Spring 2016

I'm not sure why I don't blog as much. It's not as if life has gotten less interesting or less is happening. But for some reason I just don't think about it as much. So let's try to get caught up on what has happened in the last few months.

CHINA

It has been a few years since I was in China (not counting Hong Kong) and this year I got to go back on a business trip for a week. I went to Shanghai, a city I've been to before and love. My hotel was so fun. Though the weather was not great and it was so busy I had little time to do much besides business, I still loved it. The food was amazing and I got to see some old friends. I enjoy Shanghai so much. I always feel welcome and love to see how much progress the city continues to make.


MEXICO CITY

I love Mexico, but my experiences in Mexico have been limited to a few places. One place I have never been is Mexico City. This spring I had the opportunity to take a business trip down to visit. I didn't have much time; I literally was there for less than 48 hours. But I loved it. I was looking at apartments and other things for a group of people moving there sometime this summer. This part of the city was beautiful and certainly one of the nicer parts of the city. The people I met, the homes I saw, and the sights we passed made me want to actually move there. I got a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and have some great food. What a wonderful place; and my love for this country grew even more.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

This year was our 20th wedding anniversary. First of all, it is very difficult for me to imagine I have been married that long. But we knew we wanted to do something cool to celebrate. We originally had planned a trip to an island off the coast of Belize, but for some reason we couldn't pull the trigger. So we decided to go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic as we had friends who love it there. We stayed longer than any trip we've ever done before. Tevia did a great job blogging the many details. So this is my executive summary. It was wonderful. It was hard not to compare it to Mexico; and frankly, Mexico is much nicer in my opinion. But we had a great, relaxing time. My favorite part was a trip to one of the islands off the coast where we had a catamaran trip there and then spent a few hours on this tropical paradise and ate lunch before we headed back on a speed boat. I love spending this time with Tevia who remains my best friend and beautiful as ever. I am a lucky guy to have a woman so beautiful even after all these years. A great trip overall and very relaxing.

KIDS

Each of my boys bring me so much happiness. Enok has been going to a new school as he was accepted into the gifted school in the district. Our other boys were, too, but decided not to go. Enok decided to go and I've seen a big change in him. He is more extroverted and confident. It has been hard at a new school, but I think he has loved it. It has been fun to see him grow and change. Malik continues to excel at his piano and he composes such wonderful songs that they even get stuck in my head all the time. He has matured so much and is a loving soul. He is always there to tell me he loves me and misses me when I travel. Jarek continues to be such an amazing young man. He recently took the ACT and got a 35 on it. I have never known anyone to get such a great score. What a smart kid.

The two older boys also were approved to get a "Make a Wish" for their heart conditions. We had the Make a Wish organization come along with the company sponsoring them both. They brought a camera crew to capture the process and so far all that they have done is provide their wishes. We'll soon hear which, if any, are approved and move forward on that. It is neat to see our boys get a chance at something so special and see others willing to help kids like them. It will be fun to see what wishes get approved and see the boys experience these amazing things.

LIFE

Life has been a blessing and this year is going by so fast. I feel I have been slacking on a few things this year that I hope to get better at (family scripture reading is one of these). But other areas I have made improvements in. The best improvement this year has been my enjoyment of my job. Work is work and isn't always fun. And though I travel a lot and it has been a busy year, I love the people I work with and have enjoyed this challenge and new client. What a difference that makes. Most days I don't even mind turning on the computer and starting the work day. That is a huge blessing. Add that to my beautiful wife, three amazing boys who I look up to and love, the opportunity to travel and great health and I'd say I am one lucky guy.