The Best of 2006: The Cheesy Version

I've always believed that I've had a pretty good life. There have been plenty of trials and tribulations. In my life, I've been fortunate enough go rock climbing, skiing, white water rafting, ridden over 100 miles in a single day on a bicycle, and hiked large chunks of the Appalachian Trail. I've been a repo man, and a bike messenger. I've worked for a pirate cable company, and I finally was able to settle in to what was my original career choice of media production. All of these things that I have had the opportunity to experience have been wonderful. They made me grow as a person and made me who I am today. However, none of those things compare to the best day I've ever had. It was May 28th, the defining moment of my life to date. It was the day that made this year the best of my life. It was the day I got married.

I kind of always thought I'd get married eventually. I wasn't ever against the idea, but after having run the emotional rollercoaster over and over again, I decided that I wasn't going to push it. I would just let things happen, and boy, did they.

I was friends with this woman for years before we became a couple. I always knew she would make whomever she ended up with a very happy man, but honestly, I never knew it was going to be me. She is an amazingly talented artist, and quite successful at it. She is creative and funny and beautiful. You know, all of those things everyone looks for in a person. Well she has it all, and I knew she was a keeper. We had only been dating for a month when I told my parents she was the one I was going to marry. I had heard of the "when it happens, you just know," scenario, but it hadn't happened to me. However, it was something I knew from the moment we became a couple. My parents were ecstatic because they had heard me talk about this friend for a very long time, and from what they tell me now, were just waiting for us to begin dating. I also think that it helps that our families are very similar, and our childhoods were not too different. I was an older brother and she was a younger sister. In fact, when I'm planning one of my older brother pranks on her, she can typically call me out on it because her brother did the same stuff to her when they were kids. After the time we've been together, we both still get a kick out of it.

I make movies. I love to live in the world of movies. I chose this career because I'm pretty cynical much of the time, and I like to escape from the frustrations of every day life. Movie endings don't happen in real life. Happy endings are just the end of a chapter, not the end of the story. Well, I must admit, my attitude has changed. Sure, the world has a lot of issues with it, and I am there making light of it a lot of the time just to deflect my frustrations with people, but being able to come home every day to my loving wife and our "fur babies (2 dogs and 2 cats)" is very picturesque. We frequently feel like we're "playing" house. As we have friends over and have dinner parties, I feel like I'm playing my parents in a movie. I chuckle to myself as I stand at a grill with other men, and our wives carry out condiments and drinks because it's almost cliché. It's just like the storybooks make it out to be. In fact, I have the song, "Somewhere that's Green" from
Little Shop of Horrors running through my head right now.

I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to find someone who makes me so happy and who feels the same way about me. Obviously, I feel strongly enough towards it to write my "Best of" article on this topic, and it is easily the best of anything I've ever been a part of. After a pretty adventurous life with a lot of terribly fun and exciting adventures in it, I have to say that becoming domesticated has been the most fun and I'm sure the adventures have just begun.

I love you, Katie.