The Studio

I can hardly believe that 2009 is already one third over. Where on earth did the time go? I've been meaning to write my annual year-end recap for 2008, but before I knew it, it's already May! Ridiculous. I always thought that time would slow down as you got older...that the days would be more drawn out, and that I would find myself sitting at home more often with fewer things to do. Boy, was I wrong.

So, even though I can't remember 2008 with much granularity anymore, here's an attempt at a recap...

2008 was a year of growth, I'd have to say. There were many great things about 2008, but it was also a personally challenging year. The year started off with a bundle of joy, named Taison (tay' son) Khai Clark, being introduced into the world. I have the distinct honor of being Taison's godmother. It totally bums me out that I can't be there to see Taison and Trinhity (Taison's older sister, and also my god-daughter) grow up, but their mommy and daddy do an awesome job of updating their respective blogs with great stories of everyday happenstance at the Clark household.

In April, I went home to Houston to celebrate VASF's 5th Anniversary as well as Taison's baptism. VASF's 5th Anniversary Celebration was an intimate event that was a labor of love for Huy, Christina, and me. It was a truly special event.

On the career front, 2008 was also a significant year, because I was promoted to manager a year earlier than the regular "minimum" schedule. I was really proud of this achievement, but alas great power comes with great responsibility. Haha, j/k, well, about the power part anyways. I have found that since my promotion, I do feel that I have quite a bit more responsibility, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the challenge and almost fear that I'm turning into a bit of a workaholic. =P

I'm not sure if this next tidbit warrants its own paragraph, but also seems wrong to try to bury it in another paragraph or worse, not mention it at all. In the summer of 2008, JG and I started dating, and suffice to say that it's turned out to be more than just a summer romance, but I'm not going to jinx it by saying anything more than that.

So that was the bulk of the good stuff, not counting all the great times spent hanging out with friends, fortifying old friendships and forming new ones.

I mentioned that 2008 was also a personally challenging year, and that was primarily due to the medical issues that I had to work through. When I was home last April, my mom noticed a large bump in my next that I hadn't noticed before. When I felt the bump, it was actually quite large, and by doctors' measurement, it was around the size of a golf ball. It was fairly easy to recognize that this was a thyroid problem, but doctors in both Houston and the Bay Area had a difficult time figuring out the underlying cause of my swollen thyroid. I spent the next 5 month sitting on pins and needles as specialists tried to diagnose the issue. There were countless visits to the doctor's office, and each test seemed to cloud the picture more. Each possible answer brought with it its own emotional roller coaster, such that by the end, I was ready to accept any answer, so long as it was the definitive one.

In September, I underwent surgery to remove the swollen part of my thyroid, and start down the path of what's turned out to be a very quick recovery. My thyroid tumor turned out to be benign and I was even able to keep half of my thyroid which means that I don't have to be on daily meds. So all's well that ends well I guess. There has been a fairly significant change to my metabolism which I'm still adjusting to, and we're continually monitoring my hormone levels, but so far so good.

One of the biggest challenges while dealing with my medical issues was not the actual medicine part, but rather facing my mortality. When you're young, you feel pretty invincible. You know that people get sick and that disease exists, but you never think that it'll happen to you. You're not really prepared to ask yourself the hard questions of "what do you do if...". The other really challenging part of being sick is not being in control. I've always been a driver, so it was extremely hard to accept that there was an aspect of my life that I couldn't manage and that I had to, for the most part, place my future into someone else's hands. Extremely annoying, but I hope that I will be able to carry this lesson forward in life. I suspect that there is a great deal in life that will be out of my control, and hopefully when these things come up, I'll be able to go with the flow.

The most special parts of 2008 were really about the people in it. My relationships continued to deepen with my closest friends, and it has been these relationships that carried me through the tough challenges of 2008. When work and worry drew me to more private and quiet times, my friends were there. When promotion, recovery, and birthdays gave us cause to celebrate, my friends were there (en masse!).

In 2009, several close friends of mine will embark on the next chapter of their lives, and will head out to take on new challenges; I know our friendships will endure because of bonds that we've built. I am optimistic about what 2009 will bring, if only it would stop passing by so quickly!