Shibley's 2010

The late college basketball coach Jim Valvano said in his epic ESPY Speech, "If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day."

Well 2010 for has been that kind of year for me. I have had plenty of laughs, done a little bit of crying, and a whole lot of thinking so I would say 2010 has been a pretty full year.

At the beginning I was doing much of what I had done the past few years. Working at the radio station in Virginia Beach and announcing games for my high school. Finally, driving through a snowstorm on my way to getting paid minimum wage at 5 a.m. was a big sign that I needed to do something else.

Big change was on the way for me in June as I made a fateful trip back to Knoxville. In the span of a few months this summer I fell in love, decided to move back to Rocky Top, had songs written about me, got a job with AT&T, and then had my heart broken. So I would say it has been a complete year.

The Shibley family had another great year in 2010 as well. My highlight was seeing my sister in the role of Mimi in the musical "Rent" in Philadelphia. I had a ball making sure all my relatives knew what the show was about so they were not completely shocked the whole show. My mother decided to retire from nursing and has now converted my old room into her new studio.

We had another family reunion, this time in Charleston, South Carolina. It was great seeing everyone again and I look forward to the next one, hopefully in 2012. Also my cousin Andrew got married to his long time girlfriend in November. I was a blast, (and Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt during the reception which was a plus).

So as I look forward to 2011, I feel the best I have since I graduated college. Despite some of the circumstances of my return to Knoxville, this is where I belong right now. I have a solid job with a good company, I work with great people, I found a great new hobby in taking MMA classes, and I believe I have lived up to Valvano's quote.

So while 2010 was a great year, I am really looking forward to 2011. My resolution is to just grow as a person, keep smiling, and it wouldn't hurt me to drop a few pounds.

Happy New Year everyone!