Reflections

Happy New Year everybody!

When I stopped to look back on 2009, I said to myself, "Self, where did the year go?" No PCS transfers, no trans-oceanic household goods shipments, no deployments. Just driving a desk, being a power-point warrior, and routing urgent memos around the Pentagon. The biggest thing that happened for us this year was my promotion in August. So I browsed back through my 2009 blog posts to remind myself what else happened.

Last New Year's Eve was fairly typical in that I was the only one awake at midnight. This year was the first year my entire family has been awake and watched the ball drop together. The five year old was especially wound-up and had trouble calming down to go to bed afterwards.

Last January, we celebrated my youngest son's birthday down at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It was a great time, but the happy memories were sadly overshadowed by our return home to news of a family tragedy. Rest in Peace Uncle Chris and Aunt Elaine.

I started the Pentagon Gouge Index to keep track of posts about life in the Pentagon, and I tried to start a routine of writing Pentagon Gouge posts on Mondays. Although I haven't managed to post every Monday, I have received positive feedback from readers who have appreciated the posts. Many thanks to those who have provided me feedback through blog comments, email, and face-to-face in the Pentagon.

I wrote several unsolicited Advice for Junior Officers posts. I thought I had posted an Index to keep track of those posts, but I just found it in the draft file never posted, so I'll post it now. If you have any suggestions for future topics you would like to see in this category, then please let me know.

I learned the difference between a nerd, a geek, and a dork. Although I didn't need to go back in my blog posts to remind me of this. My wonderful wife reminds me I'm a dork on a regular basis. :-)

We had a few visits by family and friends and went sight-seeing around the DC area (with S&C, with P&E), visited Luray Caverns and Monticello, and the International Spy Museum, and Mayne's Tree Farm.

My awesome wife bought me a kayak for Father's Day and I managed to get out on the water eight times over the summer (first 7 times summarized here then the last trip here).

We had an awesome summer vacation in New Hampshire (see the several blog posts from 8/14 to 8/22).

My friend B and I went on a couple of awesome bike rides along the C&O Canal Tow Path and the Great Allegheny Trail.

Looking Forward: What do I look forward to in 2010?

Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2010...

- Spending time with my family on shore duty while it lasts.
- Enjoying the changing seasons in Northern Virginia.
- Our church moving into our new permanent home.
- Our Spring Break family vacation in Orlando.
- More kayaking.
- More bike rides with my friend B.
- Another summer vacation in New Hampshire.
- More reading.

If I had to make one new year's resolution, then it would be to read more. Unfortunately, I'm a slow reader, and the list of books I want to read grows much faster than the rate I actually read the books I accumulate. I have been making more of an effort to read lately, and I will continue that as we move on into 2010.

With that, I bring my 2009 blog to a close and set out to find new things to experience and write about in 2010.

Happy New Year!