NZ visit

Tickets booked and ready to fly. Will be in Wellington over thanks giving and surprised to realize it's probably been 3 or 4 years since I spent time there!
Halloween has been and gone and was fun. Kiwi made for a very fine lion.



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Travels

Ruth and Karen arrive in LA yesterday and Sharene and I fly to Vegas this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing Ruth and Michelle; who is driving them there. A weekend away for us with, as yet, unplanned adventures waiting.
Work continues to be busy and challenging. It's fascinating to be working at Facebook as it is a "new" type of company. It's a refreshing change and is growing my skills further as I am not doing a large IT implementation and focused more on HR/Talent rather than just change management.
The year has flown by and Halloween looms. We will travel a few hours south towards LA for thanks giving (Sharene's family; we hosted last year). Xmas quiet as we the kids half sister is marrying in Spain in the new year and I am planning a trip to NZ. With Spain I am not sure if it will be everyone or just me but either way all takes money and planning. Can't complain as it's still exciting to be able to look forward to adventures.



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At Charles

Spent the week in St C/Chicago doing some very intense training for work. Did role playing with real clients...hard but good to do.
The fall trees were pretty but didn't get outside much.
Half Moon Bay is all about Halloween right now. Can't upload photos right now but will try later.




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Facebooking and Chicago

I am still working at FB and eBay and head to Chicago this week for training; busy.
Sharene came and had lunch at FB. The campus is pretty cool with art and great outdoor spaces.






Random chessboard, pieces on wheels so you can play.


Main campus Main Street; Disneyland architects designed it.


This is the view from the roof top garden; salt flats!


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Dallas for a day or 2

Here overnight; not exactly sure how I let myself be signed up for this but off to try and sell some change management work...orals (terrible name for pitching to a prospective client). Regardless goodness is I get to catchup with a colleague (well one of my old team
who reported to me) who left Accenture for other climes.
Also got to see this amazing piece of public art that is in the quad beside the Dallad Accenture office.






Dogs say hi.



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Various stuff

Time gets away and I haven't updated! Work has been variously stressful and exciting. I am at Facebook and eBay. Quite different both culturally and the work I am doing.
Weather is crazy weird hot.
Last weekend we went to a wedding at Stanford University...more to follow.


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Madi is a teenager

I made origami Stiches..one of Madi's fav characters








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Back from Hawaii

Had a great break consisting mostly of lying around the pool, swimming in the sea and snorkeling.















Still looking for a new project and about to start at Facebook on a part time gig that will, hopefully, have me there full time. So no flying for me for a while.

Traveling times

Been a busy few weeks traveling and next week I go to LA/Burbank for a overnight; home then Denver for a day. Aug 1 we are off to Hawaii where I plan to do very little but lay in the sun, read, swim and...nothing else.
Sharene's cousin and her daughter are here for a week (although I am missing most of it). We are supposed to run the SF Half Marathon on Sunday. I have done no training so no idea how that actually happens...oops.
Seems there is a rush of events and visits coming up! I am working on timing to come to NZ. The kids half sister is getting married in Spain in March next year; wow. Trying to figure out if it works to loop the world and head to NZ at the same time. Brax keeps asking when we are going! The kids are the perfect age now to appreciate it and remember.
Took the photo below flying into Seattle this week. Can you see the 4 mountains?


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Good news

Great news that Claudette is "all clear". Everyone had let out a collective sigh of relief.



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Seattle

In Seattle this week; easy commute and 80% of the time upgraded to business class. Odd work right now as I look for a longer term project. Can't complain as I feel like I am learning a lot.
Check out this view from my airport hotel.



We have had great weather so waking the beach a lot and generally cleaning out stuff (that would be Sharene).
Claudette has had surgery to remove a "lump"; waiting to hear that it's all good.
Random shot of Kiwi glammed up.







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More photos

Found this nice photo of me and Madster. If it's not obvious I am expecting that, by the end I summer, she will be taller than me...she is a mere inch away and showing every sign of being as tall as her mother.



Sharene on 4th of July ... I did say tall right?


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Travels & 4th of July

Flew to Atlanta Monday (4hr flight) to discover I didn't need to be here. Had a nice stay in the hotel and now at the airport getting ready to fly to Seattle via Denver. Good grief, craziness.
Fun 4th at Sharene's folks. There is always a big street party with games etc. kids love it and everyone watches fireworks at the end.



Kiwi looking all patriotic


Sharene with her cousin Tamara


Aunty Pat and me


Madi with her boyfriend..me goofing off on the side


Brax writing his name with the sparklers.

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Currently at Seattle airport waiting to fly home. The weather here has been crazy mad hot so I think I have a false impression. I'd like to stay for a weekend sometime to explore more as it's very pretty with the water and green trees. The airport has done great art!



This in tile and some interesting architecture:





Next week back to Atlanta and Seattle...racking up the airpoints!

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Location:International Blvd,SeaTac,United States

Travels

Having faced the blasting 37 degree heat in Atlanta I have arrived home sick! Every year I debate the flu shot (given in the past two they have given people the wrong strain I am not sure why I debate) and I never take it. So here I am again...
Nice things tho; stayed at the Renaissance which proved to be very pleasant. Apart from the garden bar I mentioned last time the place has a very cool retro feel.









Was also probably the nicest smelling hotel I've ever stayed in!
I feel like I learnt a bunch in the last few weeks and realized just how much I have learnt in the last 5 years (June being my 5th anniversary at Accenture).
There's a bunch of stuff going on with custody for the kids so I am not sure how the summer holidays roll out. Planning to have everyone to come to Seattle for a week while I am there working, visit good country (aka wine country) try some gold planning and maybe get over to see K&B in New Mexico...all subject to the custody stuff.

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Atlanta

Sitting in the roof top bar at my hotel in Atlanta. It's 8pm and in the 40s and very humid, these temps are my life for the next 3 days. Found some yummy food; oxtail on toast and great local beer.






Not really complaining; well
flying here on Sunday wasn't my fav idea but timezones are what they are!

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Kiwis can fly

Well he thinks he should...would take up 75% of my baggage allowance!



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Seattle

Second week here; although home Wednesday night so not too long.
Two odd/funny moments. Last week landing at SFO we pulled up to the gate and...waited. Then the announcement came saying we all needed to sit down as they had to move the plane, we were not close enough to the air bridge. Just so happened that I had an upgrade and was sitting in business class so heard the voice on the radio say "yeah move it about 6 inches..." And so they did; some pilot somewhere owes a bunch of folks a beer.
This week I was on a 6am flight (totally full so I am not the only crazy out there). Get onboard; sleep for one of the two hours we fly. Wake up and head steward guy is leaning over and saying "Ms Stewart I just wanted to check your flight is okay; can I help you with anything?" Umm, what? No, thanks. Women across the aisle is
looking at me like I might be famous...
Meanwhile here in Seattle is it so stinking hot I want to melt!


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Seattle bound

Late Friday afternoon, having booked flights for Atlanta, the world shifted again and I am now at the airport waiting to fly to Seattle! My first option local project didn't happen; there were
4 other possibilities then randomly the Seattle role emerged. It's Sold which means I am billable again. While I still get paid when not on a client the job is all about being billable so it's good to get a role. It's a "fixit" job, I know virtually nothing about it except something has gone wrong and I have to fix it...somehow. Perfect role for me really as randomness doesn't bother me. So here I am, off to Seattle to work with people I have yet to talk to, for a client I know nothing about (large telecommunications company) and solving a problem I know even less about. Upside is I have never been to Seattle and Sharene is excited to visit.



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Memorial weekend

Long weekend so Saturday we went to Glass Beach at Fort Bragg
(http://www.nationalparksblog.com/sea-glass-beach-fort-bragg-california/).
This was one of those moments that proved way better than I expected! The beach really is all sea glass.









We collected a bunch and Madi had some fun creating a picture as we sorted it all.








Kiwi wanted in on the action too; he likes to prop his head.








We also found some cool pottery pieces.






And I discovered fire pit glass...I really like it.



The drive there was on a really windy road and next time I think we will stay overnight.
I am still working on a proposal for work which may have me travel to Atlanta in the next few weeks; waiting to hear if I have to. I would really like not to travel for my next project. It really is nice to be home.


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Weekend birthdays

It was brax's 10th birthday on Saturday; this was cause for much excitement. He had baseball playoffs on Saturday and Sunday (they won both). They mix up positions but first base and catcher seem to be his sweet spot.



Presents of course!


Then a party at home with a piñata and 3 boys.


Plenty of energy to burn so off to the beach to dig deep holes etc. One boy slept over so all up a busy day.
I am still waiting to hear about a new project and getting involved in proposing another one (these things take time).
Nice to be home for a while.

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Sea glass hunting

I've started a new hobby; collecting sea glass. It's fun and beautiful to discover.









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