Going to meet Abigail

well, tomorrow's the day I get to finally meet Abigail. I will have lots of pictures and videos to post by the time I get home next week!! It's going to be wonderful! And I know no matter how much time I have with her, it won't be enough.

A darling new baby girl....what more do I need to say? I love her and haven't even seen her yet!

"...And in the end
The love you take
is equal to the love you make."
---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Commuting

I commute to work every day. You know I ride the train. It's a good way to get to work. But today i was thinking about something - it's kind of strange or weird.

I mean...you go the train station, stand around with tons of other people that you don't know. Then you get on the train with all these strangers and sit next to people that smell , you can hear their ipod playing, they are talking on the phone or to others on the train, reading books or working on the computer. But the point is you are riding with strangers.

Then when our train arrives at the station, a shuttle picks us to - and our shuttle gets quite packed depending on the time it arrives. I catch the early train and even that shuttle is full every morning. And the riders are just a subset of the train crowd of strangers.

Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, we ride down the coast, I see the ocean, it takes 25 minutes with a few stops, I see cars, mountains, sunrise and sunset. It's a long day and I spend it with strangers. What's wrong with that picture???

"No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive."
--- Thorstein Veblen

working with off-shore teams

Globalization - The Encyclopedia Britannica says that globalization is the "process by which the experience of everyday life ... is becoming standardized around the world." While some scholars and observers of globalization stress convergence of patterns of production and consumption and a resulting homogenization of culture, others stress that globalization has the potential to take many diverse forms.

I say it's the process of working with teams around the globe and completing a project in a timely fashion without missing the deliverables. I want to successfully deliver my project on time and on (or under) budget!! It's the cool part of proj mgmt, every PM wants to deliver on time and until budget. :)

Heading to Plano TX in July to visit my clients. I have 6 "sets" of customers to visit. Some will bring an entire group and others will only bring themselves. Either way, I'm looking forward to meeting them. Plano TX - hot in the summer!

Starting the new year out right

Tomorrow morning we are going to see the rental agent and pay our holding deposit on the new place. Right now our living room and hallway are full of boxes that are broken down, ready to be taped and packed. I have already made a list of things that need to get done. I know it's going to be a little crowded in here for a few weeks, but it's only temporary - just until Feb 5th when we pay the rest and get the keys. Then start moving in!!

I'll try to get some pictures of the place as soon as possible and then once I have them. I'll get them posted to show you.

The weather here is a little crazy, rainy, windy, chilly. We've had the heat on every day for at least part of the day. But the good news is that it's not everyday all day long, not a long, gray, cold winter. Only a day here and a day there.

My foot is getting better, but it's at the point that the healing went fast then got to this point and I think it's slow now. I go to the Dr. on Monday to see him for the first time since the surgery. I hope he is pleased with the healing progress so far. I have followed the instructions to the letter and the swelling is mainly across the top of my foot where most of the incisions were. All to be expected. Overall, I think I'm doing good, we'll see what the Dr. thinks on Monday. Wonder when he's gonna do the left foot......hmmm.

Work going well, in fact, my job has been "re-prioritized". Simply put, I have been relieved from part of my duties and it's the part that I have the least control over, but have the most frustration due to lack of accountability. The priority is now working closer with my own group, helping them with their projects and their deliverables. Driving business requirement's docs to be delivered on time, leading reviews and signoffs. I am sure that these new priorities will challenge me as well as allow me to "shine"!

The girls will be here in 5 days. I can't wait. It seems like its been FOREVER since I saw Beka and it's only been 16 days. But so much has happened in that time! Healing, Christmas, New Years, Presents, Vacation, time with Roland, found the House, starting packing. Dr. visit and hopefully release to go back to work. I haven't seen Tamara since October over the wedding weekend. It will be good to have some time with her, talk to her, help her through her problems. I'll try to do it as a friend and mother.

Beka's 20th Birthday

Today is Beka's 20th birthday......wow, my 'baby' is 20. No longer a teenager! That freaks me out!! You know what that means, I'm getting older whether I want to or not.

I'm so proud of her, she's plugging away at her college degree. She's experimenting with new subjects and classes and even when it's hard she presses forward. She's working 25 hrs a week and keeps a very positive attitude about work. They really like her, so much that she is taking her 3 weeks off to go to Cincinnati and has a job when she gets back! That's impressive.

Last night, we opened Christmas and Birthday presents with her. This is a FIRST EVER to open both at the same time and early at that. The one thing that I LOVED is after she opened her presents and some were REALLY nice - she said "Thanks! I got EVERYTHING I wanted!!!" WOW! We were so happy to hear that. She was kissing us and hugging us and happy, happy! That made me happy.

She's leaving tomorrow for 3 LONG WEEKS in Cincinnati, visiting family and friends. She's been saving money, her friends have been saving money to take her out and of course there's the holidays. She's my ambassador at all Christmas parties. She'll pass out Christmas presents at Jake's for all of the kids and we'll be on the phone. I hope everyone likes what we are getting them.

Today, she's preparing for her trip, doing laundry, getting a manicure and pedicure, then going to drive me around for the last time in 3 weeks. Man, what will I do without my driver?? I can't drive for a long time still........Roland is back at work, so I'm stuck until he can take me out. Boo-bummer!!

God Bless Beka on her birthday, I pray for safe travel to Cincinnati tomorrow and hope she has a good time in Cincinnati, stays safe and returns to me on time, in one piece and ready to get back to the routine of life in Southern Cali!!

Love you, Beka! Happy 20th Birthday!!