|
2005 In Review
2005 was a fantastic year
for this family. Dad is still at Austin Energy charging away and
building a temple. The
transformation is on its way and the recognition is starting to happen.
Dad also started his third year on the board of directors at the neighborhood
and was elected president, and as he is also sponsor of the social committee
for a third time. Mom on the other hand was
again co-chair of the social committee for a third year and and did a great job.
The kids moved to another grade. Alexandra
graduated from 5th and AJ from 2nd. AJ played baseball at Lake
Travis and loved it. He hit a grand slam (bases loaded) with two
outs on the board and losing by 3 runs on the 7th inning in a play-off
game. They won the game and finish 3rd in the league. Can
you image the odds of that happening? He is still glowing from it. And Austin enjoyed his last
home schooling semester. The kids had another great year with soccer,
baseball, basketball, swimming, DI, bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding,
scouts and homework.
On the southern front, Grandma Sonia finally moved
out of her apartment and went voluntarily to a very nice retirement home
where she would be monitored and cared for (medications, meals, sleeping
time, exercise time, fun time, etc.) non-stop. She seems very happy
about her decision and we are extremely supportive of it.
Especially, because she will have consistency, normalcy, company from
many adults and be in a very safe environment.
The Spring was packed with activities and
the kids grew up a few more inches. The highlight vacation was again our
trip to Disneyworld, the kids favorite destination. We stayed at the
Portofino at Universal and had a blast. While the kids and Angela enjoyed the
parks, Dad attended a conference and worked. We surely enjoyed
Disney again and discovered the wonders of Universal. It was too
much fun for the kids and us.
On the Spiritual front,
Dad took his first SJN CRHP team through formation and helped 32 men find
the fruits of the spirit. The weekend was sensational and team 24
did great by harvesting team 25. After being co-chair of the
ministry for 12 months, Dad was appointed chair of the ministry and will
be in charge for another year (until the Spring of 2006).
Our summer was grand as we returned to California.
We went to Pebble Beach, Carmel, Monterrey, Capitola, Santa Cruz, San
Francisco, Palo Alto, San Jose, Stockton, and Discovery Bay. We
hanged out with the Morrison clan, the Foster clan, the Bernstein clan,
and many more friends. We hiked and rolled all across our favorite
spots. The kids loved the outings to the Golden Gate and Discovery Bay.
It was truly great to see and visit with uncle Don, aunt Pam, Tyler,
Whitney, Julia, uncle Mike, aunt Jill, Christopher, Cristina, and all
our California friends.
As soon as we looked around, it was time for
the kids to start a new school year. Alexandra
made her big move to middle school - wow it is 6th grade already. And AJ
started 3rd grade. And Austin Theodore started Montessori pre-k,
hurray. He is doing great at school and loves it. The kids
keep getting taller and taller, and smarter and smarter, and faster and
faster. As the kids got back in the groove with school and Angela
got back to her traveling biz, Dad continued to work, speak, lead the HOA,
lead SJN, and head coach for AJ's soccer team, which won the league for
a third year in a row. Dad's speaking requests went beyond any
expectations. He also
became co-author of a book titled "Information Technology Leadership" and contributor to another
booked titled "Player Manager". And to
top it all, he was even
awarded "IT executive of the year" for 2005 by the Association of
Information Technology Professionals and "Premier 100 IT Leader" for
2006 by Computerworld.
We celebrated
Thanksgiving with some members of the Carvallo clan and had an awesome time.
Thanks to aunt Cecilia, and cousins Ana, Yza and Juan for coming over
and sharing a great time. We also had a CRHP gathering to
celebrate our ministry and the visit from Grandpa Steve and Helen. We have such great people in our parish
and we are so blessed to be here in Austin, TX. Dad
started as head coach for AJ's basketball team for the third time. Mom
also organized a fantastic Christmas hay ride for 120 plus residents by the social committee.
Our new
year's celebration was fun. We spent lots of time
with friends, family, and neighbors in 2005 building community. We
didn't go skiing this year either. The kids really missed it again. Maybe
in 2006.
In closing, we wish you
all the best and pray for peace, health, and love.
Forever friends,
The Carvallo family
P.S. "Trust the past to God's merci, the present to
God's love, and the future to God's providence." - St. Augustine
|
