End of 2016, Hello 2017

Good morning everyone. Well, what was supposed to be a relaxing rest of my week while the girls were gone turned into a freezing disaster. Last I left you, I was taking the girls with Jill's Dad to Midway airport. When I came back, the temp in the house read 46 degrees. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Long story short, we had a guy come look at it the next morning and the very next day, he replaced the central board for the furnace costing over $500. Not exactly what I'd want to be putting out right after the holidays. From Tuesday till Thursday evening, I had no heat in the house. I can't tell you how incredibly cold it was in here. I had no motivation to do any art because I couldn't hold a pen or pencil. I didn't really want to go to work because I knew there was a possibility I'd come home to a house with no heat. Luckily, he had it working by Thursday night.

Saturday morning, I watched Chelsea triumphantly beat Stoke 4-2. What a great way to end the year. Later, Jill's Dad and I met and drove to get the girls. Took us way less time to get to Midway this time so we had a lot of time before they even left Ohio to land in Chicago. Midway may be one of the least exciting airports I've been in. Nothing really to do. No shops to look at or anything. Just a kiosk that sells over-priced sandwiches. When they finally arrived, we got their bags and were gone. On 294 in Chicago, we got a flat. My father in law must have hit something rough, and we were stranded for about an hour. He couldn't get the tire off as poor Mia was standing out upset exclaiming "we are gonna miss NEW YEARS!!"

The guy arrived and was able to blast the bad tire off wit ha 4x4 piece of wood. He got the donut on and we were on our way. Made it home by 10:30, all very exhausted. We watched the ball drop and the star rise (in Chicago) and that was it.

2016 was a busy year. I have never been more busy graphic design-wise doing double duties with both the Milwaukee Torrent and later Ian Bennett's clothing line. I have been drawing a ton for Mia completing a lunch note sketch every day. They range from mildly easy to pretty damn difficult. It's been great to use this daily routine to get better at drawing. Speaking of art, I was very fortunate this year to start and complete my 1/2 sleeve Hawaiian-themed tattoo. I love this piece and would go back to my very talented artist in the future. Mia graduated 4K and started Kindergarten. She made a ton of great friends and somehow, started liking boys again (specifically ONE boy from preschool has her heart) She got to travel twice this year via plane. Florida and recently Ohio. Mia enrolled in a tap/ballet dance class that she loves and did some art classes over the Summer. I got to see The Falcon and meet one of my all-time favorite musicians. With all of the positives, there were definitely some negatives in 2016. Our dishwasher broke, the control with in the furnace broke. Trump became President, Chelsea had a really bad 15/16 season and a slew of amazing musicians and actors passed away. Hoping for a better 2017.

My goals are simple: More art. Better shape. This week, today is Mia's LAST day before she goes back to school. I've got a Flood meeting Saturday. Other than that, that's about it. Have a great week and thanks for reading over the year!