This was definitely the year in which I cast out some serious remaining demons.   I am nothing but grateful, for the following people, places and events:

White Tanks Regional Park & Ford Canyon;

Lake Havasu City & its Balloon Festival;

Roy Purcell and his Cerbat Murals;

The Dolan Springs Joshua Tree Forest;

Oatman, AZ- and everything in it;

Matt Deuitch and his team, for helping close on the Phoenix house;

Kamran Ruintan and dental team, for helping my physical healing;

Lake Pleasant;

Deer Valley Rock Art Center;

Dave & Deb, for Hoover Dam, Red Rock National Recreation Area, the Wyndham “Green Hotel” and just for being family;

Aram, my son, for going about your vital work, being a good host and taking life by the horns;

Janet Waters, Crystal Cove, and steadfast support;

Mission San Luis Rey;

Palm Springs Tram;

“Team Dutchman”- my Superstition Mountains hiking buddies, for a successful trek around Weaver’s Needle;

Leticia Fierro and the Centennial HS troupe- ” A Midsummer Night’s Dream” never felt more alive;

The Payson Women’s Film Festival committee- for standing tall;

Ernest A.Love Post 6, American Legion, for having my back and for choosing me as your Chaplain;

Annick Elziere- for Sabino Canyon and for never losing hope;

Tubac, Tumacacori and Mission San Xavier del W’ak;

Bill Williams Mountain;

Molly Beverly and the Prescott Slow-Food team- This was a spectacular Regional Conference;

Yavapai Red Cross DAT-and all those who came to help us.  Prescott stood tall, in two horrible sets of trials;

USS Wayne E. Meyer crew, for hosting us families on a very enjoyable run;

Phyllis Killian and family, always nice to return to Dinnebito;

Mindy, Wynne and the guys- Birthdays in the Front Range are second to none;

Uncle George, Christina Knapp, Mitchell Silas, Christina Nicole and all my Colorado friends- for being there and for always setting me straight;

El Dorado Springs, Manitou Springs, US Air Force Academy, Seven Falls, Wetherill Mesa;

Derek and Sima Cockshut and Star Valley Chocolates- for reviving my flagging spirits;

Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Snake River Gorge,Cody, Greybull, Medicine Wheel, Devils Tower, Hulett and Aladdin, WY;

Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Harney Peak, Deadwood, Custer and Mitchell, SD;

Pipestone, MN;

Jim, Summer Rae, Boston James and the bright lights of the Iowa State Capitol;

Bettendorf’s  riverfront;

Tampico  and Dixon, IL;

The ever-inspiring Baha’i House of Worship, in Wilmette;

Cahokia Mounds;

Nataly Loveless and Bloomington, IL;

John E. Glaze and Enid, OK;

Wes Hardin and the Blue Front Cafe;

Fort Smith, Van Buren and Little Rock, AR;

Beth and Dave Glick, and their lovely family;

Jeff Markowitz and Princeton, NJ;

Glenn and Barbie, for your intrepid nature and for everything good that happened to both Aram and me, during our respective visits;

Gloucester and Rockport, MA;

Jim Condon and Tom Belmonte, forever my friends;

Block Island;

Tom D. Stevens and wife, for being such gracious hosts;

New York City, for standing tall;

High Point, NJ, for honouring us veterans;

Gettysburg, for telling the story straight;

Christina Fullmer, Maliya and all Annapolis;

Rudy’s Barbecue, Springfield, OH;

Dodge City, KS;

Joshua Seyfarth, for your engaging wit and culinary skills;

Brea, CA and Carbon Canyon;

Prescott National Forest, and Sedona;

My dear parents-in-law, for all you have done and will ever do;

My Baha’i community of Prescott- my rock and armour;

Marcia Brehmer, my spiritual mentor, for all your guidance this year;

Melissa Monahan, for being a friend;

My Facebook friends, never judgmental- to me anyway;

Mom, for putting me here and for being the light of so many lives;

It has been a good year of personal growth, and yet-

I will never forget Drew Crotty, Dennis Young, Beverly Mc Millin, John Woodbury, Jamie Cooper, Bob McDonald, Lorraine Stewart, Thomas A. Smith, Janet Mortensen.

2013 is hours away from being history.  May all of us fare better in the year ahead.