2025 is coming to a close. Wow what a year it has been. So for this article, instead of doing my weekly wednesday column, I am going to do a quick recap of the year and the lessons I have learned along the way.
Since my divorce, I always set out to make every year better than the last. Let’s just say after a rocky start, my 20’s are sure roaring!
So grab a cup of coffee and here we go!!!
JANUARY
After re-aggravating a back injury during Christmas, I started off the new year never taking for granted a strong healthy back again. My one year anniversary arrived on January 7, and of course I went all out for my now fiancee!
My band Great Northern Railway got to play a really cool three-night show called “Country All Stars” in Fort St. John, where I got to sing George Strait and Garth Brooks songs! I read Mark Messier’s memoir “No One Wins Alone.”
But the biggest thing to happen was finding out my son Theo was on the way!
FEBRUARY
In the shortest month, I was in bliss. I was going to become a father, so I spent a lot of time enjoying what I already had. Spent a lot of times with my dogs, my fiancee, and my step daughter.
I went to see one of my favourite movies of the year “Companion” starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. Highly recommend the film if you haven’t seen it, and you should go in blind not knowing the plot. Great social commentary on gender politics.
I hit my first big sober milestone with six months of sobriety!! My fiancee got me into the reality show “Love Is Blind” somehow, and I got to watch my boy Connor McDavid propel Team Canada to victory at the Four Nations Faceoff. I screamed so loud in celebration that I woke a pregnant Tori up, prompting her to say I better hone that volume in before a baby is in the house…
MARCH
Finally we got to announce our pregnancy!!! I learned how to keep a secret. It was so exciting I couldn’t wait much longer than six weeks. I bought my cousins (who I consider to be like my brothers) “Uncle Mugs,” and finally got to see my Dad’s face when he learned he was going to be a Grandpa!!!
I re-read “The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck” by Mark Manson, and got to spend some quality time with my Dad, building a deck for his Camper!
APRIL
I reached out to a younger cousin who I hadn’t spent a lot of time with lately. I was shocked to see him in a bar the year prior and through small talk found out he lived pretty close to me, so we became Squash buddies. He has still not been able to defeat me in a series yet hahaha.
Baby bump was starting to become a lot more noticeable, and the playoffs began for my Edmonton Oilers. A second straight year the Oilers made a run to the Stanley Cup Final.
I finally got to read Jurassic Park, the novel (obviously), and it was my first attempt at getting into reading fiction!
MAY
My band Great Northern Railway made our debut at the Great Northern Casino, a gig we had been longing for ever since I became a member! I was able to get my stepdaughter Ava into Disc Golf, and we went at least four times in this month! We also finally told her she was going to have a baby brother!
Yes that’s right, we found out the gender of our baby! So that meant we got to pick a shade of blue to finally paint the baby’s room!
I also got one of the best gigs of my life for my solo act! I was the main attraction at the Stompede! Huge crowd, posters with my name on it. My niece even saw the poster and got so excited to see her Uncle Trin seeming famous. I miss gigs like that. Bring me back Wildhorse Casino & Lounge!
JUNE
The summer weather is here to stay (yes in Alberta we have to wait until June to officially declare this). I had a close call at work, dropping a metal sheet on my foot. Thank God for metatarsals, I walked away with only a bruise.
Some fun work milestones happened as I got to do some carpentry work building pallets. The worst part of watching my Edmonton Oilers happened this month however, as they once again fell short of the ultimate goal, losing in six games to the Florida Panthers. My playoff beard was in full force, but I finally got to shave!
My beautiful baby cousin Jayde got married and I was her emcee. I love public speaking so much! On her wedding day I celebrated 10 months of sobriety!
Activities were abundant as disc golf was in full force and cat yoga was a thing. Almost added an orange critter to our household, but bylaw would not allow it!
JULY
Kicked off the month watching my cousin Aaron Goodvin perform the Canada Day parade in Grande Prairie. My poor fiancee withstood abysmal +30 degrees celsius heat while being 7 months pregnant.
Went and worked a day with my good buddies Konnard and Lindsay Donaghy fencing. Fencing was my summer job the previous two summers, and I got to help out once this summer! Learning that skill was one of my greatest accomplishments. Looking for a fence this summer?? Check out Chaos Fencing!
My stepdaughter Ava beat me in a round of disc golf (she does get an extra shot every hole, fyi) and I had to learn a lesson of humility. I’m a competitive guy!
My mother-in-law to be finally got to see my band Great Northern Railway perform live at the Energetic County Fair in Fort St. John, where we were an opening act for Johnny Reid. We also got to meet Paulette Caulson from Highway 101!
AUGUST
For the first time in my life, I unfortunately missed my family reunion in the Pine Pass, BC. With baby on the way soon, I didn’t want to risk being out of service in case anything went wrong.
One of my greatest accomplishments happened, and I reached the pinnacle of one year sober! The bronze sobriety coin was mine!
I also got to indulge in one of the greatest television adventures I’ve ever seen. I’m a HUGE Dexter fan, and when Dexter: Resurrection started airing, I didn’t care what price the streaming service was, I had to watch! Absolute cinema!
Another wedding came around, and I got to watch my good buddy Jordan marry the love of his life Taylor! It was also the last weekend Tori and I had out before Theo arrived! Got to hang out with a bunch of my old friends from the Falher area, and had an absolute blast!
SEPTEMBER
The month that changed my entire life. Theo James Cass Potratz came into the world at 12:49 am on September 7, 2025, weighing 8lbs and 14oz!
From the moment he showed up, life has been bliss. Yes, there have been sleepless nights, but every single moment just reminds me of how incredible and amazing life is.
I had three weeks off of work, and we barely left the house. Our family unit grew by one, and underneath our roof, we have everything we could ever dream of.
My cousin Tyson FINALLY became a married man, after ten years with his now wife Matthia. Ty has been like a big brother to me our whole lives, and he now has seven years of sobriety himself! Standing up there for him was an honour. Plus, how good do we look as cowboys?
OCTOBER
Hockey is back baby! I need to remind myself that no matter how exciting the beginning of the season is, I should watch sparingly. My Edmonton Oilers do not care much for playing good hockey in the first two months of the season.
With every new beginning, some stories end, and this was the month I had to say goodbye to one of the best dogs ever. My father’s baby girl Daisy passed away. She was 15-years-old, so she had a good long life, but if you love dogs, you know that is never enough.
It’s fitting she passed away during hockey season, because when she was a puppy, I taught her how to play. I’d stickhandle a tennis ball and she would try to take it from me. Even in her old age, if I picked up a stick, she was so excited. Her legs were giving out on her, but she would muster up all she had to play.
Since September brought a huge life changing moment, I doubled down in October. Tori does not like to be the centre of attention one bit, so instead of proposing to her the way I intended (in front of everybody during Theo’s baby shower) I popped the question before we left.
Everything I ever wanted became reality in that moment. Family man.
NOVEMBER
The winter started coming back with an absolute vengeance, snow piles we hadn’t seen in 90 years, but of course I had to write about how much I loved shovelling.
That reminds me, it is during this month that I realized my true passion for starting this blog.
I knew I was on the right track when I found myself marvelling at the simple things. Going to watch my best friend’s kid play hockey and catching up in between plays, I found fulfillment in friendship. Having my stepdaughter call me her role model, i found fulfillment in being an inspiration. Goofing around with my fiancee and son in the kitchen, I found fulfillment in togetherness.
My day job made me come home grumpy more than a few times so I know I ain’t perfect. But the love of my life is always there to remind me of the lessons I am trying to teach. I’m just trying to walk the walk after talking the talk.
DECEMBER
And that brings us to now. The excitement of spending this year’s holidays with joy. The holidays used to be a time of sadness for me. I missed my family unit. I loved Christmas as a kid when I got to spend it with my mother and my sister. It’s been something I have been missing for too long.
This year, my son’s first Christmas, we got to spend it with family. Both sides. I am so grateful I have two sides of a family to share it with.
This journey is only just beginning, but I am beyond ecstatic for what 2026 is going to bring.
BRING ON 2026
A new year brings with it new opportunities. I don’t believe in making new year resolutions, because I don’t need a calendar to tell me when to make changes.
I plan on continuing my personal growth to become a better man every single day. I plan on helping others more, making new friends, and getting healthier eating habits.
For this blog, the new year means 159 new articles will be written. I am also setting a goal to have an outline for my book completed. Video and audio content will also soon be available.
My challenge to all my readers is that you strive to be the best version of yourself every single day. I can’t hold your hand through it. Nobody can. Just you. Nobody is gonna save you directly, so do the work! Life is beautiful when you let it be.
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