Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

I am excited for the start of a new year, a new decade. Today doesn't seem any different than two days ago, but it is always nice to have a time of year to reflect and look forward. A time to learn from the past and plan for the future. So goodbye 2009, and hello 2010!

2009: The year began with me on top of the world. I had started my career and was enjoying teaching. The first few months were rough, but by 2009 things were looking up. I loved my students and I felt like I was starting to understand what I was doing. I also was dating a really great girl and was the Elders Quorum President in my ward. Between these three things I was busy, and stressed out, but happy.

I began to feel like I wasn't really giving any of these three very important things the energy they each deserved. 1st year teacher, relationship, and calling, in each I felt like I should be giving more. I also didn't feel like I could take away from any of the others to strengthen the other two.

A few months into the year I no longer had that problem. My girlfriend and I decided to break up early in the year. Then in May I got released from my calling and school ended for the year. Now instead of three important things that needed my time I had absolutely nothing. It was really hard at first to go from all that responsibility to the summer of no need to even wake up in the morning.

Luckily we met these really cool girls during the summer that restored my faith in girls that can be fun and have a similar sense of humor as me. We had a great time, everything happened really fast and by the end of the summer we didn't really do much anymore, but it made for a great summer. There was never a dull moment, thanks girls! Here is a post earlier in the year about meeting them http://downrightdave.blogspot.com/2009/06/best-friends.html

The summer went by to quickly and I didn't do a lot of things I had hoped to. I didn't go anywhere cool or super fun, but it was nice to be able to relax and recover from the craziness of life. The pool became my best friend and I spent a lot of time at the gym, I was in better shape than I had been in some time. I was blessed to live with my best friends and we always had a good time together, but now it was time for school to start up again.

I was excited for a new school year, a time to take all the things I had learned the year before and apply them. I was going to be a much better teacher this year. Then I met my students, I love them all individually, but as a class they are harder than last year. Luckily, I feel like I am equal to the task and I am trying my best to be a good teacher. I am continuing to learn a lot and plan on doing so every year I teach for the rest of my life.

At the beginning of the school year I also got a new calling of Activities Co-Chair. That keeps me really busy at times as well, but has been pretty fun. So life is a little less stressful this year. 2nd year teacher and a calling that only gets crazy for about a week every month. No girlfriend, although I would gladly make time for one. The girls here are nice and everything, but they seem to all be 18 years old and at totally different points in their life than me.

So at the end of the year I decided I am going to buy a house. 2010 is going to be a big year, I will buy a house, I will become a tenured teacher, and who knows, maybe I will find my wife. My brother also gets back from his mission near the end of the year. Two of my good friends from my apartment also get back from their missions. I know 2010 has only been here for two days, but I can tell it is going to be a great year!

When Christmas Comes to Town

I feel like I can finally start thinking about and enjoying Christmas now that I am done teaching for the year. I will actually be at home in Utah for Christmas. It is just the second time in the last six years that I have been here. The previous two were spent in Arizona, here the year before that, and then the two before that in Seattle. So I guess it is a 2 years away and 1 year home pattern I have going.

I am going to miss being in Arizona. For those of you who have relatives close by and do things with them you are very lucky. I hope everyone appreciates their big families and relatives. In Utah all I have is the four of us in my family, subtract my brother in Mongolia for his mission, and my Uncle. Whenever my Uncle comes over to visit it is a family reunion. That is it for the Horan clan. Quality, but not much quantity.

For this reason, and just because my relatives are awesome, I love being able to go to Arizona where my mom has 6 siblings as well as my Grandma and Grandpa Fife. There I am very lucky to have both quality and quantity. Plus I actually have cousins! It is so much fun to spend time with them and play games and enjoy Christmas for what it really is, a time for family and to celebrate the life and birth of Christ. I feel like I have grown a lot closer to them just in the few weeks of time I have spent with them the past two years at Christmas. I wish I could see them more often.

Christmas here is nice though too, I get to spend some good time with my friends who stuck around in Utah. I also got to watch the BYU bowl game for the first time in a while, because my relatives don't have ESPN. I also will get to have a White Christmas, maybe even get to go and play in it a little bit. Christmas is what you make of it, and I plan to make it a great one.

I hope that you are able to do the same, enjoy it wherever you are and with whoever you are with. Take a moment to stop running around and relax and enjoy it for what it really is.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

It has been far to long since I have written anything. I have had a few ideas, but nothing has seemed blogworthy. There are a few crazy things that have happened and perhaps I will write them soon. This week you may get a few blog posts if I get really bored. Seriously, there is nothing like the holidays to make you realize how alone you are sometimes. Our complex is deserted, everybody went home it seems. The good news is that we own this place, well until they all get back.

I figured the least I can do is write down a few of the many things I am greatful for.

• My Family
• Friends
• A Job
• Good health
• Freedom
• Humor
• Sports
• Music
  

That is a very short list, but I could go on forever and you should be thankful that I didn't. I don't know why I am such a lucky guy, but for that I am greatful. I see so many things going on in the world that are negative, yet my life is good. It is far from perfect, but it is mine.

I am thankful that I am free, and I don't mean just because I live in America. I have the freedom to do what I love. While many are unemployed, I have a job at an amazing school where I hope I am making a difference. I have the financial fredom of not being in debt and being able to have everything I need. I am glad I was taught when I was young how to take care of my money.

How to take care of money isn't the only thing I learned from my amazing family. They have always been there to help me with anything and everything. My brother and I always made a great team. I look forward to getting him back from loan to Mongolia.

I am also thankful for my friends that help me stay sane. I am lucky to work with people that I like and who understand what i'm going through. Sometimes the only person that can understand what i'm going through is someone else who is going through the same thing. I can tell my friends at work about something and they can relate, I come home looking for that same support and nobody gets it. Don't get me wrong I have the best friends anyone can ask for. But if Jared came home talking about some technology thing he was trying to figure out, it means nothing to me either. I consider myself lucky that I have both great coworkers and great friends.

My friends and I have been watching some t.v. shows that Chris owns on DVD and it has been nice to have something to laugh about and share together. I am so greatful for a sense of humor and for other people who do as well. Life would be so boring without something to laugh about.

We have also enjoyed watching some great sports games lately. Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup was amazing! I hope it isn't long before we have many more professional championships here in Utah. I am also glad to have had BYU season tickets again this year, it has been a great run. I look forward to this weeks game against Utah. I also am excited that the Jazz will get the Knicks pick in the draft this next summer. I was able to play on some fun intramural teams this semester and look forward to playing more basketball soon. As much as some people may not understand, I love having a great game to look forward to, be it my own or a team I follow.

So much for keeping this short, this however is the end, for real. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and I am excited to start celebrating the heck out of Christmas on Friday!

Hey Mama, I Love You!

A lot has been on my mind lately, one of these things is my mom. She is such an amazing person, someone who is always going out of her way to help and serve everyone around her. Whenever I think of her, I think of a doer, someone who is never idle or lazy. To see her stuck in a hospital bed is about as far away from my vision of her as you can get. She is recovering well, she has been there for just over two weeks now. We hope that she will be able to come home in another couple of weeks. I am always amazed at how positive she is and how she is able to overcome the obstacles that come her way. So this message goes out to my mom, I love you!

I was originally going to have the song, Say Hey (I Love You) play along with this, but I was just listening to this song and thought it was more fitting. I am going to include a few of the lyrics below: Smile by Uncle Kracker

You´re better then the best, I´m lucky just to linger in your light.

Lets me know that it´s OK, yeah it´s OK, And the moments where my good times start to fade, you make me smile like the sun.

Even when you´re gone, Somehow you come along, Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that, You steal away the rain and just like that, You make me smile like the sun.

Don´t know how I lived without you, Cuz every time that I get around you, I see the best of me inside your eyes, You make me smile.

I am lucky to have such an amazing family. None of us would be the people we are today without her. No matter how many times I visit her in the hospital that will never be the way I see her. I know she will be back as strong as ever and doing things that most healthy people don't have the energy to do. She will also have to learn again how to let others help her for a while.