Young Pricestein II

This is how we announced the arrival of PJ (Price Junior) to our large extended family. At a big lunch we hosted (Christmas last year), I stood up to welcome everyone, and then told them we had an important message to share which was on a piece of paper in front of them. All at once, they were asked to turn over that paper and read it. The first one to guess "what it means" was offered a prize...

Two New Nephews within a Week!

Introducing our new nephews: Joshua Eric (born 25 November) and Enrico Ernesto (born 2 December)
Joshua - what a blondie!	Jowetts Four
Princess Raina was enthralled with Enrico	Kaylee: "He's MY baby brother!"

Between two Bumps

Two of my sisters are giving birth to baby boys any day now! Here I am stuck between the Bumps...


In preparation for her mum going off to the hospital, Cousin Kaylee came over for her first pyjama party...Raina had a lovely time playing big sister.

Rubbish and Responsibility

My daughter taught me a bit about responsibility in the now. We were walking home from pre-school today and came upon quite a bunch of rubbish by the side of the road. Raina immediately bent down to start picking it up. I started to protest and in my mind I was thinking she's going to get filthy, this could go on forever, we can't pick up every bit of rubbish by the side of the road, we should come back when we have gloves and garbage bags etc., every excuse under the sun. And she just said to me "but I want to live in a clean environment." I realized then that I shouldn't hesitate for a moment to take on responsibility such as this, just as she hadn't. I found an empty bag on me and so into it went the styrofoam bits, the McDonalds fries container, the cigarette box, the newspapers and magazines, and other junk, and we both took great pleasure in dumping it all in our rubbish bin at home.

Holy Day, Life After Death and other points of interest

Miss R talking to Tony, our homestay student from China, while he's trying to eat his toast in peace...

"Do you know Whose birthday it is today? It's a very special day!"

[blank look from Tony]

"It's the Bab's Birthday. Do you know where He is?"

[this time, she doesn't wait for any reply]

"He's in heaven. That's where you go when your bones go away. But your spirit lives forever."

"See, this is a fairy wand. You can also use it for a ruler."

"Do you want a sticker? You put it on your hand. You have to remember that. Or you can put it on your foot, heeheehee."

The Perfect Vacation

I am very blessed. I have a wonderful and beautiful family and many special friends all over the planet. Recently, Mei-Ling, Raina and I returned from our best vacation ever - a trip back to the US. I wanted to post a blog about the trip, as both a recording of our memories and to honour the people who made it so special.

---

Los Angeles (Aug 6 - 8, 2010)

On August 6th, we flew out of Sydney for LA. There we hired a car and drove to my Aunt Margaretha's home in West Hollywood. Raina and Margaretha were introduced and within five minutes they became the best of friends. If you see some of the photos and videos of this time, you will observe how happy Raina was the be with Margaretha in her lovely home. (It got even better when we returned a month later.) At this point I had a suspicion that this trip was going to be all about Raina.

Raina and Tom playing "I Spy".

That evening, we introduced Raina to my brother Tom, and we went out for dinner to PF Changs in Century City. Tom's children - Raina's cousins - are now in their 20s and 30s, but he hasn't forgotten how to entertain, and be entertained by, children. They spent the night playing I Spy and drawing funny pictures of animals. It was a lot of fun to see them playing together.

Hard to believe this was just our first night in the US. Jet lag was the only thing that prevented us (including Raina) from staying up late to be together. Raina seemed to get her second wind at around 10pm and didn't want to go to bed.

---

Orlando (Aug 8 - 14)

The primary reason for my trip was to attend Agile2010, a software development conference in Orlando. When I said I might be going to Orlando, home of Disney World, Mei-Ling announced, "you're not going without Raina and me", and so it was, we made a whole big trip out of it.

Goofy came to say hello.

So after our two day stopover in LA, we moved on to Orlando and put ourselves into the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Hotel, where the conference was being held. For the next week, I attended sessions at the conference (which was great) while the ladies entertained themselves at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, and by swanning around the resort's own five swimming pools. Tough life for some.

Sad, but interesting, this conference was originally planned for the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, but in May, the hotel was flooded and badly damaged, and so the conference was moved to Orlando. Not so bad for us, though - we got to have a holiday that we probably wouldn't normally do. And we got to visit Nashville anyway.

---

Chicago (Aug 14 - 17)

After Orlando, we flew to Chicago for three fun-filled days with Amelia and Shahram Dana and their 8-week-old baby boy Caelin (who is simply adorable), and Raina's cousins Emily and Juliette.

Dinner with the Chicago gang.

Poor Shahram damaged his knee playing soccer the morning we arrived, so we spent some of the weekend propping him up, getting him meals and medical assistance. I am not sure if this was real or a very clever ploy to have lots of people bring him food! Truth be told, he was in a lot of pain, but when I saw him a few weeks later (at Tennessee Baha'i School), he was thankfully doing a whole lot better.

Amelia is the perfect Mom - very patient and easy going. Caelin has adoring parents and is one very lucky little boy. We loved staying with them in their 23rd floor apartment in the heart of Chicago, overlooking the lake. Chicago is such a wonderful city, there's no doubt about it. If we had had more time, we certainly would have gone to see a show, since Amelia and Shahram live right in the heart of the theatre district.

It is fortunate that Amelia and Shahram are very good friends with my nieces Emily and Juliette, so we were able to do many things all together.

Emily was so kind and attentive, picking us up from the airport, taking us to the Baha'i House of Worship, inviting us to her concert in the park and the Sunday devotional at her home. Her cute little apartment is obviously a centre of much activity and she is a most hospitable host.

Cousins: Emily, Raina & Juliette.

It was very special to spend more time with Juliette, who I have not seen for many years. It's kind of like getting to know her afresh as an adult. Mei-Ling and I both remarked how Juliette has really coming in to her own, living and working in Chicago.

Both of the girls were apparently caught in Raina's spell. By the end of the stay, Juliette even let Raina brush her hair.

Thanks again Milly, Shahram, Emily and Juliette for a great little Chicago escape!

---

Nashville (Aug 17 - Sep 3)

Family and Friends...

Fun days with Auntie Charmaine.

My Sweet Loving Sister, Charmaine, is my one remaining blood-relative who still lives in Nashville. She loves her little place by the lake in Hendersonville, and darts around town in her beloved Saturn. She lives with a number of cute little kitties, including one of Tom's that he left with her when he headed west. Charmaine says she misses Tom, but since he left his 42" TV with her as well, she has mixed feelings about him returning.

Ahhh, the Hammock!

While seeing my sister again after nearly five years was fabulous, the best thing about it was - you guessed it - introducing her to Miss Raina. To say they bonded is an understatement. Talk about kindred spirits. There's nothing like introducing four year-old Raina to nail polish and make-up to get her completely on side. Charmaine, who works night shift, came to visit us at David's place a number of times, arriving early in the morning just as we were waking. On most occasions, I woke to find Raina already up, brushing Charmaine's hair or doing something terribly creative (like painting or plonking on the piano) with her. Charmaine also kindly introduced our daughter to the ukulele (and bought her one), so we hope that will pique her musical interests even more.

Of course it wasn't entirely about Raina. I had a selfish brother-sister only day with Charmaine, which was superb. We started the day with an early-morning clothes shopping expedition, then we went to the famous Kroger for groceries, had lunch, made a silly YouTube video together, went to the movies (Inception), went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, and watched another movie on Tom's 42" TV. Try doing all that in a day anywhere else!

"Cute Poses".

What words are there for Mr David Hall? David has always been so kind to us, and this time there was no exception. We stayed with David in his lovely big home by the lake in Old Hickory for the entire time in Nashville. Time spent with David is always full of laughter and is very relaxed. He played with Raina (who now remembers him as the "Tickle Monster"), talked health and whole-food supplements with Mei-Ling and he and I tended to a very long-burning fire in the yard (a tree that had "drifted" in during the May flood). We even had opportunities to sit around and do absolutely nothing and all, or watch Sci-If TV shows, which was just perfect for everyone. This was the first time we'd seen David since his darling Ann passed away nearly two years ago, so it was also a very poignant time. We reminisced a lot about Ann and were filled with tremendous joy remembering the warmth of her spirit. David, if you are reading this, thank you again for everything. We miss you very much. (Oh, and keep the hammock ready for us!)

While at David's, we had a little catch up party with some old friends. It was so nice to see Laura D'Angelo, Cindy Alinikoff, Nikki Gundry, Carmel and Vipul Lakhani (and to meet their kids), Jan Ray, Jim Traub and Lishy. It was a special evening, and we seemed to have quality time with everyone.

Dinner at Auntie Lishy's.

We also go to spend time with Elizabeth (AKA Lishy), but not nearly enough. She came to see us at David's and we got to visit her new condo in Hendersonville, but her work on the organising committee for the Tennessee Bahá'í School (see below) was keeping her very busy during the time we were there. We had a lovely night at Lishy's home (love the new place) on Rachael's birthday. Rachael wasn't there, but her boyfriend, Marshall, was, along with Andi Seals, Cindy Alinikoff, and David. So we had a sort of proxy birthday party, and called Rachael to sing happy birthday over the phone.

Special Visits...

As if this trip wasn't special enough, two of my closest friends on the planet went out of the their way to come visit us in Nashville. I was very touched by this and have to say how happy it made the trip being able to see them.

Suyash and Tamsin.

Suyash Prasad took time out of his busy schedule to fly down from Boston for a weekend with his lovely Tamsin, whom we have never met. Suyash and I have been friends since 1996, when he came to Sydney to do his medical residency. For many years now we have lived in different cities around the globe, but have had remarkable success and a lot of fun by catching up with each other all over the place: Sydney, London, Paris (twice), even Indianapolis! So it actually came as no surprise when he said he'd come to Nashville while we were there. That's just what Suyash does. This time we also had the pleasure of meeting Tamsin and getting to know her better. She is utterly delightful, and we fully approve! I think the weekend getaway was good for them, too. David's home is the epitome of relaxation, and they were in need of some R & R. A few Root Beers and a lie-down in the hammock overlooking the lake can do wonders for weary souls. Suyash and Tamsin, thank you for coming to be with us.

Hanging out with the Newells.

You might imagine how disappointed I was at the prospect of not seeing Andrew Newell on this trip, but that almost happened. Andrew and Anisa moved from Nashville to Melbourne, Florida, about 9 months ago, so Mei-Ling and I were excited that we were going to be in Florida for my work conference and we might stay on afterwards to see them. Well that was our plan. What we failed to remember was that the Newells leave the US each summer to be at the Eagle Arts Academy in Canada. Although resigned to not seeing Andrew, I still made the plea for them to visit Nashville on his their home. Somehow they were able to organise it and we were so happy to hear that we'd have a day with them to ourselves. It worked out quite well for Andrew and me to have some buddy time to catch up, then he brought Anisa and their little Ahdieh (aged two and a half) to come up and spend the rest of the day winding down by the lake. Andrew is a kindred spirit. It's funny, it seems like yesterday that he and John Bush and I were the movie-going and Thursday-night-study-group bachelors of Nashville (now we all are married and have a child each!), and today here we are, talking so joyously about the dynamics of family life and new directions in life. It was very interesting to discuss the parallels in our lives. It is an understatement to say that I miss Andrew's company, but it is comforting to know that our friendship can pick up from anywhere we leave it. Thank you - all three of you - for coming to Nashville and spending some time with us.

My BMI Buddies...

One of the great things about being back in Nashville was seeing the many friends I made while I worked at BMI from 1998 to 2006.

With David & Mitzi at City House.

We had a special dinner one night with David de Busk and his lovely wife, Mitzi. David took us to City House, a great Italian restaurant in Germantown. Apparently the owner studied cooking in Italy and uses mostly local ingredients. Mitzi and Raina fell in love - I suspect Mitzi really, really loves kids! It was great to see David again and talk about our lives and all the blessings we have. I always feel very lucky to have met David and he has always been very kind to me. It was a great night.

I also had lunch at McNamara's with Jay Allen, my Project Manager and former tennis buddy. He moved on from BMI a few years back, so we had lots to catch up on. It was great to see him. I really miss our fantastic games of tennis!

Dinner with Tene & Joseph, Lisa & Jamal.

The fabulous Tené Tarver invited us to her home for dinner. Tené and I worked at BMI, but in different departments. We became great friends, and always had the best conversations, but after we moved back to Australia, we kind of lost touch. So it was truly remarkable that she found me on Facebook just a few weeks before this trip to the States and we were able to re-connect. Recently, Tené married her "soulmate", Joseph Becknell, so our dinner was really all about getting to know him and sharing all of our "relationship stories" with each other. Mei-Ling and I really enjoyed that. It was a very joyous night (lots of laughter - that's a given with Tené). I have always been very fond of Tené, and I am so happy she has found her perfect partner. A bonus to all this is that we have mutual friends, Lisa Otey and her husband Jamal, so we were able to catch up with them too!

Janise, me, Michelle, Sallie, Peter & Jeff.

Near the end of our stay in Nashville, we had a great lunch at Noshville with the folks still working at BMI - Michelle Taylor, Jeff Davis, Peter Langella, Janice Hooper and Sallie Touchton. These are pretty much my only remaining friends at BMI, and it was marvellous to see them all again. I realised what a great bunch we were there and I miss them all very much. I was sorry that we didn't have more time to spend with everyone, it's just one of those things when you are travel.



The New Bahá'í Centre...

At the Baha'i Center with Bahman & Faran.

The Bahá'í Faith Community Centre on Bell Rd was only at stage one when I left Nashville. Since then, the full building, in all its glory, has been finished. I was so moved to see it, and so impressed with the spiritual feeling within its walls. Faran Ferdowsi was more than happy to show me around the various rooms, and it was fun to reminisce with him and Bahman Yousefzadeh about those days when it was just a plan. How marvellous to see it built and being used so well by the Nashville Bahá'í community. It is a testament to a very steadfast and strong community. If you haven't been there, I strongly recommend you visit for a Sunday morning devotional.

Reminiscing...

One of the places on our must-see list was our old condo at 420 Bowling Avenue. I have incredibly happy memories of living there and am still a bit sad that we had to sell up and leave (although I am told that I did sell at the best time possible!). We made no specific plan to visit it, but after lunch down-town one day, we decided we'd just do a drive-through to check it out. In the driveway, who do we see, but our neighbour, the incredible Capucine Monk. Such a coincidence, not just that she happened to be home at this hour, but also that she had moved out for some 13 months and only recently moved back in. We had lost touch with Capucince, so it was wonderful to be invited up and to catch up on her life and all the gossip from the property!

Regrettably, there are a number of friends in Nashville we didn't get to see. I guess that always happens when you go back to where you lived. Part of it was our fault for not getting out and about as much as we should. Anyway, sorry to all those we didn't get to see:

• Eli Bowe (congratulations on your recent marriage!)
• Amir and Fruz Roshan
• Rasheedah Pardue
• Marabeth & Ken (Mei-Ling got to see them at their Nashville wedding reception, but I missed it. Congratulations, you two!)
• Maxcia and Louis Lizarraga
• Kathy Diaz
• Karen and Derek Streets-Anderson
• Gina Mendello
• Lua Crofts
• Denice Hicks (hope the Shakespeare festival went well)
• And anyone else we left out (sorry)!

There is also one solitary relative we didn't get to see. Rachael, Raina's youngest cousin (on the Price side) lives in New York now, and was unable to meet up with us anywhere on this trip. However, we had dinner with her boyfriend, Marshall, on Rachael's birthday, so you could call that a kind of proxy catch-up. It was great to meet Marshall.

The Restaurant Check-list...

Mei-Ling and I had talked about all the restaurants we HAD to go to again. You know, those places you haven't been to for five years, and your mouth waters every time you think of them. So here's the list:

• Baja Burrito - check!
• Noshville - check!
• Las Americas - check! (the BEST cuisine from El Salvador)
• Lotsa Mexican - check!
• That Persian restaurant on Thompson Lane - check! (Darwin and Andrew)
• Logan's Roadhouse - check! (not exactly high on our list, but it was the only place open on Labor Day as we rushed to the airport)
• New places: City House in Germantown (great Italian), The Hutton Hotel (cheaper than it looks, great burgers), and McNamara's Irish Pub in Donelson (great corned beef)
• :( - we missed out on: Hot Kabobs (closed, I hear), F. Scotts (where I proposed to Mei-Ling), Kazu (also closed apparently), Ken's Sushi, Tony Roma's.

---

Tennessee Bahá'í School (Sep 3 - 6)

Squeezing the Tennessee Bahá'í School (TBS) into our trip was essential. This is a milestone event in the TN Bahá'í community's year, and Mei-Ling and I have fond memories of past schools. We had every intention of attending as many sessions as possible (and we did - a couple), but for us, TBS was mostly about seeing our dear friends again after so long and introducing them to Raina, and Raina to the millions of children who have popped up since we left Nashville. It was a remarkable thing!

At TBS with Lishy, Shiva, Joel & Mei-Ling.

It was really great to see my nephew Joel again. We last saw Joel in Sydney when we moved back here at the beginning of 2006 (he was in Australia for a while). Joel has moved into business management now and is starting to move up in the world, which is fantastic to see. He is currently working in Toledo, Ohio, of all places, but is still very connected to Nashville, mostly due to his mother and his girlfriend living there. He has always been a regular at TBS, too, of course, and his all-ages disco was fantastic. Raina loved the Chicken Dance - I think it was the first time she's ever heard that one. (I think I was probably four when I first heard it, too.) Anyway, we had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with Joel and Shiva at the school (and for meals), and getting some first-hand insights into what's going on in his life. Raina loved meeting another cousin!

How utterly fantastic to see Charity and Dan Hofert again. Charity's brilliant art (See www.etsy.com/shop/charityelise) has gone from greatness to further greatness and this is only topped by her love and enthusiasm for us ... well ... Raina in particular! I really miss Charity's wit and humour. There's nothing quite like it!

I had a wonderful time catching up with Neda Ferdowsi again after so long. We always have lots to talk about and it was just like the old days. Neda had just come back from a big trip to Canada and other parts of the US, and is travelling some more now, I believe. It's a great time in her life.

It was lovely to see Sandy Gordon. I so often think of her beautiful daughter Laura, my dear friend who passed away in 2003. Sandy has turned the grief of losing her into a wonderfully creative enterprise called Forlora, producing Baha'i burial rings, shrouds and so forth, providing a unique and special service to the community that is truly remarkable.

I also had the pleasure of a really long (fairly uninterrupted) conversation with Dorothy Marcic over dinner, which was magnificent. I wish I had half of Dorothy's energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and persistence. Afterwards I had a mini mid-life crisis when she let me drive her Lexus sports car back to the school. I should point out that Mei-Ling and I are already considering buying a mini-van, so this was a spectacular departure from my reality!

Also had lovely (but too brief) catch-ups with Jim Traub and the whole Traub gang, Bijan and Venus Ferdowsi, Korkhi Smothers, Carol Mansour, Lana Bogan, Holley and Giachery Lizarraga, Genevieve Bogan, Juliet Seals and numerous others. TBS has burst at the seams with some 450 attendees, so it can be difficult to properly catch up with everyone.

Raina hitches a ride on Neda's back.

Solomon, the "Tickle Monster".

 Playing games on Dorothy's iPhone.

Charity and me. Check out all her cool work!

One of the highlights of TBS was actually off-campus. Each night we drove six miles with the gang to dinner at University of the South's McClurg Dining Hall. If you ever find yourself in the apparently remote part of Tennessee called Monteagle (or Sewanee), please make sure you check out this university. It has the old world charm and structural magnificence of an Ivy League college. And the dining hall, at $10.50 for all you can eat dinners, is a bargain and a half. I know that we might have missed out on some of the camaraderie at the TBS dining hall, but by the third night, after all our talking it up, it seemed we had half the school down at the University with us anyway! I especially enjoyed Solomon Hall's company at the dessert table.

But back to TBS, I really should say a special thanks to the organising committee, the unsung heroes of the school: Lishy, Carol Mansour, Nick Cote, Jennifer Leigh Block, Leanna Landry and all the other organisers. And of course to Allesandra, Richard and Naghmeh, who took the 3 & 4 year olds for the whole school and kept Raina occupied and interested while we attended sessions (and chatted to our old friends).

---

LA Part II (Sep 6 - 10)

Enjoying Crepes at the Farmer's Market.

We returned to LA on Labor Day, and we had more time to spend with my Aunt Margaretha this time (we were jet lagged and rushed at the beginning of the trip). Raina just loved following her around her apartment, doing I do not know what. A lot of it was about getting into Margaretha's jewellery, make-up and stuff I think. Raina also invited herself to use Margaretha's rather plush en suite bath. She does know how to live it up when she travels, this little one.

This was the first time I have seen Margaretha since my Uncle Julian passed away. She was so kind to take us to his resting place in Hollywood Forever, a crassly-named but rather pleasant cemetery off Santa Monica Boulevard. Julian's neighbours include Douglas Fairbanks and Johnny Ramone, amongst many other celebrities.

I've never visited LA without seeing a celebrity. Margaretha took us to the Farmer's Market Grove and we were in a kid's clothing store, when the papparazzi started taking photos of a woman (in the store) I didn't recognise, but Mei-Ling did. She was Michelle Monaghan, for those of you who know of her.

The Grove is a great place to hang out and we found a fantastic Creperie in the old part of the markets to have dinner.

We ate delicious Mexican food with Crystal.

On the Wednesday before we left the US, we visited Crystal Gaer, my brother-in-law Leon's mother. She is in her 90s now, but still very strong after a lifetime of dancing and performing. What a wonderful lady. She lives in the San Fernando Valley, and next door to her home is a trapeze school. Margaretha came with us and we enjoyed taking Raina to see the trapeze class in action. After that, Crystal took us to one of her favourite Mexican restaurants, Mission Burrito, and we enjoyed one more tasty Mexican meal.

Rosh Hashana at Froggy's.

That night was Rosh Hashana - Jewish new year. How marvellous to be in town with my Cousin Hope and her family, and even more so to have Aunt Margaretha and my Brother Tom all together for dinner. I don't remember a family gathering like that for a while. We descended on this great restaurant in Topanga called Froggy's. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in the Topanga area and are looking for a really fun place to go and enjoy great food. But I suppose the reason is was so special was everyone being together like this. A rare and unique gift.

Maya, Uzi, Eden and Raina.

We spent our last two nights in the US with dear Hope and Uzi and their girls, Maya and Eden (who have grown considerably since last we saw them) in their lovely Topanga Hills home. It is so nice to sit around the dining table, talking with Hope about her books and her writing, and family stuff, or with Uzi, talking about technology, health and spiritual matters - and even real estate. There's always an interesting conversation in this home!

I loved watching Raina play with her older third-cousins. I think it might have been fun for Eden, too, not to be the youngest for a change.

On the Thursday, we all went out to celebrate the official start of Rosh Hashana in a joyous ceremony held at the Center for Energetic Healing in Simi Valley.

At Old Susana's Cafe in Simi Valley with Hope, Maya and Eden.

 I wish we could have had more time with Hope and family; it was just too short as usual!

---

Miscellany

Shop Till You Drop

Ross, TJ-Maxx, Kohl's, Wal-Mart, Fry's (even Macy's). You know the names. You know the prices. We couldn't help ourselves. Compared to Australian prices, these places are the best. Suffice it to say: we left Australia with two suit cases, we came back with three. How materialistic, I know, but you gotta wear clothes, right? And computers... don't get me started. Mei-Ling now sports a brand new Toshiba Netbook that she keeps on the kitchen counter to do property research, look up recipes and read her email.

The Perfect 10

I can't say I'm a big believer in astrology (anymore), but here's an interesting thing. Three of the greatest men I know are born on October 10: David Hall, Uzi Eliahou and Suyash Prasad. If you know them, you will agree that they are very gentle, very smart, and great listeners. These men are amongst my very best friends on earth, and they regularly come to mind when I think about how I'd like to behave in many situations. And I had the great pleasure to spend time with all of them on this American trip, so how's that for an added blessing? It must be a special year for them, too. David turns 59 on 10-10-'10 and Uzi turns 50 on 10-10-'10. Pretty important milestones in very symmetrical number patters. I love it.

Flights

How about that A380? We flew to LA and back on QANTAS' new jet. Granted, it was still economy, but those new planes are magnificent. The first thing you notice is how quiet they are (compared to other planes), and the other thing is the absolutely brilliant entertainment system. On-demand TV, movies, radio, you name it. Raina watched the kids shows - they kept her entertained and happy for hours. I watched my arthouse films, documentaries and British TV comedy classics, while Mei-Ling enjoyed her romantic comedies and blockbusters. We were all happy.

---

Final Observation

You know, this trip was meant to be. Do you ever get that feeling? Like you just know it's going to happen? From the time I found out about the conference, when it was not really likely that Cochlear would send me across the world to attend it, I felt like I was going to go. Mei-Ling felt like we were going to go. It was the right time for us to go back. The signs were there. This might sound strange, and a bit trivial, but - for some reason - for a number of months before the trip was decided, and afterwards as well, on my daily commute to and from work, I regularly saw cars with registration plates with the letters "BMI" and "BNA". More often than you'd think was statistically likely. BMI, of course, is the company that I worked for in Nashville for over seven years, and BNA is the airport code for Nashville. They say God works in mysterious ways, but that's the oddest sign I've seen from Him.

When people ask me for the number one highlight of this trip, I say the best thing was introducing Raina to our family and friends, and watching her interact with everyone. It was all about her, really. The trip would have been lovely for Mei-Ling and me alone, but it was a whole different experience seeing it through the eyes of a four year-old. Over the five weeks, I observed a small developmental change in her. Before we left, Raina would usually take about 15 minutes to "warm up" to someone new. By the end of the trip, she was eager to meet people (especially children), and was starting conversations in a matter of seconds.

This was the kind of vacation you'd call comfortable over adventurous. We were in familiar surroundings and with people we've known and loved for years. That was the right choice; it's what we needed. Having so much time off from our home routines and being surrounded by so much positive energy and love was VERY good for Mei-Ling and me. We work very hard in our "everyday" lives, and the year has had it's ups and downs, so this was just the injection we needed. The perfect vacation.




Special Thanks

You know, the reason this vacation was possible was because of Cochlear, and my manager, David Hargreave. I work for Cochlear in Sydney, and David pushed for me to be able to attend the conference in Florida. David has always been very supportive of me and going to this conference was fantastic, so thank you, David (seems like I've had a few David friends and bosses, doesn't it?).

Four

Our Swee'Pea turns 4 today, where did the time go?

Having a rockin' time with Uncle Ernesto and friends...

Drumming Farewell

Our dear friends Marjan and Pifas and Kiki and Kini are sadly leaving our shores, but remain with us in our hearts...today we drummed them a bon voyage!

Bathroom Musings

As we were getting into the shower this evening...

She said: "You're the best Mummy!"

I said: "Why thank you! You're the best daughter!"

She said: "You can keep me for as long as you like."

I said: "Oh good, I'd like that."

She said: "I've been been thinking about getting married. (pause) But I don't think I will because I want to stay with you forever."

I said: "Well you'll just have to find a husband who wants to live with a big family, like your Daddy who lives with me and my Mummy and Daddy."

She said: "Okay, I'll get married if we can still live together."

Australian Hero

Today Mei-Ling, Raina and I watched coverage of the homecoming of Australian teenager, Jessica Watson, who just completed a solo yachting voyage around the world. It was very inspirational, and I went out of my way to explain to Raina what it was all about, and how significant it was that a young girl was able to achieve such an extraordinary feat of courage and tenacity by herself. Her journey was 6 or 7 months at sea.

Later today, Raina said to us, "I want to go on a boat". Assuming the magnitude of today's event must have sunk in, waking her fledgling desires to achieve greatness, I asked her, "so, do you want to be an Australian hero, too?". Her reply was, "no, I just want to go on a boat."

No Ordinary Nonna

Our Nonna is one of the most rockin' nonnas around. Check out this article about her latest adventure...her very popular ukelele class at the University of the Third Age!


"The poor man of the instrument world is undergoing a renaissance by stealth, with splinter groups springing up all over western Sydney.

Our local revolutionary cell is in Richmond, run by Kurrajong Heights resident Lorraine Price.

But rather than making bombs they're making whoopee, in uproarious classes that are bringing joy and purpose to an increasing number of older Hawkesbury residents." - by Justine Geake

April Action

Raina gets her first piano lesson from Grandma

Our favourite Dr came to visit...Suyash & Raina at Cronulla

Out walking the dogs - Sonny and Doofy (yes, short for Doofus!) - with Nonna

Raina's New Do

One of the perks of having a talented Ethiopian auntie...

Wireless Woes

This blog is for you, Daddy.

Raina was sitting at her little desk and typing energetically on her (fake) computer keyboard. Suddenly she announced "Mummy, I don't think the wireless is working!"

Kim & Makiya Boogie Down Ethiopian style

Kim & Makiya tied the knot last night!

Economics, from the perspective of a three-year-old

I've been sick for the past three days with the flu. Raina came up to me this morning to see if I'm feeling better. When I said, "not really", she said, with great concern, "that's not good, we're going to run out of money now." Her mother has been telling her that daddy goes out every day to earn money for us, so it would seem logical to her I guess that if I'm not going to work, we are not making any money. Simple.

Big Day

It was Nonna's birthday today and Raina's first day at pre-school! She had a total blast, and I enjoyed a leisurely hang out at the garden centre choosing veges for my garden. Even though it was totally weird to be home alone for a while, I could get used to this!


What made today even more fantastic is that my baby brother got engaged last night!! The whole family is joyous and the bling-bling looks good :) He did the whole romantic get-down-on-your-knee and propose thing - in the moonlight, overlooking the water, down at The Rocks...how could she say anything but yes?!

Engaged - Kim and Makiya

Encouragement

As we all know, a little bit of encouragement goes a long way. Encouragement from a 3-year old is extra sweet!

Raina knows what a total chicken I am when it comes to getting into cold water. One hot day last week we went off to the local pool, and on the way in she says to me:

"Mummy, if you use your courage to get into the water, that would be good. I will encourage you, and when you get in, I will tell you 'good job Mummy!' "

Postman Pat

Yesterday out of the blue Raina announced that "the postman is like God." When I asked how so, she replied as if I was totally clueless, "because he helps everybody!" Duh!

Tomatoes for Brekky!

For the first time, our little tomato vine provided us with a delicious pre-breakfast snack this morning. What a way to start the day!