Catch Up

So, I haven't blogged in years...  Time to catch up.  Below will list some significant things from each year since my last post.  Yes, each year.  It's been a while.  I'm not going into detail on, but if you want to know more about a particular item, just let me know.  These are literally just pasted from other sources.

2016
Home repairs
Newspaper/burgers
Clark was born
Met Adam West
Second Bat Suit
Four years of marriage
Batman mask presentation
Moto VP
Met Kris Draper
Guns n Roses
Michigan Ren Fest
Mustache
TV Show
Gary's swimming
Home automation


2017
2017 has truly been an incredible year for my family! We worked hard and played hard! Rachel says that this was The Year of Pez!

In February I participated in and won a Joe Short Look Alike Contest at my favorite restaurant! Joe was there and it was really cool meeting him.
At the end of March, The Year of Pez began as we took a road trip to Orange, CT to go to the Pez Visitor Center. Gary saw photos of this place online and wanted to go to celebrate his birthday. It was incredible to see his face light up seeing it all. Clark couldn't care less about being there tho.
In the Spring, I got to try on a World Series Ring during a business trip to Chicago. This was really cool for me, having a background in jewelry.
I met Sting. The wrestler, not the singer. I was dressed as Batman.
Rachel and I celebrated five years of marriage in June! Time flies!
Have I mentioned that I'm very thankful for my job? It isn't perfect, and like everyone else, I'd like a larger salary, but my job is really cool. In July, I took my first trip to New York City for a phone announcement press event. It was quite the shindig. What's crazy is that my cousin, Caroline, was working the event as a promo model! What are the odds of that?
The year of Pez continued in August as my family attended Michigan Pez Convention! I've been a Pez collector for over 20 years and this was my first convention. It was so much fun! We participated in all sorts of games and activities, met tons of incredible people of all different ages from all over the world, and bought a lot of Pez.
The highlight of my year was this fall when I was able to stand up in my friend, Neil's, wedding. Neil and I have been friends for several years and I couldn't be happier for him. He found a really good one!
More Pez stuff... I got a large Pez tattoo on the back of my right leg. It cost a bit so we're calling that my main Christmas gift this year.
If you know my family, you know that Halloween is our thing. The boys and I were Scooby-Doo characters per Gary's request. I think Clark stole the show as Fred.
I ran in my first race this year! Since I'm not in good shape and hate running, I started with a .5k! Yes POINT FIVE. The event was a fund raiser for Toys for Tots and was a lot of fun. I got a medal, t-shirt, racing bib, and one of those oval bragging stickers to put in the back of my car (I didn't). I'll run this again next year.
Home automation was a trend last year that continued into this year for us. We now have smart speakers in four rooms, 15 connected lights, Chromecasts on all TVs, a smart thermostat, smoke detector, and smart garage door opener. It can all be controlled via phone or voice.
Our Christmas tree was decorated with colorful lights and Pez dispensers this year. Turned out pretty cool!
I'm not sure how many breweries I visited this year, but I'm up to 169 total now. Traveling for work has some advantages.
I'm very thankful to God for the great family and life that I have. It's been a wonderful 2017!

2018
Lost three young friends (John, Amy, Heather)
Travel to San Antonio, UP, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, Salt Lake City
Toured Makers Mark
Met William Zabka & Tom Welling
Celebrated six years of marriage
Quit BDS
Pop Pez/Cap'n Crunch
Started at Samsung
Rachel's new job
MI Pez Con/newspaper
Six pack sold for $212 at auction
Pez Visitor Center
Met Steve Glew
Halloween/Goblin King
Gary swimming