A look back on 2013, where’d Quadomated go?!?

Okay, okay, okay, you’ve got me… I haven’t been much of a blogger these past 9 months. A few of you have even written me personally to make sure everything was okay, and I’m sure many of you have wondered what the hell happened to Quadomated?!? Well I’ve been great, everything has happened to Quadomated, LOTS OF GREAT STUFF, and that little onetracted mind of mine got so immersed in living life that I took a 9 month hiatus from writing about it. So sorry, but I guess that’s just how I rolled last year.

So let me catch you up… In one blabbering run-on paragraph long sentence… my family started looking into purchasing a ski shop, my father and brother-in-law purchased said ski shop, garage became loaded loaded to the ceiling with hundreds and hundreds of ski things, Caleb continued to be the most incredible/lovable creature in the world, MY SISTER AND HER HUBBY MOVED BACK HOME!!!, we planted a garden, lots of adventures to awesome places with my buddy Mark, we fixed up a location for the shop in downtown Presque Isle, Bike Board and Ski opened with my brother-in-law Andrew at the helm, lots of busy months with my father/Andrew getting things going in the shop, I got obsessed with my garden… It was like watching my children grow… I gave them nourishment and they grew and prospered until a gopher came by one day and ripped a bunch of them out, I became a city counselor, Cannondale became our premier bike brand, some awesome adventures with my sister and Andrew, wow… this really is starting to run on, we started fundraising for a new Community Center, the ski stuff showed up, my parents went on their first major vacationsince my injury, a cruise to the Caribbean!!!, I made some incredible new friends and reconnected with many from afar… Scott/Benny boy I’ve missed you guys!, Daisy taught Caleb some bad tricks, I officially ran and got nominated to a two-year term as a city counselor, we had a poop load of snow in December, sales got very intense at the store, a wonderful Christmas with all the family now at home, and me typing here frantically today in a fantastically great mood feeling like life is moving ahead wonderfully, making a difference, having fun and building connections.

Phew… I’m out of breath! Crazy how much can happen in a year!

How about a little more detail?!?

My Sister and Her Husband Moved Back Home!!!

Absolutely the most wonderful thing of 2013 was my sister and her husband moved home… YAY!!! In early spring Julie and Andrew started thinking about the move home, and after everything fell together with the business and Andrew becoming part owner when my father, and my sister landing an incredible job with Cary Medical Center it happened, if finally freaking happened, they moved home!!! 🙂 At first, it was one big happy family, with Julie, Andrew, and their kid, err dog Daisy joining us up on the Hill. We had lots of great adventures that summer, me working as an impromptu trainer kicking their butts, and Daisy/Caleb furthering their relationship as best dog buds in the whole wide world, with Daisy teaching Caleb a few bad tricks, until they found an absolutely beautiful home and moved to Caribou. Best thing in the whole wide world to have your awesome lil sister and a brother-in-law who is like a brother living right nearby!

Don’t We Make Quite the Crew

All Four of Us Hanging out

Me and My Favorite Two Ladies

Julie taking the Kids/Best Buds went for a hike up Bigrock

The Bike Board and Ski Shop

It’s no secret that I broke my neck in a skiing accident, and at first, the last thing I wanted to be around was skis and things that brought back too many powerful/painful memories that made me think about what I had lost and what I was missing. It wasn’t until several years after my injury that I grew at peace with not being able to ski and really got a handle on what I was missing so much; it was the people, the people who like to ski, and who make enjoying the outdoors their life. Somewhere along with that mental transition came the opportunity for my family to purchase the ski shop, Rocky Mountain Sports, that my father had originally been part owner of when I was first injured. After several months of research, putting together a business plan, and looking at the financial reality of owning a ski shop, my father and brother-in-law purchased Rocky Mountain Sports, and incorporated the new company Bike Board and Ski.

Over the past 9 months lots of hard work took the old Rocky Mountain Sports and a historic location in downtown Presque Isle from this to…

Our Garage Loaded to the Ceiling with Rocky Mountain Sports Inventory

Rehabbing the Old Location at 157 State Street

Some Paint and a Refinished Hardwood Floor Made a HUMONGOUS Difference

A Soft Start… Opening Day with Just Enough Bikes/Stuff to Get Going

And finally… to the Winter Grand Opening!

I Grew My First Garden

Well sorta, I was the manager of my first garden you could say, almost like a real farmer. I’ve always wanted to grow my own veggies, but who would have thunk how much enjoyment I’d take from watching these little seeds grow into the most incredible, fresh, yummy vegetables! Like I mentioned above, it was almost like I had all these little kids that I loved, that I nurtured (or told people to nurture 😉 ) and watched grow from these tiny little sprouts, into gangly little plants, which flourished, and floured, and started growing uncontrollably, completely overtaking their flowerbeds, until they started producing the most incredible little vegetables which grew, and looked so beautiful, until we picked them and ate them (which I guess is kind of different than raising kids) except for the tomatoes which turned all black and got blight during the two weeks of nonstop rain, but we got some incredible lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, beets, onions, carrots, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, green peppers, and some other stuff that the gopher decided eat.

Check out These Three Raised Beds Each 12’ x 4’ x 10” Deep

Look at All the Growth after Only a Month!

Another View of the Beds Looking Back Towards the House

I Could Keep Going and Going and Going

And you know, I could keep writing and writing about all the wonderful/awesome things that happened last year, but I’m starting to run out of words, and the pictures are what you’re all after, so how about a few more and we’ll call it a day and I’ll make the promise that I’ll write more sometime soon.

The House Get Some Pretty Landscaping

Me and Caleb Getting Sworn in As City Counselors

Me and The Super Dog Just Got Closer and Closer

Can’t You Just See/Feel the Love. He Adores Me and I Most Absolutely Adore Him!

I miss you all my Quadomated friends, it’s been a wonderful, uplifting, feel-good sort of thing writing you this morning, almost therapeutic or something.  Really makes me appreciate all what 2013 was and that I have so many wonderful friends and family surrounding me.

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