Update: December '08

I had a brief conversation with my sister Mary over the Thanksgiving holiday and she reminded me that I had not posted anything on my blog since Joe was in the hospital. Sorry folks! As always, my intentions are honorable, but my travel/work schedule has absorbed much of my time over the past two months.

First, an update on Joe. The very good news is that the new medication has kicked in and things have really improved for both Joe and our family. He seems to be a much happier child these days and more balanced in his attitude towards school and life in general, although for a 12 year old school is pretty much all there is in life since that is the primary source for friends given our neighborhood. He is still heavily committed to Karate and recently acquired his first stripe on his Purple Belt, which means he only has about 130 to 150 more classes before he tests for his Blue Belt. If he stays committed to the process then he is on schedule to have a Black Belt just before his 18th birthday. He is also playing basketball again this season with the St. James team and thankfully Greg Maxey is still coaching these kids. Joe has been with him since he was eight years old and just loves to participate, which Coach Maxey makes certain that he and all the kids on the team get to do every game and practice. Joe may not be the most talented offensive player on the team, but he does play tenacious defense and opposing teams hate his swarming style; i.e.: I think because of the Karate he has quick hands and is able to get his hands on the ball often, which creates problems for players who handle the ball carelessly. And finally, there is Scouts, which is also a source of enjoyment for him. He actually went on his first camping trip this past fall without Dad and seemed to have a great time on his own. That was a big deal for him as he has experience anxiety in the past when he ventured out on his own. So the net/net is while we continue to struggle with lots of different things related to Joe (schoolwork and homework being the two most pressing at the moment), he seems to have gotten past the weekend in the hospital and we feel that we are making forward progress. The picture shows Joe at the most recent Shotgun Merit Badge weekend. He only fired about 10 rounds this season, but he hit two clay pigeons and was pretty proud of himself. I'm confident that next year he will be even more eager to test for the badge.

As for me, I'm enjoying a week in Boulder. We had about 4 to 6 inches of snow yesterday and as I looked out of my hotel window this morning I could not help by think how beautiful everything looked. Although it was still dark, the mountains seem to shine with the whiteness of the freshly fallen snow and everything seemed so peaceful. It was truly a breathtaking view!

I love the new company (Market Force Information) and being back in mainstream sales. I just recently agreed to assume responsibility for all new business sales in 2009 including upselling the existing base. This means that I have ownership for retention, program expansion and new business growth across the entire firm next year (actually, that responsibility officially fell on my shoulders yesterday). I haven't deserted Patrick D. Gaul, Inc. as yet, but if all goes well in April I'll have to make the decision to go full time with Market Force and put my firm on hold or complete my current engagement and move on to other opportunities. A difficult, but nice dilemma to have on my plate in the current economic environment.

So there it is.........Joe is progressing on most fronts. I'm pretty darn happy with just about everything related to my new role and Kate and Ellie seem to be getting along a tad better after having a Mother/Daughter weekend in Orlando with Applause for Kids. More on that later.............