WAXING NOSTALGIC

Another year is almost complete ... hardly seems possible. (I lightly pat myself to see if I'm intact.)

Yep! Everything important is here. Must be I've survived 2005 ...

My motto for the year should be ALIVE IN 2005 or maybe SURVIVED 2005!

Things I've learned in 2005:

1. Unemployment is not for the faint of heart.
2. You must find adventure. Adventure isn't going to come looking for you.
3. Third graders are VERY insightful, and theyABSOLUTELY have the ability to rock their worlds!
4. Putting yourself out there is a scary prospect.
5. Offering your heart is an even scarier prospect ... and much more daring.
6. Poison Oak DOES spread.
7. Emergency rooms ARE NOT all alike.
8. Beagles are a study in persistence. You will eventually catch a mole!
9. Broken hearts do heal, but the scars always hurt.
10. The proverb was right ... Pride does go before a fall.
11. Never, ever speed in Louisville, KY.
12. When the going gets rough ... well, let's just say, you quickly discover who your true friends are.
13. There is such a thing as a SOCIALLY MALADJUSTED CAT.
14. Thinking outside of the box can be very dangerous.
15. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
16. Just when you think nothing more can surprise you ... humanity finds a new low.
17. God's plan is so much better than anything I could cook up for myself.
18. The boy scouts had something when they coined the phrase "ALWAYS BE PREPARED."
19. You're never too young to plan for the future.
20. You're never too old to plan for the future.
21. Saying goodbye NEVER gets easier.
22. Saying hello can be just as difficult.
23. Fingerprints are a not all they're cracked up to be.
24. Depression ain't for sissies!
25. It is possible to shed tears that would come close to equaling your body weight.

As I stare 2006 in the face, I'm struck by the absolute uncertainity of what lays ahead of me. I could very well be winging my way to the great wild west. But then, again, as history has proved, I could be sitting in this exact spot this time next year. Who really knows!

Buckle up. Sit back. Brace yourself, cuz it's going to get bumpy! The exits are here, here, here and here. Keep all hands, feet, arms and legs inside the car at all times. ENJOY THE RIDE!