Moving Day



We will be moving into an apartment next week. This will be our first move in 10 years, which is significant in many ways.

First of all, there are the positives. Considering that we've been renting one half of a duplex for 10 years, financially it makes more sense to put rent into an apartment. We'll actually be paying less money and have better maintenance. Also, the complex was recently renovated, so it is essentially a new place. It's near an elementary school that the boys can both go to and it's closer to Angel's job and still near mine, too. In the long run, we see this as a good time to get ready to (eventually) buy a house.

There are some negatives, of course. It will be smaller, so we'll have to be more creative with how we decorate and occupy the apartment. But even that is good in a way (did I mention I'm an optimist?). It'll force us to get rid of a lot of things we've probably been unnecessarily packratting.

I think it will be harder on the kids. My oldest son was only months old when we moved into the duplex and our youngest son was brought home from the hospital to this duplex. It's the only home they've ever known, so naturally, they're quite attached to it. I understand -- I'm a sentimental guy, too. We have a lot of memories in that house. I know we'll miss it.

But it's a necessary step for us and I think it will be for the best. Stability is always good but nothing is constant in life except change.

I came to realize some years ago that wherever your loved ones are, that's home.

Best Wishes,
Allen

Not In The News Friday (NITNF)

NITNF will usually be a bit of trivia that I found interesting and thought you would like. It may be IR-related and it might not -- but should always be fun! You won't find these tidbits in news stories, no sirree!

This week's NITNF: Okay, so today's trivia does have a biracial tie-in! Yes, our focus today is Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry!



Berry, who won the Oscar for her performance in Monster's Ball, has an acting career spanning back to 1989. Many were stellar performances...or at least positive ones.

You may remember her as Storm of the X-Men



You (like many of us) may have wondered about Catwoman...?



But did you know Halle Berry was in the 1997 comedy BAPS?



Oh, well, these things happen...

Have a great weekend!

Best Wishes,
Allen

One Drop (Rule) Is Wrong



The last time I blogged on this type of topic, I got a sharp criticism from an African-American reader who felt I wasn't qualified to speak on such things because I'm white. Nevermind how racist that in itself is, it is how some people feel. So let me preface this post by saying I am qualified to speak on the following topic because I am the father of two biracial children.

First, some historical background via Wikipedia:

The one-drop theory (or one-drop rule) is a historical colloquial term for the standard, found throughout the United States of America, that holds that a person with even a tiny portion of non-white ancestry ("one drop of non-white blood") should be classified as "colored", especially for the purposes of laws forbidding interracial marriage. It is an ethnocentric concept based on the idea of human hierarchy. This notion of invisible/intangible membership in a "racial" group has seldom been applied to people of Native American ancestry (see Race in the United States for details). The notion has also been applied to the idea of solely black ancestry.

By 1925, almost every state had a one-drop law on the books, or something equivalent. These were the laws that gave power to bureaucrats like Walter Plecker of Virginia [8], Naomi Drake of Louisiana [9], and similar people around the country — people whose mission was to hunt down any families of mixed ancestry and shove them to the Black side of the color line.

In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court, in its ruling on the case of Loving v. Virginia, conclusively invalidated Plecker's Virginia Racial Integrity Act, along with its key component, the one-drop rule, as unconstitutional. Despite this holding, the one-drop theory is still influential in U.S. society. Multiracial individuals with visible mixed European and African and/or Native American ancestry are often still considered non-white unless they explicitly declare themselves white or Anglo, and are typically identified instead as mixed-race, mulatto or mestizo, or Black or American Indian, for example. By contrast these standards are widely rejected by America's Latino community, the majority of whom are of mixed ancestry, but for whom their Latino cultural heritage is more important to their ethnic identities than "race". The one-drop rule is not generally applied to Latinos of mixed origin or to Arab-Americans.

So, keeping this in mind, it is troubling to me that One Drop Rule is even around... It's a way of thinking whose time has gone the way of the dodo and the dinosaur. It needs to die.

And this is my opinion only, but I believe One Drop Rule is racist. Yes, racist ... because it states that one racial heritage is dominant over the other even within a mixed-race genetic makeup. One Drop encourages a biracial or multiracial individual to choose one racial heritage over the other and downplay or deny the other -- supposedly for the good of the individual or to help them "fit in." As a social context, it is particularly insidious because often shame is used to batter the biracial individual into submission of the group- or collective-inspired racism. Mob rules thinking. It is wrong and should be called out for the terribly misguided racism it is. No one race or culture is any better than any other.

Fortunately, my sons have not faced this pressure yet. Austin is a fairly diverse city and interracial marriages and families are common here but there is racism, too -- from all sides. Someday, they may be encouraged to think that they're only Black. It may be from friends or coworkers or anybody, really.

My job as their parent is to teach them to embrace all of who they are. It's not about being white or black or even Apache. It's about being you, whatever that means. And my job (and my wife's) is to answer their questions about where they come from. If they want to know about African-American or even African culture, we will teach them. If they want to know about Native Americans, we will do the same. If they wanted to know about my Dutch ancestors, same thing.

Life is too short and confusing enough to be distracted by "racial identity issues." Simply be who you are -- ALL of who you are. My boys do not think of themselves as any one race -- they know they are mixed. But more important than that, they know they are loved.

That's really all that matters...isn't it?

Best Wishes,
Allen

Worry-Free July 4th



Yesterday was a very nice, relaxing day. The whole family had the day off and we just stayed home and took it easy. I only went out once to buy ingredients for the spaghetti and meatball supper I cooked. I will admit it, it was a rainy day and we were lazy all day. I had the digital video recorder (DVR) recording the G4 Star Trek marathon while I played video games for a while on the computer. The kids enjoyed the Tom and Jerry marathon on Boomarang (but not all day for them, and not all day for me, either -- watching the tv for more than 90 minutes tends to do serious damage to one's IQ).

I did enjoy cooking. I haven't made meatballs in years. I used ground turkey meat for the meatballs this time, which was a first for me. I seasoned it with some steak seasonings (salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, red pepper) and worcheshire sauce and then cooked it in the skillet. Next time, I will add some chopped onion to the mix, though; it really helps with the texture. Anyway, I combined that with a couple of different spaghetti sauces from the store (sauteed onion and garlic and super chunky mushroom, both from Ragu) and some Barilla angel hair pasta -- and voila!

Even though I dearly love cooking on my George Foreman Grill, it was nice to cook something on the stove for once. Spaghetti itself is a no-brainer but the meat is what can take time. I usually just break up the ground beef (or turkey) and brown it, drain it and let it get seasoned by the sauce, but I wanted to do something different this time. I also wanted to see how the flavoring of the turkey meat would in turn flavor the sauce. (I really liked how it ended up adding a nice dash of the worcheshire taste to the sauce!)

Sometimes the greatest benefit of having freedom is to use it. But also, it's important to remember that those freedoms were attained at a high cost. We need to be grateful for our independence.

Best Wishes,
Allen

Is This Cool Or What?

Look -- Up In The Sky! It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's A -- Bunny??



Okay, sorry that it's off-topic but the 30-second bunny parody of the 1979 Superman movie is just amazingly accurate and funny! A must-see if you've ever seen the original...although I showed it to my kids and they got it, too. (I let my oldest son see the original Superman with me on cable tv last fall.) Family friendly and cute.

Happy July 4th in advance!

Best Wishes,
Allen

Not In The News Friday



Fridays should be fun -- and generally nonsensical -- so we at IR Haven are proud to introduce to you "NOT IN THE NEWS FRIDAY!" (NITNF)

NITNF will usually be a bit of trivia that I found interesting and thought you would like. It may be IR-related and it might not -- but should always be fun! You won't find these tidbits in news stories, no sirree!

This week's NITNF: Did you know that Michael Dorn, best known as Lt. Commander Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, actually had a regular role as Officer Jebediah Turner on the 1970's show CHiPs?



Earth-shattering, isn't it? Have a great weekend!

Best Wishes,
Allen

So Long, Asian Avenue Account

Don't worry, this isn't a post to diss Asian Avenue. Asian Avenue has undergone some major changes in the last year or two, though, and it's just not the same as it once was. That may work out great for some people; it just didn't work out for me.

In all fairness, though, Asian Avenue's features and website do look better than ever. But its main push seems to be towards dating and professional networking in the Asian American community.

So why did I join Asian Avenue? I got a free account with Asian Avenue when they started in 1999. I've always had an interest in Asian culture and community. So I joined to make friends and learn more about the community.

Initially, Asian Avenue was set up to help friends get to know one another and provided a free webpage and an asianavenue.com email address. I found it interesting because it encouraged people to be creative in making webpages and friends.

Asian Avenue also had a good referral system that gave reward points that could be accumulated and used to get real items, like ball caps and t-shirts, etc. A couple of years ago, Asian Avenue added a blogging feature, too...but it was too little, too late. I liked their job find feature even though I didn't need it.

Ironically, for me, it became more and more difficult to get to know people using Asian Avenue. I checked in on it less and less and would even forget about it (not a good sign). It was probably the big dating push that drove me away the most, though.

So I closed my Asian Avenue account today. C'est la vie.

Anyone else use Asian Avenue? What are your thoughts on it? Leave me a comment on this post. Thanks!

Best Wishes,
Allen

Romantic Memories, Episode One

The following is a true story from the Adventures of Allen and Angel.

Late May 1993. Angel and I were engaged at the time. She had passed basic training (U.S. Army) with flying colors and phoned me early in the morning to let me know she would be flying to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in Arizona that day. She told me she'd be transferring through the Atlanta airport on Delta airlines and then the Dallas airport before going to Arizona. She also gave me the approximate flight times.

After I got off the phone, I was a bit sad because it would be some time before I'd see her (I'd wanted to go to her Basic graduation but it hadn't been possible). We had sent each other snail mail and had a few phone calls since March.

Then the craziest idea in the world entered my brain: somehow, I would meet her at the airport in Dallas!

I didn't have much time to plan. I called Delta airlines to find out her flight number based on the airport locations (including gates) and times. Then I had to determine when the flight would arrive in Dallas. I got that info, wrote it down and got in my car and started driving to the Austin airport.

As I drove, I thought "God, if you don't want this to happen, stop me now."

I got to the airport and purchased the first one-way flight to Dallas I could get. I would arrive at the Dallas airport with not too much time to spare. I literally had to run from one end of the airport to the other to find the right gate in time. I arrived shortly before that flight arrived.

Keep in mind, I had no idea whether this was the right flight or not. Even though the info seemed to match, it could have been another plane with different passengers!

I waited, nervous with anticipation yet also fearing a letdown if I'd miscalculated. Let's face it, this was a lot of money to spend if I was totally wrong.

The minutes passed. The plane arrived and passengers started exiting the plane. It seemed like an eternity, even though it was probably only 5 to 10 minutes.

And I finally saw her. My Angel. In military uniform.

She was the most beautiful sight in the world to me at that time (still is!).

In retrospect, it must have been quite a sight to others to see us together, though. Not merely an interracial couple but, at the time, I was wearing casual summer clothes (jeans and t-shirt) and had my hair past shoulder length. She was in standard military attire. And yet, there we were, a happy couple in love, delighted to see each other.

Actually, Angel looked like she'd seen a ghost when she saw me! It made it worth every penny I'd spent on my credit card. I had totally, utterly surprised her -- just as I'd hoped.

In the end, we got to spend a whopping 36 minutes together before she had to catch her connecting flight. Still, it was a total recharge to me. I hadn't seen her in nearly three months.

It was hard to leave her but I had my satisfaction. I'd accomplished my goal for the day. A total spur-of-the-moment act of utter lunacy -- and it'd paid off!

I purchased another one-way ticket back to Austin and had to zoom across Austin to make it to my (then) part-time job. I worked in happy exhaustion for the next 6 hours.

It was totally worth it.

This is the same woman I ended up marrying 11 years ago. The same woman whom I've had 2 sons with.

So, believe it or not, World -- LOVE lives!

13 years ago and it's still fresh in my memory.

I just thought I'd share it with you all.

Best Wishes,
Allen

IR Haven's First Renter: Just Jill!



Go check out her blog. It's festive, clean and a good read.

Best Wishes,
Allen

The Sad State of Interracial Blogs

I was curious about the state of interracial blogs in the blogosphere, so of course, I tried to Google the term. Geez, was that a mistake! I couldn't even attempt to click on any of the links because they were all porn, all the time.

That was disappointing.

I know there are blogs from interracial couples and families and biracial/multiracial people but they are few and far between. I have recently spent some time cruising Blog Explosion and while there's a wealth of political and personal blogs, religious and anti-religious blogs, sports and financial blogs, there just aren't too many interracial blogs.

So we earn our name a little longer: Interrace Haven. We still discuss topics from the point of view of someone in an interracial marriage with biracial kids. Sometimes "slice-of-life," sometimes comedy, sometimes serious and sometimes spiritual, but one way or the other, it's IR Haven, all the time.

If you know of some good IR blogs out there, I'd love to check them out! Send me link suggestions HERE!

Best Wishes,
Allen

A Note From The Makers Of Colourz Magazine:

"We here, at Colourz magazine, would love to hear your stories and comments on how being bi-racial has affected you. The mission of Colourz is to open a gateway of communication among all people. Colourz will confront and help combat, in an informative and educational way, the obstacles many people face due to their mixed heritage, ethnicity, prejudices of others and prejudices within themselves. Colourz is the magazine for anyone who is or has known a person who is mixed, mulatto, half & half, part this or part that. There are no limitations. Colourz is for you. Please respond to colourzreaders@yahoo.com

"We are looking forward to hearing from you!"

Tomorrow Is Father's Day

Few things make me as proud and satisfied as being a dad. I'm proud of my family. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to (someday) get married and have kids. It was a very strong feeling, a driving force -- and quite frankly, sometimes it didn't make sense.

I mean, it's a perfectly normal goal to have, don't get me wrong -- but I wonder how that notion gets planted in a 10-year old or a 14-year old or an 18-year old kid? You would think that all that would be on your mind would be playing with your friends or tv shows or sports as driving influences. And for the most part, those were my influences (except for sports -- me, other kids and sports didn't get along, but that's another blog entry).

I was a total introvertive comic book creator (as a hobby, never for profit), comic book fan, and my folks had bought me a video game system (anybody old enough to remember Colecovision?) by age 10. Still, somewhere near the surface of my heart was this need for a wife and a family of my own.

Even in my dark, angst-filled teen years, I still envisioned a future where I'd get married and have kids.

Elements of marriage and family were present in all my creative projects from that period in my life, whether the superhero comics or music (between the ages of 18 and 20, I recorded an album titled "Dreams & Wishes" where the title song's lyrics speak of my longing for real love. The basic last line is "You are my dreams and wishes").

Inevitably, when I dated, I would ask the young women what they thought about marriage and kids. Although I did have at least one girlfriend who wasn't interested in either, most considered it to one degree or another. It was always important to me, even though I did not get engaged to anyone until Angel proposed to me.

Angel says I "serenaded" her for children, and I did (not literally, but with my actions and through our conversations). Having found the woman of my "dreams and wishes," I had an unexplainable urgency to have a child with her...and we did. We were married on March 18, 1995 and our first child was born on October 8, 1995 (and no, we hadn't become Christians yet, although Angel give her life to Christ 2 weeks before our son, Adam, was born).

A couple of years later, Angel told me she wanted to have another child, a sibling for Adam. It really didn't take any effort to convince me. Josey was born on October 6, 1998.

Now my boys are school age (10 and 7, respectively) and have their own distinct personalities, quirks, strengths and weaknesses. I love them both equally and I'm very happy to say they show their love for me and Angel every day. They are both loving and caring boys, each in their own special way. They are both amazingly intelligent and healthy and creative. They're also handsome and charming and witty.

I love them more and more each day, just as I love my wife more each day. It may sound like a Hallmark(tm) greeting card but it's the truth. I couldn't ask for a better family.

People often ask me and Angel whether or not we want to "try for a girl." The truth is, we are satisifed. If it's God's will that we have a daughter (or even another son), then we'll accept that and be thankful and adapt as necessary.

But for right now, we're a good family. We're the family I always wanted.

Dreams do come true sometimes.

Best Wishes,
Allen

A Summer Errand With My Boys



So, Monday I had a day off and the boys are home for summer and Angel's working. There were errands to run, so the boys and I went together. Following a little incident over the weekend with the van in which the ignition switch broke, a friend of ours was gracious enough to fix it (for free) but our keys were damaged and needed to be copied and replaced.

Our first stop was a key shop. And what a stop. The boys had never seen a huge safe before, much less half a dozen of them side by side.

And then there was The Grackle.

Yes, the employees of this key shop had a pet grackle. I kid you not. It was pretty small and was riding the shoulder of one of the employees. And that bird NEVER ... STOPPED ... TALKING. It was a total chatterbox! I don't think it would have been such a weird thing (and keep in mind, I live in Austin, the city that spawned the slogan "Keep Austin Weird") if it hadn't been in a place of business!

Another of the employees held out his finger and the grackle flew right over and perched on his finger then he put the bird on his shoulder (as the bird continued its conversation). He gave it some bird seed and the thing kept a muffled squawking as it ate. The boys and I were both amused and annoyed simultaneously...

We were only in the key shop maybe 10 minutes but there was no getting bored. We had the grackle...

...or did the grackle have us? (Dramatic music)

Your Stories: Help IR Haven Generate Content



I have been wanting to add more IR-centric content to the blog recently, so this afternoon, I had an idea.

I'd like you to send me your IR stories and I will post them as blog entries, one per day. They don't have to be long or works of art, although I think they will be beautiful in their own way.

I'd like couples' stories (how you met, what your ethnicities are, how long you've been together, how many kids, etc.) and individuals stories (life as a biracial or multiracial person, how it has shaped your insights, your world view, etc.).

A couple of suggestions: Just use first names. Keep the language family-friendly.

E-mail your stories to me HERE!

I'll start posting them as soon as I receive them. Thanks in advance!

Best Wishes,
Allen

Hold The Phone...

We finally decided to stop using a pager and start using a cell phone.

I know, I know -- "Allen, my goodness! You decided to join the 21st century!"

Yeah, yeah...

A lot of things led to it, not least of which was our last couple of wedding anniversary travels, where a cell phone really would have come in handy (in the mountains of Pennsylvania en route to a wonderful resort that we could not find for the life of us -- or in the middle of the hill country with no phones, lovely as it was).

Also, it just seems that if you're stuck in traffic or have a flat tire or you just need to relay some information, there's no reason not to have a cell phone.

And, is it just me, or is it quicker and easier to get approved and pay for a cell phone than it is to order fast food? I was amazed. Granted, I picked a good time and provider -- on Memorial Day -- and the guy working there told me I was his only customer of the day thus far, so I got some good deals...

...but then there was the "DUH" moment.

We got our first error message on the phone about 3 hours after I got it home. It said "SIM card rejected" on it's little screen. So I removed the back panel, the lithium ion battery and gently took out the SIM card and reinserted it into its little slot.

And then the phone wouldn't turn back on.

That was a bummer.

The next day, I went right back up to the cell phone place and asked what the deal was. To this, the man who had sold me the phone and the monthly plan said those five condemning words (in a reassuring Indian accent) -- words that strike fear and dread into a techno geek such as myself:

"This is the 'ON' button."

(Hangs head in abject shame.)

I'd accidentally pressed the on/off button and turned the phone off while getting the back cover off of the phone to reposition the SIM card.

"Wile E. Coyote....genius." (*shakes off the memory*)

The cell phone has worked well since then.

This Time Of Year...



Inevitably, May is a strange month for me every year. May is when Summer really starts in Texas, Mother's Day is celebrated, school ends for my sons and it's the anniversary of my Dad's birth (05-25-41) and death (05-20-97).

The only thing that kind of troubles me each year is that I don't really notice the dates until it's almost (or past) the anniversary of his birthday. It's certainly not that I don't care. I care a great deal. It just seems to sneak up on me...and I feel bad that it gets to that point.

I visited my Dad's grave about a month ago with my Mom. I don't mind visiting it, don't mind remembering. I have a lot of good memories of my Dad. When I was a boy, he taught me how to play basketball, football and baseball. And though it was trying at times, he helped me with my homework.

When I was 12 and had to have very serious surgery, he helped me to understand what was going to happen and reassured me that everything would be okay. He helped me every day during my recovery and felt so guilty at the suffering I went through during my hospital stay that it troubled him the rest of his life. He told me that on his deathbed. I had to reassure him it was something I had long gotten over and he didn't have to live with that guilt anymore. He was just that sensitive and caring a Dad. He would have taken those pains for me if he could have.

To prepare for "real life," Dad helped me to get my first bank account, then he taught me how to save money to get my first bass guitar and amplifier. He encouraged me to get a job and save for a high school journalism trip to New York City when I was only 17 (and I did!). He taught me how to drive (at the expense of his nerves) and taught me how to cook.

Even more importantly, he taught me how a man will work and sacrifice as necessary to provide for his family. Dad was a good example of how to be a caring father and faithful husband and provider for our family.

Occasionally, I will have a dream with Dad in it, at least once or twice a year. It's always been pleasant dreams, never nightmares (thankfully). Dad is always how I remember him: healthy and at his best, physically, the way he looked before the cancer so damaged his body. I guess that's normal. He almost always appears with Mom, too. Maybe that's my subconscious registering the depth of their love, I don't know...

Father's Day is coming up in June. I'm extremely proud to be a dad to two wonderful sons (they call me Papa). I know I owe a lot of my enthusiasm for my boys to the love my Dad had for me.

I do miss my Dad from time to time. I think about him and remember different things we did together or went through together. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I could see him again. That's probably what leads to my dreams.

But I have become something of a realist in these last couple of years. I know life goes on. I'm not distraught that Dad died. I had my opportunity to get to know him, to be his friend as well as his son. I got the chance to heal any old wounds between us and I got to say goodbye.

I couldn't ask for much more than that.

Best Wishes,
Allen

Yes, I Still Post Here...

It's been a while, true, but I do. I've been going through a few things...but I'm okay! In fact, I've even got a new gadget to talk about.

After the untimely demise of my second Handspring Visor (the one I bought off of eBay) this week, so I decided to get a brand new Palm PDA. I researched it online and determined that the Palm Zire Z-22 was the best for me, both in functionality and price.

It uses the latest version of the Palm Operating System, which still has all the main functions that the old 3.0 version my Handspring used -- just prettier. It has more memory (32MB, my Handspring had 8MB) and -- gasp -- color! It's a smaller, very sleek design, has a rechargable battery and AC adapter and syncs up through a USB cable. For $99, it's a great deal!

I also bought its Air Case (see-through hard plastic) to keep it safe. A good investment for only $14.99.

I'll update again when I have another solid subject to discuss.

Best Wishes,
Allen

Postcard From Paradise



Actually, we're already back from our little vacation. Angel and I went to Wimberley, Texas (in the Hill Country, as you can see in the pic) from Saturday, March 11th through Tuesday, March 14th. We stayed at the Blair House Inn in the San Miguel Cottage. We were spoiled pretty much from the first moment we arrived!

FOOD: Blair House provides a 5-course Saturday evening dinner and it was tops! Fresh sea bass in diablo sauce followed by a rich garlic tortilla soup, then a marinated red pepper salad, a main course of perfectly grilled medium steak with a corn and "Mamas Pappas" and dessert was a baked cinnamon apple chocolate torte in blackberry sauce topped by a pristine single blackberry. That was the first meal. Each morning featured a 3-course gourmet meal starting with fresh fruit followed by a pastry and finished with the main course. Each meal was absolutely wonderful, we were amazed. Even the orange juice was mixed with sherbet and/or yogurt.

Slight sidenote: Being lactose intolerant, I did have to take Lactaid pills with every gourmet meal. Not a perfect solution but it helped.

THE ROOM: We had a southwestern style cottage with a fireplace and plenty of local paintings and crafts in the place. It had a satellite-enabled tv but we didn't use it. We actually had more fun reading (the inn had a mini-library), playing board games (also from the library) and listening to music on the Sony soundsystem. There was also an indoor jacuzzi. The bed itself was massive and plush and comfortable as could be.

THE SURROUNDINGS: Wimberley is a very artsy community. Home-made crafts are everywhere, good food at the local restaurants (not gourmet but good nonetheless) and when we visited the local grocery store, they had the best selection of organic produce I've seen to date. One reason that Wimberley is special to us is because I had Angel's engagement ring and our wedding bands crafted by a local goldsmith.
We also visited a glassworks shop with incredible pieces made right there. There was even a demonstration in the adjoining building where we saw a glass vase made from scratch (very impressive)!

The weather was pretty much perfect the whole time, especially after a cool front came in on Sunday evening and dropped temperatures about 20 degrees. It took about a day and a half to really start relaxing and the rest was essentially pure relaxation. When we came back to Austin, I actually had to seriously readjust to downtown city traffic!

I'll blog more later...

Best Wishes,
Allen

11th Wedding Anniversary Coming Up

On March 18, 2006, Angel and I will have been married for 11 years. I find that the longer we are married, the more people are astounded. And that's not so much astonishment that we're a married interracial couple. People are just amazed that a marriage can last this long and that we're still in love and happy! That's just sad, in my opinion, but such is the way things are...

We are planning a little getaway together next weekend, a bed and breakfast out of town. We have made arrangements for the kids so that they will have a blast with family while we are away for a few days.

We do plan on taking some pictures, so I'll post what I can when the time is right.

It really is very important to have some alone time as a couple, a change of routine for yourself, your spouse and for the kids, too. It keeps everybody from getting burned out by repetitive routines and the run-of-mill feeling that can set in when you don't get vacations in a while. It's also equally important to do things as a family and take family vacations. (One thing at a time, though...you have to make sure you can afford it and have the time to take off from work).

Oh, and we finally got our van repaired! The van still needs a tune-up and a new set of spark plugs but at least her gears shift properly now. We'll be driving her on our little getaway vacation.

Well, that's it for now. See ya!

Best Wishes,
Allen