Here we are on the start of 2016, living in the future. My past self, even as recently as earlier this year, would not have envisioned the changes that my life would go through this past year.
During this past year, I've travelled more than any previous year, with two trips to Minnesota (including a harrowing drive through a blizzard), one trip that continued to Wyoming and back, one week in Salt Lake City, and the trek up through Canada into Alaska and our new home of Soldotna (not to mention several trips between Soldotna and Anchorage).

I've both seen the best year for my health and the worst. I'm exercising more and in better shape than I have been since before I became a teacher, yet I am now taking medication on a daily basis (a first for me).

I moved to Alaska. Looking at some of my posts from the beginning of last year, I can almost see some foreshadowing of this major event, but I certainly didn't think it was going to happen.
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Here are some other random statistics from 2015: From January 1st of 2015 to January 1st of 2016, I lost 12 pounds (I've gained a bit during the holidays), read 16 books (most of them young adult books for Battle of the Books and my new job), finished 7 previously unfinished video games, played a character in 7 different D&D sessions, acted as dungeon master in 8 other D&D sessions, gone on only 3 dates with my wife without one or more of our children present, and written a blog post for every day of every month except for a couple of days missed in July, August, and September due to our move.
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2015 was a good year. I hope that 2016 can top it.

Like 2015, I don't plan on setting just a few resolutions, but rather I have made a list of things that I like doing or would like to accomplish, assigned each one a point value depending on importance to me and difficulty involved in accomplishing it.  I put the whole thing on a spreadsheet which I'm again sharing with everyone here.  Should you lose the link, I have it on my Resolutions page.  

The majority of the points revolve around writing and weight loss.  However, many of my points from 2015 came from game playing and travelling (which I certainly didn't expect at the beginning of the year).

Well, I'm keeping this short as we have company coming and plenty to do.  I hope everyone has a happy and blessed 2016.

I have known for a while that I need to stop drinking pop.  At no point in my life has soda been celebrated as something that I should drink.  It has too much sugar (or artificial sweeteners-which are actually worse), no nutritional value, can damage my teeth, add unnecessary calories, and (as I have recently learned) lead to high blood pressure and diabetes. 

The problem is that I don't really drink anything else other than water.  I don't like coffee (unless it's coffee-flavored chocolate milk, often called "mochas") or tea, never drank any kind of alcohol, can't drink much milk due to my lactose intolerance, despise most vegetable juices, and don't drink fruit juices that often because their sugar content and calorie counts are about the same (and sometimes worse) than soda while they are significantly more expensive.  That leaves water.

It's not like I even drank a soda a day.  I usually reserved drinking them for times when people are over, special occasions, and food that I associate with soda (hamburgers, etc.).  Still, I know that I drank it more than I should.  Even when I took measures to cut back, I quickly found myself reverting to a more frequent schedule of soda drinking.

That changed when I came to Alaska.  The soda prices are high enough and our funds low enough that I decided to stop cold turkey.  I only had three lapses in this.  The first was at our staff get-together at the beginning of the year.  Another was from Costco and its amazingly inexpensive fountain drinks.  The last was when a friend brought over two liters as part of a dinner that we shared.  "The last" ...

Considering now the health risks, I've now had my last pop.  The thing is that I love pop.  Gone now will be my joy of a good root beer, creme soda, Vernors, Throwback Mountain Dew, Vanilla Coke, Squirt, Ruby Red Squirt, Dr. Pepper, Orange Crush, Faygo Rock N Rye, and the many variations that I have enjoyed over the years (especially including my "mixed drink" of Mountain Dew on the bottom, ice, and Pepsi on top).  Now I get water.

I wish I had paid more attention to that last one.  

As I just made contact with a new realtor here in Soldotna (our last one having made a career change), I felt I should share with her some of the things we are looking forward in a new home.  As long as I wrote them down anyway, I figured that I could share them with everyone.

Musts:
4+ bedrooms (or 3+ bedroom with an den/office that can work as a bedroom)
1 1/2 baths (more preferred, at least one bathtub)
Storage space and closet space
Kitchen with cupboard space

Wants:
2 car garage
Laundry room (utility sink if possible)
Space away from neighbors and separated from traffic sounds yet relatively easy to access road
Space for kids to run around (both outside and inside the house)
A room for Janelle to do her art (preferably with lots of light and access to a sink)
An office/den for me (just needs access to power and internet)
Spot to park a camper
A view (I would like to see mountains, Janelle would like to see water, but both are the lowest on the want list)

There's probably more, but I can't think of it at the moment.

Janelle​ and I had our first sit-down with my diabetes educator.  During it, I received my glucose monitor and had a chance to practice testing my blood.  This is not a difficult, time-consuming, or even painful process thanks to modern technology.  While my consultant didn't really say anything I didn't know already about changes that I would need to make in my lifestyle (especially diet), she did help clarify those areas which I was not entirely sure about.  Honestly, the whole thing went much better than I expected.

And yet I feel like my entire being has been crushed, ground, and pulverized.  To be frank, I like sugar, sweet foods, and carbohydrates.  Giving up soda has already been tremendously difficult, branching out into ... well ... nearly all of the other foods that I enjoy eating is heart-rending (metaphorically speaking, since it turns out that enjoying those foods is actually heart-rending).  Now, I know that I can still have some of these foods in very small portions on occasion (except pop; soda is completely forbidden ... even the sugar substitute kind) and that with these lifestyle changes, I will hopefully keep this disease in check.  Still I feel betrayed.

In truth, I've been lucky.  I discovered that I had diabetes because of this change in jobs and the requirement that I had to take a physical (which I probably would have avoided for quite a while otherwise).  I didn't notice any symptoms.  We are at a point where I can probably avoid any noticeable ill effects from this disease through proper diet, exercise, and medication.  Well ... any ill effects other than losing so many of the foods that I love.

It could be worse, much worse.  However, that doesn't stop me from dipping into a bit of self-pity.

Katrina​, my daughter, is fine; however, our devoted Saturn Ion of 13 years, whom my daughters named "Stanley," is not.  Last night, Janelle​ and I received the late night call that parents dread: their child has been in an accident.  Thankfully, the car took the brunt of the damage and no one else was involved (aside from some brush, small trees, and a couple of mailboxes).  Unfortunately, Stanley took a totalling blow on the passenger side where the front and rear doors meet, bending his frame.  He will be donating his "organs" to other needy vehicles.

Stanley was our first truly new car.  In the beginning, he was Janelle's primary means of transportation to and from Western Michigan University as she completed her degree there.  Once we moved to Jackson, he fell primarily under my care as I drove him to and from Lincoln High School until a year and a half ago when Katrina started to go to Jackson College (they've removed the community from their school).  

He was a sporty little thing.  Although other friends and family members have had trouble with Ions, Stanley was particularly good to us.  I had one bit of a throttle issue that nearly drove me off a bridge, but after that was taken care of (and the problem with not being able to remove the key from the ignition), we really didn't have issues.  He had a moonroof that came at no additional cost to us and which we rarely used, but liked the idea of having.  The placement of the shifter often made me feel like I was driving a manual transmission (which, no, I can't actually drive and have damaged a clutch proving so).  My favorite tidbit was that his instrument panel was off to the right of his small steering wheel, making the display easy to see (it's one of the things I love about Mera, my Prius, as well).  All together, I felt like I was driving a car from the future when driving him.

He lived a full life for a car.  He saw both of our younger boys grow up (and has some of the stains to prove it).  Perhaps our moving without him was just too much of a blow to his self esteem, or perhaps I overly anthropomophize my automobiles.  One way or another, he will be missed.  Farefell, Stanley.

This newest Star Wars movie isn't going to (and shouldn't) win any awards for superb acting or inventive story, but it is going to deservedly blow the top off of all of the box office records. It is, quite simply, a fun and fantastic movie. While I still wouldn't place it above the original (and certainly not above Empire), I think that it manages to squeeze ahead of Return of the Jedi in my order of preference (but that is only after having seen it once). It goes without saying that it far surpasses the prequels.

Due to the limited showings, our only practical option was to see the movie in 3D. Unfortunately, we only arrived about 15 minutes before the scheduled start and were not able to find five seats in a row. We ended up sitting on the far right of the theater in the second row from the front, which may have distorted some of the images more than we would have liked (did the opening title scroll head to the top left of the screen?). This is not a movie that I would ever have to seen in 3D again, but the 3D effects didn't detract from the experience (like they did in the third Hobbit movie) and some of the effects were quite impressive.

This was Janelle's first 3D movie in the past few decades and Rowen's first movie at a theater. When walking out of the theater, a number of other movie-goers commented about us passing the torch on to another generation. I realized that I was around Rowen's age when I first saw the original Star Wars and my love for that universe was kindled. We've even saved Rowen's 3D glasses and ticket for his memento box. While the theater is not the best that I've been in, it was also far from the worst. 

Thankfully, it was filled with an appreciative audience who laughed, cheered, and gasped at the most opportune moments.
This is a movie that brought laughs, cheers, and gasps in the best possible ways. It rekindled that flame within me which had been stuttering in the stagnant air of the prequels. While it's unlikely that I will do so, I would like to see it in the theater again, which is not something that I often find myself wanting in this age of large TVs and in-home surround-sound systems.

The Force Awakens is the perfect title for a movie that reawakened my long smoldering passion for a galaxy far, far away.

From me and my family to everyone out there, I hope that your Christmas brought you joy, togetherness, and light in the darkness.  While not everything went as we originally planned, we had a wonderful Christmas here in Soldotna.

We thought that our boys would wake us early (and I've unfortunately had a couple of troubled nights of sleep), but instead it was our daughter Katrina​ who woke us up at 6am with a series of posts.  The boys probably would have slept past 8am had Janelle​ and I not already been up trying to get things ready for Christmas dinner, and eager to see the boys open their presents.  All of the boys enjoyed their gifts (it's been nearly impossible to get Trevor​ and Connor off of the games that they received) and the dinner turned out wonderfully.  The only glitch in the day was the miscommunication with a local nursing home which we attempted to visit, but had the times screwed up.

I managed to sneak in a nice nap as well as a cute holiday movie (The Holiday) after getting completely stuffed (and Janelle didn't even make the pies today).  We had several conversations with our Katrina and Alex​ (including a nice Skype conversation) as well as our parents.  We look forward to future holidays where we will hopefully see more of our family and friends.

Today's crossfit didn't pan out (I stopped myself from saying "work out" but thought I'd still share the pun anyway) due to a locked gym and no sign of a custodian (the latter was a good thing, I felt). I ended up making two trips to the post office, each trip supplying us with two boxes of Christmas gifts. I spent a good portion of the morning finding where Janelle hid the boys' Christmas presents and wrapping them. Janelle had a full day at work (and a busy day, for that matter).

The boys and I went to the Christmas Vigil mass where I led the children's choir. Trevor stayed with Rowen in a nearby pew while Connor sang his heart out (he apparently follows his father's view of song dynamics). The children were amazingly well behaved, if a little hard to hear (except for Connor). It was a fun, if a bit draining, experience.

The boys then stayed home while Janelle and I went to the "midnight" mass at 9pm. Although I very much missed getting to be at St. Mary's (especially in its Christmas regalia), both masses were nice with plenty of parishioners making certain that we felt welcomed and appreciated.
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It's time to set up the presents and get a little bit of sleep before the boys wake us up ridiculously early in the morning.

Today was a good day. While I didn't get to see anyone outside of my wife and sons (not counting the people at the place where I picked up the pizza), I had plenty of well-wishers through the phone (sometimes back-to-back phone calls), texting, email, and FaceBook. Thanks to all of you who kept me in your thoughts today.

I had several people sing me happy birthday today. My family here did so twice, wonderful both times if hilariously off-key. My mother, Cheryl, gave me her lovely annual rendition. Derek Bolton left me a great audio file via FaceBook (seriously, dude, you have such an amazing voice). I even received a strange call from my daughter Katrina, where I first thought it was her and her sister singing, then I heard a male voice and wondered if Peter Maurer had joined in, then other voices so I thought it might be his whole family, and finally I realized that I was hearing the St. Mary Star of the Sea choir, led by Mary Malewitz, serenading me. I wish I had the presence of mind to say something witty at the time, such as how they could have been louder (running joke). It was fantastic to have my day filled with such delightful music.

Most of my day went as planned, watching the double trilogy of Star Wars with my sons (as my wife had to work). Janelle got me the thoughtful (and practical) gift of an hot-air popcorn popper which we used a couple of times throughout the day. She also purchased a variety sampler cheesecake as my birthday cake, which was also greatly appreciated.

As for the movies, I must be softening in my middle age as I found the prequels much more acceptable on this viewing than any of the previous times that I've seen them. Don't get me wrong, there are still parts that make me cringe and others that make me seethe (or even writhe), but the intention behind them and the overall effect seemed to make up for those moments rather than be overshadowed by them this time. Perhaps it was because my youngest sons were basically watching the movies for the first time.

Rowen was out of the room a lot as he would get bored and decide he wanted to play with his toys, but he still showed the stamina necessary to go with the rest of us to the theater this Saturday. Connor seemed to really get into the films, often making comments and predictions (some accurate, some not) as the movies went on. Most amusing to me was how often Connor referred to scenes from the movies as "levels." His only memory of some of the events from the movies are from the LEGO Star Wars video game which he's played with Trevor. Often, he would say something like, "I remember this level; it was hard."
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The marathon certainly whetted my desire to see the newest movie. I think that, with today's background, the rest of my family is ready as well. As I said, it was a good day.

The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything according to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I reach that milestone tomorrow (or today depending on your timezone). Amazingly, I have come up with answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Be joyful.

People are going to sell their particular brand of joy to whoever is willing to pay money or attention to it. It is my job to pick and choose from the best parts to make my life as full of joy, both the joy I give and the joy I receive, as possible while being careful to not confuse joy with "pleasure" or even "happiness." In doing so, I hope that I make the world a better place.

We just passed the point in Earth's orbit where it comes closest to the sun [edit: I have since discovered that the Earth actually reaches its perihelion on January 2nd this year.  Instead, I should have noted that the solstice is the day when the northern hemisphere receives its smallest amount of light from the sun].  It's strange that it does so when the northern hemisphere is receiving its least amount of light and thus signals its start of winter, but the solstice has several strange things about it.  For example, although we will get a nominal amount more of light, tomorrow's sunrise will still be later than today's.  This phenomenon is more due to how humans measure time than any natural trick, but it's strange nonetheless.

One way or another, light is returning to the northern hemisphere of our world.  Although we have just begun our journey into winter (if you can call what the lower 48 is experiencing right now as winter), it's nice to know that our lives will be a little bit brighter from here until summer.  Just when it feels like the darkness is going to be overpowering, light begins to win.  It's no wonder that people all around the northern hemisphere have set up celebrations around this time throughout their histories.  

Up here, it means that in a few weeks the sun will start to top the trees again where we live.  The upside of this darkness is that Christmas lights and displays are on while people are still up and about, making the area incredibly festive.  Once we get a place, outdoor decorative lights are going to be a must (as long as they are energy-efficient LED).  It will be my own way to celebrate the solstice (and the months that follow).

Christmas is right around the corner and this Sunday puts its focus on two women.  Our homily today centered on these women, one old and one young, who both find themselves with children of great destiny entrusted to them.  Both seek solace with one another and recognize the presence of God in each other.  

Most importantly, they demonstrate the often forgotten talent of listening.  They are there not to preach, to judge, to condemn, to seek power, or to convert, but to listen and fulfill their roles in God's plan.  Our advent stories have been full of these listeners, people who listen for God's will rather than try to claim that they already know it.  They allow God to act through them rather than try to use God for their own gain.

I need to take the time to listen more.  It's a skill for which I have never had a particular talent.  I tend to spend the time when I am supposed to be listening instead thinking about other things, often what I plan on saying next.  I think that I know what others are going to say and I fill in the blanks without giving them the time and consideration that they are due.  Especially in this season of anticipation, may I learn to listen better and be more open to God's will.

Our Saturday was pretty much our other Saturdays, to the point that both the gate operator at the dump and one of the librarians recognized the boys and I. The two big events of the day were finding Trevor's password for StarCraft II and taking Connor to today's Christmas pageant practice. Janelle was at work, so I left Trevor and Rowen at home to take Connor. Once there, Connor insisted that I stay, which the organizers also liked as I led them in the songs. Connor also impressed the adults present by knowing most of his lines without using a sheet, even if he seemed to have a sarcastic tone when the shepherd before him said, "Look there's the baby!" and Connor replied "Imagine, this is the savior of the world." A couple of the adults present had to swallow their laughter.
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We'll see how it goes tomorrow.