Good-Bye 2008 Hello Bright Future and 2009

Whew…it’s finally hear December 31st, 2008. I seriously didn’t think it would ever end. But if finally finally is about to end.

Currently I’m sitting in the passenger seat of a 1994 Oldsmobile – listening to the Night that Santa Went Crazy by Weird Al! - as Brandon and I drive towards Tampa (we are going to see the Gamecocks play tomorrow, Go Cocks!) and I am sitting back and thinking about everything that has happened in the past 365 days – and for the wide majority has been sucky but there have been a few moments, so be prepared for the wiz bang of 2008:

I started the year on New Years Eve/Day January 1st – in boston. Which was great I got to visit two cousins I’d seen a couple times last year, but who I had slightly grown closer to and that I had a lot of fun chilling with. However the bad part is that Ashley gave me hell about it, and said she was going to start dating a friend of mine, but that she was still going to date me too (but she agreed after new years eve that she wouldn’t) – this would forshadow something that will happen in alittle over a month…

In February my relationship with Ashley ended on Valentines day, for good, 4 years to the day from when it started, it would take me until this Christmas Eve to truly realize that I was finally happy after two crappy years. Not happy because I’d been dumped, but happy because I finally realized that I had been miserable with the way I had been treated, finally realized that I deserved better, and that if I really had married this girl…well I don’t think it would have been a match made in heaven.

In May I turned 21, wahoo! Finally legal to drink, and what have I done since then? Been a designated driver more times than I’ve actually drank, but that’s beside the point. For my 21st birthday I celebrated with my Grandpa for his 80th birthday, and that was actually a lot of fun, at midnight my dad, grandpa, me and the rest of my family that wanted to come went out to a local bar and I had my “first” beer. Getting carded was funny, but I guess I look older because I haven’t been carded much.

Also in may I finished lower division – but then had to take one finally class over summer, and I got the highest grade I’d ever gotten in an A&P class, but it still meant I stressed out from January to May, and again in July, and there where times when I really thought I was gunna be in trouble, but I survived.

So, for my 21st birthday my parents gave me a trip to Ireland to celebrate it. In June I got to go and spend a week with my friends Larry, Fiona, and Matthew and Anie in Belfast, followed by a week in Dublin with Gerald, and then 3 days in Galway on my own. It was some of the most relaxing times for me. I got to be places my parents had never been, and see things nobody had seen (and then become a Jameson whiskey taste tester)

So in July while the Irish program was in full swing I spent the days in classes, and then the evenings at home with Matthew, Anie and my family, and I was able to get to go to some of the activities, which is good because as it turned out this was the 25th and final year of the program, even though there were people who said it should still go on, but oh well, it was a impressive program, if only it could go on.

So then came August…and the start of the “Semester from Hell” The first month of classes I was so lost I didn’t know what on earth to do, it wasn’t until midterms that I had managed to get my act together and figure out when I had to be places, and when I needed to get there… and here’s a bad thing – I got better grades when I was confused and struggling but oh well.

October was Nick’s 17th birthday and we had fun celebrating it, and now the political scene is becoming important, for the first time I watched all the presidential debates, and also the vice presidential one (of which I thought it was the best, and would rather have had Biden running for president but I’m glad he’s atleast the VP.)

So then came November and with it, the election of the first black president of the United States, which was something amazing to begin with, but I worked the polls at that time, and I got to see more people come out to vote than in any election in my memory, people came out and wanted to vote not just for Obama, but honestly – just to vote, because for once they felt like their voice mattered, and to tell you the truth…I would say it would.

So finally we come to December, which has actually been the best and worst of both worlds. The semester from hell was finally able to end, but that meant I had to take exams which truly truly kicked my ass (BUT! I still passed them, ALL!) And then I got to grow closer to one friend whom, means….well she means more than I could ever repay (yes she is a different girl!)

Then we came to Christmas time, and for once our Christmas was less hectic, and in fact we spent more time with family members and less time thinking about the gifts that we gave – which was really really important to me. This was included with lots of games, fun and stories told amongst family, which was wonderful!

Ok, I have to make a quick digression now, because I realize that it may look like my year was great, but there are individual reasons as to why I’ve felt that 2008 wasn’t the best year of all time:

In this year, I got dumped (after proposing to the girl whom I did love at the time); got rejected; couldn’t get a job (thank you Economy and Lehman Bros.); didn’t have the guts to ask the right girl out, asked the wrong girls out 5 times; lost friends; became an asshole; got more C’s in one semester than my entire college career, and was a lousy roll model.

However: I did manage to strengthen friendships, find someone who I can relate to on everything, reach out to those who need help, proved to myself I could survive in a hospital, find out that my soul still exsisted, strengthened my belief in God, and was able to finally finally laugh and have fun.

That brings me back to the car ride down to Ocala, the sky had darkened and I’m closer to my destination, even after 2 hours of traffic in which I saw “workers” drinking beer and standing next too their machines but not actually working! So….now with Hind Sight looking at me, as I look over everything that happened I realize my year wasn’t actually that bad, in fact, with the exception of February and the First week of December, this year was pretty good.

I do know I have a lot of people to thank though for this year, because without the people that have helped me get this far, this year really truly would have sucked.

I want to thank Mom, Dad, and Nick – for supporting and loving me especially when I didn’t deserve it, you guys have given me strength to keep pressing on, because I see what my family is like and I want to be able to accomplish that, and be able to pass on everything I have received from you guys, thank you very much, I love you all!

Mom – you’ve given me the ability to care for people, to know that judging a person doesn’t help them, but a hand up and a hug do! Your selfless care for people you don’t even know showed me how care and compassion go hand in hand. You also taught me that sometimes I need to put aside my own fears so that I can help someone else, Your demonstration as a mom has showed me that I do not come first, instead I have learned that if I put others before myself, there is more joy than in always being selfish.

Dad – even though you might not believe it, you’ve helped instill in me the work ethic to make sure a job is finished, and finished well, without your example I think I would have slacked right out of school. It was from you that I learned that there is no greater reward after a hard days work than knowing that you left everything you had out there. Also, and you really won’t believe this, you’ve taught me that I can’t win everything, but…I can pick my battles – and this has helped me to learn which ones to involve myself in.

Nick – you may not think it, but you’ve taught me a lot too. You taught me that even the “smallest” can prove that they are worth something, and in your case, you best me in just about anything physical, but you also have a heart that is far larger than anyone gives you credit, don’t loose it, no matter what. Also, you’ve taught me about second chances and that everybody deserves them, because even though I treated you badly for along time (and I am truly sorry for that) and you’ve forgiven me each time so thank you, very much.

Grandma, Grandpa, and all my Uncles, Aunts and Cousins – I see how much our family means to all of us, and I hope to help strengthen everything you’ve shown me, and look forward to many many more years together – and to Gma and Gpa specifically thank you, for everything you’ve done, your wisdom, stories, games, walks, talkes etc all mean a lot to me…more than I could ever repay.

Now to some friends, who have had a big impact on my life:

Colleen – like I’ve said time and time again, you truly are a lifesaver. There’s no way I can ever repay you for what you did for me (you were just like an angel who picked me up after I fell to the ground for the 100th time and didn’t want to get up. Thank you, thank you so much – you will always be one of my best friends!

Brandon – You’ve helped me see that even though stuff doesn’t go my way, there is silver linening (even if we have to dig through ash to find it) Thanks for being a friend to me when others weren’t, it means a lot…a lot.

I also want to thank Chris, Elizabeth, Matt Butler and Zach, you guys mean a lot to me, and even thought you might think I’m just an annoying kid, you guys have given me a lot of good advice (and a bit of not so good) and have given me the hope that there’s still a chance for me to find someone.

So there you have it folks the year of 2008, And my final note to you for 2008 will be my new years resolution for 2009:

My Resolution:
To get my act together, pass the next two semester, become a better brother and a better son.