Once 2016 came to a close, I had mixed feelings entering 2017. I was looking forward to the new year after all the traveling I did, the weddings I attended, graduating college, the memories, you get the picture. But on the other hand, I still didn't have a full time job, the outcome of the 2016 election divided this country even further, and the outlook of 2017 was unclear. However, as I look back on what 2017 was and what it brought, would I say it was my favorite year or even top 5? Probably not, but through all the muck and mire that came, a lot of good came out of it too. So journey with me as I look back on 2017.
As every new year begins here in Cleveland, winter is always there to welcome you with it's bone chilling fury, and heavy doses of cabin fever. One way to beat the winter blues was going to a Cavs game with a bunch of awesome people. Good friends of mine, Ben and Natalie Wong, who are in the medical field in Las Vegas, came into town and treated us to a Cavs game with amazing seats. We were basically 7ish rows from the court. The Cavs won, adding to the amazing night it already was. We ended up hanging out late into the night, laughing, talking, and making memories. I'm very grateful to have these two people in my life.
As winter gave way to spring, the new season brought both joy and sorrow. This year marked the first year I went to Opening Day for Cleveland Indians baseball. If you're reading this from facebook, you know how passionate I am about it. Josh Malek and I got to witness a walk-off winner and little did we know it then, but this season was going to have something magical. Then, not long after that day, the sorrow set because my grandmother (Lois Andrewson) on my Mom's side had passed. We all knew her time was coming, but that doesn't erase the fact that someone you love is no longer here. Yet, I believe I will see her again one day and am at peace which comes from the love of God and my faith in Christ.
The month of May kicked off with a wedding and if you read my end-of-the-year post last year, you know how much I love weddings. Who were the wonderful couple? Why Philip Tsao and Phoebe Cheng! Philip had come from Ann Arbor and spent a year in Cleveland so I got to know him a whole lot better. I'm glad he came because it was a blessing to have him around. Their wedding took place outdoors on a beautiful farm-like setting. You could see green for miles and when the sun set off the rolling hills, it was breath-taking.
Along with June came summer, the season I love the most. I was still looking for work, but being able to enjoy another summer as freely as I wanted was fine with me. The highlights for this month were as follows: Some of you know that I picked up the hobby called geocaching back in 2015. If you don't know what that it is, well I 'll briefly explain. It involves using billion dollar satellites to find tupperware containers in the woods. Well that's the cooler description anyway. Basically people hide containers all over the world ranging from the size of thumbtack to the size of a shed. The more common ones are tupperware containers, ammo cans, and pill bottles. You then either use a gps device or your phone's gps to find them. It also puts you in contact with some super awesome and crazy people who share the same joy you get from this hobby. Here in Northern Ohio, the geocachers here like to give recognition to those who reach 1000 finds. There's a big picnic with lots of food and fun and those who have reached that 1000 find milestone are given an ammo can painted gold and packed with goodies. I was a recipient of one this year.And in 2018, I'll have the privilege of honoring a new 1k milestone for someone else.
Photo Credit: Diane Rust
June didn't end on just that note. Wedding #2 occurred in this month as well. My cousin on my mom's side, Aaron Hoefs, was getting married. They're located in northern Wisconsin and the nearest airport was in Minneapolis. I had to wait for my other cousin, Jeff, to fly in from San Francisco so we could make the 2 hour drive to the farm. That made for the perfect opportunity to visit the Mall of America. Sure it cost $14 in Uber fees, but it was well worth it. After my escapade in MOA, I returned to the airport, met up with Jeff, and made it to Wisconsin. The wedding was awesome and had that country feel to it. The groomsmen were fishing in between pictures. They all wore jeans with a vest top (it was way to hot for a suit). And the ceremony was beautiful but quick as it had to beat a rainstorm and did so by minutes. It was a joy to attend, see the family and guess what, they're expecting in May!
I've always loved July and it has shown me a lot of love back. In past posts, I've mentioned my annual retreat to a friend's cabin on Lake Erie that consists of me and two of my best buds (Jeremiah Johnson and Mark Greenwood) at minimum. I've spent so many summers there and have so many memories to last a lifetime. With our lives becoming so busy and adulthood being so real, there aren't many times we are together anymore. But each year we make time for this. Well this July may have marked the last one ever because at the end of 2018, the property will have new owners. Therefore, we made the most of it. It was a blast. Here's a scene from that time.
Our youth event known as Mountain Top occurred in this month and in Cleveland. Every summer 300ish youth come from all over to experience God in a new way. I wasn't able to attend all over out, but from what I did attend, I saw many young lives touched and changed in great ways.
After a year of searching, July yielded another gift. I got a job offer from General Electric. A contract job sure, but It's nearly everything I was looking for and came just in time. And before I even started, they approved my two weeks off to go to Austraila...
...which brings us to August and one of the greatest experiences of my life. Im not going to go into a lot of detail because i did that all in daily posts on this blog. So if you're interested in my experience, I highly suggest you go back and read them. God is so good.
As the fall crept in, I had one more wedding to attend. A good friend from college, Scott Ruebensaal and his now wife Nina Nager tied the knot at The 9 in downtown Cleveland. The ceremony was held on the rooftop and the reception in the old bank vaults downstairs. It was a ton of fun and a great day.
Another major change occurred when I finally had to say goodbye to my first baby, my 2004 Dodge Intrepid. With 214,000 miles, 13 years old, and needing over $2000 worth of work, it was time to say goodbye. She always got me where i needed to go, in some cases hundreda of miles, and even if there was a hiccup (flat tire) it was correctable and i always made my destination. Rust in peace. And so, I welcomed my second baby, a 2008 Chevy Malibu. She passed her first test and got me to PA over Christmas and back. Here's to hoping I have many more years with her.
Summer gave way to Autumn and I turned 27. The holidays began and filled my soul with mirth. Then December snuck up on me real quick and now is near it's end. But it was a month to remember. A lot of geocaching events with great people, two geocaching county runs, a fantastic Christmas where I drove all the way to Pennsylvania to surprise my grandparents (my car survived her first major test), and 8 friends from Australia came to visit the US for almost a month and I'm so glad they're here.
A few closing thoughts. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but every winter I do something a little unorthodox. You see I'm not a fan of the cold, especially this cold. I hate it. Snow is okay and fun for things such a sledding and snowboarding, but the after effects of it I do not enjoy. I'm a summer child through and through. I had a childhood friend who loved the snow. It was something she looked forward to every year. Long story short, she passed unexpectedly in 2014. So as a little tribute to her, if it snows in the late evening, I step outside and stand there. I watch the flakes fall against the dark night sky and listen to the beautiful silence and magical scene unfold before me. Snow is best observed at this hour because the noise of the day is gone, the white crystals against the midnight sky are relaxing to watch, and it's a peaceful feeling. Then I too eventual retreat to the warmth of my home.
As I was driving back from PA, I was listening to the 90s on 9 on satellite radio and a fitting song came across the airwaves. It was called Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann. I'm not going to post all the lyrics here, that's what the link is for. But here are some blips of it that are really sound advice for the new year.
"Don't waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behindThe race is longAnd in the end, it's only with yourself
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insultsGet plenty of calcium
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how
Be kind to your knees
You'll miss them when they're gone
Dance
Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly
Get to know your parents
You never know when they'll be gone for good
Be nice to your siblings
They are the best link to your past
And the people most likely to stick with you in the future
Live in New York City once
But leave before it makes you hard
Live in Northern California once
But leave before it makes you soft
Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths
Prices will rise
Politicians will philander
You too will get old
And when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young
Prices were reasonable
Politicians were noble
And children respected their elders
Respect your elders
But trust me on the sunscreen"
And on that note, I say so long to 2017 and am ready to welcome in 2018. Here's to the people in my life, the memories to be made, new experiences that will come, and another trip around the sun. Happy New Year!
