rhymes with milk

prompt

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? #

response

The biggest thing I see when I look back at 2010 is my job. This is the first calendar year I’ve ever worked a full time job, and it was a huge adjustment for me. I wasn’t used to the structure of it, and it took me a long to figure out how to balance my life around work. It was way too easy to settle into a routine where I did nothing but work, watch tv, sleep, and repeat. So when I try to summarize that routine, the word I think of is:

Consistent.

What did tonight on December 1st was the same thing I probably did on March 22nd, June 9th, or almost any other weekday this year. When I think of it that way, I’m tempted to actually make my word “boring”, “stagnant”, or “routine”. But I’ve actually been thinking a lot about those words recently, and it’s scared me out of a potential funk I could have slipped into.

With those words hanging over my head, I’ve been making an effort to break out of my routine, stay busy outside of work, and most importantly to really take the time to really appreciate the things I enjoy. When I was doing the Daily Photo Project, it was easy to slow down and look at the world around me. I’ve had to find new ways to do that without a camera lens to look through anymore.

When I look beyond the consistency of this year, though, I actually had some great experiences. I spent time with the people I love, I got outdoors, traveled to new places, and experienced new things. This was not a bad year, just primarily a consistent one.

I’m looking forward to next year, and what it’ll bring. Yes, it too will predominantly be full of work, tv, and sleep, but I’ll continue finding ways to shake it up. I already know that Ally and I have a bunch of fun things planned, and I can’t wait to do them with her. I can’t wait to spend the year with her. I can’t wait to do things I love, and fill the year with love. So for a lot of reasons, I think I’ll chose that word for next year. Here’s to 2011.

Love.

I was listening to headphones while doing the dishes tonight, and Ally was at her desk doing homework. This song came up on my iPod. I ran over to Ally, grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair. We had an impromptu dance party while this song played in my headphones. She didn’t hear a single note of music, but she still danced her heart out with me for the entire 3 minutes and 11 seconds.

That’s how you know you have an awesome girlfriend.

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(don’t listen to the lyrics too closely…)

I just put my name on the Denver Broncos season ticket waiting list. Apparently there are 28,000 people ahead of me, so my tickets are expected to be available in about 13-15 years. Not bad, right?