2007 Year In Review

Incredibly, another year has passed in our lives and in the blink of an eye, 2007 is nearly over. But before we welcome in the new beginnings of '08, I'd like to say a few words of reflection on this past year.

Though time seems to fly by faster and memories seem to start blurring together more and more as I get older, 2007 was definitely a year that I'll remember for the rest of my life. It was a year of a lot of growth in my life (obviously not in a physical sense) and on the whole, I definitely went through a lot of important experiences that have really impacted who I am as a person.

It would be far too crazy for me to list every single thing that's happened in the past 12 months (though knowing me, I might just try). But certainly the most important highlight that I'd have to mention when looking back at 2007 is my baptism. Not just the day itself, but I'm seeing that so much of my life centers around that decision - the years of thinking and praying that led up to it, and the short few months that have followed since then are all heavily influenced by what baptism means to me.

I don't intend to preach extensively about my religion in this blog, but speaking from my heart for a moment, I really do believe that baptism is the most important act of my life to date and I wish everyone could share it with me. As I shared in my testimony that day, God has been teaching me so much about what *faith* means, and with every passing day I'm continuing to learn more and more about why I need it so much in my heart. While I grew up in a Christian family and have been going to church my entire life, it hasn't been until the past year that so many of the Bible verses and praise songs have started to truly come alive for me. The words that I've been reading, singing, even sharing with others for so many years, really have taken on such deeper meaning to me in the past year, and I don't think I would have grown so much without first taking that step of faith. That's all I'll say about the subject here for now, but I hope that if anyone out there cares to talk about these things more, you would not hesitate to seek me out. I would be more that happy to share the rest of my thoughts and feelings.

One thing I certainly experienced a lot of in 2007, perhaps for the first time in my life, was failure. Not to say this in an arrogant way, but I do think that the first 26 years of my life were relatively "easy" for me. For as long as I can remember, I've been able to succeed at everything I've truly put my mind to - whether it be school, relationships, work, or whatever little or big thing it may be. But in the past year, I found myself falling short in almost every area that was important to me. It definitely hurt to struggle so much, especially when I've become accustomed to having everything go smoothly all the time. But as I look back and think about these experiences, I can see that they needed to happen in my life, and not a moment later. Not only this, but while many of these failures seemed to converge in 2007 specifically, I can also see that they've all resulted from many mistakes I've made in the years leading up to this one.

Failure is obviously not a good thing, but as people often say, you have to fail in order to succeed. When I talk about the personal growth I've been going through during the past year or so, so much of it is closely related to the missteps and stumbles I experienced. It seems that many times in life, we need to be bluntly faced with our own weaknesses before we can learn from them and do something about it. In a way, I'm seeing that failures and struggles are the "growing pains" that all of us must go through in order to move forward and mature in our lives, much like the physical awkwardness that accompanies those dreaded years of puberty we'd all like to forget. I do hope that these experiences will keep spurring me to grow throughout the rest of my life

Another thing I'll definitely remember 2007 for, is the people who have come and gone in my life. Again, for perhaps the first time in my life, I've had to say goodbye to some that were extremely close to me, which has not been easy at all. It simply sucks to part with someone you loved dearly, and although I'm sure there will be more difficult farewells I'll face in the future, I don't think I'll ever get used to the feeling. For that matter, I don't think I *want* to get used to that feeling.

At the same time, I'm so very thankful for the new people that have become a big (or bigger) part of my life in the past year. Some of you I've literally only met in this year for the first time, while others I have known for much longer, but have luckily gotten a chance to reconnect with in recent months. And of course, still another very important individual has entered my life by way of the local pet store (okay, so Sally isn't a person, but she still deserves mention here).

I've always felt that few things in life, if any, are more important than the relationships you build. You can earn all the money in the world, or spend your whole life trying to make yourself happy, but in the end, none of that means anything and you can't take any of those possessions or selfish pleasures with you. I would hope that some day as I look back on my life, it would not be defined by my personal achievements of glory, but by the way I impacted those around me in a (hopefully) positive way. While I often lose track of this and have wandered off in my selfish world many times in the past, I feel so encouraged by the people that have become a bigger part of my life in 2007 and hope that in return, I'll be more a blessing to them in the coming years as well.

All of my sappy thoughts aside, some other important notes from the past year include (in no particular order):

- An awesome vacation in San Diego and Vegas (see 9/18/07 entry for recap)

- The Bears making it to the SuperBowl (even though they lost, it was still an exciting time for all of us in Chicago)

- Illini football making a comeback and somehow getting picked for the Rose Bowl (results TBD until New Years Day - it could be a fantastic start to 2008, do we dare to get our hopes up?)

- Grace moving on from being our 3rd housemate, to bigger and better things (marriage)

- Taking on some new responsibilities at work, as a committee chair for an employee organization

- Quitting fantasy sports entirely (Of all the recent changes in my life that I've shared with people - breakup of a 5+ year relationship and working towards a career switch, this is somehow the one that seems to surprise people the most. Not quite sure what to think of that fact.)

- Finally entering the world of High-Definition TV and using a DVR (quickly becoming hooked on Food Network HD and Planet Earth)

- Starting a Facebook account (gotta keep up with the kids these days)

- Getting a Nintendo Wii, my first iPod (well, a hand-me-down from the sis, but whatever), and new sunglasses

- Eating lots of good food (way too much to list here!)

- Turned down a Victoria Secret model (sorry, I'm all about personality)

Quite a list there, but perhaps the best part of it all is, the year is not quite over yet. Still a few days left in 2007, and I have a feeling there will be more to add before we ring in the new year. But if I don't see you all before then, let me just wish everyone out there a Happy New Year and many great things to come in 2008!