Goodbye 2008 and Hello 2009!!

This picture made me laugh hard. This 'pursed lips' face is a look Tyler and I often gave each other. I think I started it, but he picked it up quickly...and no, it has nothing to do with "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis??" The other thing I noticed about this photo is the fact that his eyes are closed just a little too much. That feature is not part of the true 'pursed lips' face. The eyes should be squinty, but not to this degree. I think in this case the problem is a direct result of the amount of libation consumed. After all, this was taken on some New Year's Eve. Given the fact that Ty is wearing that hat and the rainbow lei, I'd say the party was well underway and he was well into that bottle of...whatever it was.

2008 was quite a year for many of us. For me it was full of extreme lows and extreme highs. I started the year in a depression, feeling fairly lost in my world. After some work on myself, I finally found my groove with living here in Southern California. I had a short-lived relationship that taught me many lessons about what I don't want in a relationship. I met some 'friends' who taught me about what friendship is not and I made some really good friends. I fell in love with my sweetheart and I continue to fall deeper every day. She is definitely the highest of my highs this year. I also found out that my brother, my best friend, had a tumor at the base of his brain and I lost him in less than a month from that moment. None of us thought for a second that it would end that way. For that reason alone, I say good riddance to 2008! I am forever changed by the experience of losing Tyler. There is a permanent scar on my heart and soul. All I can do is keep going, live the best life I can, be the best person I can, treat others with respect and hope for the same in return. I see big changes for me in 2009; exciting opportunities. Some will be created by me and some will find me if I open myself to them. I'll always be thinking of Tyler and how he supported me, how proud of me he was. I want to continue to make you proud, little brother. I just wish you could be here with me, in the physical realm. Keep watching...there are great things to come!