2014 "Year in Review" Entry / The Passing of My Mother's Father
2015 is here! Will this year be anything like the 2015 depicted in Back to the Future Part II? We'll see! 2015 is sure to be an entertaining year. Let's put 2014 to bed. Here's my yearly rundown of my personal milestones over the last year.
In January, my brother, Ryan, and his fiancé, Kim, sent out their wedding Save-the-Date notecards only to face a negative reaction to their chosen wedding plans: A destination wedding cruise. They recinded that plan and went back to the drawing board. February saw my sister, Val, learning that she had thyroid cancer which was quickly cut out and cured. In March, I landed a new job ending one year of unemployment while at the same time Nicole and I moved in with Val and her fiancé, Chris. This was a transitional move while we looked for a better apartment for ourselves.
Throughout April, I was being trained at my new job, which involves computer work at a semiconductor-related factory. In May, my training ended and I was placed into my own daytime shift where I grew and began to be successful. June saw Nicole quitting her receptionist job after a year of horrid working conditions and then going on a trip to visit her family in California that turned out to be a rough time.
In July, Nicole and I moved out of my sister's apartment and into our own apartment after several months of apartment hunting. Also, Nicole's immediate family made a surprise and somewhat awkward trip to visit us here in Portland. August was rough as an extended heat wave gripped the region while Nicole decided to begin her own eBay business. In September, Nicole and I had a big joint birthday party culminating in me splurging on a PS4 video game console.
I continued to splurge in October, purchasing an iPad. Also, Ryan and Kim announced new wedding plans for April of 2015. November saw Nicole's success on eBay blossom enough to require the purchase of an early Christmas gift from me: A new MacBook Air laptop. And in December, my schedule at my job changed to compressed work weeks of 12-hour shifts three-to-four days a week.
The defining event of 2014 for me was landing a new job in March. I got the job at exactly the right moment as Nicole and I needed the income to help transition to a new apartment. One other long-term situation during 2014 was the failing health of my 1990 Geo Metro vehicle. All year long, the car seemed to suffer major issues in increasing severity. Over the last twelve months, two tires have blown out, the engine has steadily been acting more and more sluglishly, and the whole car has had little annoyances crop up in increasing frequency. The car will soon die and so over the last month, I've become very serious about finding a replacement vehicle. I'm sure that in the near future, I will finally purchase a car and put the Geo out to pasture as she desrves. It's about time!
As for goals for 2015, all I think I need to do this year is to continue succeeding and stay the course. I'll be buying a new car soon, my job is stable and I expect to be hired in soon, I hope to have my braces off this year, Ryan and Kim's wedding is in April, Val and Chris' wedding is in October, and my relationship with Nicole continues to bloom. If anything, it's possible that Nicole and I could be upgrading to a larger apartment when our lease is up in late April but who knows. We may just stay where we are for a little longer to avoid having to move.
So yes, Happy New Year, and here's to 2015! May it not suck!
There is one last big news story of 2014. My grandfather on my mother's side passed away earlier this week on Sunday the 28th. His sudden death was a surprise but ultimately wasn't unexpected as he had a series of strokes a month ago after suffering from worsening dimentia for several years now. We don't have all the facts yet and there are no plans for a funeral just yet but we're expecting that to happen very soon. He was a remarkable man with a proud history of success and stature. I still can't believe he's gone and maybe it won't hit me until the funeral, so I'll leave it at that for now. A future entry will cover the funeral and provide a few more details.
In January, my brother, Ryan, and his fiancé, Kim, sent out their wedding Save-the-Date notecards only to face a negative reaction to their chosen wedding plans: A destination wedding cruise. They recinded that plan and went back to the drawing board. February saw my sister, Val, learning that she had thyroid cancer which was quickly cut out and cured. In March, I landed a new job ending one year of unemployment while at the same time Nicole and I moved in with Val and her fiancé, Chris. This was a transitional move while we looked for a better apartment for ourselves.
Throughout April, I was being trained at my new job, which involves computer work at a semiconductor-related factory. In May, my training ended and I was placed into my own daytime shift where I grew and began to be successful. June saw Nicole quitting her receptionist job after a year of horrid working conditions and then going on a trip to visit her family in California that turned out to be a rough time.
In July, Nicole and I moved out of my sister's apartment and into our own apartment after several months of apartment hunting. Also, Nicole's immediate family made a surprise and somewhat awkward trip to visit us here in Portland. August was rough as an extended heat wave gripped the region while Nicole decided to begin her own eBay business. In September, Nicole and I had a big joint birthday party culminating in me splurging on a PS4 video game console.
I continued to splurge in October, purchasing an iPad. Also, Ryan and Kim announced new wedding plans for April of 2015. November saw Nicole's success on eBay blossom enough to require the purchase of an early Christmas gift from me: A new MacBook Air laptop. And in December, my schedule at my job changed to compressed work weeks of 12-hour shifts three-to-four days a week.
The defining event of 2014 for me was landing a new job in March. I got the job at exactly the right moment as Nicole and I needed the income to help transition to a new apartment. One other long-term situation during 2014 was the failing health of my 1990 Geo Metro vehicle. All year long, the car seemed to suffer major issues in increasing severity. Over the last twelve months, two tires have blown out, the engine has steadily been acting more and more sluglishly, and the whole car has had little annoyances crop up in increasing frequency. The car will soon die and so over the last month, I've become very serious about finding a replacement vehicle. I'm sure that in the near future, I will finally purchase a car and put the Geo out to pasture as she desrves. It's about time!
As for goals for 2015, all I think I need to do this year is to continue succeeding and stay the course. I'll be buying a new car soon, my job is stable and I expect to be hired in soon, I hope to have my braces off this year, Ryan and Kim's wedding is in April, Val and Chris' wedding is in October, and my relationship with Nicole continues to bloom. If anything, it's possible that Nicole and I could be upgrading to a larger apartment when our lease is up in late April but who knows. We may just stay where we are for a little longer to avoid having to move.
So yes, Happy New Year, and here's to 2015! May it not suck!
There is one last big news story of 2014. My grandfather on my mother's side passed away earlier this week on Sunday the 28th. His sudden death was a surprise but ultimately wasn't unexpected as he had a series of strokes a month ago after suffering from worsening dimentia for several years now. We don't have all the facts yet and there are no plans for a funeral just yet but we're expecting that to happen very soon. He was a remarkable man with a proud history of success and stature. I still can't believe he's gone and maybe it won't hit me until the funeral, so I'll leave it at that for now. A future entry will cover the funeral and provide a few more details.