What's your 2017 "Year in Review?" 100 words or less

Here's mine:

Highlights:  My son got his driver's license , is good driver and has autocrossed with me as a co-driver.  That's a whole new level of fun.  I spent more time with my parents than I have in years.  I gained a new appreciation for the incredible person I married.    

Lowlights:  Probably the worst year of my life (Not issuing a challenge 2018).  This past week we lost my mom to brain cancer and my niece to mitochondrial disease within 24 hours of each other.  Caring for mom has been exhausting, but rewarding, both for me and my wife.   

Had some good times like attending my first GRM Challenge & starting volunteering at the local Humane Society as a "Pawparrazi" (intake photos to help them find homes and local event coverage).

Had some bad times like losing 7 different people I was close to in varying degrees, most of them unexpected vs terminal illness, etc.  Including my ex-wife and her mom in a house fire a few months ago.

Take the good with the bad, and keep on going.  (Is that less than 100?  Didn't keep track.)

I didn't die. I saw tiffany, boyz to men, starship, and sugar ray for free. I nearly perfected steak cooking. I visited many places with boozes.

I turned 33, my lucky number and finally got my promotion. Otherwise it’s been an endless E36 M3 show. 

We got a puppy.  Then a 6 year old kid came to live with us and now we're working toward adoption.  Somewhere in the midst of all that I was able to work on the B18 swapped Civic rescue project and hang out at some Chumpcar races.  Life is full.

Prince didn't die in '017

Didn't die. Left a job that sucked for one that doesn't. Everything else has been a monumental clusterberk that's resulted in me digging myself into quite a hole, financially and mentally.

Actual footage of me attempting anything in 2017:

Hopefully 2018 sucks less. 

Lost a Father in law, a long time friend, an Uncle, and today my Grandmother. BIL isn't coping well with his Fathers loss is adding to the stress. On top of this I have been back in School which monopolized my time and added to the the stress levels of my wife and particularly my children one of whom has not responded well and her sadness is breaking my heart. The flip side is I graduated and landed a job which should allow me to begin next year on the new career path I have been chasing for a few years. Here's to a year hopefully full of stability and predictability.

R63 is fixed, somehow a LOT of people cared about that. Ferdinand came home and is way more broken than I thought, but people like the shirts anyway. 

Met the GRM staff on One Lap, then again at the Challenge. Talked my way onto a Challenge team by doing a tiny amount of work. Hung myself from the cage to pick rocks out of the back of the car so it was pretty for the concourse. Feel like I met 1000 people at the Challenge and I needed to meet more. Next year.

Mrs. Deuce had a great job, then a different better job (but with no pay) and finished the year with a third and even better job with an actual paycheck again. It was a great year for her.

Kids get bigger and closer to stepping out on their own. I still enjoy being around all of them. I'm going to miss them soon.

It was a good year.

My race car was much faster than 2016 but everything that could go wrong, did. My business is having its best year ever but a nasty lawsuit is putting the damper on any celebrations. Basically, my hair is on fire and my feet are frozen but on average I'm doing fine.

One more day and I can say I made it out alive.

2017 berkeleying sucked!

Let's see:

1. Mom has cancer
2. Wife wants a divorce
3. Work is killing me with unrealistic deadlines
4. #2 above means I'm going to pay and pay and pay.

2017 can berkeley right off. Here's to 2018!

Every day that I awake is a BONUS!!! To all of y'all that fret and fuss .....take a deep breath and thank the dear lord above for all your many blessings .............Happy and prosperous New Year to All!!!

FML

I can't berkeleying *wait* for this miserable year to be over. 

Business sucked a wee bit less than last year, divorce is almost finalised, and I have a big, healthy, sturdy, happy grandson.  All in all, not horrible. 

I'm being told by people in the know that I should see someone about worsening depression.

The career change didn't pan out like I hoped and I'm not sure I made the correct move any longer.

I somehow managed to put on weight again.

I don't particularly enjoy working on anything anymore. There's not enough time between kids, wife, and work to feel like "fun" activities aren't a chore.

So yea it's been a dumpster fire of a year. I'm just glad this place is what it is because its the only way I can cope sometimes.

Kids are all growing and getting more independent by the day.

TM and I had an amazing trip to Cancun this year.

I sold the Miata for "profit". Sold the Suburban for "profit". Bought a new to us Suburban (waiting to see how it turns out). Paid off the Passat.  Bought a project Miata.  All in all an interesting year automotively.

Work is stable, with 21 years in that's about what I expect from it.

TM finished school AND passed her boards!

Mostly it's been a good year personally.  At the top down level, it's been one of the worst ever and I'm more worried than ever before.

Lost some good friends but it hurts less now. 

I did like 4 cool things and the rest of it was spent being confused,scared, and angry. 

Avoided the Darwin award for another year.

Unlike these two above who I think clinched it at close to the last moment.  Although I am getting under a car tomorrow or maybe that should wait until Monday.   Hated a job at the start of the year and just quit.  Didn't work for  a month and have been working a E36 M3ty up and down money one since.  But I'm alive and always gaining perspective.  Next year will be fine whatever happens.  

I guess it was an OK year, even though my Samurai got smashed in it and my Corolla's engine was melted down at the beginning of it. Only missed two events and I made it to the Challenge. Career-wise, I'm still at the same dead-end day job that doesn't pay well for what I do and my numerically frozen pay continues to effectively decrease for almost the 10th year now against inflation and rising taxes, but I did pick up some good side gigs.

Had both ends of the spectrum during this years autocross season. Lowest of the lows was 4 total engine failures in the FP Miata. 2 of those failures were after long tows to some ProSolos only to fail on the first run or 2. After the last one, a good friend offered up a codrive at nationals in his C5Z. The planets aligned 2 days in a row in September and I pulled off a national championship win. 

Also sold my beloved s2000 and picked up a more GRM-ish MR2 spyder. 

Despite best laid plans.  I got fatter and I still hate my daily driver.

Dear god so much work. I am afraid to add it all up or look at my time sheets.

All my cars run now which is a first in a long long time. House is 99% finished as well.

Sister got married to a wonderful person which makes me happier then I can express.

Drugs are working officially have lost 45lbs of fat in the last three years. Up ~40lb's of muscle mass as well based on last dunk test. 500lb dead lift 280 bench here we come.

SNAFU.

Wow, only took me 5 letters.