snapshots

But Daddy! Why did you put it somewhere you can't find it? And now you need it and it's not there!!

Ray was rushing around looking for our copy of "The Red Tree" by Shaun Tan. He was leaving for a breakfast seminar which featured a talk by Tan and was hoping to have him autograph it. I was still lying in bed when I heard Risa admonishing him (we still haven't found the book). Well, at least I know Risa's listening to me. Now if only she would actually do what I say instead of parroting it back word for word to her dad!

Working overtime post Thanksgiving. I'm going to need all the extra cash I can get my hands on before the end of this year. Our little family of 3 will go through another major lifestyle transition, only this time it's a change that Risa has been asking for since she could form a sentence.

During the month she turned 2 years old, Risa started speaking in sentences, and one of the first she figured out was "Mummy no go work!" And she's been saying that ever since (although much more eloquently these days).

And so my Christmas gift to (myself, really, and) her is that I will quit my job by January. I have planned this move with Ray since January of this year and have just now submitted my resignation. A few major factors are at play, namely that our debt is about to be eliminated, but staying at home for 1 or 2 years is something I have wanted to do for some time.

I'll be going 100 to zero, not just in lifestyle but also in salary. A timely article was reprinted in the current issue of Your Workplace magazine: Easing down the salary ladder (1).pdf]: how to make the most of a reduced paycheck We've charted out our household budget, more or less, and projected our minimal income requirements post mortgage. I've replaced my shoes, cell phone, and laptop this year so I think I can ride out the next couple years!

Money truly does not equal happiness. Basic needs have to be met, of course, but beyond that, more money does not mean more happiness. A six figure salary means six figure stress when you're having an e-mail fight with another manager at 10 o'clock at night, or handling sick calls from home on the weekend, or "performance managing" staff. Actually, it's been the best opportunity of my career. I enjoyed the novelty of having my own office, Decembers off for the first time in my 20 year career, and attending lavish management conferences for free. Most of all, though, being a part of administering change has been a huge buzz, but I can now say "been there done that". I may walk back later, but now it's time to walk away. In my Fluevogs.

This picture was from last week. Risa loves getting her hands dirty and making a mess. Here she is "helping" mommy bake cookies. I got her a mini rolling pin from a $2 store in a Richmond mall.

Last night we had an extended family roast beef dinner. It didn't start that way, but when Risa saw me preparing the tiny 2-rib cut we picked up from Costco, she associated the meat with party. "Who's coming?" she asked. I said no one, but then she insisted that we invite someone over. I asked her who she wanted to invite over and she immediately picked her grand aunt. This then extended to include my parents and cousin who happened to have nothing else to do on a Saturday night and, presto-bingo, instant dinner party of 7 on 2 hours notice. Which just tells you something about free food and my family.

The evening didn't stop there. You have to be careful what you say to Risa, as my aunt is now learning. As she was leaving, my aunt teased Risa with an invitation to come home with her and sleep over. Risa ran to pack her bag. Ray transfered her car seat to my aunt's car, and presto-bingo 2, instant kid free night. Now Risa gets up between 6 and 6:30 AM every day with all engines firing, and today being the Sunday of a long weekend, we anticipated a bit of a reality shock in my aunt's house this morning. But we're happy that Risa is spending precious time with her relatives and is comfortable enough to be with them... I see a Las Vegas weekend in our future!!!

She's the spitting image of you!

We were in the bank and the teller said this to me. Many people have commented that Risa resembles both Ray and me and as we move on through life and meet new people, there are those who have no idea of our history. Risa is aware, as far as she can understand, of her background. If you ask, she will tell you that when she was born in China she fell down in the street and had to wait until mummy and daddy (us) could fly over on an airplane to pick her up. While she was waiting, she and her Xiaogan sisters, who were similarly dropped on the street, were taken care of by Mr. Lin. I have to try hard not to get emotional when I explain her past this way, but she's very matter of fact about it when she tells it back to me or other people. It's not a good or bad thing, it's just the way it was. I've started explaining to her that babies come from women's tummies and have started using the term "tummy mummy" for birth mother. But I don't think she understands that her birth mother is actually a real person, somewhere out there.