Skip to main content

Santa's pit stop


There were times these past few weeks when we weren't certain if Santa was going to make a stop at our house, but after some better behavior and some conversations with Jimmy (if you care to know who he is just ask), the kids pulled through and Santa dropped of a few things, or should I say a few hundred things.

The big Santa gift for the kids this year was bikes. They all got the exact bikes they asked Santa for and we hit the road today for the first time on them. They are all showing signs as future cyclists, though Elizabeth did look a bit like Kermit the Frog.

My Mom and Dad were here from Pennsylvania, despite some huge guilt trips from my brother. Beth's parents, sister and Memaw came over from Athens, GA and two co-workers of mine from Vietnam, Dang and Hien, were here as well. I think Dang and Hien were surprised by the amount of gifts that are given at Christmas, but I'm also happy that they got to experience an American Christmas. They will have lots of stories to share with their friends and family in Vietnam now, hopefully a few of them good.

I have posted pictures of the festivities here. I'm a bit disappointed about the quality and quantity of photos. I didn't ever get a good one of Elizabeth. Maybe Beth or Hien will pass one along to me to post. Hint, hint...

In the end a good time was had by all and we are completely worn out. Time to get some good shut eye and recover until next year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another School Year Has Begun

September marked the fifth year of schooling in the UK for the Kriebel kids. Five years already. They went back to school a couple weeks ago and while I'm always excited to see what a new year bring to them, it makes me a bit sad to see them growing so quickly and beginning to leave the nest.

HENRY

Believe it or not, Henry has started year 7 (or middle school for my American friends). Seriously! WTF! How is he already so grown up?

He's moved to a new school, which means making new friends, finding his way around what must look a massive place. He has settled in well. He meets a friend everyone morning (at the wine shop because that's how his friends identify where they live) and they walk to school together. Henry attends the same school as Elizabeth, so they see each other several times a day and often walk home together. Having her there has surely helped him settle in.

Each school has new rules. It takes adjustment. It takes learning. It takes courage. And Henry has sho…
Post a Comment
Read more

No more trips to Vietnam

Well, last week was a big week for me. I decided to leave FCG and return to work for Coca-Cola Enterprises. I had been talking with the people I know at CCE since late last year about working with them and they finally had a position open up a couple of weeks ago. I'm excited to go back there and work on the business side of the company versus the IT side. I start on Apri l16.

I will be working in the Revenue Management Department as the Forecasting & Planning Manager. Essentially I will be the business process owner, facilitator, and coordinator of all forecasting and planning activities within the company. That involves working with all of the regional and corporate business units to ensure that the tools and related processes are thoroughly integrated across finance, revenue management, supply chain, logistics and sales. I will also be responsible for managing all of the support tools and solutions, so I still get to be a Project Manager.

This is a big job with lots …
6 comments
Read more

Fort William Marathon: The Best Kept Secret in Racing

Earlier this year I had been training hard for the Limassol Marathon, through ice and sleet and snow, only to have what I considered a disappointing race. I struggled to recover mentally, but I knew I had another race on the horizon...the Fort William Marathon. This event was my first marathon back in July 2015, shortly after the family made the move to London. The main difference this time, though, was that we're three kids lighter with Michael and the twins all back in the US for some time with their friends.

I hadn't thought much about running this race again until Chris, the race organizer, reached out to me to offer me a complimentary spot. This was incredibly generous and given how much I liked the race the first time, there was no way I was going to refuse. Granted, Chris made this offer well before the race in Cyprus.

The posts-Limassol blues stuck around for much longer than I'd expected. I was really down on myself, questioning why I put in the effort and the tr…
Post a Comment
Read more