life along the way...

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Then things got ugly...! (16 days)

The crew gets down...

Jarsh pimps dew!

Han and J dig deep for mustache inspiration!

Best ugly sweater I have ever seen. Totally brings out your 'stache!

Then things really got ulgy!

Beautiful friends, ugly sweaters, board games and more food than you could shake a stick at! Ringing in the New Year has never been this much fun!

2008 was GREAT!

I'm usually the first person to have an orderly list of resolutions primed for the new year! I love to take some retrospective time to revisit, recapture, and relearn the past year. This year I haven't really thought about 2009: my hopes, my goals, my plans. Nor have a reflected on 2008: the lessons, the memories, the changes.

I just stepped outside, to enjoy one of those rare, mid-winter mild days. I stood still for only a few minutes, watched life happen around me, watched the way the blue sky set-off the poplars. I haven't stopped lately, looked around, my body and mind occupying the same place in time for too long. My greatest wish, my prayer for us all is that 2009 be filled with moments that are truly lived, that the beauty of God so enrapture us that for just a moment we can't look away.

County Land Use

I had a conversation with the Assessor which resulted in this map. Taxes on agricultural land are increasing dramatically in this new tax year. While agricultural land taxes don't produce that much revenue (compared to industrial ie coal and oil) for the county, a large percentage of the county will be affected. I used 5 data frames in this layout, which is unusual for the maps my department produces.