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