2009......A year of.....

WoW!  another year in the history book!  I feel a little like a bottle of wine(not to drink, metaphorically speaking), each year that goes by in my life seems to get better and more enjoyable.  Like any good wine, it is enjoyed with friends and the memories are with you for ever!
2009 has a ton of memories and was a year that will likely be remembered as a key moment in my future. I want to record a few of the times and trials that are ones to remember and the ones that will lead me into 2010 which is going to be a banner year!  I have a feeling that it will be one of action and accomplishments and that 2009 set the ball in motion to accomplish the dreams and goals that I have set.
Early in 2009, the year started with a bang as I went out and completed my Development Level Canadian Ski Coach certification.  What a great course it was.  It brought me back to the competitive environment that i enjoyed in ski racing when I was young. It was a week of fast skiing, technical development and 'learning the ropes'.  As a die hard skier, any certifications and courses I can take bring me pleasure, this one was no exception. With this certification I have now moved forward within another stream in the world of skiing and competitive coaching.  Later in the month, the courses continued and I became a certified park and pipe instructor as well.  Now, here is something nuts, a 40 year old guy in a terrain park teaching 15 year olds how to do tricks.  It was a blast to complete, but, I'm not teaching kids how to jump!!!  I like my body parts where they are currently attached!  In the ski world I also had an awesome winter coordinating a Professional Training Series for the Canadian ski instructor Alliance.  I put together a series of 6 events for ski teaching professionals throughout Ontario and it was received with sell out enthusiasm and enjoyed by all.
Professionally 2009 was a satisfying roller coaster of a year!  The first 3 months of the year started with the continued tenure with a company.  As the year started I felt that it was not going so strong so I started to look at opportunities.  Lucky for me i did come up with what seemed to be a great development opportunity in my career.  Very lucky!  The day I received an offer for the new opportunity, half of the company I was working for were packaged due to poor financial results. Lucky for me I dodged an unemployment bullet.  So off  I went to my second job of 2009.  While I was working towards this new job I actually turned down an offer form a company that I had previously worked for, more on that later!
Off I went to get start on my new job.  Within the first week I discovered that my due diligience was lacking.  The company I was working for was managed by idiots.  Not your regular garden variety type of idiots, total 'f'n idiots!  I made my bed so I figured I better sleep in it for a while.  It is not my nature to give up because of adversity, so I pushed ahead.  On the 3 month anniversary I decided I was not going to stick this one out.  Working with morons was not in my list of things to accomplish so I made a decision to get out of there.  Lucky for me the original job offer was still somewhat in the wings.  I called the VP and had a great discussion with him about what had taken place, he told me that he would make a spot of me in the company.  So, by July I was on to my 3rd career change in a year.  I am with the company and moving ahead very well rigth now.  It is a great place to be, it provides me the flexibility of working flex hours which is a perfect fit for the following year of IM training.
One of teh more memorable events of the summer was my bet weekend.  A have a great friend that is a little older than I am. I have kindly called him 'old fart' for a number of years.  In June I weighed in at a comfortable 222lbs I had truly earned the nickname 'fat f*cker' from him.  In my kindest manner after a couple of beers, I suggested to him that he would always continue to get older but, I could lose weight whenever I chose.  HHHmmm!  Sounds like a good bet to me!  There were 5 of us at around the fire that night, the might the bet was born.  Here it goes, if I got under 200 lbs between June 1 and September 1 he had to buy dinner for all of us at a great Toronto restaurant.  The first bet was not enough, another friend said it was fine that I could lose it, but I would not be able to maintain it past December.  What a great night!! I am not a gambler and will only take a sure bet!  Losing 20lbs is something I needed to do and now i had a great incentive.  With my calorie counter, a pair of running shoes I danced off with a big grin an my face to lighten my friends wallets by a few hundred each!  What a good time!
Another big moment was my participation in the Guelph Lake II tri.  Every year my buddy challenges me to do this silly tri.  I always waited to the last minute hoping it would sell out.  The year before I was in the water 26 minutes for 750m, called a rescue boat 3 times, held 2 corner markers and had my wife coach me to the end. Well, this year I decided I might want to actually figure out how to swim.  Rather than doing a month of drills I would add  a couple of lengths in to my training.    So I signed up and headed out to the start of Guelph.  A good race it was, I could actually swim without a lifesaver guard following me.  I got out of the water in 18 minutes and cut my time by 26 minutues overall. I was happier than a clam, I had finished the race in a time i was not embarrassed to look at.  The finish of this race was my big moment in what 2010 has in store.  As I figured out I could swim 750m, I figured 3.8k would not be insurmountable.  After a little thought(and discussion with my wife) I decided I should take IRONMAN off of my bucket list.  I decided IM Wisconsin would be my 2010 A race.  I am looking forward to this as it will be the accomplishment of a dream. The road along will be an awesome experience and one filled with a tremendous opportunity for growth and memories!  I need to thank my friends who bet me.  As a result, I lost weight by running and swimming.  I liked to ride so I did more rides that usual, the net result is IRONMAN was a logical step to move to!  I look forward to this like no other event that I have participated in before!
I have gone on a bit about some of my events that I have done in 2010.  I need to recognize my wife for her unending patience and support.  She is awesome, she supports me and pushes me in all the ridiculous stuff that I do.  Without her I could not complete half of the things that I do and would not be going to to Wisconsin!  Thank you Trish, you are awesome!
After registering, I went on a  little swimming find myself.  I could not survive a IM swimming, so I had to figure that out quickly.  I am happy as Happy could be that I have completed an IM distance swim now and can focus on the whole event rather than only the swim!
As I look ofrward to 2010 I look at it as a year of opportunity and one for a huge change.  I am a believer in living for your dreams, this year is the launch to my life's ambition!  It will be a long journey, but I believe in it and it is time to move forward towards it.  I have the greatest friends and family that anyone could ever ask for.  I am blessed with my health and a comfortable roof over my head.  I have a carer that allows me to grow and become a better person.  With all of the stars line up it is time to move towards 'the impossible'.
I want to end 2009 by thanking all of the people that have supported me and listened to my endless stories.  Those who are behind me as I start a new year of adventures and obsessions.  Thank you to you internet people who inspire me to be stronger faster and get my ass of the couch!  I look forward to 100's of stories and an awesome tatoo to talk about in my 2010 year end!

Happy New Year!