Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year, 2014 to all my family and friends in all corners of the world.  As I type this, it is almost 9pm in Utah and friends in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have already rung in the New Year.  Happy New Year to you!

2013… Wow, what can I say?  It was a year of highs and incredible lows.  Can’t say I’m happy to see 2013 on its way out as there have been some real challenges this year in our lives and in the lives of our family and friends.  I could have done without some of those lows, but… it is what it is and we can only move forward, learning from those lows and embracing the highs.

2013 in some ways felt like not enough got done, yet looking back it was a full year.  I work in an amazingly collaborative laboratory with some of the most dear people in the world to me.  I cannot say that with any more emphasis.  We accomplished some excellent science this year with 14 papers or abstracts, won awards for imaging and I submitted 4 grants including an R01.  I lost an amazing technician as he moved on to a dental program for his D.D.S., though we brought on some new faces in post-docs, graduate students and technicians.

I started a company with 3 phenomenal people, made the trip of a lifetime to Cuba with some amazing friends, embraced an entirely new camera platform, H and I took the first vacation in a long time, did a blitz trip to London, and returned to neurosurgery on my spine.  Ouch.

The year ends with work at all hours on manuscripts and grants as we look forward to a busy year in 2014 full of new scientific work and personal explorations.  All I can say is that I am grateful for each and every one of you.  You make life worth living and bring beauty and significance to this world and humanity.  My best wishes for your lives going forward in 2014 and I thank you for your love and friendship and look forward to more time spent talking, working and visiting with you.

More please…