"Everyone Loves an Adventure."

Sometimes God/Karma/Fate/whatever you believe in, picks a day to lay it all on. Not to break you down after a good week. Not to throw you back to rock bottom. But to show you how strong you really are, and how much you can get through with a smile. Today was one of those days for me.

Today seemed like a chill day, it's been raining since the early morning, and my knee was hurting like hell from the truck thing so I figured I'd just kick back in the apartment for the day and go to dinner with my friends at 4. About 2pm I remember I have to take my rental books back. Still, this isn't like I'm fighting a dragon here. Hop on my bike, head to the bookstore, but on the way my phone magically jumps out of my pocket and right into the gutter. It's been raining all day. Still is raining. Phone's fried. Can't get it to turn on. This wouldn't be terrible if I would have ordered a new phone last night, like I planned. Or if I didn't have important texts on there fully detailing this weeks schedule. "Can't get any worse," I just shrugged it off and headed home. My best friend offers to take me to the Verizon store at 4:30 so I can get a phone, I tell him that I have dinner at 4 and ask if we can go a little later, no dice.. 3:45 rolls around so I'm getting ready to head out to Applebees for dinner. I head across campus and show up to what I thought was Applebees at 4, turns out it's a Chili's. I ask around and one girl tells me the nearest Applebees is about 3 miles away. Okay, this wouldn't be a problem if my knee wasn't trashed. Or if my handlebars actually stayed on.  (If I get a new phone tonight I'll upload a picture of my bike to show you.) Both issues from the truck incident. So there I was, hauling ass on my bike, hands gripping the frame to try to steer. Doesn't work so well. Then I ran up to some construction, had to take a shortcut and that shortcut ran me over rough terrain. With no handlebars to grab on to. Great. Fell twice. Got mud on my leather jacket. But eventually got to Applebees. VICTORY!! It's now 4:20. I stroll in like a movie hero, fresh from saving the world. Ask if my party is there. No luck. They wouldn't eat in 20 minutes right? Just then my phone turns on and vibrates, almost to taunt me. It opens only to a message from my friend explaining that dinner is at 4pm on Sunday. Today is not Sunday. I can't get out of that message or go to a different screen. Still taunting. I also can't call my friend to tell him that the dinner isn't happening and we could in fact go get a phone. Or call my other friends to explain this series of unfortunate events I just endured. Now I'm sitting here laughing because of how ridiculous this all is..

Stay strong,
-T

"Semper Gumbi!"

It sucks when people make mountains out of molehills..and then shrug you off when you try to help. I'm done playing games. I just want to chill. No worries though, I'll be out of this state and exploring the world in a couple years. On a side note, I got hit by a truck the other day. That kinda sucked hahaha. It was a blessing in disguise though because I had people that I barely talk to call me to see how I was doing. And I got to scare mom for a few minutes. It's nice to be reminded how many people care about you.
I was just crossing the street on my bike and this guy didn't feel the need to stop at a red light so he T-boned me. Knocked me on my ass and I got a few weird looks when I laughed, dusted off my jacket, and rode off when my handlebars were hanging down. My leg's a little thrashed but It'll be fine in a week or so. After that I went to my good friend's party and they totally made up for the truck thing! And last night was even better! Hanging with my friend and her mom at a party then chilling at her place, good times! If I can brag about one thing, that's it. I'm one of the most resilient people I know. Had one hell of an upbringing but I bounced back haha. Semper Gumbi!

Question of the day; Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Do something amazing,
-T

"You're killin' me bigs!"

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while :D
Life has been a tad busy..

What have I done this week? Well Tuesday was our last day of the winter semester. That night I went to a co-worker's party. It was interesting to say the least. Wednesday morning, the guys and I went shooting again. Last night into this morning, I hung around the house with a good friend. She's a mental terrorist.. :) As for the rest of today, I've been looking at this history paper I need to write by 6am hoping it would write itself. It's gonna be a long night..

I want to start off with this, to serve as a reminder to myself and everyone that reads this.

I'm done living to everyone's expectations and constantly getting down on myself for not being 'good enough'

This year I have met some amazing people. Just hearing their stories really got me thinking "when's my turn?" I hunger for the feeling of greatness. The intensity of enlightenment. I dream of that moment when I'll find my calling. In this anxious wait, I've figured out at least one thing.. I'm still climbing my mountain.

See, some old friends from high school. even current friends in college are experiencing their peak in life right now. They're living life in the high point right now, but will forever remember their early twenties as the best years of their lives. You can instantly think of a few people. Hell yes, I'm having a blast in college, but my gut is telling me this isn't as good as it gets. Do not become discouraged though. Even if you're having the best time of your life right now, you are the only one that can choose between setting up camp where you're at, or to continue climbing your mountain. This seems risky, but you have total control in the matter.
This is YOUR life.

I had a long conversation last night with a good friend and her parents. We talked about everything from prior military experiences to stories about raising their children, this lasted well into the morning. One thing I can't get out of my head from last night is "if he treats his momma right, he'll treat his girl right." I know I'm not the best son, but I'd do anything for my family in the blink of an eye.


I'm gonna try to leave you every time with a question from now on, feel free to comment if you wish, but I really just want you to think deep about it.

Could you lay your life down for a stranger?

Have a good night,
-T

"All good things are acquired through risks"

Alright, I'm not saying this is an exact science or anything. But I think there is a relationship between voice pitch and the amount of rough times a person has been through. Just play with the idea for a second. Obviously, women are (usually) more protected throughout their lives, so by that theory it makes sense why they have higher pitch than men. Think of a preppy cheerleader, with the really high pitched voice, treated like a princess her whole life. Think about a grizzled combat veteran, deep tone, he's been through some shit. I'm not saying it's 100% fact here, but it may have some truth. Think about your own friends, see if it holds true.



Other than that, this weekend was a busy blur.. Thursday night I spoke with a friend who I previously screwed over, somehow she gave me a second chance to gain her trust.. I still don't think I deserved it but I'm not letting that go to waste. Friday night I got to hang with my best friend who dropped off the face of the earth a few months ago. I really missed hanging with her, she's a badass hahaha.. Saturday, the guys and I went to a gun show. Not gonna lie, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I would skip from booth to booth all fast and excited, looking at the toys, it was simply amazing.. I bought a hundred bucks worth of ammo then we headed out. Saturday night I got to hang out with another amazing chick. We headed to some hookah bars and kicked back at my apartment until she had to leave for work this morning. Chilling with her is definitely relaxing. Then after she left I tried to crash for like 45 minutes before I had to work at 8.. I awoke to a text at 8:46 asking where I was. lol. I went into Field Training mode right then! I managed to get dressed, get all my work gear, and get over there by 8:52. For reference, it usually it takes 7-10 minutes just to ride my bike there. I definitely went into beast mode lol. I've just been at work ever since, I fell asleep twice though and the girls at my work were trying to mess with me.. I spent a lot of damn money this weekend though! But this weekend was totally worth every penny.



Some lessons learned this week/weekend.
-Let go. Trying to control every aspect of your life doesn't leave you with enough time to live it.
-All good things are acquired through risks. Jump into that fire.
-Don't do something just so you benefit from it. Be a good person and take care of others.

-T

"Pursuing Perfection."

Time to man the fuck up. I don't break promises.

Here's a bit of truth for you; I've never really thought of myself as capable of great things.
But I can always kick into high gear for an important project, or to be strong in front of friends and family. Now I need to completely eliminate weakness and negativity. I have to go the next year and a half without screwing up once in school. And I somehow received a second chance that I don't even think I deserved.
One of my personality traits is that I get tunnel vision often. This is great for ROTC and school because if I focus on something, I can get a major semester long project done in a couple of hours. Or a briefing in 20 minutes. But if I get tunnel vision with a female.. that usually ends bad.
I can't promise perfection, but I will do my damn best..

-T

"Young, Wild, and Free.."

This week has been pretty intense.. It's almost over! Then we get a little break before next semester. I'm stoked for the weekend though, I get to relax and hang with this pretty awesome chick :) I don't have much free time nowadays, so the rare time I get to spend with friends is amazing! I was just talking with a friend about our female situations.. He's in a relationship with a girl he's not really invested in, because he doesn't want to throw himself out there and risk getting hurt. I just decided I'm gonna back off and let whatever happen. It's not worth my time to try for something if she's gonna back off mid way through. Relationships are like a drug. A healthy relationship can do wonders for a broken soul. I see this happen all the time. But a sour relationship or jumping from one to the next can often leave the person alone and in worse shape.

In other news.. tomorrow we find out our jobs for the next semester of ROTC. It's gonna be an interesting day, some of my friends are getting bumped up to all these cool positions, while others won't have a job at all. I'm probably gonna just be Honor Guard commander because I had an issue with our leadership this semester so my ranking plummeted. No worries, I just have to figure out how to go another year and a half without screwing up lol.


-T

"Just don't tell 'em I've gone crazy."

   Hey y'all. Do me a random favor and think about your exes for a bit. Look back to every crazy, jealous, militant, clingy, and overbearing ex;  think about what you learned from each experience. Hell, they don't even have to be an ex for you to learn that it wasn't gonna work. It pisses me off  when a great girl gets back with someone who treated her like shit, thinking "oh it won't happen again". Then she's got the audacity to complain. This works for guys too. Yeah, think about that crazy dancer or the cheerleader you dated in high school. Yep, the one that broke your nose. Why in the hell would you get back with that? Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. I just know that I got the hell out of there. The good thing is you learned lessons from each ex.

I can think of a few good lessons I learned with the past few ladies. (These go for guys and girls)

1. Make a damn move! If you think she's worth it, put in the effort.
2. People change. Every day. Make sure you're changing for the better.
3. If she ain't into you, just back out. You should never have to convince a girl you're dateable.
4. When you get out of a long relationship, don't jump right into the next one. Take some time to get reacquainted with yourself.

Bonus: If you don't love yourself, no one will.


Go ahead and write down one lesson you learned from an ex in the comment section below.

Take care,
-T

"...Every therapist has bad days."

I do everything possible to make sure my family and friends are happy... Then throw in ROTC and school taking up over 60 hours a week. Then add a job. Then I tried to add a girl.. that wasn't ready. That was dumb.. It's hard even attempting to date when you know your own history and not theirs. There's women from my past that know I'm an asshole. I know I'm an asshole. 

But when this pretty, bright eyed wonder meets you, you can't help but show her your very best.. You'll cancel events, skip class, be late to work, anything to make time for her. Then the stress piles up. Miss a few things and people start breathing down your neck as they watch you under a microscope, waiting for you to fuck up so they have a reason to kick you out. When you get stressed, you do something stupid. It could be as harsh as telling her you don't love her, or as simple as a drunk text reiterating something she's already heard. I wish I could apologize for my mistakes, but I don't even deserve the chance to explain myself.

On a non-related topic, the thought of death (not suicide) is just too comfortable right now. I'm not the type to go emo over a chick (especially when nothing even happened) so that's why I'm curious as to why I feel comfortable with the idea right now. I've learned many lessons this year, so I can pass some knowledge on to you. Take what you can from this.

This is YOUR life. If you live to make everyone else happy, you will hate yourself.

The last easy day was yesterday.

If she turned you down three times, get out of there. In a good way.

Friends want to help you as much as you want to help them. Give them that chance, you may be surprised.

You can't win a war on your own. Make good friends.

Do something extraordinary, every day.

If you don't trust 'em, toss 'em.
Stress isn't worth you wasting your time.

Be everyone's best friend.

Don't give up on the war just because you lost a battle.

Don't accept "good enough"

When in command, take command.
If you ain't having fun, you ain't doin' it right.

He who fails a thousand times is better than he who never tried.

This is YOUR life. Go do something amazing.

-T

Remember.. You're the shit. This is your life, all your gonna have at the end of the day is a little memory film strip. Do you want it to suck? Fuck no..make it JJ Abrams film filled with tits, explosions, crazy stories and moments of greatness. Fuck social rules. Fuck that little pussy voice in the back of your head that says no to you. Fuck letting awesome opportunities go by. This is your life, and the only person who decides what you get out of it is….YOU

-T

"Take a shot at something, don't think about it too much just take the shot."
"I don't even know where to aim.."
"Anywhere, everywhere, just take wild shots. Hell it's something just to hear the gun go off."  ---  Great movie.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today has definitely been a good day. Started off with some shooting in the desert with the guys in the morning (I'll put pics up soon!). Then I went to my second family's house for some AMAZING dinner! Now I'm relaxing at home with my dog, family, and some movies.

I'm proud to say that many people see me as an old soul. But with some things I'm just naive.. For the majority of my life, I have played it safe. I'm ready to take some risks, to do something different just for the experience. I'm ready to live.

-T

Sometime's you've just got to jump into the fire. Hell yeah, you're gonna get burned. But it's better than wondering "what ifs" for the rest of your life.

I can't really remember when I knew that I wanted to fly. It's just always been one of those dreams that I knew I needed to experience.. Maybe I'm still in that childish stage dreaming of being a hero. If so, I never want to grow up.

This semester has been rough.. but thanks to my amazing friends and supportive family I've been able to pull through. Now I just have to learn how to be perfect... one more screw up and I'm out of school and can kiss my flying dreams goodbye. That really pisses me off. But I haven't been calm enough to confront some people about it.

Lately, I've realized that I appear very stable to those around me and my words carry a lot of weight. It's amazing that people I have never met, know my name and are 100% confident in my abilities. I've worked incredibly hard to keep it that way. But what if they knew my faults? I can sum up how I'm feeling right now to this song. Thank you.

Stay strong,
-T

<--- Regarding my earlier post about stress, here's another way to deal with it. I think I'm damn good at this. Work was excruciatingly long today, this helped me out.

Side note; going to dinner with the family and mom's boyfriend tonight, first time I'm meeting the guy. We'll see how this goes.

-T

So for HG we have a large golden eagle for a mascot. I found this mini-eagle on my ride tonight!
In other news, every day since Veterans day has been busy. Last night was a ton of fun, we had a combat dining in for AFROTC and it's always a good time. Today was a good de-stress day as well. Tomorrow though, I go back to my university job. It's alright for a paycheck, but the girls I work with are awesome so they make the time fly by.

-T

Lesson of the month; Set aside some time to relax every now and then. 

Stress is a major cause for health problems. Take note of that while chasing your dreams. It's true that hard work brings big rewards. But, every now and then, just take a second to stop and breath. Let your mind wander for a while, enjoy your surroundings, dream. 

I always keep this quote in mind; 

"The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination."

Take care my friends.

-T

"I'm not a good role model." That's not an excuse. You are a role model whether you like it or not. Trust me, there is someone out there who looks up to you and wants to be just like you. More than likely you are affecting more than one person. Sadly, some people out there don't realize this and they're only perpetuating the cycle of low-quality people. I don't know if I am anyone's role model, but at least I stay true to my values.
-T

Theme song for these past few months. ----->

-T

Life is good.
It seems like whenever I start to chase after a woman, life gets out of control crazy/busy/stressful. The second I decide I'm done chasing said woman, life gets easier to manage, and I got rid of this strep throat, that's been nagging me for weeks. But I'm doing me right now and that's working. One day I'll find the right gal, at the right time.
-T

This is the ending of an hour long argument I had with a woman from my university's financial aid office.

*In a very stern tone* "Sir, I don't think you understand the situation here. My hands are tied, I can't help you until you pay me."

"Ma'am I fully understand, but what I'm trying to get you to understand is that if I do not get this money, I have to enlist and therefore will not be able to pay you back for quite some time. So you can pay me today and get your loan back in a few months, and also get my tuition next year. Or you can continue to ignore me and forfeit over $20,000 for your company. It's your choice."

*Typing in the background*

"Sir, your loan for $4000 has been approved, have a great day." *click*

I've still got it!   :D
-T

Friday 5am; Wake up, shower, do work, get to the Det. Change into service dress, march in the parade.
          Noon; Pick up lunch, continue work from previous night, chill for 20 minutes. Drive out to the church.
          4pm; Performed our saber detail, head back home, finish work, sleep a few hours.

Saturday 5am; Wake up, shower, get to the Det. Change into service dress, go judge a high school drill meet.
              1pm; Leave drill meet, head out to NASCAR, do work in speed lane
              8pm; Head back into town, check out a friends new bike, got ditched, walk home, write up some emails, sleep a couple hours.

Today, 5am; Wake up; shower, change into civvies, go to NASCAR, break records, kick ass all day.
            7pm; Finally home,send out emails, done with the weekend. Post this Sleep like a beast (hopefully)

Yeah, this weekend has been ridiculous. NASCAR was fun as hell though, our whole job is to usher drunk race fans onto trams (similar to a bus) and make sure they don't get pissed and start a riot. Pretty fun stuff there. We broke a record though which kicked ass, we moved over 10,000 people down the tram line in under 58 minutes, which is a freakin' amazing feat when you're dealing with drunk people..
I learned a few lessons this weekend. Mainly, I'm awesome! Not to sound like a pretentious dick, but I had some self esteem issues ever since I was a kid and it's times like these when I'm reminded how awesome we all are. Sure, I got ditched by one girl, but I got hit on by several gorgeous women at the wedding, both nights of NASCAR, and on my walk home. And at NASCAR I took control because one of our guys couldn't get it done, then we break records. I always love those self esteem boosts :) Take care y'all!
-T

God bless our Veterans. I'm lucky to work with some of the most dedicated young men and women that are willing to serve in defense of our great nation. Yesterday I worked a flag raising detail at a local elementary school. It lifts my heart to see young kids stand tall and strong for our national anthem, and even taps. Plus they we're psyched when we gave them high fives..This morning I had the privilege to march in a veterans parade, it's amazing to see how many people will come out to support our military. And a few hours ago I had the honor to command a saber detail for a recently commissioned LT's wedding. Congrats LT!
-T

Time to man up.

-T

Can't quit now. Can't even take one step back. Not after how hard I've worked. To be thrown out for something as small as a communication error, or money, that's just not going to happen. Money has been a constant problem in my life.. I've been filthy rich, and dirt poor. There was a time when I lived in a mansion and drove a Corvette. There were times where I've stayed at friend's houses for weeks at a time because I couldn't pay the power bill. I'm going to try to rest for a bit.
-T

Anyone can give up. But to hold it together when everyone expects you to crumble, now that's strength.
-T

Competition.. I'm one hell of a competitive guy when it comes to sports, fighting, going after a job, etc. Competition over females always seemed like a sticky situation to me. If she's into you, back up a bit and let her weigh her options. But then again if the other guy still competes while you back off, it makes you look uninterested. So, naturally, the female heads to the guy that competed against no one. But, say you compete with this d-bag. You have a 50/50 shot (or less if there's more guys) of getting the girl or getting stuck in the friend zone, turning this into a big game of chance. Or if you're a highly competitive person like me you'll most likely take it too far and, bam; you lose the girl forever. Now that's a hell of a gamble.
-T

                   ^Awesome song.

I caught myself playing guitar out on the balcony a few days ago. It's been a while since I've played this much.. But that was a similar situation. I just hope that this one turns out positive. I find this time around to be more difficult. Past mistakes keep rushing around in my head and I end up too afraid to take that step forward. I can face an armed robber, but I'm afraid of this? I get the green light and I want to put the petal to the floor, but it's just out of reach. Actually.. That last sentence is wrong.. I don't have the fire to put the petal to the floor, if I had the ability, I would probably just take it out like a Sunday drive. That is where my problem lies, passion. I have passion for my job, I have passion for my country. But taking out a nice car for a drive.. why am I missing the passion there?
-T

If someone just gave you the keys to a sexy, fire red Ferrari, would you drive fast because it's a Ferrari, or slow because you don't want to wreck it?
-T

People that don't realize how awesome they are really piss me off.. You know who I'm talking about. The friend that dropped out of high school and still works at McDonald's, when you are coming up on your last year in college. Or the friend that still slides by in life on mommy and daddy's dime, at the age of 21. Or the friend letting potential just slip away by hanging with the wrong crowd. What pisses me off the most though, is when they are happy with their "amazing life" They don't see that a few years down the road they won't be able to take care of themselves, or god forbid, a child, on minimum wage. I am where I am because being "normal" was never good enough for me, and I never settle for less than the best. I just had to get that off my chest... /rant
-T

Remember that bike ride yesterday? Yeah, that turned into over 30 miles after my power nap. I missed having a bike. About two months ago my bike got stolen and I just got this new one a week ago. It's pretty sweet. This female situation thing is killing me though. On one hand, I want to give it a shot, but on the other hand there is a whole bundle of reasons why I shouldn't. The hardest part is that I don't know what she wants, she says she doesn't want to date for a while, but her actions keep bringing me in. Maybe I'm just over thinking it...I'll find out later this week.
-T

Had a nice 2 hour bike ride this morning. We cruised around the city and the lake, it was pretty relaxing but now I'm dead tired. I went to a concert last night with one of my best friends which was a ton of fun! It was some local bands hosted by 98kupd at a nearby bar. After that, we went to get some In-N-Out which is always a great idea hahaha. I'm gonna crash real quick, see y'all later!
-T

These past few days have all been a blur. I'm missing an important class right now because I messed up my foot playing basketball last night, I tend to get injured often, or at least I used to. I remember in grade school I had a cast covering something every single semester. No kidding I think I've broken 12 bones (not counting repeats or fingers/toes) in the 20 years I've been alive. I used to know the staff at two local hospitals by name. It's been a while since I've had a bad break though.. Moving on, I met this girl a while back and she is simply amazing. It's unreal though, I've never met a more inspiring/smart/cute/funny/ all around awesome woman and the craziest part is, she's into me (I think). I don't know what to do though, because in all honesty, I've never really dated. In the past, women have always come to me. But those are stories for a later day. Also, since I have been seeing her more, I've found myself playing guitar a few times. It's been over half a year since I've even picked that thing up. Maybe this time around I'll get to finish my song. Take care my friends.
-T

Hello world. I was turned on to this site by a good friend and figured it could be worth a shot. For now, I will remain nameless, just another soul willing to share a good story or two. It's funny how, as I type this post, the idea of people reading this far into the future pops into my head. It could be my friends, family, an ex, a potential lover; anyone can read this. I'm here to share my life experiences. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy "The Luck of the Irish"
-T