2007: The Year That Was

A few reflections on this past year.

Favorite class:
Tough choice. I took a lot of good classes, but none stand out. I'd probably choose Thermodynamics, with Dynamics coming in a close second.

Longest time spent studying for a single test:
Actually, I'm not sure. Probably my first Thermodynamics test, at 6+ hours.

Number of nightmares about final exams:
One. I dreamed I got a 70 on my Thermo final--several days after I took it. Why do these dreams always happen after the fact? Weird.

Best memories from an event:
I'll have to give two. The first was a Saturday spent with my younger brother and two of my younger sisters. In the middle of a crazy, non-stop summer, we spent the afternoon playing miniature golf, eating pizza, and fighting with giant foam swords we found at. . . um, I'll just make that another topic. . .

One thing most people wouldn't guess about me:
Toys R Us is still my favorite store. I still love good toys and games, even if it is harder to get carried away in the world of imagination. Toys R Us has it all: sports equipment, boardgames, legos, nerf guns--I could go on. The point is, just going in there and looking around makes me feel like a kid again, especially if I am actually with kids.

Best memories from an event (continued):
Back to Memory #2. Watching the parents and teens at my church put together a 30 minute production of A Christmas Carol with just 30 minutes of preparation. Getting to play Jacob Marley was a lot of fun, too.

Best memories from life in general:
Random, hilarious moments with my family that, frankly, can't be described--not that anyone outside the family would necessarily understand anyway. Wait, I said that last year. Oh well. No reason it had to change.

Book that impacted me the most (after the Bible):
The God Who Is There, by Francis Schaeffer. Although I read a lot of other good books this year, this was an easy choice.

Song that impacted me the most:
Let Your Kingdom Come. If you haven't heard it, take a couple minutes to at least read the lyrics.

Doctrine that impacted me the most:
The eternality of God. Take a minute to stop to ponder verses such as Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 22:13. Having had a beginning, it's impossible for my mind to grasp the fullness of what it means that He is the beginning. Remembering that He is the Alpha and the Omega also tends to put this short life into perspective.

Strangest thing I learned about blogging:
It's a very mood-dependent thing. I can have something I want to write, but still not really want to sit down to write it. (This could be said about writing in general; in which case, it wouldn't be something new I learned. It's still frustrating, though.)

Strangest thing that happened to me:
Last summer, my eye was sunburned.

Realization that needs to bring change:
I still don't pray enough.

Realization that doesn't need to bring change:
I might not be like most engineers, but mechanical engineering still might be the best fit for me. (Looking back at last year's post, I'm reminded that I still haven't changed my haircut, but I needed something more interesting.)

A sobering realization about a choice made when I was younger:
In August I went to The Clash, a Christian worldview conference. I lived on the Messiah College campus for a week. At $550, it was expensive, still not as expensive as the average weekly cost of attending a private college. I'm thankful for The University of Akron.

A sobering realization that comes with growing older:
Money might come in faster, but it goes out a lot faster, too.

Share a few reflections of your own in the comments section.