Last modified: Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:52 AM EST ZUCK: An OK year for me,a bright future for Karen, Aaron On this final weekend of the year it's a good time to pause, take stock, and reflect on the high points, successes, and big events of 2007. For me, the past 365 days included a graduation, a new job, and a new apartment. Of course there was also my increasing debt from school, that horrible weekend with the flu which I'm blaming on that kid who sneezed on me on the bus, and a mysterious and tenacious stain that showed up on my favorite shirt during dinner one evening and refused to go away. Fortunately, 2008 will give me a chance to not only experience some new high points, but also forget about 2007's lows - and bid my poor stained shirt a proper farewell. Some of the personal highs I hope to achieve this coming year include a nice raise with my annual review at work, a long-overdue kickball championship, and a vast improvement in my surfing abilities - mostly through repeated viewings of "Blue Crush" and eating plenty of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. But nobody I know will start off the New Year with a bigger or more immediate bang than my sister Karen. For her, 2007 brought with it a graduation, a new job, and a new apartment just like me (she was always a copycat). But this will all be topped on January fifth when she gets married. As a guy with two younger sisters, I've often been asked if I've had to play the role of the protective older brother and chase away undesirable suitors. As far as Karen is concerned, she has always had the good sense and admirable intuition not to allow any undesirables to come knocking on her door in the first place. Now, according to my research and background checks her choice of future husband seems to be a good one - as far as I know. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Karen's fiancé Aaron and his family during this Christmas holiday. As I entered their home my brotherly instincts kicked in and put me on guard. Would Aaron treat Karen with all the love and respect she deserves, would he open doors for her, and make her laugh, and someday wipe her nose and cut her pot roast for her when she became too old and infirm to do it herself? Despite my worries, it took no time at all for my fears to be allayed. I am thrilled that Karen and Aaron will be spending their lives together and that I am gaining such a wonderful brother-in-law. It also became clear to me this Christmas that Aaron's family has welcomed not just Karen into their fold, but all of Karen's family members - even me. Next Saturday, this wedding will represent the joining together of not only the two wonderful people at the altar, but also their families who will doubtless enjoy one another's company for years to come but will hopefully not sneeze on each other too much. Congratulations, Karen and Aaron! BILL ZUCK has high hopes for this wedding - mostly involving cake. You can reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com.