Translation: It's okay to let some things go if you have to. I can follow this advice now that I'm officially done with UPS. :) It has been an incredibly crazy couple of weeks. The build is coming along great, but obviously taking up quite a bit of time in our already hectic schedule. And all of this happening during the Holidays? It's a good crazy, but still crazy. People try to envision the "perfect" holiday ... which means determination and stress in getting this done, getting that done, making sure this is ready, that is ready, etc., etc. And then BOOM! Christmas is over. And you have no idea where it went. This year, we've had to let some things just kind of go. Time has not been on our side. With 6 Rubbermaid boxes of Christmas decor, it can get a little creepy in here if EVERYTHING is used. So there are a few favorites out, a few necessities ... some crosses, my nativity set, a couple of snow globes, and of course, the tree. Cam and I were out of town last weekend (Friday thru Monday) and that forced me to "let go" of some things as well. We never got around to hanging the lights on the house, but you know what? It's okay. We're okay with that. Christmas cards? Didn't quite get those out, but maybe ... just maybe, you'll find a "New Year" card in your mailbox. :) Watching ELF and a Christmas Story, baking for our friends, Cam making Christmas gifts, reading from the collection of Christmas books, and having some downtime in the evenings as a family have become the must haves for the "perfect" holiday. I'm looking forward to spending time with friends and family next week, which is THE most important. And I'm okay with that. :) So, with that said, you might want to grab a cup of coffee - or wine - depending on the time of day, and where you might be sitting when reading this. (Not sure your boss would appreciate you dipping into that jug of Gallo leftover from the office Christmas party, but whatever.) There is a lot of catching up to do, and a lot of pics that I have been meaning to post. You know it's bad when you have to schedule into your day updating blogs, websites, and Facebook pages. :)
So let's see ... we did get this accomplished last week:
That was huge. Got a lot accomplished in the way of work, school, and getting ready for our trip.
Cameron and I headed out of town last Friday for Simi Valley and Skatelab. The 3rd Lair Skatepark in Minnesota hosts a 12 and under skateboard contest series each year. There are 5 qualifiers around the country, and 1 championship event at the end at the 3rd Lair in February. Cam participated in the first qualifier held this past summer at Woodward West, and qualified in the mini-ramp division. This past weekend he entered the beginner bowl competition and did FABULOUS! He placed 6th on Friday, which qualified him to compete in the Finals on Sunday. And ... he placed 6th again, which meant he qualified for the champtionship event in MN. So when we head that way in February, he'll compete in 2 of the 3 events at a national level. So much fun. It was actually business/pleasure trip, as Cam had a blast skating and hanging out with friends - old and new. And mom, well ... I was networking like a pro! Met some fantastic people, handed out some business cards, and the greatest thing was that 99.9% of these people already knew about us. :) SK8 ASYLUM was talked about and up like you wouldn't believe! Postivie feedback and support from people I've never met was amazing. Some of our "new" friends have vowed to road trip out for the grand opening - a vow I'm pretty sure they won't break. Some pics from the weekend.
It was great to see the support and representation! Had a few kids wearing our shirts, sporting stickers on their helmets, and skating our boards. SK8 ASYLUM was well represented!
Cam's first comp on Friday ... and yes, he did land this one. :) Placing 6th qualified him for the Finals on Sunday
Cam after he found out he qualified for the Finals! Happy Boy!
Skating on Saturday - no competitions for Cam, but he was still practicing for the Final comp.
Downtime with his pals Saturday night at the hotel sports bar!
This didn't stop my baby from kicking some butt!
Cam skating in the finals on Sunday
Finals on Sunday ... placed 6th again and qualified for the Championships in Feb.!
6 CAMERON PETERSON Cam 9 QUEEN CREEK AZ SK8 ASYLUM 57.5 Golden Ticket
Here's Cam posing with his prizes and the golden ticket for Minnesota. He had to look "cool" for the official photo they took, but I got a few where he actually looks like he's excited that he qualified for the championship. :)
Here's one with Cam and his buddy from here, Shane Short. Shane placed 6th in the expert bowl. Headed to Minnesota also!
So all in all, it was a great trip. So glad to get home though. We were scheduled to fly out Sunday night, until we found out Cam was actually competing in the Finals on Sunday afternoon, with the awards ceremony and announcement of winners Sunday evening. With a few minor changes to air, hotel and car, we made it work. :)
Tons of work has been done on the "shop". (It's funny ... SK8 Asylum is approx. 10,000 square feet or so, and we refer to it as the shop - which is only about 500 sq. feet. :) Anyway, Bryan has been working hard at making sure everything is running smoothly during the build. The crew is coming along with the build, inspections are taking place, with approvals, and we are down to one last inspection that will hopefully happen within the next few days. City has been out and approved that everything is up to code with the framework, stairs, and fire sprinklers. Looking good! I won't post pics on here, you can check the website or the FB page. (Don't forget to become a fan.) And I just realized there are more "fans" of SK8 Asylum, then I have "friends" on my personal page. Should I be concerned?
Few other great accomplishments in the way of advertising for us ... an article came out in the December issue of the
San Tan Valley Today Newspaper, which is our local paper here in Queen Creek. Couldn't get the exact link to the article, so you'll have to do a little clicking. Go to Newspaper Edition at the top, Issue 3, and select pages 17-32. We're page 31, second to the last page. Pretty good interview with Bryan, very proud of him. :) Gave us some great props, and ... the exact location of the park was disclosed. Bryan said there were a ton of people driving by to take a look at the place.
Also,
Arizona Grind Magazine included an article in their December Issue about us. This is an online only magazine, very casual, and geared towards the Arizona skateboarding community. The guy that puts it together is actually a photographer, and just does this on the side. Also pretty good article, in retrospect. Would love to get my red pen out and make a few corrections with spelling or grammar, but then again, are any of you surprised? Besides THAT, it was nice to see us in print. :) Click on the link, which will bring you to the main page. Click on "
Read the December 2009 Issue Now!" and you can flip through to page 32 where the article starts.
AND ... SPUN Skateboards updated their website and included us under Shop Locator and Links. This was huge for us. You can see we're the only ones in Arizona that will sell their boards, and we're in some pretty good company with the other locations and links included.
PHEW! You guys still with me? I know. It's a lot to take in. Cam is out of school as of noon tomorrow. He's just a LITTLE bit excited. Have a date with my hubby tomorrow night for dinner and some Christmas shopping. I'm just a LITTLE bit excited. Cam's headed to grandma and papa's house for the night so I'm sure he'll have enough attention thrown his way to last a while! Was trying to work out heading to Las Vegas to watch the Beavers play, but it just doesn't look like that will happen. Too much going on here with the build, and the timing is horrible. Kinda bummed about that, but .... we'll survive. :)
I promise I won't take more than two weeks for the next post. That is a bit pathetic. So ... talk to you soon! I'm headed to bed now, it's been a long week, and I think if I hit the hay before 1:00ish - which has been the norm this week - it might do me some good! Remember the title of the post ... this includes sleep. :)
It is so hard to comprehend that another year has come and gone! I think our family faced quite a few challenges whether it be health related or simply the complications that arise with differences in opinion and judgment. However, I'm a firm believer that we are not given more than we can handle. So with that said, I'm fairly certain we rose up to the challenges and persevered. Family ties are strong, and those bonds can and will help you. Our family and friends have been incredibly supportive in our decision to sell Bryan's business and venture on with the skate park. We are praying that 2010 proves successful in our decision! We are spending the evening at the park, hosting a private "invite" only, if you will, skate party. Looking forward to less "business" tonight, and more celebrating with new and old friends. We have met an incredible group of people in the skateboarding community, veterans of skating and Arizona skate culture, pros, amateurs, and those that will do absolutely anything they can to help us lift this project off the ground. We could not be more appreciative! Okay - it's a little early for me to get teary-eyed and emotional - need to slow down a tad. So 2010 will be rung in with much anticipation and excitement: Bryan and I celebrate our 10 year anniversary this year, Cameron hits double digits in age, and of course, a new business. Who knows what it will bring. But I can tell you - that we are prepared for it. I think. :) 
