(A Recap With Photos and Links of Happening In My Life - December 31, 2010)
2010 is coming to an end and it's time to reflect over the past year. I'm not much of a New Year's resolutions
kind of guy, but I always write down yearly goals and review them throughout the year. Some are too personal to share
in public, but I will say I accomplished seven out of eight goals - not too shabby.
As I've written in previous years, I make this
page for myself because it helps me reflect on important things. Let me be clear:
*THANK YOU* from the bottom of my heart for your friendship!
I can honestly say 2010 was a happier year. God broke through in my life in various ways.
I am less grouchy and gloomy about things, and I've forgiven people more. I laugh more and
go with the flow with whatever life hands my way.
And while my standards for relationships continues to rise,
I've found myself less prone to be offended by people. If you see anything good in my life, my Lord Jesus Christ
gets all the credit.
The adjacent picture includes myself on the railroad tracks
near Nathrop, Colorado during my seven day,
61-mile walk through Chaffee County
in April.
Life is a journey, kind of like those railroad tracks, isn't it? Best wishes to you in all things!
Switching jobs -
Although my employer, immediate boss and co-workers
were quite benevolent to me in my mental health job,
boldly moving on was the best decision I made in the year!
My job was miserable, pressure-filled and underpaying, and over time,
I found myself compromising my values and appalled at a professionalized system meant to help people
that defied so much common sense.
Having said that, I made some nice friends and sincerely miss those I worked with.
As for work, I landed a job with a web design firm that is two miles from my home.
Much of my job is related to Internet marketing.
I help small and large businesses
rank high on search engines, manage social media campaigns for tourism
companies, manage Google adwords campaigns and do copy writing and ghost writing for blogs.
Someday, I look foward to returning to the field of counseling, but only when the time and opportunity is right.
I chose the adjacent photo as a good representation of my old job in
Leadville.
The icicles that formed in the winter in that town were stunning. I love the Colorado flag behind! :)
The Book -
I am still working on my book about my 2008 bike across America trip.
As of December 31, 2010,
I am fairly close to completing a quality third draft.
Then I'll have one more "go round" with freelance editors and others critiquing it. I am so grateful that
I had time and energy in 2010 to work on my book, and anticipate the likelihood that my book will
be available for purchase sometime in 2011.
Biking Across America - This summer,
I started to make tutorial videos
to answer questions that I frequently receive about bicycling across America.
As of this writing, my videos have been watched
15,000+ times, which is an honor. Watch my videos here:
youtube.com/bikeacrossUSA.
Also, I am hopeful to bike across America again in 2011.
I won't share any details right now, but there is good reason to feel optimistic. :)
Chaffee County Walk -
In seven consecutive days in April, I walked the 61-mile distance of Chaffee County, Colorado from north to south.
For the first five days, I walked on the unused railroad tracks.
Going on a long journey by foot on railroad tracks has been something
I've wanted to do for many years. Read all about my trip here:
2010 Chaffee County Walk
Special thanks to Bill Oliver of Salida, who was the only person to walk with me during the journey! :)
More Joy
More Involvement With Church Community - I can't tell you how much my
last counseling job sucked the life out of me. One of the benefits of my job change
was I had more time and energy for spiritual devotion.
I am so grateful to all of my new and old friends at Valley Fellowship Church.
Getting back into a routine of worship, hearing teachings and fellowship was critical to my well-being.
I even participated in the
Bethlehem Marketplace that my church performs every two years. So much fun!
I didn't take many pictures of "church stuff," and so I went looking for
a picture that resembles the happy feelings I have about this topic.
Eventually I found this picture of myself with my dear friend Lisa of
Victor, Colorado, who
visited me one day in March. I love this shot! :)
Moab, Utah -
I started the new year right by spending a four day weekend in Moab, Utah.
It was quite cold and snowy for the high desert of eastern Utah,
but that didn't stop me. Enjoy all of my pages and photos here:
2010 Moab, Utah.
Arkansas - I spent a week in Arkansas in October. Woooo Pig Soouie!
Fantasy Football -
Each year, the ColoradoGuy.com Fantasy Football League gets better. So much fun was had with smack talk and
discussions on Twitter for sure.
My Garbage Cans, powered by Aaron Rodgers, Roddy White and Antonio Gates,
made it to the championship game before losing to Shawn Martin of Topeka, Kansas.
His team, the Flea Flickers are the 2010 world champions! (P.S. I also had Michael Vick as my
back-up QB and had RB2 difficulties all year.)
Champion - Flea Flickers (Shawn)
Manager of the Year - Garbage Cans (Myself)
Newcomer of the Year - Houston Honeys (Arnetta)
Photography - Based on the feedback I receive on my ColoradoGuy.com Facebook page, I am well aware that
the vast majority of my visitors want more and more Colorado scenery photos.
Below are four pages of different seasons and topics for your enjoyment.
