A party of special magnificence

Yesterday, I was the lucky beneficiary of the best send-off party a guy could hope to have, with friends old and new turning out to wish Julie and me well on our next adventure, and to celebrate together the progress we've made toward ending homelessness in Minnesota over the past decade, and to mark the end of my 12 years with Hearth Connection.

Seeing a room full of people you admire, hearing them say incredibly warm things about our time putting shoulders to the wheel together, and having so many well wishes and so much positive energy directed at me and us and our next undertaking is moving beyond measure. I'm humbled, and proud, and touched.

Add to that a Minnesota House of Representatives resolution wishing me well in my "retirement," thanks to a good friend and kick-ass freshman Representative Jeff Hayden, read out to the group by Mayor George Latimer, a great friend and Chair of Hearth Connection's powerhouse Board of Directors, and I'm just stunned speechless.

But I won't be speechless for long, since Hearth Connection not only sent me off with so much love, so many memories, so much to be proud of, and so much confidence in their strength and resolve in the future. No, on top of all of that, they sent me off with a gift certificate for one of the world's highest bungy jumps in New Zealand! (134 meters!) I cannot imagine a more fitting way to mark the significance of this transition... nor what might come out of my mouth on the jump!

And, as if all of that weren't enough frosting on this incredible cake, check out this frosting:

Yeah, that's me, riding over the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, magically transferred onto a cake, thanks to two of my favorite Julies, one as the photographer, and the other as the party planner and Jane-of-all-trades extraordinaire.

Lucky, lucky me, for having such amazing people in my life. I just can't say thanks enough.