See previous year in review posts.
My view from the end of all things 2025:

Joined my buddy Nicole Kidman at AMC for a 9:15am showing of Marty Supreme. Don’t think I’ve ever done such an early showtime before, but it’s a great way to start the day.
Here’s a snapshot of what this year looked like for me:
- Honestly, just keeping up with everything between two active boys, my day job, a part-time job I added in the fall, and everything else life is throwing at us has been a lot. I’m grateful for everything we have and the joys of this particular stage, and I’m eager to see how the next stage will look.
- This blog turned 19 years old. Thanks for reading, whoever and wherever you are. Some favorite posts I wrote this year:
- In dark times, be a steward
- My top 10 concert moments
- The seven year etch, or why am I paper resistant?
- A creative childhood? It’s about time
- I got a problem with ‘little kids, little problems’
- Every day is helmet day!
- Take a look, it’s in the Book Notes
- Book reviews of Shift Happens and The Only Plane in the Sky
- more Recent Views, Media of the Moment, and Critters of the Moment
- Did fun stuff as a family:
- went to Shedd Aquarium with friends
- attended Pizza Night gatherings with our friend group
- brought the boys on their first train ride
- saw a bunch of cool stuff at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford
- took trips to Michigan and Wisconsin to see family
- went trick-or-treating as a Minecraft family
- Our house got a new washer and dryer, new flooring, and a few new windows
- Noted some choice quotes from our 6 year old, including:
- “I am never going to bring ‘I want to eat peppers’ into my words.”
- “What do you call a Cybertruck that’s driving? A road-bot.”
- “Whew, I’m out of breath. When I’m talking about something I love I just get carried away.”
- “I love willow trees. They’re just hanging down like a lazy turtle.”
- Wrote some stuff for Cinema Sugar, including:
- an essay about Palm Springs and religion
- a ranking of the best minor characters in Back to the Future
- a review of Whiplash Live in Concert
- Acquired Criterion Blu-rays of Citizen Kane and Punch-Drunk Love, and a Knives Out SteelBook
- Read 11 books and watched 35 new movies
Comment