2015 Year-in-Review

The year 2015 has been another eventful one, adding on to the events of 2014.

The year began with the Muffet family losing the last member of my grandparents' generation.  Aunt Edna went to the hospital a few days before New Year's, where her health declined rapidly.  She died on January 9 at the age of 89.  Her calling hours were held at Barberton's Campfield-Hickman Collier Funeral Home on January 12.  The following day her funeral was held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and burial took place at Lakewood Cemetery.  The family then went to lunch at Belgrade Gardens, where we had the chance to share some stories and photos among each other.

I depended on Ohio State's football team to lift up my spirits during the difficult time.  OSU entered the first-ever, four team, College Football Playoff as the 4th seed.  They defeated #1 Alabama, 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl National Semifinal on New Year's Day.  They went on to defeat #2 Oregon, 42-20, in the National Championship on January 12.  In addition to the OSU fun, Aunt Kathy and I attended a Cavs game at the end of January.  The Cavs won 108-98 over the OKC Thunder.

Around the same time, Uncle Ernie's health began to decline and he died on April 13 at the age of 68.  His calling hours were held at Marion's Boyd-Born Funeral Home on April 17.  The following day his funeral was held at Fairpark Baptist Church and burial took place at Marion Cemetery.  Dad's early life and Uncle Ernie's lifelong parish, First Church of God, closed its doors the previous year, which forced the funeral to be relocated.

These deaths, in addition to Grandpa Webster and Grandma Maybin in June/July 2014 marked four family deaths in less than a year.  Fortunately, I finished the year with none in eight months.

In February, I completed my payments on my loans to the University of Akron for my first bachelor's degree.  The finale of Two and a Half Men aired on CBS on February 19 for the final time after 12 seasons.  While I didn't follow it closely the last three years, it was one of my favorite sitcom for the greater part of a decade.  When it first aired in 2003, sitcoms were in serious threat of extinction at the expense of reality TV.  I must credit Two and a Half Men for helping to revive sitcoms back to decency.  On February 28, I went to BHS to pick up a job recommendation from school resource officer, Ken Cheatham.  While there, I ran into three of my former teachers who happened to be working their final day.  They were Mr. Iverson (Physical Science), Mrs. Dague (Spanish 3), and Mr. Passarelli (Design).  When I went home, I wrote an article about them and submitted it as an assignment for the Barberton Herald.

In early March, the Herald's Cheryl Vespoint and BCF's Jim Stonkus hooked me up with a series of assignments which turned out to be an awesome experience.  I was asked to cover Leadership Akron's Barberton Community Leadership.  It was held on six out of 12 Wednesday afternoons in March, April, and May.  I took tours of various Barberton locations, such as BHS and Summa.  I also had the chance to get better acquainted with many important people in Barberton.

I got to attend a cool party on 3/14/15 in honor of Pi Day.  My friends, Megan and Tyler Pacifico, who are science and math teachers, had a group of friends over for the occasion for pies, among other snacks.  The following day, the Muffets had a get-together at St. Andrew's for the 6th anniversary of Aunt Jo's death and we had a nice lunch at Sweet Henry's.

On March 30, I turned 31 years old.  I celebrated by going to the Northfield Rocksino with Scott on March 28 and by having dinner with Cousins Nikki, Andrew, and Mae at Jerzees in Green on March 29.  After getting home, I hosted the first annual Mike Hanshaw's Fantasy Baseball League Draft, with a variety of classmates and co-workers from over the years.  Brett Fogle won the league, followed by Brian Whiddon, Bob Phelps, Scott Demko, Andrew Adam, Chris Perkins, Nick Blake, myself, and Tom Liggett.  On April 5, I celebrated Easter with church at St. Andrew's, followed by lunch at Prime with my parents, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, and Susie.  The following Sunday, I finished celebrating my birthday, by having lunch at Bob Evans with BHS friends Stephanie (Jerin) Laughlin, Lindsay (Foley) Motil, and Megan (Lengyel) Pacifico.

I took my first week of paid vacation from Acme from May 3 to 9.  After getting of work on May 2, I headed over to Beth and Tony Sveda's house to watch the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquio fight, which was good for six rounds before Mayweather dominated the final six.  On May 4, I went to Kent State to attend the 45th anniversary events for the Kent State shootings of 1970.  I heard some very interesting speeches and met a few interesting people, including someone who was protesting at KSU the day of the shootings.  On May 9, Scott and I took a road trip to Toledo to visit the Great Lakes Naval Museum.

On May 20, David Letterman said goodbye to the CBS Late Show after 22 years and late night TV after 33 years.  My mom started watching him when she was my age in the early 1980s and his show became an institution in my house for my first 31 years.  Late night TV will never be the same without him.  In June, the Cavs made it to the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, after losing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to injury during the postseason.  Meanwhile, American Pharoah won the Triple Crown of horse racing, including the Kentucky Derby in Grandma Muffet's hometown of Louisville, KY.

I took my second week of paid vacation from Acme from July 12 to July 18.  I worked my last day on July 10 before spending the evening at Progressive Field with Scott, with nice tickets in the section behind home plate.  The Indians defeated the A's, 5-1, with a fireworks show afterwards.  On July 11, I went to Cousins Nikki and Andrew's house to celebrate Mae's belated 1st birthday with family.  I spent the next three days in Cincinnati with Aunt Kathy visiting Cousins Krissy and Brett and their three daughters (Kate, Ellie, and Anna).  On July 13, I got to see Mike and Mike in the Morning (met both hosts), the Cincinnati Reds HOF, MLB All-Star Fan Fest, and Home Run Derby at Great American Ballpark.  It was awesome seeing Reds 3B Todd Frazier win in front of the hometown crowd.  On July 17, I went to the Muffet Family Reunion, organized by cousins Sarah (Gore) Suboticki and Missy (Muffet) Conti.  July 18 was my 10th anniversary on Facebook, which was hard to believe.  At the end of July, I left my job at the Barberton Herald to focus on my career pursuits.

During the spring and summer months, Acme 14 received a $1.2 million renovation that led to be reassigned a few times.  Three self-checkout registers and an attendant station opened the week of July 4.  I was one of six cashiers sent to Acme 12 (Cuyahoga Falls) the previous week to be trained on self-checkout.  After working the self-checkout for two months, the Natural and Organics section was completed and I was transferred from the cashier to the grocery stock schedule.  I was sent to Acme 21 (Green) to learn how to order and stock the department.  In addition to this, I have been ordering and stocking candy/gum at the front checkouts and bulk bins since Nov. 2014.

In August, Muffet and Maybin family friend, Jim Moore, gave me six vouchers that could be used at the Akron Rubber Ducks (AA) baseball games at Canal Park.  On August 21, I went to the game with Nikki, Andrew, and Mae (1st game for Mae) and the following day, I went with Scott and his brother Mark.  Despite playing the inferior Erie Sea Dogs, the Rubber Ducks lost both games.  On August 23, St. Andrew's held its annual outdoor service at Columbia Woods Park in Norton.

On Sept. 12, Krissy and Brett's 4th daughter, Julia, was born at 4:30am.  Aunt Kathy and I had tickets to the Ohio St. game against Hawaii at 3:30pm.  It was my second OSU football game, the other being during the 2002 national championship season.  We left Barberton shortly after 10am and arrived in Columbus around 12:30.  We had lunch at Champs and a friendly couple let us sit with them, saving us valuable time.  Once the game started,  OSU played a sluggish three quarters and only led 17-0, despite playing an inferior opponent.  OSU dominated the 4th quarter with three touchdowns and won 38-0.  Once the game was over, Uncle Tom came to pick up Aunt Kathy to meet their 5th granddaughter in Cincinnati.  Not used to driving that far on my own, I had a very enjoyable ride home.  On Sept. 26, Uncle Gerald and Aunt Karen met my parents and I at the Lodi Prime Outlet, where we had a nice visit together for an hour.

In October, my good friend, Anthony Sherman, worked his last day at Acme.  I finished the month attending a Halloween party at Matt's house, where I got to see a variety of old and new friends.  Longtime Acme 14 receiver, Ed Ody, retired the day before Thanksgiving after over 40 years with the company.  In November, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, and Susie at Prime.  The following day, I went to the Holiday Tree Festival at the Akron's Knight Center with Aunt Kathy, Nikki, and Mae.  Aunt Kathy and a group of friends from BHS decorated and donated one of the trees on display.  The following week, I took my 3rd week of paid vacation from Acme for the year.  On December 3, I met Adam (my best friend during school) at the Enchanted Café for lunch and we had a good. long talk about life.  On December 12, I got the neat opportunity to volunteer at the annual Barberton men's basketball Greynolds' Classic with Uncle Tom, offering hospitality to the coaches and players on the participating teams.  I celebrated Christmas with Aunt Kathy's family on December 25 and 26, where I got to meet Julia.  On December 27, I went to the annual Christmas party at the home of Rev. George and Kathy Tarsis.  I finished the year celebrating New Year's at Matt's house with him and his friends.

2015 Fantasy Football Review

The 2015 season marked the fourth season that my fantasy football team, Big Mike Boyz, participated in the Damn D Fest's league, started by Matt D. in 2008.  In late July, the annual draft lottery was held to determine the draft order of the 12 participants, which is done in a snake format (draft order reverses from round to round).  On August 23, the draft was held in Coventry (near Acme), where Matt D. lives at with three roommates.  Before the season started, everyone had to pay their $100 entry fee.

The championship, won by Lee, was held in Week 16 since many NFL teams would be resting their starters in Week 17.  I began the season 3-1, but lost seven of my last nine games to finish 10th place with a 5-8 record.  Despite a losing record, I won $40 back this season.  I earned $20 by scoring high point in Week 3 when I defeated Mario's Doughnuts, 140-105.  I earned the remaining $20 for allowing the most points (bad luck) in league this season

This is a recap of my roster:

QB: I drafted Broncos' Peyton Manning in the 3rd round to be my starter and 49ers' Colin Kaepernick in the 11th round.  These two QBS turned out to be among the most disappointing in the NFL this year.  Manning's ended after nine games with a foot injury and Kaepernick was benched by the 49ers.  I cut both of them from my roster and finished with Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill and Chiefs' Alex Smith.  Manning and Tannehill finished the 2015 NFL season as the QBs with the most INTs.

RB: I drafted Packers' Eddie Lacy with the 2nd overall pick in the 1st round of the draft.  Lacy struggled all season with injuries that caused inconsistent play.  The highlight of my season was picking up Falcons' Devonta Freeman off the waiver wire.  Freeman was one of the NFL's top players in 2015 and if I didn't have him, I would've lost three more games.  Chargers' Danny Woodhead (8th round) and four others filled in for me when necessary this season.  I drafted Lions' Joique Bell in the 4th round and cut him early in the season.

WR: I drafted Packers' Randall Cobb in the 2nd round to be my top WR and he gave me a strong season.  I drafted Lions' Golden Tate in the 5th round and he gave me an average season.   The Cowboys' Terrance Williams (9th round) underachieved but his performance was well enough to ride my bench for the season.  The same couldn't be said for Saints' Marques Colston (7th round) and Bills' Percy Harvin (10th round), who were both cut from my team by the end of October.  I picked up Titans' Nate Washington and 49ers' Torrey Smith off the waiver line and they filled in when needed towards season's end.

TE: I took some risks in drafting this position, but it turned out to be one of my strengths this seasons.  I drafted Chargers' Antonio Gates in the 6th round, but he was suspended for the 1st four games due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.  I drafted Saints' Josh Hill in the 12th round, but cut him before the season started and picked up Redskins' Jordan Reed.  Reed had some nagging injuries, but he and Gates both turned in solid seasons.  Once Gates returned from suspension, I started him at TE and Reed at WR-TE flex.

K: I drafted Ravens' Justin Tucker in the 14th round and he gave me a strong season, despite his NFL team struggling on offense due after losing key players to IR.

D: I drafted the Cardinals' defense in the 13th round and it was one of the strongest in the NFL this season.

Remembering Uncle Ernie Hanshaw (1946-2015)

On April 13, my uncle, Ernie Hanshaw, passed away at the age of 68.  He had been battling health issues for the last decade, but things took a turn for the worst during his final three months.  Uncle Ernie was Dad's racing buddy during their younger years.  Uncle Ernie was quiet like Dad and always seemed to follow Dad around every time we saw him.  They refurbished a Chevy Nova and rebranded it as the "Chevy Too."  Dad has several photos of the work and finished product and the even got an article published in a national racing magazine.  About 10 years ago, Cousin Todd (Uncle Ernie's son) was able to obtain a copy of the publication, which was from the same month as his birth in June 1972.  Todd also got a portrait made of the Chevy Too with the race car he currently owns.

Dad and I attended the calling hours (Mom was ill) held from 5-8 on Friday, April 17 at Boyd-Born Funeral Home in Marion.  On Saturday, we went to the funeral at Fairpark Baptist Church (1st Church of God closed in October) before following the procession to the burial at Marion Cemetery (near President Warren Harding's tomb) a few sections from where Uncle Larry is buried.  Afterwards, we went back to the church to have lunch before heading home.

Memories of Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim Snyder

Edna Muffet-Snyder was the youngest of Grandpa George Muffet Jr.'s seven siblings.  In 1952, she married Jim Snyder and by the end of the 1980s, she was the only sibling still alive. 

I always had a special relationship with them, their children, and grandchildren.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim sat in the pew across the aisle from me at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.  Mom, Aunt Kathy, Cousin Krissy, and Cousin Nikki sat in my pew, while Elaine (Aunt Edna's daughter) sat with her parents, husband Ron, daughter Becky, and son Jamie across the aisle.  In addition, their daughter Helen, was a room mother at Woodford Elementary with Mom.  Helen's daughters, Sarah and Rachel, graduated from BHS in 2001 and 2003, so I spent plenty of time with them too.  Since Rachel was in my graduating class, she ended up being my closest female childhood friend.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim's son, Bob, is one of the family historians along with me, so we have that bond together.

Some of my earliest memory of Aunt Edna was when she took Sarah and Rachel to Tuscora Park during the summer, where Mom and I would see her.  My favorite memory of Uncle Jim was having him help me with my leaf collection in 7th grade.  He had many types of tree leaves and knew the names of all, just as well as a science teacher would.  They would help out when they could, such as offering Grandma some medical equipment when she was beginning to have health problems that belonged to Uncle Jim's mother. 

In June 2001, Mom took Grandma Muffet and I to Sarah's graduation party at her home.  Grandma had a nice time talking to Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim that day.  The week after the party, I started working at Acme, where Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim would come in and always stop to say hi.  I was confirmed in October 2001 and remember having an interesting talk about the old times afterwards with Aunt Edna, Aunt Jo, and fellow parishioner Jean Uhl.

In April 2002, St. Andrew's was celebrating its 100th anniversary as a parish, which happened to fall the same month as Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim's 50th wedding anniversary and Uncle Jim's 70th birthday.  In October 2002, Uncle Jim died suddenly, a little more than a year after Grandma had a major stroke that left her paralyzed and bedridden.  On a few occasions, Aunt Edna and Uncle Jim would come to visit Grandma at the Barberton Hospital.

In 2003, Rachel and I graduated from BHS and if there were two people I wish could've been there who weren't, it was Grandma and Uncle Jim.  I remember talking to Aunt Edna about how things changed a lot in two years.  In the years after Uncle Jim's death and Krissy and Nikki's departure from Barberton, I began to sit in the pew with Aunt Edna and her family at St. Andrew's.  Aunt Mary and Grandma died less than a week apart in July and August 2004, leaving Aunt Edna and Aunt Jo as the Muffet family matriarchs.

Jean Uhl died in 2005 and a generous donation her estate made to the church allowed for a handicap elevator to be installed.  I would help Aunt Jo and Cousin Juanita (Grandpa and Aunt Edna's 1st cousin) down the elevator and Aunt Edna would ride along.  Aunt Jo died in 2009 and Juanita died in 2011, but afterwards, fellow parishioner Louise Baker would ride along with Aunt Edna and I.

After Uncle Jim died, her family would help her with the garden.  Some years, Aunt Edna would give me tomato plants for my yard, even last year.  Aunt Edna was an important source to me on the topic of Muffet family history.  I presented her with a family tree for her 80th and 85th birthdays in 2005 and 2010.  I talked to Aunt Edna at church on Christmas Eve in 2014 and in the following days, she became ill.  She died fairly suddenly on Jan. 9, 2015 at the age of 89.