A Look Back At My 2013

I’m curled up on my couch, this cold December 31st, and thought I would share my 2013 with you. I hope you had a wonderful year!TL;DR – 2013 was an incredible year for me. I hope I can look back years from now, and say that 2013 was one of the most important years of my life, and that I made some important decisions that set me on a better path towards the future I want for myself. I’m excited to really get to work in 2014! (See my New Year’s Resolution).

In May, I moved out of my house in Ruston, Louisiana and parked my belongings in Bossier City, Louisiana at my parents’ house (much to their delight, of course). 😉At the end of may, I attended my 15th (I think – I forget how many years its been) Destination Imagination Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee and was asked to serve as one of four Instant Challenge – International Challenge Masters (ICMs) for the next few years. I’m honored and excited to have this opportunity to get more involved with the international program! I believe in DI, and am so proud of the work we do. (SeeLADest.com & DestinationImagination.org) I hope I represent the program and our affiliate well.

In June, I did a bit of home improvement and various woodworking projects for friends, family, and Louisiana Destination Imagination. (Check out TurekBuilt to see more of my work. Much more to come!)On July 3rd, in the middle of cramming for final exams, I recieved a call from family several thousand miles away, and was asked to travel to Ketchikan, Alaska to help with maintenance and restoration on a 70+ year old apartment building, in downtown Ketchikan. I (of course) jumped at the opportunity, and dropped less interesting summer plans to fly out on standby to the Pacific Northwest. I spent the night in Portland, Oregon on July 4th with family members, and made it to Alaska after two days of travel. Upon arriving in Ketchikan, I went straight from the airport to the work site, and spent the next month doing a myriad of tasks such as scraping, brushing, grinding, washing, painting, staining, sanding, hauling, taping, caulking, chatting, singing, whistling, climbing, balancing, and many other things you might imagine someone would do while refinishing an old building. I have yet to write a comprehensive blog post about my time in Alaska, but when I do, I will edit this post to link to it! (Check out my Facebook Albums andInstagram to see some fantastic pictures of my travels and adventures this summer, and to read more).

Once again back in Louisiana, I packed my bags and hit the road for the longest road trip I’ve ever taken (5,278 miles). I drove through the great Southwest, stopping at a few interesting places on my way to California (most notably the Hoover Dam – I’ve already seen the Grand Canyon on a mission trip years ago). Check out my 2013 road trip facebook photo album, and more instagram pictures! I had a blast documenting the journey.

After a few weeks in southern California, I spent a day touring Los Angeles, and then headed up the beautiful west coast on Highway 1, to visit more friends in Sacremento.From there, I drove to Portland, Oregon, to Boise, Idaho, to Salt Lake City, Utah, and back down through Colorado to i40 in New Mexico and Texas, aaaall the way back to the swamplands.

This December, The family got together in Idaho and spent a wonderful, snowy Christmas with each other. We cherish the time we get to spend together, and regret that we live so far apart!Still with me? I hope so! Those were the more interesting highlights of my 2013. As you can see, I made good use of my breaks from school! I have big plans for 2014, and I’m excited to get started in the new year. I wish you and yours all the best. May you have a safe, warm, and happy holiday and new year.

Yours,

Ryan Turek