Reflections on Christmas 2007

Here are some thoughts on this Christmas just finished

1. We did it. We finally had a Christmas were Ruth got something she really wanted; in fact she got more than the one thing she wanted. For several Christmases in a row, Ruth go something she kind of wanted. But not really. And a week after Christmas she would come to my wife and tell what she really wanted. I honestly think it was she did not really know what she wanted for Christmas until it was either way too late or just too impractical. Last year she got a great deal of gear for Tae-Kwon-Do, including her leadership uniform. Stuff she wanted and needed, but not very fun.

But this year, we got her a Wii. an iCoaster and iDog which she just loves. It feels very gratifying to have really loved her through gifts. Anna has been easy, as she knows what she wants until now. This year was more difficult .

2. We had a real busy four plus days celebrating. We left Friday the 21st and stopped for a meal wit Ginny's family in Burlington, arriving late at night in Henderson.  Saturday was spent in Henderson. I took Anna to the Y for a swim workout and then the kids and I went to see see the Chipmunk movie. Finally, Saturday evening arrived and we had dinner as family, and then opened gifts. Ginny made a wonderful meal.

Sunday we hung out with her entire family until the late afternoon, traveling back to Huntersville in the evening. Monday was busy running the last minute errands including grocery shopping, preparing one dish for Christmas dinner. We went to church at 4:30 where Ruth and I helped park. That night we went my parents were we ate dinner (lasagna) and opened gifts. My parents are getting so old, their presents to each other so ridiculously practical. We stayed until late, getting home at 10:30. The kids were off to bed as Ginny and I waited. We went to bed at 3am.

Christmas morning came at 8. The kids were so tired that they did not get up until late. My parents got over to out house at 11am or so, and we opened gifts. Dinner was at 2 and I must say it was really good. The potatoes and prime rub went well together.

3. My in-laws are actually maturing. The now have a plan to re-do their kitchen to help sell their house. I think my father-in-law will lend them the money. Hopefully. Mac will get into the Accounting program at UNC and 17 months from now they will be moving somewhere, most likely. But they talked about in mature tones, where they children seem as important as their individual pursuits. It was refreshing, if not overwhelming in many ways.

More change at work than I know how to handle

So, let's see how this all comes about

My old boss, Mike Mosier, takes a lateral move into a tech advisor position. Keith Harris, my boss the whole time, gets bumped up into a temporary assignment, but keeps his old team. Last year, he had just about the whole team reporting to him until they made Randy (rightfully so) his peer manager. So I am back to having a boss with way too much on his plate.

It is frustrating because when I get his attention there is no way to actually spend time talking about career stuff, just straight forward into the work at hand. 

So, we do not have a permanent manager nor a perspective on when one is being named.

With the volatility of the financial markets hurting Wachovia, we just went through a very quiet but painful layoff. Some folks I really liked got hit and a bunch of stuff is either pulled off the table or just plain killed. I now really worried about my job but still it was close to home and not fun.  Oh, yeah Mike Mosier was let go along with entire planning team.

Then today comes word that Joe has resigned. I am sure the recent mortgage position pulling responsibility away was the final straw. 

At some point, I need to figure out how this affects my employment with the bank. The ball has been in my court for a while and I have been reacting.  In perfect hindsight, the time for change may have already come for me.

New View of my daughter Anna

Anna is swimming again this year with MAC; she is making impressive strides and dropping time left and right. More impressively, her strokes are improving. She is turning into a good swimmer and loves to swim.

Which brings me to this new view. I always thought of myself as the athlete in the family. But she is an athlete, she is a swimmer, better than I ever was. She is strong, fast, dedicated and improving. Will she swim in the Olympics, no. But she is really enjoying it at a social level, and she is determined to become better. For now, it is a great thing and really serving a great purpose in her life.