These Days

Neil's school had the third grade school play on November 17. It was entitled The Presidents, which is about the first 16 US presidents. I think The Nutcracker play from last year was more enjoyable but it's always a treat seeing Neil perform on stage. It doesn't matter what they perform, it will be a big deal to me. =)

Earlier this month, my boss invited the whole team + families to a barbecue at his house. It was my first time to meet my co-workers on a weekend and just hang out, which allowed for more personal conversations.

Week 46 Week 47

I completed my 2016 reading goal (at leat 20 books!) with a few weeks left in the year. I have not blogged about the books since May, so this will be a roundup of everything since then. 10. Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington . We are living in a sleep-deprived culture because we think sleep is the easiest to sacrifice in order to get more done at work, at home or for ourselves. Being sleep deprived impacts a person's well-being and Huffington reviews the numerous research on the topic. People have died from chronic sleep-deprivation and fatigue at worst, and then there are the other effects such as weight gain, and cognitive delays.My takeaway: I have to do better at prioritizing sleep (for me and the family) and to change my mindset that sleep is not unproductive time. 11. Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It . This is a compilation of essays from people who made changes in their lives after reading Eat, Pray, Love. Some are simple realizations but others were inspired to take...

These pictures were taken around our neighborhood on October 31. Trick or treat! I was glad Ela decided to keep her costume on! We tried it on her a few days before and she would take it off right away. Maybe seeing her kuya also in costume helped. We got this for her last year and it was still too big. It was the perfect fit this time. Captain Neil and Ela the Owl

Neil was invited to a karate training session with Grandmaster Soon Ho Lee on October 30. This was still part of his prize from summer warrior challenge. Participants came from three different schools but it was held at his own school which was an advantage for us. It was a Sunday so we went to church first, had lunch then drove to training. Martial arts has a very hierarchical structure and you can sense how much respect the lower ranks had for the grandmaster, highest ranked with 9th degree black belt. He gave an inspirational message at the start and then led the class in rigorous training.

We went on a fall hike at Sweetwater Creek Park two Saturdays ago. I like trails that are along bodies of water and this meets the criteria. Plus it was one of the locations used in Mockingjay movie and I was curious to see the mill ruins in real life. We picked the easiest trail up to the ruins, spent some time on the water, walked back and followed another trail up to the bridge. The leaves have started to turn and it was beautiful seeing the colorful reflection of the trees on the water.

Neil's karate school had a Halloween trunk-or-treat/party at the end of October. We initially signed up to host a trunk but I had a meeting at work which would make us late for set up, so maybe next year. We drove straght to the dojo from my workplace and true enough, the festivities were already under way. This is our first time in three years to participate and it was more fun than we anticipated. It has a lot to do with familiarity among the kids and families (friendly atmosphere) plus the staff made sure everyone was fed and entertained.