2009 - A Year in Review

For 365 days we have lived through 2009. During this year many things have taken place and we have accomplished many things. So as we bid 2009 adieu, I thought I would do a brief re-cap of the year! So here is 2009 by the numbers: - Zack and I hiked 236 miles and visited almost every space in Douglas and Jefferson Counties - We climbed 3 fourteeners and one thirteener - I visited 3 foreign countries (Zack visited two) - I donated 15 units of blood and platelets - Zack had one serious anxiety/emotional breakdown - Zack and I took 2 major vacations (Las Vegas/Grand Canyon and France) - For the first time in my life I spent a night in the hospital - Wrote 215 blog entries for this blog - Made countless Facebook entries - some funny, some not so much! - Gained 4 pounds (I am not happy with that one!) - Zack grew at least 2 inches (I am very happy with that one!) Yeah - Zack and I had a good year. It is sad to see another year pass us by, but as always I look to the future with undying optimism and happiness. There is nothing that will keep us down as we have adventures and fun times together. So to all of you who follow this blog - Happy New Year to you! May 2010 bring very good things to you! Thanks and peace to all! ~ J.

Xena - Princess Warrior

Here is where I am going to show my geeky/dorky side. A couple of weeks ago I was browsing around through Amazon.Com and I came across a link to the complete box set of Xena: The Princess Warrior. This box set contained DVDs that had every single episode of Xena: The Princess Warrior on them. You can probably guess what I did. I bought the entire set and now I am just revelling in every single episode of Xena that was ever produced. For anyone who is not familar with Xena I do apologize. Xena was television show produced in the 1990's that followed the tales of the mythical Xena in a fantasy world. She was a powerful warrior who fought for good against evil. It starred Lucy Lawless as Xena and Renee O'Connor as her sidekick Gabrielle.

When Zack was a little kid Xena was a fixture in our household. It was on either Fox or the WB networks and the same episode was aired at least twice during the week. The first airing was on a weekday evening in prime time and then the second airing was at 11:30PM on Saturday night. Needless to say I would always watch it at 11:30PM on Saturday night.

I am sure many of you are thinking that I just like Xena because it starred Lucy Lawless. Well - that really isn't the case. I liked the show and it doesn't have anything to do with Lucy Lawless' looks or the supposed "sexual" overtones in the relationship she has with Gabrielle. Nope, it is just one of those mindless shows that you enjoy. Kind of like a BattleStar Galactica of an earlier generation. (And I am talking about the BattleStar Galactica that aired on the SyFy network from 2004 - 2009, not the campy series by the same name that ran on ABC in the 1970s!) Of course Xena didn't feature cyborgs, spaceships and other out of this world things. But it was a great show that kept me suitably entertained late on Saturday nights.

The downside to my purchase is that Zack just doesnt' seem to be into it. We watched the very first episode of Xena that was produced and he kind of told me - "Dad, this is boring". So I don't see it as a big father/son event for us to sit down and watch Xena every night. Oh well - I will just have to watch it after he goes to bed.

On a different note.... Besides my posting about llama on my blog yesterday I was posted something similar on Facebook. I got all kinds of funny responses to that post. Most were totally and completely in jest. I got lots of good names for my llamas if I want them. Some of the best were Dolly Llama after the Dalai Lama of Tibet. And of course if one of the llama turns out to be an evil master mind terrorist who spits on everyone, I can call him Osama bin Llama. Yes - it was quite the humorous posting that is for sure!

Well it is almost the weekend. I am sure we will have some fun and interesting things to do this weekend and I hope that everyone reading this has some fun plans also. You also have to remember it is only 15 days until Christmas - so you better get shopping if you haven't already done so.

Thanks and peace to all! ~J.

What I Might Get for Christmas

Before Patty got sick, I could always count on finding a lot of presents under the Christmas tree every Christmas morning. Obviously since she is now gone that is definitely not the case as Zack really doesn't get out and buy me any Christmas presents. I have found significant joy in just giving gifts these last couple of years. It is something that has made me feel very good. But this year might be a little different. Why might it be different - because I am considering buying myself two very unusual Christmas presents this year. Or... they might be birthday presents for myself. What are these presents - two Llamas! Yes - that is right two llamas. Now most people reading this blog are probably thinking I am off my rocker. It goes without saying that is absolutely true - but that has nothing to do with me buy llamas! So why would I seriously want to buy two llamas? In many of my past blog entries I have talked about my desire to become a much better nature photographer. The problem with that is you have to carry many pounds worth of equipment far into the back country up very steep hills. That wasn't so much of a problem when I was in my 20's or 30's, but now that I am in my 40's my shoulders have a tough time supporting an 80lb backpack. So - llamas are the answer! They can carry my back packs for me and I can go merrily about my way without breaking my back. Most of my friends think I am joking when I talk about getting llama. My friend Shelly has told me I have a case of llama love. It has even been suggested that I get two llamas so I don't have a lonely llama. Oh my..... I do know that this is quite humorous, but I am seriously considering buying llamas. Now most of you are wondering - where is Jerry going to get a llama? I have done some research and there are several farms here in Colorado that sell llamas. They aren't even that expensive. You can get a good health male that is capable of carrying between 80 - 120 lbs for an inexpensive $500. The next question is what am I going to do with 2 llamas when I am not using them to carry my backpacks for me? My neighbors in Willow Creek do not need to be concerned as I am not going to introduce 2 llamas into my back yard! I have started to investigate various ranchs and farms in which I could board my llama and I have found several in the Parker area. I may not have Mr. and Mrs. Llama at Christmas time, but you can better believe that I will have them by next spring! Thanks and have a llllllllovely llama day tomorrow! ~J.