With 2015 Behind Us and 2016 Ahead - Reflections

Harkonan · Dec 31, 2015

Cheers!

Blind Owl · Dec 31, 2015

2015 in review.
-Bought a house with my wife.
-Spent weeks on combat manoeuvres, operating my tank (Armoured Engineer Vehicle - Badger), breaching the shit out of everything, doing live fire battle runs. Fun as fuck.
-Got pulled off summer leave to head to Northern Saskatchewan to battle forest fires. That was a time and half.
-Spent many moons under the open sky, camping in the mountains with my very pregnant wifey.

23 August 2015. The day my world changed forever. And for the better.
Sarah and I welcomed our son, Connor, into the world. We almost lost or little man immediately after birth, due to an undiagnosed heart defect. After a terrifying day of diagnosing, the doctors finally found the issue. A couple of the scariest days of our lives later, our little dude had open heart surgery. I'm happy to say that he's growing like a sprout now, 4 months old and sucking on boobies like they're going outta style. His father's son. Ha.

Then fall hits, and I start getting really interested in SC. Maybe too interested. One anniversary sale, a long search for an org, and here I find all you beautiful ladies and gents. And what a time. It's been as short time, but it's been a time.

I've enjoyed all the banter, the hilarity, the drunken antics. I can wait to get home and start chatting with y'all on discord, flying with y'all in 2.0/2.1. Thanks for being a funny as fuck group of dudes and dudettes.

Cheers to each and every one of you. Have a great New Year, and all the best moving forward into this leap year. May your cups be full, your smiles genuine, and your flying atrocious.

CosmicTrader · Dec 31, 2015

My past year saw me in another large Org. I made friends there and a very few of us (only 20-30) were active on TeamSpeak, in the forums and enjoyed playing Star Citizen together and having lots of fun. For personal reasons, I found myself leaving that Org. Test Squadron has always been of interest to me and I watched all the SOTS. I decided to join Test Squadron as I believed that it would be an active and fun group of guys and gals. I was not disappointed.

I have now been a member of Test Squadron for 2 months and joining Test Squadron was the best decision that I have made in a very long time. The activity in the Discord voice and text chats has not stopped. I have met many new friends here with the same love of Star Citizen and the desire to interact together actively, sharing knowledge and experiences and helping each other to grow stronger and better as a team.

I am more excited now then ever for 2016 and all that it has waiting for us. Our dream is about to come true and we will be experiencing it together. I am proud of being a TESTie and look forward to playing Star Citizen and SQ42 with all of you.

Black Sunder said:
o Montoya thank you again for starting such a good Org.

And Thank You to the Admins and Mods for such a warm, friendly and helpful greeting into Test Squadron. The membership greeted me with their unique 'warmth' that only a TESTie could appreciate.

Okay, enough of the blabbering, it's Party Time 2016.

A special Thanks to @Seung Ryul for giving me the Bird.
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http://imgur.com/Sg6qK20

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Cheers TEST SQUADRON - VERY BEST SQUADRON.

CosmicTrader · Dec 31, 2015

Blind Owl said:
23 August 2015. The day my world changed forever. And for the better.
Sarah and I welcomed our son, Connor, into the world.

This is the true spirit of TEST SQUADRON.
Welcome aboard Connor.

Blind Owl said:
4 months old and sucking on boobies like they're going outta style. His father's son.

And he has that same satisfied smile. :)

Blind Owl · Dec 31, 2015

CosmicTrader said:
And Thank You to the Admins and Mods for such a warm, friendly and helpful greeting into Test Squadron. The membership greeted me with their unique 'warmth' that only a TESTie could appreciate.

I second this.

CosmicTrader said:
This is the true spirit of TEST SQUADRON.
Welcome aboard Connor.

Thanks brother. He's a little fighter. It'll be a riot when he's old enough to geek out with me. I'm in no rush for him to be there though, lol. I'm loving watching him grow. Its the best thing in the world, being a parent.

CosmicTrader said:
And he has that same satisfied smile. :)

He's grinning like that because he knows he's hijacked my boobs for the foreseeable future. Haha

PhosphorusForFun · Dec 31, 2015

Oh boy for 2015...
Sammy, my second boy is born and his entire 4th month is spent with me at home.
I start going to college, finally (and am getting straight A's).
Bang my head against a wall trying to help state employees retire while making good decisions.
Owen, the eldest boy gets interested in Transformers.
Proceed to spend over $500 in transformers.
Perfect the art of meatball.
Trade-in a beater car for a brand new van.
In-laws emigrate from China to live with us.
Bang my head against the wall for the final 3 months of 2015 dealing with them.
Use a greater majority portion of their money for a 60% downpayment for a big enough house (Closing Jan 7).
Star Wars 7.
Rack up $1080 of investments into a dream (cheap considering its expected lifespan).
Continue membership in best Org/Guild/Clan/Mental-Circle-Jerk in gaming.
Make plans for getting back into fighting shape after moving into a neighborhood I feel safe running in.

Hope all of your ups are as great as mine and your downs are as inconsequential.

Edit: Oh and went through 2 handlebar moustaches until i realized i liked eating my sandwiches without whiskers in them. Huzzah!

PhosphorusForFun · Dec 31, 2015

Blind Owl said:
2015 in review.

23 August 2015. The day my world changed forever. And for the better.
Sarah and I welcomed our son, Connor, into the world. We almost lost or little man immediately after birth, due to an undiagnosed heart defect. After a terrifying day of diagnosing, the doctors finally found the issue. A couple of the scariest days of our lives later, our little dude had open heart surgery. I'm happy to say that he's growing like a sprout now, 4 months old and sucking on boobies like they're going outta style. His father's son. Ha.

Glad to hear he pulled through! Enjoy, and I highly recommend taking at least one picture a day for the next 4 or 5 years at least!

Blind Owl said:
Then fall hits, and I start getting really interested in SC. Maybe too interested. One anniversary sale, a long search for an org, and here I find all you beautiful ladies and gents. And what a time. It's been as short time, but it's been a time.

And glad to have ya! Just remember, there are plenty of stories about objects calling to people, as if it's destiny. The spaceships called you to be their sugar daddy. And it's not our fault they're such big sluts.

Blind Owl · Dec 31, 2015

HighHubris said:
Sammy, my second boy is born and his entire 4th month is spent with me at home.

Congrats. And awesome you got to spend that time together at home. Good on ya.

HighHubris said:
I start going to college, finally (and am getting straight A's).

Straight A's?!? You sure you belong in TEST? Ha. In all seriousness though, congrats again.

HighHubris said:
Make plans for getting back into fighting shape after moving into a neighborhood I feel safe running in

Me too. Time to lose my "pregnancy" weight. Haha

HighHubris said:
Rack up $1080 of investments into a dream (cheap considering its expected lifespan).

I haven't quite broken that barrier yet. But I'm pushing it. Haha. But I've waited so long for this damn game. I can justify it. I really can. Haha

HighHubris said:
Glad to hear he pulled through! Enjoy, and I highly recommend taking at least one picture a day for the next 4 or 5 years at least!

Thanks brother. He's the light if my life now, for sure. And yes, a picture a day, if not more, and videos. It's so amazing watching him learn, and grow, and explore. Too much fun.

HighHubris said:
And glad to have ya! Just remember, there are plenty of stories about objects calling to people, as if it's destiny. The spaceships called you to be their sugar daddy. And it's not our fault they're such big sluts

Refer to my statement about justifying. Haha. When's the next sale? *sigh*. Oh, and its great to be here. The best group. Ever.

Tortilla the Hun · Dec 31, 2015

Tortilla's Year in Review:

Joined TEST Squadron!
Managed to make it through Star Wars: The Force Awakens and hold back a river of nostalgia tears.
Tried my first baked squash. Was okay.
Switched from coffee to tea which helped me sleep but still looking for a good whisky to mix with it.
Hugged a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It was consensual. But neither I nor the desk were particularly satisfied about the ordeal.
Lied about not tearing up during SW:TFA.
Won my second raffle ever, the prize being my P-52 Merlin. Thanks again, @RussianJ!
Witnessed the cutest puppy gif in the history of ever.
And lastly, but not leastly, I survived! (Knock on wood.)

I may have only been among you for the latter half of the year but that was more than enough time to meet some pretty cool people. I wish a Happy New Year and mornings without hangovers for all my fellow TESTies!

chrizz · Dec 31, 2015

For me it's been 2 years now. I never exspected that we grow this much only by having a laid back attitude and providing a cool atmoshpere. But now we know that is all we need.

To TEST and 2016 !

Look what we did: (this is a small voice activity chart of all discord servers)

CosmicTrader · Dec 31, 2015

@chrizz Great Chart. Where did you find it?

Gearen · Dec 31, 2015

This was the year I got into TEST as my main org, and I met a lot of amazing people. Also I participated in a lot of thing and actually won things, like a merlin from @Montoya and a Mustang Beta from the Logo competition that @Black Sunder made.

I got a lot of experiences that made me fell more into the grup that TEST is, and I like that.

Have a happy new year. Star Citizen is waiting for us, and TEST will conquer it.

MzHartz · Dec 31, 2015

Man, this year has been a hell of a ride. I'm out of breath.

My hobby turned semi-pro, and I've grown a lot as a dancer.

I wrote another book. It's not going to see the light of day in it's current state.

The company I work for at my day job got sold and we're still going through the transition of having new owners.

I moved out of the townhouse we'd lived in for 13 years into an actual house, with a yard, and a garage!

2015 was a year of relationships, of people coming in and out of my life, friendships growing stronger, and friendships being made. I've met some great friends here in TEST, some that I think go beyond just playing a game together.

Last December I pledged to Star Citizen, and found out my computer couldn't handle it. So I watched streamers until in April I bought a new computer. And joined TEST. I never thought that would be a life changing decision. I didn't expect to get so close to everyone. I certainly didn't expect that I would be streaming, even if just as a guest. I didn't know that Star Citizen and TEST would become a part of my life instead of just some other game I played when I was bored.

*sniff* I love you guys! Group hug!

Gearen · Dec 31, 2015

MzHartz said:
Man, this year has been a hell of a ride. I'm out of breath.

My hobby turned semi-pro, and I've grown a lot as a dancer.

I wrote another book. It's not going to see the light of day in it's current state.

The company I work for at my day job got sold and we're still going through the transition of having new owners.

I moved out of the townhouse we'd lived in for 13 years into an actual house, with a yard, and a garage!

2015 was a year of relationships, of people coming in and out of my life, friendships growing stronger, and friendships being made. I've met some great friends here in TEST, some that I think go beyond just playing a game together.

Last December I pledged to Star Citizen, and found out my computer couldn't handle it. So I watched streamers until in April I bought a new computer. And joined TEST. I never thought that would be a life changing decision. I didn't expect to get so close to everyone. I certainly didn't expect that I would be streaming, even if just as a guest. I didn't know that Star Citizen and TEST would become a part of my life instead of just some other game I played when I was bored.

*sniff* I love you guys! Group hug!

*Hug MzHartz*

*run*

Blind Owl · Dec 31, 2015

MzHartz said:
I didn't know that Star Citizen and TEST would become a part of my life instead of just some other game I played when I was bored.

Funny how that happens eh? I don't know if it's insidious or awesome. Ha

MzHartz said:
*sniff* I love you guys! Group hug!

Awwww shucks, we love you too. *hug*

GlassCloud · Dec 31, 2015

I am just happy to be here. I have grown up playing various video games, and I missed out on The glory days of Wow and the like. It's good to know that I'll be spending the glory days of Star Citizen right hear. Cheers to you guys and a big thank you to all.

WarrenPeace · Dec 31, 2015

Wow, let's look back at this year...

-Moved into my own apartment for the first time in 2 years

-Survived the water heater catching fire, the AC failing during a Texas summer, the leaking roof, the disintegrated disposal, the failed fridge, and other misadventures

-Built the most boss computer I have ever owned

-Celebrated my 1 year-and-counting anniversary of joining the best group of weird strangers and drunks in the world, who are so cool I like hanging out with them before the game we're all excited about has even come out

Tortilla the Hun said:
Lied about not tearing up during SW:TFA.

Me too, buddy. Me too.

Blind Owl · Dec 31, 2015

Tortilla the Hun said:
Lied about not tearing up during SW:TFA.

WarrenPeace said:
Me too, buddy. Me too.

I think we all did. My wife asked me if I was crying. I wiped my tears and vehemently denied it.

WarrenPeace said:
Survived the water heater catching fire, the AC failing during a Texas summer, the leaking roof, the disintegrated disposal, the failed fridge, and other misadventures

Sounds like life on a TEST vessel. Ha

Tortilla the Hun · Dec 31, 2015

WarrenPeace said:
Me too, buddy. Me too.

Blind Owl said:
I think we all did. My wife asked me if I was crying. I wiped my tears and vehemently denied it.

With 2015 Behind Us and 2016 Ahead - Reflections

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