Beautiful girls and Dora Twirls

Dora turns 8. I cannot believe my little girl is so big, she is such a sweetheart. It makes me so happy to see them grow and yet sad at the same time.

 
Tessa is growing up a ton too, she has got to be the most expressive little kid, You always know where you stand with her, she is so funny
 
I took the girls to a daddy daughter date, these were bridget's pictures
   
Here is my buddy Sammy on a walk looking at mammoth bones
 

Visiting the James in Waco.

We went and visited the James's in Waco. I got to drive his HellCat and then we went to see mammoth fossils. 

  

         

Early Release

This was a fun weekend. School was early release. It was cold and rainy. What a perfect day to eat ice cream in the hot tub. Kids had a great time. The next day was Dora's birthday party. I wish I had taken more pictures. 

After the party we went to the father daughter dance and had such a fun time. We danced. And got to ride in a carriage. 

       

Work

OK Kids, I'm at work and trying to figure out why

I think that people go to work for three main reasons.

1. Money, People expect to get paid for time away from home, they will take a job they don't like for more money, or they will quit a job that doesn't pay them enough. I think that generally people get the best paying job they qualify for and hate it because it isn't what they like but the money is good. Conversely, people will take an easy job that is enjoyable for less money. I have done that. I took easy jobs that I didn't enjoy for easy money, I have taken really hard jobs that I hated for more money. I think the balance is to not take the highest paying job but one that keeps you at a fair misery/money ratio. I also think it is not a strait line but a logorhythm, like  a squared relationship type thing, increases in pay are exponentially harder.

2. The challenge. You will take a job because it gives you something else. The challenge of trying to solve a puzzle, or a series of questions, or because you like the end result. You might take a job for the chance to be a part of something bigger. The chance to say you built the hoover dam or Statue of Liberty. I would probably do that job for free. I think that service also comes in here, I think the part of your brain that has reward centers is stimulated by challenges or but service and I think that you can take a job where you are serving like with the Green peace or WHO or doctors without borders and that fulfills this section of reward/work

3. Experience. Internships/residencies are great examples of this, You have nothing to do but get in the way and you get a chance to work on something and learn how to work. In old timey days I think this was the apprenticeship. Everyone should have to work for free at some point, education is the reward. the other thing is that your job can have a valuable experience for your life. WOrking on something you couldn't do elsewhere. I worked at UTMB and got to do a Burr Hole. No where would I get to do that. That experience was good.

You might say that people work for the love of what they do, like musicians and like charity workers, But I think they are sacrificing money for challenge and experience. I think that the key to happiness in a career is to find a balance that allows money, challenge and experience to balance each other. I have had jobs high in money challenge and experience and it was more than I could handle, and not enough challenge makes misery.

 I think my jobs in residency the pay was adequate, work was hard for the experience, challenge was there but we were miserable because I was working way harder than the money, but I wasn't worth more money. so the balance was off. leading to unhappiness, but prepping for future improvement in pay/challenge/experience ration.

Other jobs have had good experiences, lots of challenges but money didn't pay well. Other jobs payed very well for the work and lacked in challenge and no novel experiences, so I did not enjoy those.

Currently, I feel the work experience is fascinating and I enjoy the challenge, Yesterday I saw a lot of rare cases and enjoyed the challenge, and the experience, I feel Im Adequately compensated, so right now I am happy with work at work.

But, that results in me being away from my family. Unfortunately that is every job outside of agriculture.

Along those lines, I don't know what career to recommend to you. I think engineers have a good balance and they all seem happy.

Farmers seem to be happy, and they lack in money.

Those are my thoughts, Love you kids, wish I knew what your future held,

Things I miss when I'm at work

I missed Eli's basketball game today working. I also missed the kids swimming. I also missed kids at a birthday party in the park. 

     

Love note

 

Online Journal

The kids have been up every night as a part of their reading time they have been reading the blog books, I have not been very good about actually writing but back in 2009-2011 I had more writing of funny observations. Recently this blog has become a kind of online journal. But it is a place to put pictures and document adventures.

Google has our pictures saved under a photo/picasa tab online. I have been scrolling through the adventures we had in Oregon and saw the pictures of feeding the baby tigers, what a cool adventure that was. I miss the mountains, the trees and the green of Oregon. I don't miss the rain and dreary weather. I kinda wish my kids were old enough to have remembered that but am glad for this blog/journal to jog their memories.

anyway....

Dear ELI:
Your mom was on a cruise all week, you were a pretty good helper. You had a choir practice this week and you did not get off the bus. Man, you not getting off the bus made me panic, I called the school. They asked if you were in bluebonnet something or other, I said, "lady, his mom is out of town, I have no idea what he's involved in, Im just trying to keep the kids alive, can you find out if he stayed after for some school event?" She called around and figured where you were,

I missed you,

Im here at work in Victoria and want you to know I am proud of you, youre smart, responsible, and enjoy learning, I don't worry about your future
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Dear Dora,

This week you were really good at helping me watch Sammy, he has been so sick, you were always there to entertain him and distract him so I could make dinner, At one point all the kids were on their iPads except you, you were over playing with Sammy P.

Thanks for your help, I know you are gifted, I hope I can encourage you to use your powers for good.
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Dear Emmy,

I think of all the kids, you and I have/will have the most in common when it comes to school. This week you brought home a paper, you were supposed to make a list. the list had hot dogs, fruitsnacks and something else. You wrote out fruit snacks backwards, but not just backwards, it was a mirror image of what correct is. I had that same problem and they put me in special education in second grade.

I hope I can be patient with you, I love you so much, thanks for coming to our family

 
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Dear Tessa,

when you get excited you make big happy smiles and bounce/jump/dance around house, when you run, you put your arms back and zoom around, it looks like your hair and arms are just bouncing in wind from your speed. The funny thing is that you love lipstick, you make your mom put lipstick on you every day, the brighter the better. It makes me sad to see you grow out of a little girl into a bigger little girl. You are such a cute kid.

I wish I could get you to be nice to EMMY, you are kind of a bully to her and I fear it will damage your relationship later on.

 
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Dear Sammy,

you have been sick this week with fever, runny nose, cough, you have been coughing so much you gag and vomit your food, poor kiddo,

you are so easy to love, your little smile and playful gaze brighten the world. You have taken to scratching and cutting, you have been biting my ear. You crack me up.

love you kiddo, hope you get feeling better soon