2008. Jeez, is it already over? This year was an interesting year. For the first 3 weeks, I was incapable of driving, because I had a seizure in July of '07. What fun that was. To be honest, I don't remember a lot of events from earlier 2008, probably because it wasn't terribly exciting. May was a good month. Prom, two of them. I had an absolutely splendid time with an incredible date. Of course, Gallatin County's prom was waaaaaay cooler, I enjoyed Harrisburg's prom as well. And let's not forget graduation. Most people were very upset, and even crying during graduation. I, however, was far from tears. I was definitely ready to move on and continue what I was going to do in the fall. Due to a rash decision to attend a few friends' graduation, I was fired from my job at McDonald's. At the time, I was slightly upset, but after about 5 minutes, I could not have cared less. Despite making for a boring summer, it was nice to relax.
During June, I went on a mission trip to Alabama to work with the Alabama Rural Mission, a work that David and Amy became familiar with while going to college. It was a wonderful week of hard work and new friendships. I know a few of the workers want me to come back this summer and work there, but I'm still unsure if I will or not. In July, my band had the opportunity to do the music again at church camp. This year we were old enough that to be full time helpers, so our only obligation was the music. This was a big relief for me, because it gave us more time to concentrate on our songs and also gave us more time to relax, neither of which we had time for last year.
Then came August, an extremely memorable month in my life. August 6th my band was able to play with Run Kid Run a major record label band. To play with a band that is one of my biggest musical influences is something an 18 year old kid can only dream about. The next night, I went to see another huge influence of mine, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I had seen him about 10 years ago, and had forgotten how incredible he is live. Just a few short weeks after that came the most life changing experience I have had to date: College.
I could go on for days about how much a semester of college has impacted my life, but I'll do my best to keep it condensed. On August 22nd, I began a journey that will hopefully make me the person that God has intended me to be be. The incredible people I've met, the lessons I have learned inside and outside of the classroom, and the experiences one can only have in a college dorm room. From the NSO Canoe trip, the first meals in the DC, COR 101 class movies, the writing of "The Birthday Song," the TV show obsessions, No Shave November, to the countless other events, college has been a life changing part of my life, and I am definitely better for it. It's hard to imagine my life without Mike, Jarrod, Perrin, Adam, BJ, Nathan, Caleb, Jeremy, Jon, Kaitlyn, Liz, Sarah Beth, and Heather.
Christmas break has been a nice time of slowing down and unnerving myself. There were times in the semester when I didn't think I was going to pass a single class. Thankfully, I did. Since I have been home, I haven't thought too much about much of anything, I've honestly been relaxing and keeping my mind off of all the stress that comes with school. I have a feeling, though, after this reflection of the year I will start missing some of the good times I had with my friends this semester.
Of course I cannot forget my boys Keelan and Ryan. Jeez, we've been through a lot. It's extremely hard to believe we've been making music for over 2 years, and we still love every minute of it. Our great adventure is only a week away, and I can't wait. These two guys would do anything for me, and I can't imagine being in a band without these two. I have had a few people ask me up at school if I had planned on trying to start a band up at school, and when I began to think about it, I had trouble imagining myself playing with someone besides Keelan singing and Ryan playing drums. I love you guys a ton, and here's to another year of great music.
This was not supposed to be a thank you letter of sorts, but I felt there was no better way to end this than to say thank you to everyone who has supported my great endeavors I have gone into throughout the last 365 days. My mother, who has always believed in me. Even though I know she doesn't like our new band name, she still supports everything I do, and I love her so much. My father, who I'm not sure thought I could really be a musician. I think I have changed his mind, though, and I'm glad he finally sees my true love. One person I have yet to thank, who I should have thanked quite some time ago: Erin. What an incredible friend I have in her. This summer we had the chance to hang out and talk about everything under the sun, and I really enjoying spending time with her anytime that I have the chance. For a small period of time, I went through a stupid phase where I didn't speak to her this year, and it might have been one of my greatest mistakes. Thankfully, she forgave me and I'm grateful for it.
Well, that's pretty much all I have to say. If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading through this, and I wish everyone a happy and safe New Year's.
-matthew
9:23 am
I'll Forever Sing
Run Kid Run
Album - This Is Who We Are
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work!
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