What was the best day of your life?

Fun little topic for a rainy day...

What was the best day of your life, excluding marriages and the births of children. Those are too easy. Beyond that, no restrictions. It's kind of fun to think about it. A topic that ought to make everyone happy.

Here's mine.

July 18, 2006: World Series of Poker. I had decided WTF and plunked down my money for a try at a $1,500 buyin no-limit holdem event. Started with 2,126 players, and by the end of the day there were 124 left I was in 46th place. Top 200 cashed. The next day I finished 54th. Just being in that atmosphere and doing well was an adrenaline rush I'll never forget. Now I go back every year to do one or two of the small events and there is no more anticipated annual event in my life. I literally count the days and have trouble sleeping.

Yours?

 

Sadly (or not), I have no clue.

I've had many great, amazing days. I could count the number of truly bad days in my life on one hand. I have no idea what the best day of my life was, or really even what the criteria would be to separate it from the great days that I've had.

 

Probably the day my mom ignored the advice of her Filipino doctor to have an abortion.

Thanks mom!

 

Finally graduating from college ranks up there for me. Not sure if it's No. 1, but it's close. And only because it took so long.

 

Seriously, my wedding was one hell of a day. It was like a family reunion, college reunion, frat party, wedding all rolled into one.

It was just an incredible day with incredible friends.

 

It's a close race but I've got to go with April 2nd, 2006. After making myself a promise when I was 10-years old, I finally got to attend a WrestleMania live and at ringside. I know it may not be something everyone thinks is important, but for me, it was a day I'll never forget.

It was in Chicago and the weather sucked all weekend--heck, it rained that entire day--but none of that mattered. I remember standing in line waiting for the doors to open and feeling my heart beat like it never has for a wrestling event.

I hadn't even really watched wrestling for around two years or so, just kind of sporadically caught it here and there, but walking into the arena and going to find my seat and getting closer and closer to the ring was amazing.

I ended up sitting five rows behind the commentators and got to watch a truly amazing show.

In the immediate aftermath, I had a little bit of buyer's remorse as the entire trip cost me close to $2K but, looking back on it, I got my money's worth and it was worth each and every penny as I made memories that day that I'll never, ever, forget.

 

BTW, second place was two summers ago when I fulfilled another childhood promise and got to go to Disney World. Sure, I may have been 23 at the time but there's nothing like finally getting to go to the one place every child should be taken to and, the best part was, I was old enough to appreciate it.

That entire day was a blast, between riding Splash Mountain (which freaked me out a bit because I don't like freefall-type rides) to getting my picture with Mickey (which from time to time is my Facebook profile pic and I don't care how gay it makes me look, ). I just remember thinking how awesome it was as my friend and I went back to our hotel room, completely spent from 12 hours of nonstop fun.

 

Watching GMU beat UConn in the 2006 Tournament -- and really the entire trip that spring -- might be at the top of my list.

 

The day I became a father - Dec. 14, 1991.

 

December 1, 2006

At 4:32 p.m. that afternoon, I got a phone call from my oncologist telling me that all the tests I took the previous day came back normal and that my cancer did not spread beyond the incision site.

Ever since then, I've viewed that day as a second birthday of sorts.

 

The day I moved from Alabama back to Virginia. Pretty close to the top of my list as well.

 

The day I moved to Hawaii is high on the list, as was the first time I visited Japan.

However, and I'm not sure what this says about me or my life to this point, but I'd put my 16th birthday atop the list. I know, very "Our Town". It wasn't anything spectacular, but I had five friends over, we ate dinner at Valentino's and drove around town in my new ride (an avocado green 1971 Plymouth Valiant). The day ended at a concert and with a great exchange with a longtime female friend.


Yeah, I probably need to get out more.