I recently spent a couple weeks with a really amazing young man. His name is Aaron and he came back to Ohio to visit his dad who has stomach cancer that is spreading rapidly. I met his mother at The Cancer Treatment Center in Philly when I was there in Feb. with my daddy. I've been sending him e-mails, letters and care packages...and he has been incredibly thankful. The time I spent with him was amazing. He's a wonderful young man. <3 He went back to Afghanistan on July 10th...sucks big time.

If you'd like to write to him...it doesn't matter if you know him...soldiers LOVE to be acknowledged...just tell him you know me. His mailing address while serving is...

LCTL Nelson, Aaron B.N.

BCO 3rd Platoon

16th Unit 73135

FPO-AE095103135

I know he would love to hear some encouraging words!

This was my daddy. He died June 21st, 2008. I like to remember him at this weight, even though when he passed he only weighed 96 pounds. The wonderful and amazing Gregory L. Mitchell was born September 11th, 1951 in Newcomerstown, OH. He was a Vietnam Veteran who served 3 terms with courage and great focus. I seriously could go on and on about what a perfect father and husband he was. He was a fantastic provider, an incredibly patient listener, loyal, caring, and was SOOOO funny...he could've made Larry King laugh til he pissed his pants, lol! Daddy died of lung cancer. Please if you smoke...stop. Your life is worth so much more than the feeling of lighting up a cigarette. You can quit...seriously, people run marathons, get shot, lose limbs, give birth...if human beings can do all that, then you certainly can STOP A BAD HABIT!!!

Also, losing my best friend has made me realize that I'm going to get everything I want in life and more. He died without meeting some of his goals. He never owned a '67 GTO, never went to Tahiti, and never had a job he liked. His biggest goal was met though. He had told my mother when he first started dating her that all he really wanted out of life was to be loved. Well, he was most certainly LOVED TO THE FULLEST. I wanted to give him so much. I didn't have the chance...but I did give him all my love. I kept telling him that when got a job on MAD TV, I would buy him all the material things he desired. I didn't get the chance to give him grandchildren...I'm too young. He was taken from mama and I too soon.

I put some of his ashes in the coconut he got himself from Hawaii. He loved that silly thing. It has a picture of Santa surfing on the front...handpainted. I hollowed it out and funneled some of the ashes in there...then popped a cork in it. The rest will be sprinkled in the ocean the next time mama and I visit Hawaii. When I get married, the coconut will walk me down the isle. When I go to Tahiti, the coconut will go with me. When I buy a '67 GTO, the coconut will ride shotgun...and when I do my first show on MAD TV or SNL...I will reserve a seat front row for the coconut. My children will play with the coconut. I LOVE MY DADDY. HE WAS THE GREATEST MAN THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!!!!!!  

R.I.P Daddy...you are really really REALLY missed.

As you all probably know, my wonderful father passed away on June 21st. I wanted to say a very special "THANK YOU" to the caring, kind and extremely thoughtful bloggers who sent my mother and I flowers and cards. In our time of incredible depression, the love that you all showed us was beautiful. It has taken me a few weeks to be able to do anything constructive. We really didn't expect my daddy to die. We knew that the cancer had spread, but we always had that hope in our hearts. We thought that some form of medicine would work. On Friday June 20th, my father's lung had collapsed and and ambulance rushed him to the ER. Mama and I both watched him stuggle to breathe...he had been having a lot of trouble breathing the week prior to his passing. He had to have his oxygen on 6. Daddy refused to be incubated. He was then placed in the ICU and they put an oxygen mask on him. At 3:24am on June 21st, the life crept out of my fantastic, funny, honest, polite, extremely handsome, brave and incredibly strong father. Mama and I were there to watch him die.

I don't feel sorry or scared that he's gone because I know that daddy is with our Lord and Savior. He is at peace, finally and is in no more pain. I can't wait for the day that our spirits will be together in Heaven. Even though I miss my father, I know he is very close to me. I'm so happy and relieved that he is in a much better world. He deserves to be taken care of now by God.

I love you daddy!!!!!! Mama loves you SOOO much too. You were the absolute BEST husband and father two gals could've ever had. You were a beautiful man. An absolute wonder of a human being. Don't worry daddy, any asshole that ever tries to get with mommy, I'm gonna kick his butt into next week. I'll use my ninja moves on him, lol!

Love you more than life itself!!!!