End of the year note.

Overall it’s been a tremendous year especially because I found someone that has brought infinite joy to my life and we’ll be getting married next year! Yay!

1) Wedding proposal – I proposed to Anna on February 16th and believe it or not, she said yes! I am such an anti-Valentine’s Day person, and now I don’t ever have to worry about that day because the focus will be on the 16th, not the 14th. Nice.

2) Paradise Pizza – I quit my job at the residential facility, and took a job at Paradise Pizza Café (www.paradisepizzacafe.net) I’ve always wanted to work in a restaurant, and I got my wish. I started off as a server, and within a couple of months, I became a team leader. Overall the experience has been nothing short of wonderful, and I’ve really gotten to know the regulars. It’s a lot of fun working in a restaurant. Try it!

3) Vacation – My vacation this year took me to Chicago, St. Louis and Bismarck, North Dakota. While in Chicago and St. Louis, I caught up with dear friends, and there’s not like reconnecting and reminiscing old times. Anna’s older sister lives in Chicago, and we stayed there and got to hang out with her and her boyfriend. I got to visit Bismarck, ND for the very first time, and it’s where Anna is from. It’s a gorgeous city and state. Let’s just say I was more than pleasantly surprised.

4) Aging Conference – I attended a National Aging Conference in the Twin Cities for the very first time, and it was a great conference because I got to see what some of the national trends were when it came to aging issues. It also helped that I got to exchange ideas, and share my experience with various people from different parts of the country.

5) Baby Mikey – Heidi (Anna’s twin) gave birth to Michael James Mankey on 11/11/09. He was a month premature, but he’s doing fine now, and gaining weight. Yay! Mikey will be my little nephew once we get married, and mark my words, he’ll be a soccer superstar and a die hard Liverpool supporter if I have anything to say about it! I’ll see him over Christmas, and I’m just counting the days!

I realize that it’s been a tough year for a number of people with the global recession, and some people losing their jobs, but we can all choose to focus on the negatives or positives. I chose the latter. There are too many good things going on in, and around the world for me to be burdened by some minor setbacks. The economy will bounce back and in time, we’ll all be OK.

So why not during this holiday season be thankful that we have family and friends who love us unconditionally, a roof over our heads, and a bed to rest our weary bodies at the end of the day? Blessings to all during this season and let’s not forget what the real meaning of this season is truly about!