Reflections

As August dawns anew I cannot help but sit in quiet moments and reflect on the past number of months. 2010 has been a year full of glorious highs and devastating lows, perhaps moreso than any other year of my life thus far. At this point last year Amy and I were still reeling from my having been laid off from my position at EPRI while also weighing our options for the future. I do not believe we had come up with the idea of potentially moving to Tracy, CA, but we had been floating around options related to a need to move. Our landlord at the time was looking at selling the house we were renting because he was hoping to affect a life change for himself and his own family as well and we knew we were not in a position to purchase the house we had grown to love, where Devlin had been conceived and brought home to, where Sloan seemed to feel comfortable. I was doing everything I could to try and forge some sort of new path for myself, exploring becoming a certified project manager (a path I am still very interested in pursuing), going to bartending school and meeting some interesting and cool people, of trying to keep our ties to family and friends fresh and strong. We were planning Devlin's 1st birthday and were excited to see everyone join us for the celebration. My Grandfather was doing as well as good be expected, having great days, good days, and not-so-good days as my Mom dug in and not only managed her own life and work but also committed herself to my Grandfather's care (as she had done for my Grandmother years previous). I had written a short-lived column for examiner.com which I enjoyed but had a difficult time keeping up with as I felt my focus should be more for a) caring for Devlin when he wasn't at daycare and b) looking for a new job. We had discussed having another baby in perhaps another couple of years but were not really even thinking about trying...

Now, a year later, it is almost overwhelming to consider how our lives have changed. There is a lot of joy involved with many of these changes, but also a great deal of sadness associated. As some of you may or may not know, my daughter Sloan is now back in San Jose living with her mother. It was a difficult decision to make, to not fight further, to accept that perhaps this was something Sloan needed at this time in her life. My Grandfather is gone, finally at rest and no longer in pain. We have transitioned from being tenants and renting someone else's house to being homeowners ourselves. I am gainfully employed in my field of the past ten-plus years and Amy is still employed at EPRI. Devlin is preparing to turn two (but the "terrible twos" have been in full effect for a number of months already!). And Amy is continuing to grow as the twins she is carrying continue to grow themselves...

Thank you to all for your congratulations on our confirming the twins being one boy and one girl as well as for all of the condolences on my Grandfather's passing. Your words and feelings mean so much to us. Eight months into 2010 brought all of these changes...it will be interesting to see if the next five months continue the trend...

S