2016 - Best Year Ever

2016 was by far the best year of my life. From our Wedding, to the Honeymoon, to traveling to Iceland, to coaching HS Varsity lacrosse, to more concerts, it was a most splendid year. I consistently blogged for the entire year (43 times to be exact), sometimes falling a little behind, but always managing to catch up (minus the Wedding, Hawaii, and Iceland blogs... coming soon I promise this time). I even started doing some vlogging in early October which was an interesting experience. I am not sure what 2017 will hold for us, but I think the blog and vlog will change slightly, just as it did in 2016.  Now enjoy reading a handful of "best" lists, events, and things that happened in 2016. Check out the top/best lists from 2014 and 2015 if you want to see the years past.

Best Moment: Our Wedding. Some day soon I am going to write a reflection on how this amazing and magical day all happened. As I look back now though, I can say one thing, it went by sooooo fast and I wish I could relive that day and take it all in again, for it was the best day of my life.

Huge shoutout to Melissa for filming and putting together this little video montage from the wedding. Amazing!

Best Vacation: It was a huge year for travel for us. They honeymoon took us to Maui and Kauai Islands in Hawaii. And we went to an Island of opposite climate in September, when we traveled to Iceland with John and Melissa.

Best Songs: I went through and pulled more than 10 songs this year (24 to be exact), as we had many of my favorite artists releasing new albums this year, while I also discovered some new musicians who are now a top some of my favorites. In order of artist name.

Best Album: It was definitley a year with a lot of big releases, but for 2016 I am going to have to give Best Album to a new and upcoming folk musician out of Chicago, Ryley Walker, and his album Golden Sings That Have Been Sung.

Best Movie (Theaters): Despite only seeing two movies in theaters this year, Trolls & The Secret Life of Pets, I am going to give this one to Trolls. Movie theaters get more expensive every year!

Best Documentary: I am going to call this one a tie between Barkley Marathons & Fantastic Lies. While Barkley Marathons was one of the most unique running events I have ever seen, lacrosse will always have my heart when it comes to videos, even when it is about a tragic 2006 "rape" case at Duke University, the top program in the country at the time. Check both of these out on Netflix.

Best TV Show: A few "new" tv shows for you this year that I was able to watch in entirety. A new show that premiered on Netflix, all about being a child in the 1980s and aliens, Stranger Things. Crime mystery Twin Peaks from 1990, although I hear they are doing a remake soon. Peaky Blinders, which took place in the 1920s in England about a variety of gangs and the gangley things they do.

Best Book: Listened to all my books this year on audio tape, but one of the best ones I read was, 11.22.63 by Stephen King.

Best Jcubed Video: The first year since probably 2000, that YaBoys did make a video with all 3 of them in it. I filmed a couple of videos with John and a couple with Johnny, but in none of these were we all together. Wow! It has been 10 Years since we have been on YouTube though, so plenty of content to watch. Still need to finish editing a couple more too.

Best Lacrosse Video: I filmed a little short lacrosse documentary for my former coach and friend at North Central College for their inaugural fall ball.

Best Youtube Channel: Casey Neistat, from New York. Fell in love with his vlog before he ended it this year, but he still makes pretty awesome videos regularly. Quite the inspiration for me and videos.

Best Sports Moment: Despite attending my first ever Bears Game and my first ever Bulls game, there is a clear best sports moment from the year. The Cubs Won their first World Series in 108 years! It was insanely memorable and I found myself enjoying watching baseball. Still gives me the chills. I was also interviewed after a lax game during the spring season, so famous.

Best Concert: Despite not releasing an album since 2013, Deer Tick did an acoustic tour in 2016 that was awesome. We saw them at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and then again at the Majestic Theatre in Madison. Ryley Walker, a native Chicago folk singer, opened up for the band and we immediately fell in love with his music as well.  I did record the shows, so hopefully I can get that audio up soon. In the mean time, listen to Mange from the show. During 2016 I also saw: The Weeks, The Tallest Man on Earth, Lady Lamb, New Madrid, The Orwells, Ryley Walker again, Wax, & The Palmer Squares.

And that's it folks. 2016, the best year of my life, the best year ever. I am excited to see what 2017 brings.

See ya there!

Josh

6 AM Television

This week started off on Monday July 18th, 2016. I left our apartment at 6:45 for lacrosse camp. This was a busy week of camps, 4 hours of coaching in the morning and 2 in the evening. Had me driving all around the burbs. 

On Tuesday July 19th, Rachel and I were able to catch Mr. Robot Season 2 Episode 1 and 2. Glad this show is back! Watch Season 1 on Netflix if you haven't yet! Season 2 is on live TV at the moment. 

Song of the Week: That new Blink 182. Sounding like Old Blink. Love it.

Wednesday July 20th, I awoke at 4:30 to head out and make it to 6 am practice with the cats. Solid group of 12 guys came out. After work I visited Grandma, she just had surgery on her knee, but is recovering well! That night I drove back to my parents place and fell asleep doing laundry. Luckily I have the best mom in the world and she ended up finishing it and folding it for me too! Thanks mom, love you!

July 21st, a Thursday, after a long days work, I headed home to my wife and we loaded up Jurassic Park 3, the last Jurassic Park in the series we had to watch. After watching all 4 again, here is the order I give for best to worst. 1, 4, 2, 3. What do you think about that? Rachel made us delicious foil wraps with chicken, tomato, corn and some other goodies I am sure. It was oh so yummy.

On Friday July 22nd, I finished Bloodline Season 2. Not as good as season 1, but still decent. Season 2 was much slower with a lot more development by conversation, compared to action. Still an enjoyable view for those wishing, it is on Netflix. After coaching a camp in the morning I made the mistake of thinking it would be good to drink a 52oz bottle of that Bolthouse Farms fruit smoothie drink. I was just so thirsty and hungry that I thought I would kill 2 birds with one stone by getting it. The problem was that I started drinking it before I had any water, then realizing I had drank over half of it within the first minute. 10 minutes later the entire bottle was gone. And wow was that a mistake. My stomach hurt super bad later on that evening, so bad that at times when I was coaching I had to lay down. I also made multiple trips to the bathroom. Oh boy. Not suggested to drink that in one sitting folks! Especially not within 30 minutes. That evening, Rachel took the train out to Tinley where I was working, and we went to dinner at Bottom's Up. It was pretty delicious, I think I got some sort of sandwich but can't recall due to the stomach pain! We spent the night hanging with Rachel's parents at their house.

Saturday July 23rd was Grandparents day. It was a very special day filled with great stories and time spent with such caring and loving people. We started the day off in Tinley Park at Rachel's Mimi & Papa, headed down to Kankakee to be with Rachel's Grandma and Grandpa, and finished out at my Grandma's in Palos Heights with pizza and beer. We slept over at my Grandma's and helped her and my Aunt Lillian who also just had surgery out. 

Sunday, July 24th began at my Grandma's where we enjoyed breakfast, telling more stories, and helped her take care of a few things. That evening we headed home to make it to the new Target for their Grand opening just down the street. That night we also bought the remaining items off of our registry and started Game of Thrones Season 2. We are pretty pumped to fulfill our kitchen with new utensils and tools!

The next week was looking to be another lacrosse camp filled week. Starting off on Monday July 25th, I was running camp again, this time in Western Springs. It is hot outside, but these kids were so soft, needing water breaks every 10 minutes. Man up boys, it's lacrosse!

On Tuesday July 26th, after running camp in the morning, I headed over to FV lax camp in Napes. That evening, Beth was so kind to gift me some buffalo trace for my bday. Beth and I went to dinner later at Tommy Nevins. It was Taco Tuesday and the whole time we there, we could only squeeze in 1 JT song on the jukebox, while the same 5 country songs played over and over again. Thanks guy who has the Jukebox app and did that... Not!

Wednesday July 27 was another morning of practice at 6 am with the boys. I also got a little up close and personal with a bee on this day. That evening I went home and enjoyed the night with the wife :)

Video of the Week: The final video of Squid dancing to JT, for better or for worse? Just kidding, nice moves beth!

Movie of the Week: Gonna have to go with the classic Jurassic Park

TV Show of the Week: A tough one between Bloodline Season 2, Game of Thrones Season 2, and Mr. Robot Season 2. But I am gonna have to go with Mr. Robot.

Now before I close this blog out, you are probably wondering, Josh, what did you eat all week? You only mention food a couple of times in this weeks post! Well, let me tell you. This was by far one of my most unhealthy weeks, which involved either McDonalds, or some other sort of fast food every day of the week. Some days it would only be dinner I had, other days it would be both lunch and dinner. Anyway, I just wanted to make it clear, poor decisions regarding food were made over this week and a half.

I'm out.

Josh