George Bush(Former president) 180 lbs. – 5 reps

Brady Quinn(Denver Broncos QB)350 lbs. – Max or 225 lbs. – 28 reps

Yao Ming(Former Houston Rockets C)300 lbs. – Max

Larry Allen(Former Dallas Cowboys OL)700 lbs. – Max

Tony Twist(Former NHL “Goon”)405 lbs. – Max

Ladanian Tomlinson(New York Jets RB) 430 lbs. – Max

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson(Actor/Former WWE Wrestler)425 lbs. – Max

Reggie Bush(New Orleans Saints RB)335 lbs. – Max or 225 lbs. – 22 reps

Scot Mendelson(Current Bench Press record holder) 715 lbs. – Max

Bob Sapp(Former MMA fighter and NFL football player) 600+ lbs. – Max

Justin Geisinger( Former NFL OL) 600 lbs. – Max or 225 lbs. – 43 reps

“Superfly” Jimmy Snuka( Former WWE Wrestler) 525 lbs. – Max

Shaquille O’Neal(Former NBA C) 455 lbs. – Claimed max

Arnold Schwarzenegger(Actor/Body Builder) 455 lbs. – Best ever max

JaMarcus Russell( Former NFl QB) 335 lbs. – Max

Vernon Davis( San Francisco 49ers TE) 465 lbs – Max or 225 lbs. – 33 reps

Kurt Angle ( Olympic gold medalist and Former WWE wrestler) – 420 lbs. – Max

Dwight Howard(NBA C) 345 lbs – Max

Hugh Jackman (Actor) 315 lbs – Max (This was during X-Men)

Brett “The Hitman” Hart”(Former WWE Wrestler)405 lbs. – Max

Will Smith(Actor)385 lbs. – Max (This was during I-Robot)

Michael Vick(Philadelphia Eagles QB)335 lbs – Max

Lex Luger(Former Wrestler)405 lbs – 5 reps

Tiger Woods(Golfer) 300 lbs. – Max but does reps at 190

Wilt Chamberlain(Former NBA C)Witnesses claim he once benched 465 lbs.

Adrian Peterson(Minnesota Vikings RB)345 lbs. – Max

Ben Wallace(Detroit Pistons C)400 lbs.+ – Max

Ron Artest(Los Angeles Lakers F)400 lbs.+ – Max

More to come!

My son was invited to a wedding ceremony in one of the local churches in our region.  The ceremonies proceeded without any hitch.   My daughter –in-law was then sitting down   in one of the church benches and she was instructing her companion how to use the digi-camera that she had brought along,   and was showing the buttons to be pressed to take pictures.    The button was accidentally clicked;   the camera was focused on  a nearby bench. 

This picture has not been edited, photo-shopped or altered in any way, I can guarantee you that.  I just zoomed and cut the portion in question to emphasize the figures.

What can you see?  Zoomed in

My son and daughter-in-law didn’t notice it at first but when they were scanning the pictures through the computer, they saw the peculiarity of that accidental picture.

If you look at it closely (through the photo I enlarged) , that certain  portion  of the bench  seems to be  a small window to another world.   Notice the absence of any shadow or figure on other  parts of the bench, so the figures  are definitely not reflections.   

There are several figures inside that small opening, the woman – seen at close quarters – who is very prominent with her hood/hair and her white clothing.   In the background – a shirtless man is seated and another man –  standing  beside him –  is  facing sideways.  At the upper portion of the two men is a wolf-like head with a discernible snout, and two eyes. 

The regular view of the bench

I don’t know, it you could still see something or someone, aside from those mentioned.   Comment if you do.   This is a genuine picture without any alterations.   Are they entities from another world? Be the judge!

After my dad died my life turned upside down gone went the strong person who lifted dad, gone was the optimist who looked on the bright side of everything. My dad was gone and it hit me as we went to his funeral, he was in a box with flowers on the top going somewhere to be burnt.

This was not at all logical at the time, why would it be, but we got in to the crematorium and the ‘mommas and poppas’ blared out from the speakers Monday Monday a tune dad loved, he always sang along to it on his way to work.

The vicar started to talk about dad I think. Of course at this point I decided to walk out, my sister coming after me telling me it was ok and that the man in the (box) was not dad any more. Well where was he then?

I came back in  and sort of remember reading out a letter about my dad all the wonderful things he had done, and said goodbye putting a blue carnation on the (box) the colours of his football team.

The vicar then wound it up and said how dad loved Morecambe and wise the two comedians, and while he said this, the blue curtain slowly came around the (box).  

He finished with a line the duo always said at the end of the show. ‘The shows not over till the fat lady sings.’

Then the music of bring me sunshine rang out, and you could imagine Morecambe and wise coming up the aisle, that’s if you are familiar with the show.

Dad got the send off he always wanted no hymns, funny things said about him and his beloved comedians to see him out.

I only remember this because I wrote everything down later after the funeral, when I went on the sick from work for three months.

It’s strange I was so strong for him never faulted at all took on the cancer like it was me going through the treatment, but when he had gone, my heart broke and I couldn’t function with everyday things. I lost weight, and if it hadn’t been for the kids I would have sunk into oblivion.

I also was going to the home to see mum who, when I told her about dad dying started to cry, she knew what I was saying and we both sat on her bed and wept. Dad had asked me to give her a card that he had made out for months before, on opening it I read it out to mum, it said to my darling wife I will always love you, until we see each other again your loving husband Arch.

That broke me and mum, we cried for an hour, then we looked at each other and I wiped her tears away.

That was September by October mum developed pneumonia and was rushed to the same hospital dad had been in. This was all too soon after dad, but once again I put up my guard, and saw mum into the hospital same ward same nurses.

She deteriorated rapidly not really knowing who we were. My kids and my sisters meant nothing so I stopped mine coming in as they were upset their nana didn’t no them. My kids were much younger than my sisters so did not understand what was going on.

By Christmas she had to be fed by a spoon and a toddler cup to drink out of. My mum who had been so healthy mind and body was now a little old lady with Alzheimer’s and pneumonia.

By January 2004 we decided to take mum to a nursing home where she would receive a one to one. It was a lovely place everything she could possibly want.

We took her in on the Monday, and she was back in hospital by and by the Wednesday was back into hospital. Double pneumonia unconscious, I called my sister who came up with my niece and nephew, we sat by her bed while she clung on to life, this lady had an extremely strong heart. On Friday afternoon after sitting by the bed for three days my family apart from my sister and I sat by her bed, my sister was so tired she could hardly sit up, suddenly the door of her room opened, and a warm gust of wind came through the door my mum had a slight smile on her face then died. The nice thing was it felt like my dad had come for her, and now they were both at peace and with each other.  

Strangely I remember mums funeral , it was nobody gets too much heaven by the bee gees on the way in. everyone had a photo of mum and dad with their arms around each other walking towards the millennium bridge in Newcastle like I said in my article that that was the last time they were together. And so it felt appropriate to have this photo at the funeral. There were lots of her golfing friends there and neighbours.

We toasted both their lives that day, and I felt happy they were now both together and not in pain, catching up with everything that had happened.

Life does go on its hard, and please don’t think I became ‘me’ again, because I would be lying. After both of them passing away, I lost a little bit of me to both of them. We did scatter their ashes on the 18^th hole and we put a memorial bench on the first hole, where I sometime go and sit if feeling a bit lonely, on anniversaries my boys take a flower up for both of them just to let them know we think about them.

At Christmas we have lights in the shape of icicles hanging from the windows so my youngest says both nana and granddad can see us from heaven.

I have finished these set of articles on my mum and dad, and I hope it can bring some comfort to others who have been or are going through this sort of situation. God bless.

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