Kelsey and I
Every year, as we say goodbye to one year and hello to another, it seems customary for people to look back and reflect on the happenings of the past 365 — or 366 this year — days.
People often make lists of the top events. At the Daily Globe, it was no different. We had the top 12 from 2012 to reflect on some of the top stories and themes of the past year.
It’s also a time people look ahead. They make resolutions — often that last a few days or weeks. But it seems like January 1 is always a day to evaluate life.
As it seems to be customary, I also looked back at 2012. It doesn’t seem that long ago we were celebrating the New Year. At that point in my life, much like I am now, I wondered what 2012 had in store for me.
I’m not going to use this space to bore with you a list of the top moments of the past year. Because frankly, I had too many. We all have our highs and lows in our life. But when I look back on 2012, I don’t see those low points, I see the highs. I was recently talking with a friend about this very thing. I had recalled a night he and I hung out because I was at what I thought was a low point in my life. Little did we know, that was a crucial night in both our lives. Sure, it was low at the moment, but there were forces at work that gave us much more happiness than we could have imagined.
As I tried to think about all the positive things that happened and all the wonderful moments in my life, I find there are too many to name and to even remember. But, while some people keep diaries or journals, I blog. So, I just looked through my old posts and found that I had a pretty eventful year.
It started back in January, which found me coaching a youth basketball team. We didn’t win a lot, but I hope the kids had fun and learned a little along the way.
Other early-year highlights included a Johnny Holm concert and having a bird fly into my house. How can the latter be a highlight you ask? Well, it’s definitely something I’ll always remember.
I went on my first helicopter ride and milked my first cow in 2012. I went to my first circus. And for the first time, I became really involved in the local political scene through coverage in the paper. I was able to meet Gov. Mark Dayton and give him a hard time about the Hawkeyes winning the Floyd of Rosedale. How often does that happen?
I had a blast golfing during Thursday night league at the country club — even winning the second half of the season. I played in tournaments and the Links for Literacy was definitely a highlight. Not because we played good golf, but because of the friends with whom I shared the course. I bought a grill and experimented with different seasonings and marinades. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was not.
The year was also one of trips. It seems like I was always going somewhere. It started with a trip to Minneapolis with a friend where we saw two Twins games and a Timberwolves game.
I went there again later in the year for a trip to Canterbury Park, where I actually won with one horse.
I made multiple trips to Iowa City — which is always a good time. I saw football games and I had the opportunity to see a basketball game as well.
As always, my family is a highlight. My parents started a new challenge in a new town. I was able to celebrate milestones with my paternal grandma and my maternal grandparents. I saw my cousin who lives in North Carolina and have been keeping tabs on my other cousin who is deployed to Afghanistan.
As the year has come to a close, my biggest highlight was meeting my girlfriend, Kelsey. We met in late July and started dating a couple months later. Being able to meet her and get to know her has been THE highlight of 2012. Having the chance to meet her friends and family made an already great year even better.
The calendar has been flipped to 2013, and while most people hope for changes in their life, I like where mine is at. I don’t know what the next 12 months have in store for me, but if it’s anything like 2012, I can’t wait to see what each day brings.
