Celebrating Henry

Henry turned 4 years old on Valentines Day.  I can't believe four years have passed already since he was born!  He was so excited the morning of his birthday that he grabbed his birthday presents from downstairs, ran upstairs with them, climbed up into our bed (where Ryan was still sleeping) and declared it was time to open them. He just could not wait any longer.  We obliged his request.

Ryan and I took Henry to Monster Jam to see real monster trucks on his birthday weekend.  We (he in particular) had a great time.  His favorite monster truck was Grave Digger.  He really hoped that Zombie would race Grave Digger, but Zombie was resting and couldn't come out to play (or so I told Henry). 

Henry still loves the park!

And he's still super silly!

And he decided his cupcakes for his party had to be decorated with "army men with guns."  He insisted that his individual cupcake have two army men, to make it extra special. 

At four, Henry is quite a story teller.  The line between truth and fiction become blurrier every day.  I try to encourage his imagination by staying interested and soliciting more stories.  He remains mechanically inclined, preferring construction toys (Legos in particular), puzzles and transformers over most other toys.  He's developing a delightful sense of humor (similar to his Daddy's sense of humor). He remains kind to his baby brother and likes to help out (like getting toys for Russ when he starts to cry).  He enjoys school, is making friends, and slowly learning how to put his listening ears on and follow directions.  He loves to be chased and loves to race (perhaps he will be a competitive runner some day).  The last four years have been a whirlwind and it blows my mind how quickly Henry has developed into a full blown boy (no longer a baby or toddler) where he prefers to do things for himself, has an opinion about EVERYTHING, and is developing is own interests.  I look forward to watching and experiencing his continued growth and development.  Cheers to Henry!

I AM AN ADDICT

I am an addict.

Not a substance addict... although, perhaps an addict of sugar and caffeine...but not a classic substance abuser.

I am addicted to planning. I am addicted to setting goals. I like the feeling of control a plan provides me. My happiness adviser (some may call her a therapist) has informed me that having a plan for EVERYTHING (especially 20 or more years out) may be stagnating my personal growth. Perhaps she is right. But I NEED to have a plan. My happiness adviser would challenge that thinking since I seem to also NEED a happiness adviser (so perhaps my way isn't as successful by way of finding happiness), but that is a story for another day.  I'm stubborn.  I like to have things my way.

I am an addict.

I am trying to move (using baby steps) toward recovery.

To live more in the present. To embrace spontaneity. This won't be easy (because I am an ADDICT!).

My first baby step has been to stop focusing on 20 (or more) years and now I am focused on 10(ish) years. Doubtful my happiness adviser would approve, but hey, it's a start. This is a big step for an addict like myself.

In very simple terms, my 10(ish) year plan boils down to one thing: Retire.

Ok, ok, that may sound crazy because I won't be "old enough" to retire in 10 years. But, I am challenging myself to think outside the box. I am inspired to step away from the ordinary.  I'm not saying I won't ever work again for money, but I plan to leave the legal profession and no longer "have to" work for money.  In 10 years. 10ish maybe.  I call it "retirement" rather than "quitting" because after spending 20 years in a profession, I feel like it rises to the level of retirement.  I'm not "quitting" after 20 years!  Quitters don't invest 20 years into anything.  At this point, after 10 years of practicing, I wouldn't call myself a quitter.  Perhaps a career changer, since I would "have to" continue working for money, but not a quitter.  

I figure if I put my plan onto paper (or in this case, the Internet), perhaps I will be more apt to hold myself accountable. To actually achieve this goal. As crazy as it may sound initially.

Here are some of the things I want to accomplish in the next 10(ish) years that will hopefully move me closer to achieving this goal (and not compromise our family goals): 

1. Pay off not 1, not 2, but 3 mortgages. Yup, a BIG (daunting) financial goal, but I think doable. 
2. Save up and travel abroad with the family, multiple times. 
3. Save "enough" to send my kids to college. Does anyone really know how much is "enough???"
4. Acquire skills for things I may want to pursue in "retirement," like hobby farming, writing, teaching, fundraising (for charity), etc. 
5. Become a runner (this really has nothing to do with retirement, but it's something I have wanted to do (become) for a long time, but continue to make excuses for why I "can't") 
6. Learn to the play the piano (again, really has nothing to do with retirement, but also something I have always wanted to do, but continue to make excuses for why I "can't") 

Well, I have now put it out there for the world to see. My new 10(ish) year plan. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm feeling motivated. I'm feeling optimistic.  Hopeful for the future. Dreaming of the possibilities in retirement.

The Wait Is Finally Over!

My mom immigrated to America almost 39 years ago.  My grandma has promised my mom that she would come visit "someday."  That "someday" arrived last Sunday!  The last time we saw my grandma was nearly 9 years ago, when we visited Korea.  My mom has been on cloud nine during this visit.  I couldn't be happier for her.  

I think it is striking how much I look like my grandma.  I think I also get my work ethic, loyalty to those close to me, fierce love for my children, and resilience from her.  She passed these traits on to my mother, who then has passed them on to me. 

This picture cracks me up!  I was making fun of my cousin for her camera stick (she's the only person I know in the world who has one and uses it!), so I snapped this photo of my mom and grandma being cheesy. Amusing.

I took my grandma wine tasting last Thursday.  I had intended for a sunny afternoon in wine country sipping wine overlooking million dollar view, but it ended up very wet and foggy.  The view was almost nonexistent. However, the pucker face my grandma made with every sip of wine (she thought it was gross) was priceless and very entertaining. 

I took my cousin to a Blazer game last week.  She kept saying "wow...wow...wow..." throughout the entire evening.  I suspect this was biggest arena she has ever been to and definitely the first professional basketball game she's ever attended. 

What has been most touching to me, is the instantaneous love my grandma has had for my boys, her great-grandsons.  She couldn't get her hands on them quick enough, in particular this little guy!

 She "steals" Russ every opportunity she has.  He appears to love her back!

Henry is not nearly as accommodating with the hugs, but he did agree to sit for this rare posed picture. 

 Henry's "monster face" made my grandma laugh.  They bonded over Legos.  I love that my 83 year old grandma who doesn't speak English sat and built Legos with Henry, for hours. Bless her heart!

Another foggy day of touring.  We didn't let it stop us though.  We visited the Vista House, Wikeena Falls, Multnomah Falls (which was the number one thing my grandma and cousin wanted to see), Cascade Locks and Pittock Mansion all in the fog.  That evening we took a dinner cruise along the Willamette River on the Portland Spirit.  My grandma was impressed at how big the ship was; apparently she hasn't seen a real cruise ship. 

A trip wouldn't be complete without some time with Henry sitting around in his underwear schooling you on who the ice monster is.  My grandma patiently listened to his explanation (despite the language barrier). 

I am forever grateful my boys had an opportunity to meet their only living great-grandparent.  It warms my heart that they could bond utilizing the universal language of love and kindness. 

I hope my cousin, who is escorting my grandma, enjoyed her trip and that it was memorable.  Along with the activities pictured above, we traveled to Mt. Hood (which of course was foggy, so you couldn't see the view, and there was hardly any snow...no snow at Ski Bowl), took a short hike to a waterfall, got interviewed by Channel 8 news (and actually made it on the 5 and 6 o'clock news), went dancing at a gay bar, met up with some friends for cosmic bowling, went shopping at the Woodburn Outlets (which she apparently learned about via the internet prior to arriving), met up with a PSU graduate student from Korea, toured around downtown Portland, ate some great sushi, went beer tasting, and tried our best to communicate.  All the meanwhile, I still tried to play mom and lawyer (clocking in nearly 30 hours, even though I took most of the week off).  I'm exhausted.  But, it has all been well worth it.  I hope its been memorable enough that my cousin returns for a visit in the future (but hopefully in the summer or fall, so she can actually experience the breathtaking views!).