Goodbye 2014

2014 was another positive year for the household.  My first born started second grade and my second born started Kindergarten, but I don’t see the extra money from fewer day care expenses.  They both are continuing with piano.  We went ice skating a couple of times and also took them to the rock wall at the Apex center.  They enjoyed a several days of skiing as well.  They have maintained their core focus on gymnastics during the school year and swimming in the summer. 

We took 4 family trips this year racking up another 36,000 frequent flyer miles.  The highlight of the year was our trip to Washington DC.  Our other trips included Orlando twice and Thanksgiving in Austin.

Professionally, 2014 was a year for growth.  I attended PowerCamp and started working with a career coach.  I made some nice strides doing some engineering work as well.

I maintained some community involvement.  I am Treasurer of the MacArthur Park HOA.

My hobbies were more triathlon focused. My race calendar included 2 running races, 2 duathlons, 2 triathlons, an open water swim and a bike tour.  I stepped up and was President of the Arvada Triathlon Club.  I also maintained my membership with the Jeffco Aquatic Masters Swim Team.  Finally, I was a 2014 3W Race Ambassador.

I really stepped up my interest in coins, participating in a sealed bid auction of half dime offerings and adding auction catalogs and books to my numismatic library.  I did not attend any major shows, but I really enjoyed taking the hobby more seriously.

I got out for 3 days of downhill skiing and went XC skiing twice (a new hobby).  I also got in 6 days of scuba diving (4 at the Coral Sea and 2 on the Rainbow River in Florida).  I finally made the investment in a regulator this past year as well.  For new hobbies, in addition to XC skiing, I also tried snowshoeing for the first time and took kayak lessons through Colorado Whitewater. 

My favorite novel this year was “The Name of the Wind” by Rothfuss.  I also enjoyed nonfiction with “Quiet” by Cain.  I read a lot of fantasy novels this year including Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire books, the Divergent Series by Roth and Rothfuss’ follow-up novel, “The Wise Man’s Fear.”

We did not get to the theater much.  My favorite was “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”  On video, my favorite was “The Lunchbox.” 

My favorite race this year was the Summer OPEN Sprint.  The conditions weren’t great for fast racing, but it was fun to be out with some friends from the triathlon club.

My best purchases for the year were my Normatec Recovery boots and my Dockers wingtips.  These products met my expectations and got a lot of use.

Best wishes for 2015.