Happy Birthday Amy!

She's 24.  I just can't believe how much time flies...

Amy turned 24 today.

She's a working professional.

She's got her own apartment in Boston.  

And it was only a short time ago when...

• Amy probably came into this world dancing.  The singing part she's still working on (and we'll talk about that in a second) but dancing has been a huge part of her life.  In turn, that meant her brothers came out to all the performances.  Sure, we probably put up a fit but, in all honesty, at the end of the show, during the big finale, we were on our feet clapping and hooting pretty darn loud for her.
• Siblings weekend was always a blast with Amy at Canisius.  She was always a magnetic force at those things.  It was amazing after she left the amount of people who would come up and say, "Your sister is awesome." 

Those Canisius days also transition nicely into one of the things I think I'm most proud of her for doing.  When she first started looking at colleges, Canisius suddenly popped up on the list and after driving through a blinding snowstorm on the Thruway, she was able to take an official tour and talk with staff from Admissions.  After deciding that it was the place for her, questions started to pop up about if she would only be known as "Jeff Spain's sister".  But that never became the case.  From day one, she stepped on that campus and put her own mark there to the point that when I go back and visit, I'm sometimes referred to as "Amy Spain's brother".  She took that four years and made damn sure to get the most out of them.  

So to Amy, much love and wishes for many more birthdays, brews, trivia nights, and random bear sightings. 

A few more random things..

• If you've got a second while reading this, send a positive thought my dad's way to get better.  Thanks.
• One of things I should have said that I am not thankful for are spoiler sites.  There are a few sites out there that basically will tell you everything coming up in a tv show and a few years ago, Jeffrey got a little click happy and ended up ruining the big surprise at the end of Lost. This year though, I'm staying strong and don't know anything about this year's season premiere.  
• So I've basically discovered that I make other people look good at basketball.  We're playing a few days ago and one of my coworkers basically put in 4 three pointers, while my hand was practically in his face.  After I stop guarding him, he goes cold.  I go back, boom, two more.  Then some other people get into the game and, well, they turn into Michael Jordan.  Crazy, spastic shots dropping like a video game.  
• One of the challenges of having owning a Toyota Corolla is that it also looks like a Honda Civic, Ford Focus, VW Jetta, and other small cars.  Throw in the popular grey color and chances are in a parking lot, you'll see a few similar looking cars.  Well this poses a problem when your walking and not paying attention.  I have, over the past couple of weeks, walked towards my car, hit the unlock button on my key, heard the "beep beep", then put my hand on the door handled, pulled, yet at the same time thought, this doesn't feel right.  Suddenly coming back to reality I realize what is happening.  I'm trying to get into someone else's car.  Thankfully the door has never opened and no one has ever seen it (I don't think) but as soon as it happens, I do the quick look around and mouth "sorry" to the world.  
• Also speaking of cars, to the car that pulled up next to me the other day while I was blasting and singing at the top of my lungs, "Let My Love Open the Door" by Pete Townsend, to the same car that continued to drive along side me while it continued into "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne, to the same car full of students from RIT who witnessed someone getting way too into the music, you're welcome.  Glad I could put a smile on your faces.  Thank you for not laughing too hard.  Thank you for the round of applause.  And thank you for not thinking I was choking because of my face turning a deep shade of red. 

Other Updates

Some other updates:

• A big Thank You to Nick and Melissa Ippolito for finding the Swedish Fish Aqualife candies that DO include the grape flavor!  Although there were only 5 or 6 in the package of 50, it brought back good memories and created a darn good brand new one.
• Any dream interpreters out there?  I know there are, heck some of you even took that dream interpretation class that was our Religious Ed 101 class at Canisius.  Problem is that I've got no idea where to go with these ones:

1. Tree feel on my house in Wynantskill.  I think it's from my last trip home in which I helped clear some of the tree debris from the recent ice storm.  However, thanks to the ice, didn't quite make it up on the roof but my mom and I did have a field day with a branch that didn't quite make a clean break.  We threw everything at it.  Even tried getting up on a ladder but it wasn't coming down.  But for some reason, I'm thinking there's a deeper meaning to this one...
2. I keep having a dream about attending my high school reunion.  Each time it's in a different place.  Some I recognize, others are weird, and some are just impossible.  
3. Little confession, I used to use my graphic calculator to store formulas or other items I could use for a math test that I was "supposed to memorize".  So maybe karma is paying me back with my dreams about becoming a math teacher, giving my students a final, then taking all their calculators away.  Then all of a sudden, parents rush through the doors and I wake up.  No idea..
   

• Some pics from the Christmas holiday:

Thanks for reading:-)  Hope your New Year is starting off pretty darn good.

Another On Ice Adventure

Again, love my job.  You never know what might pop up.  Say, for example, putting on a hockey helmet, taping paper cut out dog ears to it, grabbing a few other Res Lifers, and becoming a human dog sled team.  Oh yes, I give you, Human Dog Sled Racing:

(Pictures courtesy of, at her request, Felissa Ippolito)

2100 people saw this live.  I'm the "dog" running behind the sled attempting both to keep up and make sure the sled doesn't go into the wall.  

As you might remember, the last time I was out on the ice, this happened:

Luckily, I stayed on my feet:-)  However, the next night, the T-Shirt cannon came back out and what happened?  The guy operating it tripped over the goal they had moved for the Zamboni (spelled correctly on the first darn try!) and while the crowd gave a big laugh, I did the "Awww, hell" and knew exactly what was going through his head, "Protect the $5,000 t-shirt gun".

Congrats!

So a more appropriate post to congratulate a good friend who got engaged.  

To Joe and Jennifer, I wish you many days of happiness, smiles, and days of making each other laugh. 

Now if only I could find a good picture...

One more thing I'm thankful for...

Thankful- The Military 

Thanks to the men and women in our nation and oversees who put thier lives on the line everyday to protect everything from your right to drive down the street to my right to write this blog.  

This especially goes out to the old friends, students, and cousin I know serving in the armed forces.   

A big thank you for all that you do.