We made it.

We’ve finally reached the end of 2011, a hell of a year.  As years goes, I have to say it was a very forgettable one and it seems as though there are a large number of folks who will chime in “Amen!”

I’m completely done with it.  It came, it went.  It was a year that saw our main home and my Bothell rental home drop even more in value.  I finally looked at my paycheck carefully and realized that, over the past four years, I was getting paid less than I thought I was getting.  Ugh.   For those keeping score at home, my wife Victoria suffered a broken rib, a broken foot, a painful tooth thing that has gone on over a month and bouts of sciatica rearing’s ugly head. After getting the annual physical, I got “the call” that informed me I was Type-2 diabetic.  On the plus side of that, it inspired me to drop 20 pounds and completely revamp my eating habits, all for the better.

The economy continued to drag on, and with the slow-down in work, my company had to let some very good people go. Linda Thomas did a couple of pieces about me on KIRO radio and my mortgage plight.  Google it if you missed it.  I wasn’t unique, but I wanted to let others know out there that were playing the game honestly and getting screwed that they were not alone.  The Husky football team had some inspiring moments, but you always knew they had limits.  Their appearance in the Alamo Bowl reminded us that we’re not there yet, but we’re getting there.

But as I said, 2011 wasn’t completely without merit.  It was the year that daughter Christina and her husband Ryan brought the first grandchild, Lillybeth, to the family. What a doll!  Victoria and I had a great road trip to California this summer, which included stops in Bend, Oregon, the Redwoods, Santa Barbara and eventually to LA where we celebrated my parents 60th wedding anniversary.  Osama bin Laden and Moammar Khadafi finally went to their just rewards, complete with central heating.  We talked about withdrawing troops from the Middle East and finally brought the troops home.

After a couple of hospital stays, my dad is back at home again, working on jigsaw puzzles.  I made a music video that earned some respectable viewing numbers online, produced my best Christmas CD to date, sold a bunch of jokes to several performers I work with and am about to launch a cartoon on MyBallard.com, something I’ve been wanting to do for years.

The holiday season was very nice, everyone gave me very thoughtful gifts that really showed effort and I’m sitting here with the woman I love, doing one more blog in this fast-fading year.  It’s been eventful, it’s been beyond challenging while equally frustrating, but it’s all about keeping perspective. Focus on the negative, and that’s all you’ll see.  Keep your outlook positive and the results will pleasantly surprise you.

But that doesn’t mean we have to take 2011 along with us.  The year served it’s purpose and the second I can toss that calendar into the recycle bin, it’s there! Great things are on the way in the New Year, I sincerely feel it. A year from now, I’m already planning on writing at great lengths about how 2012 was the best year ever.

Hope you’ll join me.

Happy New Year!

Tim Hunter