2018 was a year of INSPIRATION.
Yosemite. Graceland. Mount Rushmore. The Badlands. The West Wing. Israel. I ventured to places I had previously only dreamed of or seen in movies.
My year began by turning 40 years old on January 13. My parents threw me a wonderful party that brought together so many friends and family. As I told my parents, it’s a good thing I live in Orlando as I’m now in the “center” of gravity for both sides of the family, with most of my mom’s family in Putnam County (2 hours north of Orlando) and my dad’s side in Miami-Dade and Broward counties (3-4 hours south of Orlando). I don’t remember the last time so many family members from both sides came together for an occasion, and I’m grateful my 40th birthday could serve to do just that. We had a great time!
And then the next month, I almost died. On I-95. As I wrote about, I was five seconds from death as a suicidal, crazed maniac who had killed his girlfriend, four months after she had their first child, came barreling against traffic and had I not moved one lane over just a few seconds earlier, I’m not sure I would have survived. Luckily, other than he and his girlfriend, no one else died. It made me sad for them, awakened my faith, and strengthened my resolve to be grateful for each day.
And I’m glad I didn’t die that day (naturally), because I had an amazing rest of the year. As a birthday present (redeemed quickly in February, before there might be another chance of me dying), a few of my best and longtime friends in Orlando, Laurie, Eric and Joleen (and their then 6-month old son Connor) took me to dinner and on my first experience on the Orlando Eye, which is a huge ferris wheel modeled on the London Eye. You have to use I-4 to get there, so I was very careful in traffic.
2018 Accomplishments
Before I get to the fun travel stuff below, let me say a few things about some accomplishments in 2018.
I paid off my student loan in July – with my last payment being on July 5th. This made me think I needed to take a special trip on Independence Day – to declare my own independence from debt. I did just that by going to Mount Rushmore (more on that below).
I sold my house in Tallahassee and closed on it in November. I had actually moved out of it in March 2016 when I moved to Orlando, and had two different tenants over that time. But as the market was finally bouncing back up, it came up enough for me to put it on the market – it had been under water since I closed on it (as a brand-new construction) on September 15, 2008.
I started writing weekly for the Orlando Sentinel’s Central Florida 100 Voices page early in 2018. Each Sunday, my commentary appears alongside other local community leaders, with 100 words about something we want to spotlight in the news from the previous week and 100 words with a look ahead. Let’s just say, I wasn’t shy about expressing myself or highlighting what’s missing on the other pages of the paper. I’m grateful the Orlando Sentinel continues to print my words.
I continue to serve on the board of AMIkids Orlando. I’m proud to see their budget grow and more kids being able to be included in their program. There’s only so many spots for the many juvenile offenders in Orange County and this organization helps those kids turn their lives around. This past January, I joined with the Executive Director of the program, the amazing Wanda Walker, along with a few of the top kids in the Orlando program, and helped them walk the halls of the Florida legislature for the annual AMIkids Day at the Capitol. We are in the midst of putting together some local fundraising events and hope to invite all in the Orlando area to join us.
I released 16 new episodes of my Agents of Innovation podcast, bringing it to a grand total of 51 episodes by the end of 2018. I enjoy interviewing the amazing entrepreneurs, philanthropists and artists on my program. This year, the podcast featured interviews with people in New York City, Atlanta, California, and Florida. We also added a new website in early 2018, where everything about the podcast, including a synopsis of each interview, can be found at agentsofinnovation.org. Please consider reviewing the podcast on iTunes, and following it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It helps build an audience and expose it to more people!
I completed my 30-book reading challenge for 2018. 20 books in print, 10 via Audible. 11,725 total pages – about half those pages were read in print; about half listened to via Audible. I reviewed the first 8 books here, the next 7 books from leaders who made ideas stick here, and the final 15 books of 2018 here. I should also note at the beginning of 2018 I cut the cable cord. Good idea. More books, less cable television. Near the end of the year I also took the Twitter app off my iPhone. Another good idea. Less screen time, more book time.
I became a gun owner for the first time in my life. I’ll write more on this later, but the mass shooting in Parkland was the “tipping point” for me. If the police aren’t going to protect us, responsible citizens need to do our civic duty by not only arming and protecting ourselves (and perhaps innocent people, including children around us), but also learning about gun safety and precision. To this end, I also earned my concealed carry permit license by taking an NRA-certified course. Only passing Level 1 of the shooting section of the course was required, but I was able to earn a Level 3 status. I bought a Glock 19, a gun I’m very comfortable with and I went to the gun range at least a half dozen times throughout the latter part of 2018. An armed person needs to be a comfortable and skilled shooter. Hopefully it will never be needed.
Florida Fun
I may have gone all over the world (more on that below) but I had some fun in Florida too. I went to several Orlando City home games, including the home opener and the home closer. They won both of those games, but won very few games in between. These soccer games are incredibly fun to go to but the team continues to disappoint on the field. Better luck in 2019.
I attended the Delray Beach Open professional tennis tournament in February with my friend Jose Romero, seeing Juan Martin DelPotro. The next day I returned to the tournament to sit with my friend Jean-Yves Aubone as we watched a rising American star he is coaching, Reilly Opelka. It was Reilly’s biggest win of his career that day, beating the tournament’s #1 seed and a top 20 player in the world, Jack Sock. Watch out for this guy – he will be playing in the upcoming Australian Open, where he has already secured a spot in the main draw.
I timed this trip to South Florida right as it was when my brother Tony, his wife Ann, and my then-4-month old niece Gabriella were visiting from California. It was her first trip to Florida and it was now my second time seeing her (the previous time being my trip to California when she was two months old).
In February, I also attended a WWII reenactment that my friend and National Review, Inc. board member Rabbi Rob Thomas participates in (I had driven one of his tanks the previous December here in Central Florida). I went to the Villages to see Roger Stone give a speech there and was blown away by the amount of enthusiasm there for Donald Trump (and Stone, for that matter). Later that evening, one of Stone’s advisors, Jacob Engels, invited me to join them for dinner. I had recently seen a documentary on Stone, so that was a neat opportunity. A few months later, I was disgusted by his despicable comments about former First Lady Barbara Bush just a day after Mrs. Bush passed away. But hey, having a meal with a man of interest (including to the FBI) surely was an intriguing opportunity. “Get me Roger Stone” are probably words I’ll never say though – but I do recommend watching the Netflix documentary on him.
I enjoyed partaking in pre-St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigans at the home of my friends Adam and Nikki Guillette in Ponte Vedra Beach – I also got to see so many other friends there and thankful for my friend Rory Diamond for putting me up for the night – and handling all the shenanigans. I had fun attending the Sweet 16 pool party for Kaylee, the daughter of my good friend Laurie Sparks here in Orlando. And, I was happy to be at the wedding of my friend (and former roommate) Jesse Dyer, who was married in late June just outside Atlanta. I used that opportunity, while in Atlanta, to interview Matt Thomas of Brawl for a Cause. I’m inspired by his nonprofit and his recent accomplishment as the world champion of chess-boxing. We’ve become good friends through the podcast connection and I was able to hang out with him on two additional trips to Atlanta later in the year. Brawl On!
In April, my friend Marcel came to visit (again!) from Germany, for what is becoming his annual visit back to Florida. He also visited at the same time my friend Marshall’s girlfriend Sukei was visiting from Italy. Germans, Italians, and Americans! We took a 3-day trip down to Key West and slept on my friend Jamie Quick’s sailboat for two nights. You can read more about our journey to Key West here.
On Labor Day, I went to a Florida Marlins game with my parents, brother Manny, and my friends Jose Romero, and Andres and Ashley Malave.
In October, I attended the Florida gubernatorial debate between Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale – a campus I once attended as an undergrad. This was the one cosponsored by Leadership Florida, and I attended with my friend and LF board member, Lawrence Lyman.
Back in Orlando, my friend Lindsey Demeritt visited in November, to take her 17-month old son Jeremy to Walt Disney World. I met up with them one afternoon at Disney Springs. It just so happened to be Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday!
Movies & Music
Thanks to MoviePass, I saw many films in the theater in 2018. I typically only go to the movies like one or two times per year. But you couldn’t pass up this deal. MoviePass has since failed as they just have too many people using it too often and they haven’t adjusted their business model correctly. But I saw 9 movies through it in the first few months. Speaking of movies, I also attended three different films at the Florida Film Festival. I wrote a post about those films and all the films I saw in the month of April. My favorite movie of the year award will be listed below.
Concerts this year included seeing Jonny Lang twice – once at the House of Blues and the second time at the King Center in Melbourne, both with my friend Eric Smith. I have now seen Jonny Lang at least 23 times in concert – all dating back to 1997. I also saw one of my all-time favorite bands Candlebox as well as a Rock Boat favorite, Gaelic Storm. Both played at the Plaza Live, just a few minutes from my front door here in Orlando. Later in the year, I saw one of my favorite bands, Needtobreathe, at the new Daily’s Plaza venue near downtown Jacksonville, with my friends Ryan Gorham and Kristen Hill (now Gorham!). I also experienced A Perfect Circle at UCF Arena, with my friend Christian Minor. And, I took in a few small local shows, taking Kyana Rubinfeld to see my boys Melodime visiting from DC to play at Will’s Pub, just down the street. And, JD Eicher and Matt Brown played a house show in the fall, out in Clermont. Matthew Fowler and Nicholas Roberts, two local talents who I have had on my podcast this year, also played a local show at the Downtown Credo coffee shop in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando. I was also lucky enough to see my friends, The Currys, perform at Fifth & Thomas, while I was in Tallahassee in November.
I also saw one of my favorite authors, Jordan Peterson, speak live at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando in September, with my friends Manny Farach and Marshall Polston. He is like a prophet this world needs. I later enjoyed reading his book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.
National Review Institute Honors the Legacy of Buckley
My work at National Review Institute (NRI) continued for a second year. I’ve lost track of how many places I’ve gone for NRI this year. My role is one of donor relations and we also have a lot of events for donors. I cover Florida, Texas, and the Southeast USA, but this usually finds me in a few key spots, repetitively. I took six trips to Texas this year, a mix of Dallas (5 times), Houston (3 times), and Austin (2 times).
I was in Chicago twice, including in October for our annual Buckley Prize Dinner, which we move around the country each year. I was also in North Carolina twice (Charlotte and Raleigh), and was in Atlanta three times for work (in addition to that wedding weekend mentioned above), including once to be at the FEECon event in early June, making a connection with my new friend Jorge Jraissati, who had to flee Venezuela as a student activist for freedom. He is now a student at my alma mater, Florida Atlantic University, where he is finishing his MBA while continuing to telling the story of another failed socialist experiment that his turned his native country upside down. That immediately followed the Heritage Resource Bank meeting in Fort Lauderdale. I also went to New York City three times this year, including for the annual NRI holiday party which affords me the opportunity to be in New York during the most wonderful time of the year.
From February through April, NRI held half-day conferences in 8 different cities across the country to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the passing of our legendary founder, William F. Buckley, Jr. I was at five of them: Palm Beach, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. We had many people who knew and worked with Buckley speak on various panels at these conferences, including some historians. But the biggest name we had is the biggest name in radio: Rush Limbaugh, who spoke at the Palm Beach event and was truly fantastic.
In late spring, NRI Fellow Jonah Goldberg released his New York Times bestselling book, Suicide of the West, and he did a whirlwind tour across the country. I shuttled him around to NRI partnership events in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. I also saw him give a keynote address at the annual meeting of the Philadelphia Society (an organization in which I’ve been a proud member since 2007) held this past September in Fort Worth. Later in the fall, NRI Fellow Reihan Salam released his book, Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders. He also did a whirlwind tour across the country and I was with him at NRI book events across Florida as well as in Houston. And, I saw plenty of NRI Fellows Kathryn Jean Lopez and David French, especially towards the latter part of the year, as they spoke at partnership events, college campuses, and other special programs. Our President Lindsay Craig and my NRI Fellow Andrew McCarthy were the first to see me at the airport after that crazy day on I-95. I also wound up seeing them quite a few times around the country, including in Florida.
For the second year in a row, I attended the National Review cruise, as part of my job (hey, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it). This cruise went out of Fort Lauderdale with stops in Key West, Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. This was my first time to Turks & Caicos and the DR, the latter being a new country for me (I am at 19 countries in total now). We had about 300 on board for the National Review contingent – it’s basically a conference on a boat with over 20 speakers (mostly from National Review) and a great opportunity for us to get to know many of our top supporters. I have enjoyed all aspects of my job, but I have to say that one added benefit is the wealth of knowledge I take in listening to so many great speakers and intellects, and having the joy of getting to know them personally.
Advancing Freedom
I finished the year in South Florida, attending the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Winter Gala at Mar-a-Lago on December 20, which coincided with their annual Student Action Summit, which continues to grow each year. It’s now the largest annual event for college conservatives – with over 5,000 in attendance this year. I’ve been there every year and the growth is quite something. The speaking lineup also included some of my favorites: Jordan Peterson, Congressman Dan Crenshaw, and Parkland high school student Kyle Kashuv. This year’s added donor dinner at Mar-a-lago was new and the keynote speaker was none other than Rush Limbaugh. He barely does public speaking events and I was fortunate to hear him speak twice this year, both in Palm Beach, where he lives and broadcasts from.
Before Rush even got on stage, I witnessed TPUSA raise $4 million in the span of five minutes after one donor came up on stage and announced he would match any donations up to $2 million. I don’t think he intended it would happen at that moment, but people started standing up shouting out five and six-figure numbers until they hit the match minutes later. I’ve never seen anything like this.
I continue to offer my advice and support to my friends Charlie Kirk and Joshua Thifault, who are doing an amazing job leading TPUSA – that’s an understatement. Charlie has now become a force who is changing the conversation in this country. I was able to see him multiple times this year, including a speaking event he did earlier in the year at UCF here in Orlando. I remain thoroughly impressed – and more so when I remember he’s only 25 years old and did not go to college. In the last week of December, Charlie asked me to come on board the TPUSA Advisory Board. I actually say no to almost every invitation like this these days, but what they are doing is nothing short of amazing. So, I happily accepted! I guess it was simply time to make my advising official.
Journeys to New Places
As mentioned at the top of this 2018 recap, I went to some amazing places this year and had truly memorable experiences.
I went to Memphis with a group of friends. We were there for a purpose: to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the passing of Martin Luther King, Jr., in the city he was assassinated. While there, I took in all that Memphis has to offer including my first visit to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. MLK and Elvis: perhaps two of the greatest Americans who ever lived. And to think: MLK died at 39 and Elvis at 42. I was right in between that age at the time of this visit this year. You can read more from my experience there in my post, “You’ve Got a Prayer in Memphis,” one of the truly most “American” cities you’ll experience.
In May, I traveled out to Southern California for a long weekend to visit my brother Tony, his wife Ann, and my now 7-month old niece Gabriella. My parents had been staying with my brother for that entire month, as my mom worked remotely from there. We took a long 6-hour drive up to Yosemite National Park for three nights there. You can read all about it in my post, “The Beauty of Yosemite.” It is perhaps one of the most beautiful places these eyes have ever seen.
For the week of Independence Day in July, I first flew into Denver to visit with my best friend from high school, Sean Gross. We had both turned 40 this year (me in January, Sean in June). This was our way to celebrate our 40th birthdays together for the first time. We took in some cigars at a historic hotel in downtown Denver and then rented a karaoke room at this local karaoke bar. We sang our lungs out (well, if you call it singing) to all the great tunes we have listened to together over our 25 years of friendship. My friend Marshall Polston then flew out to Denver to meet me and he and I traveled up, through America the Beautiful, the Amber Waves of Grain of Nebraska, before arriving at Badlands National Park, where we stayed for two nights, including having A Badass Day in the Badlands of South Dakota.
But the climax of our trip was really to partake in An Independence Celebration at America’s Mount Rushmore on July 3rd. What an iconic sight! We also visited the Crazy Horse Memorial, which is still under construction and will be for some time. We continued Celebrating America’s Founding in the Black Hills of South Dakota with stops at Custer State Park, where President Calvin Coolidge stayed during his visits, as well as visiting the Founding Father’s exhibit, where we saw a recreation of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (on Independence Day!) and shot a Revolutionary War era flintlock rifle. We finished the day in the Wild West town of Deadwood and saw fireworks over the “Open Cut” in Lead. I was really impressed with South Dakota. The next day we drove back to Denver, this time going through Wyoming on the way back.
In early August, I went on the Teneo retreat, held in New Mexico. I’ve been a part of this organization for the past decade. A group of “under 40” conservatives and libertarians, most of whom are not in politics or work at think tanks, but are entrepreneurs and movers and shakers in so many professional backgrounds. My view of the organization’s goal is to be formative of the whole person, not just our world view, but help us to be productive, moral citizens who deepen relationships with our families, friends, and one another. This was my first time to New Mexico. With Nebraska, South Dakota, and New Mexico as new states for me this year, I have now been to 47 states – only 3 more to go!
And as much as all these trips would have been enough to make my year, any other year, the best year, this year’s biggest trip was yet to come. A few months earlier, I was invited on a trip to the Holy Land with the Israel Collective, thanks to the nomination by my friend Ryan Nichols. Israel has always been at the very top of the list of places I want to go in the world. I have always just been concerned about the safety of being there, in the heart of conflict-ridden Middle East, in a country that has many enemies. But after the experience there, I can tell you I felt 100% safe at all times. There wasn’t any more to worry about there than virtually anywhere else. The cherry on top was that I was invited on an all-expenses paid trip. The Israel Collective is under the umbrella of a group called Christians United For Israel (CUFI) and they bring Christians in various leadership and positions of influence to the Holy Land each year. I was also grateful they invited my NRI colleagues Jason Wise and Nate Mills to join us as well.
As I was Preparing for the Journey to the Holy Land, I had a lot of thoughts. I was told that I would never read the Bible the same again. And they were right. Since returning, it’s really opened my eyes even more when reading scripture, to be able to envision the places the Hebrew prophets and Jesus Christ walked and taught and suffered for us.
As part of our Welcome to Israel, we landed in Tel Aviv and had dinner in Caesarea. We then spent A Day in Galilee and the Golan Heights, where we went to Magdala, Capernaum (“the town of Jesus” where he lived with Peter), and the Mount of Beatitudes where he gave his Sermon on the Mount. We also went right to Israel’s border with Syria and heard the sounds of war in the distance. On our Welcome to Jerusalem, we were given eyes to the holiest city on the planet, and perhaps the center of history itself. We visited the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the remnants of the Temple of Jerusalem that the Romans sacked in 70 AD.
We then had A Holy Day in Jerusalem, with an early morning mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb (he is not there!), followed by visits to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Yav Gashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum and memorial. Later that evening, before sunset, we visited the holiest site in Judaism, the Western Wall, where I prayed and left prayer requests in the crevices of the wall. This was a very spiritual day and maybe the best day of my life, certainly the holiest day of pilgrimage I’ve ever had. As we were at the Western Wall, it became the Sabbath, and we then visited the home of a Jewish host family for a traditional Shabbat dinner.
The next day, we crossed into Palestinian-controlled territory to spend A Day With Palestinians in Bethlehem and the Dead Sea, where we visited the Shepherds fields, where angels told the humblest of the humble where the Messiah could be found. We then floated in the saltiest sea and the lowest place on earth. I covered myself in mud from the Dead Sea and rode on a camel, because when you’re in the Middle East, you do Middle East things.
The next day we when to Sites of Conflict and Sites of Peace in the Holy City, visiting the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam’s holiest sites, which is situated on the Temple Mount, above the Western Wall. We then were taken on a private tour of Israel’s security fence by the man who built it, before our day concluded with a final tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, walking the Via Dolorosa, the path through which Christ carried his cross.
We concluded our time in Jerusalem and wrapped up our trip in the very modern Tel Aviv during Our Final Days in the State of Israel. I’ll never forget this place. Before I left, I already wanted to go back. But I’ll never forget the group of about 30 fellow Christians I came here with and the other Christians, Jews, and Muslims we talked to and met along the way. This is perhaps the most special place in the world and I will be eternally grateful for the time I spent in Israel and in Jerusalem as we look forward to the New Jerusalem that God has promised for His people.
2018 finished strong and in October I had an opportunity to visit the West Wing of the White House with my friends Marshall Polston and Dan Lesniak. You can’t just sign up for this tour. A friend of mine works there now and was able to hook it up. Once there for a Tuesday night tour, the secret service couldn’t locate our information, which was approved the previous week. Once they got it sorted out, time expired on the tours for the night – and for my friend Kristen Moran, who was going to join us, but that night was the only time that could work for her that week. At least we had a nice dinner with the four of us as well as with my friends Michael and Elinor Werner.
However, the next morning, Dan, Marshall, and I got a special treat: breakfast in the Navy Mess Hall in the West Wing. It’s a special place reserved for officers who work in the White House, and their guests – I was told it’s “the most exclusive restaurant in the world.” My friend there is an officer and he got us in. We sat down for a nice 45-minute breakfast in this fine dining establishment and ate on White House china and silverware. Then, we toured the West Wing between about 8-9am, including a visit to the Oval Office. It was a truly incredible experience. The day after we visited, the Oval Office was visited by Kanye West when he came there as live television captured his conversation with the President. It was surreal watching that play out just over 24 hours after we had been there.
While in DC, Marshall and I also visited the brand-new Museum of the Bible, as well as the National Geographic Museum. The exhibits at both were incredible and should top anyone’s visit to DC museums. At the National Geographic Museum they have a special virtual exhibit of the Tomb of Christ. Through 3-D glasses and a virtual reality head set, it’s like you are walking inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was absolutely surreal considering I was just there two months earlier and Marshall had been there a couple years earlier.
This year’s travels, books, and movies, and the many people who came into my life, were just incredibly linked in so many ways, it’s for sure that God had a hand in guiding me through 2018. “Had a hand” may be a huge understatement.
During the course of the year, as I mentioned, I spent a lot of time in Dallas and Atlanta. I was able to add on some fun things in some small free time I had while there for work. In Dallas, I finally visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library in the spring and in Atlanta, I visited the College Football Hall of Fame, in November. And in Chicago, we had a private tour of the Art Institute of Chicago for our donors, which I got to join (donor relations sure can be fun).
I then spent Thanksgiving at the home of my brother Tony and his wife Ann, in Santa Monica, California. Her in-laws were there, visiting from Oregon, and we had a fantastic time being entertained by my now 13-month old niece, Gabriella. My brother and I also caught a Lakers game that weekend and their opponent just happened to be the Orlando Magic, who beat the Lakers in dramatic fashion. The big deal for us though was seeing “The King,” LeBron James play live – a first for me. While in California, I linked up with my friend Kristen Moran who was visiting her good friend Allison. We had lunch in Korea Town and visited the amazing Getty Museum. I usually see Kristen a lot more than I did in 2018, so it was good to finally get to catch up with her more in October and December.
I spent 5 nights with my parents in the lead up to Christmas Day. During that weekend we also visited my Abuela in Miami along with my Aunt Barbara, cousin Kelly and her husband Anthony, and my second cousin Sydney. I also spent a few hours at the Boca Raton Art Museum with my mother. We were treated to a special exhibit on the Sunshine State. After traveling the world, getting to appreciate local art and culture of the land I love more than any other certainly was appreciated as 2018 came to a conclusion. As my friend Stephen Limbaugh wrote on his twitter feed a few months ago: he was starting to follow more art museums and less politicians. I started doing the same. Perhaps it was a coincidence that in October, November, and December, I visited three amazing art museums in three different parts of the country. Coincidence? Or another act of divine intervention?
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
***
2018 Awards
As I’ve done the past few years, here’s some notable mentions for people and culture I’ve experienced in and around my life.
Favorite Movies
I saw a lot more movies in 2018 than I have in a really long time. At the top of the list is Won’t You Be My Neighbor, a documentary about Fred Rogers who had the children’s show, Mister Rogers Neighborhood for many years. It was a heartwarming film about that is well timed for our age and a good reminder of the values Mr. Rogers taught us about the importance of treating others with respect and being a good neighbor – and also how to better develop children.
Honorable mentions: I also was moved by A Quiet Place as well as by I Can Only Imagine, and was highly entertained by Bohemian Rhapsody and The Mule. All incredible films. Check them out!
Favorite New TV Show
Again, in this category, it’s not necessarily what’s “new” on television, but what’s new to me. I finally dived into The Americans which is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. It’s a fictional show based in a historical time. It’s about two Russian spies who are sent to the United States as young adults. They immerse themselves in society, have a family, and lead normal jobs and somewhat normal lives. But, they lead clandestine lives as spies during the Cold War in the 1980s. I’ve only finished the first three (of six) seasons but look forward to concluding the series this coming year.
Favorite Concert
I didn’t see anyone I hadn’t seen before in 2017, but there’s a reason I’ve seen Jonny Lang 23 times and the concert I saw him at in January at the House of Blues at Disney Springs was nothing short of spectacular. And, on top of that, I learned that he had a 102-degree fever while giving every ounce of his energy. The guy is just incredible and I’ll see him 23 more times if I get the opportunity.
Favorite Books
With my 30-book reading challenge accomplished, a few books come to the top of the list: Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, Jerusalem: A Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore, and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. A few more near the top: The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse. Hope you’ll consider picking up one of these!
Favorite New Places
Israel – there’s just something magical – no, mystical – about the place. The most special place in the history of the world.
Memphis – a truly “American” city with the ghosts of great Americans, like Elvis, MLK, and others
South Dakota – very beautiful place that has amazing sights, including the iconic Mount Rushmore, amazing rock formations, forests, and wonderfully kind people.
National Parks – after experiencing Yosemite and the Badlands, as well as Damajagua National Park in the Dominican Republican, I am convinced we should all have more national parks on our places to go and experience. I’m biased, but America’s national parks are some of the greatest treasures on this planet.
***
Reflecting on 2018; Recharging for 2019!
It’s hard to imagine any year of my life past or future being able to top 2018, but each year is different, each year is its own thing. I enjoy taking the time to reflect on each one at the end of each year – and then recharging the batteries, refreshing the soul, resetting the goals, and looking at each year anew.
I think 2019 will find me running the Disney half-marathon on January 12, going on the Rock Boat in February (after two years away), and being the best man at my brother Manny’s wedding. I have tickets for one concert already: seeing Candlebox (again) in Orlando in March. Then, hitting up Matt Thomas’ next Brawl for a Cause in April in Atlanta, going to DC for the NRI Ideas Summit in March and the Teneo Gala in May, and hopefully (finally) finding my way to Peru – with plans to do so in late June / early July. I’m taking the 30-book reading challenge down a notch to a goal of 24 in 2019. That should allow me, among other things, to catch up on some shows like the last 3 seasons of The Americans.
As much as I think 2019 will be a little less crazy than 2018… it’s already looking like loads of fun. Who knows what – or who – will inspire me next.