Seeing how it is now March of 2008, I decided it was probably about time to break down my life in 2007 in some detail. I achieved a lot and had some really important life events that I think are of particular noteworthiness.

Personal

2007 was a big year for my personal life. First, and most importantly, I got engaged to my one true love, Angela. That happened on December 18, our 3 year anniversary of dating. To me, this was something that will stand out forever in my life: standing at the top of the Sears Tower and asking the woman that I love to marry me.

In other personal areas, I made more friends in 2007 than I think I have during any other part of my life. My dormitory floor, Blumberg 2 at Rose-Hulman is the best group of guys that I can imagine hanging out with. Its a really talented bunch, and I’m happy to call most of them good friends of mine.

Finally, I achieved a number of fitness goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Through a dedicated plan of exercise and nutrition, I was able to throw up 300 pounds on bench press, lift 515 on deadlift, and squat 395. I also was able to lower my bodyfat to single digits for the first time in my life. Almost every fitness goal I set at the beginning of the year was fulfilled.

Business

In 2007, I realized the style of work I want to do the rest of my life. From February of 2007 through September of 2007, I worked as a contract web developer for a really great company, Power Advent. Most of my time was spent on one project, and I learned more about web development in that 6 month period than I had in the 2 years prior.

From this experience, I’ve realized that I want to work from home once I graduate. I want to continue telecommuting and doing software development. It can be desktop or web development, but the feeling of freedom that working from home and working at my own (generally quick) pace was the most fun I’ve ever had doing work. As such, I’m attempting to set myself up to continue the same type of work.

Continuing to reference the programming realm, I learned a lot about numerous programming languages. My Java skills increased a point where I believe I could do an adequate job of desktop development with the language. I’ve gained experience with a number of PHP open source projects and frameworks, as well as increasing my overall knowledge of the structure of the language and the tricks you can use. Finally, I’ve spent the last couple of months dedicating myself to learning C#. While I would say I’m generally proficient with the language, I’m not exactly an expert yet. There are a lot of tricks, like anonymous delegates for method prioritizing, that I haven’t learned to use effectively yet. However, I think that WPF and C# 3.0 are the forefront of desktop development for the Windows platform, and I have dedicated myself to learning these things.

Look for my follow up post on my 2008 goals.

The last 3 years of my life have, without a doubt, been my happiest and most successful. I’ve been in college, held a number of different and interesting jobs, and increased the level of my health substantially. However, all this means nothing compared to what matters most in my life right now.

As of Tuesday, I’m engaged to my amazing girlfriend, Angela. We started dating 3 years ago during our freshman years of college. Our first date, December 18, 2004, was to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. What an awesome place, and what a great location to start a serious relationship.

In the three years since that day, we’ve had amazing experiences and accomplished a lot, both individually and as a couple. We’ve had some wild experiences; great memories that will last a lifetime. In the three years I’ve been dating Angela I’ve become a better and stronger person. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and yesterday I made my move.

Getting There

Here’s how it went down. I drove up to Miller, IN and took the South Shore from there into the city. I missed the 1:18 PM train and had to wait for the 3:12 one, so I was cutting it close because Angela gets off of work at 5:00 PM. So I get downtown and immediately look for the “L” to take me to Quincy. I find it, hop on the Pink line train and ride it 4 stops to Quincy. I walked 2 blocks west to the building that houses Charles Schwab, where Angela works.

A Surprise Awaits

I walked into the lobby at 4:45 PM and stood there. And stood there. And stood there. Finally, I was thinking “Where the heck is she?” So I called her cell phone. Lo and behold, Angela is already on the Metra train getting ready to go back to the suburbs. I tell her “Get off the train,” and she asks why so I tell her that I’m standing in the lobby of the building that she works. Angela could hardly believe me, so I told her I’d meet her halfway.

When we finally ran into each other on Madison, Angela was grinning from ear to ear. Her smile was vibrant and lovely and she was shaking a little bit. I took her hand and we started to walk south, towards the Sears tower. When we got there, I suggested we go up to the Skydeck to take a look around the city with all the Christmas lights. It was a beautiful sight, and certainly something that I thought was fitting for what I was about to do.

On Top of the World

I asked Angela if she wanted to see her anniversary presents, and she responded in the affirmative. I knelt down and started taking thing out of my bag. First, a rose because I promised her flowers. Next, a small flashlight because she’s the light of my life. Third, an index card with the infinity symbol on it. While she was staring at this last item, surely somewhat confused, I made sure I was on my right knee with my bag to my side.

Angela looked at me and I asked if she would like her last present. She said “Yes, of course,” and before she could go any further, I pulled the ring, in box, out of my bag and asked her “Will you marry me?” She answered, “Ohh… Baby…. Yes!” and I stood up and kissed her and hugged her. It was awesome.

She Said “Yes”

So, now we’re engaged. When will we be married? I have no idea, but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and I’m now proud to call Angela my fiancee.