In the past I have done a review of my year in photos and 2016 was the first time a long while I had not done my review. In 2016 we lost my longtime family friend Kurby on December 1, 2016 and it destroyed me. My buddy had been in my life for so many challenging years while I was working on building my career. He was there through good and bad and when Denise came in to my life Kurby had his reservations but in the end he was ok with it 
I shut myself down for the last month of 2016 but I knew my buddy would have wanted me to have the best 2017 I could and I have to say it really was a good year. The year wasn’t great because lots of money was made or huge accolades but it was good because we had good health, positive attitudes and focused on being creative and helping spread creativity. I had an opportunity to work with a great group of people at Balanced Media in which our goals were larger than just making games. I then shifted myself to teaching and spent the last half of the year teaching at The Guildhall. I had a few moments in the year that made me reflect on a larger picture of life and make the most of opportunities. I finally filmed a short film and I am in the process of editing it with the hopes of it being done by May of 2018. I had a chance to spend time with friends with continued movie nights and other creative projects. I started a VHS swap meet for Dallas folks and I hope to really do more with that in 2018.
The biggest event for Denise and I was our trip to Japan. This trip would be my biggest adventure for me personally and I was excited to feel being a place that I had no ties to and how I would react to that feeling. This was a big step for me and I love every minute of it. I will remember all the memories Denise and I had while there and when things get tough I will always think of those times to help me recenter and focus.
It was still a busy year for me and most of my free time was spent either working or working towards finishing my degree. When I was able to take photos this year they were often for the Alamo Drafthouse and I enjoyed doing that work. It was a challenge not knowing what many events would be like but mostly because I wanted to capture the moment that makes the Alamo a great place for movies and community.
I do not make resolutions but I do remind myself to continue to work to improve myself as a person and in my crafts. Here are some highlights from the year.
