Happy Thanksgiving!

I am sitting here, after a massive computer crash that saw me lose more than about 2 hours of work in Excel (I know- I should have auto save going) and thinking about being thankful.

Tomorrow, I will be stuffing my carcass full of turkey, some ham, maybe a little prime rib, tons of mashed 'taters and heaping mounds of stuffing. All of which will be swimming in a veritable Lake Superior of gravy. I might just have to slip into my fly fishing waders.

This year, I'm thankful for my family as always. I have a wonderful wife and two great kids. I know I'm lucky to have the people in my life who are close to me. I try to remember that everyday, but sometimes life gets in the way of being grateful. Tomorrow, when I stare at the spread of food at my mother's house and then my mother-in-law's house (yeah, both families are here), I will be thankful for my family the most.

I'm also very thankful for my job. I love this job. Anybody who knows me or who has met me knows that is true. I get pretty excited and passionate about what I do and the brand I get to be the steward of. It's a great gig and even with the frustrations that come with the job, like any, I am very lucky to have this slice of employment heaven to call my own.

Cheesy as it may sound, I am also very thankful to have hooked up with Chad and Team Inferno for the coming race season. Believe it or not, I really am excited about this. I love racing, so being a part of a program I believe can do really well makes me really very happy and excited. Chad and the guys have already proven to be good guys and I am looking forward to hopefully meeting the whole team at their training camp.

A little over a year ago, I was hit by a car in a hit-n-run and left for dead. I obviously came out of that incident ok, but now that the major effects of the incident are fading away and I am left with just a few more inches of scars, I am very thankful to be healthy again. I get to go home to my wife and kids every day (unless I'm out of town) and I still get to ride a bike and have fun doing it. Why wouldn't I be thankful for that.

My thoughts and prayers this year will be with lots of folks, but I am really sending my most positive energies to the folks hit by Hurricane Katrina. Again, as a transplanted Alabamian, I know what those storms are like and still have family in the region. I sincerely wish the foks of Louisiana and Mississippi the very best and hope that their lives return to normal quickly. Every time I see images of the destruction, my heart just breaks a little more.

This year, I hope we all take a moment to take stock of the things we have that others might not and remember that we all have at least something to be thankful for.

Tim