The Last Day of a Decade

It's the last day of the decade. I realize that it is very early on the last day of the decade, but I'll probably be doing something else tonight. At first, I was going to do a last day of the year post, but that just seemed silly.
On New Years Eve ten years ago, I was a freshman in high school, spending the night with my youth group at our youth pastor's house. We were sipping Martinelli's and watching the AdAmAn Club launch fireworks off of Pike's Peak. I was fifteen and still wanted to be a MLB player. I had just gotten my first CD player at the beginning of wrestling season and owned two albums: "Supernatural" by dctalk and "Underdog" by Audio Adrenaline. I didn't have any friends.
In the year 2000, I would sprain my ankle in wrestling practice to end my freshman season, make my first efforts towards growing facial hair, and buy my very first CD for myself: "Drawing Black Lines" Project 86 (I was looking for "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown" by P.O.D., but it was sold out). I turned sixteen and got my driver's license that summer. I drove a '90 blue and white GMC Jimmy. I drove much faster than I should have. 2000 likely ended with another youth group party at the youth pastor's house. I still didn't have any friends.
2001 brought me my first trip to the state wrestling tournament and the discovery that teachers liked the stuff I wrote. I also learned that I was pretty decent at the trumpet. I even made the one honor band for which I auditioned. I went to my first concert in 2001: P.O.D. and Blindside at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. I left behind most of my awful musical tastes and developed some good ones. I first tweaked my back in a wrestling match towards the end of 2001. I'm sure I spent another New Years Eve with the youth group. In spite of the fact that a lot of people thought I was a really angry person, I actually started to make friends.
In 2002, I discovered the internet, chat rooms, and AIM. I went to a whole lot of concerts, such as Project 86 with Blindside and Zao with Underoath. I tried downloading music from Kazaa, but nobody had bands that I liked, and all the music had the little annoying loopy sounds. I was in the emergency room twice in twenty-four hours when I had to have stitches in my right earlobe and then separated my ribs in a tournament the next day (In Leadville, at 10,000ft. above sea level, it was then that I was also informed that I had exercise induced asthma). I did manage to make the state tournament again, with one rib floating out of place. This is the year I also started to make some lasting relationships. I quit playing baseball because the coach was a liar. I thought I would go to Iowa State and study physics. Once again, I spent New Years Eve with the youth group. I had two fantastic friends in Aimee and John.
2003 brought the last semester of high school and the first of college. I got headbutted at regionals and failed to make state. I didn't decided until pretty late that I would attend Calvin. I got my first job (at Britton's Nursery). My grandmother died. I had my first kiss (yes, with Anna), and I spent my first Thanksgiving with her family (and went to the first of my funereal viewings for Anna's family). I passed my first semester of college courses. I lived with Joel in VanDellen. We hardly talked to each other. I thought he was weird because he hated round trashcans in corners. I discovered the wonders of high speed internet. I blasted my music down the halls during loud hours. I spent Christmas with my family and New Years with the youth group.
2004 found me still living with Joel. We still didn't talk. Anna auditioned for a music scholarship at Calvin in January (she got it). I stayed in my dorm room most of the time. I played Wolfenstein and Joel played Civ. III or something like that. I took Anna to her senior prom. I went back to work at the nursery. Anna came to Calvin. We loathed the limited hours we could be in each other's dorms. I spent another Thanksgiving with her family. Joel and Anna got along great. It turned out Joel was really funny. We all watched TV and yelled "SMUT" at the screen. I officially decided to be an English major. I went home for Christmas. I'm sure I spent another New Years Eve with the youth group.
In 2005, Anna got the Explorer. We used this to go visit her family on several occasions. I spent Spring Break with her. Joel decided he wanted to live with Dan in the Knollcrest East apartments. They needed another roommate, so Dan asked if I wanted to join them. I said sure, though I hardly knew Dan. I think Joel was sad because he was trying to escape me. I went back to Colorado for the summer. I started the summer working at the nursery, but I got laid off. I ended up working with Greg at L.L. Johnson, delivering sprinkler parts. Upon returning to Calvin, Anna and I discovered that the apartments were awesome because she could come over anytime she wanted. We got a job working for a lady, assembling little beaded crafts, that she sold at craft fairs and such. A certain friend of ours had a major breakdown which seriously changed the course of our college experience. I spent another Thanksgiving with Anna. I went home for Christmas. You know how I spent New Years Eve.
In 2006, I proposed to Anna. We started planning our wedding. We kept beading. Due to the previously mentioned breakdown, Anna starting developing a whole new group of friends. One of her new friends asked her to live with her the coming year. This is how Anna came to live with Jana, Sara, and Heather. During the summer, Anna received a note from Calvin informing her that due to Heather's spending a semester abroad, they were being assigned another roommate, Andi. I continued to live with Dan, though Joel finally decided he was sick of me and started rooming with some other guys. That summer I couldn't find any work in Colorado, so I moved to Indiana and started working construction with Anna's dad. The girls of D10 became Anna's (and thus my) best friends. We played way too much guitar hero. The guys across the hall said way too many dirty jokes, and we all had way too much fun. I also decided that I liked to cook. I went home for one last Christmas with my family. You all know the drill.
2007 was the best year of my life. I got married. I had awesome friends at Calvin to go with my one friend from home. Anna and I honeymooned in the Smokies. We got our own apartment in Grand Rapids, and Anna got us our first pet, Howie. Andi came back to attend the wedding and spent a month with us that summer. We kept beading until we were laid off in December. I spent my first Christmas with Anna and her family. That was also the first New Years that I got to kiss someone as the year switched over.
In 2008, I finally graduated college. Anna and I took a square dancing class together. Nearly all of our friends graduated and left Grand Rapids. I developed an obsession with the Foodnetwork. I got a shotgun as a graduation present from Anna's parents. Andi came and visited again that summer. We let Heather squat in our apartment during the summer, while we were in Indiana. Jana and Sara both got married. I was a groomsman in Dan's wedding (to think, I thought he was a little fruity when I first met him as a freshman at Calvin). Anna had her last real semester of classes. We spent Christmas and New Years together.
In 2009, Anna convinced me that we needed another cat, so we added Chief Moses Puddington Chesterfield (or Chestertonfieldville). Anna did her student teaching at an elementary and a high school. She discovered she loves working with kids. Someone tried to break into our Grand Rapids apartment during the '08-'09 Christmas break. Jana and Jeremy finally left for California, so we were completely abandoned by our D10 friends. Anna and I were grateful for the few music department friends Anna still had around. Anna finished student teaching and graduated Calvin. Through a church connection, we heard about this apartment manager position, and I took this job. As a graduation present, Anna's parents got us really beautiful furniture for our place. I turned twenty-five this summer and got to sing on stage with my favorite band. Anna convinced me that we needed a dog, so she found Daisy on Craigslist. I had to put up with Daulton for the Fall semester of 2009. I spent another Christmas with Anna and will be spending the New Year with her as well. I concluded the year by writing this long account of the decade to bore my faithful readers to death.
In summary, ten years ago, Aimee was the only one of you that I knew, and that is only because her locker was always next to mine. I don't listen to the same music I did ten years ago, though I do listen to much of the same music I listened to 9 1/2 years ago (less of the P.O.D. and more of the Project 86 and Zao). I weigh a hundred pounds more than I did ten years ago. I'm ten years older than I was ten years ago. I spend Christmas with different people than I did ten years ago. I really don't know what ten years ago me would think of me now. I'm just as if not more conservative than I was ten years ago but somehow in a completely different way. I still laugh at my fifteen year old self's theology. I still dwell too much on things that happened 8,9,10 years ago. Ten years ago the country made a great choice in a president. Now the country decides it wants to blow its brains out. Ten years have seen me develop from an angry quiet loner to someone with an incredible group of friends and a wonderful wife.
I have a feeling that these next ten years will bring me ten years older, but I sure hope I'll be ten years older with all of you.
I started writing this two hours ago. The time, it is ticking.
Happy New Decade.