- Stephanie had her 41st birthday and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends (I'm sorry I missed it while I was out of the country on deployment)
- I returned to the states in early June and spent a wonderful week in San Diego with Steph, Shallen and Stephan. We enjoyed time at the beaches and visiting family up in Riverside. It was so good to be back home after a 14 month deployment
- The day after we returned home, I ran in the Hospital Hill Half Marathon in Kansas City; all the running I did overseas helped to keep me in shape - I didn't do too bad for my first race back home
- Shallen attended Band Camp at NWMSU in Maryville, MO for a week - this makes her 5th year in a row to attend
- I finished painting the house when I got home and Stephan earned a few extra bucks painting a neighbor's house - it was good to spend time with him after being gone for so long
- My boss from Sprint asked me to attend a sales conference in Denver even though I wasn't back to work yet. It was nice to meet all the new folks in our Call Centers and find out what new obstacles we had to overcome when I got back. It was also great to spend time with my peers and meet new team members
- Stephan turned 16 on July 17th; he took his driving test a few days later and passed. The only problem was, a new law in MO requires you to have your permit for six months before you can get your license (he had only had his for about three). Stephan had to wait until October to finally be able to drive; needless to say, he was not too happy
- I returned back to work at Sprint around the 1st of August - many things had changed in the year I was gone: I had a different boss, we were fully integrated with Nextel and there were new systems to learn and people to meet
- On August 8th, I turned 45...now everytime I look in the mirror, I see my dad looking back at me; I miss him, so it's nice to see a familiar face
- Stephan and I took a geneology trip up to Northeast Missouri (around Kirksville) to uncover info about my family; I found out I still had distant relatives living in the area and also in IL and IA; walking through grave yards wasn't exactly Stephan's ideal vacation, but we enjoyed the time together and he got excited everytime he found a headstone with either Elkin or Elkins on it
- We had the annual Elkins family birthdays at a shelter house at Lake Jacomo in Blue Springs, MO. My siblings and my birthday are all in August: Steve-8th, Jeff-15th, Caron-29th and Derek-31st. We had a lot of extended family there including my Uncle Charlie (my mom's brother) and his family. I love seeing family and just spending time together
- Steph's company, Applebee's, was bought out by Ihop and a lot of consolidating took place. Steph could see the handwriting on the wall and moved from company-owned real estate to a position in accounting where she is very busy, but enjoys finally working in her college major
- Shallen turned 17 on August 31st - what a beautiful, young woman she is turning into...now, if we can just get her to keep her room clean
- I took a trip to Norfolk, VA for Sprint to visit a Nextel Call Center and understand how they differ from our Sprint centers - I have a lot to learn
- Colby (my middle daughter) had a baby girl on September 5th - Addison Lynne! She weighed 8lbs, 11ozs and was 21 inches long. She was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Blue Springs
- Through September, I trained hard for the Kansas City Half Marathon - I put in a lot of miles and dropped a few pounds (the ones I added when I returned home to the convenience of fast food)
- Shallen made 1st chair flute this year in band and also qulaified for District competition - she practices a lot on her flute and even got a little extra coaching from a music professor at William Jewel College
- I ran the KC Half Marathon in October - I started too far back in the pack and finished well below my expectations for the race. If you've not been to KC, it's pretty hilly in places around town...the benefit I received was seeing parts of Kansas City I'd never seen before
- Steph and I had the opportunity to spend an evening with Garth Brooks at the new Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City. Garth put on a great show and the tickets were incredibly cheap
- My grandaughter Morgan had her 6th birthday at the end of November and is currently in Kindergarten in the Independence school district. She is getting so big and acting so much older than six
- Steph and I ran in the Turkey Trot run Thanksgiving morning in Parkville, MO. This was a 5K and a very fast course down by the Missouri river. It was very cold that morning, but we were glad we ran so we could justify all the turkey and pumpkin pie we ate that afternoon at my brother's house
- Steph and I took a belated honeymoon the first week in December (our anniversary is 12/6) - we took a cruise to Montego Bay, Jamaca, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We had a wonderful time and have plenty of pictures to relive those memories in the future
- Erin (my oldest daughter) had her third interview with hopes of landing a job in the Independence school district. Erin really enjoys working with little kids - she always has
- I was able to spend time with an old friend, Paul Turner, and his family after his mother, Frances, passed away just before Christmas. It's always a great comfort to know that friendships last through years and years of separation only to be picked up where you last left them
- Christmas Eve morning was spent with Steph and the kids at our house. The afternoon, we loaded everyone (including Steph's mom) into the car for a short trip to Overland Park where we had a wonderful lunch and good family time with Steph's brother Craig and his family. We then loaded back up and made the jouney down to Springfield, MO to wake up Christmas day at Steph's other brother's house, Dave, where we had a great time. We don't get to see Dave and Charlotte and the kids very often, so it's nice to spend time with them whenever we get the chance
- Christmas with my side of the family was held on the 29th at my brother Jeff's house . We always have a lot of fun, and this year was no exception. The kid's exchange names when we get together on Thanksgiving and the adults always plan on a White Elephant exchange - and with Derek's past gifts, it can be quite strange! We had a nice meal and enjoyed catching up on everyone's lives through this past year - it's always a great way to bring the year to a close - with family all around!
I look forward to 2008 as a year that will help to define my running as well as my friendships. I have a long list of things to do this year - know that each of you who read this will be a part of that!
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