Nearly To This Day... 2 Years Ago :-)

Just the other day, I setup my old computer that I had not used since prior to our move to Nashville - 2 and half years ago. I was skeptical it would even turn on. When all the connections were finally made, I pressed the power button. And nothing. I tried again, and again, each time jiggling a cord, or blowing off dust that had grown so thick on the fan and other parts, to aid it to come back to life. To my surprise it worked :-) Getting the computer to fully boot up took some time. I am not sure of the specs of the computer, but sufficeth to say it was an exercise in patience waiting for this machine to go through its process. When finally the startup had completed and I was able to direct the mouse to things, I went straight to my My Photos folder to see what all it contained. I felt like a kid who had discovered toys thought long lost. The folder contained photographs taken circa 2003 to 2006, maybe 2007. It was a good find. I came across my old PhD dissertation files, and a lot of "wedding planning" type documents. I also recalled I had this blog still, although with the advent of more instant forms of communication, this blog has sadly been neglected. Looking back on this blog, it is interesting how much more I used to write, primarily around the time we were expecting our first child. Coincidentally, we are now expecting our third, but somehow I doubt this will mean a return to more writing :-P There are other reasons for the decline in my blog entries (other than increased family obligations), and one that seems to correlate well was the time and investment I placed in running a research company. So where to from here? Maybe I'll write about the many Baha'i activities going on in Nashville and surrounding areas. Or perhaps I can document my newest challenge in research startup, CARGO. Or, the announcement of baby in June or thereabouts. For now, time to put this dinosaur back to sleep ..

"I'm Tired"

Wow, nearly a YEAR since I last posted something on my blog. Facebook, you have almost succeeded. Maybe in another year I will be down to zero posts and my blog will be cease to exist altogether.

But what a year it has been. So much has happened. We moved. Our babies are now 4 and almost-2. With their growing brains come growing pains (for us all). And I find myself always saying -- "I'm tired".

Priorities are changing, or on a constant play of tug-of-war. Motivation is infrequent. Lethargy, ubiquitous. What do I want to make of myself?

With a new year about to begin, I find myself setting new goals, even if only in my head. Some are big goals. Huge. Daydreaming maybe. But if only...

If you still check this blog -- An early Happy 2011 to you!

To a New Decade ...

Happy 2010 everyone!!

What a decade this past decade. Graduated from UBC, moved to Scotland, got my PhD, moved to the U.S., got married, and now have two beautiful children I adore. I can truly say, life has changed for me, and I am doing my best now just to keep up with the pace!

As a new decade begins, there are many things to look forward to, much of which involve or are dedicated to the progress of our chidren.

As many hardships as 2009 has brought to so many people, may 2010 be a year of rebuilding, community, family, love, prosperity and social good for all.

Bit Of Something

I'm glad Blogger or Blogpost or whatever has not decided to inactivate my blog/account. I guess so long as I use Gmail my blog remains active also? I just happened to "decide" to check in on my blog and found my way to my friends' blogs and read up on their recent activities and goings-on in life.

Facebook has somehow taken all that I enjoyed in keeping up with my blog and made things that much "easier" to post things and/or to just catch up and inform family and friends of our current situation -- which was, ultimately, the reason this blog was started in the first place.

Interestingly, the more creative the world of technology, the more distant I feel I am getting with many of the people I often times find myself wishing to remain close to. Did that make sense?

Where To Begin?

It has been far too long since I last wrote, I honestly don't know where to begin. So much is going on, but to find time to sit and write has been difficult.

Update on Lexie seems most appropriate now. Well, my little girl is 6 months old! She sits unassisted now, grabs things and is earnestly curious of the things she holds in her hands. She babbles and coos and even has a tooth poking out of her lower gum now. Lexie is eating solids, having already found a liking for green beans, sweet potato, but her favorite is... squash! :-) She is also doing well with her sleep training - a lot less fussy at this stage of development than her older brother was.

Speaking of Ethan, he turns 3 in a couple of months. Ethan is learning many things every day and is inquisitive about everything around him. He is spoken to in english and mandarin and speaks both, though still prefers/relies on english a lot when responding to instructions in mandarin. He can recite at least a couple of Baha'i prayers in both languages! :-)

The rest of the family is doing well also. Life in Blue Ridge is getting better, though still not quite there on the friends front. If we can move, we will, but if not, we are thankful for what we have here and will make the most of it, for our children especially.

We have been spoiled for several months now with grandparental assistance. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, ironing, comforting presence, games. We will be a mess - literally and emotionally - when back to our lonesome :-) But we are growing and can handle almost any challenge it seems.

I have made some personal goals to get fitter recently. About two months ago, I weighed around 186lbs. Well not quite that heavy, but that is the heaviest I have ever weighed I think. Now, I weigh around 170-173lbs. (I weighed as low as 169.5 :-P) So making some progress. I am trying to "train" for the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day (November 26). Should I do it? Registration does not end until August 31st, so I have time to mull it over. (hopefully I can go through with it).

Labor day long weekend is TBS weekend again this year. Tennessee Baha'i School. Should be fun, fun, fun, and Ethan is enrolling in the preschool class (3-4 yr old) even though he will be 3 weeks shy of his 3rd birthday. Lexie will be in the nursery. The night concerts will feature the Prices, which will be hopping and uplifting!! Can't wait!

OK, Ethan is hanging off my arm - and this last sentence has taken me a good few minutes to complete (typing).

I'm off...

Much love!