Looking back on 2013, it occurred to me that I really didn't accomplish much. I wanted to run another marathon - didn't. I wanted to finish another book - didn't. I wanted to romance Jennifer Love-Hewitt - not even close, bud (to quote John Bender).
But what I lacked in motivation/hard work/energy, my family made up for, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Wifey saw a years-long dream of a new Newman Center building come to fruition at the S.D. School of Mines. It's a cool church on the edge of campus, packed with college students every Sunday night now, and is turning into a valuable meeting/fun/study place for the kids on campus. I got teary-eyed at the dedication Mass. It was cool. I was happy for her.
The elder daughter interned for an awesome U.S. Senator in Washington, D.C., during the summer; and decided to go another semester of college to pick up a second major. She's engaged and does a good job helping raise her little brother.
My youngest daughter is a sophomore at SDSU (gosh that's difficult for this Augie guy to type). But she seems to have really found herself. She's excelling at her elementary ed/special ed classes and seems to have nabbed a good boyfriend, named after a hat, and they've been hanging out for over a year now. She also had a great time at a new job manning the store at a nearby campground/resort.
The boy, 16, continues to bring a smile into the house nearly every day. We enjoyed our second father-son fly fishing trip to Montana, and I live vicariously through his baseball success, wishing I'd had 1/10th the talent he shows. He could throw that speedball by you (to quote the Boss).
Throw in the two clown dogs, Stanley and Huck, and it really was a laugh a minute in the Haugen house throughout 2013.
I guess I'll gladly take another lame-duck year of my own, if it means I get to watch the rest of the fam succeed and enjoy life. That's the kind of guy I am. (Que Colline Raye.)
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