And the trials come...

You know that saying that when it rains, it pours? Well, my life is flooding right now... Sigh, within the past week, I have been hit with bad news about family member's health, had some pretty scary pre-term contractions that were going every 5 minutes (on meds to knock those off), had heavy stress from work (yelled at by crazy moms and kids going into crisis after crisis), am at risk for failing a course (that I previously had a 110% in) based on a technicality, and now Ben's got the stomach flu! I've been so overwhelmed that I didn't know where to turn.

Thank heavens for the wonderful support I have around me. Family has offered their support and help... Eddie was there at my doctor's visit to ensure I told the doctor everything and not minimize it. Because of the stress at work and my subsequent contractions, the doctor is now recommending that I begin my leave early... like end of next week early. Sigh. I guess that's both a relief and a stressor. Heck, I woke up this morning rethinking the newly assigned case managers to the kids on my caseload. Are they the right person? Will they be able to work with the family like I do? Am I abandoning these kids? And the questions go on and on. --Of course, HR was none too thrilled about me leaving work early and let me know on Friday that by beginning my FMLA next week, I technically have to return to work 4 weeks after my scheduled C-section, otherwise they cannot guarantee my job, my insurance, or my short-term disability pay. Nice, right? But don't worry, HR lady told me not to stress about it because "hopefully [I] could go into pre-term labor, have a pre-term baby, and then return to work just fine by mid-July." Thanks, HR. That's a great idea. Where do they find these people?

So now my job is to relax and get through the remainder of these trials without sending myself into labor again. Every time I start to worry and feel my belly getting tight and my back starting to cramp, I try to take a deep breath and let it all go. Huh. Relaxing might end up being more work than doing the work itself...

Out of Context

I have been so stressed out lately. It's like every day I have to hit a reset button on myself just to be able to function enough to get through the day. It reminds me of an experience in my group therapy class where another young lady shared that every time she would be stressed or upset due to the many pressures and influences on her, she would simply hit a 'reset button,' push the stress to the back of her mind, and say, "That's okay," and she would be able to get through the rest of her day. It wasn't really working for her on a deeper level, but at least she was functioning, right? I realized this week that I have been resetting myself like a caged mouse abusing his pellet button. Every day it gets a little harder to hit the reset and by Monday, I felt as if I was reaching a melting point.

So Tuesday I decided to work from home. An option I have always had but have rarely taken advantage of. Why? Because work is done more efficiently in the office with all my resources at my fingertips. Thus, I never really allowed myself to work from home except in extreme situations. But yesterday was a work from home day. A day to take myself out of the context of my life and just be me with no one else around. No office politics. No forced conversations. No obnoxious co-workers shouting frustrations from the next cubicle over. Just me and my house.

Did you know that you can actually hear yourself think when there isn't chaos drowning it out? Did you know there is life outside the rat race we attend every day? I felt so wonderful after having spent the morning doing work my way that I had to do it again today. Sigh. Work from home might not be as efficient as it would be if I was sitting next to the fax machine and file room, but life sure is a lot better. Taking yourself out of the context of the daily crap allows you to breathe again. It allows you to remember who you are and see beyond the next appt to where you are in life. I'm more than the caseload I support; I have a life too. I just need to remember that every now and then.

Silence is chocolate.

On Tuesday I ate my afternoon ding dong as I worked in the office doing some documentation. It was my second to last ding dong as I had been working on the box for 3 weeks now. As I finished my post-lunch treat and tossed the foil into the trash, I realized my throat started to feel tight and my lungs felt as though they were coated with molasses. For the rest of the evening, I had to use my inhaler to breathe and had a nasty cough.

Wednesday morning proved to be much better. I awoke normal again and able to breathe. The morning went well as did lunch. However, chocolate tragedy would strike again. That afternoon as I drove to my last meeting of the day I again enjoyed an afternoon sweet, another ding dong, the last in the box. Before I could even crumple the wrapper, I again felt the tightness in my chest and felt as if I were breathing into a paper bag. This feeling continued for the rest of the evening. I didn't seem to be able to get enough air. Thursday morning was not as good as the previous and I awoke with my voice completely gone. Never mind that I was facilitating two meetings and presenting my first training at work that day and was unable to utter a word; was I allergic to chocolate, I wondered?

I spoke with my mom about this concern and apparently it is something that runs on the maternal side of the family: my mom and her mom both tend to have an intolerance for "cheaper" chocolate, such as the kind that covers my cakey ding dong delight, to the point that it affects their asthma as well. What?? I couldn't believe it. How could it bother me now when I had been eating them for weeks? I don't know. I don't get it. Sigh... all I know is that Valentine's Day is around the corner and I just discovered I might allergic to chocolate. How depressing.

Halloween... 3 months later.

I wanted to put up all the photos of Ben from Halloween. We bought the Buzz Lightyear costume but I made the wings out of posterboard and shoe laces. We went to our church the weekend before Halloween for a Trunk or Treat. Everyone backs their cars into the parking lot and hands out candy from their decorated trunks. We missed the chili cookoff but made it just in time for Ben to get candy from about 20 cars. He was definitely the most polite trick or treater there saying, "Please" and "Thank you" to anyone who handed him a piece of candy. On Halloween, we walked around the neighborhood till we reached my mom's house (she lives right behind us) where Ben saw his Uncle Jake. After seeing family, he didn't want to go to anymore houses and made Eddie carry him home. Good thing it was so close. We spent the rest of the evening handing out candy in front of our house. We even demanded that the teenagers who would merely shove their bags in our faces say, "Trick or Treat" real nice and pretty. I guess we are lucky they didn't come back and egg us... haha. Ben has since worn his Buzz costumes a few more times (a couple of times he just wants to wear the wings), but each time he dawns part or all of the costume he runs through the house yelling, "TO INFINITY AND BE-NONNNNNDDD!"

Array of Photos

I decided to just post a bunch of pictures from the past, um... 7 months or so. You know, the period of time we went MIA due to computer technical difficulties. There are some from our trip to San Diego, our wedding anniversary, Ben being silly, more silly Ben, and some other random stuff. Enjoy!!!!

Holiday Time...

I know this Christmas post in late but I figure better late than never, right? Christmas was mellow but really nice this year. Didn't the season seem to go by really fast this year though? Anyway, on Christmas Day, we three spent the whole day together (I'm not sure we ever changed out of our pajamas) just relaxing and using our new presents. Ben loved his new tool bench. He still runs around with his tools saying, "I'm like you, Daddy. Like you!" So cute. I made a lasanga and salad for dinner. Simple, but nice. Unfortunately, my morning sickness prevented me from eating much so Eddie was left with the task to eat all of it in the week ahead. He did not disappoint me. Eat it, he did.

Been so long... will anyone read this?

So it has been over six months since I have posted anything. Our computer didn't seem to handle the move very well and refused to do much of anything. It would take 15 minutes just to get to my hotmail account. Ridiculous. There were so many viruses and despite purchasing software to fix it, the computer seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. And so, we just avoided using the computer completely for the past 8 months only using it when absolutely necessary as we feared we would lose our documents and pics if we messed with it too much and... because of all the viruses deeply imbedded in the system, we didn't want to just back up our stuff thinking it might take the virus to our new computer... Thank heavens for Geek Squad. We took the computer in and they were able to back up all our information and check it all for bugs. Whew. Now we've been able to plug in the computer we purchased back in May and forever lay to rest the junk one without the fear that it will die taking our precious baby photos and what not with it.

Draw a line

Written April 2009: Last weekend, Eddie and I moved into our new house. I found myself driving our CR-V jam packed with cardboard boxes, photo frames, and miscellaneous knick-knacks. As I attempted to look in my rearview mirror in an effort to make sure Eddie was handling the 26 foot U-Haul ok, I glanced at the pile of accumulated personal items. It should be noted here that I tend to hoard personal items that have any sort of sentimental or memory evocative attachment. Why? If you know me well, you would know that I have a less than perfect memory. I suppose I collect things to remember what I so often forget. These items fill in the gaps for me when my brain cannot recall it. Imagine if you will, my memory as a blank connect-the-dot game. Sad, perhaps, but true. It was then that it dawned on me... how my life is a pathway lined with or connected by these items. My yearbooks, elementary school journals, pregnancy clothes, mission photos, stuffed animals, Ben's baby clothes, Eddie's soccer jerseys... They all mark the path of our lives seperately and together. It's funny how moving makes you so nostalgic and "trunky."

And I am left with questions: Am I the sum of these boxes? Do they make me who I am? Or am I greater than these parts?

Triple threat, Baby... Yeah!

This is from March 2009..... just thought I would post it anyway.... We have been celebrating birthdays for weeks now. It has been a blast, especially with all the cake around our apartment. It started with Eddie's birthday on Feb. 19th. It was the big 2-5. :) We had family over and I surprised him with a 30" pizza (something he has only dreamed about). Eddie, of course, got soccer gear including a new training jersey and shorts. Ben's birthday was next on March 3rd. That night Ed and I took him to Toys R Us to pick out his present. It was a little overwhelming for him and he ultimately left empty-handed. Ed and I did pick out what he seemed to like most and went back that weekend to get him his first big wheel, which he absolutely loves. Since our apartment has carpet, he just scoots it across the floor for now. Once he can reach those petals though, look out! That Saturday we went to the park, came home to eat some pizza, and had tons of fun! Ben loved blowing out his own candle and made us do it over and over again. My birthday was the last of the three, being March 22nd. My biggest present? Eddie planned the weekend for me so I didn't have to stress. What a great hubby I have! On Friday, Eddie took me to dinner at Black Angus with some friends, Mike and Katrina, where I was craving some steak! I enjoyed my filet mignon and virgin Pina Colada. Yum! The party continued to Sunday; we had family and some friends come over. Yay!!!

Going to the Zoo...

At the end of February, we spent a day off going to the Phoenix Zoo. Yeah, I know that was forever ago, but I am now just getting to it. :) Too expensive, but still way fun. Ben had a blast looking at all the animals. We saw rhino butts, eating giraffes, boring elephants, lazy tigers, sleeping lions, angry monkeys, quacking ducks, and more, but I think he enjoyed the birds the most. Funny, huh? Oh, and he also got to hug a goat. :) The best part? Nana took Ben on the carousel. When it was over, he clung to that pole and screamed until my mom ran over to the attendant and paid another dollar to ride the carousel again. He loved that ride so much! By mid-afternoon it was getting cold so we headed home. Ben was asleep within minutes of being in the car.

All You Need Is Love!

Valentine's Day was awesome this year. In the morning, I gave Eddie his present: a hilarious card, hand-made coupons, and a gift certificate for a massage. He went out and picked up the Edible Bouquet that he had ordered me. Yum! I told him I wanted a healthy Valentine's Day since I am still battling holiday repercussions. He also got me a card and flowers.

Since we figured no one would want to babysit for us on a Saturday V-Day, we made it a family day. We got Ben a present and took him to the park. We had a mini picnic and played soccer and volleyball. Later, we had dinner with Eddie's family and stopped by my mom's work to give her flowers. We headed home, rented a movie and curled up together for a romantic evening. Sounds simple? Yes. But I tell you what, it was absolutely perfect. I loved spending the day with my two favorite guys!

And it's not over yet! Valentine's Day has been extended! Friday night Eddie and I will go on our own romantic outing for dinner and a movie. I don't know where, but he promised me romance and a steak! :)

BFFs Reunited!

This past weekend was a blast because I got to see lots of my gal pals that I haven't seen in forever. On Saturday afternoon I had lunch with Emily and Kierra. And then, surprise! Tiffany showed up. It was so great to hang out with all of them.

Later that day, I had a triple date night with Heather & Brett and Jenny & JR at Glendale's annual Chocolate Affair. We ate chocolate and had lemonade till we got sick (well, at least my boys did that night :( Sad, huh?). We actually ran into Tiffany & Mark and Kierra & Rob while we were there. What a great time!

Sad thing was that we were all so tired at the end of the evening and it wasn't even 10pm yet! Funny what marriage does to you, right? Kinda sucks the life out of you or something... :) J/k. Anyway, I didn't take any pictures because I am forgetful like that, but the other girls did so I will wait till they post and then nab those pics for me! :)

Only 60 more to go!

Thanks Jenny. I needed to post something.
Out of the 99 things, I've highlighted what I've done in pink.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6.Given more than you can afford to charity
7.Been to Disneyland
8.Climbed a mountain
9.Held a praying mantis (yeah, right. those suckers are mean)
10. Sang a solo (though I probably shouldn't have)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14.Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (when we were kids)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20.Slept on an overnight train (I havent been on any train)
21.Had a pillow fight
22.Hitch hiked (it was in Alaska and that makes it ok)
23.Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24.Built a snow fort
25.Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (no, but that sounds nice)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (MUD BALL!!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (It was a stake missionary video)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia (Where's the Visited Brazil question?)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Heck I was the one driving!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (26 years in Az and nope, I havent)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (Missions count! Those are spiritual lives!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (They wouldnt let me)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person (No, though Eddie talks so much about it, I feel like I have)
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Happy Boo Year!

Because Ben and I were getting over the flu, we all decided to stay in for a quiet family New Year's celebration. Eddie and I agreed that Ben could take a late nap and then stay up as late as he could. And let me tell you, that little trooper stayed up till midnight and then some! He was having so much fun that he didn't even want to go to bed. He busily played with his toys till midnight, talking on his toy car, which I guess he deemed his new cell phone, to his girlfriend Abby and his grandma, Nana. It was adorable. All you could understand was ".....[baby talk, baby talk, baby talk]... Hi, Abby!....[baby talk, baby talk, baby talk]... Hi, Nana!....'Kay, bye!" After the countdown, Eddie got out some of those party poppers. We were a little weary as whether we should even pop them since we didn't know how Ben would react. Eddie gave it a try and much to our suprise, Ben wasn't scared. In fact, he loved them. He cracked up and threw himself on the floor laughing at the noise and the streamers going everywhere. I'm sure it helped that he was tired and a little slap-happy, ya know? I think we all were.

P.S. The title is Happy Boo Year, because Boo is one of Ben's many many nicknames.

P.P.S. New Year's resolutions? Yeah, we don't do that I guess. Eddie doesn't believe in them and I am too busy to think about more goals to set up for myself. Not satisfied? Hmm, how about our hopes for 2009? We hope we can have a safe and great year, go to the temple more, and have another baby. :)

All about the Eddie

ALL YOU'VE EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT EDDIE:

What is your husband's name? Edward G. Moure (c'mon, ask me what the G stands for...)

How long have you been married? 2 1/2 years. :)

How long did you date? We dated for 6 months before my mission. Our relationship was "on hold" during that year and a half. So much so that we were engaged 4 days after I returned. We were married 6 weeks later.

When did you meet? First in high school, then years later at a mutual friend's get-together.

What were your first thoughts? "He is so cute... doh! I have a boyfriend."

What/where was your first date? It wasn't an official date. He took me to do rock-wall climbing and then we went to play vball with everyone at church and then went to Denny's at 11pm with Little Heather.

How old were both of you? I was 21 and he was 20.

When did he/she meet your family? Um, I'm not sure. I think we all played Apples to Apples together and he won my dad over with racial self-deprecating jokes. Haha.

How old is he? 11 months younger than me.

Who is taller? He is by about 4 inches. He still doesn't like it when I wear my stilettos.

Who can sing best? Eddie can and it's not just because all my Brazilian companions called him a Backstreet Boy... hehe...

Who is smarter? Depends on the subject matter. He is excellent with history, government, politics, etc. I excel in English, math and the arts.

Who does laundry? Just me.

Who does the dishes? I put them in the dishwasher and Eddie puts them away. Teamwork!!

Who pays the bills? He does. I can't bring myself to do it. Really, I can't. I'm in charge of one bill a month and I still don't like to pay it. Is there a disorder for that? Pretty sure it's called Financial Phobia.

Who mows the lawn? What lawn?

Who cooks dinner? I would say 50-50. We love breakfast foods and tacos; he makes yummy chorizo w/ eggs, over-cheesys, Mr. Miyagis and taco meat. However, I have been cooking more lately... in fact, I made some super yummy meatball subs on Sunday!!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Usually Eddie, but I am trying to be better.

Who kissed who first? I say that I did. He disagrees. I really did kiss him first though. He took too long to do it.

Who wears the pants? Hmmm, I think Eddie lets me think that I do (he calls it "choosing his battles") but I really do believe that he is the patriarch of the family and I respect that.

Adaptation of the Mind

Yesterday as I was driving home from work with Benjamin, I thought to myself: "Nikki, you and Ben should plan a day to go to the park." Well, at second glance at this thought, something struck me. I had to plan to go to the park? Ok, ok. I like to plan things, alright? That part I knew. But was this helping me get more done? You know, it was then that I realized that my constant desire to have things planned out was actually keeping me from getting things done. Huh. By demanding that it all be planned out, I was constantly pushing activities out of today and into tomorrow. It was then that I decided. "I don't need a reason to go to the park. It takes a reason not to go and I don't have one of those. We're going to the park, Ben." And go to the park we did. :) The End.

I survived Black Friday!

The whole week of Thanksgiving I was sick. Heck, I didn't even get out of bed on Wednesday. However, I had promised myself that I was going to participate in Black Friday and get up early to do some shopping no matter how many DayQuils I had to take. :) I forgot to buy Nyquil that night and consequently didn't fall asleep until about 12:30am. My alarm clock promptly woke me up at 3:30am. Amazingly, I was able to fall out of bed, shower, and head out the door by 4:15am. I picked up my friend, Tiffany, and together we waited in line at Target for an hour before they opened at 6am. Good thing we got there when we did; about 100+ people arrived shortly after we did tripling the length of the line. The time was passed by chatting about perspective deals amongst ourselves and our fellow linewaiters. I have to admit I was scared as we were let into the store; some people had a vicious killer look in their eye as they ran toward the special deals of the day. Aside from the lady who repeated rammed my ankles with her cart while complaining that I needed to "push my way through" the 50-something carts that were blocking in the aisle, I had a good time. We successfully shopped Target and Walmart. I have to admit though that I was exhausted by the end of it. Of course, that didn't stop me from going to the outlet mall later with Eddie. Hehe.

All in all, not a bad experience. My secret? Stay away from the stores anywhere close to the mall. We went to the recently built Target and Walmart out on Lake Pleasant Pkwy and I think that is what saved us. Smart thinking, Nikki.

"I don't feel so good."

This whole past week I felt like I was coming down with something and the funny thing is I watched it happen to Ben at the same time. We both started out with runny noses, stuffiness, aching, and now yucky coughs and an overall crappy feeling. Just in time for Thanksgiving! Yay. Last night, I was up with him at about one in the morning. He would cough so hard that you could hear it scratch and strain his throat muscles. He would put his hand on his neck, look at me with sad, sad eyes that were full of tears, and whimper a dejected: "Oooh..." Broke my heart. I don't even think I care anymore if I am sick; I just want my baby to feel better.

Where's my opus?

This morning I drove to work alone. I normally carpool with Eddie and Benjamin, but today is Eddie's day off so the boys stayed home. That meant that I could listen to whatever music I wanted. This would typically consist of Christmas music (you know, I had a nightmare last night that they stopped playing Christmas music? Talk about scary!), but since they were on commercial, I popped in my Ultimate Yanni CD. Yeah, ok, I'm lame, but I like it, ok? As I was grooving to my Yanni music, my mind began to wander and tangentilize (real word?). Ever have that happen? It happened to me.

Anyway, I thought about what it took to compose such beautiful music and what a gift that would be to hear a song in your head and be able to express it on paper in notes and sheet music and then create it with a 50+ piece orchestra. How amazing would that feel? I don't know if any of you have directed an orchestra or choir, but I had the opportunity to do that in Brazil for a Christmas concert we put on at the local mall. There were hundreds of people watching and I was able to direct a missionary choir that I had helped organize and put together. I remember the feeling of standing up in front of all these people. I felt so accomplished. Then I thought of Mr. Holland's Opus and August Rush and how with their music, every piece of their life brought something different and something unique to their life's work: their Magnum Opus (Charlotte's Web fans, you know this phrase). How many people can say that their whole life culminated to one encompassing masterpiece? Can you imagine?

So this morning, I decided that I want a Magnum Opus. I guess I still have some years to determine what it will be exactly. Will it be through music, words, or art? Maybe it will be through my children or my patients I will see when I'm a counselor.

What will yours be? What part of your life can you make your greatest masterpiece? What is your Magnum Opus?


magnum opus n. A great work, especially a literary or artistic masterpiece. The greatest single work of an artist, writer, or composer.

Journey through the desert, to the Promised Land

This past weekend, Eddie, Ben, and I traveled across the mind-numbingly boring highway through New Mexico to visit Eddie's dad's side of the family in beautiful Ruidoso. It was well worth the vast emptiness that is southern New Mexico. I had prepared for the trip by printing out MapQuest instructions and three maps. We followed the directions to a T and found ourselves offroading in the middle of a forest. Our vehicle, a Honda CRV, may look like an SUV, but it is, in fact, not. It is just a taller version of a Honda Civic. So there we are, stuck in the middle of the woods trying to follow these directions in an area where the dirt, uneven roads have no signs and it was beginning to get dark. I started to feel very uneasy and urged Eddie to turn around. It took awhile since the roads were so narrow and we didn't want to end up stuck in a ditch or anything. We finally got back to the main road and called the condo/lodge. They proceded to tell us that we had taken the back way to the condos and that it was probably a good thing we turned around since not many vehicles can get through that area. With new instructions, we were able to find the condos, but not without greeting many a wildlife creature on our way up the mountain. My reaction? "Holy crap! There's a deer! It's a real flippin' deer!!" Yeah, ok, maybe I hadn't been out of the city for a while. We probably saw 30 something deer while up there and the whole time I could only think of how yummy they would taste (Thanks a lot, Heather and Brett!). The condos we stayed at were located up in the mountains and offered a fantastic view of the scenery and local lake. We spent time with the Texas side of the family and had a great time eating home-cooked meals, painting Fernie's fingernails whilst he slept, and playing Rummikib and Catch Phrase. Seriously, I had not laughed that hard and that long for a while. Good times. Unfortunately, we only had time for a three-day weekend and it seemed that we had to leave almost as soon as we got there. :( It was still oh-so-nice to see the family again and hopefully it won't be so long till we see them again.