Best of 2008

My 2008 highlights:

• Stayed healthy - no injuries or broken bones (yay!)
  
• Gained a niece, Laura-Camille
• Gained an honorary nephew, Will (thank you, Laura!)
• No losses - finally
  
• For the first time in my life I appreciate choosing to read for fun (instead of having to read for work or school). In 2008 I read several books - Thornbirds, Gone With the Wind, Letters from a Civil War Nurse, etc. - I'm a regular at the library
• Trips: Statesville and Drexel, NC to see family; San Antonio to see Caroline; Mountain View to a Google meeting; Las Vegas and San Jose for conferences; Yuma for the holidays
• Started writing for SearchEngineLand.com
• Held lots of (small) dinner parties with friends
• Started riding (a horse named) Gary, after 2 years of ground work
• Cantered DeeDee under saddle albeit unintentionally
  

Some goals for 2009 (this list is flexible and may change as the year progresses):

• Stay healthy - avoid injuries, wear a helmet when I ride, spend plenty of time outside, eat my veggies, etc.
  
• Teach Duke (the horse) a new trick. Maybe fetching.
• Learn to ride Gary in the ring instead of just on the trail
• Take a vacation (which I'm not typically good at)
• Visit family
• Lots of (small) dinner parties with friends

I'm thankful to have made it another year, with my family and friends in good health. Here's to prosperity in 2009!

Christmas in Yuma

One of my friends asked the other day what Christmas is like in the desert. Mostly the same as on the east coast but with (lots of) sand, cactus, and warmer weather.

One night we rode down 55th Street in Yuma, which is known for Christmas lights. One guy even lit up his poodle.

Westerns

I'm in Yuma visting Mom and Dad this week. Dad and I have a tradition of watching western movies (old ones) when I visit. Last night we watched El Dorado with John Wayne.

In light of my week of western movies, here's my favorite Muppets sketch - the Swedish Chef cooks lobster.

Update on 1/25/09 - YouTube pulled down the video because it violated terms of use. I hope at some point this video is made available elsewhere. I love to watch it.