What was your most memorable year?

Brooke and I were watching TV tonight and on the show they were talking about what was their most memorable year.  Brooke and I discussed this for a bit and after going back and forth, I knew what my answer was.

At first you would think 2003 would be my most memorable year.  That year had so many life changes in that it would generally be hard to surpass.  First and foremost, that was the year Brooke and I got married.  While I feel our marriage is much better off today then it was when we actually got married, it was still a life changing day.  She looked amazing, and I was so proud to be in that beautiful Catholic Church in Nashville.  Also, we won a state title in football that year that ended up being a major struggle.  We started off the season 0-4 and I learned about overcoming obstacles, keeping the faith when everyone is doubting, and I learned that it isn’t always as easy as our undefeated 2002 season.  I started my graduate work at Spalding that year and I also decided not become an officer in the Navy.  Being a teacher at Trinity was always a dream of mine.  It was a major fork in the road that had life changing implications.  Most of the time in life you don't regret the things you do, you regret the things you didn’t do.  I feel like I would have made an excellent officer in the Navy and sometimes wish I had done that.  However, I know that if I had done that I would not have the girls I have today.  Yes, Brooke and I would have had kids and who knows, maybe I would have had a boy.  Regardless- I wouldn’t change it for the world.   2003 was an amazing year, but it takes the silver.

Which leads me to the only year that could have passed 2003, and that was 2006.  2006 was the most memorable year for me.  It was my first year on the varsity staff at Trinity.  Trinity football is in my blood and still is today.  To be able to work my way up through the ranks to work alongside three coaches that I hold in the highest regard (Mike Wagner, Andrew Coverdale, and Bob Beatty) was an absolute treasure.  I switched sides of the ball which was sort of scary, but I learned more than I did in the previous 5 years, and really became a complete coach.  It was a season where we lost the first game in the last few minutes of the game, but won every other game. With all the wins that season- I also saw loss firsthand of the worst kind that season.  Mike Wagner's son- someone I babysat as a kid- was in a car accident.  You learn about someone how they handle success but I feel you learn more about someone when they are faced with adversity.  I will never forget the courage that Mike Wagner showed those few weeks.  He never hid, he faced every challenge, with his son in that hospital bed.  Not knowing what the future holds, there were days we thought Andy would pull through and days we werent so sure.  It was an emotional rollercoaster that I woudln't wish on my worst enemy.  I will always remember being in the press box the Friday after Thanksgiving (we were at Henry Clay), when the police came into the box looking for Wags because his son was fading.  Something like that sticks with you.  You might think that this would be something you would want to forget, put behind you.  For the most part you would be correct.  I can’t put it into words what I learned from Wags those few weeks.  He taught me a lot about football, going back to the days he coached me in grade school.  The lessons he taught me about life those few weeks, can never be matched.  He taught me to Live, to Laugh, and to Love.  I would do anything to not have had that lesson learned but it happened, and through it he made me a better person.  Also that year I decided to take a job at UK.  It was a major head fake that I never saw coming.  Taking that job had so many unforeseen ramifications and I don't regret it to this day.  While there are a few at Trinity who made the situation worse than it needed to be, it was a great opportunity for myself and my family.  If Trinity is what they say it is, they should have all been happy for us....and for the most part they were.  While I didn’t stay at UK long, it did lead me to working for SAE, something that never would have happened if I would not have left my comfort zone at Trinity.   Working for SAE has been a blessing and I feel a calling. We probably would have never had 4 kids, and Baylor Grace and Hadley would not have been part of my life.  I do not think it would have been feasible to have four kids if we would have stayed at Trinity.  That choice to leave has brought us to Lexington and allowed me to travel all over the world.....and might have even more changes in the future (a future blog).  It really was "the butterfly effect."  But most of all, 2006 was the year Reagan was born.  A father cannot put into words what it means to hold their child for the first time...particularly their first child....particularly his first baby girl.  I honestly believe that there is a reason that God has given me girls.  If today, I am anything positive, it’s because of those girls.  Everything changed that day in February, for I now have a love so deep that I had never felt before.  And of course, we can't forget that in 2006 we found out we were pregnant again with our Sweet Caroline.  All of that combined makes me feel like 2006 was the most memorable year for me.

In the comments section below please comment on this blog if you want, but also feel free in the comments section to tell me about your most memorable year as well.

(yes that is Reagan)