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Another calender year not drunk, another sober birthday, another sober AA birthday another sober Xmas and another sober New years eve.

2007’s highlight was certainly falling in love my my lovely Girlfriend and getting to know her two girls, getting a Happy Christmas Dad card from the youngest made me blub a little.
Had a fantastic Xmas with C and the Girls, bought then built a massive tree which was loaded with decorations and overflowing underneath with presents for everyone. Even secured the much in demand Nintendo Wii although resorted to throwing money at that problem on ebay to get it and suffering from aching arms from playing too much tennis.

No idea what 2008 will bring, only hope its as good as 2007, if I start making too many plans for my life God develops a sense of humour and comes up with different ones for me, though to be fair so far his plans have worked out far better than mine.

Happy New year to anyone coming across this little site, my it be a safe one and for those in the fellowship of AA a sober one.

Been a busy old summer so far, got a new job within my company which will finally give me something to get my teeth into, this alcoholic gets bored running the same old projects year after year, and their letting me loose running projects in the US get a break for a while from international side.

Just got back from a wonderful week away with my fantastic girlfriend, while we missed the kids while they were staying with their grandmother it was great to get a whole week for just the two of us.

We landed a Belfast and had a little luxury at the MalMaison Belfast and were very impressed with the redevelopment of the city centre, and got to have dinner with an old friend who stuck with me throughout the worst of my drinking and her son.

We then drove down the coastal route to Dublin, I visited there 6 months sober seeing it 8 years sober was a very different experience, re-doing things a little while a part in sobriety gives me a great comparison of how much I’ve changed in sobriety.
Got to make a small amend to my late Irish Grandmother who never saw me sober by lighting a candle and saying a prayer for her in St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Dublin is an amazing city and we’ll certainly be going back, even managed to make a meeting there.

We toured over to Donegal, travelled through the mountains along to the Giants Causeway, staying in a hostel (discovered our days or staying in hostels are over, communal living with hippies and scary German Lesbians not fun), visited the village of “Muff” because we could and got a snap of me pretending to “Dive” by the sign, had a romantic Fish and Chips in Portrush under blankies, then drove along the Antrim coast back to Belfast. Tried unsuccessfully hunting for a meeting on the Falls Road, ended up with a tour of the other side of Belfast with the murals and Flags, a little scary as we did rather out of place driving up and down hunting for the place.

Few of the snaps below and more in the Gallery as ever without the people in keeping with Tradition 11

Weeks away in beautiful places with the lady you love and having a bloody good laugh as we did it, is what this Alcoholics Recovery is for, I wouldn’t have gone through all the crap in the early days if their weren’t rewards like this.

I had the most wonderful day on Thursday 19th, celebrating Eight years of recovery.

Cards, text messages, presents and treats.

I got given a day out being pampered at a relaxation centre in my home town, with Spa, Sauna and a full body massage by my wonderful girlfriend, and then taken out for a great dinner at an Italian Restaurant, great food and a vibrant atmosphere generated by the highly excitable owner and staff.

My girlfriends girls made me cards and I now have the campest pink nodding poodle in the back of my car. I was given every 8 year old boys dream a scaletrix, a space hopper, two lava lamps and a Bagpuss video.

I never thought I’d make 8 days out of rehab let alone 8 years, its been one hell of a roller-coaster ride at times and taken me to places I’d never even have dreamed of when i landed in AA just wanting the crap to stop. I have the most F*cking fantastic life today thanks to AA which I would never have got to see if I hadn’t been willing enough to keep coming back and not pick up a drink a day at a time.

Finally got to have a chill out weekend without driving places or rushing around, stayed in the village I grew up in and also where my AA home group is. Great to get the chance to escape from City life with my Girlfriend and her kids, even got to have my grandmother over for Sunday lunch. The sun even appeared for us and there was a little respite from the torrential rain.

Life doesn’t get much better than this………

Took a ton of pics but my favorites without people in were just from around the garden.