5 Years Ago Yesterday…

One of my favorite things to do each day is look through my memories on Facebook. It’s nice to be reminded of where you came from, what you’ve gone through and how different you are now.

There are plenty of cringeworthy moments such as 10 years ago when high school me posted “is not lookin forward to tom and thusday.” Thusday sounds like a wonderful day. Someone who I don’t even talk to anymore commented asking why and apparently I was ready to be done with school and listening to annoying teachers and I wasn’t looking forward to sitting through a ceremony. But oh well, the weekend was gonna be fiya at least!

Word. Weird flex Mike, but ok.

If I ever speak like that ever again, I want whoever is reading this to do me a favor and force me to drink bleach.

Just 8 years ago, I became a galactic hero. That’s right. I, Michael Hotard achieved the perfect score on the Buzz Lightyear ride in Magic Kingdom. Get off me.

In all seriousness, it is hilarious to go back and read these things.

Then you get the best moments, the ones you want to cling on to forever. May 18th is a great day for me. It is the day the rest of my life began.

Five years ago yesterday, I popped the question to my best friend…now my wife and mother of our child. Quality day.

I had planned when I was popping the question during my final year of school. I had graduated the day before and knew the graduation party was the time and place. One of the things about me, I love sharing my accomplishments with family and friends. I am all for celebrating my own and my friends big moments. We only get so many. Make them count.

Everyone at that party knew they weren’t there to celebrate my accomplishment of graduating. How she didn’t find out proves either one or two things, she’s absolutely oblivious or I got some good people in my life. I’m going with the latter.

They were there to celebrate myself and Mallisa (assuming she would say yes). Me graduating was in large part to her. She did well in school. I did not, but I made it through. Her success of a 3.8 GPA, 4.0 in her major classes and winning outstanding dietetics student blew my accomplishments out of the water. It took me 5 semesters to become a sophomore. I was part of a dominant Call of Duty squad. I wrecked people in Madden. I developed into a decent basketball player thanks to playing 6 hours per day.

So proposal day is a big deal.

The proposal went exactly as most people who have done this would expect. I had an entire speech planned…but I didn’t give it. Instead I turned into bumbling mess and just asked. I got on a knee which felt like it lasted the entire party. The video itself is pretty cringeworthy. Oh well, I did it and made it through.

I look back and it is truly amazing how much my life has changed.

5 years ago, I wanted nothing more than to be a journalist. I wanted to be in a major market. I wanted to go for it all. That was short-lived. I developed a habit of going home every night due to hating my work life and downing beers until the point of passing out. It was miserable. Read more if you would like by clicking here (Journalism: A Life I am happy I left behind).

Since then, I have switched from journalism to fitness and now running a start-up social media marketing company (Insert Plug: Do Better Social Media) with a guy I didn’t know five years ago who has become one of my best if not my best friend.

Speaking of friends, what a hell of a group I have. These are some of the biggest jerks in the world (you know who you are), but damn I wouldn’t have it any other way. Some have been there since I graduated and others I have found along the way.

At 27, I don’t have much to complain about. I am happy with where I am and hopefully can keep the train rolling to make our hopes and dreams come true. I am either going to do it or die trying.

I still get to enjoy a lot of the same things I did when I was that college freshman getting a 1.2 GPA. I got a wife who allows me to play flag football during the fall on Sundays. I play basketball year round on Mondays. Our team is 4-2 by the way, shoutout to UUUUUUGE BUCKETS. I still get enjoy wrestling parties for PPVs. I still get to drink beer and play video games at night once dad and husbandly duties are fulfilled. I still get to dress like a college student with gym shorts, t-shirts and obnoxious shoes and socks.

While a lot has changed, some things never do.

As for the “non-adult” aspects of my life that I still get the privilege to enjoy, I get to thank the woman I asked to marry me five years ago for that.

You can’t take life too seriously. In the end, none of us are getting out alive anyway.