Posts Tagged ‘Life’

I haven’t been here in a while, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but as this year and decade closes and I’ve been reading every press outlet in creation do a summary of the decade, I felt I should do the same.  Since I was born late in 1979, every decade has essentially been a chapter in my life.  Particularly since I am about to shift my career down a new path, this truly is the end of a chapter in my life.  So, here is my summary of the 2000s in my world, in no particular order of time or importance, but as thoughts and memories come to my mind.

• I got back into UF.
• I changed my major from journalism to political science.
• I graduated!
• I went to grad school at UCF.
• I am still finishing my thesis.
• I met the person I thought was my soul mate.
• I got married.
• I got divorced.
• I was obviously wrong about three lines above.
• I lost my mother tragically.
• I have thought about her every day since.
• I have watched my brother become a real mensch.
• I have watched my father enjoy life.
• I got the job of my dreams.
• I witnessed democracy in action.
• I participated in making this nation a better place for everyone.
• I walked the same halls as leaders, patriots, and heroes.
• Three years later, I am moving on to something new.
• I helped elect Barack Obama.
• I worked for Robert Wexler.
• I worked for Shelley Berkley.
• I worked for UCF Campus Life.
• I worked for SITEL/General Motors.
• I was editor-in-chief of a college newspaper.
• I witnessed my sports teams win 6 championships.
• I witnessed our world change forever on September 11, 2001.
• I made some of the most incredible friends I could ever hope for.
• I rekindled some friendships from the prior decade.
• I bought my first car, and still have it.
• I moved five times.
• I traveled to Germany and Russia.
• I flew all over the United States.
• I went on my first cruise.
• I went skiing for the first time, too.
• I gained 40 lbs.
• I also gained a tremendous amount of life experience.
• I believe 30 really is the new 20.
• I fought for what I believe is right.
• I will continue to do so.
• I have found my purpose in life.
• I am so excited about what the 2010s will bring.

Thank you for reading.  Happy New Year everyone.

Cheddar and chevre grilled cheese at Common Roots.

Whatever works.

Sailing on Lake Calhoun with new friends.

Club night with new friends.

Strawberry smoothie from Dunn Bros.

Breakfast at Seward.

Lake Harriet.

Lyndale Park.

Rose Garden.

Dinner at French Meadow.

Catch phrase.

Another club night with new friends.

Apples to apples.

Another strawberry smoothie from Dunn Bros.

Breakfast at Barbette.

Biking to St. Paul.

and biking.

and biking.

and biking.

Pizza delivered in an electric car by a spaceman.

Breakfast at French Meadow.

Minnesota Zoo.

Friendship.

Minneapolis.

Wonderful times.

Whatever works.

I’ve been a bit neglectful of this blog the past few weeks, but it is mostly because I am enjoying life as much as I could ever ask for or expect.

As I approach my 30th birthday on Wednesday, I’ve become quite retrospective (as I have a tendency to do whenever I reach a landmark in my life) and am once again reminded about how fortunate I am to have so many great people in my life.  June is not only my birthday month, but that of many great friends (it seems a lot of parents were busy in the month of September in the early 80s), so aside from my week-long celebration that began last night, I’ve been generally celebrating life with all of my friends here in DC, and I’ll be heading down to Florida at the end of this week to do the same with all of them.

As I’ve approached this milestone over the past year, I’ve been mixed in my feelings about it, and nearly everyone around me has insisted that 30 is the new 20.  I found out last night that the hangovers aren’t as easy to deal with as they were back then, but aside from that, I do feel like I’m at a great point in my life, and I’m heading into my 30s feeling great about my life, the people in it, and the future that it promises.

Thanks to everyone…and you all know who you are…who make every day of my life that much better.  I am forever grateful.

A year ago today, my life changed.  It changed in a way that I never would have imagined, that I never would have initiated on my own, and that I never believed would be such a blessing.

When you fall in love with someone, you truly do fall.  I really did fall for Jill, and when she left me, I fell hard.  In the year since she left me, I’ve gone through an array of emotions and steps in the process of grief.  Right after it happened, I was definitely in shock.  For a bit, I was in denial and absorbed myself in my work so much that I pretended it wasn’t actually happening.  Then I felt empty, as if I was missing a part of myself that could not be filled again.

That was followed by a sense of the unknown, not really understanding why it all happened.  Unfortunately, that was trailed by anger, only because she did everything she could to twist the knife in me and make what should have been a very simple divorce as complicated as possible.  That then led to feelings of disdain, hoping she would one day feel the pain she was making me feel.  When the divorce was over, it was relief that allowed me to feel like a burden had been taken off my back.

Today, one year later, I almost forgot it was the anniversary.  It took reading the name Jill in an article online to trip my memory.  That, my friends, is freedom.  My heart, my mind, my soul have been set free, and when the right woman comes along, I’ll be ready.

The one thing I’ve maintained in my mind since that day one year ago, and I’ve tried to maintain this philosophy my entire life, is that everything happens for a reason.  You don’t always understand why.  In fact, you rarely do.  But you play the hand that you are dealt, and that is what I’m doing now.

So on this one year anniversary, I say thank you.  Thank you for setting me free, for giving me a second chance at life and love, and for allowing me to discover myself again.  It’s the greatest gift you’ve ever given me.

Moi

I am 30 years old and I reside in Washington, DC, where I work as a legislative assistant for a Member of Congress.  I am also a graduate student, completing a Master of Arts in Political Analysis and Public Policy, and a weekly columnist for Youth Roll, an online source for all that inspires and consumes our world through the lens of a uniquely youth perspective.  Be sure to check out my column, View from the Hill, every Friday.  Knowing all of this, it should be obvious I don’t have much of a life, but somehow, I manage to squeeze in some semblance of one here and there.

My hobbies and interests generally revolve around a main course of sports and politics, with an appetizer of a fondness for travel and culture, a side dish of shooting pool and Texas hold’em, and finding ways to improve myself for dessert.

I am a proud alum of the University of Florida and am a die-hard Gator fan.  When I’m not cheering on the Gators, I’m competing in way too many fantasy football leagues and talking smack about the success (or sometimes failure) of my sports teams.  I played sports for many years and pride myself on my nearly unbeatable level of sports trivia knowledge.

I am also a political junkie and have a strong desire to impact policy and the progress of our nation and the world through my work on Capitol Hill.  Don’t let that fool you though…I’m not important, and am but a small cog in the engine.  With hard work and a little luck, that may change one day.

I’m a veteran of the blogging world who has decided to return from a lengthy hiatus.  I was a blogger when blogging was considered strange by most.  Starting in 1997 and ending in 2005, I wrote on three successful domains, all of which averaged a few thousand hits a day.  I’m not hoping for, expecting or working towards such attention through this blog.  This will merely serve as a sounding board for my opinion on various issues and discussion of certain aspects of my life, and a way for my many friends who live quite a distance from me to keep in tune with my life and my mindset.

If you’ve actually read this far, I’m impressed.  Thanks for your interest.