2008 Year End Note

Overall it’s been a very good year especially because I found someone that has brought ample joy to my life.

1) Certificate in Gerontology – I completed my Graduate Certificate in Gerontology through Des Moines University, and to the best of my knowledge, I’m the only person who graduated with the certificate because the program was terminated and the other students were not disciplined enough to follow through with their projects.

2) Cindy & EJ Wedding/St. Louis – A dear friend from Drake was married in St. Louis, and Charlene and I attended the wedding. It was such a joyous occasion, and I met up with a number of Drake alum. It was definitely a most memorable weekend.

3) 30th Birthday celebration – I celebrated my 30th birthday celebration with some of the dearest and closest people in my life at a restaurant, and we all had a blast. In case you’re wondering, turning 30 is plain awesome!

4) Matt & Alisha Wedding – I was a groomsman for the very first time in my life at Matt Pokorny and Alisha Lundberg’s wedding. I’ve known the Pokorny family as long as I’ve been in DM, and it was an honor to be part of the wedding party. By the way, I looked pretty darn snazzy in pink!

5) Dan’s ordination – Dan Schuster was ordained a priest in Green Bay, WI and John, Carola and I attended his ordination. In some ways, I feel I had a role to play in his ordination because Dan and I talked a number of times when he was discerning the call to priesthood. He studied and graduated from Mundelein Seminary where I spent a year and a half discerning the priesthood.

6) 2008 Flood – Who could forget the Iowa floods of 2008? Our agency was affected by it, and I was very much involved with some aspect of the disaster relief. It was an interesting experience working with federal government employees to say the least.

7) Malaysia & Australia vacation – After six long years of being away, I finally made it back to Malaysia. That was one of the biggest highlights of the year. I caught up with friends, family and also got to visit my sister and her husband in Melbourne. Our family also vacationed in Sydney. One of these days, I’ll definitely return to Australia. It’s a gorgeous county. Oh, I stuffed myself silly too!

8) Anna – After being single for seven years, I would rank Anna as being the most important highlight of the year. Anna and I officially started dating in October, but we’ve known each other for at least ten years. She’s been active in the young adults group which I’m the coordinator, and that’s helped us discover more about each other. She has brought immeasurable joy to my life, and the journey has been a blast. I know we’re both definitely looking to what the future holds.

9) Barrack Obama – America elected its first African American president. It’s monumental to say the least. He has a tough road ahead of him, but something tells me he’s more than up for the challenge.

The economy has been unkind to very many people, and I know some people who have suffered tremendously because of it. My heart goes out to them. I’m just thankful that I still have a job, a roof over my head, and someone who loves me unconditionally.

Cheers to a bigger and much better year ahead for all of us! Let’s ring in 2009!!!