Well here we are at the end of another year, and here's my own review of what happened this year in my life.
Epic things
The biggest thing that happened professionally this year was the launch of Epic Web and the Epic Stack. Those required their own post, so I wrote that up separately and you can read all about how that came to be in Launching Epic Web.
This was really a big deal for me!
Conferences
You can find my travel history (and future) on my travel map. In 2023, I spoke at the following conferences:
- Agent Conf in Dornbirn, Austria
- QCon London in London, England
- CityJS London in London, England
- React Miami in Miami, Florida
- Remix Conf in Salt Lake City, Utah
- JSDay Canarias in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
- React Rally in Salt Lake City, Utah
- UtahJS Conf in Salt Lake City, Utah
- React Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Pretty busy year for conferences for me. My wife and I had our 5th child in November though, so I'm easing off a little bit for 2024. I've still got some pretty sweet plans though. Stay tuned.
I want to call out a couple things though.
First, Agent Conf was unbelievable. Aside from the organizer (Guntram) just being a stellar person who put together an amazing event. Skiing in the Alps was unforgettable (though I must say I'm partial to Utah snow).
🎿❄️ Yay! We're hitting the slopes soon! Can't wait to ski down those powdery mountains and enjoy the stunning winter scenery! 😍🏔️ @simona_cotin @jen_ayy_ @kentcdodds @cpojer @mxstbr @alxhnt #AgentConf
I also had a great time at CityJS and really enjoyed spending 6 hours at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child part 1 and 2 back-to-back with my friends Ruben Casas and Adrien Baron.
I'm really excited to see Harry Potter and The Cursed Child 🎭 in London with my friends @Infoxicador and @BaronAdri. It's a 2-part 6 hour play (with a 2 hour break between the parts for dinner). Time to buckle up and experience magic 🪄🧙♂️🧙♀️🧹
As is customary, I rode my onewheel to the airport on my way home from React Miami 😅
Even though I'm no longer at Remix, the Remix team asked me to organize Remix Conf and I had a great time doing that. The Remix community is really special and I love getting together with these folks.
The #RemixConf photographers did a great job! Find the photos of the conference here: 2023 PIctures - Google Drive Thanks for an amazing conference everyone!
I took some time in Amsterdam to explore the Netherlands and it was beautiful!
Personal
The biggest thing that happened in my personal life this year was the birth of my 5th child. I don't post pictures of my kids online, but I will say that I'm very grateful for my wife and kids. They're the best. I'm so grateful my wife and my new son are healthy and happy!
Earlier this year we took our kids to Disneyland for the first time. It was fantastic. My oldest daughter is 11 and she's willing to go on almost all the rides with me (except for Guardians of the Galaxy 😅). We had an awesome time (Rise of the Resistance is incredible).
Random things
I went snowboarding a lot (we had a record breaking winter in Utah).
I also went riding on my onewheel a lot (summer time was beautiful as always).
After a couple years of a break (due to my car wreck), I tried a backflip again. I still got it!
I ran a 10k with my 9 year old son. He's amazing.
My wife made a cake for me in the theme of Epic Web. She's amazing.
I started and beat The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom!
I beat Calamity Ganon (BOTW) last night. I always have mixed feelings when I finish video games. I think back on all the hours and wonder what else I could've done with that time. Then I remember that the reason I play is to relax and it's more engaging than a movie 🎮 👍
I just beat Ganondorf, the Demon King in Tears of the Kingdom. This was great! Much more satisfactory ending boss battle than Breath of the Wild. And it was so much bigger in every way. What an amazing game.
Conclusion
It's cool to look back on 2023 and think of all the good times. I love looking through pictures of the experiences I had with family and friends. The older I get, the more I come to appreciate the relationships I have with other people.
As the world gets somehow even more digital, I'm clinging to these real human relationships harder than ever and I hope you are too. I'm convinced that the greatest happiness is only achieved by cultivating meaningful relationships with other people.
So, onto 2024!
