We're moving!

We have a new address, not a physical one, but a new URL on the world wide web.  LTES World is being retired in favor of BB Realm, which would encompass our daughter Valerie.  Initially, we thought of WaWa Land (WaWa is aunt Kathy’s nickname for Val) but later decided against it thinking any future children we may have will feel left out.  

We can’t believe it’s been already 4 years since we posted our first entry!  Copying many of the old posts to the new blog indeed brought back memories.  It’s like our journal of our lives together, going through the good times as well as the bad times.  We and Val hope to keep it going for many more years!

New blog’s at: http://bbrealm.blogspot.com
New gallery’s at: http://www.dropshots.com/bbrealm

Cecil & Sherry

Didn't get 1st place but I'm making progress!

Budget Sheet
With the economy sinking and gas prices rocketing, Sherry and I have decided to track our finances more closely.  Back in my college days, I’ve tried Quicken before, but I just couldn’t stick with it.  The truth of the matter is that Sherry and I keep our finances separate.  We trust each other on how we spend our money and occasionally used a system where we would consult each other before making an expensive purchase.  What we didn’t have was a recordkeeping system detailing how each of us was spending, thanks to the internet and paperless statements.   Well, in times like this, every dollar counts and to better help us understand our finances, we’re gonna give the old paper and pencil route a try starting this month by using a simple one-page budget sheet created from Microsoft Excel.

-Cecil

Power Level 1064
Just as there are power levels in Dragonball Z measuring an adult at 10, Vegeta at 8000 (during the Vegeta Saga), and Super Saiyan Goku at 1500000, there are ratings for table tennis players, which are determined from playing in tournaments.  After playing in some tournaments and practicing several times a week for almost a year, I have a measly rating of 1064   Beginners have a rating ranging from 100 to 1000, intermediate players from 1100 to 1700, advanced players from 1800 to 2300, and world class players 2600 and up.  

I still have a long way to go, but the good news is I think I’ve made an important breakthrough in my development.  I’ve started to watch the ball more closely to improve my returns, and I can say spin is king in table tennis.  If I can see the logo on the ball, that means there is not much spin on the ball, but if I can’t see the logo on the ball or if it’s very blurry, then there is a lot of spin on the ball.

As a final note, I find it a little embarrassing but resourceful at the same time that the USA Table Tennis organization records the results of all tournament play.  If you like, go to: http://www.usatt.org/history/rating/history/ and punch in my last name to see all the game scores for all the matches I’ve played, which include losing to a 70 year old senior citizen and a 14 year girl!

-Cecil

Summer
I can't believe it's June! I just love summer.  The weather has been amazing.  I wish I don't have to work in the summer and just travel around the world.   I can't afford that this summer.  I'll enjoy the simple things: BBQ, picnic, get-together with family and friends, go to the kids' birthday parties, and just enjoy the beautiful sunshine! ~Sherry

RX Adventures
Not surprisingly after two weeks of school/day care, Valerie came down with pink eye and a nonstop cough.  Going to the pharmacy to pick up her meds was a different experience being from the patient side of things.  

First time when the doc called in a script, Sherry called to check if it was ready.  Hmmm, the wait time on the phone was almost 4 minutes.  What happened to pick up the phone before the 3rd ring?  A little later, I’m at the drive-thru, and I see 3 cars, which would put me in panic mode when I’m at work by myself.  Anyway, that would explain why it took them so long to pick up the phone.  Upon picking up Valerie’s eye drops, did the tech verify my address?  Nope.  It’s company policy to ensure no mix-ups between patient meds.  It was an issue at my pharmacy that a “3 strikes, you’re out” policy had to be implemented.  Ok, did the tech ask if I had any questions?  Nope.  They’re supposed to, because it’s the law.

Second time picking up more meds for Valerie, did they verify my address or ask if I had any questions?  Nope, not a big surprise considering they didn’t the first time.  Well, I get home, then Sherry was gonna give Valerie the med, but guess what?  The pharmacy dispensed the wrong med!  I was shocked and in disbelief that they made the mistake when the script was written in broad daylight.  In my mind, everything comes back to insufficient staffing in the pharmacy, which leads to poor working conditions and errors.  I could use more help at my pharmacy, but I know that’s not gonna happen, especially when the company stock price has plummeted more than 25% from last year.

-Cecil

Valerie is going to school
Valerie is growing up.  She started going to school this Monday.  She's enrolled in the 5 half-day program, which is the core of the program.  We drop her off at 9 am and pick her up at 1pm.  She is excited to go to school every morning but wants us to stay with her.  Surprising, she didn't cry on the first day, but she cried yesterday and today.  I called the center after 20 minutes to check on her, she stopped crying after 5 minutes after I left.  I like the facility.  It's very clean, the staff is good and it's only 5 minutes away.  I get a daily report on what she eat , number of potty time/diaper change and what she does at school. With Valerie being in school for 4 hours, for the first  time in 2 years that we actually have more free time, me- time and couple-time.  Overall, I’m happy that Valerie is interacting with the other kids, learning and having fun. And, we still get to spend time with Valerie because it’s only half-day. It’s worth the money.  ~Sherry

Val likes dog
I took Valerie to the park today. She was having fun playing and one of our neighbors stopped by with her little boy and her dog.  Valerie started playing with the puppy and wanted to take the puppy home with her.  She was crying and wanted the dog to go home with her. We took her to a pet store after lunch.  She liked the white terrier, so we asked to see the puppy.  Valerie was so happy to play with the dog and again she wanted to take the puppy home with us.  Honestly, we don't know how to take care of a dog, it's a lot of responsibilities and too much work right now.  Valerie's fondness for dogs is possibly because she was born in the year of the dog.  We might consider getting a dog for her when she gets older.  ~Sherry

Vacation
I'm OFF the next 3 weeks. Yeah!!! I'm going to chillax with family, try new restaurants, watch movies, and go shopping. We're going to visit Michelle in Vancouver next week sans Valerie.  I'll miss my baby though. ~Sherry

Miscarriage
I would have been 5 ½ months pregnant now if I didn’t miscarried.  I was 28 years old and healthy but my body had failed me. This pregnancy was a surprised, my husband and I were very excited and ready to become parents again.  When I miscarried; I was devasted.  I spent the weekend crying. Logically, I knew it was not my fault.  Miscarriage is not castrophic but I felt part of me is missing. I learned there were people out there like me and 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. It made me felt better. Sometimes, I wondered  if doing overnight had an effect, but I was working overnight when I was pregnant with Valerie.  Loss had taugh me that pregnancy is a blessing.   ~Sherry