2006 for the O'Brien's

As 2006 is winding to an end, I've been able to look back at the year and reminisce about the great things that happened in our life this year. As always, adding a new addition to our family is the highlight, with many others following on the list. Cathy's job has been going great as her company was extremely supportive of her time off to bring Carsen into the world. My job has been treating me well and my clients have been very supportive of my family life requirements.

One of the best parts of this year has been the result of coping with the challenges of day care and the struggles around dropping Carsen off at a place other than his home. After deciding that it was just not working at the current day care provider, we opted to keep him home with us, sharing the time required to take care of him during the day. For the past 30 days or so, we've had the pleasure of keeping him around the house every day and seeing him change before our eyes. Both Cathy and I have been able to manage our workloads, including conference calls, phone calls and an occasional webinar. In fact, I have decided to schedule my activities around days other than Monday so that Carsen and I can hang out and make it a weekly boys day. Either way, he's been able to stay at home and take advantage of frequent 'pajama days'!

If it continues to pan out, we will be able to keep our careers in tact and raise him with the absence of day care.

Cathy's Family History

Recently, Cathy's grandmother (Ann) has fallen ill. Cathy calculated that her grandmother (from her father's side) is going to be 90 years old in 2007. Ann has had the fortune of living a long life and hopefully she will pass this stage of illness and live on to see 100.

This picture is something that I felt compelled to post. My family history is not as deep as Cathy's and to my knowledge, we don't have pictures like this one. I find these old photographs facsinating, as they make me think about the times that these people lived in and how different life was during these unique periods. This photo is dated between 1919 and 1920. Cathy's grandmother, who is turning 90 next year is the youngest of the group and is sitting on her Mother's lap. My guess is that she is about 2 years old at the shooting of this picture. Her 11 brothers and sisters are also pictured in this photo, a clear display of the unique family sizes that existed during this period.

There is so much to think about when looking at a photo such as this one. I can look at these pictures for hours and felt that it was something worth sharing.

Angel Falls, Venezuela- October 2005

Visiting VE was a great experience. Cathy and I had lots of fun and were able to see South America for the first time. Here, we enjoy the icy cold pool at the bottom of Angel Falls. This area resembled a prehistoric landscape, virtually untouched by humans for billions of years.