A new day of reckoning was upon me. After bundling my locks of hair into one big ponytail, the same hair that hadn’t been trimmed in 16 months, I grasped it firmly in one hand, and with the other, slayed it with a knife. For a second, I pondered my irreversible decision as the mass of dead fiber fell to the floor. As the hair buzzers cleaned up what was left, any regret I might have had dissipated as my head began to feel cooler, cleaner, and free once again-an indicator of things to come. It was beginning to be a real pain in the ass taking care of it anyways.

In several ways this “clip” is synonymous with my life in general at the moment. I’m cleaning things up. I’m finishing overdue projects to make way for new ones. I’m paying off debts and laying the groundwork for exciting new opportunities. I’ve haven’t posted anything in a while, not because I haven’t had anything worthwhile to post, but mainly because I haven’t had the time. This winter, in stark contrast to last winter, has been overwhelmingly busy. It has been both a blessing and a curse. Money has been the least of my worries, while time has become my most precious commodity, more importantly, time to do the things I really enjoy, you know, ski, hike, bike, play. Not that I haven’t made time to do any of this, just not as much as I perceive as healthy.

I’m writing this post at DFW airport this sunny Wednesday morning. I took a little trip to Terrell to help my brother add on a room to his house to prepare for a baby that is on the way. We got a lot done, and I enjoy seeing the family, but am absolutely itching to get back toDurango. Great things await.

I’ll start by catching you up with some events of the winter. My main job at Sun Peak Builders actually stayed pretty busy as we finished up two new houses from the summer and were full swing into a big remodel. Predicting (incorrectly) that this job would slow down a bit, I took on a side job remodeling a garage apartment on the north end of town. Simultaneously, I was working at Durango Mountain Resort every few days as a snowshoe tour guide. To make matters even more hectic, I was wrapping up a lawsuit, selling a house, and pursuing interests in a new girlfriend. If, after all this, I had any free time I spent it sking or resting.

The lawsuit was the long standing one resulting in the collision I had with a car while riding my bike in March 2011. We got an ok settlement and with it I was able to pay off a large chunk of debt and finally put this whole thing behind me-well, for the most part. I still have nagging pains in my shoulder that I will likely deal with for the rest of my life, but it’s nothing severe.

On my drive back home to CO from TX around New Years, I was brainstorming how to jumpstart a new business idea and get all debt payed off and then it hit me, I just need to sell my house inAustin. I have invested quite a bit of time, money, and sentiment into this house-after all, it was my first real house-but, after my realtor ran the comps and I saw how much it would net and how quickly it would sell, I did not hesitate to list it immediately. It is now scheduled to close in a few days. I will take the profit and pay off the last remaining debt I have. I will put a little in savings. Then, the real fun starts.

I have two, possibly three new ventures I will begin work on right away. The real estate investing side of my LLC will be kickstarted once again. I’ve decided to try investing in tax liens for a short time to see how I like this method. Concurrently, I will begin to build my multifamily portfolio. This will be the key to retiring in a few years. Go ahead and call me crazy. Five years from now I’ll be calling you from New Zealand or British Colombia to let you know how awesome my retirement is going.

The other venture I have already put in motion. It is somewhat top secret until I can secure trademarking. Let’s just say it will combine all my interests in design, construction, real estate, and entrepreneurship. More on this project later in the year…

Finally, I have began construction on my new tiny house. I custom ordered a trailer chassis from a local manufacturer, have picked it up, and, have began to organize wood for framing that I have stockpiled from various jobs that I worked on over the summer. I am super excited to work on this new structure and get rid of the 1965 Forester camper. It got me through the winter, but I’m not going to lie, it was a bit unconvenient and rough, even by my standards.

Not quite sure how long it will take to complete this new home, but I’m hoping not too terribly long. Also of note, I’ve started riding once again. The trails have a few more weeks before they dry up, but the dirt roads around here are good to go! I have a few races on the calendar this year that I would like to do good at. The big push for financial security remains my #1 goal for 2013, but I’d still like to compete and ride as much as circumstances will alllow.

Stay tuned for more news on the new business venture, and things in general. Thanks for checking in,

Greg