Dustin Henderlong

1.  Having a Micro-Discectomy of my L5-S1 vertebrae.

This may surprise you, as I complained about my back a lot for the five years leading up to the surgery in January, but thanks to Dr. Kathleen Van Buskirk, I can now hike, bike, work out and do basically everything a normal 26 year-old dude can do (no more skiing moguls or going downhill mountain biking).  This decision made life suck (especially for Mimi) for well over three months, but it paid off big time.  Proof: I hiked two 14’ers (Grays and Torreys) in one day this August and didn’t even miss that little hunk of spine they removed.

2. Proposing to Mimi and deciding to have our wedding in Colorado.

I could write a book about this, but suffice it to say that I’ve never known a person whom I can live with, work with and do just about everything else with (without coming to really annoy them).  If you are reading this blog you probably know enough of the story, but we went to school together as kids, then met again years later while we both lived in NYC.  I once posted on her MySpace wall (when we used to have MySpace accounts) “I dig your soul”.  I still do, and I plan to for the rest of my life.  The fact that she said “Yes!!” on our mountain in Colorado and she’ll say “I do!” on a beautiful mountain lake in front of everyone we hold dear is proof that it can work out.  I’m a very lucky individual.

3. Taking the new position at Threadless (several times).

I was originally hired to design custom themed offices (detective, cave, etc) within our Boulder space and then create a store on Pearl Street.  Long story short, I ended up doing a Kid’s Store in Chicago, handling a less than ideal real estate situation in Boulder, and most importantly, grasping the opportunity to become Threadless’ first ever Event Coordinator.  The bottom line is, I had no training or experience in any of these specific positions, but I trusted myself and said, “yeah, I’ll make that work”.  It’s been a roller coaster at times, but I love roller coasters and I couldn’t ask for a better crew to ride with.

4. Joining a gym.

I absolutely hate that it gets dark at 4:30pm now.  I sit at my desk at the office and watch the day end before I can even head home to see Phyllis.  This makes me sad, and causes S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  That’s basically just a fancy-pants way of explaining seasonal depression.  Luckily for me I have a degree in Psychology (I know what you’re thinking, and yes I’m being sarcastic) because I know that exercise is the only proven mood enhancer.  Granted, my gym is super packed and not as sanitary as it probably should be, but it has everything I need, plus a steam room, hot tub and lap pool.  Spot me?  (I’m the Mayor, for those of you familiar with foursquare)

5. Secretly flying to Indiana for my brother’s surprise 30^th birthday party.

He didn’t know I was coming, which meant I couldn’t blog about my trip, post anything to Flickr or send out any Tweets.  However, that sense of keeping my life to myself was enlightening and I need to post about that experience later.  The look on his face was priceless.  Our relationship can be rocky, but this was my way of saying, “this is important to me, you’re important to me, let’s drink some scotch and celebrate”.  I improved just about every familial relationship I have during this trip and was really sad to say goodbye.  It reminded me of how quickly time is passing, and that I need to ask my Dad for his thoughts more often, as they’re pretty damn insightful.  I’m looking forward to Christmas.