Hi.

I’m Neil. Remember me? I was once a good (i think) blogger. I really enjoyed blogging, but that was when life was easier. It became not easier when we finally decided to close the landscape company. There are lots of things that happened since February when we closed the company, most of them really tough. My family is fine. We are relatively healthy, relatively happy, but from there things have been hard.

We are still attempting to sell the house. It’s been 7 months and almost $100,000.00 in price reductions, and we are still no closer to selling. Well, I shouldn’t say that. We sold the house, but the buyer turned out to be an absolute fucking nutjob and after we bent over backwards to meet his demands, he still found a way to back out of the approved contract.

Anyway. Our life has been a series of mad panic house cleans and layers of de-cluttering for buyer showings, and we really haven’t lived in our own house for the past half a year. It really really sucks.

I try not to complain. I ended up with my old job back selling office furniture to the big energy companies in Calgary, so that was nice. I never burned a bridge in my life and it paid off when I called my old boss, and in 3 minutes I was hired back. The job is not easy, but comparably to running a failing company, it is a cakewalk. I go in every day thanking god I had the opportunity to return to a place where I know I can succeed and they want me there as a member of their ‘Family’.

We have had to ‘restructure’ our financial position in life, and that has all been ok, but the sale of the house finalizes everything and pays everything off, so it is pretty painful to not know when that will be done. The first time we were told we were receiving an offer (it turned out to be a terrible offer) I broke down. I thought everything was going to be over and the wave of relief that came over me just dropped me like a rock. 3 hours later it was back to the burden placed back firmly on our shoulders, but for a brief few moments I could see a light. I know everything will end soon, but it really can’t come soon enough.

With that off my chest. I am moving on.

I signed up for a running streak challenge. Strides Running store in Calgary decide to put this on and I am in! I have to run at least a mile every day in December. I will finish off the challenge at Martin Parnell’s first anniversary race on Dec 31st with a nice easy 2.5-3 hour half marathon. I am not trained at all, but I will complete that, just to celebrate the fact that I can. Because I still can, and I will. Simple.

What else:

Andrew is an amazing boy. here are a few of his recent isms.

• Daddy, I want you to teach me how to limbo.
• Standing outside the bathroom door, talking to me in the bathroom “Daddy, how long does poop take?”
• To himself – “It’s amazing what a 4 year old can do”
• When he sees the first star and makes a wish – “I wish for a big bowl of strawberries”
• After tasting my ice cream “Daddy, your ice cream is good, but mine is TASTY”
• About the future “When I get old enough to drive, I am going to get a blue pickup truck so I can take Nan to get her groceries”
• Daddy, can I get a 4 piece apple with skin on. No wait, with no skin. No wait daddy, with skin.
• *farts*, Daddy, that was my butt-flapper

Oh yeah. Also, we had a big breakthrough. He sat on Santa’s knee for the first time (willingly). We were at my company’s Christmas party last weekend and he made up his mind that he was going to do it. So as we are watching other kids get called up he leans over to me and whispers “When is Santa going to say my name"?. I reply “I don’t know son, are you on the good kid list?”. In the softest and saddest little 4 year old voice, with the makings of a tear in his eye, he says almost inaudibly “I. don’t. know”.

Well, you should have heard the groans and awws from the people around us who heard him… and a few ‘NEil!’s… thankfully he was called up right away and all was good.

So. In a nutshell. We are blessed. The shit we are dealing with, only relates to money, and apparently they are making more. I am choosing to restart life again so that when the house sells and we get to be burdenless, that I am well equipped to excel in all my fitness and family adventures!

One more note of housecleaning. I owe a number of you some blog prizes from way back. You are going to get your stuff, not sure exactly when, but I have the list and will follow through when I can. Thanks for not hating me. ( I hope you don’t hate me)

I think I'll document the December running streak, so you’ll see me here. but make sure you come hang around facebook, twitter and Instagram with me. I’m still there.

www.facebook.com/NeilZeee
www.twitter.com/neil_zee
Instagram @nzeller

Oh, thank you to my Darling wife Traci for putting up with me, standing by me and being my best friend. You and Andrew make it all worthwhile.

AND, i still take cool picture with my camera. Some of these are with the Iphone… Crazy huh? (I am really jonesing for a Canon T2i, in case you have one that you don’t use and want to send it to me)

The boy loves singing…

Well, what do you think? Ever have incredibly intense life changing challenges? Ever dealt with stress so strong you think you might explode, or burst into flames on the spot? I think we are to go through this stuff, so that when we come out the other end of it, we appreciate things more.

I am starting to understand the difference between quality of life and standard of living and how those to  things are not actually connected. They can both exist at the same time, but they certainly don’t depend on each other.

ok. enough.

bye.