Amboy Depot Days Car Show. I was only there for an hour, but I never thought there would be that many people!

Today is my birthday

First, thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday. You are wonderful friends and family. Remember, though, birthdays aren't just celebrated on one day -- it's my birthday week!



The next excerpt is taken from the NY Post Columnist Sally Brompton. It is my horoscope for the year:

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August 25, 2007 -- You won't lack for self-belief over the coming 12 months, nor will you keep your talent under wraps. Even if you are the sort of Virgo who usually prefers to hang back in the shadows the lure of the spotlight will be too strong and before you know it you will be center stage. It's where you belong.

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Alrightty then, bring on the spotlight!

Today was absolutely beautiful. It was around 75 degrees all day long which made mowing a breeze. I made it to Amboy's Depot Days, but was late for the parade. So, Rochelle and I went to the Longbranch and shared a drink with some good friends. From there, we picked up the dogs and went to the Franklin Creek State Park. It is a wonderful area that I had no idea existed -- quite beautiful and not too far away. From there, we grabbed a Dairy Queen and parked next to the river in Dixon to watch the flood waters crash on by. It was a good day ... now for the rest of the birthday week! :) FYI, the above portrait of Farley was taken at the Franklin Creek State Park; he's definitely getting bigger.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Every since I was about fifteen, I've done this "year in review" type of thing right around my birthday. I guess I do it to make sure I'm going in the right direction and not losing track of what I want to do with my life. I know it sounds cheesy, but hey, it's my birthday week, strike that, birthday month, so I'm entitled :).

A busy year? Yes, definitely. The cliches appear to breathe in more life the older that I become. Everyday, it feels as though the world is moving faster than the day before, and I'm playing catch up. No, there is never enough time to get everything done, but as this year has reinforced, it's the important things that truly do matter, and to me, the important things are my relationships with my family and friends.

I believe relationships tell a lot about who you are; rather, I believe it's how one relates to the world around them, be it people, animals, nature, or whatever, that really identifies the type of person he/she really is. How one relates to those things in the universe seems to be continuously changing event, though; I guess the way that I visualize it is that a person seems to be like a buoy out in the ocean continuously bumping into the things around it; some days the sea is calm, other days, it's a little stormy out there and we bump a little harder :). Alright, enough of my meager attempt at being deep.

Year in Review. First off, I went a little farther than a year back. It was just over a year ago that Rochelle and I got married on the beach near Tulum, Mexico. I feel that was a life changing event that was important enough to include for the review :). In case you didn't know, it was just the two of us that flew down there for a week and we were married near sunset on the beach. It was beautiful and not too stressful. In fact, we went for a swim earlier in the morning in an old port near the ancient Mayan ruins. In June, we celebrated our one year anniversary.

Our extended families have expanded as you can see above. Also, our immediate family expanded with the addition of Farley, the crazy weimaraner. A beautiful pup, he's been a challenge for Jake to relate to. I guess like me, Jake needs to work on his sharing skills.

I am still working for the Lee County State's Attorney Office, although my role has shifted somewhat. I now handle all of the civil matters concerning the county and provide general counsel to the various local government departments. Also, I still prosecute and was fortunate enough to have three successful jury trials this year. As for bench trials and hearings, I can't keep count as there are too many of them, both wins and losses. The job provides a plethora of experience that I never knew I would receive from juvenile matters to 1983 prisoner litigation issues. It does keep me busy and makes the days go fast. I did travel to several seminars for legal education, including the ABA's International Law Section annual conference in Miami; simply an amazingly educated group of individuals.

I was fortunate enough to have a rekindled passion for photography this year. The shutterbug syndrome is contagious and thankfully I haven't become immune to it (thank you, Bob). Although, instead of predominantly focusing on people as I have in the past, my interests have become stronger in more static subjects, such as landscapes. Also, "The Duke," a bald eagle that visited the Rock River this winter, became an obsession. Any by obsession, I mean that he actually got me up before 6 A.M. several times on weekends because I had to go watch him. I had never seen bald eagles in my local area before -- they really are very majestic birds -- and HUGE! Also, I attended MAIPP (Mid-America Institute of Professional Photography) at Northern Iowa University, again, for a week. It is a wonderful experience that definitely rejuvenates the creative soul (and always makes me want to purchase more camera equipment!).

I am still working on my mom's property in New Mexico, but have had a lot of help from my brother. The mountains help to put life into perspective; especially when I realize that the closest neighbor is about five miles away. Also, the video clip above is a wonderful reminder of how quickly mother nature can change plans for the day. I think thunder was meant to be heard echoing through the mountains (thunder in the mountains isf like listening to really good music on a Bose system).

If you would like to know more about my year in review, just ask. Or, even better, become part of it. It's been a good year; I've been fortunate to be blessed with such good friends and family, so, if you have actually taken the time to read all the way down to this point, thank you. Now, let's make next year even better!

Slowly ... friendships build

Time has set in, and Jake has come to realize that Farley doesn't seem to be going anywhere, soon. The two of them are getting along, for the most part, and are best when outside, but there are definitely some jealousy issues. Farley is getting BIG -- and he still doesn't realize how gargantuan his legs really have become.

In case you noticed, Jake is much more slender than he has been in years. This is due primarily to his new diet, Lambaderm (available at some Wal-Marts and, of course, other retailers). The change in his look, demeanor, and physical activities make it seem like he's a pup, again. He actually plays ball! The biggest reason we changed Jake's diet is because the prescription diet we had him on, Science Diet - CD, didn't seem to be working. Jake had developed, for the second time, numerous urinary stones, had fatty tumors, and had gained so much weight. The first ingredient in Lambaderm is lamb -- the first ingredient in Science Diet, as well as many other dog foods is corn meal and filler. Dogs are carnivores. Hmm ... only makes sense doesn't it.