Having a bad day in the office we thought we'd try to cheer ourselves up by asking what the best few "high" moments in our lives were? (year to date, as one woman said "hasn't happened yet"!). Not the hindsight moments, like in my case the birth of my son, which at the time was really scary and stressful but now I look back on fondly, but the moments that made you go "boom".
The perfect place to ask is Charlton Life because my ones start with;
1. Playoffs 98 and THAT penalty save
2. Standing at the top of the Stratosphere hotel in Vegas after going on the scariest ride ever and fulfilling a life's ambition.
3. Euro 96 after beating Spain on pens. The night out and atmosphere during/afterwards where I live was amazing, a real buzz. (I was 21 at the time)
I'm sure I''ve had better things happen to me in life and I've a lot to feel grateful for, but those three really got the endorphins going!
Comments
Haven't ever felt so much emotion and doubt I ever will until. And yes - I cried like a biatch and am welling-up now thinking back to that time.
The births of my two sons. There's been a few highs before and since, but those are the stand-oout moments for me.
For a major rush it has to be my the end of my first run piloting a bobsleigh down the Olympic track here in Whistler. Had a US Olympic gold medalist "tutoring" us on how to drive each corner. Without doubt the most terrifying thing I've ever done. Had seen the guys before me turn over their sled on corner 13, aptly named 50/50. Absolutely buzzing and screaming at the top of my lungs when I came out upright from corner 16 after hitting 130km/h and pulling a couple of g's. Completed around 30 runs that winter and was sh*t scared every time I was sat at the top waiting for the green light to go down.
Less exciting, but was a high nonetheless. Receiving my ACCA accountancy final examination marks when I was around 27 after working full time and studying nights and weekends for around 4 years. Massive relief and the realisation that the world was literally my oyster once qualified. Enabled me to move to get residency in Canada, experience the winter Olympics first hand whilst progressing really well at a professional level.
Happy days!
Think it says a lot about whats important in life (ie not football!) when we are all saying the birth of children.
I agree - holding my son when he was born was monumental. I remember when I sat in the chair in the birthing room, someone chucked a box of kleenex at me and almost hit me round the head. I asked, "whats that for?". They just said, "you'll see".
Yep - I was crying like a baby myself. In fact, I was crying more than my son.
Birth of my little boy
The play off final and the penalty save
I'd love to have a go at bobsleigh...but the chances are i'd bottle it, big girls blouse that i am!
That was a good day.
Birth of daughter for me and that first cuddle when I promised her everything and started to plan how to get it for her.
Footie wise, the return to the Valley Portsmouth match was a special one.
Best day recently was spent in the Savoy. Rooms were booked for my wife and I and his family by a friend as a thank you and then they upgraded his room to the Royal Suite which is £10,000 a night and had 6 rooms open to us (servants quarters remained locked apart from the kitchen) for no extra cost. We partied till we fell over and then the butler (yep butler) cleaned up.
Top five: Joint 1st.: Births of kids/wedding day
3rd.: CAFC's survival in court back in '84/returning to the Valley
5th.: Buying a brand new Triumrh Bonnevill
Wedding day
Wembley 98
Moving to Portugal
1. Birth of son
2. Watching son (now 11) in team that won a Cup Final last season. When the final whistle went, my spine tingled and it outstripped all my best moments playing football by a mile
3. Establishing contact with dad again after 20 yrs
Seeing my baby brother for the first time, holding him and giving him his first ever bottle. I was only 9, cried my eyes out.
A year later was Wembley, just an incredible day that I will forever treasure
(well, I would have said my wedding day but since I'm divorced now, sort of takes the gloss off it lol)
The births of my daughters. Seeing two (and hopefully the third next year) of them graduate.
From a Charlton perspective the 1997/8 play-off final at Wembley to which I took all 3 of my girls.
my Kids biths obviously the greatest moment ever and wont be beaten
Palarse at home in the lib battered drunk
2 nil win great great day and night
relegation take that your stripey mugs
Palarse at home
At least the one who went full term was magic; and we drew away at Man City that night!
Winning £2.90 on a euromillions ticket costing £2
Thinking you've had the last beer in the fridge then finding theres 1 more!
My life is full of joy every day
Nothing, but nothing comes close to the birth of your children, I am lucky enough to have experienced this 3 times.
Miles further down the list on a personal achievement level:-
Passing my 3rd Dan last December was a winner.
Competing at the European Karate Championships in 1992.
Passing my Fire brigade basic training in 1997.
Playing at the Albert, Deptford in 1989 in front of Tilbrook and a few other musos, they came to watch US?
Brands Hatch 1996 outbraking Terry Rymer (British Superbike Champ, or something) and Michael Rutter on my 400cc Yamaha racebike into Druids Haipin at the same time, great feeling.
Playing 3 times at the Valley for football aid. Quality
Reading back, its been a blast!!!