Circle of Excellence Day 1

2008 was a great year for us at Astra Zeneca. Everything said and done, I won the coveted award "Circle of Excellence" for ranking #1 in the region (western USA) and #2 in the nation. Winning this award comes with many benefits, winning a week long vacation being on of them. This year, the CoE award trip was in Scottsdale, AZ. Although we were excited to take a vacation, there was a lot of work to be done to prepare for the trip. Thanks to Naquel and her insightful planning, as well as her parents and my sister for watching our kids while we were gone.

We had an action packed week filled with so many activities and it would take a long post to describe it all. So we decided to post a little bit about the trip over the next few days. All in all we had a great time, and we got a little more tan. The resort we stayed at is called the Phoenician. It rests right at the base of Camelback mountain in Scottsdale. When we first got there, we were very impressed at how beautiful the property was. The resort had a special welcome party waiting for all of the CoE winners which was very nice. They gave us some really nice bags, towels, shirts, lots of money (cashiers checks) for off resort dinning, as well as some really nice Maui Jim sunglasses for each of us. Every night for the rest of the vacation they left gifts in our room- that was my favorite part of the trip (more to come on this, later).

We finally checked into our room and I was ready to crash, but Astra Zeneca had a welcome party that night which was pretty cool. Lots of food and pop to keep us content. The theme was based around Arizona Wild Hogs bikers... the bikes were cool... the bikers...not so cool. Here are a few pictures from the first day there.

Our hotel room was pretty cool.

And the bathroom was upscale as well

We had a great view off of our balcony

Naquel was pretty excited to finally get settled in

The pool area was amazing and we had a lot of fun hanging out there

The Phoenician Resort grounds were beautiful, and the resort did not disappoint.

More photos to come in another post.

Spring Break at Cottonwood Cove

We took our boat out to Cottonwood Cove for spring break this year. We all had a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures.


Connor and I got up early to head out on the water.

Pulling up to the Willow Beach Marina.


Colorado River Shoreline. I guess some guy with a point and shoot got a much better shot...



All the kids crammed in the front of the boat.

Easter 09

We had a great Easter. The kids had a lot of fun running around the back yard looking for the Easter bunny eggs. I still don't understand why eggs are used... the last time I checked, bunnies don't lay eggs.

Home Alone!

Naquel went to Utah this weekend for her niece's blessing, and because I had a wedding to photograph Saturday night, I ended up being home alone for a long weekend. At first it was fun because I had a weekend to myself to go out and take pictures (below) but after a while the novelty wore off and now I can't WAIT for my wife and kids to come home... I miss them so much. Not having them around makes you realize how easy it is to take them for granted. Going to to take photos has helped keep me distracted a little!

Moonrise just outside Oatman, AZ

Antiques Barn (secret location) but if you are thinking about getting family pictures done, possibly by me :) , I would highly recommend this amazing locale.


Inside the antiques barn. 3 min exposure hand painted stairs with LED light.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley

Connor's Love Poem

Love

By Connor Ross

Love looks like holding hands
Love smells like new shoes
Love tastes like sweet juicy cantaloupe
Love sounds like my mom's voice
Love feels like my mom hugging me

Connor wrote a nice little love poem for his mom. What a little charmer!

New Kid Pics

I never pass up an opportunity to photograph our kids~ something about the way the grow up so fast makes me feel that I can slow down this process by taking snapshots of them!

Connor is such a nice big brother. He is always trying to help out his younger sisters.


Connor is getting ready for soccer practice.


Brooklyn being cute.


Sydney does not like it when I take pictures of her, so I have to sneak them in when I can.

We are doing fine...

Just wanted everyone to know that we had a great week this week.

Connor's Surgey

This morning Connor went to a surgical center to have surgery done on his ears. Connor had Dr. Schroeder put tubes in his ears because he was getting fluid build up in his Eustachian tubes. This is his second time having this surgery done, so by now he is a pro, and he wasn't even scared about going under the knife. Connor couldn't eat or drink ANYTHING 12 hours before the surgery. We woke up early this morning and went to the surgical center to check Connor in. Connor was excited. He always had a big smile on his face and thought that it was cool that he got to wear Sesame Street gown. He was a little worried at first because of the way it was open in the back, but once he was laying down on the bed everything was ok, especially since he had a TV and a remote to keep him busy. The Anesthesiologist came in and let Connor choose the flavor or anesthesia, and then after a few more minutes he was strolled off into the surgery room for the operation. Daddy went to McDonald's to buy mommy a big breakfast burrito while they waited for Connor. 30 minutes later they called us in and we helped Connor come out of his deep sleep. Connor kept on grabbing his ears saying that they were bugging him. Daddy kept asking Connor if he could hear him. Mommy kept getting mad at daddy for bugging Connor, and Grandpa just sat there embarrassed at the scene everyone was making. Connor went home, and after a few hours he was running around the house like it never even happened- just like he did a year ago after getting his Adenoids and Tube surgery. We are so thankful that Connor is a healthy little boy and that he can hear better.

It's the Little Things That Count!

I came home from work the other day and Sydney was spastic with excitement waiting to give me a present she had made. First there was an enevelope and on the front of it she had written

"Dad, I have something for you". Here is the envelope cover.


Inside the envelope Sydney sketched a picture of Sydney and I going to the park.


Also inside the envelope was a picture she had taken of her when she was a Chucky Cheese with her best friends Chandler and Chase.


Getting such a sweet gift from Sydney was just as wonderful as seeing how happy she was when I opened the envelope with surprise. As parents we cherish these moments.

Laguna Beach

Some of you may know that I recently went thru layoffs with my company. It was a scary time for Naquel and I, and we are thankful that I still have a job. Change can be scary when you are not expecting it but it can also be positive and beneficial. A positive change that has occurred with the layoffs is that I have been reassigned to our San Diego sales team. I am always hesitant about getting a new manager because it is like starting all over again- building up trust, friendship, and an understanding of expectations- as you can imagine I was not thrilled at first. However, after our first district meeting on Monday, I was very relieved to see that I have ended up with one of the strongest teams in our sales force. I have an excellent opportunity to learn from some very talented people, as well as help others with what I have learned over the years. My manager seems very confident, experienced, and I feel that he has a genuine interest in seeing me succeed. We feel so blessed, and we are thankful.

I have a fear of flying, as reinforced by the recent "Hudson Landing", so I prefer to drive if I can. statistically speaking its safer to fly.... yeah yeah yeah... but at least I can jump out of the car at the last minute if impending doom is unavoidable... so I'm kidding... but I still feel safer driving (well at least I do, don't ask Naquel). So I decided to drive to Laguna Beach, CA for our first district meeting. I had a little time to burn before the meeting so I grabbed my camera gear and headed to the beach. Here are a few of the shots I took...





On the way home Monday night I witnessed a beautiful sunset.

Connor's New Bike

The other day Connor's friend Tyler came over asking if Connor could go ride bikes. I said sure, and went out in the garage to get his bike...designed for a 4 year old. Connor was WAY too big for the bike- his knees kept hitting the handle bars. I felt really bad for Connor, but he was just SO excited that he could ride bikes with his friend. On the way home from work today I stopped by the store and bought Connor his new bike- a new inline Magna. When Connor came home from school I tied a bandanna around his head telling him I was trying a new photo experiment. He gladly went along with it. We took him in the back yard and told him to take of the bandanna. I had my camera ready to take the shot. At first he just stood there trying to compute what was going on... after a few seconds he saw the bike in front of him and his face lit up from ear to ear. He ran to the bike to climb on it saying how cool the bike was. Then he stopped and came running to us to give us a big hug saying thank you. Sydney and Brooklyn helped pick out Connor's bike and it was so cool seeing how excited they were for Connor getting a new bike. It was a wonderful experience! Here are a few pictures.

Soccer Connor and Toothless Sydney!

Connor started soccer a few weeks ago and had his first game last Saturday. I think that soccer is more of social event than competition to him. He has a lot of fun just being out on the field with his friends and takes more interest in that, then running after the ball and trying to score a goal. But that is what is most important....Connor having fun! Besides, I remember trying to play soccer when I was his age, and I wasn't near as good as he is. We are so proud of Connor and his enthusiasm, curiosity, and strong sense of right and wrong and a desire to do the right thing.





Sydney lost her first tooth today. It is sad yet happy moments like this that make you feel like your kids are slowly drifting away to adolescence and soon adulthood. We are so proud of Sydney and Brooklyn and feel so blessed that we have such beautiful little daughters that are so sweet and kind, and have loving hearts turned to the light of Christ.