Day 5: Sweet Treats...

I tell you one of my all time favorite treats is the See's Candies suckers, especially butterscotch.  Not sure if it's because they taste so good or that they represent fond memories, or maybe both, but I can't seem to get enough of these little gems.  I keep a little mug full of suckers on my desk and they seem to be my go-to crutch when things get stressful at work or I need to satisfy a little sweet tooth, usually after a hard workout.  You'd think that mug would be empty by now. 

To this day I can remember when I had my very first See's butterscotch sucker.  I was in Kindergarten, it was Christmas time and for some reason I was out with my grandmother, Mimi, Christmas shopping.  I was pretty much dressed like Randy in "Christmas Story" and most likely whining about something.  Side note, even at that age I remember stressing about money, not having any to buy gifts.  Sorry, I digress.  Either to be nice or just to plug my pie hole, Mimi plopped a sucker in my mouth and it was like heaven took up residence on my tongue.  I'm sure for the rest of the evening, or until I finished the sucker, I was a complete angel.  As I get closer to the ripe old age of 50, I STILL think of Mimi and Christmas shopping every time I have a butterscotch sucker.  The sucker, like that moment, was and is so sweet and joyful.  You see?  It truly is the simple things in life that we remember and cherish most. 

Now, gimme a sucker??

Day 4: Morning Glory

One thing about living in Colorado, you're always guaranteed to see something spectacular.  Coming home from the gym this morning I was greeted with this vision.  I'll be honest, there was very little I did in terms of edits and enhancements of this photo.  This was all nature's work.  Great way to start the day.  So who knew that these storm clouds would usher in a crappy day.  Life is nothing if not cyclical.  Great days followed by not so great.  Now, the challenge is to see how well I can keep things in perspective and find the good in all things that come my way....

Day 3: Things I learned from my dog...

Last night as I headed off to bed I immediately began to think about having to go back to work the next day. All the stresses I was able to put aside a few weeks ago all came rushing back.  But before I started to get all panic stricken, I started to think of ways I could keep some of this stress in check.  At that moment I happened to look over at my dog, Sophie, lying on the floor. 

Every night, Sophie's normal routine is to hop up on our bed and hang out with us for about 15 minutes.  Eventually she makes her way down to the floor in hopes of finding a nice, cool spot to fall asleep.  We recently rearranged some furniture in our room and Julie's vanity table now resides in the spot where Sophie usually sleeps.  What amazed me about last night was that she still managed to find comfort in a somewhat uncomfortable situation.  With her head crammed in between the wall and the table, she was soon fast asleep.  It occurred to me that I need to find comfort in the uncomfortable situations in my life.  When it comes to work I need to be a bit more adaptable and find some level of peace.  The same could be said for pretty much everything. 

It's no wonder Sophie's my best friend. 

Day 2: The Gauntlet Has Been Tossed...

My trainer, Natalie, has been nudging me for a while to get back up on the horse and run a half marathon.  Up until 2009, when I ran my last marathon, I had spent the previous 17 years running, biking and swimming through 30 marathons, countless 10k's, a dozen or more half marathons, scores of triathlons, a couple Iron distance triathlons, and a 200 mile bike ride through Death Valley.  Eventually my knees and feet said, "Enough!!"  But if you're one of those folks that willingly does distance races, you know you can't stay away from the starting line for too long.  I have to admit that after my last marathon, for the last few years I would still get that itch to lace 'em up and go pound pavement for a few hours.  I'm not about to explain what compels me to do it.  There really are no words that could adequately describe it.  Either you get it or you don't.

So, Natalie, I accept your challenge.  Pick the battlefield and I'll be there.  Bring on the sore knees, blood blisters and lost toe nails.  But once again, victory shall be mine!

"May fortune favor the foolish."

William Shakespeare

Day 1: Let's Get Started...

It's the new year!  Time for new beginnings, new resolutions, setting a new course for your life.  I've got several plans for myself, one of which is this new twist on my blog. For 2012 I plan on daily postings of images and observations of the day.  I can't promise you they will be earth shattering insights or appealing photos but at least they will reflect what's going on at the moment.  I've heard it can be quite challenging to commit to something like this but like in marathons, you never think about the entire 26.2 miles you need to run, just the mile you're running at the moment.  I'm hopeful with all the widgets and gadgets on my computer and iPhone, daily updates won't be too difficult. 

Arapaho Basin

What a day for snow boarding! And an even better day for photography. It was a pretty cold and windy day at A Basin but the snow covered mountains and puffy clouds racing across the sky made for some amazing (and challenging) photo opportunities.

'Tis the season...

... for stressful party preparations and frantic gift giving.  These are the motions we go through each year to demonstrate to others that we are “keeping” Christmas.  But even when all things are said and done, when the last gift if opened and the last morsel of food of the Christmas feast is consumed, each one of use will suffer a little pang of emptiness, a sense of a little something that’s missing.   

As I get older I’m starting to think that the little bit of emptiness we still feel is knowing we missed the mark, the “reason for the season”.  Maybe it’s me but it seems our gift giving is more about impressing rather than expressing.  We race about trying to find the latest electronic gizmo, or that name brand piece of clothing, that one special something that the other person always wanted.  

“Wanted”, maybe that’s the problem.  It’s all about wanting something.  What about needing?   Maybe that’s how we fill that void.  Give someone something they need rather than want.  I can bet you’ll find it much more gratifying, as will they.  But the trick is to know the difference between a want versus a need.  We might want our “toys” but we need something much greater.  Well, to get a jump start on next year’s shopping, here are some gift ideas…

1. Time – take the time to be present with someone.  Your parents, your children, a friend, or even a stranger.
2.  Patience – be slow to react. Allow things to play out before you and keep a balance of your emotions.
3. Encouragement – help someone to discover their own hidden talents and show them their worth.
4.  Love – whether you write, call or visit, let someone know how much you care and that you are a richer person for having them in your life. 

Those are just a few.  I’m sure you can come up with more.  

As Christ was and is God’s gift to us all, may we all be a gift to each other this day and always.  Merry Christmas and God’s blessings to you all.