memoirs of 2008

January

I came home late one Friday from a long day at work to see that Anna had spent the entire day looking up puppies on the Internet. It seems that something had been missing from her life at the time. She felt as if she wasn't being loved enough so she wanted a puppy to mend that piece of her heart. Yes, indeed it was sad, but at the time I didn't know what to do so I was willing to give Anna anything she wanted. We left immediately to Brooklyn Park to meet up with the family that Anna had contacted earlier in the day where she found them on a google search. They were selling a couple of snorkie (yorkshire/schnauzer) puppies that were only 2 months old.

As we approached the house a nervousness had taken over my body. You see... the only time I had spent with dogs as a child was either being chased or bitten by them. Anna, on the other hand, had spent most of her life around dogs.

I quickly knocked on the door to get in the house as fast as possible from one of the coldest night of the year. A nice gentleman approached and invited us in. The rest of his family was sitting around watching T.V. and playing with the pups. The man politely told us that we could choose any dog we wanted. The asking price was only $175 dollars since the only pups left were solid black. All the brown colored pups had been sold out at about $300 dollars a piece. The pups were jumping all over and nibbling at my feet thus making me very uncomfortable. Anna and I had decided earlier during the drive that we did not want a boy because...One, they tend to pee "at things" as oppose to "on things". Two, I was leg raped in the past by a previous dog named Arthur that my brother owned. Three, it would be way too hard to see him get neutered.

There was one puppy that stood out from all of the rest. Anna and I immediately noticed this pup because she had run to Anna first and laid on her knee. All the other pups were going crazy and jumping all over the place. She was a bit shy and had a glow to her that none of the others had. As all the other dogs would come and go this one stayed next to Anna the entire time. I picked her up and she just stared at me with a those cute little eyes. Now, how can I refuse that? I quickly paid the man and we headed out to Pets Mart to pick up a few supplies. I remember her being so cold and shivering so hard.

On the drive home, Anna and I debated on names for the little pup. We were debating between Jewels and Gracie. The only thing that stopped us from choosing the name Jewels was because Anna worked with a girl named Jewel and felt it would be weird to talk to her co-worker named Jewel about her dog Jewel. We decided on Gracie!

The first few nights with Gracie were restless for me. I had the fear that she would poop and pee all over the place so I would keep a close eye on her at all times. The moment she moved at night I would be up and following her around. Boy, was I ever paranoid.

February

I was awoken late one night to a "everybody wants kungfu fighting" ringtone in the late month of January. I was unable to pickup because the phone was in the living room. It was strange for me because at that moment I knew for a fact that something was not right. The only time one would receive a phone call at that hour is if something bad had happened or the news was very important. Moov had left me a voicemail letting me know that Grandma had passed. I also received a missed call a few minutes later from my brother Pheng. My Dad was the third person to call me. Finally, at this point I had made my way to the living room to get my phone. Dad told me that Grandma had passed and I immediately broke down in tears. I did one of those...you know when you half cry and breath in... Yeah, Dad told me that everything was OK and that Grandma is no longer hurting. I quickly gathered my composure and told him we would be in town asap.

The next day I approached my boss and asked her that I would be needing a few days off to attend my Grandmother's funeral. I nearly broke down at the moment, but I forced myself to stay strong.

Anna and I arrived in town on the 31st of January. We went to the funeral home right away. I slowly approached the casket and looked at her. She had lost so much weight before she passed away. Grandma was so tiny from the last time I had seen her. I looked around the casket and noticed that her Bible was lying next to her. I thought about the time I was looking through a bunch of old books in an old cardboard box when I was younger and I had found this strange book that looked like a Bible but the writing was in another language. I took it to Grandma and she knew how to read it. I was completely surprised because I thought Grandma couldn't read at all. I still remember seeing her face light up with a childlike smile. I snapped back to reality and burst out in a loud cry. I'm sure everyone in the entire funeral home heard me. So many things were running through my mind. I was a bit bitter, angry, sad, happy, etc...

On the first night of the service I sang a song for her. I hope she was proud of me. After I sang, Pheng came on the stage and read a letter that he had written for her. I cried...

We buried her in the month of February in front of all her friends and family. She was placed next to Grandpa in a prearranged site. Grandma had finally gone to Heaven and had escaped the pain and sufferings of this world. We were so happy for her.

When Anna and I had finally made it home to Saint Paul I realized that I had completely forgot that it was Anna's birthday. I had made a promise to Anna that I would make her birthday one to remember and I had completely forgotten. I felt so low and sad. I ran out of the house and went to buy Anna a few gifts and I used the top half of our wedding cake as her birthday cake. I tried the best that I could to cheer her up, but she understood that there were so many things that had just happened that were more important.

March

Anna put together one of the most daring surprise birthday parties that I could remember in recent history. She had put it together right under my nose. Anna had me convinced that she was in charge of getting the food for a family get together and asked me what I thought would be something appropriate for the occasion. I told her that spaghetti would be nice. Low and behold on the day of the party I arrive at Yij Vern's place and the party is for me. All the friends and family were there. What a woman she is!

Gracie is finally potty trained!

April

ZzzzZZZzz

May

I was released of my duties as a reserve marine corp infantryman. It was a day that I could have only dreamt of. I served my country and I served it well with a combat tour in Iraq that lasted from September of 2004 to April of 2005. I was discharged with an Honorable Discharge, but was released early because I was no longer able to perform the tasks of an Infantryman. After serving overseas in a combat zone my Psyche had been ruined and I no longer had the drive or determination to continue. Because of my honorable service and the respect that I had earned I was discharged with an Honorable instead of a Medical Disability.

The old Kr3w of the past took a trip to Wisconsin Dells where we celebrated Xay's bachelor party. It was great to just hang out and talk about life before it got too far ahead. The conversations were amazing. It was like the good ol' days all over again. During our time there, we ended up hitting the town and doing everything that we could. We went to the casino and I watched Xay get on a roll at Russian Roulette and then I watched him lose it all again. We played mini golf at the best mini golf spot in the Midwest. We BBQ'ed and tried to act cool by drinking wine cooler type drinks.

Johan and Pajar got married as well as Nhia and Linda. Anna and I ended up missing Nhia's wedding because of monetary funds. Gas prices had risen off the charts and we were in a financial bind. We were able to make it to Johan and Pajar's wedding. It was beautiful and everyone that came had an amazing time. It was so awesome to see all the familiar faces just smiling and having a great time. All the ladies came dressed to impressed. The most memorable thing about the wedding was the picture booth and the dumplings. It was really fun!

We finally let Gracie off the leash and she runs wild jumping into puddles...

June

The Chicago Bulls won the lottery pick with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. They select Derrick Rose who is an absolute future all-star.

July

Anna and I planned to go to camping with everyone in Illinois, but decided to spend it in Minnesota since her sisters were coming to town for the Hmong Tourney. When Anna and her sisters get together we end up at the Mall of America. We ended up going broke that month because we bought tons of clothes and had lots of fun.

Xay and Lysa had their wedding on the 12th of July and Xay asked me to be his best man. It was truly an honor to stand up there with him as he watched his bride come down aisle. Xay and I had spent much of our teenage years hanging out and doing some pretty bizarre and dumb things. Anyway, the wedding was beautiful and I sang a song for the both of them.

August-September

My brothers came up to visit me and we hit up Mystic Lake Casino. It was hilarious watching Meng gamble because he would disappear without telling anyone.

Anna got pregnant... it was the best thing that could have ever happened to us. Anna and I had reached a point in our lives where we wanted something more. We began to question ourselves if this was "it".

October

Anna and I left for Appleton during the last week of this month for my brother-in-law's court trial. I had spent most of my time in Minnesota with him when we first moved up and I had grown close to him. We spent most of October praying and writing to him.

November

Anna's body begins to grow weary and the morning sickness starts to take a toll on her body. She no longer has the strength to work and I'm left to provide for our tiny little family. I took Anna to the ER for the first time and we're there all night. I watch as Anna lies on top of the hospital bed with IV needles running through her veins and I try my best to wash away the dried tears on her cheeks. I end up falling asleep on wooden chair from midnight to about 5 AM where we are directed to an ultrasound room. It is confirmed that Anna has been extremely sick because she is having twins. I watch as Anna wipes away tears of joy from her face and I just smile and let it all sink in. We take the ultrasound pictures home as prized possessions. I immediately start texting everyone at around 8 in the morning telling them the good news. We are overjoyed!

December

I take Anna to the ER one more time... She can't get through the night. I watch again as she cries because of the pain from all the needles going inside of her. I find a book in the hospital room with children's stories and I begin to read to her. It calms her down. The doctor prescribes new medication and we are on our way home. The new prescription that the doctor provides is starting to work and Anna is able to hold her food down easier.

The new year approaches and we spend our holiday season here at home. We are alone but we have each other. We tell each other that we don't have to get any presents this year, but I sneak off and get her some anyway. I surprise Anna on Christmas morning with the presents. She gives me back a smile and that's all I need.

We fall asleep early in each other's arms on New Year's Eve. I quietly whispered in Anna's ear, "Happy New Year".