More Brennan Fun

He is definitely a hat kid...

He's working on sitting up by himself...we're expecting that to happen really soon!

He LOVES standing when he's hanging on to our hands. Right after this picture was taken, he and Daddy practiced walking.

Random family shot, just in case you forget what we all look like!

A Walk in the Park

It was a great day to enjoy some beautiful Richmond weather! This afternoon, Brennan and I (Naomi) decided to hit the park for a little while. So, off we went to Deep Run Park, which is not far from our house. We walked around the lake a couple of times, saw some geese and ducks on the lake and up close (there were a lot hanging out by the path and walking across it right in front of us!), and checked out the baby swing. It was Brennan's second time in the swing and he seems to enjoy. He was pretty mellow as I pushed him, but he wasn't crying so I take that as a good sign. All in all, it was really nice to be outside, getting some exercise and enjoying the afternoon out with my boy.

The Leadership Transition

At work I've been going through Franklin-Covey leadership training seminars and they've been really good. During Thursday's session we watched a video of sound bites from Jack Welch. One of the things he said really struck me. It was something to the effect of "becoming a leader is the most important transition you will ever attempt. You will either make it or you won't." This had the sound of truth to it, as I've been learning about leadership over the past two and a half years. Later on he commented on how love for developing the people he led was what made him a good leader. That struck me too, because I believe I am lacking in that area. It also dawned on me that one of the great fallacies in leadership is that we often promote into leadership people that were really good at whatever it is that the people they lead will be doing.

For instance, I was a very good recruiter. (I hope this comes across as confident, not arrogant; I feel that I was good at it and have had many trusted friends agree). So eventually I was picked to lead a team of recruiters. I discovered very quickly that I was not as good at leading recruiters as I was at recruiting. The two roles required very different skill-sets. I don't regret becoming the leader -- not at all. It was an important challenge for me and I do think I got better at it over the two+ years that I led the phone team. I just realize now the extent of the challenge. The more I learn about good leadership, the more I see ways in which I failed to lead the phone team well. Just being a good recruiter wasn't enough to help them become good recruiters. There's so much more to it than that! I needed to help them become good recruiters, yes, but more importantly, I needed to care for them as people, help them develop and grow -- help them be successful in the job they currently had, and in the ones that were yet to come.

The bottom line is, I cannot rest on the abilities I've developed up until now, because they are not sufficient to make me into a great leader. I need to develop a different skill-set to reach that goal -- and that is exactly my goal. Not to be great for my own reputation, but because I believe God would want me to be the best possible leader. I am in that role -- World Access (now Mondial USA) hired me to be a leader because they saw something there. And I think there IS something there. But it is a work in progress. This course is showing me that, and it's humbling. I am keenly aware that I'm in the midst of this huge transition in my life and career and it can still go either way. I need to figure out what will help me to navigate the transition with grace, dignity and success -- for the sake of all those whom I will influence.

World Access & Brennan Pics (as always)

Many people have been asking about my new job and how it's going. So far, I'm really liking it. My experiences at PI really did prepare me well for it in many respects. The aspects of leading a team and providing excellent follow-up/service to people contacting us are transferrable. There's a whole language used in the insurance industry that I have to learn though, and that's taking some time. Just being able to follow along in some conversations and decipher case notes has been a challenge. But I'm picking it up pretty quickly and I feel good about the progress I've been making.

But what will I actually be doing?!?! I'm not selling insurance! World Access is an assistance company, which means that we help people who need some kind of help while traveling. My team specifically deals with medical emergencies for people traveling overseas. We help them get appropriate medical attention and act as a liaison between them and their insurance company. Sometimes we're directing them to local hospitals, sometimes we're monitoring the care they're getting in a country with dubious medical practices. Sometimes we help with evacuations to better hospitals or repatriation to the U.S. Unfortunately, sometimes we're helping families get loved one's bodies back to the States when they've passed away abroad. We work closely with insurance companies (we contract with a lot of them to provide these services) to determine who will pay for everything too, which is why I have to learn the insurance industry lingo.

I like the international focus of it and the opportunity that I and my team have to help people in their hour of dire need.

There may be a missions overlap as well. I've put together a proposal to the marketing department to get into the misions market, providing products tailored to the needs of short- and long-termers. We'll see where that goes.

In other news ... Naomi and I recently celebrated 5 years together and I had my latest birthday. It's fun to celebrate, but I'm SO over being another year older! My one comfort: Naomi will join me in the 30s in just three months! Hasten the day...

Here are some recent Brennan photos to enjoy. He's still a cute one!

Wave to the camera big boy!

Stare blankly into the camera, cutie pie!

Open Wide!

Decked out in Red Sox garb (the socks are Sox too)!

Cool Red Sox bib + rice cereal covered chin

Esther in Narnia + a couple more Brennan photos

This adventure was first posted on my facebook page, but since not everyone sees that, here you go:

Our cat, Esther, recently discovered a portal to an amazing new place -- the ceiling/floor of our new home. I was checking the pipes and drain on the tub in our master bathroom for leaks and Esther managed to get out of the room she was in while the access panel was still removed. She crawled under the tub into the space between the long horizontal wood beams that make up the ceiling of the first floor and the floor of the second. We searched the place high and low until we heard her in the ceiling in Brennan's room and figured out that she'd gotten in there through the hole in the wall. We found out soon enough that she was unhurt and quite happy to be in there exploring. She'd walk around and come to the hole from time to time to look at us. I tried pulling her out by the scruff of her neck, which she didn't like at all. Nor was it successful since she's a wide kitty and it was a narrow hole she got through. I eventually figured she'd come out when she was good and ready. For the time being though, this was kitty heaven -- dark, cozy and out of reach of the humans! After about seven hours she popped out for some food and we managed to secure her while I "closed the wardrobe door". She was not happy about that though and stood at the door wailing on and off for the next few hours. We've deprived her of her adventure now and left her to her usual life of sleeping and eating. Must be rough.

Now some bonus Brennan pics:

Brennan in his Red Sox t-shirt and socks

This might be my new favorite Brennan photo

He loves being lifted high up into the air and then getting attacked with kisses

First Adventures in Solid Food!

As the dust settled on the transition of moving, Brennan began a new transition: solid food! At his four-month check-up, the pediatrician gave us the go-ahead to start Brennan on rice cereal once a day since our BIG boy had doubled his birth weight (he weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds a couple of weeks ago!), holds his head up well, and sits nicely when supported. So, this past Saturday, Brennan's lifelong adventure in solid food began. We managed to capture some of the fun on video.

Four Months Old!

Our precious little boy is four months old today! It's hard to remember what life was like before he entered our world. He grows more fun to be around every day, and we sure are enjoying life with this gift from God!

Brennan's Likes:

Sitting in his bouncer
Playing with the fish on his activity gym
Mornings
Smiling
People
Being kissed
Watching TV (yikes!)
Elmo

Brennan's Dislikes:

Being awake and alone (when we don't get him quickly enough after naptime)
Being in his car seat for extended periods of time

Formal Family Fotos

Yes, I know. "Photos" is spelled with a "Ph". But who can pass up the FFF triple combo?

Here's what a (semi-) professional can do...

Brennan Does Minnesota

Brennan enjoyed a visit to Minnesota last week, during which he got to meet lots of relatives and attend his first baseball game. In other words, he had lots of new faces around him and new people holding him, had his picture taken 387 times (evidence is below) and had his nap disturbed several times by annoying people who kept yelling every time someone hit a ball with a piece of wood. He also spent long stretches of time strapped into his car seat as we carted him from Richmond to Washington to Minneapolis to Rochester, back to Minneapolis, back to Rochester, to Preston, to Rochester, to Minneapolis, to Washington and back to Richmond (with a sizable delay thanks to a dead car battery). That's a lot of miles! He was pretty cranky on Thursday, his first full day back home. He's better now thankfully, and we won't be taking him on any big trips again for a while we hope.

So, here we go... here are some pics.

Family photo (with rogue sofa cushion in background)

Brennan with 3 of his 4 living great-grandparents

Brennan with his Mom, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother

Brennan with his Dad, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather

Naomi with her parents, brother and niece.

Cousins -- Brennan and Grace

Brennan with his "Auntie" Sara

Dad and Brennan at his first baseball game! Dad consented to allow Brennan to wear Twins gear since it was a Twins game. Red Sox indoctrination will commence shortly.

Brennan "enjoying" his first baseball game.

The Twins fans posing together.

Brennan's first driving lesson.

Brennan with his Justin Morneau bear, which he loves. Brennan says that Morneau is his favorite player.

And now, some bonus pictures...

Brennan rockin' his cowboy outfit, thanks to Miss Crystal! Yeehaw!

Back in Richmond (w/ bonus Brennan pics!)

After 9 years away, I'm living in Richmond again. And it feels a bit odd. I don't know how exactly I fit in. Who are my people? What circles will Naomi and I run in? How will I pursue relationships?

When I moved away in the summer 0f 1999 I was just a year out of college. Now I have my 10 year reunion to look forward to in about two weeks. Many of my college friends were still around and I was heavily involved in the high school group at Third, my church here. My college friends have dispersed for the most part, though many still live in Virginia. The ones still in Richmond have families, jobs and other friends. Will I be able to reignite those relationships?

The bulk of the people I know in Richmond are people who've supported me and followed me through my years of ministry in Austria and Orlando. Most of them I got to know at Third, but they've scattered over the years and attend a variety of churches. Very few of them are peers, in the sense that they are close in age and have spouses and small children.

Over the last 9 years my visits to Richmond have been quick trips filled with appointments -- trying to catch up with as many people as possible in a short amount of time. How do I approach those relationships now that I'm here to stay? If I'm not conscientious about this I could wind up seeing some of these folks less now than when I lived in another state or country. There was an intentionality in my visits. Can I maintain that intentionality while living here -- balancing a job, a family and the challenge of having the people I care about not linked by anything other than that they know me!?!?

This has been on my mind a lot lately, even as Naomi and I have been concentrating on settling in, looking for long-term housing and learning (or re-learning) our way around town. We are eager to find some normalcy and then get about building deep, consistent relationships.

Now, on to some recent Brennan pics... he is, after all, the star of the show!

Easter @ Southeast

I'm really not sure about this whole "dress me up like the Easter Bunny thing". But everyone else thinks I'm adorable.

Happy Boy!

What's this look all about?!?!

Back to Happy!

More Brennan pictures

He's now 11 weeks old and discovering his voice and hands. So much fun (but a little loud at times)!

Grab that fish!

Please excuse this face, I just woke up. :-s

Big smile!

Is that a yawn or is he posing for Edvard Munch?

Two hands: one to hold the panda, one to stick in my mouth.

Big, round baby belly!

Our little monk.

Now he's posing for Botticelli.

Rockin' the double chin!

Give me the camera! I want to try!

Something's happening over there and I'm missing it.

Happy Boy!