A closure of 2010 and other rambles

So here we are, the closing of the year 20-10... yes its not two thousand ten.. 20-10. This year has been an incredible year for many reasons. I started 2010 with my beautiful Hine', after too long of a time, I finally came thru on a promise to her, and in 2010 I came home to her, for good. I'll take this time to say, this year has been incredible for us as a couple, we've grown together, our relationship has strengthened , and being able to just randomly get lost and find eachother somewhere in the tri-state area spending the moments we can together has been a really amazing, compared to the start of the year when we'd be lucky to see eachother for a few hours a month.

This year has also seen my return to the Academic world, working to get my Master's Degree and Licensing in Counseling. I have some time still to go until I'm done, but being home, and getting these goals completed have put this positive direction in my life. 2010 also saw my return to faith. For many years, I have strayed and lost touch with my faith for many years. Coming home, with my love, and in joining my friends ( a lot of whom I now consider family) checking-in with God, has enhanced my views on love, life, and a more positive look towards the future together in a relationship between us and god together as a couple.

Now today I went out to the mall, and have made some observations which have really struck a nerve. This is the first time in a mall, that I have seen so many young teens pushing strollers with infants. I have to tell these people, "Are they nuts"? Too many young people, most of them teens (just barely out of infancy themselves) have taken it upon themselves to take the leap and create a new living, breathing person - with no way of support or caring for the child they have brought into this life. Teen father's out there... if you're man enough to have a kid, then do us all a favor, take out the 3 gauge steel bolts out of your ears, nose, and lip grow up and act the part. There is a time where baby momma's and baby daddy's need to sit down, and think that oh wait, its time that they need to set an example for the new life they formed. having tattoo's of your names around your neck, is probably not the best idea. I saw someone in the mall today, she had 8 italic tattoo's of who I'd only assume are the baby's daddy's .. and when her child is asked, whats your daddy's name, they can reply, Uhrm.. the one on the left side of mommy's neck.

My final ramble comes from having dinner out this evening. At this chinese place, there was a typical american family. The one who I can only assume was the father, dressed in what can only be considered PJs , is there taking two chairs, as a single chair would not handle, his rather protruding girth is there with 4 plates of food, literally shoveling food into his mouth. The boy, probably 10-12 is there, yelling, cursing, and rather than eating food, is only eating the artificial oil saturated ice cream substitute, and of that he has 6 rather large bowls of it. The girl, probably of the same age, again with the 3 gauge steel bolts protruding through various body parts, is there, evidently a picky eater. The girl is complaning about squid, and how she won't touch it. Her father then comes out and shows his amazing parenting skills, by saying for $30 dollars she'd eat it... then having the aforementioned boy to get up, to reach around the fathers back to retrieve his wallet, to get the money and literally slap it on the table as if he was at a bar. Since when has parenting involved betting, bribing to help teach a child right from wrong, or help them with being picky eaters? This group left, and soon after, 4 waiters run to their table to sweep, shovel , and push the debris left over from their onslought of the buffet.. I kid you not, there were 3 garbage bags of waste left from their table.
This is why American's have such a horrible reputation worldwide. My advice for these people in 2011 - Do us all a favor and stop perpetuating these stereotypes for the rest of our sakes. If your going out to eat, PJs are not appropriate attire, shoveling food into your mouth like a conveyor belt is not pleasent to watch, and I don't care how many baby's daddy's or baby's momma's you have, illustrating how immature, and how white trash you are by showing all of society of how loose you are.. this is not World War II and your not in the military painting conquests on the side of your machine, so Now would be a great time to stop.

I always believe, you start on the good, move onto the bad, and end on a positive note. So as such...
Emily Tchir, this is a personal thank you for everything you've shown me this year, helped me with, and for standing by my side, even when the odds have been stacked against us. I love you, and I can't wait to meet Mom and Dad, and expand my relationship with them in this coming year.