2007 Retrospective (edited for the bloggysphere)

Well, another year come and gone. It seems the years just keep flying by more quickly.

Work has remained good for both of us. cyclistrick continues to work at the startup company he joined a year ago. Things seem to be progressing well there, but we're not planning an early retirement or anything. I left my position at a mid-sized company in Cupertino after nearly five years to take a position at a very large company. Things are going along well there. It should be an exciting 2008 as our team has already undergone a re-org, and I'm assigned now to a very challenging project. I will either sink or swim with this opportunity, so keep your fingers crossed.

Most of our year revolved around my newest avocation - bicycle racing. I joined a team called Velo Girls for 2007 and raced over 20 times. I mostly did road races, but also tried some track and cyclocross racing. cyclistrick came along for many of the adventures and kept the team well-fed and well-photographed during the races. It was a mentally and physically challenging season. I am looking forward to 2008, as I now have improved fitness and a better idea of the kind of races that I enjoy. I will be racing for Velo Girls again in 2008. cyclistrick will also be trying his hand at racing for the first time. It should be fun!

Two highlights of the year were our vacation to Canada and finishing my Master's degree. In June, we went up to the Canadian Rockies for a couple of weeks. We did a lot of hiking, which was a nice change of pace. The only downside was working my cycling fitness back up after our return. Even high-intensity hiking for several hours a day does not equate well to bicycle racing. Darn! In August, I started down the final straightaway with my Master's degree - the e-Portfolio, which is about 100 pages of scholarly writing with links to work products that support 14 different 'competencies' the degree holder should have attained. This work superseded cycling for most of the weekends in the fall. I finally got a sign off on it in early November. Hooray! Cyclistrick again facilitated all my work with lots of help around the house and lots of cooking meals for me. I don't know how I could have survived the year without him.

We managed to get in several visits with the family in Arroyo Grande this year. It is always great to go cycling with my mom and see my dad, aunt Phyllis and Grandma. Grandma moved in with my mom and dad over the summer. That has been a challenging transition for everyone. But, this way she gets adequate care without the need to spend a lot on outside help.

I continued to make my way up to SF most weeks to meet with my women's group. It has been 11 years now since I first connected with these ladies. I cannot measure how valuable it is to have women who know me to the core and who have been in my life for so long. They are a sounding board for every major decision in my life and I trust in their wisdom and counsel. Hopefully, I am able to provide the same for them. The trip is made more palatable by being able to carpool with my friend Ann who moved to Palo Alto this year. Also, we've recently gone to an every-other week schedule, which is more doable.

Well, my hope is that 2008 is a little slower-paced. I even got my library card in the hope that I will be able to read a little more this year. I'll again have a busy cycling season, but plan to keep it a bit more compacted in terms of calendar running time. I'll also be taking on a leadership role with our church to lead a 'communications' team. So, I'll still be pretty busy. But, here's hoping there will be plenty of time to relax with my honey and occasionally share a meal with good friends.

Wishing all of you good health, love and unexpected blessings for 2008,

Chatterbox