Happy New Year

I won't soon forget 2008 but I sure am glad to see 2009. 2008 was the hardest year of my life by far and I'm sure Linda would concur. We book-ended the year with Linda's first chemo on January 2, 2008 and a clean mammogram (woohoo) on Dec 31, 2008 (gotta cram in those appointments under 2008 deductibles). We also ended 2008 with 6 days in the most magical place on earth....Disneyworld!


We have been to Disney several times in the past, but this time was particularily special. Next to Christmas, nothing gets Linda jazzed up like a family trip to Disneyworld. We had a really great time. I made a concerted effort to not stress out over the $4 cokes and $100+ meals and just enjoy our time together. I've always been a pretty easy going guy, but my short fuse temper usually gets the best of me. There isn't a better place to test those limits than a capacity crowd at Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day! By and large, I think my new found outlook on life helped me make it one of the most enjoyable family trips we've had.

Linda and I have a 1/2 marathon planned for April and that's our short term goal for 2009. That will give us somewhere healthy to focus our energies. Aside from that, a cancer-free 2009 and beyond would be nice too!

May 2009 bring you peace, love, and contentment.

John