The Best L.A. King

He was the 9th round pick in the 1984 NHL draft, 171st pick over alll. It was told that he couldn't skate but the LA Kings saw something special in the kid from Montreal.

He went on to play 19 years in the NHL, most of them for the Kings. A 4 time all-star, he scored 597 goals to become the highest scoring left-wing in history. Last November, he was a 1st ballot inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

His stats are remarkable but they are only a part of what makes Luc Robitaille the best. Equally as important is his love of the game and its fans.

Luc loves the fans and we love him! He always makes time for a picture or autograph. He greets fans with the same smile that was on his face when he hit the ice. He quickly became a fan favorite and still is, two years into retirement!

Many hockey players put up great numbers. Luc combined talent and skill with a love for the game, the fans and the city of LA. He is the best LA King!
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The Best L.A. King

He was the 9th round pick in the 1984 NHL draft, 171st pick over alll. It was told that he couldn't skate but the LA Kings saw something special in the kid from Montreal.

He went on to play 19 years in the NHL, most of them for the Kings. A 4 time all-star, he scored 597 goals to become the highest scoring left-wing in history. Last November, he was a 1st ballot inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

His stats are remarkable but they are only a part of what makes Luc Robitaille the best. Equally as important is his love of the game and its fans.

Luc loves the fans and we love him! He always makes time for a picture or autograph. He greets fans with the same smile that was on his face when he hit the ice. He quickly became a fan favorite and still is, two years into retirement!

Many hockey players put up great numbers. Luc combined talent and skill with a love for the game, the fans and the city of LA. He is the best LA King!
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The Best Thing About New Years

The best thing about New Years Day is that it gives us a reason to take stock of where we have been. This year is special because it is the end of a decade.

Ten years ago I was still in my apartment. I still weighed 347 pounds and had yet to visit Rocky Peak. I had just started working at HealthNet and school wasn't even on the radar. I was miserable and lonely. I didn't really know much about myself.

It is amazing how much things can change in 10 years. I am living with a wonderful roommate, I have been out of health insurance and back again and I am grounded in my faith. I am 100 pounds lighter and have restarted my education, going back to school so I can become an RN.

I have also learned a lot about myself in the years between 34 and 44. I have learned I a heart for volunteering, dogs and God. I learned only you can permit others to disrespect and take advantage of you. I have learned happiness comes from things that aren't material. I became a better person.

The best part of New Years day is taking a look at where we have been because this allows us to also think about where we are going. It allows us to see the best is yet to come.

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The Best Thing About New Years

The best thing about New Years Day is that it gives us a reason to take stock of where we have been. This year is special because it is the end of a decade.

Ten years ago I was still in my apartment. I still weighed 347 pounds and had yet to visit Rocky Peak. I had just started working at HealthNet and school wasn't even on the radar. I was miserable and lonely. I didn't really know much about myself.

It is amazing how much things can change in 10 years. I am living with a wonderful roommate, I have been out of health insurance and back again and I am grounded in my faith. I am 100 pounds lighter and have restarted my education, going back to school so I can become an RN.

I have also learned a lot about myself in the years between 34 and 44. I have learned I a heart for volunteering, dogs and God. I learned only you can permit others to disrespect and take advantage of you. I have learned happiness comes from things that aren't material. I became a better person.

The best part of New Years day is taking a look at where we have been because this allows us to also think about where we are going. It allows us to see the best is yet to come.

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A Gift Of A New Beginning

December 1st and we are at the beginning of the giving season. Walmart ads everywhere you look, charities that come calling, it's enough to drive you crazy! Fortunately, I believe the best gifts aren't the material ones, but ones that can change a life, be it yours or someone else's.

I was given such a gift about a month ago and it came straight from God! Granted, it came rather harshly but God knows sometimes I need that harshness to get my attention. I am talking about my recent surgery and how it gave me a major "do over".

Friday night, about a month ago, I was driving home from work. Although it was the start of a weekend, I wasn't happy. I was feeling very burned out and overwhelmed. I wasn't happy with my job, I was gaining, not losing weight and I was wondering if school and working full-time was really the route I should be going. I wasn't sure nursing is for me. I felt bored, frustrated and didn't know what to do! Little did I know that 48 hours later I would be in the ICU, facing emergency surgery.

As it turned out, the surgery cured the problems I had with my digestive system and I came home 12 pounds lighter. The hospital stay gave me a new-found appreciation for nursing given the amazing care they all provided me. My 3 week recovery and the boredom I had at home made me grateful to have a job to go to. I even have a do over for school as I had to drop out this semester but was able to get my classes at a campus 1/2 mile from my office starting in Spring.

I do feel I have a new lease on life. I was forced to stop and take a step back, look at my life and see that it isn't so bad. I am grateful for my blessings and consider the surgery one of them. It is amazing when you look back and see that God used something so scary for something good. It's awesome! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

A Gift Of A New Beginning

December 1st and we are at the beginning of the giving season. Walmart ads everywhere you look, charities that come calling, it's enough to drive you crazy! Fortunately, I believe the best gifts aren't the material ones, but ones that can change a life, be it yours or someone else's.

I was given such a gift about a month ago and it came straight from God! Granted, it came rather harshly but God knows sometimes I need that harshness to get my attention. I am talking about my recent surgery and how it gave me a major "do over".

Friday night, about a month ago, I was driving home from work. Although it was the start of a weekend, I wasn't happy. I was feeling very burned out and overwhelmed. I wasn't happy with my job, I was gaining, not losing weight and I was wondering if school and working full-time was really the route I should be going. I wasn't sure nursing is for me. I felt bored, frustrated and didn't know what to do! Little did I know that 48 hours later I would be in the ICU, facing emergency surgery.

As it turned out, the surgery cured the problems I had with my digestive system and I came home 12 pounds lighter. The hospital stay gave me a new-found appreciation for nursing given the amazing care they all provided me. My 3 week recovery and the boredom I had at home made me grateful to have a job to go to. I even have a do over for school as I had to drop out this semester but was able to get my classes at a campus 1/2 mile from my office starting in Spring.

I do feel I have a new lease on life. I was forced to stop and take a step back, look at my life and see that it isn't so bad. I am grateful for my blessings and consider the surgery one of them. It is amazing when you look back and see that God used something so scary for something good. It's awesome! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

Giving Thanks

Things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving:

1) Having a job
2) Having a comfortable place to live, food on the table and clothes to wear
3) Friends that are forgiving, kind and loving
4) My family
5) The awesome fur children in my life: Beanie, Thor, Theo, Brunswick! I am grateful for their unconditional love and the humor they bring to my life
6) Living in L.A., where it is 80 degrees and gloriously sunny on November 26th
7) A new Bon Jovi album and their upcoming tour (NYC...May....YIPEE)
8) The amazing doctors and nurses at Northridge Hospital that assisted in my surgery and recovery. They are doing amazing work in sometimes difficult circumstances.
9) The wonderful care the nurses gave me reinforcing my desire to go into nursing.
10) The 12 pounds I lost after surgery and my renewed desire to keep it off and to take of the remaining 80.
11) TiVo, XM Radio, the IPod and my Blackberry. I am a techno geek and love gadgets!
12) My lack of desire to be at Old Navy tomorrow at 3AM, WalMart at 6AM or anywhere near a mall all weekend!
13) Coffee Bean
14) Getting my classes for Spring Semester and my love of going to school
15) Our selfless men and women in uniform and the freedom their sacrifices afford all Americans.
16) The Butterball hotline. I don't cook....never called it....but I am grateful it exists in case I ever need to roast a turkey.
17) That our house isn't in danger of being burned to the ground by someone deep fat frying a turkey. We are eating out this year.
18) The Food Network. I'm grateful for Alton Brown showing me the science being food, Guy Fieri showing me the best Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Paula Deen showing that butter isn't something to be feared.
19) My friends and I making it to the end of an insanely wild year with our sanity relatively intact
20) Humor. It will get you through any situation

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.