The Time of my Life

Ah yes the best week of my life. It started on Sunday March 17, 2008. It was the start of my senior spring break. We started driving up to Kansas City in the rain. We also finished driving up to Kansas City in the rain. We got to the airport and got out of the car and waited while my dad parked it. We waited in the terminal for a while and got on a tiny plane. Our stewardess was actually wider than the isle. I sat next to my dad which made things worse because he's not a small individual. We flew from Kansas City to Charlotte, NC. The flight took about an hour and forty-five minutes. We got off the plane and left the airport for our hotel since we had an overnight lay-over. We put our bags in the room and my parents and I went to eat supper at the Cracker Barrel which was within walking distance of our hotel. We got back to our hotel and I took a shower before going over to play video games at a Joe Saia's room. I won of course. After that I went back to my room and went to sleep. Well I tried anyway. I had little success due to my excitement. I finally got to sleep.

A few hours later I woke up. We got our stuff ready and went to the lobby. When we got there Jordan was laying down on the couch with a wet wash cloth over her forehead. She was sick. I felt really bad for her because it was the worst possible time to get sick. Bsbnsrnbrnrnrny. When the taxi finally arrived we got in and went to the airport where we waited to catch our next flight. The next plane pulled up to the jet way and docked with it. It was the Pittsburgh Steelers team plane and was much bigger than our first. We took off and flew from Charlotte to Cozumel, Mexico. We got off the plane and went through customs where dogs jumped on and sniffed all our bags and officials walked around carrying assault rifles. We got through customs and we had to talk to this guy who was affiliated with our travel agent. I remember Jim Long asking where the beer was. After that we got in a taxi and drove to our hotel, the El Cozumeleno. We pulled up and I saw it saw it for the first time. It was the biggest nicest hotel I had ever seen. I was speechless. We unloaded our stuff from the taxi and went to the front desk to check in. We got there about three hours too early and our rooms weren't ready yet so we left our bags with the bell-hop and went to eat lunch at the hotel restaurant, seeing as how it was all inclusive and everything.

After we finished Brandon Long, Eric Pew and I went and played a round of mini-golf by the beach. After we finished, Eric and I wanted some cigars and so we asked one of the bartender where we could find some. He pointed down the beach and said there was a guy selling them between our resort and the one next to us. We walked down the beach but didn't see anybody there except for a family that sold temporary tattoos and braided people's hair. We asked them if they knew where the guy was that was selling the cigars. "I sell the cigars," the man said. He introduced himself as Cheapo Filipo, the cheapest Cubans on the island. We asked him how many cigars he had. He pulled six of them out of his fanny pack and put them on the table. Before I left on the trip I made a deal with some of my co-workers to bring them some cigars back and they would buy them. So I needed quite a few. More than he had. I asked him if he had more and he told me that he had some more back home. He told me to come back at five and he would have more. Pew went ahead and got two cigars and I got four. A few hours later we went back, and there was Cheapo Filipo. We paid him and as we were about to leave Eric whispered to me, "Watch this. Hey Cheapo, you have any weed."

"Shhhhhhh," He said, "Be quiet. We don't want everybody to hear." He said in an accent that only a true Mexican can master.

"So do you have some?" Eric said insistently.

"Yeah. Do you want some?"

"No I just wanted to know if you had any." We both had a good laugh and started walking back to the hotel.

That night we all started drinking. Some of my favorite drinks down there were: sex on the beach, amaretto and orange juice, electric lemonades, Crown and Cokes, and just plain old beer. That was the first time I had ever tried a dark beer and I found it to be very good. Later, a couple of friends and I went up to the Karaoke bar on the second floor of the hotel and caught up with the rest of the group and we all got drunk and had a good time. We didn't sing or dance or anything though. We weren't that dunk.As good as that night was, it was the least fun night of the trip.

The next day began just as every day down there began. With Brandon's parents calling and waking us up.I got up, took a shower, and went down for breakfast. I didn't eat very much. I was kind of hung over. A few hours after breakfast a couple of my friends, some of their parents, and I and took a taxi to town. Robert, Tanner and I went got out. Tanner's dad told us to meet back here at 1:00. We split up and set off walking down main-street until we came to a mall. We rode the escalator a few times just for fun and then ventured into a cigar store called La Habana. We looked around in their humidor but we didn't buy anything. We wanted to browse some other cigar stores before buying anything. We left and continued our walk down the street. We were on a mission to get to Senor Frogs for a shot of tequila but we didn't know exactly how far away it was. We stopped at a supermarket like store and looked around in there for a while. They had bottles of liquor and cases of beer. We wanted to get some but we decided to wait until we were coming back to get anything to avoid having to lug it around all day. So we sat off again on our quest. We walked a little ways farther and stopped to ask one of the locals where Senor Frogs was. He pointed to the south and said it was only like a block or two down the road. We walked another five or six blocks before we spotted it. We walked up to the escalator and stepped on. We rode it to the top and got off. There was a sign at the entrance that read, "You must be this tall to enter" and had a painting of a frog with its hand protruding out at about five feet. There was no real age limit at Senor Frogs. You just had to be tall enough to see over the bar and they would serve you and everyone in my group could so we went in. We asked the bartender for two shots of tequila each. She brought it to us and we all did them simultaneously and left. We started walking back the same direction we came from. We came across another Cigar store and we went in this time with the intent of making a purchase. I got a $25 robusto Cohiba. Robusto means it's a full flavor cigar. The best kind they made. Robert and Tanner opted to go for something a little cheaper and a little smaller. We took the cigars up to the front desk where we paid for them and the cashier cut the ends off for us. We told them thank you and walked out the door and turned right and headed back for the rendezvous point. We walked and walked and finally came back to the store with all the alcohol. I chose an $11 bottle of tequila. I later realized that that wasn't the right choice. It was barely drinkable. The only thing that kept me from smashing it was that it had the potential to get me drunk, if I was able to actually get it down. We then walked over to where the beer was at. Robert got a 12-pack of Guinness and Tanner got a 12-pack of Bud Light. I offered to buy it for them if they gave me the money to do so since they weren't of legal drinking age, even of Mexico. I got it and stood next to the counter while they bought condoms. (Which they never used) We got our stuff and left, continuing down the street. I handed them there stuff because I didn't want to carry it. It was getting close to one O'clock so we started to hurry. We stopped at one more store that caught our eye. It was the Ron John Surf Shop store. We stepped in and looked around for a while. Robert saw a "yard" cup and wanted to buy it. We told him he could come back some other time to get it because it was about five minutes till one. Well he wasn't having it. He was determined to buy it then so he could drink out of it that night and the hotel staff couldn't take it away. He went and got in line. We told him we were going to leave him there if he didn't come with us. He thought we were bluffing. We weren't. We left his ass right then and there. We continued walking. We got about a block away and turned around to see if he was coming. He had just stepped out of the store and started jogging to catch up with us. We slowed down a bit so he could catch up a little. He caught up and we continued walking at normal speed. We got back to where we left and the rest of the group was standing there waiting for us. We got a few dirty looks but no one said anything about us being late. We got into another cab that took us back to the Hotel.

Later that night I started drinking my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad tequila. It was the roughest drink I had ever had but it could get me drunk, so I drank. And drank. And drank. I was a little drunk when Brandon Long, Brandon Palumbo, and I decided we wanted to go to town. Jim and Debra Long rode with us and dropped us off in the center of the town. We walked around for a while and went in a few stores. We went to this one place that was selling stuff like rugs and wrestling masks. We tried a few on and left. We came across another store that was selling Jewelry, watches, and sunglasses. Long saw a pair of glasses he liked and looked at the price tag. They said 140 on them. He thought it was 140 pesos which is about $14. He went over to ask the cahier if she would take them out of the case but as he was walking over there I took a look at the glasses. I called him back over here and pointed out that the tag on the glasses said 140 USD. That's United States Dollars. He decided that he didn't want them that bad and we left. Later we went to Carlos N' Charlie's. We went in and there weren't very many people. We sat down at one of the tables and Long ordered us a round of beers. They were expensive. The three beers that he ordered totaled around $14. We drank those down and this woman came over holding a bottle of something and asked if we wanted a shot. Palumbo obliged and she filled up a shot glass a put it in his mouth, tipped head back and started shaking it. After he swallowed it she grabbed his nipples and gave them a twist all the while blowing her whistle. Then she took the shot glass and shoved it down his pants. Long, seeing what just happened told her he wanted one too and he got the same treatment. We sat there for a while longer and I ordered us a round of sex on the beaches and we drank them. They were a lot stronger than the ones at the hotel as well they should. They were six dollars each. We enjoyed the rest of those but we were getting kind of bored so we went in search of Long's parents. Before long we found them and headed back to the hotel. We headed back to the room and retired.

BRRRIIINNNGGG! It was Brandon's parents. Apparently it was time to wake up. It was a beautiful Wednesday morning. Or so I was told. I really wasn't in any condition to notice the weather. I got up and went down to breakfast. I was hungry but again, I didn't eat much. I couldn't. Brandon ate quickly and went to the scuba diving class, which were available free at the resort. I opted to pass on that. Instead I went over and sat down with some friends who were still eating and chatted with them for a while. The day was pretty uneventful. Around sunset we went over to the beach and played volleyball. I played two games but my feet started to hurt because there were sea shells in the sand and they were sharp and I didn't have any shoes on so I got a beer and sat and watched.

That night, Wednesday night, was a great night. Although it could have been a lot better. It started out with my friends and two of my friends' parents sitting down at a table next to one of the many bars at the resort. I was drinking triple-shots of Crown and Coke. I finished off my drink and went over to the bar to get another. There was this girl in line named Risa Lind, who looked just like Megan Fox. I'm not exaggerating when I say she was one of the top ten hottest girls I have ever seen in my life. Well as we were waiting I started talking to her. When we got to the beginning of the line I gave the bartender my glass and he filled it up with a beer. I stood there talking to Risa while she asked for a drink. Turns out that they were out of glasses and you had to bring your own up there if you wanted a drink. I offered to finish my beer real quick and let her use the glass and she agreed. She got a drink and we went around the pool and talked some more. At this point I was really drunk. I told her I was going to put her name in my phone so I wouldn't forget it. As I opened my phone to put her name in it she got real close and started rubbing on me, pressing her boobs against my chest. She gave me her number and I put that in my phone as well. We talked for about another half hour and she said she had to go to the bathroom and I told herI did too. So we walked over to the bathrooms and went in. I finished my business and walked out and who should be standing there staring at me but her dad, her mom, her little brother, and her boyfriend. They told me to leave her alone and I explained to them that we were just talking but they wanted no part of it. So I left and wondered around for a little while and went and sat down with a few of my friends' parents. I told them what happened and they couldn't believe I just let her go. I saw it their way so I went around looking to see if I could find her again. I couldn't, but two guys in there 50's saw me and asked me if I played college football. I told them that I wasn't yet but had just signed to play football in college. I chatted with them and it turns out they both played college football for a year until "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" cut their careers short. I told them it was nice talking to them and I went looking for my friends. After a few minutes of looking I caught up with them. About ten of us went up to Allyssa Snow's rooms and hung out for a while. About half an hour later we went to Jordan Saia's room and I passed out on their couch. My roommate woke me up because their parents came to the room to go to bed so we left. My roommate and I went back to our room where I passed out.

"BRRRIIINNNGGG!" It was Brandon Long's parents again. Brandon got up and went down to breakfast. I decided I should get up too as to not waste my day sleeping. I got up and went down to breakfast. Again I didn't eat much. After breakfast I went to the lobby and sat down. My parents came down and sat next to me. They told me they were worried about me. They said the way I was drinking and smoking cigars was scaring them. They told me they were going to rent a jeep and go around the island and that I had to come with them. I told them that I was just having fun with my friends while I still could and I wasn't going with them. We had a big fight and I finally just got tired of listening to them so I caved and went with them. We took the jeep and went around to the other side of the island. It was really beautiful, with huge breaking waves like nothing that was on the resort side of the island. We went to an outdoor restaurant on the top of a hill over-looking the beach. We sat under an umbrella in the sand. I ordered the fajitas and while we were waiting for our food they brought us chips. We were eating the chips when my mom got a weird look on her face and leaned over the side of her chair and spit in the sand. She said she tossed a little extra salt in her mouth because the chips didn't have enough on them. We asked her where she got it from because we didn't see a salt shaker on the table. She pointed at the ashtray. She had tossed a pinch of ashtray sand into her mouth with her chips. We all had a good laugh. To this day we still tell that story to everyone who hasn't heard it. They brought out our food. I must note that those were the most scrumtrulecent fajitas to ever cross my palate.

We left the restaurant and went back to the hotel. I waited in the jeep while my parents went up to their room to get their bathing suits. They came back and got and got in the jeep and we took off. We drove through the town of San Miguel on our way to Discovery Cove where we had an appointment to swim with dolphins. We got there with about two minutes to spare but my dad forgot to get the tickets that we printed out when we booked it over the internet. We told them our situation and they checked it against their records and let us in. We got in and changed our clothes. We waited on a park bench and watched the dolphins swim and jump out of the water. When it was finally time to go we had to go in a room and watch a video first, instructing us what was going to happen and how to give commands so the dolphins would understand. When the video was finished we left the room and got our life-jackets. We walked around the boardwalk to the other side where we went down the stairs and entered the water and stood on a fence-like platform with ocean water up to our waist. The trainer introduced us to Romulo and Chuck. Those were the names of the two dolphins we were going to be spending our afternoon with. The trainer showed us some of the tricks they could do and then she let us go out into the water and put our arms out and let them swim into them and we could hold them. After our group of seven each got a turn doing that she let us, one at a time, swim out to the deep part of the enclosure.

My mom went first. The trainer instructed her to lay on her stomach with her hands straight out in front of her and her legs locked behind. The trainer sent the dolphins off and they swam up behind my mom and put their snouts on each of her feet and started pushing her. When they built up enough speed they lifted her right up out of the water and sat her back down next to the platform. We each got a turn at that but the dolphins didn't have as much success lifting me out of the water. After everybody had their turn we did another drill where we stood vertically in the water with our hands straight out. The dolphins would swim up behind us and let us grab their dorsal fins while they pulled us through the water with blazing speed. Everyone got to try their hand at that too. I would personally have to say that that was my favorite part of swimming with them. After everybody was done doing that we swam out a 10 feet from the platform we were standing on and we got to give commands to the dolphins. We raised one hand and started turning around in circles and the dolphins imitated us. We did a few more little things like that and then it was time for us to leave. We got out of the water and climbed up the stairs and walked back around the boardwalk and handed our life-jackets back. We showered and went down to the store. We looked around in there and bought the video of us swimming with the dolphins. After we made our purchase we got in the jeep and left.

Later that night I started drinking my disgusting tequila and went back outside where I met up with Brandon Palumbo. He got a calling card so he could call his girlfriend back in the states. While I was waiting for him Travis walked by. We heard some noise and decided to go upstairs to check it out. We got up there and there were people playing ping-pong. We noticed a pool table that wasn't being used. We went back down stairs and went outside, got a drink from the bar and went back over to where we were and asked the people in charge of the rec. room for two pool sticks and the balls to the table. We went upstairs again and played a game of pool. Neither one of us could sink a ball seeing as how we were border line drunk. Brandon finally got done using the phone and came up and got us as he told us he would. We retuned the balls and sticks to the people at the counter and continued on to see if we could find some other people to hang out with. We found some people and they all came up to my room. All except for Allysa Snow that is she said that she was going to come up after a while. She called our room when she left hers to alert us that she was coming. My memory has failed me to as who came up with this idea, but someone said, "wouldn't it be funny if Palumbo went down to the ground floor and laid on the grass all spread out and when Allysa gets here and then ask her if Brandon was still sitting on the railing." We were planning on making it look like he had fallen the nine stories to the ground. We told Palumbo to do it but he refused to walk all the stairs. The only regret I have from this trip is that he didn't do it. Allysa got there and we ordered some food via room service. It took them about 45 minutes but it got there. We ate and Palumbo and I went down to the bar to get some drinks. We asked if anyone wanted anything while we were down there and Long chimed in and asked if we would get him an electric lemonade. We got down there and Palumbo went first ordering his drink. I was next and I ordered two electric lemonades, one for me and one for Long. The bartender told me that he was only allowed to serve on alcoholic beverage per person per trip. So I told him to make one without any alcohol in it. I took them both and started off with Palumbo back to the room. We got back to the room and I gave Long the one with no alcohol in it. He took a few sips and said, "Man, this electric lemonade is strong." We broke the news to him about how there wasn't a drop of alcohol in it. He was disappointed but he understood.

Around 9:00 we left the room and went down to the courtyard and found some people sitting on lawn chairs with their parents drinking. We sat down with them and started drinking too. We sat there for about thirty minutes or so when somebody said they wanted to go to Senor Frogs. We all agreed so we loaded up the taxi and moved out.

We got there around 9:45 or so. Chris Noe and I went up to the bar and each ordered a "yard". We checked the place out and went and sat down at one of the table by the dance floor. We sat there drinking for a few minutes until this guy came out of nowhere and said, "My daughter wants to dance, so get up off your ass and dance with her." (I learned later that that wasn't her real dad.) At first I wanted to say no but the alcohol convinced me otherwise. I got up stood behind her and put my hands on her shoulders and we started dancing. I asked her what her name was and she told me it was Morgan. We danced like that for a while, with nobody else on the dance floor but us, until she moved my hands to her waist. A few more people filled in the dance floor. We danced for a while longer like that until she took my hands and put them on her **** At that time the dance floor was packed. We danced some more until she took my hands and placed them on here **** We danced in that position until she came up with a brilliant idea. She turned around and asked me if I wanted to make out. I jumped on the opportunity. She dragged me over by the entrance of the bar and we started making out right then and there, tongue and everything. It got really heated and we decided to go to the girl's bathroom and make out in there. It turns out that that there are people that stand in the girl's bathroom for some reason or another. They kicked us out so we just started making out again in the corner. A few minutes later I suggested that we try the men's bathroom even though I knew for a fact that there was a guy in there selling cigars. Well we gave it a shot and it didn't work. So we went back the corner and started making out again. I tried slipping my hands in her pants but her Khaki shorts were too tight and I couldn't get them in and I wasn't sober enough to unbutton them. Trust me I tried. So we went back to making out and groping and the works. She suggested we go back to my hotel room, giggity, so we made our way to the exit. We were almost there when she remembered that she needed to tell her "dad" where we were going. I played it cool when we went over there. I just stood in the back while she explained our plans to him. He didn't like the idea and told us we couldn't go. With a stupid look on my face I looked at him, nodded my head in approval, and gave him a thumbs up. We went back to what we were doing before. We made out until midnight. Her "dad" came and told her it was time to go. She told him that she need a few more minutes with me. We went up to the counter in the club that was selling cigarettes and asked the people working if they had a pen and two things that we could write on. We wrote down our names, phone numbers, and email addresses and exchanged them. I told her we should meet back here sometime tomorrow but in her drunken stupor she told me that she was leaving the next day. To my chagrin, cell phones didn't work down there so there was no way for her to tell me she didn't leave. We shared one last kiss and she was on her way. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. We left just a little bit after that and I went back to my room. There were about five people in there but I paid no attention to them. I laid down and went to sleep.

"BRRRIIINNNGGG!" You guessed it. It was Long's parents calling to wake us up. It worked. We got up and went down to breakfast. Too bad I couldn't eat much because breakfast was always the best meal of the day. It was the only meal that didn't have seafood in every dish. Anyway, I ate as much as I thought I could hold down and then I went back to my room, showered, and took nap. I woke up again and went down to hang out with my friends. The day started out pretty slow but around noon I went to town with Brandon Long and Brandon Palumbo. We got in the smallest taxi you have ever seen and if you know me then you would see where that could be a problem. We got in and I rode with my head tilted where my neck was almost touching the roof. We got into town and had to slow down so I stuck my head out the window to allow myself a little extra room. When I did that I hit my head on the OMG! Bar. Palumbo told me to watch my head and I thought he had seen me hit it and was being sarcastic so I flipped him off. He pointed out the back window and said, "No watch your head!" Just as I pulled my head back in a scooter zipped right by the window where my head just was. After that ordeal was over we continued down the road and got out in the middle of town. We met up with some girls that were coming behind us and went to Margaritaville for a while. We looked around in the store part of the restaurant for a while and then the girls got a seat so we left. We walked the strip for a while stopping in and out of stores. We got hot so we decided go back to the hotel after only being there for an hour or so. The rest of the day was completely uneventful.

Later that night I wanted to go back to Senor Frogs, seeing as how great of time I had the night before. I convinced a couple of people to come so we got in the taxi and headed off for the bar. I got there and went in and got a yard of Gin and Tonic. I talked to Katherine for a while and she said that she won a contest. I didn't know what she was talking about and it was too loud to ask so I just nodded and agreed. A few minutes later Emma came running up to me and said she wanted to get up on stage and do the competition that they had just announced but you had to be a couple. So we pretended to be a couple and went up front and started yelling and stuff so we would get picked to come on stage. The guy on stage that was running the competitions picked us so we got up there while they explained the rules to us. We were doing the balloon pop. You had to pop three balloons in three positions. The first I had to stand up straight while Emma had to take the balloon and pop it between our chests. Next I had to turn around and bend over while she had to run back and grabbed another balloon. Then she had to run back over and pop the balloon between my ass and her crotch. Next I had to sit down on the chair up there while she ran back and grabbed the last balloon. Then she had to run back over to me and put the balloon on my knee and slide into it popping it. We were up first. The man blew his whistle and we started. The two balloons went fine but we had a little trouble with the third balloon. It took us two tries to pop it. We finally finished with a time of 17 seconds. We were happy with that time and thought we had a chance of winning the whole thing. The next group went and they beat our time with a time of their own of 16 seconds. We were pissed but it was okay as long as we didn't get last. The guy blew his whistle again and the last group went. They beat both of our times with a time of 13 seconds. We were crushed but it the feeling didn't last long because we were completely **** as Joe Saia would say. Well we got off stage a loser. A little while later they had another competition. Chris Noe got in this one. It was a "Best Michael Jackson impersonation." Chris went first. He started by taking off his shirt and throwing it down on the stage. Next he took off his under shirt and put it between his legs and stared pulling it like a towel. He then threw it down and started unbuckling his belt. That's when the judge stepped in and told him he was done. That was quite possibly the funniest thing that happened that week. We still hang that over his head sometimes. The next guy started and he did some tricks with his hat. It was okay but not great. The last guy was a 40 year old guy in a Hawaiian shirt. He was pretty darn good. But he was alive back when Michael Jackson was still black, so he was at an advantage. He did the moon walk and stuff. When he was finished the judge came on stage and had us vote on who we thought was the best by yelling. He held up Chris' hand and we started screaming. Next he held up the second guys hand and some people yelled but not as many as did for Chris. Then he held up the third guys hand and he got a lot of screams. He won but I still feel as though Chris was the best one up there. He defiantly would have won "Best Stripper Imitation." After all the competitions were done they started playing music and people started dancing. After a while Emma came up to me and we started dancing for a while. After that I danced with Katherine. When we got done I moved on and started dancing with Kenna Grisham. Then I went to the bathroom to drain my lizard and when I came back out Emma was over with Melissa who was crying. Turns out some Mexican dude tried to rape her but Emma knocked him out. Lucky she was there. Well that got the parents scared so they told us we were leaving.

We got in the taxi and went back to the hotel. I went up to the karaoke bar and got a drink and sat down with Katherine and her parents. We talked for a while and I mentioned something about having a chugging competition. She didn't want to because she thought she would be no competition for the master. Me. Well I had to do some convincing but she finally agreed. We went over and I got a beer and she got an amaretto and orange juice. Her dad counted back from three and we began. By the time she got half way done I finished. I told her we should go again but she didn't want to because I was just too good. I told her this time I would use a straw. She agreed and we went over and ordered two drinks and went back to the table to sit down. Her dad counted us down again and we started. I beat her again but it was a lot closer this time. I told her one my time except this time I was going do two to her one. So she went over and got a drink and I got two. We went back and we started. She had about three quarters of hers down when I finished my two. We did that a few more times where I did two to her one. At that time I was feeling sick so I went in the bathroom because I thought I was going to puke. I went to the stall but there was someone in there so I went over and threw up in the urinal. Three times. When I got done I rinsed my mouth out in the sink and went back. I convinced Kat to do one more competition with me so we went over and got some drinks and came back. We did it again and she beat me. She was ecstatic. She couldn't believe that she actually beat me. She wanted to end on a good note so she stopped so I challenged her dad to a chugging competition and won. Then after that was over Kat and I got up on stage and sang karaoke to Barbie Girl. After our song was over the bar closed and we all had to leave. Her mom had to walk me home because I could barely stand up. Well I got back and went in my room and passed out. That was the most I have ever drunk in one night. I had a total of 20 shots of Crown and Coke, a "Yard", three shots, and about eight beers, and two amaretto and orange juices.

Saturday was our last day. Our plane left at one O'clock so we had to be at the airport at 10:00. Today Brandon's parents let us sleep in a little but by 8:30 they were knocking on the door. We got up. He went down to eat breakfast but I stayed and packed all my stuff so I would be ready to leave. While I was packing my dad came in and told me to come over to his room when I got done. As soon as he left I went to the bathroom and puked my guts out three times. I finished packing and stepped out of my room. Turned to my left, took half a step, and arrived at my parent's room. I knocked on the door and they let me in. As soon as I got there we all left and went down to breakfast. I was really not feeling well that day so I hardly ate anything. While I was eating breakfast Joe said he found my phone and told me to come and get it after I got done eating. After breakfast we started walking back to my parent's room. I split off and went to Joe's room and got my phone and went to my parent's room and I waited while they packed. I sat down on the bed and entered Morgan's number and email address into my phone so I would have it when I got back home. After I got done I fell asleep. When they finished packing they woke me up and we all went down to the lobby and sat down with our bags. I fell asleep on the couch down there until the taxi got there. Our entire group got in a couple of taxis and headed back to the airport. We went through security and sat down in the terminal. A little while later Katherine and her parents came and sat down next to me. Her parents and my parents started talking and making fun of how hung over the two of us were from last night. One O'clock rolled up pretty fast and we boarded the plane. I started feeling sick to my stomach and I wasn't was not looking forward to takeoff. I got the barf bag ready just in case this takeoff wasn't as pleasant as the last. Well the plane took off and I didn't puke. We reached cruising altitude and leveled off. Not long after that I fell asleep and slept until we got to Charlotte. We got off and went through customs where I had to lie and tell them the cigars I had with me were from Mexico when they were actually made in Cuba. We got our bags but we had to hustle because our next plane took off in 30 minutes. We got on the moving sidewalk and started walking. We got to the gate just as the plane arrived so we went over to a store over there and got some beef jerky and a few drinks and headed back to the plane and started boarding. We got on and waited for a while. Then the Captain came over the intercom and told us we were waiting on a few people whose plane had just arrived from Cancun. We waited for them and we started taxiing on the runway. It was about dinner time and we were hungry. The jerky just didn't cut it. This plane wasn't as big and I wasn't able to fall asleep. But at least I wasn't feeling as bad at that point. We took off at sunset and landed in Kansas City in the dark. It was quite a sight flying into Kansas City at night and seeing the City lit up in the distance. We landed and went outside. It was about 40˚ out there. I was accustomed to the weather in Mexico which averaged about 90˚ when we were there, and I was cold. We waited in the terminal while my dad pulled the car up When he got there we loaded our bags. Then we sat out to find something to eat. We stopped at a Taco Bell and ate. After we got done eating we pulled out and headed back home. We got home around 1:30 am. We greeted the dogs and went to bed.

The next day I got on the computer and checked my email. Morgan sent me a message telling me that she couldn't find me on Facebook. I texted her telling her I sent her a friend request. We started talking and got to know each other. That first day we talked for about eight hours. I found out that she lived in Des Moines, Iowa. About a week later we got decided that we wanted to meet up in Kansas City and go to a Royal's game at the end of next month. Well a few weeks before we were supposed to go we were talking on AOL Instant Messenger and she "broke up" with me even though we had never had official date. She told me that the distance got to her and it was too hard not being able to see me whenever she wanted to. To this day we still talk but not the way we used to. We made a deal stating if neither one of us were married a couple of years after she graduated college, then we would marry each other. Only time will tell how that will work out. I will never, ever, as long as I live will forget this trip. I truly had the time of my life on this trip. It has ruined me for all future vacations because I know I will never enjoy any vacation as much as I enjoyed my senior spring break.

So I play football for a JuCo team and recently I've been getting some letters and emails from Bill Snyder, the head coach at K-State, The man that orchestrated the biggest turn-around in in college football history. The last email I got he was just wanting to wish me a happy easter. I also got a letter yesterday from him inviting me to come watch any of their spring games and visit with the coaches and players and it looks like it was even hand signed. Haha I'm so excited. I sure hope they offer me this time. I've gotten a lot better since highschool and they sent me a lot of letters and invited me to a few games then.

We push ourselves through the unbearable heat, The cuts the scrapes, and the constant headaches.

The coaches unforgivable comments towards the mistakes made.

The opportunity to be one on the field of battle.

Guy's killing themselves, and knowing that together they are one, one family, one force.

Bones and spirits crushed all in one moment, but the urge to come back for more is still present.

Every big play, every bad play, running through the back of our minds over and over again.

After every down gasping for the air you can never seem to find.

All this would be meaningless, unless we achieve..................

VICTORY

Garrick Maples Sr.

While dangerous if in the wrong hands, fireworks are still safer than many other things we all use in our daily lives and, therefore, should not be banned. According to pyrouniverse.com, in children 5-14 years of age only nine out of every 100,000 emergency room treatments are caused by fireworks. Even pens and pencils cause more injuries coming in at 35 out of every 100,000.

One of the arguments in favor of the ban on fireworks is that they are frightening to domestic animals. Cenydd Phillips, a member of petitionsite.com even says, "I have dogs and cats which are being perpetually terrorized and terrified by a constant flow of fireworks all year long in the area." If people truly care about their pets, they would do research on the internet on how to spare their pets the torment that they, themselves, are putting them through by not taking care of them properly. If they were to do a quick browse of the internet they would find multiple articles on how to keep their pets calm when the skies light up at night. Issues specialist with the United States Humane Society Nancy Peterson urges, "With a little bit of planning and forethought, you can enjoy the excitement of the Fourth of July and know that your animal companion is safe, sound, and enjoying a little peace and quiet." The site then lists some ways to make your pets more comfortable during the Fourth of July

People that support the ban say that fireworks are overly dangerous and people are getting hurt left and right. That simply is not true. Most injuries caused by "fireworks" were not caused by fireworks at all. They were caused by homemade illegal explosives such as M-80's or silver salutes. That is what gives fireworks a bad image and they are a major reason why people are pushing for a ban of legal fireworks, because they don't know the difference between legal fireworks and illegal explosives. Ymton Emanlear sums it up nicely on the answerbag.com website when he says, "M-80's are not consumer fireworks, and haven't been legal for several decades in the United States. Any M-80's that are sold in the United States are totally illegal (unless sold between licensed manufacture and licensed pyrotechnician) and the maker risks serious hard time in a federal prison. M-80's have no legitimate relation to consumer fireworks, and their illegal manufacture, sale, and use should have no relation to the manufacture, sale, and use of legal fireworks." M-80's and silver salutes are typically filled with three to four grams of flash powder, about 60 times the legal limit and are very dangerous. In fact, they are so dangerous the military originally used them to simulate gunfire and grenades going off in training missions because they had the same sound effects and potential for destruction. Possession of one of those devices is already a felony so there is no reason to push for a ban of them. Why don't we just punish the people who build these illegal explosives instead of punishing everyone who enjoy fireworks and abide by the law by taking them away?

For some people fireworks aren't just something that you shoot on Independence Day, it's a hobby. People spend hours upon hours of their lives trying to put on the perfect fireworks display. It's a way of life for these people. People like that are very safe because they know what they are doing. They are smart because they study the art and science of pyrotechnics. They have done their research and they wouldn't do something that isn't safe. If you were to completely ban fireworks you would be taking away these people's way of life. Some of them even make a career out of this. How do you think that demolition experts get their start? They start out with an interest in consumer fireworks. What about those professional displays? Do you think that people just go out and start shooting the big ones? No, they start out by making a display in their backyards. They then take that interest and pursue it as a career. So without consumer fireworks you would not have the public displays that have become a staple of the holiday.

If firearms are legal, why shouldn't fireworks be legal as well? Fireworks cause far fewer deaths per year than firearms. On average, 38,500 deaths per year in the United States are firearm related, whereas in 2002 there were only 8,800 firework related injuries and only four firework related deaths. In addition, firearm injuries are more costly to the public than fireworks. According to the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center the direct cost of medical treatment and emergency services due to firearms was $3 billion dollars in 1992 while the cost of medical treatments from firework injuries was only $100 million.

Consumer fireworks that are sold in stores not dangerous if used properly. The problem is many people don't use them properly. We should all know now by now that we should not hand a three year old a bamboo stick coated in chemicals that burn at up to 1,800 degrees, but every year 650 children under the age of five are injured from sparklers. That isn't the sparklers fault. That's the parents fault for being irresponsible.

A little knowledge can go a long ways. We need to broadcast public service announcements on T.V. and on the radio for the few weeks before fireworks go on sale. That would defiantly help but it may not be enough. Another option would to make it so you have to complete a firework safety course to purchase fireworks. It could be like a hunter safety ****where they teach you how to use all the various types of fireworks correctly and show you what can happen if you choose not to. When you complete the ****they will give you a consumer fireworks certificate that you must present to the cashier of a fireworks stand prior to making your purchase. Not only will that inform people on how to use them safely, it will also prevent some people from using them, thereby cutting down the number of injuries they inflict. It would also eliminate some of the noise that scares the animals.

I hope you now realize that fireworks aren't to blame. The blame should be put on all of the ignorant people who gave fireworks its image of being dangerous. There are ways to keep fireworks out of the hands of these people and I have given you a few ideas on how to do that. Now all we need to do is take action and let our ideas be heard. I cannot do that by myself. I need your help to keep fireworks legal. This is an important matter and should all be concerned about it. We should write to our state senators and state representatives and tell them how we feel about this issue. We need to tell them that we want to keep our fireworks and if we don't get to, we won't vote them back into office. Surely that will get their attention.

I have a horrible time trying to talk to girls. I'm 19 and I've never even gone on a date. I just can't get up the courage to ask a girl out. Actually I think the reason I can't get up the courage to ask a girl out is because I can't really talk to them and be myself. It's not just with girls either. Its the same with some guys. I can't be myself untill I really get to know someone and but I can't get to know a girl without being able to be myself. I'm sure girls would like me once they really get to know me but they don't because I can't be myself around them. I'm a very likeable person. I can seriously only think of one person that doesn't like me and she really doesn't like anything. Last spring break I was in Cozumel, Mexico and I found this girl and I got to second base. (I would have scored but we couldn't find any place at all to do it. Trust us we tried.) After we both got back home we kinda talked and had a long distance relationship. We really liked each other and it would have worked out like a normal relationship if it wasn't for the distance. We still talk all the time and we still kind of like each other. I don't know what my problem is. My biggest fear in life is that I will never work up the courage to ask a girl out and that I'll end up alone. This has really brought unhappyness to my life.