2009, A Year in Review

So, 2009 was a banner year. So great, in fact, that it took the better part of a month to get started on this post because I didn’t want to do all the writing involved. Finally I thought, “to hell with this, I’m just going to post pictures.” So, here you go.

• January: this time last year, I was recovering from a post Hawaii hangover. It was rough. My sister had lived there for only a few months at that time, and it was good trip. As you can see, I was unhappy about leaving:
  

• Around Martin Luther King Day, which my company doesn’t give us off, was the annual trip of debauchery and chicanery to Bear Lake. Photos of the sauna omitted for everyone’s sake:
• After the Superbowl, we destroyed gingerbread houses using various pyrotechnics. Thus, the ginger shrapnel tradition was born.
• In February, in an effort to evade the long winter, we headed south for Febtober-fest. No beer steins involved, just plastic yellow construction hats we found in the trash.
• The big news in March was the arrival of the first nephew/niece in the family. It was a nephew in this case, Weston. I was able to screw this up royally by comparing his appearance to that of the young (old?) Benjamin Button. Let’s be honest here folks, it takes a few months for them to really “cuten” up.
• As always, winters in Utah are generally epic, and the snow last year bore that out.

• Unfortunately, while I was busing enjoying the powder, my roommate of the last 2 years was hatching his escape. He bought a house, and in early May we threw the last house party of that era.
• I was so distraught that in May I fled again to Hawaii, were I began to turn into a tomato.

• I don’t really remember what happened in June. I spent most of it moaning about how I wished I was back in Hawaii and traveled for work to the hell hole that is Palmdale California. I did manage to replace the two roommates with a new one. He knows his burgers:
• In July I spent my first 4th of July in Salt Lake Valley. (I was seriously spoiled by the Idaho Falls firework display growing up.) It was a good time in the SLC, particularly because I discovered how to smoke BBQ spare ribs on my grill. I also learned that I need to go back to sparkler school.

• Soon after the 4th, we traipsed to NYC for a week and had a truly fantastic time. Broadway, Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, Little Italy, we did it all in the span of about 6 days. The highlight was definitely sharing a double bed with a groping snorer.

• We returned, and summer resumed it’s normal pace. Rafting with the ward, demolition derbies, and another year of Lagoon Season passes. Our motto? “I’d Bump That!”

• Then finally, in late August, it came. The day of days. My 30th birthday. It was basically a roast. In fact, I think I made ribs again. The running joke all year was how I was in all the pictures because I didn’t take any of them. (Hey, it’s not my fault my camera was broken during the cankle debacle of Havasupai ‘07). So, my friends immortalized me by illustrating me.

• After that, it became costume season. And I happened to come up with the greatest costume ever. And one that probably sent up a few red flags at NSA. The dance you see is the “terrorist shuffle.” The red heels help with that, but are not required.

• After Halloween, things got pretty quiet, with a lot of trips home to visit the family. And I’ll admit I mostly came for this little guy. He is the clear winner in the battle for “Coolest of 2009”