2016 Year-in-Review

January and February were slow months in general with exception of a few events.  A Renewal of Ministry service was held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on January 9.  At this time, Father Michael Petrochuk was officially promoted from Priest-in-Charge (temporary minister) to the 7th Rector of St. Andrew’s (permanent minister). 

In February, it was awesome watching the Denver Broncos winning Super Bowl 50, giving future HOF QB Peyton Manning a second Super Bowl ring in his final game.  My main source of entertainment during these months was attending Barberton basketball games with the Prebynski family.  The 2015-16 season was the 20th and final season for Head Coach Ken Rector, who retired as the second all-time leading in team wins behind Jack Greynolds.

Barberton Founder’s Day was held on March 23 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Barberton.  I attended the activities with Aunt Kathy and our cousins, Jeanne, Shirley, and Dick.  On March 30, Dad’s family said goodbye to the Greatest Generation when Uncle Lester died.  He was Dad’s last uncle, Grandma Webster’s last sibling, and the family’s last WWII veteran.  On April 3, Aunt Kathy and I attended the Cavaliers game at Quicken Loans Arena.  On April 13, I watched the end of Kobe Bryant’s final game with the L.A. Lakers after a 20 year career.  Bryant was one of the last great athletes of my childhood, so seeing his career finish with a thrilling 60 point game was great to watch.

The Cavs provided plenty of excitement during their 2016 playoff run, which started in mid-April and ended with a NBA Championship on June 19.  The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 games deficit to win the NBA Finals, after a classic Game 7.  Their championship over the Golden State Warriors was the first in the 46 season history of the franchise.  Most notably, it was the first major professional sports championship by a Cleveland sports team since the Browns in 1964.  I watched the championship parade on TV, which was attended by 1.3 million fans.

During the Cavs postseason run, they swept Detroit and Atlanta, and won their first two games against Toronto before losing two to Toronto.  Strangely enough, during the NBA Finals, the Indians started a 14 game winning streak doing the exact same.  The final game was a classic 19 inning game in Toronto on July 1.  It got the momentum rolling for an exciting run to the postseason for the Indians.

On July 11 and 12, the Eastern League (Double A Minor League Baseball) hosted its Celebrity All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, and All-Star Game at Canal Park.  It was the first time Akron hosted these events since the Rubber Ducks moved to the city in 1997.  Scott and I attended both events.  On July 30, Scott and I attended the Cleveland Indians game against the Oakland A’s at Progressive Field.  Prior to the game, the Indians held its annual HOF induction.  Four players were inducted: Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Frank Robinson (also a manager), and Charlie Jamieson.  Thome and his family were in attendance and his 14 year-old daughter Lila did a wonderful job singing the National Anthem.

On August 6, the Pro Football HOF held its annual induction at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton.  Josh and I attended to see my all-time favorite player, former GB Packers QB Brett Favre.  The other inductees included Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy, Orlando Pace, Eddie DeBartolo, Kevin Greene, Ken Stabler, and Dick Sanfel.  The following day, I had my lone face-to-face contact with Dad’s family this year when I met Cousins Jeanna and Teresa for lunch at the Olive Garden in North Canton.  They were in the Canton area to attend the Pro Football HOF game, which was canceled at the last minute under bizarre circumstances.

The Indians made the World Series, defying the odds with a ton of injuries to their starting rotation.  They faced the Cubs, who played in their first World Series since 1945.  I always rooted for the Cubs in the NL playoffs, so this was such an exciting matchup to watch.  Similar to the NBA Finals, the World Series featured a Cleveland team and was won in Game 7 by a team who faced a 3-1 games deficit in the series. 

The World Series came down to a winner-take-all Game 7 at Progressive Field on November 2.  The high temperature was an unseasonable 70 degrees that day, Scott had a personal day, and it was my usual day off (Wednesday), so we decided to head up to Cleveland.  Scott and I arrived early in the afternoon before the crowd arrived, but it was awesome to be able to take in the game day atmosphere.  We went to the Team Shop and walked around the stadium, allowing us to view and take pictures of the exterior monuments much better than we could on a crowded game day.  While the Indians lost, I can always say I was at Progressive Field the day the Cubs won their first World Series there after a 108 year drought.

The Indians World Series appearance also took attention off the upcoming general presidential election, which was held on November 8.  I wasn’t a big fan of any of this year’s candidates, but I thought Democrat Bernie Sanders was the most qualified.  John Kasich was a class act during his campaign and definitely earned my respect.  I was very disappointed to see Hillary Clinton win the Democratic nomination and Donald Trump win the Republican nomination.  I voted for Clinton and thought she would win, but I wasn’t the least bit disappointed to see her lose.  The country seemed more divided than ever when Trump won the electoral vote, despite Clinton winning the popular vote.  Trump’s victory went down as the greatest political upset since Democrat incumbent Harry Truman defeated Republican challenger Thomas Dewey in 1948.

The successful sports year in NE Ohio went beyond the Cavs and Indians.  The Lake Erie Monsters won the AHL's Calder Cup in June, the Akron Rubber Ducks won the AA Eastern League Championship in September, and two of the four teams in the NCAA D-3 Football Final Four were Mt. Union and John Carroll.

Barberton Magics sports had two noteworthy occasions to close the year.  On November 4, the football team played in its first playoff game since 1998, where their season ended at Aurora.  On December 9, the boys’ basketball team hosted its first game under the direction of new head coach, Jackie Greynolds, the son of legendary Coach Greynolds.  The following evening, Jackie’s son Jordan won Player of the Game at the Greynolds Classic, held annually to raise money for Barberton youth sports and stroke awareness (the cause of Greynolds’ death).

The major holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) were spent with Aunt Kathy’s family as they are every other year.  I had a meal on Easter and Thanksgiving at Prime 93 with my parents, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Tom, and Susie.  Cousins Nikki, Andrew, Mae, and Lilly had the family over to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas the day after the holiday.  Cousins Krissy, Brett, Kate, Ellie, Anna, and Julia joined us the day after Christmas.  We also got together at Nikki and Andrew’s home the weekend after Independence Day, in which I was able to provide dinner thanks to a coupon I received at the Acme company party in June (see below).

I didn’t have any luck landing full-time work in 2016, but I had an eventful year with Acme.  In January, I had to get the Natural and Organics department ready for annual inventory.  This included having to weigh all the contents in the bulk bins.  In early March, I spent the first three days of the Meat Sale stocking in the meat department.  In late May, Acme celebrated 125 years in business and on June 4, I was recognized at a company party for 15 years of service.  In early October, I visited Hartzler’s Dairy in Wooster with dairy and natural-organics managers.  We learned how dairy products are made naturally while touring their farm.  The week after Thanksgiving, I spent a week working in the pharmacy.

Overall, I had no significant accomplishments or setbacks in 2016.  However, there was still plenty to remember when looking back on the year.

2016 Fantasy Football Review

The 2016 season marked the fifth 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).  I landed the 12^th pick, which meant I picked last in the odd number rounds and first in the even number rounds.  On August 23, the draft was held in Coventry, 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 finished the season 5^th place with a 8-5 record, making the postseason for the 3^rd time.  Unfortunately, I still have yet to win a postseason game, as I lost to Lee in the First Round, 121-67.  My opposing RB LeVeon Bell and D Arizona outscored my entire team that week.  I did not win any money this season. 

This is a recap of my roster:

QB: I drafted Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger in the 3rd round to be my starter and Radiers' Derek Carr in the 12th round.  Both QBs had huge seasons, so I was not hurting when Roethlisberger missed two games in the second half of the season.  Carr was injured at the end of the NFL regular season, but my fantasy season was over at that point.

RB: I drafted Texans’ Lamar Miller with the 12th overall pick in the 1st Round and Colts’ Frank Gore in the 6th Round to be my starters.  I drafted Patriots’ LeGarrette Blount in the 10th Round to be my backup.  Gore had a better than expected season and Blount turned out to be the steal of my draft.  This gave me the leverage to trade Miller on September 27 for WR Alshon Jeffery.  I then picked up RB Darren Sproles off the waiver wire to serve as my backup RB.  I also drafted Packers’ James Starks in the 15th round, but cut him in September without having played him.

WR: I drafted Packers’ Jordy Nelson, who was coming off a lost season with an ACL tear, in the 2^nd round.  I also drafted Cardinals’ Michael Floyd in the 4th round and Raiders’ Michael Crabtree in the 7th round to be my starters.  Nelson and Crabtree had strong season, while Floyd was mediocre.  I drafted WR Redskins’ Josh Doctson and Eagles’ Dorial Green-Beckham in the 8th and 9th rounds, before getting cut in September.  Due to not having a reliable WR-TE Flex starter, I traded Miller for Jeffery.  While Jeffery was a decent starter, he didn’t perform as well as I hoped.

TE: I drafted Bengals’ Tyler Eifert in the 5th round as my starter and Bears’ Zach Miller in the 11th round as my backup.  Eifert ended up missing the first six weeks of the season, so I started Miller.  I dropped Eifert because I needed to make room for bye-week pickups and Miller struggled, so I also dropped him.  I picked up Buccaneers’ Cameron Brate in the middle of the season and he gave me mediocre production.

K: I drafted Patriots’ K Stephen Gostkowski in the 14th Round and he gave me the stellar season he is accustomed to giving fantasy owners.

D: I drafted the Rams' defense in the 13th round, which was inconsistent until I had to change my defense due to a bye-week.  I struggled through the rest of the season using Bills, Cowboys, and Eagles’ defense.

Memories of Brett Favre

Brett Favre was a childhood institution of sorts for me.  There are many memories that I have of Favre, along with all the memorabilia I have of his.

During my early childhood, I was a Cleveland Browns and it hurt like heck when Art Modell announced he was moving the team to Baltimore in 1995.  I knew the next best thing to do was to pick up another team to root for.  The Green Bay Packers and Favre was an up and coming team, and given the historic history the team, I grew a lot of interest towards the team.  The next three years went great for the Packers and Favre, and it helped to relief some of the pain of not having the Browns.  I began collecting Packers-Favre memorabilia, such as his jersey and figurines.

I remember having indoor recess in 5th grade on the Friday before the NFC Divisional (Jan. 1996).  The guys would gather at a table in Mr. Hinman's classroom at Woodford Elementary to play paper football.  When I joined in, PJ asked me what playoff team I wanted to be and I said I would take the Packers.  Mr. Hinman went on to ban paper football in his room, due to the footballs being left behind.

I loved showing off my support of the Packers and Favre during my years at U.L. Light Middle School (1996-99).  The Dallas Cowboys, who were just coming off three Super Bowl championships in four seasons, were a popular team among my classmates.  We would argue back and forth over who the real "America's Team" was.  Among the big Cowboys fans I can remember were Brett Fogle, Chris Lee, and Roger Martin.

Among the biggest Packers fans I know are my Hanshaw cousins Brent, Jeanna, and Teresa.  Brent and Teresa were Packers fans before the Favre era, while Teresa gained interest during the 2^nd half of Favre’s career.

The Browns came back as I started at Barberton High School in 1999.  The Browns and the Packers became my co-favorite teams.  I continued to pull for the Packers and Favre during my college years, beginning in 2003.  Favre had his share of family issues, with the death of his father (Irv) and brother-in-law, in addition to his wife (Deanna) being placed on chemo.  I admired the way he played through this, plus all of the nagging injuries.  I graduated from the University of Akron in December 2008, three months after QB Aaron Rodgers made his first start for the Packers.  Packers’ fans are definitely spoiled to be able to transition from one great QB to another.

Remembering Brett Favre's Career

Brett Favre attended Southern Mississippi and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 (2nd round, 34th overall).  He spent that season as the 3rd QB.  Favre and head coach Jerry Glanville didn't get along, leading to his trade to Green Bay in 1992.  The Packers were rebuilding with new GM Ron Wolf and new head coach Mike Holmgren.  Favre became the 2nd QB behind Don Majkowski.  

Majkowski injured himself during the 3rd game in 1992 and Favre took over.  Favre led the Packers to a come from behind win and went on to start the next 275 games.  The Packers finished the year 9-7, just missing the playoffs.  The Packers made the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons in 1993.  In 1994, Favre had a break out year with 33 TD passes, most of them to star WR Sterling Sharpe.  Favre made his first Pro Bowl, but Sharpe had to retire after the season due to an injury.  The Packers were eliminated in the NFC Divisional Round in 1993 and 1994. 

The next three years are considered the three best of Favre's career. 

In 1995, Favre won the NFL MVP and led the Packers to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1967, which was the end of the Lombardi era.  He set the NFC record for 38 TD passes.  In 1996, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, with Favre winning a 2nd MVP and throwing for 39 TD passes.  In 1997, the Packers lost Super Bowl XXXII, with Favre winning a record 3rd straight MVP (he shared the MVP with Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders) and throwing for 39 TD passes.

The Packers finished 11-5 and lost in the NFC Wild Card in 1998, with Favre having another big year.  In 1999 and 2000, the Packers took a step back, finishing 8-8 and 9-7, missing the postseason both year and Favre's interceptions increased.  The Packers finished strong in 2000 and in 2001; the Packers went 12-4, making it to the NFC Divisional Round.  In 2002, the Packers finished 12-4 again, but lost their first ever home postseason game in the NFC Wild Card.  In 2003, the Packers finished 10-6 and made it to the NFC Divisional Round.  In 2004, the Packers finished 11-5 and were eliminated in the NFC Wild Card. 

In the 2005 NFL Draft, the Packers drafted QB Aaron Rodgers as the heir to Favre's throne.  The bottom fell out in 2005, as the Packers finished 4-12, which was Favre's first losing season.  Favre led the NFL in interceptions that year as many of his key RBs and WRs were injured.  Many thought that Favre's career was done, but he decided to come back.  Favre was criticized for putting off his decision until April.  In 2006, the Packers started out 4-8, but went on to win their last four games to finish 8-8.  Favre once again hinted that he may retire, but the late season momentum was too great.  In 2007, the Packers finished 13-3, losing the NFC Championship Game in OT.  Favre was named to another Pro Bowl.  Favre decided that this was enough and announced his first retirement in March 2008.

Later in the year, Favre decided to come out of retirement, but the Packers decided to move on to Rodgers.  He went on to play three more seasons with the N.Y. Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009-10).  Favre started strong in 2008 before nagging injuries got to him the last five games.  Favre had a Pro Bowl season in 2009 leading the Vikings to the postseason, but he struggled throughout the 2010 season and decided it was time to hang up the cleats for good.  Favre went on to start in 297 games, a record that will probably never be broken at the QB position.

On February 6, 2016, Favre was nominated to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame in his first year of eligibility.  The induction ceremony took placed on August 6 in Canton, with Deanna as the presenter.

Most Memorable Brett Favre Games

The 10 games that I will most remember Brett Favre for:

1. Packers at Oakland Raiders, 12/22/2003 (MNF): Favre's father passed away from a sudden heart attack the day before the game.  Instead of sitting this one out, Favre took his extra emotion out on the Raiders, lighting them up all evening.  I remember Favre running from a DL and heaving up a Hail Mary pass that was caught for a TD.  The Packers won 41-7.

2. Minnesota Vikings at Packers, 11/6/2000 (MNF): In OT, Packers WR Antonio Freeman slipped on the mud, causing Favre's pass to hit Freeman's leg.  The ball then bounced in the air and was caught.  Freeman then managed to stay off his knees, rolling back on to his feet and into the end zone.  The Packers won the game 26-20.  It was one of the greatest plays I ever seen.

3. New England Patriots vs. Packers, 1/26/1997 (Super Bowl XXXI): This was Favre's only Super Bowl win, bringing the Lombardi trophy "home" for the first time since Lombardi coached the team in Jan. 1968.  Favre dived for a TD at the end of the 1st half, but KR Desmond Howard made the biggest plays of the game, returning both a punt and kickoff for a TD.

4. Seattle Seahawks at Packers, 1/12/2008 (NFC Divisional): In what turned out to be Favre's last win, he and RB Ryan Grant helped to lead the Packers back from an early 14-0 deficit.  The heavy snow didn't bother Favre and he had an amazing "jump and twirl" move over a Seahawks defender for a first down.  The Packers won 42-20.

5. Packers at Chicago Bears, 12/31/2006 (SNF): The game was meaningless as far as the 2006 NFL playoff picture went, but it meant a lot from a momentum standpoint.  After the Packers began 4-8, this win allowed them to finish this season 8-8, leading into a strong 2007 season.  Favre became emotional when being interviewed by NBC sideline reporter, Andrea Cramer, after the game.  This led many to believe that Favre had played his last game.  A few weeks later, Favre announced he would return for 2007.

6. Packers at Minnesota Vikings, 12/24/2004: This was a winner take all game for the 2004 NFC North title.  The Packers began the season 1-4 and the Vikings were favored to win this Christmas Eve game.  After trailing 31-24 half way through the 4^th quarter, Favre threw a TD pass to WR Donald Driver to tie the game.  On the following possession, Favre led the Packers down the field again and K Ryan Longwell kicked the game winning field goal.

7. Packers at San Francisco 49ers, Jan. 1996 (NFC Divisional): I don't remember many of the details of this game, but I believe the Packers won 27-13.  After three straight years of NFC Championship games between the 49ers-Cowboys, this game allowed the Packers to break through as an NFC power.

8. Carolina Panthers at Packers, Jan. 1997 (NFC Championship): The Packers won 30-13, winning their first NFC Championship since 1967.  I don't remember much about this game other than the Halas trophy presentation following the game.

9. N.Y. Giants at Packers, 1/20/2008: This turned out to be Favre's last game and the only lost on this list.  Favre and Giants QB Eli Manning fought neck and neck until the end of the game.  After missing two kicks, Giants K Lawrence Tynes made the game winning FG in OT.  It turned out to be his last game in a Packers uniform.

10. San Francisco 49ers at Packers, 10/14/1996 (MNF): Packers WR Robert Brooks suffered a season ending knee injury on their first play from scrimmage.  The Packers trailed at the half, 17-6, but behind a huge game from QB Brett Favre and WR Don Beebe, the Packers take the game to OT.  This game end as Packers K Chris Jacke kicked the game winning field goal. 

Notes:

1. Favre had many other memorable games, but these only include the games that I saw Favre play.

2. I really didn't pay much attention to Favre before late in the 1995 season; therefore I didn't mention any games prior to this point.  Favre's first game in Sept. 1992 was big for pre-Favre Packers fans, but no one else gave a crap about it when it happened.  At the time, I was a casual Browns fan that rooted for QB Bernie Kosar and paid little attention to other teams.  Also, the Packers played two games every season at Milwaukee's County Stadium through 1994.  Favre led a comeback in the last game played there.

3. I remember three of the first four games of the 1999 season being very thrilling.  Favre led come from behind wins in all of those at Lambeau Field.  However, the Packers struggled down the stretch and finished 8-8, which diminished the impact of these games.

Saying Goodbye to the Greatest Generation

Historians and sociologists have defined cultural generations based on various characteristics that define and compare the experiences of their lives to those of other generations.  The first generation to be defined was the Greatest Generation (1900s-27).  This term comes from the idea that this generation had to overcome the “greatest” early life obstacles of any generation in recent memory.  Their lives were shaped by the Great Depression (1929-41) and World War II (1941-45).  Over 80 percent of my grandparents’ generation are defined as members of the Greatest Generation.

In many families, it was the last generation where children often grew up in families with more than five children.  It was also the last generation where children often saw their own siblings die before adulthood.  Grandpa George Muffet, Jr. was one of eight children to George and Helen Muffet that lived to adulthood (three died as children).  Grandma Willa Mae (Cox) Hanshaw-Webster was one of seven children to Marion and Ocie Cox that lived to adulthood (one died as a child).  As adults, they both married and raised their children in houses within walking distance of their parents and siblings.  Mom (Nancy) grew up seeing her paternal Muffet family multiple times a week and the same for Dad (Keith) and his maternal Cox family.

The last surviving sibling of these two grandparents was Aunt Edna (Muffet) Snyder and Uncle Lester Cox.  A lifelong resident of Barberton, I have spent a lot more time with my Muffet family near Barberton than I have with my Cox family near Marion.  I knew Aunt Edna much better than Uncle Lester, but the similarities between their lives, families, and deaths are strikingly similar.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Lester were born in the summer a little more than a year apart (July 1925 and August 1926).  They both had four children (two sons followed by two daughters for each) and had the longest marriage of their siblings.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Lester were both preceded in death by their younger spouse, all their siblings, and several nieces and nephews.  They both lived in their own house and drove well into their 80s.  Aunt Edna and Uncle Lester both defied the lack of longevity that was generally associated with their families.

Aunt Edna was Mom’s last living aunt and Uncle Lester was Dad’s last living uncle.  Aunt Edna was the last living woman in the family to support the WWII effort working in the factory (Barberton B&W).  Women were relied on for this so men like Uncle Lester, the last living WWII (Navy) veteran in the family, could serve out nation in the military.  They were the last two survivors in my family from the Greatest Generation.

I have done a lot of family genealogy, so I have shared various documents with both.  Aunt Edna and I talked face-to-face many times, while Cousin Ginny Buckey-Stewart mostly communicated between Uncle Lester and me.  I knew it was important to hear the memories of these two individuals while they were still around because there would be no one else left from their time to share them once they died.  Aunt Edna outlived all her siblings by 25 years, while Uncle Lester outlived all his siblings by 10 years and all his brothers by 30 years.

Aunt Edna and Uncle Lester both retained a strong memory and good mobility past their 89th birthdays before Father Time got the best of them.  They both had a good Christmas before going downhill at the beginning of the following calendar year.  Aunt Edna died on January 9, 2015 and Uncle Lester died on March 30, 2016.  They both died at 89.5 years of age, give or take several weeks.  The Greatest Generation has now been limited to the memories and legacy left behind by my grandparents, many great-aunts, and many great-uncles.

The Silent Generation (1928-45) gets its name because it “silently” fell between the Greatest Generation and the transformative Baby Boomer Generation (1946-64).  The Silent Generation is now the oldest generation of my family.  Survivors include Uncle David Monsour (Grandma Lillian Muffet’s half-brother), Aunt Helen Cox-Hoodlet (Grandma Webster’s sister-in-law), Dad, and the oldest of Mom’s Muffet-Monsour 1st cousins.  Dad, who will be age 73 on April 10, is now the oldest biological relative in his Cox and Hanshaw families.

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.