Thanksgiving

View at Medium.com

View at Medium.com

https://medium.com/@hhsmile/thanksgiving-9877549ee7e9

A time to give thanks for what we have. Share a meal with family and friends. Share stories, memories, and traditions of Thanksgivings of yesteryear. Here are some of my memories and traditions.

An Open Letter to Shitty Husbands

I was a shitty husband. And it’s not because I’m a massive jerk, or abusive, or particularly difficult to get along with. I was a shitty husband because I didn’t respect my wife&#…

Source: An Open Letter to Shitty Husbands

My LOVE

At Wilkes Barre Scranton Pens game

CHRISTMAS 2013

At her first Horse camp. She had so much fun.  And has gone many times since. 

Veterans day parade 2013

This past August!  After I finally got to see her again since her mother kept her from me for over two months.  Was the hardest thing I ever went thru.  I am stronger now.  And it is still Ava Daddy Team forever.

UFC PPV 195 Recap

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What a great night of fights.  I did pretty good to start off the new year.  I went 7/12 in both Tapology, and Ufc Pick’em.

There we a lot of decisions on the under card, all good fights.  Some bad judging in my book.  Soto should have won and so should have Noke.   Just like I said in my write up, Poirier Vs Duffy was amazing.  Both guys came out swinging, Dustin with the take downs and sub attempts.  It was a blood bath though and though.  Dustin looks so good at 155.  I’d like to see him face the  winner of the Cowboy vs Dirty Bird match up in Pittsburg coming up. You got to love Stipe Knocking out AA. Stile is such an amazing student of all MMA. He is so new to the sport, but ever evolving. Most see him as always an underdog. He seems to silence them all the time with his work! I for one thought he did enough to beat JDS, damn judges. None the less he will get his title shot coming up. The main event saw two guys at the top of their game. As I said before I wanted Carlos Condit to win,some thought he did enough to win. Again the judges didn’t think that way. So same champ, big up to the also ever changing Robbie Lawler.
Hope you all enjoyed the fights. Next up January 17th Boston, Dominick Cruz vs the champ TJ Dillashaw.

SEE YA 2015-BRING ON 2016

So long to 2015. 2015 was a rough year for me. Many ups and downs, many learning and growing.

Leaving a job where I was for almost 8 years, to a new job. And boy do I love my new job. Been there almost 8 months now. I wish I would have found it many years ago.

Then there was a period of a couple months where mu daughter was kept from me by my ex-wife. That was really the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I am a great father, I love my daughter more than anything in this world. Her birthday is in December I always told her when she was smaller she was the best Christmas gift from god. Now after seeing her again I am finally happy again. It is so hard to fine happiness I myself. I always hear that true happiness comes from with in ones self. Very hard to do for anyone. I find myself the happiness when I am with my daughter, and being a father. I felt like a zombie at work walking around in a daze. Crying and falling apart at work, driving to work trying to fall asleep. Was very hard to get through for me. I did though with help of my Family girlfriend and friends.

With all of that in 2015 I have learned so much. Learned and myself, learned about others. Learned who I can trust and who I cannot trust. I learned I am an amazingly strong person, stronger than I ever realized. I learned to trust in god. In 2015 I Lived, I learned, I Loved, and I have grown as a person.

So bring on 2016, I am ready for a great New Year! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. May you all live, learn, love, and grow.

UFC PPV 195

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UFC PPV 195

Well let’s see if I can start off the new year off right with some correct picks.  Cause I just shit the bed all around last time.  Really great card here.  My only disappointment is having Poirier VS Duffy on Fight Pass.  This for sure is a Main Card fight, they were to headline the Ireland card.  Before Duffy got hurt, and the fight got pulled.  I think we will see this more and more from the UFC.  Putting bigger names on Fight Pass, like the announcement of Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping.  This is the biggest fight to ever be a Fight Pass main event.  Clearly UFC will push these has to get fans to buy into the service for $9.95 a month.  Moving a long this is a great card from top to bottom.  I will catch some of the fights.  It is hard having a family and getting to watch every fight on a card like I did before.  Watch every fight drink lots beer drunk Tweet on Twitter.  Much fun was had.

I would love to see Carlos Condit become Champ again.  One of my favs, he is so tough and brutal.  If you are looking for a Carlos Condit autograph, I am your man.  I have a Headrush T-shirt autographed by the soon to be Champ for sale.

http://bit.ly/1RWzRi8

Her are my picks for the Pick um game on the UFC site.  Both are fun to pick fights for free, and have prizes too.

Watch “The Pogues Featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York (Official Video)” on YouTube

My favorite Christmas song of all time.  Take the time to listen and listen to the words.
Have a great Christmas. Smile, Love and Enjoy the Sprint of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS

As a child we all wait and wait for Christmas.  After Thanksgiving we would sit in the classroom thinking about Christmas and when is Christmas break.  Always seemed to take forever.  Talking to our friends about what we think we will get, and what we want to get. 
It was the best time of the year.  Making memories with the family.  Setting up the tree at home, thinking about each and every ornament hung on the tree.  Who made this one, when did we get this one, this one is special to me I want to put it on the tree.  Hang lights outside with Dad, always a frustrating project.  Still a memory of Christmas I am sure we all can relate to.  Christmas concerts at school, singing songs on the bus home from school.  Baking cookies with Mom, with chocolate chip, and sprinkle cutout cookies of course.  Making lists for Santa and trying so hard to be good to stay on Santa’s nice list.   So excited and anxious for the one night of tossing and turning in sleep of wonder of what will be under the tree. 

For my family it would always be Christmas Eve church at my Father’s church then to my great grandparents with family and snacks and treats.  Then off the midnight mass at my mom’s church.  Then home for late night bedtime.  Always try to stay up to see if I could hear anything landing on the roof of the house.  Up I  the morning to see what the Jolly Fat Man left for us.  Always a blessed day with more time with family and gifts.  Looking back, such amazing memories of Christmas.
As an adult with children now Christmas is very different.  Now I am the one who is trying to make Christmas special for my daughter, and my step children.   I want them to have memories and to look back when they are older they way I do.  Christmas is more than tearing open gifts.  Christmas is about God’s gift to us of his son Jesus.  To love and give to others.  Merry Christmas to all.

A True Merry Christmas!

So hard to think Christmas is a week away!  The time really has flown by since Thanksgiving.  It is so hard this time of year to just enjoy the holiday’s.  Between work and kids in school, shopping and wrapping there is never enough time.  Time to enjoy the family and friends, time enjoy the lights. I have been really struggling this year with Christmas. Struggling to find a balance of everything above. Struggling somehow someway to have money for gifts for my girls and my girlfriend. Not to mention the rest of my Family and friends. I am a very giving person, most of the time to much. So hard to do when I struggle everyday to make ends meet. I want so much for the ones I love to have the best Christmas ever. While I struggle inside with why, why do I have to struggle? I guess to make me the person I am today?
Today was the first time it felt like Christmas for and to me. After Church we went Caroling to shut ins that can’t make it to Church. It felt so amazing to see the smiles on their faces, the tears rolling down their faces. Tear of joy, that people would go out of the way to do good for them. Tears happiness that they are loved by other’s. The smiles we all saw today will always be in our hearts forever. The real true meaning of Christmas. To give to others as god gave us his son on Christmas. To want to give and not want. All to much Christmas has become a wanting from other’s of material things. I would take giving to someone rather than wanting anything. Most of the things people want and ask for, they don’t need. Love, caring, and compassion are some of the best gifts anyone could give to another person. I would take someone giving me these things over material possessions any day. I don’t need a new movie or video game to be happy. I want see other’s smiling from the love we give back. Those smiles and tears I gave and saw today are the greats gifts I could ask for. That is the true real meaning of Christmas.

UFC ON FOX RECRAP-

UFC ON FOX RECAP-

This was a very fun event for top to bottom.  No easy way to say it but boy did I shit the bed on my picks.  Could not tell you an event I picked this bad.  As I start tracking my picks here not looking to good, 3-13!  Yikes not good at all.  It will get better.

Big take away for me on the Prelims was the return of Tamden McCory.  Who was returning after a great run in Bellator.  His BJJ ground game is so fluid and sick.  Getting the submission win over a very game Josh Samman wo is now 11-3.  Tamden now 14-3 will look to make some waves in the Middleweight division. Nate Marquardt knocking out CB Dollaway was also a big shocker.  Who since his return to the UFC also he has had 6 fights, 4 of the 6 are KO losses.  So it was a shock to all the he put CB away who is always a top 15 fighter.  Everyone thought this would have been Nate’s last fight in the UFC if he lost again.  Will he keep winning fights, I do not see how.  He is very slow and old as a fighter.  It will be interesting to see who he gets next?

On the main card of FOX saw 3 underdogs cashing in.  Nate Diaz who lit up Michael Johnson who was a heavy betting favorite.  Are there any other fighters who are as fun to watch as The Diaz Brothers.  I am sure Fox and the UFC on be giving him the mic for a post fight speech anytime soon.  Karolina Kowalkiewicz in the women’s strawweight division got the UD win over Markos.  I really have no clue about Kowalkiewicz, I guess I will have to study up on her?  Alistair knocking out JDS is also a bit shocking.  JDS has had so many battles over the years versus former Champ Cain.  At some point the UFC has to look out for the fighters safety.  And another let down for myself, one of my favorites Cowboy getting knocked out too.  Cowboy is such a fan favorite always a let down when he loses.  He had such a streak going I thought it was his time for the belt.  He is another one who makes it to the top but can never get the gold. Much like all of Team Alpha Male. A lot of it I think with Cowboy is his head isn’t focused fighting 100%. Much respect to the champ RDA. I like most felt he wasn’t going hold the belt for long, but he looked very solid lastnight. Best way to keep the haters silent.
On to the next one, I will do better. I will have a winng record. Thoughts?