Being Positive

I found this passage in a book that I've been reading. I figure I'd share it... kinda cheesy but its a good message

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves."

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope , serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you- and inside every other person too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."



I know I need to feed my good wolf a little more and the bad one a little less. I think if we can all be a little more conscious about which wolf we are feeding we'll all be better off.

Flashing Back to the Doctors Appointment

Even though it may be old news by now, the doctors appointment was amazing. It was absolutely incredible seeing our baby. I thought I was gonna dump all over the place while watching the doctors face as she tried to get a view on the screen for the ultrasound. I was just a little paranoid, but all is well, which is awesome. The other shocking thing about the appointment was "my first vaginal examination." Although I do not have a vagina and really could not even see anything, I still felt violated. My lovely wife was sitting spread eagle and the doctor/CIA torture specialist started coming over with the tools found in "SAW." After the doctor brought in the car jack to open her up she mentioned "scraping," "some bleeding is normal," and something about "putting the lotion in the basket," thats when I temporarily blacked out a little. It was quite traumatic, but I think Kristen handled it well (like everything else involving her pregnancy) so that is the important part. She's still being a trooper with the morning sickness, but I'm know it'll turn around soon. So Gryler if you're reading this in like 12 years, I love you and am so grateful to have you. Muah!

ODE TO MY WIFE

Dear Everyone,

I would like to use this blog to acknowledge Kristen. She has wanted a baby since the day I met her. A natural born mother, like no one I have ever seen, is a perfect description of my wife. She loves all kids and is the first person to jump at the opportunity to babysit anyone. I just want to say how proud I am of her and how happy her pregnancy is making us. She has had her moments of doubt when we were trying, and she truly deserves to be pregnant. So far she has been an absolute trooper about not feeling well and all of the other new experiences a pregnant body goes through. She is being so understanding and enthusiasticthat I am being the "nutrition nazi." You know, some people get put on this earth to become teachers, fire fighters, politicians, or whatever. That is their calling, what they live for, often times their obsession. Kristen, my wife, was put on this earth to be a mom. I know she is going to be the greatest mother in the world, because it is truly her life's purpose. She is a great person and I love her with all my heart. I am so happy I was able to help her dream come true.

Sincerely, Cole

2007... Year in Review

2007 may have been the most stressful year in my entire life. That being said, I honestly think it was the greatest year ever. Reflecting back on the year is really making me realize that you truly must appreciate the good things in life and not worry about the stupid shit. There were far too many times when the stress of life had gotten to me during 2007, even though it shouldn't have because so many things in my life were perfect during the year. Lets reflect for a moment...

(In order of importance)

1. I got friggin' married this year to the love of my life. Not only is the marriage amazing, but the wedding was truly the greatest day of my life. It was so much fun and it was great to see that so many people care about us and were willing to go out of their way to make our day special.

1A. My dad was sick, now he's not, everything went well.... enough said.

2. I got a dog. I was skeptical at first about getting a dog in our new apartment, even though I am a dog lover. I am so glad we got Lily, she is currently rivaling Kristen as the love of my life (just kidding baby). She brings great joy to our household.

3. We moved home to Massachusetts. Connecticut sucks, we are back... it is awesome.

3.5 We moved to an awesome apartment. We loved it and we still love it. It is a 4500% upgrade over the Wallingford dump (which I do miss from time to time).

4. I got my Masters' Degree. Pretty cool, but the best part is that I don't have to work AND go to school at the same time.

5. The Honeymoon... this should be higher on the list, but I forgot and don't feel like going back to re-number everything.

6. I was offered a teaching job. That's pretty important I suppose.

7. I've been employed as a hockey coach for a few different organizations... that's more fun, but less important than #6.

8. 3J moved right next door. That is also higher than #8, but again I don't feel like re-numbering, good times... good times.

I'm sure there is a lot more cool stuff that happened during 07, but this is some of the highlights. So I guess the moral of the story is that life is sucky sometimes but the good times definitely outweight the crappy ones if you just stop to think about everything that is going well in your life. So if anyone hears me bitching in 08, tell me to shut the fuck up and get over it, because my life is pretty damn good. Happy New Year Everyone.