Life skills

Sunil learns to open my champagne for me.

The OLD climbing gang

Mack, Cindy and I took the kids rock climbing yesterday.  It was great in spite of advanced age, increased weight, and degenerated joints.  The kids didn't know how much better we used to be and we were too busy trying not to break to worry about it too much.  I should have some better pictures posted by the weekend.

science benchmark test

The following is an excerpt from an email Sunil’s teacher sent yesterday.

“I have good news. Sunil's grade on the science benchmark was originally reported as an 80, however, he actually scored a 95!  
The tests were scored by a scantron machine.  When I went back and graded them the "old-school" way, by hand, my grade was different from the computer score on a few students. I gave the information to our test administrator. She double checked and now the computer system reflects his actual score of 95.”

I was pleased enough with the 80 but this bump puts all three of his benchmarks (Science, Reading and Math) in the high 90s and as impressed as I am by this I’m even more impressed that his teacher double checks the computer.  I love this school district.

Christmas Shovel

Sunil is thrilled with his folding camp shovel.  Unfortunately his next camping trip is two months away.  In the meantime I've given him this small grassless plot to dig.  It was left grassless when we moved the basketball goal a few weeks back. 

Nostalgic moment

Sunil (and Sheela) are using the Tandy leather kits to make stuff this morning.

Not pretty but white

Merry, Texas Christmas (y'all)!

Sheela and I

Skated too.

Not falling

This is Sunil skating very well at the new community rink.  The skates are fabulous padded hockey uppers with figure skate blades.  Very comfy.

It's official

My new job title is "Business Process Improvement Manager".  I still report to the Director of Operations but also report to four of our five Presidents.  The 5th one stays in California.

Rib roast

Sunil learning to cut the rib roast on family cook night.

Great Day

I had a great day at work today.  I can't say much work got done but it was good.  We had two more "culture" meetings with the masses (only a few at a time).  I love hearing everyone's opinions about the company and their suggestions for making it better.  Then if that weren't enough of a feel good moment I agreed to "mentor" someone through their career decisions (presumably because I give such good advice).  I followed that up with a feedback session with one of my favorite managers.  She actually used tha phrase "walks on water" to describe me.  I'm pretty sure that went straight to my head.  She did promise me some constructive feedback on Monday.

Surprise Audit

Well a government inspector showed up at the office today for a surprise audit of some of our processes.  She actually didn’t expect to perform an audit as her records didn’t show that we performed those processes even though her scheduler told her that we did.  We do and she did.  There was only one tense moment and it was mostly tense because she couldn’t decide if she wrap up for the day and come back tomorrow or if we should work late and get it finished.  The draw back to her working late would be that we’d all have to work late and I had to pick up the kids. It made for a very long but very successful day.  We wrapped it up and I beat the pick up deadline by almost 6 minutes.

Sheela's birthday dinner

The “official” dinner was held at Macaroni Grill this year.

Stunning Lake Walmart

For a few minutes every morning parking across the street in the Walmart parking lot is not too bad.

Found

One pair of black boots... If they're yours please contact me so I can make the appropriate arrangements.

Greece

Sheela is making a topographical map of Greece.  The base is a 15" ceramic tile spray painted blue.  She projected the image on and traced the important parts.  Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania are all painted green.  Greece is white.  Here she is adding texture with a spray can of latex caulk.  We spent days mulling over ways to glue on her clay mountains before deciding to try the caulk.  She likes the caulk so much she isn't even going to use the clay.

I molded mine

Grammylyn's turn

Assembly 101

Sid teaches Sunil to roll sushi.  He found a place downtown to buy sashimi grade fish.

Sashimi and Saints

Homemade sashimi, beer and the undefeated Saints.  What a day.

The party planning is complete

All we did was bake and decorate a cake (Mom and Sheela took care of that), call a few friends over and buy hockey tickets.

Fast Forward

We seem to be stuck in fast forward mode these days.  In the last week we’ve had Sunil’s first basketball game, done the downtown hotel stay, been to the Dallas Children’s Parade, the Farmer’s Market, my company holiday party with another hotel stay, marched in the Allen Christmas Parade with the Cub Scouts, had a DI meeting, a basketball practice, two house closings, the cub scout committee meeting, been to work all day everyday and stayed up talking half the night every night.  Tonight John and Sunil are going to the driving range, Sid and Sheela have the daddy/daughter ball, the rest of us are going to dinner and a movie.  Tomorrow Sunil is going to party and has a basketball game, Sheela is having her party at the hockey game, Jaz might spend the night, we still have to make the cake, Sunday we were going to try to go skating and then take the ‘rents back to the airport.  No Christmas shopping or planning has occurred but the folks and the kids did decorate the house for us.

Festive dinner

Mom set a beautiful table for Sheela's pre-parade birthday dinner.  We are eating at home this year to accomodate Sunil's first basketball game.  Sheel requested Grammylyn's meatloaf.  Later we will head to the hotel.