Lift Somebody UP Today!

[JLC]

Hey folks....I thought it might be a nice morale boost for our community to take some time to focus on the possitives...in particular, the people of this community that you feel have touched your life or helped you in a great way, or that you feel just deserve a pat on the back.

Some guidelines for this particular thread: Be specific! If you want to name someone, then say WHY you feel that way. That's the "lifting up" part! Also...if you want to name more than one person, make a new post for each. That way, no one gets lost in the crowd.

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And I would like to start by saying how much I appreciate Adam! (That Wysocki dude, don't'cha know!)

A few months ago, I embarked on a personal research venture, and while doing so, I went through literally thousands of archived posts of Adam's, looking for all the instances of specific help he's offered to folks here. In the end, I finished with over 300 pages (Word doc) of material that was nothing but Q&A with Adam. This did not include any of the off-topic banter, and didn't include any of the newer posts he's made in the last few months. It was eye-opening, to say the least!

These are the things I KNOW about Adam...

--He is truly passionate about ball pythons. Not just interested in them, or even merely fascinated with them. Truly, heart-deep passionate.

--He'd rather help another human being than build himself up.

--He truly cares about this site and this community...not for any profit it may bring him, but because of the help that it offers to all ball-python and herp enthusiasts.

--He cares more for the animals than for profit.

--Once a friend, always a friend.

--He is honest, honorable, and completely straight-forward. There are few businessmen in this (or ANY) industry that I would be as happy to do business with.

Adam has freely offered countless hours of his time to help out anyone here who needs it....anyone willing to listen and learn, he gives himself to....without expecting a single thing in return. When life and work take him away from the site for any extended period....his absence is felt!

So....here's to you, my friend. Thank you....for all that you do for BP.net.

[SarahMB]

Great idea, Judy! I could say a few more things about Adam, but wouldn't want his head to swell...

Instead, I'll dedicate my post of appreciation to BECKY!

-Becky has encouraged me in all my endeavors, and is always willing to give advice, even when I call her late at night freaking out about something.

-She has come up with the best rodent feed, and even hauled a huge bag of lab block to my house!

-She is definitely a true friend, someone I feel I am so lucky to have in my life. She is kind, caring, generous, knowledgable, very cool to hang out with, easy to talk to, and loves to shop! What could be better?

-She's taught me to pop, probe, feel follicles, and I expect to learn a lot more from her about breeding as that progresses for both of us.

There just aren't enough nice words in this world to describe Becky. I love ya, girl!

[rabernet]

What an awesome idea Judy! I have to say that I completely agree with your assessment of Adam.


Adam was the first person who really reached out a hand to me when I was a scared and nervous new owner with a sick snake (Kashmire had internal parasites and regurged his first meal for me).

I was so worried, I had no idea at the time that the ball python bug would hit me as hard as it has, and figured Kashmire was my one and only. When I asked Adam "what if he dies?" His response was - "he's not going to die and if he does, I'll send you one for free". Wow! I didn't even get Kashmire, and I didn't know Adam from Adam (excuse the pun) and that offer right there showed me the kind of guy he is!

Not only has he been a trusted breeder, he's become a dear friend to me.

There are so many people to name, I'm afraid to, for fear I'd leave someone out. But I'll attempt to.

Joanna for being a wonderful friend and confidant.

Judy for being a wonderful leader and friend.

Becky, Emily, Christie - for all the fun girl chats on AIM, even though you got me started on the "getting more" ball pythons a little over a year ago - horrible influences.

Kara - for being Kara with a heart bigger than Texas!

The mod staff - for their friendship.

Jamie - for being "MY" ass and a wonderful friend.

Vaughn - for remembering me when Sophie was born and offering her to me, and for answering countless questions for me!

And anyone I've not mentioned, it wasn't intentional - there are too many friendships made here to possibly name them all!

Edit - I can't follow directions, apparently . I need to go back and write something for each person when I have more time - which is a good thing!

[Adam_Wysocki]

WOW Judy ... First, what a fantastic idea!!! ... In my opinion, the fact that you create a thread like this and I stuggle to figure out who I want to post about first is a testament to how amazing Bp.Net really is.

Second ... STOP IT!!! ... Thank you soooo much, but STOP IT. ... All I do is try and give back to a community that has given me so much ... I love ball pythons and I love this site ... doing what I do is easy and gives me great pleasure.

Now ... my turn.

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I have a bunch of these to write up, but I want to start out by saying that I appreciate the coolest father/daughter breeding team in the world ... Neil and Alyssa.

You guys inspire me to do better and work harder .... In a business sometimes smeared with all kinds of politics and drama (many people have NO IDEA about the BS that goes on "behind the scenes"), the excitement that I have for you guys as you get started with mutations and breeding can not be measured. Every time I see a post updating the site with the status of your breeding projects or your collection, all of that other "noise" is suddenly gone and I'm instantly reminded of what it feels like to just love these animals.

Neil, I always enjoy your phone calls and hearing about the progress you're making ... and I'm positive that one day I'll probably be working for Alyssa cleaning cages ... Alyssa, I have a feeling that your destined for great things in the future! Never forget the way this feels right now.

Thank you guys ... you both ROCK and I wish you both nothing but the greatest success!

-adam

[Freakie_frog]

I would like to say thanks to Daniel.
He was the first forum contact offline I had.
He sold me with Odin and got me started feening for morphs.
He introduced me to Sean which has been a great experience.
Always great advice and even better Field Herp pics..

So Daniel Thanks

[wildlifewarrior]

I would have to say Cue (Chris)


- He took the time to help talk me through building my first rack, both on the phone and over PM.
- He also helped me out with making sure everything in my incubator was workin just right for my eggs.

I also want to pat Mendel's Ball on the back

- He comes up with some awsome posts on anything from information scientific articles on different species of herp to acctually explaining different aspects of mendelian genetics.


~Mike

[Adam_Wysocki]

Vaughn (kavmon) .... For anyone that doesn't know it, Vaughn is the man. I don't think that there is a more down to earth guy or selfless person in the universe.

The analogoy that I always give for Vaughn is that he's the kind of guy that you can call at 3am to say that you're stuck on the side of the road and the first words out of his mouth would be "I'm on my way".

He's one of the best friends that I've ever had and I owe him more than he will ever know.

Thank you Vaughn for inviting me to Bp.Net many years ago, for believing in me when no one else even knew who I was, and for always being there.

-adam

[JLC]

One of the greatest unsung heroes of BP.net is Smulkin. Matt has been fully dedicated to BP.net from the days we first took over the site years ago. Through thick and thin, no matter what, he has been there nursing the site along...upgrading...troubleshooting...constantly working to ensure it is always open and available and offering the very best to our community.

Matt isn't as publicly visible as he'd like to be these last many months due to an increasingly demanding "real life" work load...but despite that, he is still there behind the scenes making sure everything is working and running smoothly. He's always available if something breaks, and always makes it a priority to get everything back into tip-top shape, no matter how busy he is.

This site would not be where it is today....heck, it might not even be here at all...were it not for Matt's constant and consistent dedication.

Luv ya, partner!

[Adam_Wysocki]

Two of the best breeders on this site ....

Tim Bailey and Evan Jamison.

You guys are an inspiration .... if anyone wants an example of a couple of ball python breeders that are doing it right, these are the guys. Amazing animals, integrity, giving back to the ball python community ... Tim and Evan have it all covered. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an animal from either of these guys site unseen nor would I have a problem sending any of my own customers to either of these fantastic breeders.

Thank you both for helping me believe that with a lot of passion and a ton of hard work you can be successful in this hobby/business without being a dirt bag. I know that you are both destined for great futures and I'm grateful for knowing both of you.

-adam

[xdeus]

I just want to say thanks to Jo, Robin, and Deborah.

Jo always has something positive to say, and never fails to offer solid advice whenever she can.

Robin has been a great mod, is always willing to help, and shows how much she really loves these snakes.

Deborah is always there for anyone that needs help with their snake. You just know that she cares deeply for the well-being of these creatures and will offer advice to anyone that asks.

All three of these lovely ladies often help out on another forum that caters to more inexperienced people and have probably saved the lives or improved the lives of many, many snakes.

Thanks ladies!