My Top Eight Stories of 2010

I wanted to post this a week ago but I couldn't get to it until today.  Maybe I should resolve not to do things at the last minute in 2011.  Anyhow, here are my personal best stories from 2011.

Number 8 - Our Last Daughter in the House Started Driving -  This is cool because it signals the beginning of the end.  We are unchained from the responsibility of being personal chauffeurs, meaning she can drive herself to school, work or the mall.  Lots more time for me and Mom.

Number 7 - The Release of the 33 Chilean Miners - That was cool to see those men extracted in a pod from half a mile in the earth after 70 days underground. 

Number 6 - Rappelling in Southern Utah - We went camping this summer and my nephew brought rappelling gear.  We saddled up some ropes on top of a fin and I put on all the gear.  I was a little nervous, I had trouble completing the rock climbing wall at REI one year.  I pushed off backwards and slowly made my way down the slope, about 60 feet to the ground.  It was so fun I did it again. 

Number 5 - Elk Hunt - This year I went Elk Hunting and shot an Elk.  I cleaned it.  This was a far more spiritual experience than I was expecting.  I had a moment of connection to the animal, the land and some longing for a lost art; that of providing your own food.  I felt grounded and connected to the earth that day.

Number 4 - Volunteering at the TOU - We volunteered for the Tour of Utah this year, as we did last year.  We helped at three events and for one we got to follow the day's winner to the doping trailer.  We were in the thick of it, much more than a spectator.  I have found that volunteering for events like this make a much more satisfying experience than paying for a ticket.  It also helps others. 

Number 3 - Any of My Motorcycle Trips - This year I spent a lot of time on a motorcycle.  I rode to Death Valley and back in March along the "Loneliest Highway in America", we spent a week in Canyon Country exploring the area just north of Canyonlands National Park in April, I rode along the old Pony Express trail into Western Nevada along mostly dirt trails in May,and in September I spent a week riding trails from Barcelona Spain into the Pyrenees and to the Mediterranean Sea.  All in all a motorcycle has afforded me much more an intimate look at our world than I could have gotten by being a tourist. 

Number 2 - My Colonoscopy - I am over 50 and this year I vowed to do it.  I put it off until the end of the year.  I kept seeing those commericals about Doug Miller and I finally broke down and made the appointment.  The procedure was a relative breeze and I am free for 10 years.  That gave me a lot of piece of mind.

The Number 1 Event for Me of 2010 - The Birth of My 7th Grandchild - I know this is an easy one and when most people ask for top events they exclude children or grandchildren as too easy, but this is my blog so I am using it.  Our seventh gift from God is a wonderful, sweet boy.  He is just like all the others, perfect in every way.  If I had known grandkids would be this great, I would have skipped the kids and gone right to the grandkids. 

Well, I hope your year was as full with blessings as mine was.  I wish you continued love, sensory satisfaction and prosperity for 2011.