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Mon Jan 30 2012 22:58 The fast lane: I got to fly first class today. No security line, priority boarding, free breakfast, and a big comfy seat just for me! Too bad the return flight is back to coach for me.

(1) Sun Jan 29 2012 16:23 little miss popular: Today I realized I haven't checked the kid's gmail accounts in years. Logged into Dalton's easily enough, just a bunch of mail from ING about his college fund.

Maggie's was another issue. I thought I signed her up as Margaret but couldn't log in. Apparently I set her up as Maggie and finally figured out the password and got in. Maggie had mail from all sorts of people, mostly people from Maine giving updates on really old relatives in rest homes. You would think when you don't get a reply in two years you would check the address you are using. But no. This lady also likes forwards.

Also an email from Aunt Ashley inviting Maggie to a Mary Kay party. And to submit her entry to some Fall Newsletter. Sigh. I better keep up on their accounts more frequently. At least I check their college funds more frequently.

(2) Fri Jan 27 2012 15:19 Calling Dr. Justin Call: Poor Maggie. She doesn't want to turn five. She doesn't want to grow up either. She basically has a Peter Pan complex. Except she's afraid of Peter Pan. So she also has Peter-Pan-phobia. That's a lot of disorders for such a little girl.

I'm coming home tonight (for two days)!

(2) Tue Jan 24 2012 16:21 0.9 miles: In Irvine since Saturday the 14th. Will be here until I don't know when. Came down with the family but they left yesterday.

I'm staying about a mile from the office in an extended stay. The kitchen is nice because I don't have to eat out every meal but the clientele is unfortunate. I did not rent a car since we drove down but now I am carless in the automotive city. I walk to work (it's just a straight shot down the same street) and I am enjoying the exercise. Except on the rainy days, that is.

I'm working a lot so staying out of trouble but last night I had nothing to do while the laundry was doing it's thing, so I watched the FL debate. I wonder if I am the only Mormon that can't really relate to Romney. He seems like a nice enough guy; but he also seems out of touch. And he seems to contradict himself a lot. Looking at the pot of GOP hopefuls, I'm thinking the incumbent should do just fine, regardless of his approval rating.

Disneyland was a lot of fun with the kids on the weekend. Dalton loves Autopia, which he calls racing. He also loves Small World, Dumbo, and any train or boat ride. Maggie had her first experiences on Star Tours, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Soarin Over California, and the Hollywood Tower of Terror. She didn't care for Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, but she also didn't cry. She throws bigger fits about avoiding Peter Pan than those rides. She still thinks it's a scary ride, the little nut. She liked Splash Mountain with me but not Susie because she got soaking wet. Come to think of it, she liked most rides better with me.

We actually saw Peter Pan in person on the way to Star Tours, so of course I teased her about it. She closed her eyes until he was out of sight.

Star Tours is all new-fangled now. Each ride is different! It's a lot better than it used to be, back when I was so sick of it I stopped riding it.

The new Little Mermaid ride is fine for a kid's ride. Dalton really likes it a lot more than Maggie. Cars land will open this summer.

Just enjoying the sunshine today otherwise. Did I mention it's 70 degrees today?

Thu Jan 12 2012 09:17 control geeks: Accountants are such control freaks.

I'm in Chicago mentoring the future of the profession this week. My co-instructor, from the University of Kentucky, wrote the textbook I used at BYU!

The weather here was mild until today. It's snowing. Less than an inch outside thus far, with less than eight inches total expected by tomorrow. To me, no big deal.

To my colleagues, however, boy are they worried about getting home tomorrow night. Never mind Chicago is a city prepared for snow, never mind an inch of snow is really not a big deal, never mind it has not turned to ice yet, never mind tomorrow is still too far away to predict what will happen, they are all extremely worried about spending the weekend stuck here.

I'm not at all worried about the snow. I think India really mellowed me.

(2) Tue Jan 03 2012 23:10 the year wrung in: Poor Dalton is so sick. He just lays there, the poor thing, and wakes himself up with fits of coughing. I hope he feels better soon.

On the road again. Trying a new place to stay; the jury is still out. I guess if I'm honest with myself it's nicer than where I lived for 11 months in India...is that good enough though? I guess I've found my new go-to litmus test for everything in life.

I'm sad Christmas is over. It's a nice time of year. January, on the other hand, is normally NOT a nice time of the year. The older I get, the more I realize that Christmas can have a profound affect on a person; especially when one did Christmas the unconventional way the year before. But I'm also learning that each Christmas season hits me in different ways. This season I didn't care so much to watch Christmas shows; I didn't even crack open a few of them. But I did listen to more Christmas music and I did celebrate it more with the kids.

The older I get the tougher life gets and the more things like Christmas help make life fun. My kids make life a lot of fun, when I'm not worried about them getting sick or hurt or they aren't whining or complaining or costing me lots of money in diapers. I used to think it was holding onto the good moments that mattered, but now that I see how infrequent they come, I think it's finding the good in the tough times that really matter. Which is hard to do.

Fri Dec 30 2011 22:16 hot and cold: Today got up to 59 degrees! Unfortunately there was a cold breeze and no sun but it was warm enough to don gloves, scarves, hats, and hit the park. I drove us to Draper Park but parked about 1/3 mile away and we walked along the trail to the park. Incidentally, the house we parked next to houses ostriches, a zebra, sheep, and horses. Now the two latter are quite common in Draper, but the former not so much. Heck, the zoo doesn't even have a zebra! No clue if it's an illegal zebra or not, but I'm willing to argue for amnesty, as it doesn't appear to be collecting Social Security.

The park was fun. A lot of slides, and we tried out Dalton's new basketball on the court there. I've definitely played worse ball in my days. The kids didn't want to leave.

The park was packed so we weren't the only ones trying to shake off cabin fever, but I was amazed how many parents think a coat is sufficient when really gloves and a hat are necessary still. 59 degrees or not, it is winter still. One girl told me she wished she had her scarf but I still didn't give her mine. Tomorrow is supposed to start acting like winter again but the last two days have been nice.

Mon Dec 26 2011 22:07 easy come, easy go: So. I don't think I've had such a pile from Santa since I was a kid. This year I got two new suits and ties (old one, 8 years old, died right before India and I didn't want a new one to get ruined in India), an iPhone (Blackberry died on Dec 23 and the Verizon guy told me not to bother with a new one since Blackberry is fighting a losing battle), a new camera (the old one also got put on life support in India), and new clothes and things for the house, because they either got ruined in India, got left in India, or just needed updating after our 18-month Asian trek. I guess it was all just building up for the perfect Black Friday extravaganza.

Couple all this with the new car purchase in November and I am ready to not spend any more money for a very very very long time. We saw a Buddha filled with billions of dollars of shredded US money at Ripley's in Bangalore. I could use that pot right about now.

Sun Dec 25 2011 22:49 another Christmas in the trenches: The Christmas Eve party had all the great food this year with half of the sing-along time, given that it was Saturday night and church comes early. We got home and put kids to bed around 8:30 and played Santa and watched a show and went to bed at 10:30. I set an alarm for 7:30 this morning and boy did we need it. We were all sleepyheads.

I should mention that during this trip I introduced Leonard to Rankin Bass "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" due to a retired Macy's Santa turned comedian's suggestion, and also to "A Christmas Story" and "A Muppet Christmas Carol." The latter two are my favorite Christmas shows and Leonard seemed to enjoy them. He and Susie have been discussing if their childhood was lacking not growing up with these shows. Perhaps.

Back to Christmas. Santa was kind enough to leave a coloring book, some treats, and a new tie out for us on the kitchen table while we hurried to get to church by 9 am for the festivities. It was a packed house which I think surprised most people. But if you don't go to church on Christmas, what's the point really? So we went. Maggie sang with the Primary which really upset Dalton. He just sat there on my lap whining like a puppy dog left out in the cold. I guess he later decided he'd had enough with being left out because, before Susie or I could do anything, he marched right up on the stage and stood there while a teenage girl sang "O Holy Night." I didn't know what to do. He doesn't do stuff like this; he's not one of those kids.

I decided going up to get him would just disrupt the musical number so I let Dalton be. I decided if he started jumping off chairs I would go get him. Halfway through the song he decided he was done singing and he came down on his own and went to the wrong pew after pew until he found us. At first I thought he went to the wrong pew on purpose to play with the Bartons.

We already know Dalton hates being left out of pre-school and I guess this was his defiant move.

I told Maggie she would get an extra present from Santa if she would wear the blue Chinese dress we bought her in Hong Kong and she finally agreed to wear the dress I love but she hates. The people in front as well as behind our pew complimented her as did Jodi at the family party. She looks so beautiful in it but that girl also has her own defiance.

Back at home we changed clothes and went to see what Santa brought us. Dalton got some cars and a racetrack for them and Maggie got dinosaurs and a dinosaur play mat for them to live on, complete with a volcano and waterfall for the pleiosaurs. They both got a DVD and some candy and socks in their stockings as well as a soccer ball for Maggie.

We let the kids play for an hour then moved upstairs to open the gifts under the tree, though truth be told I think the kids were content to play with their Santa gifts all day long. The tree brought a football and basketball for Dalton and a stuffed Stegosaurus for Maggie. The kids also got a really awesome log cabin lego set that we spent hours putting together.

We hit Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner and more presents. We played a White Elephant gift and, Maggie, unhappy with hers declared '"I got a rock" which of course set the cute-o-meter off the charts and had us all ROFL at her proper reference to the Charlie Brown Halloween episode.

Christmas is now over, and it was the best ever. I'm excited to have some new toys in the house and to settle down and enjoy a hopefully lazy rest of the year.

Thu Dec 22 2011 18:41 time warp: We visited Provo today to attend the dinosaur museum, eat lunch at the amazing Magleby's, and visit Frances and Roy at the cemetery. There is a new section by their gravesite with an angel statue and lots of kid's graves. Some are decorated quite elaborately, with Christmas trees, etc. One even had a sign saying "Santa stop here!"

I think if I ever had a baby die I would bury them in the family plot rather than in the baby section. I've wondered if the baby section plots are paid for by the city, which is a nice thought. A much nicer thought than "Santa stop here" in the cemetery at the very least.

(2) Sat Dec 17 2011 22:26 the christmas box: Our little baby, 14 weeks in the womb, no longer has a heartbeat. We are very sad. Maggie keeps asking why the baby died and I tell her that I don't know why. Everyone is reassuring me I'll see this baby again and in the meantime is being watched over by the likes of Grandma June, Grandma Frances, and so on. Note to self: whether or not this may be true, and whether or not I am telling this to someone with a shared belief system, DON'T. I'm not ready to hear about that right now. Right now I just want condolences and a shoulder to cry on, which for some reason is harder to come by than one would think. I think it was especially hard because Susie found out alone while I was working in Irvine all week. And since no one there knew we were even expecting, I kept it to myself. Being home with my family has helped some.

The Christmas season is coming, which is normally a celebration of the Birth of someone special, but writers like Dickens would remind me that the Marleys were dead to begin with, and it's the end of that story that is more important than the beginning anyway, so I'm at least in the right season for contemplation.

I'm sad this has happened but will be ok. I'm blessed to already have two beautiful children and an even more beautiful wife, and we'll get through it together somehow. And there is always the hope of future children. I've had a small glimpse into the full-time reality of many infertile friends and neighbors, and perhaps that increased understanding is important somehow. I'm sure in the coming days, months, and years I'll wonder about the child that would have been. The miracle of life really is a miracle.

(1) Sat Dec 10 2011 21:27 economy stimulation: So one of my clients is big on white shirts, ties, and suits. I don't own a suit. I don't enjoy wearing suits. My last suit was purchased during wedding planning at the tuxedo shop and served me well for seven years before my wallet finally wore a hole in the pants. Lesson learned.

So today I braved the stores suit shopping. Suits are expensive! They make it seem like a steal of a deal when it's BOGO free but now I have two suits when one would suffice. Hopefully I can remember not to wear my wallet in it, not to let the kids' sticky hands near it, and not to gain any weight so it'll last sevenplus years. I've now officially done my part to help GDP grow by spending money on stuff I don't really want.

We are also in the process of refinancing our house. Our bank representative never called or emailed us back after multiple attempts to refi. Finally Susie went into the bank, met someone else, and voila, we are in escrow! We are taking some of our India savings to pay down the loan balance, and we are going from a 6.375% interest rate to a 4.25% interest rate. Net savings will be just shy of $500 per month! No wonder the bank doesn't want us to refi! Then today we get a letter in the mail from said original bank rep. Sure it's a form letter, but he tells us to call him NOW to discuss our long-term mortgage needs. What a crock.

As part of the refi, the bank verified our credit scores. Mine is in the 800's and Susie is in the 700's. Not sure why we are different. But we are clearly credit worthy.

We also stimulated the economy by purchasing some festive holiday bundt cakes and gingerbread egg nog, which we took to Grandma's house to share. The entire meal was delicious! But won't help me in the keeping my suit dilemma if my waist outgrows the pants too fast.

(2) Thu Dec 08 2011 20:57 sorting piles: After surviving India for a whole year with a lot less stuff, I'm just amazed at all the junk in my house. So I'm decluttering, filling the trash and recycle bins, and making numerous DI trips.

My latest binge is going through my mission stuff. I saved ALL of my weekly blue missionary reports. Yeah, like I care to look at all the blue oceans. So I kept one from each companionship and threw the rest in the recycle bin. I also kept all my letters. And my parents kept all the letters that came to me. I've re-read all the letters from friends and then thrown them away. They were fun to read again, but also awkward, because some were a little personal for me now that I'm married. So into the recycle bin they went.

Some of these letters were post-mission from girls. Susie and I made fun of most of those then threw them away. Some good memories, some good laughs, but mostly forgettable times.

I would love to keep all the letters from my dear Filipino sisters, but I honestly cannot read them. The handwriting is too difficult and if I can't read it now, then when? So into the trash bin.

I'm trying to keep the family letters but not the ones from my dad. They are too preachy with nothing about what life was like while I was gone, you know, something a historian would like to read. But I did keep a few gems. One is a letter he wrote me from my dog. It says thinks like "Woof woof Today your dad went to the temple bow wow it was a crowded session wags my tail I missed him while he was gone." Another is a letter where my mom tells me about how my dad watched some Dateline in 2000 about identity theft and so they bought a shredder but it jammed while my mom was at work so my dad started flushing paper down the toilet to dispose of it until, lo and behold, the bathroom flooded! Susie and I are still ROFL about that one!

I am also keeping my White Bible and all of the Midvale East 3rd ward newsletters.

I also threw away all but my senior year yearbook. Susie threw away all of hers but refuses to throw away her mom's, dad's, or grandparent's.

I feel like there is more stuff somewhere to throw away or give away somewhere.

(5) Tue Dec 06 2011 17:52 a funny thing happened on the way to the house: The auspicious Ernst & Young Salt Lake City office is located conveniently across the street from the homeless shelter. Today someone followed me to my car, began crying about how he fell asleep at the bus station waiting for a ride home to Dallas and how his bag got stolen. The police wouldn't give him money; Temple Square wouldn't give him money, and he just wanted to go home and needed $13.87 plus would like some food. I gave him a $20 (which I try to keep in my car for emergencies) and he was floored. He thanked me, asked if he could give me a hug, then did so before I could object, told me I'm generous and good looking (I had a hunch he might be playing for the other team) and went on his way.

I'm going to start keeping that $20 in smaller bills going forward. Did I do the wrong thing?

I'm not interested in what Jesus would do. The older I get, and the more I study his life, the LESS I pretend to know about what Jesus would do. So while the Democrats and the Republicans fight about whether or not Jesus was occupy Wall St (I vote yay but what do I know), I don't pretend to know if Jesus would give a potential loser means to further perpetuate his loser-ness.

I do feel good about it. I can't possibly judge the intentions of everyone, and I really was not in the mood to let him in my car, driver him to Wendy's and then the train station to purchase him the required meal and ticket to Dallas, and, while time is money, it was easier to give him $20. But next time, I'm going to be more firm about the hug thing.

(1) Sun Dec 04 2011 13:19 forgettable week: What a disaster. Flew to CA (Anaheim) for the week on Monday. Monday was ok. A lot of work going on. Tuesday got worse. By Wed I realized that I had no support above me or beneath me to complete this project. I was a manager being asked to play all roles, which meant forgoing sleep, food, and a good attitude in the process.

The nearest hotel EY would approve was 10 miles away, which is a big deal in LA. I also got pulled over for wreckless driving but the cop took one look at my UT license and let me off with a warning. He also asked me if I knew where I was going and instructed me to be more careful getting back on the freeway, because freeways are a new-fangled CA concept I couldn't possibly navigate. Still, no ticket was nice.

Thursday the team finally started showing support, but also required me to change my Friday flight to Saturday, due to said work overload. Meanwhile, as the team trotted off Friday night to a work party, the lone SLC-based professional burned the midnight oil. Friday night I was given more work, and Saturday saw my flight delayed. I finally got home around 2 pm. I was supposed to fly to Orlando at 8 am Sunday morning for training but I said hell no to that and am staying home. No one knows I'm playing hooky but I have a feeling I'll still have plenty of work show up in my Inbox come Monday to keep me busy. At least now I won't have to work all night after training and fighting more jet lag. And I'll actually get to see my family for a change, since it's back to LA the week after. It's the pits.

I think I'm ready to go back to India now.

Sun Nov 27 2011 16:14 weekend and Maggie's: TU & WED we spent at the cabin in the cold. It took four hours to get the temp up where we needed it. There was more snow than we expected but we still went out and had fun sans snow gear. I love going up there in the winter and playing some Christmas songs on the player piano while sipping egg nog.

TH was turkey day. Mostly ate, but also hit the park with the kids, and watched "BC Thanksgiving" with my brother and sister on YouTube, a favorite of ours as kids. They just don't make them like that anymore. I wonder why comic strips no longer make holiday teevee specials.

FR morning Susie went to the temple and I worked until the kids woke up. Then we went to see the Muppet Movie with our free movie tickets we procured from the dentist thanks to his refer a patient program. By keeping a low profile that day, we avoided mace, pepper spray, taserings, and other such festive Black Friday events

SAT we hit the mall, but to do the Angel Tree program. We picked a two year old boy and a seven year old girl and had fun buying Barbies, cars, and clothing. We also managed to buy Dalton's present that day. Then we went to lunch at Su Casa with my mom for the best Mexican food in town.

Today was church, wherein Susie and I were asked to speak about our experiences in India. Then onto tithing settlement (we passed) and home teaching. My 16-month stint of no home teaching came to an end. But unfortunately our 16-month stint of not being home taught will live to see another day.

Tomorrow I leave UT behind to work on-site at a client's in Anaheim for a week. Travelling is never as much fun alone. And when it's for work.

(1) Thu Nov 24 2011 13:19 day of food: Susie does the shopping in our household. Period. But sometimes I get to interject food into our kids lives that Susie won't eat. This week brought about egg nog! Maggie and Susie both have an aversion to milk that, frankly, I don't understand. They both like cold water with their cookies, for example. Yuck.

But Maggie LOVES egg nog! She first thought it was milk but I made her take a drink. Next thing I knew, the entire carton was empty and Maggie was asking for more. The more of us that like it, the more likely we are to get Susie to buy it.

(1) Wed Nov 23 2011 19:50 sky high: We spent last night at the cabin. It only took about 4 hours to get the temp up from 40 to 68 degrees. Dalton had a hard night up there until we finally pulled a Yankee swap, with Susie in Dalton's bed and Maggie in mine. Then it was fine. Go figure.

We took Subway for dinner, ate donuts for breakfast (the kids wouldn't stop begging for them but we somehow held out until breakfast) and then stopped at Wendy's on the way home for lunch. The goal of the trip was to relax.

Maggie took my hiking in the 6 inches of snow up to the stick house. We also went and saw my Uncle Scott's new cabin up there. It's huge and nice but I'm glad I don't have to worry about my kids on those stairs.

This afternoon I took the kids on a walk on the Porter Rockwell trail and to the playground. They used to whine on a walk that long but this time around they loved it. I guess a year of uneven sidewalks without the double stroller has made them appreciate these little things. We had fun, but it was a workout for me.

Let Turkey Day begin!

(1) Tue Nov 22 2011 17:50 turkey bowl: Monday I worked a full day and today I worked half of the day. We strung Christmas lights on the house, then we went Thanksgiving shopping, grabbed some donuts and Subway, and are now at the cabin for the night. Maggie's been begging to go since we got back to the states three weeks ago and we finally made it.

We've been here 2.5 hours and the cabin is still only 60 degrees now. We've got a long ways to go! Maggie and I also went on an adventure walkabout to the stick house. She remembers going to Timp Cave two summers ago, before Dalton was even born. She's got a great memory.

Tonight we'll cuddle up next to the fire over hot chocolate and Cheetos and watch teevee, read the Kindle, and master some Sudoku. It looks to be a very peaceful evening. Baby it's cold outside.

Sun Nov 20 2011 20:59 the in crowd: Our ward here is nice, overall. I have some good friends, most of which are still around, and it was nice to catch up with these people today. Next Sunday we get to speak about our India rotation.

But. This ward can also be funny at times. For example, one Mother's Day, the Bishop went around the congregation singling out mothers he knew that were good mothers. Which inevitably left the rest of the mothers, Susie included, feeling like NOT good mothers. I was really unhappy that day. Like Mother's Day doesn't carry enough emotional baggage as it is for most women who don't live up the ideals people lie about that day.

Then today it was the Sunday School teacher, going around the room saying things like "I like Sister so-and-so; she's so great." Well. What about all the brothers and sisters so-and-so who didn't receive a verbal accolade? By default, I suppose we are NOT great, not liked by the teacher, and really didn't need to come at all today.

I know, well HOPE, their intentions are good. But it sure does come off rude.

My kids often give me access to clubs I'm otherwise shut out of. Someone, in UT no less, today at church told me Dalton is the cutest little boy she's ever met!

(1) Sat Nov 19 2011 19:15 survey says: Common questions people ask me about India:

Did you like the food? Easily answered with a resounding NO.

Did you learn the language? Easily answered with a "which one?"

Are you happy to be home? Easily answered in the affirmative.

The questions rarely go deeper than this.

I spent Friday in Irvine eating pizza, playing UNO and pictionary, and meeting up with a really old friend, Kris Rickard, who grew up in my hood. We sat next to each other on the plane (serendipity), and are both CPA's. It's a small accounting world. The drive home from the airport was treacherous in the snow and had me missing Irvine already.

Today we hit IHOP for yummy eggnog pancakes, delish gingerbread hot chocolate, and the balloon lady, who made Dalton a snowman and Maggie a T-Rex (what else indeed). Then we hit Old Navy for the sale of a century. At noon sharp all adult winter clothes were 75% off. And since our winter clothes are all missing, we were in dire need. I bought a fleece jacket for $12, a down coat for $17, Susie a coat for $14, Maggie a coat for $17, new gray work pants for $25, and we got an additional $10 off the entire purchase. We got there at 11 and grabbed all the good stuff and got in line for the bewitching hour. It was a good plan. We are now prepared for Jack Frost and his worst.

Then we went and saw Jodi and Franco's new pad and took Grandma June a Christmas tree. It was wierd to see the same old tombstone, now 24 years old, with a brand new death date sketched in under Grandma's name. Maggie wanted to see her bones, I guess like a dinosaur fossil.

Now we're home decorating for the holidays, making up for missed time from last year. Also making a list of food for Thanksgiving and baking Andes mint chocolate chip cookies. It's going to be a great holiday season!

Sun Nov 13 2011 15:21 electric slide: I bought a new car yesterday. Well, new to me. It's a Mazda 3 hatchback, electric blue, with a GPS, keyless entry and keyless engine start, heated leather seats, sunroof, and more buttons and gadgets than I am normally used to. I would never order such gadgets in a car but it worked out here in the perfect used car. It's a 2011 and has only 13K miles on it.

We bought it at CU Auto Center and it was such a refreshing change from Karl Malone Toyota. No pressure, no sales pitch, no bargaining the price, just test drove two cars, asked some questions, and went home with a new car.

We had them peel the window tint off the car as it seriously made the car look too gangster and was hard for me to look out the rear view mirror without a halo effect on the other car's lights. We like it much better without the tint.

It's hard to believe we survived on one car for 18 months! But it was nice to do so, even though it is now just not feasible.

I survived the week in Chicago. I still have to go to Orlando in December and back to Chicago in January. There's a lot of travel in my future that I'm not looking forward to. I missed the kids a lot and they missed me. Especially Dalton. He won't let me out of his sight now. I even slept in his bed with him last night. He's my cuddlebug.

(1) Sun Nov 06 2011 13:44 first impressions: Getting settled. We arrived on time in SLC with all our luggage, a huge success, and made it safely back to our home around 10 pm on the first. The second we battled jet lag, unpacked the house, made a huge mess, went to Cafe Rio, Target, Old Navy, and Wal-Mart and spent money, and had visits and Zupa's dinner with mom and Brook and family.

Tuesday I went to work and got everything on my list fixed except my Blackberry, which still isn't working. Otherwise everything works! Today I also started drinking Naked Juice again and am in heaven.

Friday we hit Kohl's and Franco helped me move the heavy duty stuff. The house is in decent shape now; about 85% there.

Saturday I drove to work in a snowstorm to use the internet we are still lacking at home, in a snow storm. We also bought Dalton a big boy bed, coming Tuesday. We also had a nice family gathering. Today I'm in Chicago for the week teaching.

It already feels like we never left. It already feels like India is a million miles and a million years away. The body health for me is slowly returning, but the poor kids are battling the dry, cold weather with coughs and chapped lips.

Tomorrow Maggie starts Pre-school. We still need to get the car registered again and buy me a new car next week when I get home. I'm already getting solicited for new clients from the Irvine office to work on this busy season. I forsee a lot of travel in my future.

It's just good to be home. Even if home is cold.

(1) Sun Oct 30 2011 07:43 the time has come: Less than 24 hours until we leave for the airport. Here's hoping for a smooth flight, no delays, a fun day in NYC, no lost luggage, and the ability for all of us to sleep on the plane. But if not, oh well. Just getting out of the country is all I can honestly ask for at this point.

(4) Tue Oct 25 2011 21:06 ka-boom: Happy Diwali! To celebrate the holiday, we were awoken by fireworks at 6 am! Three things are really wrong with this.

1. It's just plain rude. Nuff said.

2. I like fireworks as much (probably more than) the next guy. I remember sending on July 4th in Bakersfield and Susie's family had NO plans to see or light fireworks. None. Truly disappointing. But still. I don't see the point to the fireworks that simply make noise. The ones you light at night that are visually appealing, sure. But the ones that you pay $5 that just make noise, I just don't see the point. I guess the point is to be rude and wake your community up before they want to be up.

3. There are apparently no rules in India about being quiet at certain times, or worrying about fire hazards (here anyone can light off the type of fireworks that back home you would only see at a show, for example). All this seems very dangerous to me, but since I'm refraining from fireworks, no one can sing "John started the fire" at least.