2008 Done! 2009 here we come!

Happy New year to all our family and friends! New year means new blog page. Check out the slide show on the left and our Christmas vacation at MT. Washington. To get a better view:
1)double click on the pictures and picsaweb will come up.
2)click on slideshow on the left of the screen and it will go through them automatically.
3) you can speed up or slow down using the controls at the bottom of the slideshow.
We had a lot of fun. George made Turkey. Yes George made turkey! At first we were a bit concerned about a bachelor making turkey and stuffing with no meat thermometer but in the end it was outstanding and we all gorged ourselves until we were stuffed. Chad was hurting bad after 2 plates and had to pass it off to Baby. She was very happy about that. We had a lot of fun snow shoeing and cross country skiing. We snow shoed in a back country trail, so it was in deeper snow and therefore harder on the legs. But it took its toll most on Baby. She was so exhausted afterwards, she didn't even eat the treat I gave her! I guess there's a first for everything...

This past year has been an exercise in perseverance. I hope this coming year is less taxing. Even through it all we managed to stabilize ourselves thanks to a good market. Unfortunately right at the end of the year the world market decided to put the brakes on what seemed like an endless growth spurt and our business saw its worst December on record. This leaves us very cautious for 2009 and what it has in store. I think there are a lot of people in the same boat. Tammy and I are both the kind of people that do just enough to get by. If we need $100 a month to get by then we will make $99, never $110. If we do make $110 then the next month we will for sure make $89. We would just rather pursue things other than money. Money is a necessary evil but it doesn't change the fact that it is evil. (in my eyes).
New years resolutions..... I (Allan) would like to get involved more in environmental issues such as habitat preservation and cleaning up our environment. I have a couple of local options to start with. In addition to that I will stop buying nick-knacks and items that are only good for taking up space and can only end up in a land fill. How wasteful are we? I am not a saint but as I become more aware I will at least make an attempt at thinking before I buy. It makes economical sense and environmental sense to NOT purchase items that can only end up in a landfill or on the ocean floor. It's a start for me. There are so many things to feel guilty about. Starbucks for starters......I will start bringing my own cup. Ohhhh I can see this getting out of control :) Good times!!!! I (Tammy) have basically the same New years resolution goals as Allan. Its a good thing my Ukrainian background makes being frugal second-nature! The more we buy, the more we work and I would rather have time to do things important to me. Besides environmental issues, I would like to get involved more with Animal welfare issues. That means keeping in contact with profs etc. from school. I need to keep in-touch if wanting to fulfill the dream of having an animal sanctuary one day...
See ya.