These Days

Neil's school is on Thanksgiving break all of this week.  And I realize that I have not posted anything about his school so here's a recap for the last 4 months of first grade. He started school on August 11, day after we got back from San Diego.  School starts at 7:30 so the first week was a period of adjustment for all of us to get ready very early in the morning.  There's a bus that stops right at the gate of our neighborhood but pickup time is at 6:40.  Too early.  So Rich has been driving him to and from school everyday. He's in a multi-cultural class of 25 kids.  Photos below were from school picture day. Compared to his preschool in Manila, there are fewer class programs and presentations this year. Parents are also not allowed to linger once the children are in class so we don't quite see how he's doing, apart from the schoolwork that gets returned every week and his report card.  So whenever there are school activities and pare...

A few weeks ago, I was in Chattanooga, TN for our team's annual meeting.  I did not see downtown during our first visit in May because we stuck to the tourist spots in Lookout Mountain, so even if I've been to Chattanooga, this was still new experience. We were booked at The Chattanoogan for 2 nights. Evening of day 1, we went riverside. We were at the hotel for the regular sessions.  Photos below were from the reception night. On the second night, we had the awards dinner at another venue. Revenue Optimization Team Revenue Management Team

Sharing some photos from Holloween this year.  Our neighborhood had a program for the kids on October 26 and then on October 31, we were at the Villacortas for Neil's first legit trick-or-treating in their community.  Rich and Neil with Mavic's son visited only a few houses because it rained and it was too cold to stay outdoors.  It was fun to give out candies, too. Nighborhood Party 10/31 Suwanee, GA (photo above from Agui) Batman, Robin and Scarecrow

Em reminded me that this blog has been inactive for a while so here's a quick post to share my recent reads. #13 for 2014 From Goodreads.com : At seventeen, Sophia Amoruso decided to forgo continuing education to pursue a life of hitchhiking, dumpster diving, and petty thievery. Now, at twenty-nine, she is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal, a $100+ million e-tailer that draws A-list publicity and rabid fans for its leading-edge fashion and provocative online persona. Her story is extraordinary—and only part of the appeal of #GIRLBOSS. This aspirational book doesn’t patronize young women the way many business experts do. Amoruso shows readers how to channel their passion and hard work, while keeping their insecurities from getting in the way. She offers straight talk about making your voice heard and doing meaningful work. #14 for 2014 From Goodreads.com : Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may h...

October 11, 2014.  We drove to north Georgia to see the Anna Ruby Falls , check out Oktoberfest at Helen and the North Georgia Corn Maze . Fun in the farm!