What a Year

What a year it has been?!?!?

I became a proud father of the cutest little girl on the face of the planet (hence, she looks like her mom).

I completed my first competitive trail run. I completed my first century. I completed my first Ironman.

I changed jobs - definitely for the better!!!!!!!

I found out what my knee cap looks like!

My best friend moved to Nashville.

I ate a Chicago dog in Wrigley field watching the CUBS play!

I was the best man in a wedding with my best buddy from the Marine Corps. Afterwards, my wife and I took our daughter hiking above 10,000 ft! We also took her hiking when she was 8 weeks old. I hope she brags about this someday!

My wife launched a photography business!
I encourage everyone to send her an email for 2009 booking - the calendar is already looking full!!!

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting. ” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fair warning - this might get cheesy! The best part about the year, is all of the great people I met along the way. I definitely hit some deep, dark valleys this year, but the peaks made it worth it. I made a commitment last year this time last year to live my life more passionately - to find out more about my friends and thier passions and how I can help them achieve their goals. I'm not sure if I helped that many people but I know that I know my friends on a deeper level this year and am much better for it. I love my family, my friends, meeting new people, and the adventure in everything we call life. Whether its waking up at 5:00 on Saturday's to go swim, bike, run or staying up all night reading a good book I hope everyone out there is seeking an adventure, challenging themselves and loving everyone around them no-matter the differences. I recently read Bart Yasso's new book: My Life on the Run. He put it this way:

But I'm urging you to take it a step further and test the boundaries of life, not just your physical prowess. You already know the rewards of putting one foot in front of the other. Sure, it's hard at first, but who hasn't looked back and wished they had done it sooner or been baffled that they were ever afraid or hesitant in the first place? moving outward is an act of courage, and in my life, running has also been a vehicle of introduction-to people, places, cultures, and animals. I have run on all seven continents, but it's not the details of the races I recall or the images I project in my slide show at a past dinner. And it's not what's made my life book-worthy. The interesting stuff, the humorous stuff-memorable, life-affirming, and worth-reading stuff-is the meeting of a stranger, the stamp on a passport, the glimpse of a never-before-seen sight, the outlandish adventure.

As I know all of my good friends are contemplating 2009 goals I leave you with this: If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to your mountain, "MOVE!" and it WILL move... and NOTHING will be impossible for YOU! - Matthew 17:20

A Christmas Wish

I'll have a year-end review post coming soon. In the meantime I'll be braving the cold trying to keep the holiday weight off.