I try to keep a tradition of writing a blog at the beginning of the year to summarize the last year or discuss the new year and goals and what not. Unfortunately, this year is one of those that has yet to slow down enough for me to even think of what to put into words.

Time has no breaks, nor does the wind stop for anyone. My life seems to be on the will of the wind these days. I look at my watch and see 9:05am, January 12th. The next thing I know, I'm getting my January 15th direct deposit. Then February 1st paycheck...then the 15th. I look at my watch and see the same numbers, but life is moving faster than I can see on a Fossil watch.

Almost as fast as Christmas and the New Year passed, 2010 seems to be a swift and productive year. On January 14th, my mom and I closed on a house in Kenner, ending a 4 year apartment life and back into a house. It's almost a strange feeling for her, yet much anticipated. My mom began packing before the end of the year, albeit not very efficiently. She had been the most eager and patient of us, waiting and hoping for this house deal to solidify. And, being a bank foreclosure, it was one of those deals we couldn't pass up. It was technically my first home purchase, but in my eyes, I was just signing papers for my mom, as usual. My name is everywhere but my heart isn't in it, at least for now. Mom and Toney moved in at the end of January and left the apartment on Kent Avenue as clean as we entered it. With the help of Ashlee and my cousins, we got all the garbage out and my mom's crap, Toney's crap, my dad's crap, and even some of my old crap out of that 900sq ft, overpriced apartment.

Right after that, Mardi Gras season kicked off and as fast as it passed, we didn't miss out on the main parades as usual. It was a good time. With Ashlee in my life, things such as Mardi Gras become more than just a happenstance, they become events and occasions. I used to be nonchalant about stuff like that. Ashlee doesn't let that happen anymore, and I love her for that. Among all of the Mardi Gras commotion, the Saints were on a destiny driven road to their first franchise Super Bowl victory, and the City along with my family were along for the ride. It was emotional, unbelievable, and surreal to see the entire city with jerseys on, flags on their cars, and Who Dat on the radio and t-shirts. Never before have I felt so much pride in a city. Nothing can really put that into words. But, the pictures of Drew Brees holding his baby after the game can evoke some of those key emotions.

After that, life continued as it has been, rapidly and with no sign of slowing down. This year continues to be like that, where one day leads to the next month without knowing much of how it happened so fast. Lately, Ashlee and I have been really digging deep into each other, evaluating ourselves, our futures, our next moves in life. Of course, that brings up a lot of stress that has to be dealt with. One major move we're going through is leaving our apartment for a new home with my mom and my brother in their new home. For me, it's a way to really save up money and begin a wedding and home fund for us. It's going to be a hard move for us, since for the last 2 years, we've lived on our own in our own place with our own things. We are giving all of that up for a chance to really build our future together, and for me, it's worth every sacrifice. There's no other way for me to really save up my extra money and pay for a ring, wedding, and down payment for our own house, if we decide not to keep living in the one my mom has. Hopefully, with my dad gone, my mom will be more eager to get a smaller place, or even settle for an apartment/condo for her and Toney. And, we so desperately need to get her that Road Home money to make any future moves for my mom possible. She has a little left over from the Flood Insurance money to fund another down payment, but it will more than likely take some more help from me to get her into another house, which I'm ok with, as long as everyone's happy and taken care of.

This year is such a productive year for me and my family. And, I will make it a productive year for me and my new family, starting with Ashlee and I. We will set in motion things that will shape our future together. She is about to embark on another career making move to a new job doing more of the Post Road Home accounting work she so loves. I am continuing to work on project after project at Digicomm, with no inclination of slowing down. The work I'm doing now is so inspiring for me. We're turning around projects in weeks what would have taken us months before, and I'm personally learning a lot about higher level stuff like design, project management, and business practice.

Ashlee and I are both really looking inward in improving ourselves and our lives. She's making strides in her self development and mental/emotional well-being. I'm coming to grips with my personal issues with my insecurities and somewhat low self-image, while I am trying to learn how to trust my heart more. It seems that my modesty has roots in insecurity, and that's not how I want to be. I know I really need to pursue therapy for all the baggage I carry. Ashlee's therapist is really insightful and such a breath of fresh air when it comes to inward thinking. I hope that I can really tackle all of the issues that my family life has dealt me before I let them influence the way I raise our future children.

And, that's something that has been more and more apparent in my mind...having children. Abdul's and Shanna have an awesome little boy. Brian has a son now, too! David Lovett has twin girls. And, today, my cousin Eugenio asked me to be the Godfather of his future son, Kolston, who is due in July of this year! That is such an honor for me. I've looked up to Eugenio all my life, and I feel so privileged to be in such an important role in his family.

It's amazing to see all of us grow up, and life is definitely taking us on a ride that will only last for a blink of an eye. So, I should stop and take moments like these more frequently to really reflect and appreciate the hands on my watch more often.