The Year In Review
2004 was an unusual year for me. This is a look at the highlights-- and low points-- in my life.
My parents moved out of the area. Dad hadn't really been around since the end of 2003 because he was starting a new job in Wilmington and overseeing the construction of their new house. The whole event was drawn out, pretty stressful and opened up a big void in my life. I don't expect anyone to tailor major changes in their life around me, but it seemed like an incredible personal inconvenience at the exact time I needed my parents the most. Emma was having trouble adjusting to her first year in school, Alicia had been in a serious car accident late in 2003, and work was becoming increasingly stressful. They settled down though, and we grew comfortable with the idea of them in Wilmington. After all, that's only two and a half hours away.
I traveled more in 2004 than any other time I can remember. Alicia and I left the country for the first time, and went farther than we ever have in all four cardinal directions. In April we traveled West to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Fifth Anniversary EverQuest Fan Faire. We were reunited with old friends, met new ones and had all sorts of adventures, some of which can be found in the archives of this very blog. It was such a good time that I completely forgot to bring my occasional tobacco habit back home with me. During the stressful winter it became much less occasional and far more habitual, so let's hope it stays there!
We also visited our lovely friend Jenny for her birthday in her hometown of Bay Village, Ohio. Bay is a beautiful little town; a perfectly cut gem in the rusty industrial wasteland of the Cleveland area. We went to some of Jenny's favorite places, took a walk on the beach, ate some great food, visited the zoo, wandered around and made fun of things and spent all sorts of time together doing nothing productive at all. It was wonderful, and I can't wait for the opportunity to do it again.
Our last major trip in 2004 was something we had literally talked about for years. We went on our first cruise on Carnival's Imagination, and are already in the early stages of planning another. We had originally planned to travel a Western Caribbean itinerary on the Carnival Inspiration out of Tampa, but we ended up on a different route out of Miami with what appeared to be more attractive ports. Unfortunately, the busy hurricane season had other plans in mind and our stop at Grand Cayman became a jaunt to Nassau, Bahamas. Miami was less fun for us than Nassau, but Jamaica turned out alright. We really enjoyed the parts at sea more than the ports of call, so we'll be more careful about the dates and locations when booking our next one.
Several more things took place in 2004 that I'd love to gloss over, but can't honestly leave out. My company was bought out, I went through a major change in management, job duties and general expectations at my place of work. Numerous health problems led to Alicia being unable to work regularly. There was also the part where one of my best friends was arrested and charged with murder. I'm not prepared to comment on that at this time, but if the trial ever ends I'll post my thoughts and feelings on what appears to have the makings of a television courtroom drama.
Bad must come with the good, but I'm glad to see the year come to an end. Here's hoping that the new year is more friendly than the last. Cheers!
