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December 31, 2008
365 Days And One Trip Around The Sun Later...
On the eve of New Year 2009, I find myself in a reflective mode.
I am sitting here thinking about this past year, and what an interesting ride it's been along the Information Superhighway.
Almost 365 days ago, I pledged that I would post something here, each day, at least once a day, for a full year. I am proud to say that I posted 362 times. I broke the streak on April 2nd, 2008. Not bad, considering I missed one posting due to a fatal accident, another posting because I was super-extra-terrible-awful sick, and something odd happened that caused me to miss one more posting. 362 posts...It isn't like finishing (or even attempting) a marathon. It isn't like saving a life, or anything like that. It is something I set out to do, and with help, encouragement and support from Megan, it was something I (we) saw to the very end.
So how did I do?
Here were the rules...
"Rules:
- Blog everyday for 365 days. (Blogged for 365 days. (Well, 362, but you gotta' give me an E for effort!) Check.
- Feb.29th is a Free Day and will be the Blog365 day of rest! (Thanks Leap Year) (Took advantage of the free day! Check.)
- You do not HAVE to post to the same blog as long as you post everyday. (I did post to the same blog, each and every day (nearly.) Check.)
- No internet? Write your post locally and post it once you are back on the grid. (Always had internet, no problem there. Check.)
- Computer Broken? Grab some paper and do some old school blogging. (Computer was always functioning, if not slow. Check.)
- A post is a post, not everything has to be in writing. Photos, YouTube videos, and the like are all considered content. (Posted pics, Wordless Wednesdays, YouTube videos. Check.)
- Have fun, because that's the whole point!" (Had a blast! Check.)
Sometime during the past year, I posted that I do not like to see things end, as that leaves me feeling like I am missing something. And that is exactly how I feel tonight. I feel that way because I have become accustomed to posting each and every day. It was how I communicated my thoughts and feeling to the world, and sometimes reporting on events in my life, or posting about things that I thought others might find interesting.
For instance...
I reported on deaths of the famous (and not so famous) not because I have some odd fascination with death, but because the people who left us this year were near and dear to me, for one reason or another.
In 2008, we lost Harvey Korman, Estelle Getty, Isaac Hayes, Bernie Mac, Paul Newman, the woman who invented Slinkies (Slinky's?) and the great George Carlin. I have brought to you the sad passing of Rosa Parks, one of my personal heroes; I mourned the loss of life after the London bombings, the Mumbai attacks, (and now the Israeli attacks into Gaza) and the passing of President Gerald Ford.
I also told you about my friend and fellow Firefighter Paula Plichta, who passed away this year, after a courageous battle with leukemia. She will never be forgotten.
And while the loss of life is indeed sad, there were happier times on this blog.
For example, we found out this year that we are going to be parents (again) to a baby boy. (Again!)
You were there when I rescued a turtle from certain death (or at least a certain maiming) from the middle of a busy road.
Over the past year, we celebrated three anniversaries...The anniversary of this blog, (three years old, thanks Keir!) Jonah turned three, and Josh turned two. Megan and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary (!) and we are thrilled to have shared these moments with you. We also began to keep track of when we can expect to see Elijah, and that ticker will stay at the top of the page, and will be updated each and every day, no matter if I post or not, so keep checking in!
We watched in amazement, as American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican runner Usain Bolt owned an amazing and entertaining 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At least three times over the past year, we had visitors from around the world. Bloggers (or at least web surfers) from South Africa, Great Britain and Canada checked in! Thanks, and you are always welcome here!
If you've noticed, along the way, I have learned a thing or two about Hypertext markup language, or HTML. I learned to change border colors, change fonts and their sizes, and even learned to
There were times I wanted to shout about what's going on in our country, politics wise, but I stayed away, not wanting to cause rifts. (I think that's a good idea. Some call it avoidance; I call it keeping peace in the family. Besides, most who read this blog know my political views anyway.)
Speaking of politics, we are about to enter a new year with a new President, and hopefully, a new outlook and a new way of thinking, to get us out of our economic funk. I, for one, thinking positive now, am beginning to feel optimistic about this new President, and I look forward to better, more positive economic news in 2009!
Speaking of economics, Megan and I put our house up for sale this year, and if you're interested, leave me a comment! (The ticker on the right side of the page will tell you how long our house has been on the market. So far, it's been 41 days, and we haven't had a single call yet! However, we have an open house scheduled for early next week, so maybe we'll get some interest there!)
Over the years, I have posted 519 times. 362 of those were this year alone! Wow!
But why? Why did I post each day (save for three) for an entire year? What was my motivation? Initially, this blog was created to show pics of my Da' Boys and my family for out of town friends and family. I promised to chronicle Jonah and Josh's growth, and I kept that promise. (Though this will no longer be a daily blog, there will still be lots and lots and lots of pics of the boys here, so please check back often!)
Of course, this will be the first place to look as soon as Elijah joins us. As soon as the new boy is here, pictures will be posted, so even though I may not be posting each and every day, look for lots of posts towards the end of March. (Though I feel fairly confident I will blog before then.)
I am sitting here, desperately trying to think of a way to end this post, and wrap up a year of nearly daily blogging. It isn't easy. That's because as stressful as this was at times, not wanting to miss a day, it was satisfying knowing I set a goal, and for the most part, reached it. It's not easy because I am ending something I have become so used to doing. I am ending something I had to do each and every day, and I will miss that.
But while daily blogging is ending, I am going to start something new here, and I want you to be a part of it.
Before 2008 ended, I made a resolution and a goal to reach in the year 2009. I resolved to become a more positive person, and my goal is to lose weight and get in shape. I resolve to become a better person because if that doesn't happen, I can always say, "who keeps their New Year's resolutions anyway?" But I have set a goal of losing weight and getting in shape, so that I will always have something to work for. And this blog will be a way of reminding me both of my resolution, and my goal, all year long.
After a short break, I will be back on this blog, keeping track of my progress. While not a daily blog, it will be updated constantly, so we can all see how I am doing! (I haven't really figured out a way to measure positiveness, so you'll just have to trust me on that one...)
For now, I want to thank each and every one who checked in, Jodi, Jason, Amanda, Megan, G'Ma, G'Pa, Dad, Selina, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Jerry, Keir, Aunt Jen, and anyone else I may have missed!
I want to thank my dear, sweet wife Megan, the person who suggested daily posting for a year, and who helped me tremendously along the way. Without her, this would not have been possible. The same is true for my Boys,
Jonah and Joshua, who were outstanding and super cute as subjects for most of the picture posted here. I love you all!
So for now, from my family to you and yours, please have a very safe, a very healthy, and a very happy New Year!
See you in next year in 2009!
Posted by Jon at December 31, 2008 10:39 PM