And –  since our web capabilities are not quite so cutting edge as The New York Times – I’ve compiled our year in thumbnails. (The above photo is roughly in chronological order if you “read” it from left to right.)

Since I know you’re up to your ears in year-end-wrap-up lists, I’m just going to bullet the basics and let you click if you want to read more on our year’s events:

– Honoring heroes at the Breakfast of Champions

– The ground-breaking Together We Prepare Our Neighborhood program

– First ever staff CPR drills 

– China earthquake

– Myanmar cyclone

– Deploying hundreds of Oregonian volunteers to the Midwest Floods, Hurricane Gustav, and Hurricane Ike

– Partnering with the Q Center to host the Stand Up, Stand Out, Stand Proud blood drive

– Partnering with the Humane Society to offer special cat and dog First Aid classes

– Marching in the Starlight Parade and the Pride Parade

– A whole Hood to Coast team taking CPR together after their teammate was saved by CPR

– The Blog-Off

– New National CEO Gail McGovern‘s visit to our chapter

– The Clara Barton Challenge (hint: lots of people rose to the challenge)

– Our fabulous multi-cultural celebration

– A gazillion very important drills

– Making holiday cards for heroes

– Snowpocalpyse ’08 and The Emergency Blood Drive Tweet-Up

– Two straight weeks of Emergency Warming Centers

That’s not even half of what we did this year, but you get the point. From small to huge, from celebratory to sad to inspirational, this year has been full of memorable events.

Now on to 2009…  let’s hope it’s filled with less disaster and more preparedness.