Happy New Year!

"We will open the book.  It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and it's first chapter is New Years Day." ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Here is hoping you and yours find this New Years day happy, healthy, and ready for anything. As I reflect back on 2010, I can honestly say it was an amazing year, with many lessons learned, and new appreciations granted. So many of us look at a years passage as a marker of time, getting older, getting closer to the end. I prefer to look at it more like a road map, with markers showing where we've been. Prior to 2010, and even during a good portion of 2010, I was racing to see how quickly I could get to the end. That all changed for me on 7/30/2010, when I was reminded of what really, truly is important to me. For that, I will always be fond of 2010.

That was the day my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. All though I will always be sad that my daughter and family will have to deal with this horrible disease, it did come with several gifts. I reconnected with several friends, who have been amazingly supportive of my family. A big thank you to Tommy & Elizabeth, Pete & Kristen, Liz, and our #1 Peanut Gallery supporter Barger, for all your support and caring, and for understanding that when we get together, things have changed, and just aren't as easy as they were before, but require planning and understanding. I love you all.

I also fell in love all over with a girl. Again. We tend to maintain a breakneck pace around here, and I had many commitments outside of the house this past year, and for the past several years for that matter. I was away a lot of the day, and my wife, with no fan fare, and little support, just kept this place running, and very well. 2 kids, 3 dogs, a guinea pig, and a full time job on top of all of that. My respect and love for all she does, and for her as a person, is at an all time high. And can I just say that she is gorgeous? And I still get butterflies when she walks into a room. I knew after my daughter's diagnosis, that changes needed to be made. It still took me several months to fully commit, but I am here, and I am present in my own life. Finally.

It was also a year spent reconnecting with family. I'm an only child, from a single mother, so my family has always been very small. Again, through having a hospital stay with my daughter, I realized again, just how important family is. And perhaps even more important, that we don't have to handle all of this on our own. We have a support network, and  I love that. Thank you Mom, for everything you do for us, I love you. And I'm thankful that we are spending more time with Laurie's family, and as tough as this is to say, I'm also glad my sister in law has moved close by, and we get to spend so much time with her, Brian, and that my daughter and son have a cousin Ava that they get to play with often.

And to all my photographer friends and Tri-students. Thank you for all of your support, and for allowing me into your lives. All though I am no longer teaching at Tri, I want you to know I loved every minute of it. I miss it tremendously, but I am hopeful we all get an opportunity to shoot together again. And with that said, perhaps you should pencil in 2/5/11 for one of those chances.

This past month has been the best. I've had lot's of time to connect with friends, family, my wife and kids, and it has been a great way to roll right into 2011. I have also created some images I'm very proud of. I feel I ended this year with my priorities in their proper order. The emphasis on 2011 will be family and health. Having recently quit smoking, I bought some running shoes. Hopefully a few pounds will be shed this year. A huge emphasis will be placed on the constant reminder that I will get there when I get there. And while I'm on my way, a need to remember to sit, enjoy, and participate. Because there is no prize for reaching the end first, but there are many rewards found along the way.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" ~ Mark Twain

Want to keep track of how I'm doing this year? Want to share with me what your 2011 will be filled with? Come join us in our Focused on 2011 flickr group, a 365 group for sharing 1 image a day, every day for a year.  

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot." ~ Michael Altshuler