I got this figured out

We went to the employee appreciation day party at Lake Compounce this weekend. After a quick lunch, Matt and I went on Thunder Rapids. Another family joined us and their young daughter, who was not dressed to get soaking wet, was convinced that the she figured out the ride. Now you have to understand, this is basically a raft that travels freely down a man made river. There is no way that you are not going to get wet. If the white water doesn't get you, the water fall will. Needless to say, she got wet, I mean really wet, down to her underwear wet. And of course, Matthew and I were laughing our butts off. To me, this experience was a metaphor for life, just when you figure it out you get wet underwear. I guess that's okay as long as you have fun on the ride.

Taxson Family Visit

Just as we finished off the bathroom and I've resigned from my job, Marty, Irene and Zee showed up on our doorsteps. The last time we saw each other was a year ago in Aruba. We had a great time catching up on things and were sad that Andrea and Anne were not able to join us for this gathering. Irene, Andrea, Anne and I used to roam all over the streets of Shanghai together and it would have been great to have the four of us together again. We'll need to schedule another reunion at a different location so we can all be together, just like old times.

Irene and her family were just coming off the cruise from the Queen Mary 2 where they sailed from the UK and arrived into NY. They showed up like gypsies with all their luggage and we were pleased to have them here. We spent the first day over a grilled lunch and caught up on all the news. We took the kids down to the beach and then headed over to Greenwich to get some dinner and gelato. Matthew in particular knows good food and ice cream. He will not be deprived and was pleased to show his friend around.

The kids had a fascination with Times Square so off we went into the city. Most of the day was spent at places that the kids wanted to visit - Toys R Us, the M&M Store and the Hershey store. We managed to wander up to Central Park for a short stroll and ended the day with a fabulous Japanese ramen meal.

We headed up to Mystic Aquarium the next day. We had a chance to watch a show with the beluga whales and the kids had a chance to feed the cow nosed rays and were pretty involved with the touch tanks. It was really nice that they had a great time with one another. We spent their last day laying low since we were running out the door pretty early in the morning. Just as quickly as they arrived with their luggage, they disappeared to move onto their next venue. They are truly a family on the move. It was great to have a chance to catch up with Marty, Irene and Zee. We'll be making plans for our next reunion. Any suggestions for the next venue?

Done

Tony's been working on the final touches for the past few nights. The bathroom vanity was moved back after he installed our medicine cabinets. We cleaned up the master bedroom and have officially moved back in. The drawback, we weren't able to take showers in our newly renovated bath since the tiles haven't been sealed. Our friends will be arriving tomorrow so he had an incentive to finish up everything by this evening. I heard a sigh of relief when he put the last coat of sealant on the marble.

The bathroom is officially done. It is almost unreal that we've come this far and it is now actually complete. He has some minor items to finish up like light plates and touching up the paint. The fact that we can now take showers or jacuzzi baths is a real accomplishment. Tony described construction to a man is like labor to a woman. You go through all that work, you feel the pain and you just don't want to do it. You know there is an end but you just don't know when it will be. After the labor and the pain is long forgotten, you want to do it all over again. If he wants to do it again, I have a few more projects that need to be done. I'll let him have a recovery period and have him start all over again. Stay tuned.

So long, farewell

I am always a believer of things happening for a reason. In the midst of all the construction drama, I received a call from a former colleague from International Paper who asked if I would be interested in joining her company for a position. I said why not. I interviewed and was offered a job with NCR. I accepted and gave notice to my company. I spent the past two weeks finishing up projects, writing out memos and passing the torch to the designated recipient of my unfinished assignments.

Today was my last day. In my short tenure, I've made many friends. Many of whom I will miss interacting with on a daily basis. I will always remember the laughs and the tears that came along with the frustration that I would encounter. I know the noise level will go down substantially without me and there will definitely be a level of calm in place but I am truly looking forward to my new adventure at NCR.