2017: A Year in Review

2017 was an amazing year. I spent New Year's Eve 2016 working, and celebrated the New Year with my new coworkers at Kenosha Steakhouse in Breckenridge, Colorado. The first week of the new year Breck received 48in of snow in 4 days. I skied some of the best runs of my life. I went to Winter on the Rocks, an annual concert series held at Red Rocks Amphitheater, where I saw Anderson .Paak, Little Dicky, and Zedd. I froze my ass off but had the time of my life.

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Friday, January 13th, 2017 (Thirteen Horseshoes)

I woke up to a phone call from a friend who wanted to hit the slopes. I was exhausted from working the night before but couldn't turn away 8in of fresh powder. We got separated on the first run and I spent an hour trekking through a gully in out of bounds territory. After emerging from the snow-filled quagmire, I traversed across the mountain via black & double-black runs. I took the lift towards the Horseshoe bowl where I cautiously made turns on powder-turned-ice. My ski got caught in the heavy snow and I heard two pops as I summersaulted down the mountain. Ski patrol took me down to the medic center in a toboggan where I was diagnosed with a torn MCL.

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February 16th, 2017 (My Birthday)

After spending two weeks cooped up in my tiny bedroom, I developed acute cabin fever. Unable to ski, work, or walk drove me insane. I was still on crutches but felt well enough to go out and enjoy my birthday by singing karaoke. Performing on stage in front of other people is where I'm the happiest. I spent my birthday surrounded by new friends thinking about how grateful I am to live this life, despite the hardships I endured.

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April 1st, 2017 (Gaper Day)

My physical therapy was going well. I was walking without crutches. Each April Fools there is a big party at Arapahoe Basin (A-Bay) where locals dress up in retro ski gear and get fucked up in the parking lot. I woke up and ate an edible, smoked a bowl, and took some shots. We smoked a joint on the drive over. I got out of the car feeling all types of ways. I hurled immediately after arriving. I never felt more uncomfortable in my entire life. The bathroom stall was the most disgusting 4 walls I had ever been confined to. This was the lowest point in my life.

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April-May 2017 (The Return)

I was healthy enough to start working again. I became the MC for live-band karaoke @ The Motherloaded Tavern. My friends and family came to visit. I skied again. I returned to South Florida to visit home for the first time since moving to Colorado.

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June-July 2017 (An Epic Car-Camping Road-Trip)

Rock climbing for the first time in the Black Hills National Forest

Eating lunch with the presidents at Mount Rushmore

Overlooking the Grand Tetons

Old Faithful erupting in Yellowstone National Park

Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park

PRIDE: San Francisco

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Las Vegas

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August 2017 (The Departure)

I returned to Breckenridge, but only to pack up my belongings and drive to Lake George, NY. Before leaving Colorado I saw a few concerts. Michael Franti & The Dirty Heads @ Redrocks Amphitheater. Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. tour my last night in Colorado. I drove through Omaha, Nebraska before stopping in Chicago.

Go Cubbies (Wrigley Field)

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September 2017 (Going Home)

I left New York following Labor Day weekend. I ate a philly cheesesteak from Pat's and was less than impressed. Hurricane Irma was headed towards my home in Florida so I changed course and stayed with my cousin in Charleston, SC for a week to weather out the storm. After it passed I stopped in Gainesville & Tampa to visit friends and family before finally returning home. I moved back into my dad's house.

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October 2017 (Slowing Down)

This was a slow month. I was adjusting to living back home. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I submitted my application to Fulbright to conduct research in Australia on the Gap Year phenomenon. I made doctor's appointments to figure out why my knee was still bothering me. I went to the beach by myself. I unexpectedly attended iii Points music festival in Miami. I revisited Gainesville for a storytelling conference. I went to my first punk-rock show at Fest.

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November 2017 (Finding my Groove)

I started establishing daily routines to keep me in check. Biking, exercising, meditating, and cooking on a regular basis. Playing poker again. Reading & Writing. Journaling. Reflecting. Visited family in Tampa for FakesGiving. Cooked Thanksgiving with my dad for the first time.

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December 2017 (Home for the Holidays)

The last month of 2017 was filled with blessings. Won a $500 high hand at the casino. Made a deep run in a poker tournament. Won my fantasy football championship. Attended Art Basel Miami. Got a job with B-GREAT, a local non-profit. Saw Hamilton live on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater in NYC. MC'd B-GREAT's open-mic where I won a raffle drawing for a 10-day intensive artist training program in LA (via VocalizeU). Spent Christmas with my family.

On the set of Hamilton @ The Richard Rodgers Theater in NYC

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I'm looking ahead towards 2018 full of promise and hope. 2017 was a really intense year full of amazing experiences...and I think 2018 will be even better. My resolutions are to continue developing myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and professionally. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I'll be writing more on Steem this coming year, so be on the lookout for more of my stories.

Take some time to reflect on your own year. What did you learn? Where did you go? Who do you remember? Then look ahead towards the new year.

What do you want to learn?

Where do you want to go?

Who do you want to be?

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Until Next Time,

Matt Kenny