its a wrap

2010 recap, a milestone year
If you can stomach it, here’s my recap of a stellar, milestone year…maybe the most influential and memorable year yet (for me).
Most notably, we met a little fellow named…Huxley, after a slow, quiet and mellow start, Huxley started the year at about 9 months, not yet crawling but damn close. Seems with crawling he got his stride and the term “came into his own” takes on a whole new meaning. In this year he has crawled, walked, talked, cried (a lot), had colds (a lot of them), has destroyed, emptied on a daily basis every cupboard and drawer we have in this shack, has bitten, scratched and hit, hollered and generally pushed me to places I have NEVER gone to in my life, has brought me to tears, frustration and exhaustion I don’t think I have ever known – but mostly has warmed my heart, our hearts completely and I can’t seem to resist him. None one really knows who he is “like”, I suspect he is busy like Geoff was as a little one – but I’m pretty sure his persistence and focus are like no one else’s. As I write this he has taken apart my office drawers and is sitting in one on the floor with a roll of packing tape, maybe he intends to tape himself into the drawer, let’s hope…

Our eldest and I can’t help but say my star has continued to amaze me in every way. She (Lux) started her foray into leaving the house full time and entering Kindergarten. It sort of marks the beginning of the end in a way – for her, for me. We made the conscious choice to have neither child attend some shithole of a full time/full day daycare and instead have had both home with lovely nannies and when needed a little pre-school. Lux was more than ready for school and has immediately adjusted to her full days with 23 others. She is on the very verge of reading, maybe she is reading, hard to tell what has been memorized and what is actually reading. Anyways, she is our constant companion, I can’t wait to pick her up from school each and every day – usually she looks as if she has walked out of an all-night night club with her hair, clothes askew and her little eyes adjusting to the light of the playground, and she pounces on me “did you bring me a snack, am I having a play date, what are we having for dinner”…she collapses in bed each night at 7 pm and jumps up every morning ready to take on the day, usually fully dressed in skinny jeans and a “rock and roll” t-shirt with a distinct idea for her daily hair-do.

Geoffrey’s year can be easily summed up into one word “flap” he spent most of the year in a flap and I suspect it will be the same in 2011. Airadis continues to slowly and organically grow; Geoffrey manages the company with an iron fist, vision and a “failure isn’t an option” outlook. I admire more than words his perseverance, his focus and his drive, but mostly I admire the fact that for the hours that he works (more than ANYONE I or any of you know) he remains steadfast in his commitment to his children and ensuring that every minute NOT working is by their little sides, being an active caregiver to them as well as just a regular old dad playing Xbox. I hope though for Geoffrey that 2011 finds some balance and he can continue to pursue a little time for Geoff to go for a run, a bike ride and round of golf, we’ll see, these seem to be luxuries that aren’t valuable enough to pursue.

Okay me – in the midst of this swirl that is my family and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, I have faced some pretty large changes in my life. I (hopefully) permanently kicked a full time career in corporate America to the curb. Since the birth of Lux which also marked a considerable change in my work outlook, I have been terribly unsatisfied and unfulfilled. No matter whatever path or schedule I choice I couldn’t seem to swing it at home and with Lux entering school fulltime in September I decided in April it was time to go once and for all. And while I wasn’t ready for the mommy-track, and doubtfully ever will be, I joined Airadis thanks to Geoffrey have enough contract work to keep me happy and keep me home the hours Lux is not at school. I haven’t regretted my decision for a millisecond but it has taken some adjusting too and sorting out in my own head what it all means.
Well that’s it; to be honest it’s been a huge year, huge, and not an easy one – a blessed one yes, but not an easy one. 2011 we’re making HUGE changes in terms of roles/responsibilities both at home and with the company, I now own anything administrative with Airadis including all the finances – that’s sort of big and I’m not thrilled about it. At home we’re starting operation “buckle down” with a 5-7 year financial plan that is pretty lofty, but at 40 its time to have those goals, did I mention that I turned 40.