A Year of Change

Mojo’s back legs have been sore for about a week. We’re not sure if he hurt himself at doggie daycare or if he’s just getting old. Most of the time he’s fine but usually in the morning, after sleeping all night, he has a hard time getting up and sometimes lets out a yelp. Then he’ll be fine and be bouncing around. Guess he’ll need to go to the vet, ugh.

Jag has an ortho appointment this morning at 7:10 before basketball at 9. Lori and I are supposed to workout at 7 but I’ve been kicking a cold so am not sure whether or not I’ll make it. We’re slowly purging and packing around here. Some things are getting thrown out while others are being packed into plastic storage containers. I told Lori I have a lot of stuff from Mom’s that even though I don’t know what I’m going to do with, I just can’t throw out. Again, we need a new house, bad!

Still little to no snow up here. This is the latest we can remember in the year that we’ve had this little snow. Maybe this weekend we’ll get a some but the ski area needs feet, not inches, to catch up. It’s so sparse that you can’t even really go skiing yet. These are the times when you can get really hurt by catching a ski on a rock or a tree sticking out of the snow. I’m sure it’ll come (we think??) but again, it’s really late this year. Now the east coast is a different thing. Also cold temps are everywhere, no global warming this year, ha.

Guess I’ll go. Hope the New Year is off to a good start for everyone. Take care, be safe and have a great day, GB.

Time to go to work. There’s only 364 days left in the year, including today. Lots to accomplish. Time to visualize where you want to be on January 1st, 2019, and then devise your plan on how to get there. It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.

Yesterday we let the boys pretty much hang out for most of the day. After the gym, Lori and I decided to drive over to Aspen as everyone was still sleeping at 11 am. I had bought her this pair of boots that were English riding boots but she thought they were too wide at the top and wanted to exchange them. The town and store were packed! Everything was open which was a surprise and parking wasn’t easy to find. Finally after a trip around the block, we found a spot. They know us well and the manager showed Lori a bunch of things that were on sale. In the end, she walked out with a gorgeous pair of grey suede pants and an open grey cashmere sweater that tied in front and made up a great outfit. Turns out Lori is now an extra small!

We made it home around 4 in the afternoon after stopping at the grocery store in Basalt. Aspen is about the same distance away from us as Denver but is a much prettier drive. We love it over there.

This morning, after hitting the gym, Ty, Jack and I will head down to Denver. I need to see an account and we’ll drop Jack at his house after his three day visit. Jag has basketball practice at 9 and is done at 11:30. I hope to be back by 1 so Lori will have to go pick up Jagger when practice is over.

We didn’t actually purge anything yesterday but did develop our plan and decide what to do. There’s no time to waste as between work and purging, we have a lot to do. One good thing is Lori and I are both feeling pretty good about how we feel physically. We’ve been eating pretty clean and working out regularly. It’s amazing how much better we feel when we work out on a regular basis, although I don’t think I’ll ever be an extra small, ha.

It’s 5:36 in the morning right now and time to get moving. Hope everyone feels good about 2018. As I said a few days ago, being optimistic is so much better for you than being pessimistic. Have a great day, a great week, a great year and God Bless.

2018, think about that! It’s hard to believe and is almost surreal. The great thing about the New Year is it’s a new beginning. Probably the most popular “beginning” is all the people who start a new diet or vow to lose some weight as the gym is always packed at the start of the year. We hate that part! If you wait a couple weeks though, most people have given up and the crowds thin out. January 1st is just a date on the calendar that we have decided marks a rebirth or new beginning. Julius Caesar first introduced the modern day calendar in 46 BC but it was in 1582 when the Gregorian calendar that we use today, became the standard. In any case, today is a new beginning or fresh start, so what are you going to do?

Around here, among other long term goals for the year, we’re starting with the big purge. Marie Kondo’s book, “the life-changing magic of tidying up”, which has sold over 2 million copies, is a good place to start. The entire premise of the book is one simple test. You hold something up and ask, “does this spark joy in my life”. If not, you get rid of it. For more info, look up the book or go buy it, but the bottom line is, if it doesn’t bring you happiness, it needs to go!

Now to the day, Lori and I made it to the gym as we like to go everyday. Then we watched some football while the boys did what boys do. Lori probably cooked 6 meals including crab, duck, pasta and meatballs, grilled cheese and tomato soup, pancakes, eggs and bacon and I’m sure a few snacks in between. Ty’s friend is still with us and might stay until tomorrow. Lori and I fell asleep around 10 but woke up just before midnight. We slept on and off for the next few hours as the boys were whooping it up downstairs. They have no problem staying up late!

Of course they’re sleeping now and Lori and I are having our morning coffee getting ready to start the day and the year. There’s no time like now to start whatever you tell yourself you’re going to do. Procrastination is a bad habit.

Looks like we survived 2017 as a World. I remember all the Trump haters saying how the World would end. The stock market was supposed to crash, wrong, Isis was going to expand, wrong, the dollar was going to crash, wrong, there was going to be riots in the streets wrong, people would die without Obama Care, wrong, North Korea was going to set off nuclear bombs, wrong, and much much more. Whether you like the guy or not, if you look at the actual things he’s done, a lot of good for you, me and America has come from his actions in his first year. The one over riding principal has been to shrink government, which he has done. He, and I believe, that people can manage their money, health care, and lives, better than the government can. His constant “tweets” detract from this though as lots of people, including me, don’t like it. I’ve been staying away from politics as I learned I’m not going to change peoples mind no matter what I say, but I just had to point this out. Just so you know, the difference between Republicans and Democrats boils down to one simple thing, Democrats think that Washington or the government knows what best for you and can manage you life, money, health care and more, better than you, and wants to do so through constant regulation and law, while Republicans think you as an individual can do it better than some bureaucracy can. To test this, just ask yourself to name one thing the government has done better than the private sector. If you’re honest, you can’t. Maybe that’ll help. It’s funny how most things come down to one litmus test or one simple question. The problem is people try to complicate every single decision rather than getting to the actual point. Oh well, you all need to decide for yourself.

So, that’s it, it’s been 7 years yesterday that we’ve been doing the blog, or 2,555 days. We hope you all have enjoyed it. I’m planning on printing it out and binding it into a book so we all have it to look back on. I have this great fear that the internet is going to crash and I’m going to lose it all so I’d better get on it. We wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Take care and may God Bless you!

Today is it, the last day of 2017. The funny thing about time that most of us take it for granted. Each and every moment we experience is gone in an instant never to return again. Right now, the past few seconds it took you to read this, is now part of history. Time never stops. Most of us don’t value time until we know we have little to none left. Then of course, every second counts. So, once again, cherish each moment of each hour of each day. To put it in perspective, if you live until you’re 80 years old, that’s 29,200 days. Doesn’t seem like a whole lot now does it. Ok, back to the point, tomorrow is 2018.

Looking back, when we were kids, let’s say for most of us in the 1960’s or 70’s, the year 2000 seemed like some far away time in the future when there would be flying cars and more. In many ways, we’ve evolved even further, and one could argue whether or not life is better or worse. Sure we have many modern conveniences like cell phones (we hate them) the internet, (good and bad) and things like microwaves and more. But if we look back, at least for us, we miss the days of less technology and more human interaction. When was the last time you wrote a letter rather than an email? When did you last go somewhere not connected to the grid, meaning when did you leave your cell phone at home turned off? Most of us don’t even write checks anymore. The point is, we’ve drifted so far from a way of life we all grew up with to one of seeing each other as an image or person that is formed by who it says we are on social media or by what numbers or statistics on some chart say about us. When I was a kid, our dad, who was a banker, would give loans to men based on who they were as a person. He would talk to them and look them in the eye and decide on his own whether or not he thought they were trustworthy. Today it matters not who you are as a person but only what numerous files stored on mega computers say you are. Trust me, this will not end well. Yesterday our govt said they will now scan the face of every citizen who enters the Country. Of course this is all for our own protection. I’ll wind down now but it’s sad to us that our kids haven’t grown up learning to amuse themselves by using their imagination playing outside rather than being sucked into some game and endless screen time on one of the many devices surrounding their lives. Cell phones, computers, video games and more are everywhere. A friend of ours in Denver told me yesterday how he just stopped paying for the cell phones of his 17 and 19 year old boys. Of course this didn’t go well but he said he doesn’t care. He’s sticking to it. We’re that close to doing the same here as the boys phones are attached to their bodies like some new appendage. On top of not experiencing life around you by having your head buried in a screen, every day you read about how radiation or something to do with electronics is bad for you. It’s sort of like smoking. In the 50’s no one knew it was bad for you but decades later we come to find out it causes cancer. I suspect some day they too will say the same about cell phones, and weed and the other so called modern advances and conveniences that are supposed to make our lives better. We’re so quick to embrace any new technological advancement that we ignore the long term consequences of our discoveries. I’ll move on now but the point of all this is, stop and literally smell the roses, take in a sunrise or sunset, read a book, take a walk, walk across the street and talk to a neighbor instead of calling them, mail a letter through the post office, in other words, experience life! When young I asked dad why he read so many books and why he would always read the book before going to see the movie and he told me, “because my own imagination is so much better than what any other mans is that made the movie”. Now movies are great but you get the point. We can’t go back in time so let’s at least try to remember and embrace the good things about our past. I for one think life would be better or at least more balanced. Who knows, the way the World is going someday we many all be living that way anyhow not by choice, hmmm. (sorry for the rant, ha)

Ok, yesterday Lori and I headed down to Denver so she could get her hair done. I dropped her about 11:15 and ran some errands until she was done at 1:30. Then we headed home in a bit of traffic with Ty’s friend Jack who we picked up to come spend a few days with us. Meanwhile the boys hit the slopes. Around 4 we pulled in and much to our surprise, the boys cleaned up the house. We unloaded our groceries and I started some laundry and then we settled in and watched some tv. Guess I should have been outside using my imagination, ha!

Today we’re headed to the gym and then will try to clean the garage and consolidate some of the stuff we have piled around here. Tonight I’m sure we’ll be asleep by 10 but we’ll see. We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve and a healthy and prosperous 2018. God Bless you all the enjoy the last day of 2017 as soon it’ll be gone forever!

There’s only about 40 hours left in 2017, hard to believe. About a year ago we were all excited as we thought 2017 was going to be a good year. Upon reflection, it really wasn’t as good as we had hoped for. I’m not one for looking in the rear view mirror though as I prefer to look out the windshield at what lies ahead. I’m optimistic by nature which sometimes leads to disappointment but it’s better than the alternative of walking around every day with a pessimistic view of life. You know, it’s the glass half full verses half empty thing. In any case, 2018 seems to be setting itself up to be a pretty good year, ha!

After a quick trip to Denver, I took the boys to get their ski passes and then the four of us went to sushi at our new favorite place. It was better and about half the price of Matsu where we always go. What a find. Today it’s one more trip to Big D so Lori can get her hair highlighted. I think the boys are going skiing while we’re gone.

The year ended on a bit of a sour note as I’m off by about $82,474.62 from where I need to be. Hopefully some orders will arrive Tuesday with a 2017 date. Lori wrapped up a week and year of her continuing quest of changing the way things work in her Practice and life. Her job is a lot harder than people understand as is mine. What most people don’t get is sure we have to hit the numbers and revenue, but we also have to manage the people that work for us. This is actually sometimes more difficult that doing our actual jobs which is dealing with customers and bringing in the cash. Both of us have to be psychologists, babysitters, parents and friends to the people who work for us which is taxing and distracting and is a job in itself. Oh well, it is what it is, guess that’s why we get the big bucks, ha.

In the coming year, we both have our own challenges and plans but one things for sure, we’re getting a new house. We absolutely have to move into a place with more room. This place is just too small. right now though, it’s 8 am and we need to be out the door in about 45 minutes to an hour to make Lori’s 10:30 appointment. I did stop by Mom’s yesterday and Tom handled the flood well as I expected a lot worse. There is evidence like buckling floors and some left over water in the basement but he was on it and had people out there stat and limited the damage as best as possible. Lucky he went up when he did.

Time to run, thank you all for all the birthday wishes. We did have a great cake from Blue Moon Bakery in Silverthorne. It was an oreo cake meaning the outside had crushed oreo’s on it and it sure was good. I think Ty had 3 pieces and he’s not a big cake guy! I had some too and now am officially off sugar and am going to try to go a whole year without any at all. Wish me luck. Rest up for New Years Eve but remember, it’s amateur night. We stopped going out on New Years a long time ago with the last time we remember being 12/31/99.

Have a great day and may God watch over and bless you all.

Happy birthday to my handsome husband! This will be a tough day for Doug as Lois always called him at 8:45 a.m. which is the time he was born. We will try to make it a fun day!

Thanks honey, just so you all know, that little bit of looking down to write the above sentences set her neck off, ugh. Anyhow on to the day…

Yesterday Jag was at the hospital by 8:45 and scrubbed up and in the OR soon after. He watched two surgeries and afterwards Dr. Phillipon said how smart Jag was and what a great job he did. He even commented, “he didn’t even sit down”! I guess some Fellows (surgeons in training) sometimes sit down during surgeries. In the first surgery, there was a Fellow from Japan in with them and in the second, one from Brazil. Doctors come from all over to train under the doctors at the Steadman Phillipon Clinic. Jagger described the surgeries to us using words and terms we’ve never heard of. He studied up a bit on the procedure so he had some background before he went in. I guess he enjoyed it as he could have left after the first case. We might end up with a surgeon in the family! Dr. Phillipon said Jagger might end up taking over his job and then Lori replied, “yes he and Mark Jr. (Dr. P’s son who is in school with Jag and headed to Notre Dame next year) might end up as the future of the clinic. We’re proud of him as it would have been much easier to go skating and hang out with his buddies who were all doing fun stuff around town instead of learning about orthopedic surgery.

Meanwhile Ty was purging his room. He did a really good job and could teach his brother a thing or two about cleaning.

Around 10 in the morning when I came out from my morning workout at the gym, I noticed a few missed calls from Tom. When I reached him he was hyped up and I asked what’s wrong and he told me, “Mom’s house is flooded”! Apparently there was water everywhere on both sides of the house. He got off the phone with me and called a disaster relief company right away. They said they could be there within an hour. I guess Mom’s bedroom, living room, the basement and more was flooded. We both couldn’t figure out what happened. It wasn’t until later in the day when Bob, our plumber, showed up, that we found out it was a faulty pilot light switch that just gave out. This meant the heater kicked on but the pilot light didn’t light the furnace, and with the freezing temperatures, the pipes froze and burst. The disaster company had to move stuff out of some rooms and then rip the carpet out as it was soaked. I guess by the afternoon they were pretty much done. I’ll be down today to see the damage. What fun, ugh. As Robin said, thankfully whoever buys the place probably isn’t buying it for the house, but for the land.

Around 3, Ty and I went to get him his new snowboard boots as he needed new ones. After talking with Jason (my buddy from Australia at the shop) I learned Ty needed a new board too as he’d grown out of his old one. So about an hour later we walked out with a new snowboard and boots, with the board being an early birthday present. Ty was really thankful and happy. It was good to have a “Ty Day” as he deserved it. When we took his old board to the consignment shop (where all the boys old stuff goes) we also bought him some new snow pants which he also needed. Today we’ll get both boys their ski passes as we haven’t done that yet either. It’s a wonder we have any money at all, ha.

At 5 I headed into town to get Lori and Jag. We made it home about 5:30 and hang out trying to decompress from the day. I’m making our Hawaii reservations today as I finally found out when Jag returns from China. We’re paying about $1000 extra to get Jag aisle seats up front on that trip as he needs the leg room.

This morning the boys and I are headed down to Denver as I need to go to the distributor and then stop by Mom’s. We also have a ton of dry cleaning to drop off. Yes, we still use the dry cleaner in Denver as the ones up here are 3 times as expensive!

I told Lori maybe we’d buy a house today for my birthday! Wouldn’t that be nice. You see, we live basically in a large closet. 1541 square feet with 2 tall boys and a large dog is just not enough space. I’m sure we won’t buy a house today but we need to figure something out soon as it’s driving us nuts.

Dixie made it home just fine. Glad she came out as it was nice to have her here.

As Lori said up top, Mom would call me every birthday at 8:45 am which is when I was born. Today is probably the toughest day so far form me as far as missing her. Even though you know death is part of life, it doesn’t make it much easier. One thing from all this though is that I now recognize how precious life is and am trying to cherish every moment and day. Oh well, you do what you have to do, and that means keep on moving on!

Take care and God Bless.

Yesterday around 3 in the afternoon Lori and I headed back down to Denver to take Dixie to dinner. Around 5 we made it to Elway’s and had a fun two hour visit before taking her back to Greg and Jae’s. Today at 1, she’ll fly home. We ended up seeing her 5 out of the 6 days she was here which was nice but meant a lot of driving. Oh well, you do what you have to do, ha.

This morning Jagger has to be at the hospital for a 9 am surgery. Don’t worry, he’s not having surgery but observing with Dr. Phillipon who is one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the World. The clinic and research center is not named the Steadman Phillipon Research Center for nothing. We think it’s an annular tear repair which is basically hip surgery. Dr. Phillipon patented this particular “fix” and surgeons from all over the World would do anything to have this opportunity. Jag is lucky as he’ll scrub up and be right in there in the OR watching the whole thing and learning from Dr. P. The surgery is about 4 hours long so it’s a big deal. Jag needs to get up and get moving as he needs to eat a good breakfast, shower and prepare just like a surgeon would. Should be quite the experience.

Both boys still need to clean their rooms, ugh. It was warm here yesterday with temperatures in the 40’s. The slopes are in good shape and there’s lots of people skiing, meaning the hospital is busy. A few days until New Years and 2018. Hard to believe as I can vividly remember December 31st, 1999 and being with Lori on a beach in Seattle. Lots has happened in the 17 years we’ve been together. We’re planning some big changes next year so stand by!

For me, I still need to get about $500,000 worth of purchase orders in over the next 48 hours to close the year. I should (hope) be pretty well set but you never know. There’s always this end of the year pressure to get things in.

I’m sore from working out yesterday. I’ve decided I’m going to try to go all of 2018 with zero sugar. The only exception will be fruit. Last night they brought me their famous homemade Ding Dong at Elway’s as Dixie told them it was my birthday. I let Dix and Lori eat it though as like I said yesterday, I’m back on my program. I’m pretty good about sticking to my commitments once I decide to do something. So if I tell myself no sugar, that means no sugar with no exception. Lori said it’s not 2018 yet but I had already decided, so no sugar! Sugar is so bad for you anyhow, and it is a drug, no matter what anyone tells you.

Time to run so we can get moving. I think I’ll take Mojo on a big hike today. We gave him a chew on Tuesday I think Aunt Ali gave us for him that he chowed down and gave him an upset stomach. He’s had diarrhea for a few days and is plugged up. No more chews for him and his sensitive stomach! We should know better, ha. He’s getting old and you can tell. Like most people that get old though, he still thinks he’s young, ha!

Rest up as it’s going to be a big year! Hope all is well with everyone, take care and God Bless.

We were up by 6:15 and out the door of our hotel by 8:20. Ten minutes later we were in the mall exchanging a few items and getting Dixie’s watch sized. A few hours after that we were at lunch with her at a 50’s style diner which turned out not to be very good. In any case, we had a nice visit.

Then around 1, we headed for home. It was 17 degrees when we left Denver and 40 at home in Vail! We dropped the boys in town to meet up with Warner and then headed home to unload all the stuff by ourselves. Once I had everything inside, I was off to get Mojo.

By 4 pm  I was helping Lori put things away and then we hit the tree. 90 minutes later, we had “de-Christmased” the house as we always do on the 26th. We like to get a jump on the New Year, plus with both of us working, we need to get things cleaned up as soon as possible. It’s sort of our tradition to put things away the day after.

Finally around 7 after 4 or 5 loads of laundry, we sat down to watch a movie. At 9:30 I headed into town to get the boys who had went to the new Star Wars movie after ice skating and hanging out in town. This morning Lori and I are headed to the gym and back on our program after 36 hours of eating whatever we wanted.

Lori will then work half a day and so will I before heading back down to Denver to have dinner with Dixie who leaves tomorrow. After much discussion, it looks like she’ll stay in California at least for the time being. The altitude here is not good for her plus she has a better support system there. We’ll see what happens.

It’s 6:05 now so time to get ready for the gym. We’re with our trainer this morning who is pretty tough. Both boys undoubtedly will be sleeping when we get home a bit after 8. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and that you received all that you hoped for. Tom and Ali probably still have presents to open. That’s how they roll, ha.

Take care, have a great day and get ready for 2018, God Bless!

Yesterday we were up early and on our way by 10 am. By noon we picked up Grandma and headed to Tom and Ali’s. Soon after we arrived Shelly made it and then their friend John. For the next few hours we did our best to have a family Christmas that for the first time, was not at Moms. In the end I gave Tommy a hug and told him Mom would have been proud. We all had fun opening presents, laughing, and hanging out together. Still though, of course, it just wasn’t the same. I remembered though, as Mom always said, you do what you have to do, and so we did.

Lori, Grandma, the boys and I left about 4:30 and headed for the Marriott in Cherry Creek. I booked a couple of rooms so we could spend the night. We made it down by about 5 and checked in and then went to dinner downstairs. The food was so so but we visited and then Lori and I took Dixie back to Greg and Jae’s.

By 8 pm we were back in our room and soon after in bed. The boys were tired and we ordered them some more food and left them on their own.

We woke at 6 and headed up to the Concierge Floor (I’m a Gold Marriott guy, ha) for some coffee and breakfast. The stores open at 8 so we’ll head over across the street to the mall and exchange a few things. Then we’ll go see Grandma before heading up the hill.

It was a nice Christmas although sad with Mom gone. There’s nothing that can replace Mom, so I/m trying to just have her “live on” in spirit and in my memory. It must have been a dozen times yesterday I thought of her. Somebody would say something or sit a certain way or a song would come on the radio, that would make me think of her. We all miss her so much and wish she was here but of course she’s not. I’m sure it’ll take time but life will never be the same. The one thing I’ve come to realize is how precious life is and how one absolutely must take the time to cherish each day, spend time with family, don’t sweat the small stuff and tell those you love, that you love them. Not much else matters.

Have a great day, rest up for New Years, and remember, my birthday is on the 29th, ha. God Bless and we love you all.

It’s here! Christmas morning! Lori is up and showered while Jag and I are sitting by the tree watching the movie the Christmas Story. Lori just went upstairs to get Ty. We have lots of snow outside but should be fine to get down in a few hours. The boys are anxious to get into the plethora of presents that have surrounded our tree. Now in our defense, many were brought by Santa Claus!

Last night we had our annual Christmas Eve dinner at our favorite French restaurant, Vintage. We ate too much and spent the hour following moaning and groaning due to our indulgence. We know the sommelier who makes sure we are always well taken care of. We went early and were done by 7 and then dropped some wine and presents at our friends hotel as they were arriving later that evening from Washington D.C. They used to live here (remember Warner and Harmond) and are here for the holidays.

Finally a little after 9, Lori and I went to bed. The boys were up until about midnight hanging out together. It’s snowing and blowing out but we’ll hit the road in a few hours after the sun comes up. Right now the tunnel is closed but it should open after the plows get to it. We plan to get to Grandma by about 11:30 and Tom and Ali’s by 1. We’re packing a bag in case we can’t get back up!

So, Merry Christmas, we wish you all health, happiness and joy on this holy day. It’s a day of celebration but also one of sadness as Mom is not here to celebrate with us. We all miss her so much and she always told me that the holidays are the toughest to get through when a loved one is gone. Of course, as usual, she was right, ha. I wonder what Christmas is like in heaven, I’m sure it’s glorious with everything just perfect. Well, I know she’s watching us all and with each of us in spirit.

May God Bless you and your family and may you have a Merry Christmas. We wish we could be together with all of you and love you all very much! Remember, Believe!