I think it is funny that some of us don't even know where we will be living in August, be we do know we will be meeting at Cedar point!
I am now officially excited about this! and I don't even like the rides.
We are all in, including Cari and Hazel! Kathy will depend on when Jimmy returns from Iraq.
in addition! I just talked to my sister, and it just so happens that Sarah will be up there with her that week, with her kids. Kathy is now really excited to go to Cedar Point with all of us and Sarah, Trevor, and Alexa, and go on to Cleveland and be together! So some of us can meet each other's children finally! How fun is that?!
So, unofficially, the best date is August 7th. People should plan on flying in the day before, and probably getting a cheap hotel, because you can bet my mom won't put everyone up. :)
My sister stays in a place there often that she says is very nice and reasonable.
Then we would drive into CP early Thursday, check in, (although we can't get our rooms till 3), and then have fun!
I would also guess some of you will want your own rooms. They range from cheapies like we stay in at 145. a night, to 200ish, depending on the floor, newness, etc.
Just go to cedarpoint.com to start living the dream!
I wonder what they built this year?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Priceless memories
I found 4 tapes when I was going through journals. Two of them are Bret from his mission. It was so fun to listen to as I made a poster for our talent show. Bret, your voice sounded so much like Jacob, at first I thought it was him! Really! I was amazed. I will bring it next time we are all together. It brought back memories of how hard it must have been to have been so far away in a strange country. You mention how you got robbed, and how you had fleas. You sounded so mature about it all.
The next tape was our family making a tape to send to Bret on his mission. Tom sings on it, Kathy talks so adorably about her friends and such. Jacob, there is just a priceless piece of you telling Bret about how Kathy took up too much of the tape. :) It was so funny. What great memories on these tapes.
Then I have one my sister Kathy sent to us, with her and her little girls singing us Christmas songs. I loved it! So cute!
What fun things to listen to as I work on young women stuff.
The next tape was our family making a tape to send to Bret on his mission. Tom sings on it, Kathy talks so adorably about her friends and such. Jacob, there is just a priceless piece of you telling Bret about how Kathy took up too much of the tape. :) It was so funny. What great memories on these tapes.
Then I have one my sister Kathy sent to us, with her and her little girls singing us Christmas songs. I loved it! So cute!
What fun things to listen to as I work on young women stuff.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
maybe the reason I have such a blessed life?
I knew I had to stay home today, due to weather and waiting for news about if I need to run to Cleveland or not, so I decided to do one of my long-term goals for this year and organize my journals. I found my very first one, I was 13. It is a cute diary with a key.
Every single day I started out with, "went to Mass and Communion", and then listed what I prayed for. I also listed when I said rosaries and who I said them for. I went to Mass that year 179 times!
I am just impressed with my level of spirituality back then at that age.
The person I listed most as praying for was my dad. Others, not in any particular order, but interesting to see what a 13 year old girl prays for: my family, peace, world leaders, nations of the world, the sinners in Cleveland, the Negroes in Cleveland, my mom, my sister, friends, and a few times my teachers. How funny is that?
At the end of the journal, I list people I will never forget. There is a name on there, John, (Joker). How funny, because I have no idea who that is! :)
I also listed my grades on tests, and what I wore, and when I 'washed and set' my hair.
It was a fun read.
Every single day I started out with, "went to Mass and Communion", and then listed what I prayed for. I also listed when I said rosaries and who I said them for. I went to Mass that year 179 times!
I am just impressed with my level of spirituality back then at that age.
The person I listed most as praying for was my dad. Others, not in any particular order, but interesting to see what a 13 year old girl prays for: my family, peace, world leaders, nations of the world, the sinners in Cleveland, the Negroes in Cleveland, my mom, my sister, friends, and a few times my teachers. How funny is that?
At the end of the journal, I list people I will never forget. There is a name on there, John, (Joker). How funny, because I have no idea who that is! :)
I also listed my grades on tests, and what I wore, and when I 'washed and set' my hair.
It was a fun read.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
granda
Grandpa has his surgery tomorrow at 10am. He is soooooo nervous. He says he has a bad feeling about this. I will keep you posted.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Some good news
I'm posting this news at Jacob's request because he said the family could use some good news. My boss (the one who lives in St. George) was in town this past weekend, and this morning, I had a meeting with him and my other boss who handles the benefits and raises, etc. The basic point of the meeting was to discuss their offer to me for when I go part-time after having the baby, which I had already told them was what I wanted to do. In a nutshell, they told what my raise will be in April and then they added in what I have been getting as paid time off and as paid holidays and used that to calculate what my hourly wage will be once I'm part-time. The raise is going to be for $6000, which will put me to $50,000/year if I was staying full-time. With the holidays and time off added in, they hourly wage they offered me was $28/hour, which honestly, is way, way higher than I was hoping for. So once again, the Lord is blessing us through this really good employer. And as if all that wasn't enough, my bosses informed me that all this is separate from my April bonus and that the bonuses will continue (proportionally smaller, of course) once I'm part-time. So a very good day from the career front.
I know there hasn't been a blog about my health and the baby, but I'm pretty sure everyone's aware of the little scare we had with my close contractions last week and trip to the doctor's office. The current report is very good. The contractions have slowed way down from last week, though I'm still getting them more often than either Jacob or I would like. So we have canceled our trip to Phoenix in March, though Jacob's still planning to go on the desert trip later that month. I'm quitting water aerobics (probably the thing I'm most bummed about at the moment) and Jacob doesn't allow me to walk more than the equivalent of a block at a time. Both the baby and I are doing very well. She spent most of the day exploring with her knees and elbows and any other part of her body that was pointy and she could poke me with. :-) She's a cutie and as excited as I am to meet her face to face, I hope she stays put for another couple months.
Life is very good for us right now. It almost feels wrong to say that will all the bad news that keeps pouring in from other parts of the family, but I think we'd just get ourselves in more trouble if we weren't open with our gratitude. We love you all and are praying for you.
I know there hasn't been a blog about my health and the baby, but I'm pretty sure everyone's aware of the little scare we had with my close contractions last week and trip to the doctor's office. The current report is very good. The contractions have slowed way down from last week, though I'm still getting them more often than either Jacob or I would like. So we have canceled our trip to Phoenix in March, though Jacob's still planning to go on the desert trip later that month. I'm quitting water aerobics (probably the thing I'm most bummed about at the moment) and Jacob doesn't allow me to walk more than the equivalent of a block at a time. Both the baby and I are doing very well. She spent most of the day exploring with her knees and elbows and any other part of her body that was pointy and she could poke me with. :-) She's a cutie and as excited as I am to meet her face to face, I hope she stays put for another couple months.
Life is very good for us right now. It almost feels wrong to say that will all the bad news that keeps pouring in from other parts of the family, but I think we'd just get ourselves in more trouble if we weren't open with our gratitude. We love you all and are praying for you.
I feel like Anakin
Along with the Star Wars theme this week, after hearing about Jarek's heart, I must say I was very upset. It certainly seemed to fit into the whole happening around us not staying/going to Hong Kong, but I really had hoped we were long past having to worry about this again. I have spent so many hours praying and fasting for Jarek's heart. I was surprised to hear that he now needs to be monitored more carefully. Now, I'm not jumping to conclusions at this point. Nothing has happened and so far it would appear there is no need to worry. But just the fact that we go from monitoring every 2 years to 6 months brings a lot of worry to a father.
As I went through this very busy day I was definitely distracted. I had to give reviews today, buy my airline tickets, and a bunch of other things, but I kept thinking about Jarek. And as I thought about him, I thought a lot about Anakin in Episode III. I was reminded of the pain he felt as he worried about Padme dying. And how that drove him to do ANYTHING in order to save her. Yes, indeed he was willing to give up all he believed to save her. And though I am certainly not at that point - nor is my situation so grave - I can understand the feeling to do anything to save someone you love from pain, from death. And how easy is it to rationalize? We are doing it for love? What a test it is.
I recall reading (Journal of Discourses?) a quote from Joseph Smith saying that he would go to hell in order to be with Emma (this comment is worthy of a post by itself). This showed his dedication to the woman he loved.
When Tevia was here in Hong Kong we visited some Buddhist temples and of course she visited the Big Buddha. She marveled at how sad the philosophy of Buddhism is in that you should not be attached to things - and how life is pain. This is exactly the philosophy George Lucas borrowed for the Jedi. And it was exactly what Yoda tried to convince Anakin to do. To forget about the one he loved. Attachment only can bring pain. It was the Emperor that convinced Anakin the folly of that idea; in reality he espoused we should embrace emotion.
The reality is that attachment WILL bring pain. It has to. We all die. We all suffer pain. So anyone we love will go through those and we will feel for them. Or vice versa. So why do we have to go through these things? How many people have asked this question? Of course, I believe that it is because we need to experience the pain in order to truly understand joy. But even this understanding doesn't always bring comfort in those times of pain. Maybe this is the key to the role of the Holy Ghost. God gave us something to get us through those times; maybe we can't do it on our own. And don't we have proof that we can't?
So imagine the scene from Episode III where Anakin is in the temple looking out over the city imagining what is going to happen to his wife. And what is going to happen to the one person that could possibly give him the power to save his wife. Just a few hours earlier he had avoided the temptation to destroy the Sith Lord. He had been strong enough. But there alone, he faltered. The pain was unbearable. He needed to be closer to the temptation. He couldn't let that hope be dashed.
And here I am. Looking out a window into the dark. Thousands of miles from those I love. Far away from the boy I want to embrace and tell him it will all be fine. Far away from that loving friend who has always supported me. Thank goodness no Sith Lord is out there tempting me. And thank goodness I will be back with my kindred spirits in a couple of days. I love you Fett Junior.
As I went through this very busy day I was definitely distracted. I had to give reviews today, buy my airline tickets, and a bunch of other things, but I kept thinking about Jarek. And as I thought about him, I thought a lot about Anakin in Episode III. I was reminded of the pain he felt as he worried about Padme dying. And how that drove him to do ANYTHING in order to save her. Yes, indeed he was willing to give up all he believed to save her. And though I am certainly not at that point - nor is my situation so grave - I can understand the feeling to do anything to save someone you love from pain, from death. And how easy is it to rationalize? We are doing it for love? What a test it is.
I recall reading (Journal of Discourses?) a quote from Joseph Smith saying that he would go to hell in order to be with Emma (this comment is worthy of a post by itself). This showed his dedication to the woman he loved.
When Tevia was here in Hong Kong we visited some Buddhist temples and of course she visited the Big Buddha. She marveled at how sad the philosophy of Buddhism is in that you should not be attached to things - and how life is pain. This is exactly the philosophy George Lucas borrowed for the Jedi. And it was exactly what Yoda tried to convince Anakin to do. To forget about the one he loved. Attachment only can bring pain. It was the Emperor that convinced Anakin the folly of that idea; in reality he espoused we should embrace emotion.
The reality is that attachment WILL bring pain. It has to. We all die. We all suffer pain. So anyone we love will go through those and we will feel for them. Or vice versa. So why do we have to go through these things? How many people have asked this question? Of course, I believe that it is because we need to experience the pain in order to truly understand joy. But even this understanding doesn't always bring comfort in those times of pain. Maybe this is the key to the role of the Holy Ghost. God gave us something to get us through those times; maybe we can't do it on our own. And don't we have proof that we can't?
So imagine the scene from Episode III where Anakin is in the temple looking out over the city imagining what is going to happen to his wife. And what is going to happen to the one person that could possibly give him the power to save his wife. Just a few hours earlier he had avoided the temptation to destroy the Sith Lord. He had been strong enough. But there alone, he faltered. The pain was unbearable. He needed to be closer to the temptation. He couldn't let that hope be dashed.
And here I am. Looking out a window into the dark. Thousands of miles from those I love. Far away from the boy I want to embrace and tell him it will all be fine. Far away from that loving friend who has always supported me. Thank goodness no Sith Lord is out there tempting me. And thank goodness I will be back with my kindred spirits in a couple of days. I love you Fett Junior.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Jarek's Heart
Well, we were not sure exactly how this appointment would go, as it has been almost two years since his last appointment. The initial appointment went pretty well albeit for the strange extra heartbeats that popped up on both the EKG and the echo cardiogram. Jarek had to wear a holter monitor for 24 hours to monitor his heart activity and see how regular or irregular those extra beats were. At the end of the appointment Dr. Jedeikin said he would see us in two years, unless the echo results came back with something not great.
This afternoon I received a call from the Dr. Jedeikin. It seems that the echo didn't go quite as well as we had initially thought. Apparently there is a small problem in the left ventricle. The function is, as he put it, "low normal". So still within a normal range, but lower than he would like to see it. So, here is the plan of attack. He needs us to go see the neurologist again. Ugh. Dr. Berns is not exactly the most, shall we say, fun doctor on our list of doctors. This was the doctor that was actually disappointed that he guessed the kids' diagnosis wrong. Anyhow, Dr. Jedeikin needs to know more details about Jarek's muscular diagnosis in order to proceed with any further treatment for Jarek. And our follow-up visit just went from 2 years to 6 months. So, we will be delving further once again into Jarek's cardio/muscular health. He is also pushing to get him into a geneticist. I told him we will wait a little longer on that since it isn't going really give us any information that will help with this current issue.
We knew that at some point things would change with his heart, and to be honest I am amazed that it took this long. We will gird up our loins and dig in. I don't like going to so many doctors, but since it is in the best interest of Jarek, then I will garner up a good attitude to last me as long as needs be. I know everyone is already at breaking point with prayers for other people, but if you wouldn't mind squeezing in a little one here or there for Jarek, it would be much appreciated.
This afternoon I received a call from the Dr. Jedeikin. It seems that the echo didn't go quite as well as we had initially thought. Apparently there is a small problem in the left ventricle. The function is, as he put it, "low normal". So still within a normal range, but lower than he would like to see it. So, here is the plan of attack. He needs us to go see the neurologist again. Ugh. Dr. Berns is not exactly the most, shall we say, fun doctor on our list of doctors. This was the doctor that was actually disappointed that he guessed the kids' diagnosis wrong. Anyhow, Dr. Jedeikin needs to know more details about Jarek's muscular diagnosis in order to proceed with any further treatment for Jarek. And our follow-up visit just went from 2 years to 6 months. So, we will be delving further once again into Jarek's cardio/muscular health. He is also pushing to get him into a geneticist. I told him we will wait a little longer on that since it isn't going really give us any information that will help with this current issue.
We knew that at some point things would change with his heart, and to be honest I am amazed that it took this long. We will gird up our loins and dig in. I don't like going to so many doctors, but since it is in the best interest of Jarek, then I will garner up a good attitude to last me as long as needs be. I know everyone is already at breaking point with prayers for other people, but if you wouldn't mind squeezing in a little one here or there for Jarek, it would be much appreciated.
Monday, February 18, 2008
grandpa pylick
Good news! dad is only in stage 1 cancer. This doctor today says he should have surgery, and get this cancer out asap; so he is having surgery this Friday. It does not look like it has spread. He will be in the hospital 4 days, then 2 weeks recovery, then he will have pulminary rehab. They will teach him how to breath better. He should not need chemo. This surgery should improve his life expectancy from 1 year to 5! wow! I am so glad. He is very nervous about the surgery. He didn't want to talk to me today, he was resting. He says I don't need to go down there, there is nothing I can do. I am glad of that also.
star wars
what is with the recurrence of Star Wars? dad has been watching it, the Jacob Wall house has been watching it, and in youth conference, the Boston temple president referenced it, and a youth said something about it in their testimony; then, yesterday in a talk, someone referred to it. Then Bret watched Episode 3, the sad one. I still say Yoda was very brave to face that really bad guy all by himself.
anyways, dad wanted to watch the middle 3 ones, and we don't have them here. Do we have them and one of you sweet kids took them, or did we never have any of the middle 3? Sorry, I don't know the names.
If we don't have them, that may be a good father's day gift.
to share the quotes used:
one is from when Yoda was teaching Luke to move the ship, and he said, "there is no try, there is only do or can't do it." (something like that)
other- "you are entering a big new world", but I forget who said it when.... :)
anyways, dad wanted to watch the middle 3 ones, and we don't have them here. Do we have them and one of you sweet kids took them, or did we never have any of the middle 3? Sorry, I don't know the names.
If we don't have them, that may be a good father's day gift.
to share the quotes used:
one is from when Yoda was teaching Luke to move the ship, and he said, "there is no try, there is only do or can't do it." (something like that)
other- "you are entering a big new world", but I forget who said it when.... :)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Half way
I'm more than half way through my first trip here to HK. I leave Friday and I'm excited. The weekend was good. I went to the temple yesterday. The session was in Cantonese, so I had to wear a translator. I actually listened to it in Mandarin more than I did in English. That was fun to listen to and was great as it made me pay more attention than usual. I attended the last session of the day (1 PM) and was the last person to leave the celestial room.
I was going to watch a movie, but all the movies I wanted to see were sold out, so that didn't happen. But I moved into Parkview and have loved every minute of it. It has been great. I'm back with my high-tech toilet, Bulgari bath products, high-def TVs, and more.
Today I went to church and surprised quite a few people when they saw me there. Like usual, it was a great sacrament meeting and I loved it. Today I watched Episode III in Spanish. It was great to see in Spanish as I love to hear the different interpretations they use. Of course, I've seen this money so many times, but this time I really saw how sad the movie is. There really is no "happy" ending. Obi-Wan and Yoda fail at their missions. The rest of the Jedi die. Anakin loses Padme and his soul. I really wished I was watching it with my boys. I missed them.
Tomorrow work starts again. I leave on Friday, so really only 4 days this week. Then I'll be home for two weeks. I can't wait.
I was going to watch a movie, but all the movies I wanted to see were sold out, so that didn't happen. But I moved into Parkview and have loved every minute of it. It has been great. I'm back with my high-tech toilet, Bulgari bath products, high-def TVs, and more.
Today I went to church and surprised quite a few people when they saw me there. Like usual, it was a great sacrament meeting and I loved it. Today I watched Episode III in Spanish. It was great to see in Spanish as I love to hear the different interpretations they use. Of course, I've seen this money so many times, but this time I really saw how sad the movie is. There really is no "happy" ending. Obi-Wan and Yoda fail at their missions. The rest of the Jedi die. Anakin loses Padme and his soul. I really wished I was watching it with my boys. I missed them.
Tomorrow work starts again. I leave on Friday, so really only 4 days this week. Then I'll be home for two weeks. I can't wait.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thoughts on a Friday Night
As Jarek is reading HP6 I thought I would reread this classic as I only read it once. I bought the paperback version here tonight which has a really cool cover showing the potions book of the mystery character. I'll prob start on the plane back. Can't wait to hear Jarek's perspective on things. I can't believe he reads these books. He just doesn't seem old enough. It is cold here. Cold, cold, cold. Tonight for dinner I felt lonely and the thought of American food sounded comforting. So I went to California Pizza Kitchen for some salad and a pizza. The pizza was great. The salad not that great. I sat alone in a pool full of Asians. Afterwards I went downstairs in Times Square and bought a Hot White Chocolate. It was wonderful. I'll probably get a few more of them before I leave. I am told by the time I get back it'll be warm again.
I am currently in a Holiday Inn Express which is across the street from the office, which has been extremely convenient and nice. There are some drawbacks, though. There is no iron. Isn't that odd? It actually is very inconvenient since most of my clothes arrived here in a suitcase. There is a room on the 11th floor (I'm on the 25th) you can go to and use an iron. Dumb. There is also a big sign in the bathroom that says the tap water is not drinkable. That sucks. The bed is also like a brick. I have never had a problem sleeping on a hard bed. But I do here. There was one good thing. I took some laundry to the housekeeping where you can pay to have them do laundry. They dry-cleaned my suit and washed my dress shirts. They came back SO nice. I haven't seen them look so good --- ever. They even had creases down the sleeves. Pretty cool.
Tomorrow I move into my new place, go to the temple and hopefully get to a movie or something. Should be fun.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Hurray for Uno the beagle
For the first time ever in history, a beagle made best in Show! she was sooo cute!
Chinese New Year
Though I missed the earlier part of Chinese New Year, the celebrations do go on. The whole of Hong Kong is filled with rats (it is the year of the rat), peach blossom trees, and mini orange trees. The peach blossom trees, which are bred specifically for new year and don't have leaves - only blossoms - are beautiful. I feel a little bad for all of the waste as apparently all these trees just get tossed like Christmas trees at the end.
Time is going quickly here. I have appreciated something that I haven't had in a long while: a boss I respect and can learn from. It is amazing what a difference it makes. It is a HUGE difference from when Kim was here. Working with my first boss from Prudential has been a pleasure. She trusts me and knows I can bring value. It makes me motivated and want to contribute. It is something that I haven't felt in a long while and have enjoyed it a lot. It is amazing that just a few weeks ago I would long to leave the office and dreaded seeing my boss. Now I look forward to it. I've always known that a person's boss is a huge factor in terms of being happy at work. But it is interesting to see it in action here. It's been nice.
Today I walked into the bathroom on our floor and realized that things are so different now. So much has happened in 7 months. 7 months ago I entered that bathroom for the first time and I can clearly remember my thoughts as I recalled the new smells, the rust stains on the toilets and walls, the sound of the subway so many floors below, and the atmosphere that felt so foreign on that day. Now I enter every day and don't notice anything different. The most interesting thing to me is that when I am back in the US now, being THERE doesn't feel different either. This means that I have absorbed a whole new culture and atmosphere as part of my life and have not displaced my old one. This is one of the great things I love of international opportunities as you are able to absorb differences and come to take them as "normal."
I have noticed that all of the sudden my prayers are full of people to pray for. There isn't a time in my life that I recall that I had to pray for so many people. It is almost hard to remember them. What a crazy year so far. I know we'll get through it. But for the first time in a long time I find myself almost in tears in my prayers with my heart going out to so many people. I know I try to say this as often as I can, but thank you all for being a part of my life. Each of you has had a huge impact on my life and I would do anything for each of you to try and make you happy and comfort you. I realize that this could be a period of "apartness" for our family. With Tom on his mission, Kathy in Hawai'i, and a possibility of us in Hong Kong it feels odd. And with Tevia's family having Brandt in Uruguay, Nephi in Japan, possibly Risa in Korea and us in HK, it seems our families aren't necessarily coming closer together physically. Hopefully we are in other ways.
Time is going quickly here. I have appreciated something that I haven't had in a long while: a boss I respect and can learn from. It is amazing what a difference it makes. It is a HUGE difference from when Kim was here. Working with my first boss from Prudential has been a pleasure. She trusts me and knows I can bring value. It makes me motivated and want to contribute. It is something that I haven't felt in a long while and have enjoyed it a lot. It is amazing that just a few weeks ago I would long to leave the office and dreaded seeing my boss. Now I look forward to it. I've always known that a person's boss is a huge factor in terms of being happy at work. But it is interesting to see it in action here. It's been nice.
Today I walked into the bathroom on our floor and realized that things are so different now. So much has happened in 7 months. 7 months ago I entered that bathroom for the first time and I can clearly remember my thoughts as I recalled the new smells, the rust stains on the toilets and walls, the sound of the subway so many floors below, and the atmosphere that felt so foreign on that day. Now I enter every day and don't notice anything different. The most interesting thing to me is that when I am back in the US now, being THERE doesn't feel different either. This means that I have absorbed a whole new culture and atmosphere as part of my life and have not displaced my old one. This is one of the great things I love of international opportunities as you are able to absorb differences and come to take them as "normal."
I have noticed that all of the sudden my prayers are full of people to pray for. There isn't a time in my life that I recall that I had to pray for so many people. It is almost hard to remember them. What a crazy year so far. I know we'll get through it. But for the first time in a long time I find myself almost in tears in my prayers with my heart going out to so many people. I know I try to say this as often as I can, but thank you all for being a part of my life. Each of you has had a huge impact on my life and I would do anything for each of you to try and make you happy and comfort you. I realize that this could be a period of "apartness" for our family. With Tom on his mission, Kathy in Hawai'i, and a possibility of us in Hong Kong it feels odd. And with Tevia's family having Brandt in Uruguay, Nephi in Japan, possibly Risa in Korea and us in HK, it seems our families aren't necessarily coming closer together physically. Hopefully we are in other ways.
Monday, February 11, 2008
A fun day at the park
On the Saturday before Bret went back to Hong Kong we decided to go to Saguaro Park. We thought that Enok would like to chase the chickens and roosters there as our other kids liked to do. Well, he wasn't very interested in the chickens, but did like chasing the pigeons.
While there Bret overheard some girls talking about baby bunnies over by the house near the orchard. Many years ago when Jarek was a baby we caught a bunny there as well. We all know how much Bret loves animals so he just had to go over there to try and catch the baby bunnies. He is so patient and persistent. He got the poor little creature trapped under the stairs and waited and waited and tempted the little guy out with clover (since we all know that is what bunnies love to eat) and was eventually rewarded with catching the little guy. It was so cute! The kids got a big kick out of petting it.
Who knows how many germs and diseases this thing had. No worries, when you are a kid you don't think about those trivial things.Bret let Jarek hold the bunny and that made me laugh as Jarek seemed rather frightened of it. He held it far away from him as if it were
going to bite him any second. Malik was very good with it and very gentle and loving. He wanted to kiss it too and even though I told him no, he still did. Enok just wanted to poke its eye out and squeeze it to death. He liked it a lot though. And of course Bret was glowing with pride because he caught the bunny. He makes me happy.Anyhow, we had a nice time at the park. We kicked the soccer ball around, blew bubbles, threw the football and just enjoyed the nice weather. We decided to leave as soon as the big, black ominous clouds and a chill breeze started to move in.
I am glad we got to spend that time together before Bret left.
We are looking forward to him coming home. We all miss him!!!!
now the bad news
my dad does have lung cancer. they will do some testing to see if he can handle surgery and remove the bad parts or not. I will keep you posted.
good news from aunt Kathy
She had a beautiful long blessing yesterday, from someone who she trusts and has given her amazing blessings before. She will be healed, her life pro-longed yet again, for her mission is not finished! Her healing will come through fasting and prayer from those who love her. She has been close to the veil, and may be again. She will be able to be a big help to Rachel.
Wow!
how cool! she said the Spirit was so strong, they didn't want to leave the room. She just wanted to stay and bask in the feeling.
she has a cat scan today, and her prayers are now that they find whatever it is and can fix it quickly.
Thank you to those who have prayed for her! Prayers work!
Wow!
how cool! she said the Spirit was so strong, they didn't want to leave the room. She just wanted to stay and bask in the feeling.
she has a cat scan today, and her prayers are now that they find whatever it is and can fix it quickly.
Thank you to those who have prayed for her! Prayers work!
A Long Day
Today was a long day. Not a bad day. But long. I was quite busy. I woke up after sleeping for nearly 7 hours, which is always great when travelling. For some reason coming to HK is much easier for my body than going back to the USA. I woke up, watched some TV, read my scriptures (I am reading the Book of Mormon "backwards" in a way as suggested by some; I am now in Ether), got dressed and went to work. People were enthusiastic to have me back. Funny thing is I was only gone two weeks.
My old computer was there and I decided just to use it since it had the printers and everything set up. Why take the time to set up my new computer when my perfectly good old one was there? In fact, I took the old computer to my hotel after work and since I have admin rights on it, I was able to get the internet to work. :-)
For lunch a bunch of us went for dim sum to celebrate me coming back. It was good and fun. It was very nice to see everyone. Most people have been very sympathetic of our family's ordeal of coming and going and deciding. That makes me feel good and makes me feel less pressured to make one decision or the other. The Chinese New Year was last week and this was the first day back at work for most people. In our building they had dragon dancers (or lion dancers) and drums as they scared off evil spirits and brought good luck. I handed out "red packets" to all our employees which is traditional for employers and managers to do. Each packet contained 100 Hong Kong dollars. This also gave me the opportunity to say hello to each person in the office.
By 6:00 PM I was very tired. I was waiting for some information to pass on to a customer who had a rough time but decided I couldn't wait any more. I sent him a note saying I would pass it on in the morning and came home. Maybe I'll try to log on later, but I doubt it.
In the end it was a fun day back. Now I am tired and wonder if I will be awake tonight to talk to Tevia when she wakes up. Tomorrow I have a meeting and dinner with one of our large clients. It is back to work as usual.
My old computer was there and I decided just to use it since it had the printers and everything set up. Why take the time to set up my new computer when my perfectly good old one was there? In fact, I took the old computer to my hotel after work and since I have admin rights on it, I was able to get the internet to work. :-)
For lunch a bunch of us went for dim sum to celebrate me coming back. It was good and fun. It was very nice to see everyone. Most people have been very sympathetic of our family's ordeal of coming and going and deciding. That makes me feel good and makes me feel less pressured to make one decision or the other. The Chinese New Year was last week and this was the first day back at work for most people. In our building they had dragon dancers (or lion dancers) and drums as they scared off evil spirits and brought good luck. I handed out "red packets" to all our employees which is traditional for employers and managers to do. Each packet contained 100 Hong Kong dollars. This also gave me the opportunity to say hello to each person in the office.
By 6:00 PM I was very tired. I was waiting for some information to pass on to a customer who had a rough time but decided I couldn't wait any more. I sent him a note saying I would pass it on in the morning and came home. Maybe I'll try to log on later, but I doubt it.
In the end it was a fun day back. Now I am tired and wonder if I will be awake tonight to talk to Tevia when she wakes up. Tomorrow I have a meeting and dinner with one of our large clients. It is back to work as usual.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Back in Hong Kong
Two weeks ago I posed the question to myself whether or not I would ever see Hong Kong again. And now here I am. The last few weeks have been crazy, that is for sure. And as I sit at a local internet corner at the hotel here (the internet does not work on my laptop since I have zero admin rights and therefore my computer can not be adjusted to work with the free internet service) I wonder why I am here. I mean, my mind had been set on living in the USA again. I certainly never would have imagined agreeing to spend so much time away from my family. January was hard enough. What am I doing?
That is the question on my mind. I know I am helping many people - and not just Prudential - by being here. But is it helping me progress in my life? Is it making me a stronger person? Is it strengthening my family? Is it really helping my career? My answers to these questions change frequently. I think for now I am really just trying to help. But there comes a point where you can not help everybody. As my mind has been stretched back and forth over whether or not we should move back to Hong Kong I have been able to think long and hard about my priorities. I want to make sure I do not make this decision for the wrong reasons. I don't want to go just because of the money. I don't want to stay just because I am lazy and just got back. I don't want to go because I feel pressured to accept a promotion. I don't want to stay because I am mad at my company. So many things to think about. I asked for 2 months to think about it, but now that seems like an eternity. I just want to make the decision now. Pray and go to the temple and say it's done. I look forward to that day.
In the meantime I will most likely be blogging much more as my free time will have grown substantially. I am here safe. I miss you.
That is the question on my mind. I know I am helping many people - and not just Prudential - by being here. But is it helping me progress in my life? Is it making me a stronger person? Is it strengthening my family? Is it really helping my career? My answers to these questions change frequently. I think for now I am really just trying to help. But there comes a point where you can not help everybody. As my mind has been stretched back and forth over whether or not we should move back to Hong Kong I have been able to think long and hard about my priorities. I want to make sure I do not make this decision for the wrong reasons. I don't want to go just because of the money. I don't want to stay just because I am lazy and just got back. I don't want to go because I feel pressured to accept a promotion. I don't want to stay because I am mad at my company. So many things to think about. I asked for 2 months to think about it, but now that seems like an eternity. I just want to make the decision now. Pray and go to the temple and say it's done. I look forward to that day.
In the meantime I will most likely be blogging much more as my free time will have grown substantially. I am here safe. I miss you.
Friday, February 08, 2008
I think I miss my bellybutton
I think I miss my bellybutton. It was nothing too fantastic to start with, just your ordinary innie. But it was mine and I liked it. But now, as I have this wonderful and adorable little parasite growing in me, it's slowing disappearing. First it grew wider and shallower. Now it's just very little and very shallow. Sometimes, when I take a very deep breath, it even pokes out a little. Yikes! I just hope that in a couple months, after my wonderful and adorable little parasite makes her entrance into the world, my bellybutton will return. Until then, I'll remember it fondly.
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