Happy Thanksgiving

[Freebird]

As I sit here this morning with my 3rd cup of coffee, I am reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for on this special day. I can count many blessings in my life and realize that like many people, I sometimes tend to dwell on the negatives and forget to give thanks for all the wonderful blessings.

 

There are so many things that I won't even attempt to list them but at the top of the list of course is my Lord, my wife and my family. I thank my Lord every single night for his love and grace. I probably don't thank my wife often enough but I tell her every single day that I love her and I tell you, she has been a very patient person to have stayed with me for what will be 20 years in January. She is truly my soulmate and partner in this journey called "life" and I am so blessed to have her beside me.

 

I am also thankful for all of you. What started out as just a small website has grown into something much more to me. Some may not understand it but this site has become an important part of my life and consumes a great deal of my time. That is not a complaint, I love doing this and I love that it has brought so many together as true friends. I know that this site is still small potatoes as compared to many out there but I think that what we have here is unique in many ways. When I started down this road over 10 years ago, there were just a handful of rules that I wanted to establish here and you know what they are so I won't go into that but I do want to thank you for helping me to keep things on the right track and for your willingness to accept new folks that show up and make our job of moderating this place so very easy.

 

I'm going to come clean about something. Some of you know that the past year presented some challenges for me. There were some personal issues and were and continue to be some financial issues. There was a time when I didn't know if I was going to be able to keep this site going and had to give some consideration to possibly letting it go to somebody else. I put some feelers out and actually got a very good offer from an investor who wanted to take over the site. It would have likely meant that there would have been some changes here though. A lot of advertising and etc. He actually wanted me to stick around and basically run the site but it would have been under some changes here. Basically the site would have been monetized for profit.

 

Due to the fact that we could really use the money, it was something that Eileen and I did discuss. Just so you know, in spite of her getting irritated at times about the amount of time I spend on this site, especially over the past few weeks, she was adamantly against me letting it go. She knows how much I love this place and love all of you. I was trying to be the responsible one and considering how the sale of the site would help us at this time. I'll tell you the truth, I was offered almost $50,000.00 for this site. $45,000.00 was cash and the rest was based upon some monthly payments to stick around and run the site and a small part of any revenue that it ended up generating. It was not an offer that was easy, financially, to walk away from.

 

Well, I did turn down the offer. I felt that I was selling more than just a website but a part of myself. I felt that I would have been selling my friends. Not only did I turn down the offer but then realized that I had to spend some money to keep this place going. The upgrade was NOT because I felt you were unhappy with what we had but because the current software was outdated and was going to fail to keep working as server software and etc. was updated. There was just no getting around it. Updates had to be done. Many of you know that I have spent many hours over the past few weeks on this upgrade. Not just to make it functional, that was easy enough, but to try and customize things to bring back features that were lost and to make it as seamless a changeover as possible for all of you. I know that there are some changes that some of you don't like but I promise you that I have and continue to do all that I can to make it what each of you want it to be.

 

So lastly, I am thankful that all of you have been so patient during this update process. I know there have been some things missing and most of them have come back. There are still a couple of things that aren't exactly as we want them to be but I continue to look for solutions to the remaining things that you have requested. I am so thankful that you have stuck with me during these changes and please rest assured that I will continue to work to modify, customize and correct things that may not be exactly right. There are some things that I wasn't planning to include with this update but you requested that they be brought back and what I say on our front page hasn't changed. This is not MY site. This is OUR site and I will continue to live by that and try my best to please as many of you as I can.

 

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving day. Each and every one of you are special to me and I'm glad that you are a part of my life.

 

Don

[naturbar]

Don, been around this site since I purchased my '07 RSTD in 2008... It was a free site then and I just couldn't get over how much info was available and how willing the people were to just chime in and offer help, advice, comfort and prayers and all for free. I initially thought that perhaps whoever ran the site was possibly a rich person who just enjoyed sharing. As it turns out I was exactly right about you Don. You are a rich person but not in the monetary sense, you are a unique individual who sacrifices for the good of others and while calling you a hero might be stretching the meaning, you certainly have the attributes of one. We are the fortunate ones here and I for one salute you and thank YOU for all your hard work, caring and sharing! Btw the $12.00 membership fee is absolutely the most cost effective money I've ever spent and you deserve it and more. My family hopes that you and your family have a wonderful Turkey Day. Thanks for your service and may God bless you & yours....... Buz Rutan

[XV1100SE]

Wish you and all our U.S. members a great Thanksgiving weekend !

 

Don - Thank you for your post. Didn't realize how much someone would pay for a forum like this. The Mastercard commercial comes to mind though - the members here and the site are "priceless"! I know you spend a lot of time managing the site, and with the Harley forum, I'm sure Eileen puts up with a lot of your attention going to the sites but she is right....you can't let it go. (please thank her for us !)

 

In the ten years since you started vr.org, what you've developed here is a family. Even though "we" haven't met everyone, there is great support whether it is bike related or moral support. This is because you provided a home for all of us and facilitate a place to make friends.

 

Thank you Don....and to Eileen !

 

Have a great holiday !!!!!

[uncledj]

WOW !!!

What a great post. Thanks for all you do. I / we DO appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and like Don said,...we should take some time today to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.

[billmac]

Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for all you and Eileen do.

[Oldodge]

I have just started my second year here and finished up my first full riding season with the RSV. I love the machine, and this site is part of that experience. I have joined a couple other forums for various interests. All of them are free sites, if they weren't I would drop all but one of them in a minute because I don't feel I really "belong" there. This forum is the best bargain in motorcycling, hands down. I have not met one member in person, but I feel I have gotten to know many, and I feel like I do 'belong" here. Thank you Freebird and family for bringing us all together and making me feel so welcome.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Drews]

Thanks Don & Eileen & All the venture rider family Happy Thanksgiving

[pbjman]

Happy Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving to all! Ditto! Amen! Amen! to Don's second paragraph.

I Thank you LORD for everything.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed day and truly takes a moment to reflect on what they have to be thankful for.

[CaptainJoe]

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The most important things in this world are faith, family and friends...

[10spd]

I found this site right after bought my 88 venture a year ago. As Buz said. Don you are a very rich man in terms of the friends you have made from this website. Even though we haven't met I consider each one on here a friend. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here

[Yammer Dan]

What do I have to be thankful for?? Well one of the yard varmints gave me a nice cold...., I'm above ground. All those smells coming out of the Warden's kitchen (been banned) don't smell too good with this cold. Don't feel like sneaking the bike out and its a little too chilly. Coffee tastes like crap this morning. Rug rats racing thru house. Cain't hear myself think. Did I mention coffee is nasty and I ain't hungry? FOUND MY PILLS!!! Merry Thanksgiving!!Going to my room and close the Door!!Have a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year. Now which pill was what.... oh Yeah HAVE a GREAT TURKEY DAY!!! and BAH HUMBUG!!!!!

[rbig1]

happy thanksgiving to all of ya. I still don't have my bike running correct. but thats because of me. having a tough time staying on task right now. as same type of problems but lost. between retiring and getting divorced no cash. didn't want to retire but body made me. waa waa ill suck it up and get going. just don't know what I want

[RockinRobin]

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Venturerider family and our leader Don and his lovely wife Eileen. May you have many blessings throughout the coming year.

[NSA Joe]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

[Bubber]

Happy Thanksgiving from and to the richest people in the world!

 

Yes we may not have the money but we have each other and this Venture Family.

 

For that I thank you Don, without you we would have probably been long gone.

 

To all you other crazies, thanks for putting up with me over the years and my not so smart, smart aleck remarks while trying to be funny.

 

Happy Thanksgiving,........... my friends!

[utadventure]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to the wonderful friends at VR.org!! Have a fantastic day.

[eagleeye]

Happy Thanksgiving to all and Don and Eileen, thank you for all you do and have done to keep this group altogether.

[campfire12]

Thanks Don for all you do. Kids are all here and turkeys in the oven. Now I sit and reflect and give thanks to family,friends health and all the friends You have brought together on this site and made us family.Thanks Eileen for letting us share our passions and friendships. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[5 Buck Kanuck]

Don I think this is the best investment I have ever made (12.00$) I would bet the members would pay more. You do a great job.

 

To all the Venture riders in the U.S.A. HAPPY THANKSGIVING From your Northern Neighbour.

[bongobobny]

Don, having been here since before the great crash of '06, I have seen people come and people go on this site but one thing that never changes is the spirit of this place!! It always has been, and I'm sure always will be one big family. I've been a member of other web sites and none can compare to this one!! It is indeed a part of my daily routine and will always be my home away from home. So on this day of thanks I gladly give you a big hearty THANK YOU for all you do!!!

[DragonRider]

Don, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and also to this wonderful family, Venturerider.org. I have a member here going on 10 years. Don has been the one constant here all those years, and there of a lot of things ,my wife and I would not have done if it wasn't for this group, thanks again for all you do my friend, and I am proud to be your friend and proud to be a Venturerider!

[dueyk1111]

THANKS to you and your wife for all you do for all of us here , and your wife for all she helps you to do!!!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and your family!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all the members here and their families!!

[Eddie]

I would also like to thank you Don, I remember when this started for us here and it was an instant success in my eyes and that was due to all your hard work.

Very tough business decision you made there, Glad it went the way it did.

[Motiv]

I am thankful to come across this forum and to be accepted and am looking forward to meeting some of you.

Thank you Don for weaving this web of desperados, I enjoy reading the stories, checking out pictures, sealing mod ideas, getting my questions answered and all the other playful banter that is posted here.

Thank you Eileen for allowing Don to spend sooooo much of his time on the site.

 

Now go and have one of those girly drinks on me Don!

[cowpuc]

Don

First of all, I too want to thank you and Eileen for your dedication and hard work in providing this SAFE, secure and family oriented cyber platform that so many people from all walks of life interact on.. It is a rich blessing for Tip and I to be able to share as part of the family here.. Your transparency, openness and timing of the letter you wrote is amazing! We truly are a blessed group here to have you at the helm my friend and what a great time of the year to be able to share that truth!!

I too have been in small business for many years and watched my bike shop go from a "hobby" as I was also working in Manufacturing Management full time, into a full blown shop - full time operation.. Than watched as life changed, sold the business and went back to the fun of hobby building bikes... I am all to familiar with the difficulties in making decisions like you shared.. THOSE are some of the hardest decisions a man and his wife have to make in life with the reason for that difficulty being because you care!!

It is that caring spirit that you possess and apply to managing VR that helps make our site what it is today! I have personally not had the pleasure of meeting you but I have had the honor and pleasure of walking beside you as a friend here in cyber space.. I have had the opportunity to meet many people on here who know you personally and, without fail,, all of them have shared in my take of you as one amazing person and Tip/I KNOW from being married and operating a small business (24/7) that your wife is just as amazing!!!

I want you to know that as life goes on and things change like they always do,, whether or not you sell the site, come to your senses in your choice of motorcycle ownership or pack up and move to warmer climates,,,,,, come what may,, you got a family out here who loves ya and is PROUD of you and your accomplishments!! And, good or bad,, you got a friend in ol Puc:big-grin-emoticon:!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!