a local coffee shop and choose to take the bus since it is a bit far from where I live and I don't have a car at the moment. It started raining that morning probably because we were under a tropical depression warning. We are so use to these type of storms that people generally go about their day to day lives until the storm turns in a higher category hurricane level. There was a man and woman waiting there with me. I had never seen them before until today. The man looked a bit unkempt and sketchy in my opinion. However, this is the moment I learned never to judge a book by it's cover. I was keeping a close eye on the man because I was worried what he might try to do since it was just me and this other woman there to take care of each other in case he were to try anything. I saw him reach into the inside of his jacket and I immediately felt anxious. He pulled out an umbrella and helped shield the other woman from the rain. I should point out that the other woman was an elderly woman and the bus stop is not covered. It was a simple random act of kindness from a kind soul."

'My father, paralyzed and constantly in pain, died unsaved. He was dead for twelve minutes, then came back to life, accepted Christ, lived for another week, and then finally passed away.'

"How weird can life be? Seriously! Dad was paralyzed for over a decade. He had lost all hope and joy in his life. I can't blame him. I can't imagine myself being in that situation. I am quite sure i would have reacted the same way. Four months back his situation worsened. We were all informed that it was going to be over. I still remember the look on his face when he got the news. Lifeless. Motionless. Everything stopped. Doctors say that he was dead for 12 minutes. Is it a medical miracle or was it the power of Mom's prayers? I can't say. But he came back. Mom insisted it was Jesus, and surprisingly Dad agreed. Did he see something while he was dead? I don't know. He passed away a week from then. Hopefully he is at a better place now."

'While driving home me and a few friends saw a UFO! We stopped and filmed it with other people before losing site of it. We dont know what it was and the footage of it has been seen by thousands of people.'

"I have never been one to believe in aliens. Every time classmates talked about it in school, I would laugh at them. I would laugh very loud. Suffice to say, no one told me that they believed in aliens because I would laugh in their face about it. One day, we were driving home, and my friends and I saw something in the sky. Could it be? My friend had binoculars, and when I looked through them, it wasn't shaped like an airplane or a drone. It really looked like a saucer was flying through the sky. We pulled over, stopped, and filmed it before we lost sight of it. Since we had some clear video of this potential UFO, my friend uploaded it on YouTube. Within a day, news stations were getting in contact with him to see if they can use his footage in their news broadcast. He was taken back. His video went viral and thousands of people saw it. Talk about sheer luck. That day, I became a believer in aliens and UFO."