I got a call the other day from the Bone Marrow Registry wondering if i would become a part of the registry. i said yes. I think that it is a great way to help people in need.

Some of you may remember two years ago when i shaved my head and gave my hair to make a wig for a little girl. It was one of the best experiences of my life. it feels so good to know that you are helping someone. it's the same as the feeling that i get when i give blood. By donating blood once you have potentially saved three lives!

I guess i feel the way i do partly because of my brother. My younger brother has Deuchennes MD. He has a very short life and i guess i fell like if there was something that someone could do that would save his life i would hope so badly that they would. I can't imagine how relieved the people who benifit from programs like the Bone Marrow Registry and Canadian Blood Services are. I guess knowing that i'm doing my part sparks hope that if i became sick tomorrow someone would have it in their heart to help me out.

The thing that i find most interesting about the Bone Marrow Registry is that if i ever get the opportunity to go through with the transplant i will have the opportunity to meet the person who recieved my transplant. Two years after the procedure the Registry gives both parties the contact information of the other so that they can meet and share their stories.

I'm so glad that this opportunity has been put infront of me. Next step in this journey is a lot of blood work. Needles suck but it'll be worth it in the end. Wish me luck!

Hey guys! i hope that this made you smile! I got it e-mailed to me from a friend today. It kinda got me thinking however. Is there a difference in a sincere smile when you are genuinely happy and a smile that you just put on your face to mask your true feelings? I work with people all day and i always have a smile on my face because even if i'm having a bad day why should it affect them... but it worries me at the same time. What if someone was upset and needed someone to talk to but we didn't know because they just put on a happy face? just thinking... not really sure where i wanted this to go... but that's the joy of blogging! it doesn't have to go anywhere! i can sit down anywhere anytime and write what ever i feel or whatever's on my mind. It's kinda' nice... like therapy or something. have a good one!

--crys--

do you ever feel like you put too much into a relationship and get no recognition for it?

Most of you who've read my previous blogs know of James and our... situation. Well, there's a problem. He's 8 years older than i am! I didn't realize this when i met him and likewise he thought i was much older than i am. So we discussed our concerns and came to a mutual agreement to stay strictly friends. it shouldn't be hard because we never really started a relationship but we both felt that that was where it was headed. So, that's good. i really enjoy his company and i think that we will have many years of memories in the future together... but it left me thinking of the few other relationships that i've been in and why they never work.

I've often been told that i put too much into trying to make my partner happy. I don't know if it's necessarily true. I mean... you have to work at a relationship but how hard should you have to work at being happy? If you are constantly feeling like you have to fight for your spot in that person's life is it worth it? You should be able to trust each other to go away with other friends without wondering if they are with another person who they might find more appealing than yourself. You shouldn't have to fight about whether to go to the movies or go for a hike. Whether to hit the trails on the dirtbikes or lye on the couch and watch tv.

If you aren't the type of girl who spends an hour in the morning to do your hair just to go get gtroceries why should you have to change?

i guess what i'm getting at is that i think too many people are settling for a half - assed happy relationship. We're still in high school! if you're fighting about little things already or you feel a bit un appreciated things are only going to get worse as time goes on. So why torture yourself? Move on and find someone who appreciates you, enjoy's the same activities as you do, and makes you feel special. I know that i'm not going to settle so why should anyone else? We're young and let's face it... at our age big age gaps do matter!

not trying to sound preachy... or like Dr Phil but it bugs me when i see people who are un happy but won't let themselves see the truth. Live life to the fullest. Don't settle for less than you deserve. We're only this age once. Enjoy it while we can!

So today i woke up to my phone ringing. It was my boss. he wanted to know if i would come in to work a bit early. I'm supposed to work at 4 so i think 2:30 or 3 is a bit early right. so... ya, ok! 10!?! that's not a bit early! that's 6 hours early! sometimes i feel like i kinda' get pushed around. I've been working for them for over 5 years now and i've called in sick once. i even came to work straight from the hospital after i broke my shoulder in a rugby game and i was only 15 minutes late for my shift. over the past 5 years every time they need someone to come in to help out or cover for someone who is sick i'm the first one they call. Every time they call i cancel my plans and go to work with the exception of 2 times. 2 times i didn't drop everything and go to work over 5 years! so here's my issue. I've proven myself as a loyal employee. i've become a part of my boss' family. i make good money... don't get me wrong. but i found out that a co-worker that hasn't even been working for us for a year is making $2 more than me an hour! what the hell?! so... i'm kind of upset. i work more than her too! she works at best 2 shifts a week while i'm a full time employee. i don't really know what to do. i don't have a problem with what i make... but i'm hurt that she's making so much more than me. should i say something? and how do i go about it? Ryan (my boss) is like my dad and i don't want him to be hurt or take it the wrong way.

i don't know what to do!

This guy looks like he's having a blast! I'm jealous! I wish that i could be out on the water right now. Something about it just makes me feel so good. It's like nothing else matters because it's just me and no one else is around. i think that's the reason that i love being out in the wilderness so much. give me a bush and a tent anywhere anytime and i'm happy. i think that it's important for people to find what brings them true happiness and to persue it for the greater good of their well being. the same is true for un winding at the end of the day. I've never understood how people can just go to sleep and not worry about what happened in their day or what will happen in the days to come. I can't go to sleep without some sort of stress reliever. Sometimes it's going for a jog(which doesn't happen often anymore because of my knee), lifting weights or writing in my journal. Yes i keep a journal. My friends all make fun of me for it but it helps me to deal with things and put my life in some what of an order. Sometimes i think that we miss out on a part of growing up...like the fun part. Highschool is syupposed to be the time for us to screw up and make asses of ourselves but i don't have time! Between school, homework, extra curriculars, and still managing to work 40 to 60 hours a week i don't have time to party all night and sleep all day! sometimes i feel like i've missed something... but i've gotta' keep going. Applications for school are going to have to be in soon, and as always there's got to be some homework that i haven't had time to get to yet. sometimes i guess it just feels overwhelming to have to grow up so soon!

Today when i was on lunch my cell phone rang and it was my boss. "UH...Hey chris...uh...someone dropped something off for you...and...uh...ya. you should probably come and pick it up." CLICK. so i'm like what is it and why was it dropped off to work and not to my house.

So i go home after class and head up to work to get this mystery package. It's a teddy bear and flowers and a card. So now i know what it is and i know who it's from because of the type of flowers that it is. They're from James. He's been gone for 4 days so far and he still manages to send me flowers from 16 hours north of here?!? and not just any flowers but my favourite flowers, and not just any colour but my favourite colour, and the card he sent matches the theme of our biggest inside joke ever. And sent them to me the day he found out that my grandfather passed away in apology that he can't be with me, and not only that but he also sent a card of condolence to my family! like really! Too good to be true? That's just the beginning.
We met through my work. He's a customer of mine. He's always been one of my favourites. So a few weeks ago we met up unexpectedly at the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival. We spent the day together and had a great time. That evening he came into my work with an envelope adressed Mr and Mrs Dammeier. It was sealed and all he would say is that i had to give it to my parents. So i took it home and when they opened it they were surprised to find tickets to the Kim Mitchell concert that was held last saturday. The next night the doorbell rings and it's James. So i sit with him on the porch of my house and we talk when he takes me by the hand and asks me to close my eyes. So i do and he puts a bracelet on my wrist! Like really! Wow! talk about your prince charming!
So anyways. where i wanted to go with this is how exactly you can do something romantic for a guy. i mean guys have it easy. anyone can tell a guy how to be sweet, but what about girls? if girls sent a guy flowers he'd be like... uh... thanks i guess.
So this is me asking you advice. How do i make him feel special just as much as he does to me?

Ooh, and the moose at the top is because James is moose hunting for 2 weeks and it made me think of him.

Hey everyone! welcome to my blog. Not everyone knows me so here is a bit about me. Im 18 years old and in my fifth year of highschool at WO. I live in Baden, and i have a family of 6. I work at Teddy's bakery, i've been working there for 5 years now. in my time off i love playing sports, and spending time outdoors. Camping is the ultimate vacation for me. The further away from the city the better. i can't wait to get to know all of you better. Have fun bloggin'!