Happy New Year!

I think most of us will agree this is one year we are glad is over. But, to mirror the optimism of Cub's baseball fans, “Wait 'till next year.” One piece of good news we can count on with the new year is there are only 20 more days of Bush & Cheney!

No major adventures or travels for me this year, just one river trip - a new river for me – the Salt River in Arizona. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it was as I had not been in this part of Arizona before. There weren't many major rapids, but the scenery was unique - you were floating through canyons of very old rock and incredible formations, lined with Saguaro cactus.

I also managed to fit in a couple of races – marathons in Cincinnati and Burlington, VT, and a Half Ironman triathlon outside of Seattle at Lake Stevens. The race in Washington was especially scenic but I was fighting a back spasm the entire way. When I woke up race morning, bent over, and figured I would just go to the start and pick up my bike! Somehow I managed to get into my wet suit and thought at least I'll swim - that might loosen my back. While swimming, I figured I could probably bike since I'd be in the aero position and could support my back. But the course was hilly so every hill really hurt when I stood up to pedal. After over three hours on the bike, my back started to loosen up and I though maybe I could run. The more I ran, the better my back felt. But by the next day, I was back to walking bent over like an old man. Go figure.

This was the year for the dogs – my Springer Spaniels specifically. Eddy tore two ligaments in the knee of one of her rear legs and had surgery in October and is recovering nicely. It has slowed her down but she is still as sassy as ever. Billy is Billy – mellow with his “whatever” attitude. In November, due to a USDA raid on some dirt-bag puppy mills in the Midwest, many foster homes were needed for all the Springer's added to the system, so we accepted Curly into our home. He was a stray who was adopted and then returned as his previous family couldn't handle his energy and kept him in a crate most of the time. Curly fit right in and has a wonderful personality – all he wants to do is run and play or sit in your lap and lick your face. After six weeks with us, he is now off to what will hopefully be his final home. It was very hard to see him go. One of the pitfalls of being a foster home is it is so easy to get attached. Even though the house is now calmer, we miss him.

My business grew a bit this past year. My Vermont event, the Green Mountain Relay, is finally on the map. The participation doubled in size and finally finished in the black. My original event, the Wild West Relay, continued it's success even though out-of-state registrations were down. Fortunately, registrations for next year are doing very well, ahead of 2008, which is surprising considering the economy. But I now think gas prices scared people more than the economic forecast. Or runners are realizing that long distance team relays are a great value when it comes to races. Either way, I am very relieved.

In closing , I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year, that your 401k recovers, and your good health and good fortunes continue.

If you weren't able to see the photos, click here to see this letter on the web.