2009 and Doing Fine

It's been years since a classic raging New Years party. The streak continued last night as we rang in the new year with........ our parents. It may sound lame, but hey -- we love these people. Got all dressed up and had a late late dinner at one of Dad's local on-and-off haunts, Barclay's. Midnight struck and most of the diners had moved on to other places, or downstairs to Bart's pub. We just stayed put and did our own little countdown. It's got me to thinking where I was for a couple of other memorable New Year's moments.

1990: A new decade was a big deal for an 11-year-old, so I made sure to be aware of the exact moment the 80's were to end. I remember my folks were having a party upstairs, banishing me to the basement TV room which was just fine with me. I think it was ABC, Dick Clark I was tuned into. By myself on the sofa bed in that small room that would become my bedroom a few years later, I watched each time zone do their thing until it was our turn. It's just one of those vivid events in time that I can't remember much about, other than the image of the room, its colours. Yeah. Great Story eh, yawn.

2000: Of course, a big one. Never mind we were a year early, it looked like a new century! The Y2K scare had the world on standby (including my dad). This was at the height of the "The House" era, when all my closest friends would live, gather and hang out at a rented house in a field just steps from Lambrick School. Many parties, large and small, make up the history of that place. I think by this point we'd pushed the envelope out far enough to know our limits when it came to huge ragers. I recall the 2000 party being a rather intimate affair of a few dozen people. Some of the crew had become DJ's by then and provided the soundtrack, lots of dancing, and I remember a mattress on the floor for bouncing and wrestling. I was working at a beer & wine store at the time, which does big business right to 11pm for New Years, and they wanted everyone on staff to be available. I made up some bullshit excuse about getting another job that night working security for a party. It worked, and I had a rippin' great time with my best friends that night! Didn't lift a finger on security duty.

2007: Mexico! Winding down a family vacation to the Puerto Vaillarta area with Mom, Dad, Robyn, Jon, Bethy and myself. We took pots and pans down to the beach in time for midnight and watched fireworks going off at several different points of a long, sweeping bay. A pretty cool and memorable scene. In Mexico, you can get your fireworks right behind the wheel while waiting at a red light. From a 6-year-old kid.

2006 & '08: Ucluelet. Twice now Bethy and I have found a small cabin on the Internet and booked a few nights over New Year's. To us, this is a perfect way to go. Quiet, intimate, just the two of us out in a stormy forest huddled together. We make sure to have a hot tub to spoil ourselves, and both times so far they've been outdoors. Winter is the best time to visit this area I think -- it's not busy at all, it's cheaper, and the wild weather makes for some awesome beach scenes. We spent our first NYE together up there, took a year off for Mexico, went back, now a year off in Victoria. The pattern dictates we should head back to Ucluelet to ring in 2010.


So 2008 has been one helluva year for Bethany and I. Wedding, honeymoon, move to Denman Island, new jobs, a 30th birthday complete with trip to Vegas, lots of good times with family and friends. We have much to be thankful for. All that, and I've revived my blog a few times over.

May the lights along Spongeknuckle Street remain burning for all of 2009! I really appreciate you reading here, it's a great for us to keep everyone posted on our adventures. Happy New Year!