Et in Terra Pax (Composer: John Purifoy)

HO HO HO... Oh no! Is it time for the 2014 Holiday Card already!?!

Once again, we start off the year of 2014 visiting the Koransky family in Edwards, Colorado at the New Year, then jet off to Ft Myers Florida for a reunion with Teresa's family. We got to visit with her nephew Adam before he went into the Navy (proud of that boy!). Teresa enjoyed her birthday kayaking with manatees at Manatee Park in Ft Myers.

Besides the usual spring skiing for Andrew and snowshoeing for Teresa, we also took part in a few charity fundraisers here in Salida, including loading a truck with goods heading for Acoma Pueblo reservation.

Andrew spent the spring singing again with You've Got Male, a Salida Sings chorus, and formed a Barbershop Quartet called the High Country Harmoneers. They had a couple of performances and had lots of fun, but are on indefinite hiatus now as a couple of members are taking a break from singing now. He just finished his performances of the winter season for You've Got Male. You can hear some of their music on YouTube.

In April, we took another trip to Atlanta with the arrival of a new nephew, Reid Maxwell Koransky, son of Todd and Meghan. We celebrated the bris and enjoyed time with the Koransky family.

We had heard about some sights to see the railroad town of La Junta in the Eastern Plains and took a weekend trip in May. We visited Picketwire Canyon and saw the largest and best preserved collection of dinosaur tracks and some historic sites. We also visited Bent's Old Fort, located along the legendary Santa Fe Trail. On our way towards the fort, we walked past livestock, and entered the fort grounds to the smell of a wood fire and a man in period clothing who took us on a tour. It was a fully immersive experience involving all the senses. The whole trip was a pleasant surprise.

Summer and fall kept us busy with hiking, biking, and LOTS of dog walking with Max and Millie... a train ride to see an outdoor concert with 80's legend Juice Newton and weekend trips to Santa Fe with Andrew's parents and Telluride for our anniversary. Towards the end of summer, we bought a used travel trailer in preparation for our bucket list trip...

Rafting down the Grand Canyon for eight days! Our friend Marilyn decided to celebrate her birthday with a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. Being on our bucket list, we immediately said yes when invited. It was truly an amazing trip and words cannot describe... just check out some of the photos! We made new friends and also enjoyed some beautiful camping and sightseeing on either side of our trip.

Next up was another Thanksgiving trip to Atlanta, where we got to eat too much and spend time with Andrew's family. We also got a chance to see a few of our friends from Atlanta. Andrew spent some business time visiting clients and Teresa got in a little "retail therapy."

Work wise, things are really going well. Teresa's Tanda CAD freelance Drafting and Design services is getting more work with the improvement of the housing market. She's working with a couple of contractors, as well as with individuals on several residences and townhomes. Andrew continues to work with InfoTank working for various customers in Atlanta and Salida.

Teresa has been busy with several different groups and volunteering opportunities. A women's entrepreneurial group called Women, Wit and Wisdom; helping Habitat for Humanity on a Women's Build Day; making gallons of soup for Stone Soup Café; and we both helped out at the Community Christmas Dinner held at the Methodist Church in Salida.

As we finish up the year, we find ourselves in holiday recovery mode. We are ready for a quiet and peaceful New Year, and look forward to skiing, snowshoeing, and starting our winter adult swim clinic to help us work off these extra pounds that seem to have magically appeared along with the Holiday Cheer!

That about does it for this year... we hope all of this finds you well, and.....

May the Universe smile on all of you with Peace and Happiness!

Teresa and Andrew

Life: what a long strange trip it's been...

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